Downlink control information (DCI) design for multi-component carrier scheduling

Abstract

Wireless communication devices, systems, and methods related to downlink control information (DCI) design for multi-component carrier scheduling. For example, a method of wireless communication may include receiving a downlink control information (DCI) message having a DCI format, the DCI message scheduling downlink data communications on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers; determining, based on the received DCI message, whether downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier or a plurality of component carriers; and receiving the downlink data communication on the single component carrier or the plurality of component carriers based on the determination.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 220,562, filed on April 1, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 007,815, filed on April 9, 2020, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to downlink control information (DCI) design for multi-component carrier scheduling, including associated methods, devices and systems. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems may be able to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include multiple base stations (BSs), each of which simultaneously supports communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0005] To meet the growing demand for expanded mobile broadband connectivity, wireless communication technology is evolving from Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology to the next generation New Radio (NR) technology, which may be referred to as the fifth generation (5G). For example, NR is designed to provide lower latency, higher bandwidth or higher throughput, and higher reliability than LTE. NR is designed to operate over a wide range of spectrum bands, for example, from low bands below about 1 gigahertz (GHz) and mid-bands from about 1 GHz to about 6 GHz, to high bands such as millimeter waves (mmWave). NR is also designed to operate across different spectrum types, from licensed spectrum to unlicensed and shared spectrum. Spectrum sharing enables operators to opportunistically aggregate spectrum to dynamically support high-bandwidth services. Spectrum sharing can extend the benefits of NR technology to operating entities that may not have access to licensed spectrum.

[0006] Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) allows LTE technology and NR technology to operate in the same frequency band and share the same spectrum. DSS also allows operators to dynamically allocate spectrum as needed. This means that the frequency band of an NR cell operating with DSS can be allocated to an LTE cell, and vice versa. Therefore, it is necessary to provide cross-carrier scheduling technology that promotes efficient use of resources while providing the flexibility to schedule data communications on one or more cells. Summary of the invention

[0007] The following summarizes some aspects of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the technology discussed. This summary is not an extensive overview of all expected features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify the key or important elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in summary form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later.

[0008] Aspects of the present disclosure provide mechanisms for scheduling data using cross-carrier scheduling and / or multi-carrier (or joint carrier) scheduling. In cross-carrier scheduling, the scheduling cell uses the downlink control information (DCI) of the scheduling cell to schedule data on the channel (e.g., PDSCH or PUSCH) of the scheduled cell. The scheduling cell may be a primary cell (P Cell), a primary secondary cell (P(S) Cell) and / or a secondary cell (S Cell). Similarly, the scheduled cell may be a P Cell, a P(S) Cell and / or an SCell. In a multi-carrier scheduling scheme, the scheduling cell may use a single DCI to schedule data for data transmission on multiple cells, wherein the scheduling cell may be a P Cell, a P(S) Cell or an S Cell, and each scheduled cell may be a PCell, a P(S) Cell or an S Cell.

[0009] In some cases, a different DCI format may be used to schedule single carrier data transmission compared to multi-carrier data transmission. That is, a first DCI format may be used for single carrier scheduling, and a different second DCI format may be used for multi-carrier scheduling. In this regard, the UE may determine whether data is scheduled for transmission on a single carrier or multiple carriers based on the format of the received DCI.

[0010] In some cases, a common DCI format may be used to schedule single-carrier data transmission and multi-carrier data transmission. That is, the same DCI format used for single-carrier scheduling may be used for multi-carrier scheduling. In this regard, one or more aspects of the DCI (e.g., the search space in which the DCI is received, the value of one or more fields of the DCI, etc.) may indicate whether the scheduled data will be transmitted over a single carrier or multiple carriers.

[0011] In some cases, the DCI includes a separate hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID for data transmission on each carrier of the multiple carriers. Having separate HARQ process IDs can allow retransmissions to be scheduled separately on each carrier. This can facilitate scheduling retransmissions of data associated with a first HARQ process on a first carrier and retransmissions of data associated with a second HARQ process on a different second carrier via a single DCI, which can improve efficiency and reduce latency.

[0012] Aspects of the present disclosure provide several benefits. First, the cross-carrier and multi-carrier scheduling techniques of the present disclosure provide improved spectral efficiency. For example, compared with the prior art that requires multiple DCIs for multi-carrier scheduling, using a single DCI to schedule communications on multiple carriers is more efficient and reduces signaling requirements. In addition, the use of a common DCI format for single-carrier and cross-carrier scheduling can provide simplified and consistent DCI processing at the UE, avoiding the need for separate dedicated DCI formats (and associated processing techniques / algorithms at the UE) for single-carrier scheduling and multi-carrier scheduling. In addition, aspects of the present disclosure allow cross-carrier scheduling from SCell to P(S)Cell (and / or P Cell), which can release PDCCH resources of P(S)Cell (and / or P(S)Cell). In addition, in a dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) environment, a non-DSS cell can use a single DCI to schedule data on a DSS cell and / or a non-DSS cell. Although aspects of the present disclosure have specific benefits in the context of DSS, it should be understood that these concepts can be applied in a similar manner to cross-carrier scheduling for carrier aggregation.

[0013] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method performed by a user equipment includes receiving a downlink control information (DCI) message in a DCI format, which schedules downlink data communication on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers; based on the received DCI message, determining whether the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers; and based on the determination, receiving the downlink data communication on the single component carrier or on multiple component carriers.

[0014] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method performed by a base station includes: sending a first downlink control information (DCI) message having a DCI format, wherein the first DCI message schedules a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier; sending the first downlink data communication on a single component carrier; sending a second DCI message having a DCI format, wherein the second DCI message schedules a second downlink data communication on multiple component carriers; and sending the second downlink data communication on multiple component carriers.

[0015] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment includes a transceiver configured to receive a downlink control information (DCI) message in a DCI format, the DCI message scheduling downlink data communication on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers; and a processor in communication with the transceiver, the processor configured to determine whether the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers based on the received DCI message, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive the downlink data communication on the single component carrier or on the multiple component carriers based on the determination of the processor.

[0016] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a base station includes a transceiver configured to: send a first downlink control information (DCI) message having a DCI format, the first DCI message scheduling a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier; send the first downlink data communication on the single component carrier; send a second DCI message having a DCI format, the second DCI message scheduling a second downlink data communication on multiple component carriers; and send the second downlink data communication on multiple component carriers.

[0017] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment includes a unit for receiving a downlink control information (DCI) message in a DCI format, which schedules downlink data communication on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers; a unit for determining whether the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers based on the received DCI message; and a unit for receiving the downlink data communication on the single component carrier or on multiple component carriers based on the determination.

[0018] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a base station includes a unit for sending a first downlink control information (DCI) message having a DCI format, wherein the first DCI message schedules a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier; a unit for sending the first downlink data communication on the single component carrier; a unit for sending a second DCI message having a DCI format, wherein the second DCI message schedules a second downlink data communication on multiple component carriers; and a unit for sending the second downlink data communication on multiple component carriers.

[0019] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon for wireless communication by a user equipment includes code for causing the user equipment to receive a downlink control information (DCI) message having a DCI format, the DCI message scheduling downlink data communication on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers; code for causing the user equipment to determine whether the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers based on the received DCI message; and code for causing the user equipment to receive the downlink data communication on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers based on the determination.

[0020] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium has program code recorded thereon for wireless communication by a base station, the program code including code for causing the base station to send a first downlink control information (DCI) message having a DCI format, the first DCI message scheduling a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier; code for causing the base station to send a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier; code for causing the base station to send a second DCI message having a DCI format, the second DCI message scheduling a second downlink data communication on multiple component carriers; and code for causing the base station to send a second downlink data communication on multiple component carriers.

[0021] After reading the following description of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Although features of the present invention may be discussed with respect to certain examples and drawings below, all embodiments of the present invention may include one or more advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more embodiments may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of these features may also be used according to various other embodiments of the present invention discussed herein. In a similar manner, although exemplary embodiments may be discussed below as device, system or method embodiments, it should be understood that such exemplary embodiments may be implemented in various devices, systems and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A wireless communication network in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0023] Figure 2A Cross-carrier scheduling techniques according to some aspects of the present disclosure are shown.

[0024] Figure 2B Multi-carrier scheduling techniques according to some aspects of the present disclosure are shown.

[0025] Figure 3ADCI formats for multi-carrier scheduling according to some aspects of the present disclosure are shown.

[0026] Figure 3B DCI formats for multi-carrier scheduling according to some aspects of the present disclosure are shown.

[0027] Figure 3C DCI formats for multi-carrier scheduling according to some aspects of the present disclosure are shown.

[0028] Figure 3D DCI formats for multi-carrier scheduling according to some aspects of the present disclosure are shown.

[0029] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a user equipment (UE) according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary base station (BS) according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 6 A scheduling / transmission configuration of a wireless communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0032] Figure 7 A scheduling / transmission configuration of a wireless communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0033] Figure 8 A scheduling / transmission configuration of a wireless communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0034] Fig. 9 Signal diagrams illustrating cross-carrier and / or multi-carrier scheduling techniques according to some aspects of the present disclosure are shown.

[0035] Fig.10 A flow chart of a method of wireless communication according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0036] Fig.11 A flow chart of a method of wireless communication according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obfuscation of these concepts.

[0038] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems, also referred to as wireless communication networks. In various embodiments, these techniques and devices can be used in wireless communication networks, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, global mobile communication systems (GSM) networks, 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, and other communication networks. As described herein, the terms "network" and "system" can be used interchangeably.

[0039] OFDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Specifically, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a version of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS, and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP), and cdma2000 is described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). These various radio technologies and standards are known or under development. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between a group of telecommunications associations to define globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specifications. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project that aims to improve the UMTS mobile phone standard. 3GPP may define specifications for next generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. The present disclosure relates to the evolution of wireless technologies from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR and beyond, using a set of new and different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces to share access to wireless spectrum between networks.

[0040] In particular, 5G networks take into account diverse deployments, diverse spectrum, and diverse services and devices that can be implemented using a unified OFDM-based air interface. To achieve these goals, in addition to developing new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also considered. 5G NR will be able to scale to provide coverage for: (1) massive Internet of Things (IoT) with ultra-high density (e.g., about 1M nodes / km2), ultra-low complexity (e.g., about tens of bits / second), ultra-low energy (e.g., about 10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage capable of reaching challenging locations; (2) mission-critical control including strong security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or confidential information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., about 99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., about 1ms), and a wide range of users with or without mobility; and (3) enhanced mobile broadband including ultra-high capacity (e.g., about 10Tbps / km2), very high data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+Mbps user experience rates), and deep awareness with advanced discovery and optimization.

[0041] 5G NR can be implemented to use an optimized OFDM-based waveform with scalable parameters and transmission time intervals (TTI); have a common, flexible framework to effectively multiplex services and functions through dynamic, low-latency time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) designs; and advanced wireless technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel coding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of parameters in 5G NR, as well as the extension of subcarrier spacing, can effectively address the operational issues of different services across different spectrums and different deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments less than 3GHz FDD / TDD implementations, such as on bandwidths (BW) of 5, 10, 20MHz, etc., the subcarrier spacing can appear at 15kHz. For other various outdoor and small cell coverage deployments of TDD greater than 3GHz, the subcarrier spacing may appear at 30kHz on 80 / 100MHz BW. For various other indoor broadband implementations using TDD on the unlicensed portion of the 5GHz band, subcarrier spacing may occur at 60kHz on 160MHz BW. Finally, for various deployments using mmWave components to transmit at 28GHz TDD, subcarrier spacing may occur at 120kHz on 500MHz BW.

[0042] The scalable digital nature of 5G NR facilitates scalable TTIs that meet various latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs to allow transmission to start on symbol boundaries. 5G NR also considers a self-contained integrated subframe design, where uplink / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgment are included in the same subframe. The self-contained integrated subframe supports communications in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum, and adaptive uplink / downlink can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between uplink and downlink to meet current traffic needs.

[0043] Various other aspects and features of the present disclosure are further described below. Obviously, the teachings herein can be embodied in various forms, and any specific structure, function, or both disclosed herein are only representative and non-restrictive. Based on the teachings herein, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that an aspect disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement a device or implement a method. In addition, other structures, functions, or structures and functions other than one or more aspects set forth herein or other structures, functions, or structures and functions different from one or more aspects set forth herein can be used to implement such a device or implement such a method. For example, a method can be implemented as a part of a system, device, device, and / or implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable medium for execution on a processor or computer. In addition, an aspect can include at least one element of a claim.

[0044] Aspects of the present disclosure provide mechanisms for scheduling data using cross-carrier scheduling and / or multi-carrier (or joint carrier) scheduling. In cross-carrier scheduling, the scheduling cell uses the downlink control information (DCI) of the scheduling cell to schedule data on the channel (e.g., PDSCH or PUSCH) of the scheduled cell. The scheduling cell may be a primary cell (P Cell), a primary secondary cell (P(S) Cell) and / or a secondary cell (S Cell). Similarly, the scheduled cell may be a P Cell, a P(S) Cell and / or an SCell. In a multi-carrier scheduling scheme, the scheduling cell may use a single DCI to schedule data for transmission on multiple cells, wherein the scheduling cell may be a P Cell, a P(S) Cell or an S Cell, and each scheduled cell may be a P Cell, a P(S) Cell or an S Cell.

[0045] In some cases, a different DCI format may be used to schedule single carrier data transmission compared to multi-carrier data transmission. That is, a first DCI format may be used for single carrier scheduling, and a different second DCI format may be used for multi-carrier scheduling. In this regard, the UE may determine whether data is scheduled for transmission on a single carrier or multiple carriers based on the format of the received DCI.

[0046] In some cases, a common DCI format may be used to schedule single-carrier data transmission and multi-carrier data transmission. That is, the same DCI format used for single-carrier scheduling may be used for multi-carrier scheduling. In this regard, one or more aspects of the DCI (e.g., the search space in which the DCI is received, the value of one or more fields of the DCI, etc.) may indicate whether the scheduled data will be communicated over a single carrier or multiple carriers.

[0047] In some cases, the DCI includes a separate hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID for each carrier used for multi-carrier data transmission. Having separate HARQ process IDs can allow retransmissions to be scheduled separately on each carrier. This can facilitate scheduling retransmissions of data associated with a first HARQ process on a first carrier and retransmissions of data associated with a second HARQ process on a different second carrier via a single DCI, which can improve efficiency and reduce latency.

[0048] These and other aspects of the present disclosure can provide several benefits. First, the cross-carrier and multi-carrier scheduling techniques of the present disclosure provide improved spectral efficiency. For example, compared with the prior art that requires multiple DCIs for multi-carrier scheduling, using a single DCI to schedule communications on multiple carriers is more efficient and reduces signaling requirements. In addition, the use of a common DCI format for single-carrier and cross-carrier scheduling can provide simplified and consistent DCI processing at the UE, avoiding the need for separate dedicated DCI formats (and associated processing techniques / algorithms at the UE) for single-carrier scheduling and multi-carrier scheduling. In addition, aspects of the present disclosure allow cross-carrier scheduling from S Cell to P(S) Cell (and / or P Cell), which can release PDCCH resources of P(S) Cell (and / or P(S) Cell). In addition, in a dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) environment, a non-DSS cell can use a single DCI to schedule data on a DSS cell and / or a non-DSS cell. Although the various aspects of the present disclosure have specific benefits in the context of DSS, it should be understood that these concepts can be applied in a similar manner to cross-carrier scheduling for carrier aggregation. Additional features and benefits of the present disclosure are set forth in the description which follows.

[0049] Figure 1A wireless communication network 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. The network 100 may be a 5G network. The network 100 includes a plurality of base stations (BSs) 105 (labeled 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, and 105f, respectively) and other network entities. The BS 105 may be a station that communicates with the UE 115 and may also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (gNB), an access point, etc. Each BS 105 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to this particular geographic coverage area of ​​the BS 105 and / or a BS subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0050] BS105 may provide communication coverage for macro cells or small cells (e.g., pico cells or femto cells) and / or other types of cells. Macro cells typically cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access to UEs with service subscriptions to a network provider. Small cells such as pico cells will typically cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access to UEs with service subscriptions to a network provider. Small cells such as femto cells will also typically cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, may also provide restricted access to UEs associated with the femto cells (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG) , UEs of home users, etc.). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell BS, a pico BS, a femto BS, or a home BS. In Figure 1 In the example shown, BS105d and 105e can be conventional macro BSs, while BS105a-105c can be macro BSs enabled with one of three-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD), or massive MIMO. BS105a-105c can utilize its higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to utilize 3D beamforming in elevation and azimuth beamforming to increase coverage and capacity. BS105f can be a small cell BS, which can be a home node or a portable access point. BS105 can support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0051] The network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the BSs may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the BSs may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may not be aligned in time.

[0052] UE 115 is dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 115 can be fixed or mobile. UE 115 may also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, a user unit, a station, etc. UE 115 may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, etc. In one aspect, UE 115 may be a device including a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). On the other hand, UE may be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, UE 115 that does not include a UICC may also be referred to as an IoT device or an Internet of Everything (IoE) device. UE 115a-115d is an example of a mobile smart phone type device that accesses the network 100. UE 115 may also be a machine specifically configured for connecting communications, including machine type communications (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. UE 115e-115k is an example of various machines configured for communication accessing the network 100. UE 115 is able to communicate with any type of BS, whether macro BS, small cell, etc. Figure 1 In the figure, lightning (e.g., communication link) indicates wireless transmission between UE 115 and serving BS 105 (serving BS 105 is a BS designated to serve UE 115 on downlink and / or uplink), or expected transmission between BSs, and transmission between backhaul BSs.

[0053] In operation, BS 105a-105c may use 3D beamforming and cooperative spatial techniques such as coordinated multi-point (CoMP) or multi-connectivity to serve UEs 115a and 115b. Macro BS 105d may perform backhaul communications with BS 105a-105c and small cell BS 105f. Macro BS 105d may also transmit multicast services subscribed and received by UEs 115c and 115d. Such multicast services may include mobile TV or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber Alerts or Gray Alerts.

[0054] The BSs 105 may also communicate with a core network. The core network may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of the BSs 105 (e.g., which may be examples of gNBs or access node controllers (ANCs)) may interface with the core network via a backhaul link (e.g., NG-C, NG-U, etc.) and may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communicating with the UE 115. In various examples, the BSs 105 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via a core network) via a backhaul link (e.g., X1, X2, etc.), which may be a wired or wireless communication link.

[0055] The network 100 may also support mission-critical communications through ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices (e.g., UE 115e, which may be a drone). The redundant communication links with UE 115e may include links from macro BSs 105d and 105e, and links from small cell BS 105f. Other machine-type devices such as UE 115f (e.g., a thermometer), UE 115g (e.g., a smart meter), and UE 115h (e.g., a wearable device) may communicate through the network 100 either directly with the BS (e.g., small cell BS 105f and macro BS 105e), or in a multi-hop configuration, by communicating with another user device that relays its information to the network, such as UE 115f transmitting temperature measurement information to smart meter UE 115g, which then reports to the network through small cell BS 105f. The network 100 can also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low-latency TDD / FDD communications, such as in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)

[0056] In some embodiments, the network 100 communicates using an OFDM-based waveform. An OFDM-based system can divide the system BW into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as subcarriers, tones, frequency bands, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In some cases, the subcarrier spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system BW. The system BW can also be divided into subbands. In other cases, the subcarrier spacing and / or the duration of the TTI can be scalable.

[0057] In one embodiment, BS105 may allocate or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks (RBs)) for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions in network 100. DL refers to the transmission direction from BS105 to UE 115, and UL refers to the transmission direction from UE 115 to BS105. Communication may be in the form of radio frames. A radio frame may be divided into a plurality of subframes or time slots, for example, about 10. Each time slot may be further divided into micro-time slots. In FDD mode, simultaneous UL and DL transmissions may occur in different frequency bands. For example, each subframe includes a UL subframe in a UL frequency band and a DL subframe in a DL frequency band. In TDD mode, UL and DL transmissions occur in different time periods using the same frequency band. For example, a subset of subframes in a radio frame (e.g., a DL subframe) may be used for DL ​​transmission, and another subset of subframes in a radio frame (e.g., a UL subframe) may be used for UL transmission.

[0058] DL subframes and UL subframes can be further divided into several areas. For example, each DL or UL subframe can have a predefined area for transmitting reference signals, control information and data. Reference signals are predetermined signals that facilitate communication between BS105 and UE 115. For example, reference signals can have a specific pilot pattern or structure, in which pilot tones can span operating BW or frequency bands, and each tone is located at a predefined time and a predefined frequency. For example, BS105 can send a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) and / or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) to enable UE 115 to estimate the DL channel. Similarly, UE 115 can send a sounding reference signal (SRS) to enable BS105 to estimate the UL channel. Control information may include resource allocation and protocol control. Data may include protocol data and / or operational data. In some embodiments, BS105 and UE115 can communicate using self-contained subframes. Self-contained subframes may include a portion for DL ​​communication and a portion for UL communication. Self-contained subframes may be DL-centric or UL-centric. A DL-centric subframe may include a longer duration for DL ​​communication than a duration for UL communication. A UL-centric subframe may include a longer duration for UL communication than a duration for DL ​​communication.

[0059] In one embodiment, the network 100 may be an NR network deployed on a licensed spectrum. The BS 105 may transmit synchronization signals (e.g., including a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) in the network 100 to facilitate synchronization. The BS 105 may broadcast system information associated with the network 100 (e.g., including a master information block (MIB), residual system information (RMSI), and other system information (OSI)) to facilitate initial network access. In some cases, the BS 105 may broadcast the PSS, SSS, and / or MIB in the form of a synchronization signal block (SSB) over a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and may broadcast the RMSI and / or OSI over a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). .

[0060] In one embodiment, a UE 115 attempting to access the network 100 may perform an initial cell search by detecting the PSS from the BS 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of periodic timing and may indicate a physical layer identification value. The UE 115 may then receive the SSS. The SSS may enable radio frame synchronization and may provide a cell identification value that may be combined with the physical layer identification value to identify a cell. The PSS and SSS may be located in the center portion of a carrier or at any suitable frequency within a carrier.

[0061] After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE 115 may receive the MIB. The MIB may include system information for initial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and / or OSI. After decoding the MIB, the UE 115 may receive the RMSI and / or OSI. The RMSI and / or OSI may include radio resource control (RRC) information related to random access channel (RACH) procedures, paging, control resource sets (CORESET) for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), power control, and SRS.

[0062] After obtaining the MIB, RMSI and / or OSI, the UE 115 may perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with the BS 105. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a four-step random access procedure. For example, the UE 115 may send a random access preamble and the BS 105 may respond with a random access response. The random access response (RAR) may include a detected random access preamble identifier (ID) corresponding to the random access preamble, timing advance (TA) information, UL authorization, temporary cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), and / or a backoff indicator. Upon receiving the random access response, the UE 115 may send a connection request to the BS 105, and the BS 105 may respond with a connection response. The connection response may indicate contention resolution. In some examples, the random access preamble, RAR, connection request, and connection response may be referred to as message 1 (MSG 1), message 2 (MSG 2), message 3 (MSG 3), and message 4 (MSG 4), respectively. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a two-step random access procedure, in which the UE 115 may send a random access preamble and a connection request in a single transmission, and the BS 105 may respond by sending a random access response and a connection response in a single transmission. The combined random access preamble and connection request in the two-step random access procedure may be referred to as message A (MSG A). The combined random access response and connection response in the two-step random access procedure may be referred to as message B (MSG B).

[0063] After establishing the connection, UE 115 may initiate an initial network attachment process with network 100. When UE 115 has no active data communication with BS 105 after network attachment, UE 115 may return to an idle state (e.g., RRC idle mode). Alternatively, UE 115 and BS 105 may enter an operational state or an active state, wherein operational data may be exchanged (e.g., RRC connected mode). For example, BS 105 may schedule UE 115 for UL and / or DL ​​communication. BS 105 may send UL and / or DL ​​scheduling grants to UE 115 via PDCCH. BS 105 may send DL communication signals to UE 115 via PDSCH according to the DL scheduling grant. UE 115 may send UL communication signals to BS 105 via PUSCH and / or PUCCH according to the UL scheduling grant. In some embodiments, BS 105 and UE 115 may use hybrid automatic request (HARQ) technology for communication to improve reliability. Additionally, the UE 115 and / or BS 105 may utilize DRX (eg, during RRC idle mode), including connected mode DRX (C-DRX) (eg, during RRC connected mode), and / or DTX modes of operation.

[0064] In one embodiment, the network 100 may operate on a system BW or a component carrier (CC) BW. The network 100 may divide the system BW into multiple BWPs (e.g., parts). The BS 105 may dynamically assign the UE 115 to operate on a certain BWP (e.g., a certain part of the system BW). The assigned BWP may be referred to as an active BWP. The UE 115 may monitor the active BWP for signaling information from the BS 105. The BS 105 may schedule the UE 115 to perform UL or DL ​​communications in the active BWP. In some cases, the BS 105 may assign a pair of BWPs within the CC to the UE 115 for UL and DL communications. For example, the BWP pair may include a BWP for UL communication and a BWP for DL ​​communication. In some cases, the BS 105 may dynamically switch the UE 115 from one BWP to another BWP, for example, from a broadband BWP to a narrowband BWP for power saving or from a narrowband BWP to a broadband BWP for communication.

[0065] The BS 105 may additionally configure the UE 115 with one or more CORESETs in the BWP. A CORESET may include a set of frequency resources that spans multiple symbols in time. The BS 105 may configure one or more search spaces for PDCCH monitoring for the UE 115 based on the CORESETS. The UE 115 may perform blind decoding in the search space to search for DL ​​control information from the BS. The BS 105 may configure the UE 115 with various different CORSETs and / or search spaces for different types of PDCCH monitoring (e.g., DL / UL scheduling and / or wake-up information). In an example, the BS 105 may configure the BWP, CORESETS, and / or PDCCH search space for the UE 115 via RRC configuration.

[0066] In an embodiment, BS 105 may establish an RRC connection with UE 115 in a (PCell) (e.g., over a primary frequency carrier), and may subsequently configure UE 115 to communicate over a secondary cell (SCell) (e.g., on a secondary frequency carrier). In an embodiment, BS 105 may trigger UE 115 to report channel information based on a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) transmitted by BS 105. In some cases, the trigger may be aperiodic, which may be referred to as an aperiodic CSI-RS (A-CSI-RS) trigger.

[0067] The network 100 can operate on a shared frequency band or an unlicensed frequency band, for example, at about 3.5 GHz, less than 6 GHz or higher frequencies in the millimeter wave band. The network 100 can divide the frequency band into multiple channels, for example, each channel occupies about 20 megahertz (MHz). The BS 105 and the UE 115 can be operated by multiple network operation entities that share resources in a shared communication medium, and a channel occupancy time (COT) in the shared medium can be obtained for communication. The COT may be discontinuous in time and may refer to the amount of time a wireless node can send a frame when it wins the wireless medium competition. Each COT may include multiple transmission time slots. A COT may also be referred to as a transmission opportunity (TXOP).

[0068] Figure 2A A cross-carrier scheduling technique 200 according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In this regard, aspects of the present disclosure provide a mechanism for scheduling data using cross-carrier scheduling. In cross-carrier scheduling, a scheduling cell uses downlink control information (DCI) 230 of the scheduling cell to schedule downlink data 240 on a channel (e.g., PDSCH or PUSCH) of a scheduled cell. The scheduling cell may be a primary cell (P Cell), a primary secondary cell (P(S) Cell), and / or a secondary cell (SCell). Similarly, the scheduled cell may be a PP Cell, a P(S) Cell, and / or an S Cell. Figure 2A The cross-carrier scheduling technique 200 between a P(S)Cell 210 and an S Cell 220 is illustrated. In some cases, the P(S)Cell 210 is a dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) cell. In some cases, the S Cell 220 is a non-DSS cell. As shown, a DCI 230-a sent on a control channel (e.g., PDCCH) of the S Cell 220 is used to schedule downlink data 240-a on a data channel (e.g., PDSCH) of the P(S)Cell 210. Although Figure 2A An example of cross-carrier scheduling is shown, and the present disclosure is widely applicable to other cross-carrier scheduling situations.

[0069] Figure 2B A multi-carrier scheduling technique 250 according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In this regard, aspects of the present disclosure provide a mechanism for scheduling data using multi-carrier scheduling. In a multi-carrier scheduling scheme, a scheduling cell may use a single DCI to schedule data for data transmission on multiple cells. The scheduling cell may be a P Cell, a P(S) Cell, or an S Cell, and each scheduled cell may be a P Cell, a P(S) Cell, or an S Cell. Figure 2BA multi-carrier scheduling technique 250 between a P(S)Cell 210 and an S Cell 220 is shown. In some cases, the P(S)Cell 210 is a dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) cell. In some cases, the S Cell 220 is a non-DSS cell. As shown, the DCI 230-b sent on the control channel (e.g., PDCCH) of the S Cell 220 is used to schedule downlink data 240-b on the data channel (e.g., PDSCH) of the P(S)Cell 210, as well as downlink data 240-b on the data channel (e.g., PDSCH) of the S Cell 220. In some cases, the data 240-b sent on the P(S)Cell 210 may be the same as, or at least partially the same as, the downlink data 240-b sent on the S Cell 220. In some cases, the data 240-b transmitted on the P(S)Cell 210 may be different or at least partially different from the downlink data 240-b transmitted on the S Cell 220 (eg, for frequency diversity purposes). Figure 2B An example of multi-carrier scheduling is shown, and the present disclosure is widely applicable to other multi-carrier scheduling situations.

[0070] Figure 3A A DCI format 300 for multi-carrier scheduling according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The DCI format 300 includes two separate DCIs, a DCI 302 for a first component carrier (CC1) and a DCI 304 for a second component carrier (CC2). Each of the DCI 302 and the DCI 304 includes fields and associated field values ​​applicable to a specific component carrier. The specific fields included in the DCI 302 and / or DCI 304 may be based on the DCI format used, which may be an existing DCI format (e.g., 1_0, 1_1, 1_2, etc.) or a future DCI format, including DCI formats that implement various aspects of the present disclosure. According to the present disclosure, the DCI format 310 may be used for cross-carrier and / or multi-carrier scheduling.

[0071] Figure 3BA DCI format 310 for multi-carrier scheduling is shown in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. The DCI format 310 includes a single DCI 312 for CC1 and CC2. The DCI 312 includes separate fields and associated field values ​​applicable to each component carrier. In the example shown, the fields are grouped based on the associated component carrier (i.e., all fields of CC1 are grouped together and all fields of CC2 are grouped together). Even if the DCI 312 includes the same fields common to DCI 302 and DCI 304, having a single DCI 312 instead of two separate DCIs (e.g., DCI 302 and DCI 304) can save CRC bits, which can improve spectral efficiency and / or reduce processing requirements. According to the present disclosure, the DCI format 310 can be used for cross-carrier and / or multi-carrier scheduling.

[0072] Figure 3C A DCI format 320 for multi-carrier scheduling is shown in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. The DCI format 320 includes a single DCI 322 for CC1 and CC2. The DCI 322 includes separate fields and associated field values ​​applicable to each component carrier. In the example shown, the fields are grouped based on field type (i.e., the fields of CC1 are located adjacent to the corresponding fields of CC2). Similar to DCI 312, even if DCI 322 includes the same fields common to DCI 302 and DCI 304, having a single DCI 322 instead of two separate DCIs (e.g., DCI 302 and DCI 304) can save CRC bits, which can improve spectral efficiency and / or reduce processing requirements. According to the present disclosure, the DCI format 320 can be used for cross-carrier and / or multi-carrier scheduling.

[0073] Figure 3D A DCI format 330 for multi-carrier scheduling according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The DCI format 330 includes a single DCI 332 for CC1 and CC2. The DCI 332 includes separate fields and associated field values ​​for each component carrier applicable to certain field types and joint fields, and associated field values ​​for two component carriers applicable to other field types. In the illustrated example, "field 3" and "field 4" are separate fields, while "field 1", "field 2" and "field 5" are joint fields. By including one or more joint fields, the size of the DCI 332 can be reduced compared to other DCI formats, thereby allowing the DCI to be transmitted using fewer resources. The DCI can organize or group fields based on component carriers, field types and / or combinations thereof. According to the present disclosure, the DCI format 330 can be used for cross-carrier and / or multi-carrier scheduling.

[0074] In some cases, the DCI format of the present disclosure may include one or more of a new data indicator (NDI) field, a redundant version (RV) field, a HARQ process ID field, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) field, and a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA) field. In addition, each of these fields may be a separate field or a joint field. In some cases, the MCS, NDI, and / or RV fields are separate fields so that each component carrier has an associated field value. In some cases, having separate fields allows scheduling up to four layers on two component carriers or scheduling more than four layers on a single component carrier (e.g., for some MIMO applications). For example, two field value sets may be used for one codeword on each of two component carriers or two codewords on a single component carrier. In some cases, two MCS, NDI, and / or RV field sets are provided for each component carrier, which may allow scheduling more than four layers on two component carriers in a single DCI. In some cases, the RV field is a single bit.

[0075] Figure 4 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary UE 400 according to aspects of the present disclosure. UE 400 may be as described above in Figure 1 UE 115 discussed in Figure 1 As shown, UE 400 may include a processor 402, a memory 404, a downlink scheduling and control module 408, a transceiver 410 including a modem subsystem 412 and a radio frequency (RF) unit 414, and one or more antennas 416. These components may communicate with each other directly or indirectly, such as via one or more buses.

[0076] The processor 402 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 402 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0077] The memory 404 may include a cache memory (e.g., a cache memory of the processor 402), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, a solid-state storage device, a hard disk drive, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In one embodiment, the memory 404 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory 404 may store instructions 406 or have instructions 406 recorded thereon. The instructions 406 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 402, cause the processor 402 to perform the operations described herein with reference to the UE 115 in conjunction with aspects of the present disclosure (e.g., various aspects of Figures 3, 4, and 7-9). The instructions 406 may also be referred to as program code. The program code may be used to cause the wireless communication device (or a specific component of the wireless communication device) to perform these operations, for example, by causing one or more processors (e.g., the processor 402) to control or command the wireless communication device (or a specific component of the wireless communication device) to do so. The terms "instructions" and "code" should be interpreted broadly to include any type of computer-readable statements. For example, the terms "instructions" and "code" may refer to one or more programs, routines, subroutines, functions, procedures, etc. "Instructions" and "code" may include a single computer-readable statement or many computer-readable statements.

[0078] The downlink scheduling and control module 408 may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the downlink scheduling and control module 408 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 406 stored in the memory 404 and executed by the processor 402. In some examples, the downlink scheduling and control module 408 may be integrated within the modem subsystem 412. For example, the downlink scheduling and control module 408 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the modem subsystem 412.

[0079] The downlink scheduling and control module 408 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 2A , 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D and aspects 6-10. The downlink scheduling and control module 408 is configured to communicate with other components of the UE 400 to receive a DCI configuration, process the DCI configuration, monitor the DCI based on the DCI configuration, determine whether downlink communications will be sent on a single carrier or multiple carriers based on the DCI, monitor one or more downlink communications from a base station based on the DCI, perform PDCCH monitoring, perform PDSCH monitoring, determine whether a timer has expired, cancel a timer, determine whether a condition has occurred or is satisfied, and / or perform other functions related to the power saving configuration of the UE and the associated wireless communication technology described in the present disclosure.

[0080] As shown, the transceiver 410 may include a modem subsystem 412 and an RF unit 414. The transceiver 410 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices such as the BS 105. The modem subsystem 412 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data from the memory 404 and / or the downlink scheduling and control module 408 according to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) (e.g., a low density parity check (LDPC) coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 414 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) the modulated / encoded data (e.g., UL control information, UL data) from the modem subsystem 412 (on outbound transmissions) or the modulated / encoded data of a transmission originating from another source such as the UE 115 or the BS 105. The RF unit 414 may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in the transceiver 410, the modem subsystem 412 and the RF unit 414 may be separate devices that are coupled together at the UE 115 to enable the UE 115 to communicate with other devices.

[0081] The RF unit 414 may provide modulated and / or processed data (e.g., data packets, or more generally, data messages that may contain one or more data packets and other information) to the antenna 416 for transmission to one or more other devices. The antenna 416 may also receive data messages sent from other devices. The antenna 416 may provide received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 410. The transceiver 410 may provide demodulated and decoded data (e.g., PDCCH signals, radio resource control (RRC) signals, media access control (MAC) control elements (CE) signals, PDSCH signals, DL / UL scheduling grants, DL data, etc.) to the downlink scheduling and control module 408 for processing. The antenna 416 may include multiple antennas with similar or different designs in order to maintain multiple transmission links. The RF unit 414 may configure the antenna 416. The RF unit 414 and / or the transceiver 410 may include components and / or circuits that may be dynamically powered on and / or powered off to save power. Additionally or alternatively, the RF unit 414 and / or the transceiver 410 may include components and / or circuits having multiple power states that may be configured to transition from one power state (e.g., a higher power state) to another power state (e.g., a low power consumption state) to save power.

[0082] In one embodiment, the UE 400 may include multiple transceivers 410 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one embodiment, the UE 400 may include a single transceiver 410 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one embodiment, the transceiver 410 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

[0083] Figure 5 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary BS 500 according to aspects of the present disclosure. BS 500 may be as described above in Figure 1 As shown, BS 500 may include a processor 502, a memory 504, a downlink scheduling and control module 508, a transceiver 510 including a modem subsystem 512 and an RF unit 514, and one or more antennas 516. These elements may communicate with each other directly or indirectly, such as via one or more buses.

[0084] The processor 502 may have various characteristics as a particular type of processor. For example, these may include a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 502 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0085] Memory 504 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of processor 502), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state storage devices, one or more hard disk drives, magnetoresistive-based arrays, other forms of volatile and nonvolatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some cases, memory 504 may include non-transitory computer-readable media. Memory 504 may store instructions 506. Instructions 506 may include instructions that, when executed by processor 502, cause processor 502 to perform the operations described herein, such as aspects of Figures 3, 4, 7, 8, and 10. Instructions 506 may also be referred to as code, which may be broadly interpreted as including the above-mentioned instructions. Figure 5 Any type of computer-readable statement in question.

[0086] The downlink scheduling and control module 508 may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the downlink scheduling and control module 508 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 506 stored in the memory 504 and executed by the processor 502. In some examples, the downlink scheduling and control module 508 may be integrated within the modem subsystem 512. For example, the downlink scheduling and control module 508 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the modem subsystem 512.

[0087] The downlink scheduling and control module 508 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 2A , 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 6-9 and 11. The downlink scheduling and control module 508 can be configured to determine a DCI configuration for one or more UEs, send the DCI configuration to one or more UEs, perform downlink data scheduling on one or more carriers, including cross-carrier and / or multi-carrier scheduling, generate DCI based on the downlink scheduling and / or DCI configuration, send DCI, send one or more downlink communications based on the DCI, send PDCCH communications, send PDSCH communications, determine whether a timer has expired, cancel a timer, determine whether a condition has occurred or is satisfied, and / or perform other functions related to the power saving configuration of the base station and the associated wireless communication technology described in the present disclosure.

[0088] As shown, the transceiver 510 may include a modem subsystem 512 and an RF unit 514. The transceiver 510 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices such as UE 115 and / or 400 and / or another core network element. The modem subsystem 512 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data according to an MCS (e.g., an LDPC coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 514 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data (e.g., PDCCH signals, RRC signals, MAC CE signals, PDSCH signals, etc.) from the modem subsystem 512 (on outbound transmissions) or modulated / encoded data of a transmission originating from another source (e.g., UE 115 or 400). The RF unit 514 may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in transceiver 510, modem subsystem 512 and / or RF unit 514 may be separate devices that are coupled together at BS 105 to enable BS 105 to communicate with other devices.

[0089] The RF unit 514 may provide modulated and / or processed data (e.g., data packets, or more generally, data messages that may include one or more data packets and other information) to the antenna 516 for transmission to one or more other devices. This may include, for example, transmitting information to the UE 115 or 400 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The antenna 516 may further receive data messages sent from other devices and provide the received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 510. The transceiver 510 may provide demodulated and decoded data (e.g., RACH messages, ACK / NACK for PDCCH signals, UL data, ACK / NACK for DL ​​data, etc.) to the downlink scheduling and control module 508 for processing. The antenna 516 may include multiple antennas with similar or different designs in order to maintain multiple transmission links.

[0090] In one embodiment, the BS 500 may include multiple transceivers 510 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one embodiment, the BS 500 may include a single transceiver 510 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one embodiment, the transceiver 510 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

[0091] Figure 6 The diagram illustrates a scheduling / transmission configuration 600 of a wireless communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The scheduling / transmission configuration 600 illustrates multi-carrier scheduling between a P(S)Cell 610 and an S Cell 620. In some cases, the P(S)Cell 610 is a dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) cell. In some cases, the S Cell 620 is a non-DSS cell. As shown, a DCI 630-a sent through a control channel (e.g., PDCCH) of the SCell 620 is used to schedule downlink data 640-a on a data channel (e.g., PDSCH) of the P(S)Cell 610, and downlink data 640-a on a data channel (e.g., PDSCH) of the S Cell 620. In some cases, the data 640-a sent on the P(S)Cell 610 may be the same as, or at least partially the same as, the downlink data 640-a sent on the S Cell 220. In some cases, the data 640 - a sent on the P(S)Cell 610 may be different from, or at least partially different from, the downlink data 640 - a sent on the S Cell 620 .

[0092] In some cases, the DCI message may include a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID associated with the first component carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with the second component carrier. Figure 6 DCI 630-a having a HARQ process ID for each of P(S)Cell 610 and S Cell 620 is shown. Specifically, DCI 630-a shows that both P(S)Cell 610 and S Cell 620 have the same value (eg, HPID#0). Similarly, Figure 6DCI 640-a (with associated downlink data 640-b scheduled on P(S)Cell 610 and S Cell 620) is shown with a HARQ process ID for each of P(S)Cell 610 and S Cell 620. In particular, DCI 640-a shows that both P(S)Cell 610 and S Cell 620 have the same value (e.g., HPID #1), but a different value from DCI 630-a.

[0093] In some cases, the UE may be unable to receive, unable to decode, and / or encounter problems receiving the scheduled downlink data, which causes the UE to send a negative acknowledgement (NACK) to the base station indicating that the scheduled downlink data was not correctly received by the UE. In some cases, for a component carrier, the NACK is part of a HARQ process, which may be defined at least in part by a HARQ process ID included in the DCI. For example, Figure 6 The diagram illustrates a situation where downlink data 640-a is not correctly received through the data channel of the S Cell 620 (as indicated by 650-a) and downlink data 640-b is not correctly received through the data channel of the P(S)Cell 610 (as indicated by 650-b). According to the present disclosure, a single DCI (e.g., DCI 630-c) may be used to schedule retransmissions of the downlink data 640-a on the S Cell 620 and retransmissions of the downlink data 640-b on the P(S)Cell 610. That is, the downlink data scheduled by the DCI 630-c may include a first retransmission associated with a first HARQ process ID (e.g., downlink data 640-a associated with HPID#0 of the SCell 620) and a second retransmission associated with a different HARQ process ID (e.g., downlink data 640-b associated with HPID#1 of the S Cell 610). Having separate HARQ process IDs for component carriers in the DCI may allow retransmissions to be scheduled separately on each carrier. This may facilitate scheduling retransmissions of data associated with a first HARQ process on a first carrier and scheduling retransmissions of data associated with a second HARQ process on a different second carrier via a single DCI. This may improve efficiency and reduce latency of associated data communications.

[0094] Figure 7The diagram illustrates a scheduling / transmission configuration 700 of a wireless communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The scheduling / transmission configuration 700 illustrates multi-carrier and / or cross-carrier scheduling between a P(S)Cell 710 and an S Cell 720. In some cases, the P(S)Cell 710 is a dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) cell. In some cases, the S Cell 720 is a non-DSS cell. As shown, a DCI 730-a sent on a control channel (e.g., PDCCH) of the S Cell 720 schedules downlink data 740-a on a data channel (e.g., PDSCH) of the P(S)Cell 710 and downlink data 740-a on a data channel (e.g., PDSCH) of the S Cell 720. In some cases, the data 740-a sent on the P(S)Cell 710 may be the same as, or at least partially the same as, the downlink data 740-a sent on the SCell 720. In some cases, the data 740 - a sent on the P(S)Cell 710 may be different from, or at least partially different from, the downlink data 740 - a sent on the S Cell 720 .

[0095] In some cases, at least one field of the DCI 730-a indicates whether the downlink data 740-a is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers. In some cases, the DCI includes a first field associated with a first component carrier (e.g., P(S)Cell 710) and a second field associated with a second component carrier (e.g., S Cell 720). The values ​​of the first and second fields may indicate that the downlink data communication is scheduled on multiple component carriers. For example, the value of the field may indicate that the data is scheduled for transmission on the component carrier. Therefore, when the values ​​of the first and second fields both indicate that the data is scheduled for transmission, the DCI indicates that the downlink data is scheduled on multiple component carriers. For example, Figure 7 An example is shown in which DCI 730-a includes a field value of SCell 720 indicating that downlink data 740-a will be sent via SCell 720 (e.g., field value X) and a field value of P(S)Cell 710 indicating that downlink data 740-a will be sent on P(S)Cell 710 (e.g., field value Y). In some cases, the UE may determine that downlink data communications are scheduled on multiple component carriers based on first and second fields having values ​​that are assigned for the primary purpose of the first and second fields. For example, a field may be associated with a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA) and the value may be associated with data transmission (e.g., one or more "one" values ​​in a bitmap of RA type 0, one or more "zero" values ​​of RC type 1, etc.).

[0096] In some cases, the value of this field may indicate that no data is scheduled for transmission on the associated component carrier. Thus, when one of the values ​​of the first or second field indicates that data is not scheduled for transmission, the DCI indicates that the downlink data is scheduled on a single component carrier. For example, in some cases, the DCI indicates that downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier based on at least one of the first field or the second field having a value that is not assigned for the primary purpose of the field. For example, a field may be associated with a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA), and the value may not be assigned to the associated FDRA or have no associated FDRA (e.g., all zeros for RA type 0, all ones for RC type 1, etc.). Values ​​that are not assigned for the primary purpose of the field may include values ​​that exceed the defined range of available values ​​for the field, values ​​that do not make sense in the context of the field, values ​​of unused fields, and / or values ​​that are otherwise distinguished from the value used for the primary purpose of the field.

[0097] like Figure 7 This method of using a value that is not assigned for the primary purpose of the field is illustrated. For example, DCI 730-b includes a field value of SCell 720 (e.g., field value N / A) indicating that downlink data will not be sent on SCell 720, and a field value of P(S)Cell 710 (e.g., field value X) indicating that downlink data 740-a will be sent on P(S)Cell 710. In this way, DCI 730-b indicates single carrier scheduling on P(S)Cell 710. As another example, DCI 730-c includes a field value of S Cell 720 indicating that downlink data 740-c will be sent on S Cell 720 (e.g., field value Y) and a field value of P(S)Cell 710 indicating that downlink data will not be sent on P(S)Cell 710 (e.g., field value N / A). In this manner, DCI 730 - c indicates single carrier scheduling on S Cell 720 .

[0098] Figure 8The diagram illustrates a scheduling / transmission configuration 800 of a wireless communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The scheduling / transmission configuration 800 shows multi-carrier and / or cross-carrier scheduling between a P(S)Cell 810 and an S Cell 820. In some cases, the P(S)Cell 810 is a dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) cell. In some cases, the S Cell 820 is a non-DSS cell. As shown, the DCI 830-a sent on the control channel (e.g., PDCCH) of the S Cell 820 schedules downlink data 840-a on the data channel (e.g., PDSCH) of the P(S)Cell 810 and downlink data 840-a on the data channel (e.g., PDSCH) of the S Cell 820. In some cases, the data 840-a sent by the P(S)Cell 810 may be the same as or at least partially the same as the downlink data 840-a sent on the SCell 820. In some cases, the data 840 - a sent on the P(S)Cell 810 may be different or at least partially different from the downlink data 840 - a sent on the S Cell 820 .

[0099] In some cases, the search space in which the DCI 830-a is sent indicates whether the downlink data 840-a is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers. In this regard, the first search space may be associated with a single component carrier and the second search space may be associated with multiple component carriers. If the DCI is sent in the first search space associated with a single component carrier, the UE receiving the DCI can determine that the associated downlink data is scheduled on the single component carrier and monitor the data accordingly. Similarly, if the DCI message is sent in the second search space associated with multiple component carriers, the UE receiving the DCI can determine that the associated downlink data is scheduled on multiple component carriers and monitor the data accordingly. The first search space (associated with a single component carrier) and the second search space (associated with multiple component carriers) may be completely separate or partially overlap. In addition, in some cases, a separate search space may be allocated for each single component carrier so that the UE can determine on which single component carrier the downlink data will be sent based on the search space in which the single carrier DCI is received. In some cases, the UE receives information about the allocated search spaces and any association of the search spaces with single carrier and / or multi-carrier scheduling through RRC communications (eg, RRC configuration).

[0100] exist Figure 8In the example of , DCI 830-a is sent in a search space 822 associated with multi-carrier scheduling. DCI 830-a may include a carrier indicator field (CIF) value indicating that downlink data 840-a is scheduled for multi-carrier transmission. As shown, DCI 830-a is sent in a multi-carrier search space 822, and downlink data 840-a is scheduled on both P(S)Cell 810 and S Cell 820. DCI 830-b is sent in a search space 824 associated with single-carrier scheduling. DCI 830-b may include a CIF value indicating that downlink data 840-b is scheduled for single-carrier transmission. As shown, DCI 830-b is sent in a single-carrier search space 824 and downlink data 840-a is scheduled only on P(S)Cell 810. Similarly, DCI 830-c is transmitted 824 in a single carrier search space and schedules downlink data 840-a only on S Cell 820. DCI 830-c may also include a CIF value indicating that downlink data 840-c is scheduled for single carrier transmission.

[0101] Fig. 9 A signal diagram illustrating a cross-carrier and / or multi-carrier scheduling technique 900 between a base station 105-a and a UE 115-a according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown. As shown, at step 905, the base station 105-a may send a radio resource control (RRC) configuration to the UE 115-a. In some cases, the RRC configuration may include DCI configuration information. For example, the DCI configuration may provide information about a search space in which DCI may be sent (including any association of the search space with single-carrier and / or multi-carrier scheduling), a DCI format and / or field, and / or other information to facilitate the UE 115-a to monitor and receive DCI from the base station 105-a.

[0102] At step 910, the base station 105-a schedules downlink communications. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the base station 105-a may schedule downlink communications using single carrier, multi-carrier, and / or cross-carrier scheduling (see, e.g., Figure 2A , 2B , 6, 7 and 8).

[0103] At step 915, base station 105-a sends DCI to UE 115-a according to aspects of the present disclosure (see, e.g., Figure 2A , 2B , 6, 7 and 8).

[0104] At step 920, UE 115-a monitors DCI from base station 105-a in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure (see, e.g., Figure 2A , 2B, 6, 7 and 8). In some examples, UE 115-a monitors DCI on a control channel (e.g., PDCCH) at step 905 based on the DCI configuration information received in the RRC configuration.

[0105] At step 925, UE 115-a processes the received DCI according to aspects of the present disclosure (see, e.g., Figure 2A , 2B , 6, 7, and 8). In this regard, UE 115-a may process the DCI to determine whether downlink data communications will be sent on a single carrier or multiple carriers. For example, as described in various aspects of the present disclosure, UE 115-a may utilize a DCI format, a search space in which the DCI is received, one or more field values ​​of the DCI, one or more other characteristics of the DCI, and / or a combination thereof to determine whether downlink data communications associated with the DCI will be sent on a single carrier or multiple carriers.

[0106] In step 930-a, UE 115-a monitors downlink data on the first component carrier (CC1) based on the DCI received in step 915. Therefore, if the DCI indicates that data will be sent via CC1, during step 930-a, UE 115-a will actively monitor the data channel (PDSCH) of CC1 for downlink data communication. However, if the DCI indicates that data will not be sent via CC1, UE 115-a will not monitor the data channel (PDSCH) of CC1 during step 930-a. Similarly, in step 930-b, UE 115-a monitors downlink data on the second component carrier (CC2) based on the DCI received in step 915. If the DCI indicates that data will be sent via CC2, during step 930-a, UE 115-a will actively monitor the data channel (PDSCH) of CC2 for downlink data communication. However, if the DCI indicates that data will not be sent over CC2, then UE 115-a will not monitor the data channel (PDSCH) of CC2 during step 930-a.Steps 930-a and 930-b may be performed separately, simultaneously, and / or partially overlapping.

[0107] In step 940-a, the base station 105-a sends downlink data on the first component carrier (CC1) according to the DCI sent in step 915. Therefore, if the DCI indicates that data is to be sent on CC1, the base station 105-a will send downlink communications through the data channel (PDSCH) of CC1 during step 940-a. However, if the DCI indicates that data will not be sent through CC1, the base station 105-a will not send any data through the data channel (PDSCH) of CC1 during step 940-a. Similarly, in step 940-b, the base station 105-a sends downlink data on the second component carrier (CC2) according to the DCI sent in step 915. If the DCI indicates that data is to be sent through CC2, the base station 105-a will send downlink communications through the data channel (PDSCH) of CC2 during step 940-b. However, if the DCI indicates that data will not be sent over CC2, the base station 105-a will send downlink communications over the data channel (PDSCH) of CC2 during step 940-b.Steps 940-a and 940-b may be performed separately, simultaneously, and / or partially overlapping.

[0108] Fig.10 1 is a flow chart of a communication method 1000 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of method 1000 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as UE 115 and / or 400 using one or more components such as processor 402, memory 404, downlink scheduling and control module 408, transceiver 410, modem 412, one or more antennas 416, and various combinations thereof. As shown, method 1000 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but method 1000 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. For example, in some cases, one or more aspects of techniques 200, 250, and / or 900; DCI formats 300, 310, 320, and / or 330; scheduling / transmission configurations 600, 700, and / or 800 may be implemented as part of method 1000. In some cases, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0109] At step 1010, method 1000 includes receiving a downlink control information (DCI) message in a DCI format, which schedules downlink data communication on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers. The DCI message can be received through a control channel (e.g., PDCCH) of a PCell, a P(S)Cell, and / or an S Cell. In some cases, the DCI message is used for cross-carrier scheduling. For example, a scheduling cell (e.g., a P Cell, a P(S)Cell, and / or an S Cell) uses a DCI sent on a control channel (e.g., PDCCH) of a scheduling cell to schedule data on a data channel (e.g., PDSCH) of a different cell (e.g., a P Cell, a P(S)Cell, and / or an S Cell). In some cases, the DCI message is used for multi-carrier scheduling. For example, a single DCI sent on a PDCCH of a scheduling cell can be used to schedule data for data transmission on multiple cells (including a scheduling cell and different cells). In some cases, the DCI message is used for cross-carrier and multi-carrier scheduling. In addition, the cross-carrier and / or multi-carrier scheduling of the DCI received at step 1010 can be used in the context of a DSS. For example, a non-DSS cell may use a single DCI to schedule data on a DSS cell and / or a non-DSS cell.The cross-carrier and / or multi-carrier scheduling of the DCI received at step 1010 may also be used in the context of cross-carrier scheduling for carrier aggregation.

[0110] At step 1020, the method 1000 includes determining whether the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers based on the received DCI message. In this regard, the UE may utilize one or more characteristics (e.g., field values, search spaces, formats, etc.) of the DCI message to determine whether the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers.

[0111] In some cases, determining whether downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers at step 1020 includes determining whether the DCI message has a first format associated with a single component carrier or a second format associated with multiple component carriers. That is, a first DCI format may be used for single carrier scheduling, and a different second DCI format may be used for multi-carrier scheduling. In this regard, the UE may determine at step 1020 whether data is scheduled for transmission on a single carrier or multiple carriers based on the format of the received DCI.

[0112] In some cases, determining at step 1020 whether the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers includes determining whether the received DCI message is received in a first search space associated with the single component carrier or a second search space associated with the multiple component carriers (see, e.g., Figure 8 ). If a DCI message is received in a first search space associated with a single component carrier, the UE may determine that the associated data is scheduled on the single component carrier and monitor the data accordingly. Similarly, if a DCI message is received in a second search space associated with multiple component carriers, the UE may determine that the associated data is scheduled on the multiple component carriers and monitor the data accordingly. The first search space (associated with a single component carrier) and the second search space (associated with multiple component carriers) may be completely separate or partially overlapping.

[0113] In some cases, determining at step 1020 whether the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers includes determining whether at least one field of the DCI message indicates whether the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers (see, e.g., Figure 7 ). In some cases, the DCI includes a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier. The UE may determine to schedule downlink data communications on a single component carrier based on a value of the first field or the second field. For example, the value of the field may indicate to the UE that no data is scheduled for transmission on the component carrier. In some cases, the UE may determine to schedule downlink data communications on a single component carrier based on at least one of the first field or the second field having a value that is not assigned for the primary purpose of the field. For example, the field may be associated with a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA), and the value may not be assigned to an associated FDRA or have no associated FDRA (e.g., all zeros for RA type 0, all ones for RC type 1, etc.).

[0114] Similarly, the UE may determine that downlink data communications are scheduled on multiple component carriers based on the values ​​of the first and second fields. For example, the value of the field may indicate to the UE that data is scheduled for transmission on the component carrier. Thus, when the values ​​of the first and second fields each indicate that data is scheduled for transmission, the UE may determine that data is scheduled on multiple component carriers. In some cases, the UE may determine that downlink data communications are scheduled on multiple component carriers based on the first field and the second field having values ​​assigned for the primary purpose of the first and second fields.

[0115] In some cases, the DCI message includes a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID associated with the first component carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with the second component carrier (see, e.g. Figure 6). In this regard, the downlink data communication scheduled by the DCI message may include a first retransmission associated with a first HARQ process ID and a second retransmission associated with a second HARQ process ID. Having a separate HARQ process ID for each component carrier may allow retransmissions to be scheduled separately on each carrier. This may facilitate scheduling retransmissions of data associated with a first HARQ process on a first carrier and scheduling retransmissions of data associated with a second HARQ process on a different second carrier via a single DCI. This may improve efficiency and reduce latency in associated data communications. In some cases, the DCI message includes HARQ process IDs associated with both the first component carrier and the second component carrier. That is, a single HARQ process ID may be used for both the first component carrier and the second component carrier. Having a common HARQ process ID may reduce the size of the DCI by having a joint field in the DCI rather than two separate fields (see, e.g. Figure 3D ).

[0116] At step 1030, method 1000 includes receiving downlink data communication on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers based on determination. Downlink data communication can be received through the PDSCH of P Cell, P(S) Cell and / or S Cell. In some cases, the downlink data communication is received through a data channel of a cell different from the cell on which the DCI message is received (at step 1010). In some cases, the downlink data communication is received through both the data channel of the cell on which the DCI message is received and the data channel of the different cell. In some cases, the downlink data communication is received through the DSS cell. In some cases, the DCI message is received through the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell, and at least the first part of the downlink data communication signal is received through the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the primary cell (e.g., P Cell and / or P(S) Cell). The second part of the downlink data communication (e.g., for multi-carrier scheduling) can be received through the PDSCH of the secondary cell.

[0117] like Fig.111 is a flow chart of a communication method 1100 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of the method 1100 may be performed by a wireless communication device such as BS 105 and / or 500 using one or more components such as a processor 502, a memory 504, a downlink scheduling and control module 508, a transceiver 510, a modem 512, one or more antennas 516, and various combinations thereof. As shown, the method 1100 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but the method 1100 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. For example, in some cases, one or more aspects of the techniques 200, 250, and / or 900; DCI formats 300, 310, 320, and / or 330; scheduling / transmission configurations 600, 700, and / or 800 may be implemented as part of the method 1100. In some cases, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0118] At step 1110, method 1100 includes sending a first downlink control information (DCI) message having a DCI format, the first DCI message scheduling a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier. At step 1110, the DCI message may be sent on a control channel (e.g., PDCCH) of a PCell, a P(S)Cell, and / or an S Cell. In some cases, the DCI message is used by a base station for cross-carrier scheduling. For example, a base station may use a scheduling cell (e.g., P Cell, P(S)Cell, and / or SCell) to send DCI on a control channel (e.g., PDCCH) of a scheduling cell to schedule data on a data channel (e.g., PDSCH) of a different cell (e.g., P Cell, P(S)Cell, and / or S Cell). The base station may utilize the cross-carrier scheduling of the DCI sent at step 1110 in the context of the DSS. For example, the base station may send a single DCI on a non-DSS cell to schedule data on a DSS cell. The cross-carrier scheduling of the DCI sent at step 1110 may also be used in the context of cross-carrier scheduling for carrier aggregation.

[0119] In some cases, the base station uses different DCI formats to indicate single carrier scheduling versus multi-carrier scheduling. For example, a first format of a DCI message may be associated with a single component carrier, and a second format of a DCI message may be associated with multiple component carriers. That is, a first DCI format may be used for single carrier scheduling, and a different second DCI format may be used for multi-carrier scheduling. Therefore, the base station may determine and / or generate the format of the DCI message to be sent in step 1110 based on the scheduled data transmission (e.g., single carrier format versus multi-carrier format). In some cases, the receiving UE may use the format of the DCI message sent in step 1110 to determine that the scheduled data will be sent on a single carrier.

[0120] In some cases, at step 1110, the first DCI message is sent in a first search space associated with a single component carrier. In this regard, the base station may utilize different search spaces to send DCI to indicate single carrier scheduling versus multi-carrier scheduling (see, e.g., Figure 8 ). For example, the first search space may be associated with a single component carrier, and the second search space may be associated with multiple component carriers. Therefore, when data is scheduled for transmission on a single carrier, the base station may send a DCI message in the first search space associated with the single component carrier. The UE may determine, based on receiving the DCI message in the first search space, that the associated data is scheduled on a single component carrier and monitor the data accordingly. Similarly, when data is scheduled for transmission on multiple carriers, the base station may send a DCI message in a second search space associated with multiple component carriers. The UE may determine, based on receiving the DCI message in the second search space, that the associated data is scheduled on multiple component carriers and monitor the data accordingly. The first search space (associated with a single component carrier) and the second search space (associated with multiple component carriers) may be completely separate or partially overlapping.

[0121] In some cases, the first DCI message includes at least one field indicating that the first downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier. For example, the DCI may include a first field associated with the first component carrier and a second field associated with the second component carrier. The base station may indicate that the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier based on the value of the first field or the second field. For example, the base station may set the value of the field to indicate to the UE that no data is scheduled for transmission on the component carrier. In some cases, the base station may indicate that the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier based on at least one of the first field or the second field having a value that is not allocated for the primary purpose of the field. For example, the field may be associated with a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA), and the value used by the base station may not be allocated to the associated FDRA or may not have an associated FDRA (e.g., all zeros for RA type 0, all 1s for RC type, etc.). Therefore, in some cases, when the first field or the second field has a value that is not allocated for the primary purpose of the field, the DCI sent at step 1110 indicates that the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier.

[0122] At step 1120, method 1100 includes sending a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier. The downlink data communication may be sent on a PDSCH of a P Cell, a P(S) Cell, and / or an S Cell. In some cases, the downlink data communication is sent via a data channel of a cell different from the cell on which the DCI message is sent (at step 1110). In some cases, the downlink data communication is sent via a DSS cell. In some cases, the DCI message is sent via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of a secondary cell (at step 1110), and the downlink data communication signal is sent via a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of a primary cell (e.g., a P Cell and / or a P(S) Cell) (at step 1120).

[0123] At step 1130, method 1100 includes sending a second DCI message, the second DCI message scheduling a second downlink data communication on multiple component carriers. At step 1130, the DCI message may be sent on a control channel (e.g., PDCCH) of a P Cell, a P(S) Cell, and / or an S Cell. In some cases, the DCI message sent at step 1130 is sent on the same cell as the DCI message sent at step 1110. In some cases, the DCI message is used by the base station for multi-carrier scheduling. For example, at step 1130, a single DCI sent via a control channel (e.g., PDCCH) of a scheduling cell may be used to schedule data for data transmission on multiple cells (including scheduling cells and different cells). In some cases, the DCI message sent at step 1130 is used by the base station for cross-carrier and multi-carrier scheduling. In addition, the cross-carrier and / or multi-carrier scheduling of the DCI sent at step 1010 may be used in the context of a DSS. For example, at step 1130, the base station may utilize a non-DSS cell to send a single DCI to schedule data on a DSS cell and a non-DSS cell.

[0124] In some cases, the DCI message sent at step 1130 has the same DCI format as the DCI message sent at step 1110. That is, the base station can use the same DCI format for single carrier scheduling and multi-carrier scheduling. In other cases, the DCI message sent at step 1130 has a different DCI format from the DCI message sent at step 1110. For example, the base station can use different DCI formats to indicate single carrier scheduling versus multi-carrier scheduling. Therefore, the base station can determine and / or generate the format of the DCI message to be sent at step 1130 based on the scheduled data transmission (e.g., single carrier format versus multi-carrier format). Therefore, in some cases, the receiving UE can use the format of the DCI message sent at step 1130 to determine that the scheduled data will be sent on multiple carriers.

[0125] In some cases, the second DCI message includes sending the second DCI message in a second search space associated with the plurality of component carriers. As described above, the base station may utilize different search spaces to indicate single carrier scheduling versus multi-carrier scheduling (see, e.g. Figure 8). For example, the first search space may be associated with a single component carrier and the second search space may be associated with multiple component carriers. Thus, when data is scheduled for transmission on multiple carriers, the base station may send a DCI message in a second search space associated with the multiple component carriers. The UE may determine, based on receiving the DCI message in the second search space, that the associated data is scheduled on multiple component carriers and monitor the data accordingly. The first search space (associated with a single component carrier) and the second search space (associated with multiple component carriers) may be completely separate or partially overlapping.

[0126] In some cases, the second DCI message includes at least one field indicating that the second downlink data communication is scheduled on multiple component carriers. For example, the DCI may include a first field associated with the first component carrier and a second field associated with the second component carrier. The base station may indicate that the downlink data communication is scheduled on multiple component carriers based on the value of the first field and / or the second field. For example, the base station may set the value of the field to indicate to the UE that the data is scheduled for transmission on the component carrier. In some cases, the base station may use the value assigned for the primary purpose of the field to indicate that the data will be sent over the carrier. For example, the field may be associated with a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA), and the value may be assigned to the associated FDRA or have an associated FDRA. Therefore, in some cases, when the first field and the second field each have a value assigned for the primary purpose of the field, the DCI sent in step 1130 indicates that the second downlink data communication is scheduled on multiple component carriers.

[0127] At step 1140, method 1100 includes sending a second downlink data communication on multiple component carriers. The downlink data communication may be sent on a PDSCH of a P Cell, a P(S) Cell, and / or an S Cell. In some cases, at least a portion of the downlink data communication is sent via a data channel of a cell different from the cell in which the DCI message is sent (at step 1130). In some cases, at least a portion of the downlink data communication is sent via a DSS cell. In some cases, the DCI message is sent on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of a secondary cell (at step 1130), and the downlink data communication signal is sent on multiple component carriers (at step 1140), including at least a first portion on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the primary cell, and at least a second portion on the PDSCH of the secondary cell.

[0128] In some cases, the DCI message sent at step 1130 includes a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID associated with the first component carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with the second component carrier. In this regard, the second downlink data communication sent at step 1140 may include a first retransmission associated with the first HARQ process ID and a second retransmission associated with the second HARQ process ID. In this way, the base station can schedule retransmissions of data associated with a first HARQ process on a first carrier and retransmissions of data associated with a second HARQ process on a different second carrier via a single DCI. This can improve efficiency and reduce latency of associated data communications. In some cases, the DCI message sent at step 1130 includes HARQ process IDs associated with both the first component carrier and the second component carrier. That is, the base station can use a single HARQ process ID in the DCI for both the first and second component carriers. Utilizing a common HARQ process ID can reduce the size of the DCI by having a joint field in the DCI instead of two separate fields (see, e.g., Figure 3D ).

[0129] Other aspects of the present disclosure include the following:

[0130] 1. A wireless communication method performed by a user equipment, the method comprising:

[0131] receiving a downlink control information (DCI) message in a DCI format, the DCI message scheduling downlink data communication on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers;

[0132] determining, based on the received DCI message, whether downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers; and

[0133] Based on the determination, downlink data communications are received on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers.

[0134] 2. A method as described in clause 1, wherein determining whether downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers comprises:

[0135] A determination is made as to whether the DCI message has a first format associated with a single component carrier or a second format associated with multiple component carriers.

[0136] 3. A method according to any of clauses 1-2, wherein determining whether downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers comprises:

[0137] A determination is made as to whether the received DCI message was received in a first search space associated with a single component carrier or in a second search space associated with multiple component carriers.

[0138] 4. The method of clause 3, wherein receiving the DCI message comprises receiving the DCI message in the first search space associated with the single component carrier.

[0139] 5. The method of clause 3, wherein receiving the DCI message comprises receiving the DCI message in the second search space associated with the plurality of component carriers.

[0140] 6. A method according to any of clauses 1-5, wherein determining whether downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers comprises:

[0141] It is determined that at least one field of the DCI message indicates whether downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers.

[0142] 7. A method as described in clause 6, wherein the at least one field comprises a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier.

[0143] 8. A method as described in clause 7, wherein determining whether downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers comprises:

[0144] Based on at least one of the first field or the second field having a value that is not allocated for a primary purpose of the corresponding field, it is determined that the downlink data communication is scheduled on the single component carrier.

[0145] 9. A method as described in clause 8, wherein the value is not allocated for frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA).

[0146] 10. A method as described in clause 8, wherein determining whether downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers comprises:

[0147] Scheduling downlink data communications on the plurality of component carriers is determined based on the first field and the second field having values ​​assigned for the respective primary purposes of the first and second fields.

[0148] 11. A method according to any of clauses 1-10, wherein the DCI message comprises a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID associated with the first component carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with the second component carrier.

[0149] 12. A method as described in clause 11, wherein the downlink data communication scheduled by the DCI message includes a first retransmission associated with the first HARQ process ID and a second retransmission associated with the second HARQ process ID.

[0150] 13. A method as described in any of clauses 1-10, wherein the DCI message comprises a HARQ process ID associated with the first component carrier and the second component carrier.

[0151] 14. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 13, wherein:

[0152] Receiving the DCI message includes receiving the DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell; and

[0153] Receiving the downlink data communication includes receiving at least a first portion of the downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the primary cell.

[0154] 15. The method of clause 14, wherein receiving the downlink data communication further comprises:

[0155] At least a second portion of the downlink data communication is received on a PDSCH of the secondary cell.

[0156] 16. A wireless communication method performed by a base station, the method comprising:

[0157] sending a first downlink control information (DCI) message in a DCI format, the first DCI message scheduling a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier;

[0158] sending a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier;

[0159] sending a second DCI message having a DCI format, the second DCI message scheduling a second downlink data communication on the plurality of component carriers; and

[0160] A second downlink data communication is sent on the plurality of component carriers.

[0161] 17. A method according to clause 16, wherein:

[0162] Sending the first DCI message includes sending the first DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell; and sending the first downlink data communication includes sending the first downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the primary cell.

[0163] 18. A method according to any of clauses 16-17, wherein:

[0164] Sending a second DCI message includes sending the second DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell; and sending a second downlink data communication on multiple component carriers includes:

[0165] At least a first portion of the second downlink data communication is sent on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the primary cell; and at least a second portion of the second downlink data communication is sent on a PDSCH of the secondary cell.

[0166] 19. A method as set out in any of clauses 16-18, wherein sending the first DCI message comprises sending the first DCI message in a first search space associated with the single component carrier.

[0167] 20. A method as set out in any of clauses 16-19, wherein sending the second DCI message comprises sending the second DCI message in a second search space associated with the plurality of component carriers.

[0168] 21. A method as described in any of clauses 16-20, wherein sending the first DCI message comprises sending the first DCI message having at least one field indicating that the first downlink data communication is scheduled on the single component carrier.

[0169] 22. A method as described in clause 21, wherein the at least one field comprises a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier, and wherein the first field or the second field has a value that is not allocated for the primary purpose of the corresponding field.

[0170] 23. A method as described in clause 22, wherein the value is not allocated for frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA).

[0171] 24. A method as set out in any of clauses 16-23, wherein sending the second DCI message comprises sending the second DCI message having at least one field indicating that the second downlink data communication is scheduled on the plurality of component carriers.

[0172] 25. A method according to clause 24, wherein the at least one field comprises a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier, and wherein the first value of the first field is an assigned value for a primary purpose of the first field and the second value of the second field is an assigned value for a primary purpose of the second field.

[0173] 26. A method as set out in any of clauses 16-25, wherein the second DCI message comprises a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID associated with the first component carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with the second component carrier.

[0174] 27. A method as set out in clause 26, wherein the second downlink data communication scheduled by the second DCI message comprises a first retransmission associated with the first HARQ process ID and a second retransmission associated with the second HARQ process ID.

[0175] 28. A method as described in any of clauses 16-25, wherein the second DCI message comprises a HARQ process ID associated with the first component carrier and the second component carrier.

[0176] 29. A method according to any one of clauses 16 to 28, wherein:

[0177] Sending the first DCI message includes sending the first DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of a non-dynamic spectrum sharing (non-DSS) cell; and

[0178] Sending the first downlink data communication includes sending the first downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the DSS cell.

[0179] 30. A method according to any of clauses 16 to 29, wherein:

[0180] Sending the second DCI message includes sending the second DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of a non-dynamic spectrum sharing (non-DSS) cell; and

[0181] Sending a second downlink data communication comprises:

[0182] transmitting at least a first portion of a second downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the DSS cell; and

[0183] At least a second portion of the second downlink data communication is transmitted via the PDSCH of the non-DSS cell.

[0184] 31. A user equipment, comprising:

[0185] a transceiver configured to: receive a downlink control information (DCI) message having a DCI format, the DCI message scheduling downlink data communication on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers; and

[0186] a processor in communication with the transceiver, the processor being configured to determine whether downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers based on a received DCI message,

[0187] Therein, the transceiver is further configured to receive downlink data communications on the single component carrier or the multiple component carriers based on the determination of the processor.

[0188] 32. A user equipment as claimed in clause 31, wherein the processor is further configured to:

[0189] A determination is made as to whether the DCI message has a first format associated with a single component carrier or a second format associated with multiple component carriers.

[0190] 33. A user equipment as described in any of clauses 31-32, wherein the processor is further configured to:

[0191] A determination is made as to whether the received DCI message was received in a first search space associated with a single component carrier or in a second search space associated with multiple component carriers.

[0192] 34. A user equipment as claimed in clause 33, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive the DCI message in the first search space associated with the single component carrier.

[0193] 35. A user equipment as recited in clause 33, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive the DCI message in the second search space associated with the plurality of component carriers.

[0194] 36. A user equipment as described in any of clauses 31-35, wherein the processor is further configured to:

[0195] It is determined whether at least one field of the DCI message indicates whether downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers.

[0196] 37. A user equipment as described in clause 36, wherein the at least one field comprises a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier.

[0197] 38. A user equipment as described in clause 37, wherein the processor is further configured to:

[0198] Determining that the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier is based on at least one of the first field or the second field having a value that is not allocated for a primary purpose of the corresponding field.

[0199] 39. A user equipment as set out in clause 38, wherein the value is not allocated for frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA).

[0200] 40. A user equipment as claimed in clause 38, wherein the processor is further configured to:

[0201] It is determined that downlink data communication is scheduled on the plurality of component carriers based on the first field and the second field having values ​​assigned for the respective primary purposes of the first field and the second field.

[0202] 41. User equipment according to any of clauses 31-40, wherein the transceiver is further configured to: receive a DCI message including a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID associated with the first component carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with the second component carrier.

[0203] 42. A user equipment as described in clause 41, wherein the processor is further configured to:

[0204] Determining that the downlink data communication scheduled by the DCI message includes a first retransmission associated with a first HARQ process ID and a second retransmission associated with a second HARQ process ID.

[0205] 43. User equipment as described in any of clauses 31-40, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive the DCI message comprising a HARQ process ID associated with the first component carrier and the second component carrier.

[0206] 44. A user equipment according to any of clauses 31 to 43, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

[0207] receiving a DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell; and

[0208] At least a first portion of a downlink data communication is received on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of a primary cell.

[0209] 45. A user equipment as claimed in clause 44, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

[0210] At least a second portion of the downlink data communication is received on a PDSCH of the secondary cell.

[0211] 46. ​​A base station, comprising:

[0212] A transceiver configured to:

[0213] sending a first downlink control information (DCI) message in a DCI format, the first DCI message scheduling a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier;

[0214] sending a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier;

[0215] sending a second DCI message having a DCI format, the second DCI message scheduling a second downlink data communication on the plurality of component carriers; and

[0216] A second downlink data communication is sent on the plurality of component carriers.

[0217] 47. A base station according to clause 46, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

[0218] Sending a first DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell; and

[0219] The first downlink data communication is sent on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the primary cell.

[0220] 48. A base station as described in any of clauses 46-47, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

[0221] Sending a second DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell;

[0222] At least a first portion of the second downlink data communication is sent on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the primary cell; and at least a second portion of the second downlink data communication is sent on a PDSCH of the secondary cell.

[0223] 49. A base station as described in any of clauses 46-48, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

[0224] A first DCI message is sent in a first search space associated with a single component carrier.

[0225] 50. A base station as described in any of clauses 46-49, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

[0226] A second DCI message is sent in a second search space associated with the plurality of component carriers.

[0227] 51. A base station according to any of clauses 46-50, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

[0228] A first DCI message is sent having at least one field indicating that the first downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier.

[0229] 52. A base station as described in clause 51, wherein the at least one field comprises a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier, and wherein the first field or the second field has a value that is not allocated for the primary purpose of the corresponding field.

[0230] 53. A base station as described in clause 52, wherein the value is not allocated for frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA).

[0231] 54. A base station as described in any of clauses 46 to 53, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

[0232] A second DCI message is sent having at least one field indicating that the second downlink data communication is scheduled on the plurality of component carriers.

[0233] 55. A base station according to clause 54, wherein the at least one field comprises a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier, and wherein the first value of the first field is a value assigned for a primary purpose of the first field and the second value of the second field is a value assigned for a primary purpose of the second field.

[0234] 56. A base station as described in any of clauses 46-55, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

[0235] A second DCI message is sent that includes a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID associated with the first component carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with the second component carrier.

[0236] 57. A base station as set out in clause 56, wherein the second downlink data communication scheduled by the second DCI message comprises a first retransmission associated with the first HARQ process ID and a second retransmission associated with the second HARQ process ID.

[0237] 58. A base station according to any of clauses 46-55, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

[0238] A second DCI message including a HARQ process ID associated with the first component carrier and the second component carrier is sent.

[0239] 59. A base station according to any of clauses 46 to 58, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

[0240] Sending a first DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of a non-dynamic spectrum sharing (non-DSS) cell; and

[0241] The first downlink data communication is sent on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the DSS cell.

[0242] 60. A base station as described in any of clauses 46-59, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

[0243] sending a second DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of a non-dynamic spectrum sharing (non-DSS) cell; sending at least a first portion of a second downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of a DSS cell; and

[0244] At least a second portion of a second downlink data communication is sent on a PDSCH of the non-DSS cell.

[0245] 61. A user equipment, comprising:

[0246] means for receiving a downlink control information (DCI) message in a DCI format, the DCI message scheduling downlink data communications on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers;

[0247] means for determining whether downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers based on a received DCI message; and

[0248] Means are provided for receiving downlink data communications on a single component carrier or a plurality of component carriers based on the determination.

[0249] 62. A user equipment as claimed in clause 61, wherein the means for determining whether downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier or on a plurality of component carriers comprises:

[0250] Means for determining whether a DCI message has a first format associated with a single component carrier or a second format associated with multiple component carriers.

[0251] 63. User equipment according to any of clauses 61-62, wherein the means for determining whether downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers comprises:

[0252] Means for determining whether a received DCI message was received in a first search space associated with a single component carrier or in a second search space associated with multiple component carriers.

[0253] 64. A user equipment as recited in clause 63, wherein the means for receiving the DCI message comprises means for receiving the DCI message in the first search space associated with the single component carrier.

[0254] 65. A user equipment as recited in clause 63, wherein the means for receiving the DCI message comprises means for receiving the DCI message in the second search space associated with the plurality of component carriers.

[0255] 66. User equipment as set out in any of clauses 61-65, wherein the means for determining whether downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier or on a plurality of component carriers comprises:

[0256] A unit for determining whether at least one field of the DCI message indicates whether downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers.

[0257] 67. A user equipment as described in clause 66, wherein the at least one field comprises a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier.

[0258] 68. A user equipment as set out in clause 67, wherein the means for determining whether downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier or on a plurality of component carriers comprises:

[0259] Means for determining that downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier based on at least one of the first field or the second field having a value not assigned for a primary purpose of the corresponding field.

[0260] 69. The user equipment of clause 68, wherein the value is not allocated for frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA).

[0261] 70. A user equipment as claimed in clause 68, wherein the means for determining whether downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier or on a plurality of component carriers comprises:

[0262] Means for determining that downlink data communications are scheduled on the plurality of component carriers based on the first field and the second field having values ​​assigned for the respective primary purposes of the first field and the second field.

[0263] 71. User equipment as set out in any of clauses 61-70, wherein the DCI message comprises a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID associated with the first component carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with the second component carrier.

[0264] 72. A user equipment according to clause 71, wherein the downlink data communication scheduled by the DCI message comprises a first retransmission associated with the first HARQ process ID and a second retransmission associated with the second HARQ process ID.

[0265] 73. User equipment as described in any of clauses 61-70, wherein the DCI message comprises a HARQ process ID associated with the first component carrier and the second component carrier.

[0266] 74. A user equipment as described in any of clauses 61 to 73, wherein:

[0267] The means for receiving the DCI message includes means for receiving the DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell; and

[0268] The means for receiving the downlink data communication includes means for receiving at least a first portion of the downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the primary cell.

[0269] 75. A user equipment as recited in clause 74, wherein the means for receiving the downlink data communication further comprises means for receiving at least a second portion of the downlink data communication on a PDSCH of a secondary cell.

[0270] 76. A base station, comprising:

[0271] means for sending a first downlink control information (DCI) message in a DCI format, the first DCI message scheduling a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier;

[0272] means for transmitting a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier;

[0273] means for sending a second DCI message having a DCI format, the second DCI message scheduling a second downlink data communication on the plurality of component carriers; and

[0274] Means for sending a second downlink data communication on the plurality of component carriers.

[0275] 77. A base station according to clause 76, wherein:

[0276] The means for sending the first DCI message includes means for sending the first DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell; and

[0277] The means for transmitting the first downlink data communication includes means for transmitting the first downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the primary cell.

[0278] 78. A base station according to any of clauses 76-77, wherein:

[0279] The means for sending the second DCI message includes means for sending the second DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell; and

[0280] The means for transmitting a second downlink data communication on a plurality of component carriers comprises:

[0281] means for transmitting at least a first portion of a second downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the primary cell; and

[0282] Means for sending at least a second portion of a second downlink data communication on the PDSCH of the secondary cell.

[0283] 79. A base station as set out in any of clauses 76-78, wherein the means for sending the first DCI message comprises means for sending the first DCI message in a first search space associated with the single component carrier.

[0284] 80. A base station as set out in any of clauses 76-79, wherein the means for sending the second DCI message comprises means for sending the second DCI message in a second search space associated with the plurality of component carriers.

[0285] 81. A base station as described in any of clauses 76-80, wherein the means for sending the first DCI message comprises means for sending the first DCI message having at least one field indicating that the first downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier.

[0286] 82. A base station as described in clause 81, wherein the at least one field includes a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier, and wherein the first field or the second field has a value that is not allocated for the primary purpose of the corresponding field.

[0287] 83. A base station as described in clause 82, wherein the value is not allocated for frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA).

[0288] 84. A base station as set out in any of clauses 76-83, wherein the means for sending the second DCI message comprises means for sending the second DCI message having at least one field indicating that the second downlink data communication is scheduled on a plurality of component carriers.

[0289] 85. A base station according to clause 84, wherein the at least one field comprises a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier, and wherein the first value of the first field is a value assigned for a primary purpose of the first field and the second value of the second field is a value assigned for a primary purpose of the second field.

[0290] 86. A base station as set out in any of clauses 76-85, wherein the second DCI message comprises a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID associated with the first component carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with the second component carrier.

[0291] 87. A base station as described in clause 86, wherein the second downlink data communication scheduled by the second DCI message comprises a first retransmission associated with the first HARQ process ID and a second retransmission associated with the second HARQ process ID.

[0292] 88. A base station as set out in any of clauses 76-85, wherein the second DCI message comprises a HARQ process ID associated with the first component carrier and the second component carrier.

[0293] 89. A base station as described in any of clauses 76 to 88, wherein:

[0294] The means for sending the first DCI message includes means for sending the first DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of a non-dynamic spectrum sharing (non-DSS) cell; and

[0295] The means for transmitting the first downlink data communication includes means for transmitting the first downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the DSS cell.

[0296] 90. A base station as described in any of clauses 76 to 89, wherein:

[0297] The means for sending the second DCI message includes means for sending the second DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of a non-dynamic spectrum sharing (non-DSS) cell; and

[0298] The means for sending a second downlink data communication comprises:

[0299] means for transmitting at least a first portion of a second downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the DSS cell; and

[0300] Means for transmitting at least a second portion of a second downlink data communication on a PDSCH of a non-DSS cell.

[0301] 91. A non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon program code for wireless communication by a user equipment, the program code comprising:

[0302] code for causing a user equipment to receive a downlink control information (DCI) message in a DCI format that schedules downlink data communications on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers;

[0303] code for causing a user equipment to determine whether downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers based on a received DCI message; and

[0304] Code for causing a user equipment to receive downlink data communications on a single component carrier or multiple component carriers based on the determination.

[0305] 92. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 91, wherein the code for causing a user equipment to determine whether downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers comprises:

[0306] Code for causing a user equipment to determine whether a DCI message has a first format associated with a single component carrier or a second format associated with multiple component carriers.

[0307] 93. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 91-92, wherein the code for causing a user equipment to determine whether downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers comprises:

[0308] Code for causing a user equipment to determine whether a received DCI message was received in a first search space associated with a single component carrier or in a second search space associated with multiple component carriers.

[0309] 94. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 93, wherein the code for causing the user equipment to receive the DCI message comprises code for causing the user equipment to receive the DCI message in the first search space associated with the single component carrier.

[0310] 95. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 93, wherein the code for causing the user equipment to receive the DCI message comprises code for causing the user equipment to receive the DCI message in a second search space associated with the plurality of component carriers.

[0311] 96. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 91-95, wherein the code for enabling the user equipment to determine whether the downlink data communication is scheduled on the single component carrier or on the multiple component carriers includes: code for enabling the user equipment to determine that at least one field of a DCI message indicates whether the downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers.

[0312] 97. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 96, wherein the at least one field comprises a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier.

[0313] 98. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 97, wherein the code for causing the user equipment to determine whether the downlink data communication is scheduled on the single component carrier or on the plurality of component carriers comprises:

[0314] Code for causing a user equipment to determine that downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier based on at least one of the first field or the second field having a value not assigned for a primary purpose of the corresponding field.

[0315] 99. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 98, wherein the value is not allocated for frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA). 100. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 98, wherein the code for causing a user equipment to determine whether downlink data communications are scheduled on a single component carrier or on multiple component carriers comprises:

[0316] Code for causing a user equipment to determine that downlink data communications are scheduled on a plurality of component carriers based on first and second fields having values ​​assigned for respective primary purposes of the first and second fields.

[0317] 101. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 91-100, wherein the code for causing a user equipment to receive a DCI message includes code for causing the user equipment to receive a DCI message including a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID associated with a first component carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with a second component carrier.

[0318] 102. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in clause 101, wherein the downlink data communication scheduled by the DCI message includes a first retransmission associated with the first HARQ process ID and a second retransmission associated with the second HARQ process ID.

[0319] 103. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 91-100, wherein the code for causing the user equipment to receive the DCI message comprises code for causing the user equipment to receive the DCI message comprising a HARQ process ID associated with the first component carrier and the second component carrier.

[0320] 104. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 91-103, wherein:

[0321] The code for causing the user equipment to receive the DCI message includes code for causing the user equipment to receive the DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell; and

[0322] The code for causing the user equipment to receive a downlink data communication includes code for causing the user equipment to receive at least a first portion of the downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of a primary cell.

[0323] 105. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 104, wherein the code for causing the user equipment to receive the downlink data communication further comprises:

[0324] Code for causing a user equipment to receive at least a second portion of a downlink data communication on a PDSCH of a secondary cell.

[0325] 106. A non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon a program code for wireless communication by a base station, the program code comprising:

[0326] code for causing a base station to transmit a first downlink control information (DCI) message in a DCI format, the first DCI message scheduling a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier;

[0327] code for causing a base station to transmit a first downlink data communication on a single component carrier;

[0328] code for causing the base station to transmit a second DCI message having a DCI format, the second DCI message scheduling a second downlink data communication on the plurality of component carriers; and

[0329] Code for causing a base station to transmit a second downlink data communication on a plurality of component carriers.

[0330] 107. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 106, wherein:

[0331] The code for causing the base station to send the first DCI message includes code for causing the base station to send the first DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell; and

[0332] The code for causing the base station to transmit the first downlink data communication includes code for causing the base station to transmit the first downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of a primary cell.

[0333] 108. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 106-107, wherein:

[0334] The code for causing the base station to send the second DCI message includes code for causing the base station to send the second DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the secondary cell; and

[0335] The code for causing a base station to transmit a second downlink data communication on a plurality of component carriers comprises:

[0336] code for causing the base station to transmit at least a first portion of a second downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of a primary cell; and

[0337] Code for causing the base station to transmit at least a second portion of a second downlink data communication on a PDSCH of the secondary cell.

[0338] 109. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 106-108, wherein the code for causing the base station to send the first DCI message comprises code for causing the base station to send the first DCI message in a first search space associated with a single component carrier.

[0339] 110. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 106-109, wherein the code for causing the base station to send the second DCI message comprises code for causing the base station to send the second DCI message in a second search space associated with a plurality of component carriers.

[0340] 111. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 106-110, wherein the code for causing the base station to send the first DCI message includes code for causing the base station to send the first DCI message having at least one field indicating that a first downlink data communication is scheduled on a single component carrier.

[0341] 112. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in clause 111, wherein the at least one field includes a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier, and wherein the first field or the second field has a value that is not allocated for the primary purpose of the corresponding field.

[0342] 113. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 112, wherein the value is not allocated for frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA). 114. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 106-113, wherein the code for causing the base station to send the second DCI message comprises code for causing the base station to send a second DCI message having at least one field indicating that a second downlink data communication is scheduled on a plurality of component carriers.

[0343] 115. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in clause 114, wherein the at least one field comprises a first field associated with a first component carrier and a second field associated with a second component carrier, and wherein the first value of the first field is a value assigned for a primary purpose of the first field and the second value of the second field is a value assigned for a primary purpose of the second field. 116. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 106-115, wherein the code for causing the base station to send the second DCI message comprises code for causing the base station to send a second DCI message including a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID associated with the first component carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with the second component carrier.

[0344] 117. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 116, wherein the second downlink data communication scheduled by the second DCI message comprises a first retransmission associated with the first HARQ process ID and a second retransmission associated with the second HARQ process ID.

[0345] 118. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 106-115, wherein the code for causing the base station to send the second DCI message includes code for causing the base station to send the second DCI message including a HARQ process ID associated with the first component carrier and the second component carrier.

[0346] 119. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 106-118, wherein:

[0347] The code for causing the base station to send the first DCI message includes code for causing the base station to send the first DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of a non-dynamic spectrum sharing (non-DSS) cell; and

[0348] The code for causing the base station to transmit the first downlink data communication includes code for causing the base station to transmit the first downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the DSS cell.

[0349] 120. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 106-119, wherein:

[0350] The code for causing the base station to send the second DCI message includes code for causing the base station to send the second DCI message on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of a non-dynamic spectrum sharing (non-DSS) cell; and

[0351] The code for causing the base station to send a second downlink data communication comprises:

[0352] code for causing the base station to transmit at least a first portion of a second downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of the DSS cell; and

[0353] Code for causing the base station to transmit at least a second portion of a second downlink data communication on a PDSCH of a non-DSS cell.

[0354] Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0355] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0356] The functions described herein can be implemented with hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, these functions can be stored or sent as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the above functions can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or any combination of these. The features that implement the functions can also be physically located in different locations, including being distributed so that some functions are implemented in different physical locations. In addition, as used herein, including in the claims, the "or" used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with phrases such as "at least one" or "one or more") represents a list containing, for example, a list of means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e. A and B and C).

[0357] As will now be appreciated by some skilled in the art and depending on the particular application at hand, many modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the materials, devices, configurations and methods of use of the apparatus of the present disclosure without departing from its spirit and scope. In view of this, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the scope of the specific embodiments shown and described herein, as they are merely some examples thereof, but should be fully commensurate with the scope of the claims appended hereto and their functional equivalents.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: at least one storage device; at least one transceiver; as well as at least one processor coupled to the at least one storage device and the at least one transceiver, the at least one storage device storing instructions executable by the at least one processor, alone or in any combination, to cause the UE to: monitoring a downlink control information (DCI) message having a DCI format, the DCI message being configured to schedule data communications on one or more carriers, the DCI message comprising a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID field and one or more sets of modulation and coding scheme fields, redundancy version fields, and new data indicator fields (MCS, RV, NDI) for each carrier scheduled by the DCI message for data communications, wherein the number of the (MCS, RV, NDI) sets is based at least in part on the number of spatial layers for which data communications on each carrier are scheduled; determining that the DCI message schedules the data communication on a plurality of carriers, the plurality of carriers comprising a first carrier and a second carrier; and Based on the determination, the data communication is transmitted on at least the first carrier and the second carrier.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The DCI message includes a first HARQ process ID associated with the first carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with the second carrier.

3. The UE according to claim 2, wherein: The at least one storage device stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, alone or in any combination, to cause the UE to further perform the following operations: transmitting the data communication by receiving first data on the first carrier and receiving second data on the second carrier; Sending first HARQ feedback associated with the first data based on the first HARQ process ID; as well as Second HARQ feedback associated with the second data is sent based on the second HARQ process ID.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one storage device stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, alone or in any combination, to cause the UE to further perform the following operations: determining, based on the DCI message, that the data communication is a downlink data communication; as well as Therein, the UE is configured to transmit the data communication by receiving the downlink data communication on at least the first carrier and the second carrier.

5. The UE according to claim 4, wherein: The at least one memory device stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, alone or in any combination, to cause the UE to further receive the downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

6. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: the data communication is a downlink data communication, The downlink data communication on the first carrier is scheduled on more than four spatial layers and comprises two codewords; and The DCI message includes two (MCS, RV, NDI) sets for the first carrier.

7. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: the data communication is a downlink data communication, The downlink data communication on the first carrier is scheduled on four spatial layers or less and comprises one codeword; and The DCI message includes a (MCS, RV, NDI) set for the first carrier.

8. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one storage device stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, alone or in any combination, to cause the UE to further perform the following operations: determining, based on the DCI message, that the data communication is an uplink data communication; as well as Therein, the UE is configured to transmit the data communication by sending the uplink data communication on at least the first carrier and the second carrier.

9. The UE according to claim 8, wherein: The at least one memory device stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, alone or in any combination, to cause the UE to further transmit the uplink data communication on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

10. The UE according to claim 8, wherein: The uplink data communications are scheduled on more than four spatial layers of the first carrier; and The DCI message includes two (MCS, RV, NDI) sets for the first carrier.

11. The UE according to claim 8, wherein: The uplink data communications are scheduled on four spatial layers or less of the first carrier; and The DCI message includes a (MCS, RV, NDI) set for the first carrier.

12. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The (MCS, RV, NDI) fields of the DCI message are grouped by field type in the DCI message.

13. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The DCI message also includes an indication of the carrier for which the data communication is scheduled.

14. The UE according to claim 13, wherein: The indication includes a value of a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA) field associated with each of the first carrier and the second carrier.

15. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one storage device stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, alone or in any combination, to cause the UE to further perform the following operations: receiving an RRC configuration indicating an allocated search space for the DCI message; and Based on the RRC configuration, the allocated search space for the DCI message is monitored.

16. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one storage device stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, alone or in any combination, to cause the UE to further perform the following operations: receiving a second DCI message scheduling a second data communication on a single carrier, wherein the second DCI message scheduling the second data communication on the single carrier has a different format than the DCI message scheduling the data communication on two or more carriers; and The second data communication is transmitted on the single carrier based on the second DCI message.

17. The UE according to claim 16, wherein: The at least one storage device stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, alone or in any combination, to cause the UE to further perform the following operations: monitoring a first search space of the DCI message for scheduling the data communications on the plurality of carriers; and A second search space different from the first search space is monitored, the second search space being used to schedule the DCI message for the second data communication on the single carrier.

18. A method of wireless communication performed at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: monitoring a downlink control information (DCI) message having a DCI format, the DCI message being configured to schedule data communications on one or more carriers, the DCI message comprising a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID field and one or more sets of modulation and coding scheme fields, redundancy version fields, and new data indicator fields (MCS, RV, NDI) for each carrier scheduled by the DCI message, wherein the number of the (MCS, RV, NDI) sets is based at least in part on the number of spatial layers for which data communications on each carrier are scheduled; determining that the DCI message schedules the data communication on a plurality of carriers, the plurality of carriers comprising a first carrier and a second carrier; and Based on the determination, the data communication is transmitted on at least the first carrier and the second carrier.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The DCI message includes a first HARQ process ID associated with the first carrier and a second HARQ process ID associated with the second carrier.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: Transmitting the data communication comprises: receiving first data on the first carrier; and receiving second data on the second carrier; and Also includes: Sending first HARQ feedback associated with the first data based on the first HARQ process ID; and Second HARQ feedback associated with the second data is sent based on the second HARQ process ID.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising: determining, based on the DCI message, that the data communication is a downlink data communication; as well as Wherein, transmitting the data communication comprises receiving the downlink data communication on at least the first carrier and the second carrier.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The receiving the downlink data communication includes receiving the downlink data communication on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

23. The method of claim 18, wherein: the data communication is a downlink data communication, The downlink data communication on the first carrier is scheduled on more than four spatial layers and comprises two codewords; and The DCI message includes two (MCS, RV, NDI) sets for the first carrier.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein: the data communication is a downlink data communication, The downlink data communication on the first carrier is scheduled on four spatial layers or less and comprises one codeword; and The DCI message includes a (MCS, RV, NDI) set for the first carrier.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising: determining, based on the DCI message, that the data communication is an uplink data communication; as well as Wherein, transmitting the data communication comprises sending the uplink data communication on at least the first carrier and the second carrier.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein: The transmitting the uplink data communication includes transmitting the uplink data communication on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

27. The method of claim 25, wherein: The uplink data communications are scheduled on more than four spatial layers of the first carrier; and The DCI message includes two (MCS, RV, NDI) sets for the first carrier.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein: The uplink data communications are scheduled on four spatial layers or less of the first carrier; and The DCI message includes a (MCS, RV, NDI) set for the first carrier.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein: The (MCS, RV, NDI) fields of the DCI message are grouped by field type in the DCI message.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein: The DCI message also includes an indication of the carrier for which the data communication is scheduled.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein: The indication includes a value of a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA) field associated with each of the first carrier and the second carrier.

32. The method of claim 18, further comprising: receiving an RRC configuration indicating an allocated search space for the DCI message; as well as Based on the RRC configuration, the allocated search space for the DCI message is monitored.

33. The method of claim 18, further comprising: receiving a second DCI message scheduling a second data communication on a single carrier, wherein the second DCI message scheduling the second data communication on the single carrier has a different format than the DCI message scheduling the data communication on the multiple carriers; and The second data communication is transmitted on the single carrier based on the second DCI message.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising: monitoring a first search space of the DCI message for scheduling the data communication on the plurality of carriers; as well as A second search space different from the first search space is monitored, the second search space being used to schedule the DCI message for the second data communication on the single carrier.

35. The method of claim 18, further comprising: The carrier for which the data communication is scheduled is determined based on a corresponding value of a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA) field of the DCI message.

Images