Multiple active discontinuous reception configurations

Abstract

Systems and techniques for wireless communication are provided. A first network entity (e.g., user equipment (UE)) can receive information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX). The information can be received from a second network entity (e.g., a base station). The first network entity is capable of performing unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles of a plurality of multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration, wherein the unicast data communication is performed between the first network entity and the second network entity. A second network entity (e.g., a base station) can transmit information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) to a user equipment (UE). The second network entity can perform unicast data communication with the UE using one or more multicast DRX cycles of a plurality of multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications. In some implementations, examples for wireless communications using multiple active discontinuous reception (DRX) configurations are described. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems are deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services including telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and the like. Wireless communication systems have evolved over several generations, including first generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G networks), third generation (3G) high-speed data wireless service with Internet capabilities, fourth generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax), and fifth generation (5G) services (e.g., New Radio (NR)). There are many different types of wireless communication systems in use today, including cellular systems and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and the like. Summary of the invention

[0003] The following presents a simplified summary of the invention related to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, the following summary of the invention should neither be considered as an exhaustive overview related to all conceived aspects, nor should it be considered to identify key or decisive elements related to all conceived aspects or to delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect. Therefore, the sole purpose of the following summary of the invention is to present certain concepts related to one or more aspects of the mechanisms disclosed herein in a brief form before the detailed embodiments presented below.

[0004] A system, method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for performing wireless communication are disclosed. According to at least one illustrative example, a method of wireless communication is provided, the method comprising: receiving information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) from a second network entity; and performing unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration among a plurality of multicast DRX cycles, wherein the unicast data communication is performed between the first network entity and the second network entity.

[0005] In another illustrative example, a network entity for wireless communication is provided. The network entity includes at least one memory and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured to and may: receive information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) from a second network entity; and perform unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration in a plurality of multicast DRX cycles, wherein the unicast data communication is performed between the first network entity and the second network entity.

[0006] In another illustrative example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to: receive information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) from a second network entity; and perform unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles among a plurality of multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration, wherein the unicast data communication is performed between the first network entity and the second network entity.

[0007] In another illustrative example, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided. The apparatus includes: a component for receiving information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) from a second network entity; and a component for performing unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration in a plurality of multicast DRX cycles, wherein the unicast data communication is performed between the first network entity and the second network entity.

[0008] According to at least one illustrative example, a method for wireless communication is provided, the method comprising: sending information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) to a user equipment (UE); and performing unicast data communication with the UE using one or more multicast DRX cycles among multiple multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration.

[0009] In another illustrative example, a network entity for wireless communication is provided. The network entity includes at least one memory and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured to and may: send information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) to a user equipment (UE); and perform unicast data communication with the UE using one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration in a plurality of multicast DRX cycles.

[0010] In another illustrative example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to: send information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) to a user equipment (UE); and perform unicast data communication with the UE using one or more multicast DRX cycles among a plurality of multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration.

[0011] In another illustrative example, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided. The apparatus includes: a component for sending information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) to a user equipment (UE); and a component for performing unicast data communication with the UE using one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration in a plurality of multicast DRX cycles.

[0012] Aspects generally include methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer readable media, user equipment, base stations, wireless communication devices and / or processing systems as fully described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings and description.

[0013] The features and technical advantages of examples according to the present disclosure have been outlined quite broadly above so that the following specific embodiments may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described below. The disclosed concepts and specific examples may be easily used as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for achieving the same purpose of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both in terms of their organization and method of operation, and the associated advantages will be better understood by considering the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each of the figures in the accompanying drawings is provided for the purpose of illustration and description and not as a definition of limitations of the claims.

[0014] Although various aspects are described in the present disclosure by illustrating some examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that such aspects can be implemented in many different arrangements and scenarios. The technology described herein can be implemented using different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes and / or packaging arrangements. For example, some aspects can be implemented via integrated chip implementations or other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication equipment, computing equipment, industrial equipment, retail / shopping equipment, medical equipment and / or artificial intelligence devices). Various aspects can be implemented in chip-level components, modular components, non-modular components, non-chip-level components, device-level components and / or system-level components. The equipment incorporating the various aspects and features described may include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the various aspects claimed and described. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals may include one or more components (e.g., hardware components, including antennas, radio frequency (RF) chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders and / or summers) for analog and digital purposes. The various aspects described herein are intended to be practiced in various devices, components, systems, distributed arrangements and / or end-user devices of various sizes, shapes and configurations.

[0015] Other purposes and advantages associated with the various aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the drawings and detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used alone to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. This subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings, and each claim.

[0016] The foregoing and other features and aspects will become more apparent upon reference to the following description, claims and accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings are presented to help describe various aspects of the present disclosure, and the drawings are provided only for illustration and not limitation of the various aspects. In order to enable the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure to be understood in detail, a more specific description briefly summarized above may be obtained by reference to various aspects (some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings). However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope thereof, as the specification may admit other equally effective aspects. The same reference numerals in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

[0018] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network is depicted.

[0019] Figure 2 An example disaggregated base station architecture is depicted.

[0020] Figure 3 Aspects of an example base station and example user equipment are depicted.

[0021] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D Various example aspects of data structures for a wireless communication network are described.

[0022] Figure 5A and Figure 5B An example connected mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) timeline is depicted.

[0023] Figure 6 is a call flow diagram of an example for delayed selective time correlation reporting in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 7 A method for wireless communication is described.

[0025] Figure 8 A method for wireless communication is described.

[0026] Fig. 9 Aspects of an example communications device are depicted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for performing wireless communications based on using multiple active discontinuous reception (DRX) configurations.For example, wireless communications can be performed based on using a multicast DRX configuration for unicast data transmission.

[0028] 5G New Radio (NR) provides high-speed, low-latency and high-reliability wireless connections that enable a wide range of applications, including immersive extended reality (XR) multimedia and cloud computing services. These enhanced multimedia applications may require high data rates and / or low latency to help the service meet the corresponding packet delay budget (PDB), which generally refers to the upper limit of the delay of data packets delivered by the bearer.

[0029] Enhanced multimedia applications may also require better power saving capabilities to improve XR device performance. To reduce power consumption, a user equipment (UE) may be configured for discontinuous reception (DRX). When operating in DRX mode (e.g., using a DRX configuration to perform wireless communications), the UE may implement multiple DRX cycles that may be broadly divided into "active" durations and "inactive" durations. For example, the UE may wake up during a periodic DRX enabled state (e.g., corresponding to an active duration) to monitor downlink scheduling information, and may enter a sleep or idle mode outside of a periodic DRX enabled state (e.g., corresponding to an inactive duration). In some examples, the use of a DRX mode may affect delay-sensitive communications and / or wireless communication devices associated with a relatively short (e.g., relatively small) delay budget. For example, the use of a DRX mode may affect XR device performance because data is typically not received during an inactive duration.

[0030] For example, XR services are typically characterized by multiple data streams (e.g., one or more video streams, audio streams, etc.) to and / or from an XR device and have a short delay budget (10ms, 30ms, etc.). In addition, the multiple streams may have unaligned data periodicities, such as 30 frames per second (fps) or 60fps for video and 10ms for audio, etc. In some cases, the use of a DRX mode may affect XR device performance when the DRX periodicity is different from the data stream periodicity of the XR service associated with the XR device (e.g., not aligned with the data stream periodicity). For example, a device configured with a DRX periodicity of 100ms and an activity duration of 10ms may not be able to receive most of the data included in a 30fps or 60fps data stream. In addition to the multiple XR service data streams (e.g., multiple delay-sensitive or short delay budget data streams) that may be associated with an XR device, control data and other less delay-sensitive data may also be sent to and / or from the XR device.

[0031] To accommodate these different requirements associated with multiple data flows, the network (e.g., gNB) would be expected to configure multiple active connected DRX (CDRX) configurations for the XR device, each active CDRX configuration corresponding to a respective service flow with different periodicity and / or latency requirements. Multiple active CDRX configurations may provide significant performance improvements, but in at least some examples, will require changes to wireless communication standard specifications for DRX and / or CDRX, etc.

[0032] Aspects of the present disclosure provide systems and techniques for performing unicast data transmission of delay-sensitive data (e.g., such as XR video or audio, etc.) using a multicast DRX cycle. Potential benefits of the approach include relatively low implementation complexity and operational complexity associated with semi-static DRX-based designs. Furthermore, these benefits can occur without significant impact to wireless communication standards (which might otherwise be associated with introducing a second active unicast DRX configuration).

[0033] The techniques and methods described herein can be used in various wireless communication networks. Although various aspects may be described herein using terms commonly associated with 3G, 4G and / or 5G wireless technologies, various aspects of the present disclosure may also be applicable to other communication systems and standards not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0034] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication network 100 is depicted in which various aspects described herein may be implemented.

[0035] In general, the wireless communication network 100 includes various network entities (alternatively, network elements or network nodes). A network entity is typically a communication device and / or a communication function performed by a communication device (e.g., user equipment (UE), base station (BS), component of a BS, server, etc.). For example, various functions of a network and various devices associated with and interacting with the network may be considered network entities. In addition, the wireless communication network 100 includes ground aspects, such as ground-based network entities (e.g., BS 102), and non-ground aspects, such as satellites 140 and aircraft 145, which may include airborne network entities (e.g., one or more BSs) capable of communicating with other network elements (e.g., ground BSs) and user equipment.

[0036] In the depicted example, the wireless communication network 100 includes a BS 102, a UE 104, and one or more core networks (such as an evolved packet core (EPC) 160 and a 5G core (5GC) network 190) that interoperate to provide communication services over various communication links (including wired and wireless links).

[0037] Figure 1Various example UEs 104 are depicted, which may more generally include: cellular phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players, cameras, game consoles, tablet computers, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electric meters, gas pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, always-on (AON) devices, edge processing devices, or other similar devices. UEs 104 may also be more generally referred to as mobile devices, wireless devices, wireless communication devices, stations, mobile stations, subscriber stations, mobile subscriber stations, mobile units, subscriber units, wireless units, remote units, remote devices, access terminals, mobile terminals, wireless terminals, remote terminals, handsets, and others.

[0038] BS 102 wirelessly communicates with (e.g., transmits signals to or receives signals from) UE 104 via communication link 120. Communication link 120 between BS 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (UL) (also referred to as a reverse link) transmissions from UE 104 to BS 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmissions from BS 102 to UE 104. In various aspects, communication link 120 may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity.

[0039] BS 102 may generally include: NodeB, enhanced NodeB (eNB), next generation enhanced NodeB (ng-eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB or gNodeB), access point, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, transmission and reception point, and / or other. Each of BS 102 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110, which may sometimes be referred to as a cell, and may overlap in some cases (e.g., a small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of a macro cell). For example, a BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell (covering a relatively large geographic area), a pico cell (covering a relatively small geographic area, such as a stadium), a femto cell (relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home)), and / or other types of cells.

[0040] Although BS102 is depicted as a single communication device in various aspects, BS102 can be implemented in various configurations. For example, one or more components of the base station may be decomposed, including a central unit (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), one or more radio units (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC, to name a few examples. In another example, various aspects of the base station may be virtualized. More generally, a base station (e.g., BS102) may include components located at a single physical location or components located at various physical locations. In an example in which the base station includes components located at various physical locations, the various components may each perform a function so that the various components together implement functions similar to those of a base station located at a single physical location. In some aspects, a base station including components located at various physical locations may be referred to as a decomposed radio access network architecture (such as an open RAN (O-RAN) or virtualized RAN (VRAN) architecture). Figure 2 An example decomposed base station architecture is depicted and described.

[0041] Different BSs 102 within the wireless communication network 100 may also be configured to support different radio access technologies (such as 3G, 4G, and / or 5G). For example, a BS 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) may interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). A BS 102 configured for 5G (e.g., 5G NR or Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) may interface with the 5GC 190 via a second backhaul link 184. The BSs 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC 160 or the 5GC 190) over a third backhaul link 134 (e.g., an X2 interface), which may be wired or wireless.

[0042] The wireless communication network 100 may subdivide the electromagnetic spectrum into various categories, frequency bands, channels, or other characteristics. In some aspects, the subdivision is provided based on wavelength and frequency, where frequency may also be referred to as a carrier, subcarrier, channel, tone, or subband. For example, 3GPP currently defines frequency range 1 (FR1) as including 410 MHz-7125 MHz, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as "below 6 GHz". Similarly, 3GPP currently defines frequency range 2 (FR2) as including 24,250 MHz-52,600 MHz, which is sometimes (interchangeably) referred to as "millimeter wave" ("mmW" or "mmWave"). A base station (e.g., a mmWave base station such as BS180) configured to communicate using mmWave / near mmWave radio bands may utilize beamforming (e.g., 182) with a UE (e.g., 104) to improve path loss and range.

[0043] The communication link 120 between the BS 102 and, for example, the UE 104 may be through one or more carriers, which may have different bandwidths (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, 400 MHz, and / or other MHz) and may be aggregated in various aspects. The carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​compared to UL).

[0044] Communications using higher frequency bands may have higher path loss and shorter range than communications at lower frequencies. Figure 1 180) can utilize beamforming 182 with UE 104 to improve path loss and range. For example, BS 180 and UE 104 may each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels and / or antenna arrays, to facilitate beamforming. In some cases, BS 180 may send beamformed signals to UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 182'. UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from BS 180 in one or more receive directions 182". UE 104 may also send beamformed signals to BS 180 in one or more transmit directions 182". BS 180 may also receive beamformed signals from UE 104 in one or more receive directions 182'. BS 180 and UE 104 may then perform beam training to determine the best receive direction and transmit direction for each of BS 180 and UE 104. It is worth noting that the transmit direction and receive direction of BS 180 may be the same or may not be the same. Similarly, the transmit direction and receive direction of UE 104 may or may not be the same.

[0045] Wireless communication network 100 also includes Wi-Fi AP 150 that communicates with Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via communication link 154 in, for example, the 2.4 GHz and / or 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum.

[0046] Certain UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), and / or a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH).

[0047] The EPC 160 may include various functional components, including: a mobility management entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a serving gateway 166, a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) gateway 168, a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 170, and / or a packet data network (PDN) gateway 172, such as in the depicted example. The MME 162 may communicate with a home subscriber server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. In general, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management.

[0048] Generally, user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are delivered through the Serving Gateway 166, which itself is connected to the PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to the IP Services 176, which may include, for example, the Internet, an Intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a Packet Switched (PS) streaming media service, and / or other IP services.

[0049] The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS delivery, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a public land mobile network (PLMN), and / or may be used to schedule MBMS delivery. The MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS services to BSs 102 belonging to a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) area broadcasting a specific service, and / or may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and for collecting eMBMS related charging information.

[0050] 5GC 190 may include various functional components, including: access and mobility management function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, session management function (SMF) 194, and user plane function (UPF) 195. AMF 192 may communicate with unified data management (UDM) 196.

[0051] AMF 192 is a control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and 5GC 190. AMF 192 provides, for example, Quality of Service (QoS) flow and session management.

[0052] Internet Protocol (IP) packets are delivered through UPF 195, which is connected to IP Services 197 and provides IP address allocation for UEs and other functions for 5GC 190. IP Services 197 may include, for example, the Internet, Intranet, IMS, PS streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0053] In various aspects, a network entity or network node may be implemented as a converged base station, a decomposed base station, a component of a base station, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a sidelink node, to name a few examples.

[0054] Figure 2 An example disaggregated base station 200 architecture is depicted. The disaggregated base station 200 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 210 that may communicate directly with a core network 220 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 220 through one or more disaggregated base station units, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 225 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 215 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 205, or both. The CU 210 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 230 via respective midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DU 230 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 240 via respective fronthaul links. The RU 240 may communicate with respective UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 104 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 240.

[0055] Each of the units (e.g., CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225, non-RT RIC 215, and SMO framework 205) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or send signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of the unit may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, the units may include a wired interface configured to receive or send signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally or alternatively, the unit may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive signals on a wireless transmission medium or send signals to one or more of the other units, or both.

[0056] In some aspects, CU 210 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by CU 210. CU 210 may be configured to handle user plane functions (e.g., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functions (e.g., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, CU 210 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, CU 210 may be implemented to communicate with DU 230 for network control and signaling.

[0057] The DU 230 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 240. In some aspects, the DU 230 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) depending at least in part on functional divisions such as those defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, the DU 230 may also host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 230 or with control functions hosted by the CU 210.

[0058] The lower layer functions may be implemented by one or more RUs 240. In some deployments, the RU 240 controlled by the DU 230 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on functional splitting (such as lower layer functional splitting). In such an architecture, the RU 240 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 104. In some specific implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 240 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 230. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the implementation of the DU 230 and the CU 210 in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0059] The SMO framework 205 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 290) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as to instantiate virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 205 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 211) via the O1 interface. In addition, in some specific implementations, the SMO framework 205 may communicate directly with one or more RUs 240 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 205 may also include a non-RT RIC 215 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 205 .

[0060] The non-RT RIC 215 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 225. The non-RT RIC 215 may be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 225 (such as via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 225 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface (such as via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 210, one or more DUs 230, or both, and the O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 225.

[0061] In some implementations, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 225, the non-RT RIC 215 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 225 and may be received from a non-network data source or from a network function at the SMO framework 205 or the non-RT RIC 215. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 215 or the near-RT RIC 225 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 215 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 205 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or via creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0062] Figure 3 Aspects of an example BS 102 and UE 104 are depicted.

[0063] In general, BS 102 includes various processors (e.g., 320, 330, 338, and 340), antennas 334a-334t (collectively 334), transceivers 332a-332t (collectively 332) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable wireless transmission of data (e.g., data source 312) and wireless reception of data (e.g., data sink 339). For example, BS 102 can transmit and receive data between BS 102 and UE 104. BS 102 includes a controller / processor 340 that can be configured to implement various functions described herein related to wireless communication.

[0064] Generally speaking, the UE 104 includes various processors (e.g., 358, 364, 366, and 380), antennas 352a-352r (collectively 352), transceivers 354a-354r (collectively 354) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable wireless transmission of data (e.g., retrieved from a data source 362) and wireless reception of data (e.g., provided to a data sink 360). The UE 104 includes a controller / processor 380 that can be configured to implement various functions described herein related to wireless communications.

[0065] Regarding example downlink transmissions, BS 102 includes a transmit processor 320 that can receive data from a data source 312 and control information from a controller / processor 340. The control information can be for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), a physical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a group common PDCCH (GC PDCCH), and / or others. In some examples, the data can be for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0066] The transmit processor 320 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor 320 may also generate reference symbols (such as for a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a PBCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)).

[0067] The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 330 may perform spatial processing (e.g., pre-decoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, where applicable, and may provide an output symbol stream to a modulator (MOD) in a transceiver 332a-332t. Each modulator in the transceiver 332a-332t may process a corresponding output symbol stream to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from the modulators in the transceivers 332a-332t may be transmitted via antennas 334a-334t, respectively.

[0068] To receive downlink transmissions, UE 104 includes antennas 352a-352r that can receive downlink signals from BS 102 and can provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) in transceivers 354a-354r, respectively. Each demodulator in transceivers 354a-354r can condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a corresponding received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator can further process the input samples to obtain received symbols.

[0069] A MIMO detector 356 may obtain received symbols from all demodulators in transceivers 354a-354r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 358 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 104 to a data sink 360, and provide decoded control information to a controller / processor 380.

[0070] With respect to example uplink transmissions, the UE 104 also includes a transmit processor 364 that may receive and process data from a data source 362 (e.g., for a PUSCH) and control information from a controller / processor 380 (e.g., for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)). The transmit processor 364 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., for a sounding reference signal (SRS)). The symbols from the transmit processor 364 may be pre-decoded by a TX MIMO processor 366, if applicable, further processed by a modulator in the transceivers 354a-354r (e.g., for SC-FDM), and transmitted to the BS 102.

[0071] At BS 102, uplink signals from UE 104 may be received by antennas 334 a-334 t, processed by demodulators in transceivers 332 a-332 t, detected by MIMO detector 336 if applicable, and further processed by receive processor 338 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by UE 104. Receive processor 338 may provide decoded data to data sink 339 and decoded control information to controller / processor 340.

[0072] Memory 342 and memory 382 may store data and program codes for BS 102 and UE 104, respectively.

[0073] The scheduler 344 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0074] In various aspects, BS 102 may be described as sending and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "sending" may refer to various mechanisms for outputting data, such as outputting data from a data source 312, a scheduler 344, a memory 342, a transmit processor 320, a controller / processor 340, a TX MIMO processor 330, a transceiver 332a-332t, an antenna 334a-334t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" may refer to various mechanisms for obtaining data, such as obtaining data from an antenna 334a-334t, a transceiver 332a-332t, a RX MIMO detector 336, a controller / processor 340, a receive processor 338, a scheduler 344, a memory 342, and / or other aspects described herein.

[0075] In various aspects, the UE 104 may also be described as sending and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "sending" may refer to various mechanisms for outputting data, such as outputting data from a data source 362, a memory 382, ​​a transmit processor 364, a controller / processor 380, a TX MIMO processor 366, a transceiver 354a-354t, an antenna 352a-352t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" may refer to various mechanisms for obtaining data, such as obtaining data from an antenna 352a-352t, a transceiver 354a-354t, a RX MIMO detector 356, a controller / processor 380, a receive processor 358, a memory 382, ​​and / or other aspects described herein.

[0076] In some aspects, the processor may be configured to perform various operations (such as those associated with the methods described herein) and send (output) data to or receive (obtain) data from another interface configured to send or receive data, respectively.

[0077] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D Describes a method for use in a wireless communication network such as Figure 1 Various aspects of the data structure of the wireless communication network 100).

[0078] Specifically, Figure 4A is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G (e.g., 5G NR) frame structure, Figure 4B is a diagram 430 illustrating an example of a DL channel within a 5G subframe, Figure 4C is a diagram 450 illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G frame structure, and Figure 4D FIG480 is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G subframe.

[0079] Wireless communication systems may utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) on both the uplink and downlink. Such systems may also support half-duplex operation using time division duplex (TDD). OFDM and single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) can be used to maximize the system bandwidth (e.g., Figure 4B and Figure 4D ) is divided into multiple orthogonal subcarriers. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Modulation symbols can be transmitted in the frequency domain using OFDM and / or in the time domain using SC-FDM.

[0080] The wireless communication frame structure may be frequency division duplex (FDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers, subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated to either DL or UL. The wireless communication frame structure may also be time division duplex (TDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers, subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated to both DL and UL.

[0081] exist Figure 4A and Figure 4C In the wireless communication frame structure, TDD is used, where D is DL, U is UL, and X can be used flexibly between DL / UL. The UE can be configured with a time slot format (dynamically configured by DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured by radio resource control (RRC) signaling) through the received time slot format indicator (SFI). In the depicted example, the 10ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized 1ms subframes. Each subframe may include one or more time slots. In some examples, each time slot may include 7 or 14 symbols, depending on the time slot format. The subframe may also include a micro-time slot, which typically has fewer symbols than a whole time slot. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0082] In certain aspects, the number of slots within a subframe is based on the slot configuration and parameter set. For example, for slot configuration 0, different parameter sets (μ) 0 to 5 allow for 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 slots per subframe, respectively. For slot configuration 1, different parameter sets 0 to 2 allow for 2, 4, and 8 slots per subframe, respectively. Thus, for slot configuration 0 and parameter set μ, there are 14 symbols / slot and 2μ slots / subframe. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are a function of the parameter set. The subcarrier spacing may be equal to 2 μ × 15kHz, where μ is parameter set 0 to 5. Thus, parameter set μ=0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz, and parameter set μ=5 has a subcarrier spacing of 480kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D An example is provided for slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and parameter set μ=2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs.

[0083] like Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4DAs depicted in , a resource grid may be used to represent a frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also referred to as a physical RB (PRB)) extending, for example, over 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into a plurality of resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0084] like Figure 4A As illustrated, some of the REs carry data for UEs (eg, Figure 1 and Figure 3 The RS may include a demodulation RS (DMRS) and / or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include a beam measurement RS (BRS), a beam refinement RS (BRRS), and / or a phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0085] Figure 4B Examples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated.The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs), each CCE comprising, for example, nine RE Groups (REGs), each REG comprising, for example, four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol.

[0086] The primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be in symbol 2 of a particular subframe of a frame. The PSS is transmitted by a UE (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 3 104) is used to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification.

[0087] A Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) may be within symbol 4 of a particular subframe of a frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing.

[0088] Based on the physical layer identifier and the physical layer cell identifier group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DMRS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block. The MIB provides the system frame number (SFN) and the number of RBs in the system bandwidth. The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information (such as system information blocks (SIBs)) that is not sent via the PBCH, and / or paging messages.

[0089] As in Figure 4CAs illustrated in , some REs carry DMRS for channel estimation at the base station (indicated as R for a specific configuration, but other DMRS configurations are possible). The UE may send DMRS for PUCCH and DMRS for PUSCH. The PUSCH DMRS may be sent, for example, in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DMRS may be sent in different configurations depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent and depending on the specific PUCCH format used. UE 104 may send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be sent, for example, in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may send the SRS on one of the comb structures in the comb structure. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to achieve frequency-dependent scheduling of the UL.

[0090] Figure 4D Examples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The PUCCH may be located at a position as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0091] In order to reduce power consumption, user equipment (UE) can be configured for discontinuous reception (DRX) operation. DRX can be implemented as a power saving technique based on managing the energy efficiency or energy consumption of various periodic communications between the UE and the network entity. For example, DRX can be used to periodically turn off the radio receiver of the UE, such as when data (e.g., or various other downlink transmissions) is not expected. DRX operation may include connected mode DRX (CDRX) and idle mode DRX.

[0092] CDRX may be used when the UE is in a connected state (e.g., when the UE has a connection established with the network (e.g., an established RRC connection)). Idle mode DRX may be used when the UE is in an idle or inactive state and does not have a connection established with the network (e.g., does not have an established RRC connection). In connected mode DRX, one or more CDRX parameters may be configured by the network (e.g., by a network entity, a gNB, a base station, etc.). For example, the network entity may configure one or more of a DRX cycle, an on duration timer, an inactivity timer, etc. The CDRX parameters (e.g., also referred to as "DRX parameters") may be configured based on CDRX configuration information included in one or more RRC messages. The CDRX configuration information may also be referred to as "CDRX configuration" and / or "DRX configuration".

[0093] Figure 5A An example CDRX timeline 500 is illustrated. As illustrated in the CDRX timeline of the timing diagram 500, during connected DRX mode (CDRX), the UE duration (e.g., along the horizontal time axis) can be broadly divided into a series of "active time" durations 502 and "inactive" durations 504. A CDRX cycle can include one active duration 502 and one inactive duration 504.

[0094] During the CDRX active time 502 (e.g., also referred to as the on duration), the UE continuously or with a given periodicity monitors physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) activity, receives downlink (DL) data, sends uplink (UL) data, and / or performs serving cell measurements or neighbor measurements. During the CDRX active time 502, the UE is generally considered to be "on" when various timers are running. For example, an active duration timer (e.g., drx-onDurationTimer), an inactivity timer (drx-InactivityTimer), and a full DRX cycle duration (e.g., drx-ShortCycle) may run during the active time (e.g., during the CDRX active time 502). The start of the DRX cycle may be defined by a start offset value.

[0095] exist Figure 5A and Figure 5B In the example shown, the active time (eg, drx-onDurationTimer) is 10 ms, and the CDRX cycle duration is 30 ms (eg, corresponding to approximately 20 ms of inactive time in the zero offset example). Figure 5B An example CDRX timeline 510 including an inactivity timer is illustrated. Figure 5B As illustrated in the timing diagram of , the UE may be configured with an inactivity timer (e.g., an inactivity timer that starts the inactivity period 506) that restarts when activity is detected and expires after 5 ms of no activity being detected. When the inactivity timer expires, the UE enters an "inactive" or "sleep" mode. For example, when the inactivity timer is active, if UE activity is detected every 5 ms (or less), the UE will not enter an inactive or sleep mode while the inactivity timer remains active.

[0096] In some cases, the UE may be configured with an enhanced CDRX (eCDRX) mode to mitigate drift in latency due to misalignment with traffic burst arrivals. Current CDRX modes are configured for integer-valued periodicity, while typical multimedia data traffic update rates (e.g., 60 Hz, 90 Hz, 45 Hz, 120 Hz, or 48 Hz) often result in non-integer-valued periodicity.

[0097] Aspects of the present disclosure may utilize a multicast DRX cycle to perform unicast data transmission of delay-sensitive data (e.g., such as XR video or audio, etc.). Using a multicast DRX cycle for unicast data transmission of delay-sensitive data may include relatively low implementation complexity and / or relatively low operational complexity associated with implementing a semi-static DRX-based design. Furthermore, these benefits may occur without significant impact on wireless communication standards by introducing a second active unicast DRX configuration.

[0098] For reference Figure 6 The example call flow diagram 600 of FIG. 600 is used to understand the use of the multicast DRX cycle for unicast data transmission proposed herein. Figure 6 6 shows example signaling between UE 620 and network entity 640. In some aspects, UE 620 may be Figure 1 , Figure 2 and / or Figure 3 104. In some aspects, the network entity 640 may be a base station, a gNB, etc. For example, the network entity 640 may be Figure 1 or Figure 3 The examples of base station 102 illustrated in FIG. Figure 2 An example of a node of a decomposed base station is illustrated in FIG.

[0099] As illustrated, at 602, the network entity 640 may send signaling to configure the UE 620 for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX). For example, the network entity 640 may send configuration information indicating a DRX configuration 603. In one illustrative example, the DRX configuration 603 is a multicast DRX configuration (e.g., the network entity 640 may send configuration information indicating a multicast DRX configuration). The UE 620 may receive the signaling from the network entity 640 at 602, and may implement one or more corresponding DRX cycles (e.g., using one or more corresponding DRX cycles of the DRX configuration 603 from the network entity 640).

[0100] For example, the DRX configuration 603 from the network entity 640 may include and / or indicate one or more DRX parameters (e.g., CDRX parameters) associated with implementing a corresponding DRX cycle by the UE 620. In some examples, the network entity 640 may send the DRX configuration information 603 (e.g., and the UE 620 may receive the DRX configuration information 603) using one or more radio resource control (RRC) messages.

[0101] As illustrated, at 604, the UE 620 may perform UE-specific data communication during a corresponding active time (e.g., drx-onDuration) of each of the plurality of multicast DRX cycles according to the DRX configuration information 603 received at 602 from the network entity 640. For example, each multicast DRX cycle may be associated with a corresponding multicast DRX active time. Figure 6 As illustrated in FIG. 1 , a first multicast DRX cycle may be associated with a first multicast DRX active time 607-1, a second multicast DRX cycle may be associated with a second multicast DRX active time 607-2, and so on. In some aspects, each multicast DRX active time 607-1, 607-2, etc. may be associated with Figure 5A The DRX activity time 502 is the same or similar.

[0102] During the first multicast DRX active time 607-1 (e.g., during the first multicast DRX cycle corresponding to the multicast DRX configuration 603), the UE 620 may transmit and / or receive UE-specific data 605-1. For example, during the first multicast DRX active time 607-1 of the first multicast DRX cycle, the UE may perform one or more data transmission operations corresponding to the UE-specific data (e.g., the UE-specific data 605-1), and / or the UE may perform one or more data reception operations corresponding to the UE-specific data (e.g., the UE-specific data 605-2).

[0103] During the second multicast DRX active time 607-2 (e.g., during the second multicast DRX cycle corresponding to the multicast DRX configuration 603), the UE may perform one or more data sending operations corresponding to UE-specific data (e.g., UE-specific data 605-2), and / or the UE may perform one or more data receiving operations corresponding to UE-specific data (e.g., UE-specific data 605-2).

[0104] In this way, systems and techniques may be used to effectively borrow (e.g., reconfigure) a multicast / broadcast (MB) DRX cycle to send and / or receive unicast data for a UE (e.g., UE 620). In some aspects, the UE-specific data 605-1 and / or the UE-specific data 605-2 may be unicast data associated with the UE 620. In an illustrative example, systems and techniques may be used to configure an XR device (e.g., an XR UE that is the same as or similar to the UE 620) to utilize a multicast DRX cycle and / or a multicast DRX configuration to send UE-specific unicast data when a single unicast DRX is insufficient to support multiple XR streams (e.g., and corresponding latency requirements for each of the multiple XR streams). Systems and techniques may provide an effective alternative to having to support multiple active unicast DRX configurations (e.g., not supported by current wireless communication standard specifications).

[0105] In some aspects, configuring MB DRX for unicast data transmission as proposed herein may be implemented with relatively little impact on wireless communication standard specifications and with relatively minor additional UE specific implementations. For these reasons, this approach may be an acceptable design to be adopted to better support XR.

[0106] There are various options for configuring multicast DRX for unicast data transmission. Multicast DRX is typically configured for multicast point-to-multipoint (PTM) transmissions on a per group RNTI (G-RNTI) basis, independent of the legacy UE-specific unicast DRX. Multicast point-to-point (PTP) transmissions (including PTP retransmissions for PTM data) are typically sent during the active time (e.g., drx-onDuration) of a unicast DRX cycle, for example based on a UE-specific dynamically scheduled cell RNTI (C-RNTI) or configured scheduling RNTI (CS-RNTI). CS-RNTI typically refers to a unique UE identity for semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) in the downlink and a configured grant in the uplink configured scheduling for configured scheduling.

[0107] In one illustrative example, a network (e.g., a network entity, such as network entity 640) may configure a UE to receive a scheduled PDCCH and perform UE-specific data communication in a multicast DRX active time (e.g., an active time or drx-onDuration of a multicast DRX cycle) based on various options. For example, a first option may be implemented based on a signaled indication from the network (e.g., an indication signaled and / or sent by a network entity (such as network entity 640)). In some aspects, a UE (e.g., UE 620) may receive a signaled indication in an RRC configuration of a multicast DR, wherein the signaled indication configures the UE to receive a scheduled PDCCH and perform UE-specific data communication (e.g., unicast data transmission) in a multicast DRX active time.

[0108] Another option for indicating that the UE is able to receive the scheduled PDCCH and perform UE-specific data communication during the multicast DRX active time is to set the value of the configured G-RNTI to the same value as the C-RNTI. For example, based on receiving configuration information indicating a configured G-RNTI equal to the C-RNTI (e.g., the same as the C-RNTI), the UE may be configured to perform unicast data transmission (e.g., UE-specific data communication) during the multicast DRX active time. The network entity may typically configure multicast DRX on a per-G-RNTI basis. In this case, the UE (e.g., UE 620) may compare the C-RNTI with each of the configured G-RNTIs. In response to identifying or determining any G-RNTI that is equal to the C-RNTI, the UE may determine that the multicast DRX associated with the G-RNTI is for unicast data transmission. For example, based on a configured G-RNTI equal to the C-RNTI for the UE 620, the UE 620 may be configured to perform unicast data transmission using a multicast DRX cycle corresponding to the configured G-RNTI.

[0109] In some aspects, UE unicast communication during multicast DRX active time may be based on a corresponding multicast DRX configuration. For example, a multicast DRX configuration may specify various parameters such as: drx-onDurationTimerPTM, drx-InactivityTimerPTM, drx-LongCycleStartOffsetPTM, drx-SlotOffsetPTM, and drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL, and drx-RetransmissionTimerDL.

[0110] In some cases, if multicast DRX is configured for unicast data communication, the UE may monitor a PDCCH (e.g., sent by network entity 640) that is CRC-scrambled by the corresponding C-RNTI of UE 620 during the active time of the multicast DRX. In some examples, the PDCCH is configured to schedule at least one first transmission or retransmission for unicast data. In some aspects, with configured scheduling, multicast DRX may be configured for unicast data communication based on the UE monitoring the PDCCH that is CRC-scrambled by the CS-RNTI. The techniques presented herein may be different from scheduling retransmissions for multicast data that are not performed during the active time of the multicast DRX, but are only performed during the active time of the unicast DRX.

[0111] For XR latency-critical services, fast delivery of retransmissions of failed data may be important. For example, deferring retransmissions of failed data to another DRX or DRX cycle (e.g., so-called legacy unicast DRX) may degrade UE throughput performance. This is a potential benefit of using different active DRX configurations for different service flows.

[0112] As reference Figure 5B As described, a DRX inactivity timer (drx-InactivityTimer), such as the inactivity timer 506, generally specifies a time period during which the UE should be active after successfully decoding a PDCCH indicating a new transmission (e.g., a UL transmission or a DL transmission). The DRX inactivity timer may be started and / or restarted when a PDCCH for a new transmission (e.g., UL or DL) is received (e.g., by the UE). Upon expiration of the DRX inactivity timer, the UE may enter or enable a DRX mode.

[0113] According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, if both unicast DRX and multicast DRX are configured for unicast data communication, and if both DRXs are active, the drx-InactivityTimer for at least one of the two DRXs (e.g., unicast DRX or multicast DRX) may be started or restarted when the UE successfully decodes a PDCCH indicating a new transmission.

[0114] In some aspects, the UE may be configured to always start or restart the drx-InactivityTimer for unicast DRX or multicast DRX based on the UE successfully decoding a PDCCH indicating a new transmission.

[0115] In some examples, the UE may be configured to start or restart a drx-InactivityTimer for an indicated one of unicast DRX or multicast DRX (e.g., indicated or configured by a network entity such as network entity 640). For example, network entity 640 may send (and UE 620 may receive) configuration information indicating that a drx-InactivityTimer should be started or restarted for unicast DRX or indicating that a drx-InactivityTimer should be started or restarted for multicast DRX.

[0116] In another illustrative example, the UE may be configured to start or restart a drx-InactivityTimer for a DRX cycle (e.g., one of unicast DRX or multicast DRX) for which the UE has most recently performed a previous start or restart. For example, the drx-InactivityTimer start or restart may be based on the UE successfully decoding a PDCCH indicating a new transmission. In some examples, if the most recent PDCCH indicating a new transmission is successfully decoded for unicast DRX, the UE may restart the drx-InactivityTimer for unicast DRX upon receiving the next PDCCH indicating a new transmission. If the most recent PDCCH indicating a new transmission is successfully decoded for multicast DRX, the UE may restart the drx-InactivityTimer for multicast DRX upon receiving the next PDCCH indicating a new transmission.

[0117] In another illustrative example, if the DCI format of the PDCCH is configured for only one of the DRXs (e.g., within a search space set configured for PDCCH monitoring for unicast or multicast DRX), the UE may be configured to start or restart the drx-InactivityTimer corresponding to the DRX with the configured DCI format of the PDCCH (e.g., starting or restarting the drx-InactivityTimer after successfully decoding the PDCCH with the configured DCI format available to the UE).

[0118] There are various options for UL unicast data transmission (e.g., UL data sent by the UE 620 to the network entity 640, etc.) performed during the active time of multicast DRX (e.g., during the multicast DRX on duration or active time (e.g., such as the first multicast DRX active time 607-1 corresponding to the first multicast DRX cycle, the second multicast DRX active time 607-2 corresponding to the second multicast DRX cycle, etc.). In some aspects, the UL unicast data transmission can be scheduled by G-RNTI. In another example, the UL unicast data transmission can be scheduled by C-RNTI or CS-RNTI.

[0119] In some aspects, systems and techniques may be used to configure enabling and disabling of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback for unicast data sent in configured multicast DRX. For example, in one illustrative example, HARQ feedback may always be enabled for a UE (e.g., not based on configuration information from a network entity 640 to a UE 620).

[0120] In another illustrative example, HARQ feedback may be enabled and / or disabled for UE 620 based on information included in or indicated by a multicast DRX configuration (e.g., multicast DRX configuration 603). In some cases, HARQ feedback may be enabled by default (e.g., if the configuration is not provided by a network entity 640 (e.g., a base station, a gNB, etc.). For multicast data transmission, HARQ feedback may be disabled by default.

[0121] According to certain aspects, for control and data reception, the UE 620 may utilize (e.g., follow) a unicast configuration or may utilize (e.g., follow) a multicast configuration, wherein the unicast data is received during the multicast DRX active time. For example, to perform unicast data communication during the multicast DRX active time (e.g., drx-onDuration) (e.g., during the multicast DRX cycle on duration), the UE may utilize a unicast PDCCH configured according to the multicast PDCCH configuration in PDCCH-Config-Multicast. In another example, the unicast PDCCH may be configured according to the unicast PDCCH configuration in PDCCH-Config.

[0122] According to certain aspects, the unicast PDSCH may be configured according to various options. For example, according to one option, the unicast PDSCH may be configured based on the multicast PDSCH configuration in PDSCH-Config-Multicast. According to another option, the unicast PDSCH may be configured based on the unicast PDSCH configuration in PDSCH-Config.

[0123] According to certain aspects, a unicast PDSCH via a configured schedule (CS) may be configured based on a multicast SPS configuration in SPS-config-Multicast or may be configured based on a unicast SPS configuration in SPS-config.

[0124] According to certain aspects, for unicast data communication in the active time of multicast DRX (e.g., the first multicast DRX active time 607-1, the second multicast DRX active time 607-2, etc.), the UE may receive scheduling downlink control information (DCI) from the network entity 640. For example, the scheduling DCI may be based on a multicast DCI format (e.g., 4_1, 4_2) or may be based on a unicast DCI format (e.g., 1_1, 1_2, 1_0). In some cases, if PDCCH-Config-Multicast is used for unicast data communication in the active time of multicast DRX (e.g., if UE 620 utilizes a unicast PDCCH configured according to the multicast PDCCH configuration in PDCCH-Config-Multicast), the unicast DCI format may be configured as part of PDCCH-Config-Multicast within the multicast search space configuration in SearchSpaceMulticast.

[0125] In some aspects, multicast DRX may be used for UEs 620 that include XR devices. Utilizing multicast DRX for XR device UEs allows monitoring of a group-common DCI format (e.g., corresponding to an example in which transmissions are aligned among multiple users) with a periodicity different from the periodicity of XR video frames, for example based on using unicast DRX for XR video transmissions and using multicast DRX for monitoring a group-common DCI format with a different periodicity. In some aspects, multicast DRX may be used for XR video transmissions, and unicast DRX may be used to monitor a group-common DCI format with a different periodicity. In some examples, if multicast DRX is used for XR video transmissions, a slot format indication (SFI) DCI (e.g., a group-common DCI) may be monitored during the active time of the multicast DRX.

[0126] According to certain aspects, a group-common DCI format (eg, DCI format 2_0, 2_1, 2_2, etc.) may be monitored during active time of multicast DRX. The group-common DCI format may be configured within SearchSpaceMulticast as part of PDCCH-Config-Multicast.

[0127] In some cases, to inform the network of its ability to perform unicast data communications in multicast DRX, the UE 620 may send information indicating the UE capabilities. For example, the UE 620 may send (e.g., and the network entity 640 may receive) information indicating the UE 620's ability to perform unicast data communications in multicast DRX. In some aspects, the UE's ability to perform unicast data communications in multicast DRX may be included in a UE capability report sent from the UE 620 to the network entity 640.

[0128] Figure 7 The first network entity (eg, UE, such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 An example of a method 700 for conducting wireless communications with a UE 104, etc.

[0129] Method 700 begins at step 705, where information indicating a configuration for multicast DRX is received from a second network entity (e.g., a base station, a gNB, etc.). In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the operation described in reference to Fig. 9 The circuits for receiving and / or the code for receiving are described, or can be executed by the circuits for receiving and / or the code for receiving.

[0130] Then, the method 700 proceeds to step 710, wherein one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration in the plurality of multicast DRX cycles are used to perform unicast data communication, wherein the unicast data communication is performed between the first network entity and the second network entity. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to as described in reference Fig. 9 The described circuits for performing and / or codes for performing, or executable by the circuits for performing and / or the codes for performing.

[0131] In some aspects, the method 700 further includes receiving an indication that the UE is capable of receiving unicast data during the active time of the DRX cycle. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the following steps: Fig. 9 The circuits for receiving and / or the code for receiving are described, or can be executed by the circuits for receiving and / or the code for receiving.

[0132] In some aspects, the indication is included in the configuration.

[0133] In some aspects, receiving the indication includes receiving a configuration of a group-specific RNTI having the same value as the UE-specific RNTI.

[0134] In some aspects, performing UE-specific data communication in a multicast DRX cycle according to the configuration includes monitoring a PDCCH scrambled with a UE-specific RNTI during an active time of the multicast DRX cycle.

[0135] In some aspects, the method 700 further includes successfully decoding the PDCCH in a portion of the active time of the multicast DRX cycle that overlaps with the active time of the unicast DRX cycle. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to as described in reference Fig. 9 The described circuit for decoding and / or code for decoding may be or may be executed by the circuit for decoding and / or code for decoding.

[0136] In some aspects, the method 700 further includes starting an inactivity timer for at least one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the Fig. 9 The described circuit for starting and / or code for starting, or can be executed by the circuit for starting and / or the code for starting.

[0137] In some aspects, determining which of the multicast DRX cycle inactivity timer or the unicast cycle inactivity timer to start is based on at least one of the following: a predefined rule; a network configuration; which of the multicast DRX cycle inactivity timer or the unicast DRX cycle inactivity timer was most recently started or restarted; or whether the DCI format of the PDCCH is configured for only one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle.

[0138] In some aspects, performing UE-specific data communication in a multicast DRX cycle in accordance with the configuration includes sending uplink unicast data in an active time of the multicast DRX cycle.

[0139] In some aspects, transmission of uplink unicast data is scheduled via: a PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a group-specific RNTI; or a PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a UE-specific RNTI.

[0140] In some aspects, transmission of HARQ feedback for unicast data sent in a multicast DRX cycle is: always enabled; enabled by default; or configured as part of the configuration for multicast DRX.

[0141] In some aspects, during a multicast DRX cycle, at least one of a unicast PDCCH, a unicast PDSCH, or a unicast PDSCH scheduled via a configuration is configured via a multicast configuration.

[0142] In some aspects, unicast data communications in the active time of the multicast DRX cycle are scheduled via a scheduling DCI having a multicast DCI format or a unicast DCI format.

[0143] In some aspects, a unicast DCI format for scheduling unicast data communications in active time of a multicast DRX cycle is configured as part of a multicast PDCCH configuration within a multicast search space.

[0144] In some aspects, data communications in the active time of the multicast DRX cycle are scheduled via a scheduling DCI having a group common DCI format.

[0145] In some aspects, the method 700 further includes sending signaling indicating information about the UE's ability to perform UE-specific data communications in the multicast DRX cycle. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to as described in reference Fig. 9 The described circuits for sending and / or codes for sending, or may be executed by the circuits for sending and / or codes for sending.

[0146] In one aspect, method 700 or any aspect related thereto may be performed by an apparatus such as Fig. 9 The method 700 is performed by a communication device 900, which includes various components that are operable, configured, or adapted to perform the method 700. The communication device 900 is described in more detail below.

[0147] It should be noted that Figure 7 This is merely one example of one method, and other methods are possible consistent with the present disclosure and including fewer, additional, or alternative steps.

[0148] Figure 8 shows the network entities such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 BS102, or as per Figure 2 In some aspects, performing and / or implementing Figure 8 The network entity associated with method 800 may be a network entity such as a base station, a gNB, etc.

[0149] Method 800 begins at step 805, where information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) is sent to a user equipment (UE). In some cases, the UE may be associated with a Figure 7 The UE (eg, the first network entity) of the method 700 is the same or similar. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the operation of Fig. 9 The described circuits for sending and / or codes for sending, or may be executed by the circuits for sending and / or codes for sending.

[0150] Then, the method 800 proceeds to step 810, where one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration in the plurality of multicast DRX cycles are used to perform unicast data communication with the UE. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the operation described in reference to Fig. 9 The described circuits for performing and / or codes for performing, or executable by the circuits for performing and / or the codes for performing.

[0151] In some aspects, the method 800 further includes sending an indication that the UE is capable of receiving unicast data during the active time of the DRX cycle. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the following steps: Fig. 9 The described circuits for sending and / or codes for sending, or may be executed by the circuits for sending and / or codes for sending.

[0152] In some aspects, the indication is included in the configuration.

[0153] In some aspects, sending the indication includes sending a configuration of a group-specific RNTI having the same value as the UE-specific RNTI.

[0154] In some aspects, performing UE-specific data communication in a multicast DRX cycle according to the configuration includes sending a PDCCH scrambled with a UE-specific RNTI during an active time of the multicast DRX cycle.

[0155] In some aspects, performing UE-specific data communication in a multicast DRX cycle in accordance with the configuration includes receiving uplink unicast data in an active time of the multicast DRX cycle.

[0156] In some aspects, the method 800 further includes scheduling the transmission of uplink unicast data via: a PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a group-specific RNTI; or a PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a UE-specific RNTI. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to as described in reference Fig. 9 The described circuits for scheduling and / or codes for scheduling, or may be executed by the circuits for scheduling and / or codes for scheduling.

[0157] In some aspects, transmission of HARQ feedback for unicast data sent in a multicast DRX cycle is: always enabled; enabled by default; or configured as part of the configuration for multicast DRX.

[0158] In some aspects, during a multicast DRX cycle, at least one of a unicast PDCCH, a unicast PDSCH, or a unicast PDSCH scheduled via a configuration is configured via a multicast configuration.

[0159] In some aspects, unicast data communications in the active time of the multicast DRX cycle are scheduled via a scheduling DCI having a multicast DCI format or a unicast DCI format.

[0160] In some aspects, a unicast DCI format for scheduling unicast data communications in active time of a multicast DRX cycle is configured as part of a multicast PDCCH configuration within a multicast search space.

[0161] In some aspects, data communications in the active time of the multicast DRX cycle are scheduled via a scheduling DCI having a group common DCI format.

[0162] In some aspects, the method 800 further includes receiving signaling indicating information about the UE's ability to perform UE-specific data communications in a multicast DRX cycle. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to as described in reference Fig. 9 The circuits for receiving and / or the code for receiving are described, or can be executed by the circuits for receiving and / or the code for receiving.

[0163] In one aspect, method 800 or any aspect related thereto may be performed by an apparatus such as Fig. 9 The method 800 is performed by a communication device 900 that includes various components operable, configured, or adapted to perform the method 800. The communication device 900 is described in more detail below.

[0164] It should be noted that Figure 8 This is merely one example of one method, and other methods are possible consistent with the present disclosure and including fewer, additional, or alternative steps.

[0165] Fig. 9 Aspects of an example communications device 900 are depicted. In some aspects, the communications device 900 is a user equipment (UE), such as described above with respect to Figure 1 and Figure 3 UE 104 is described. In some aspects, the communication device 900 is a network entity such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 BS102 or such Figure 2 The decomposed base station in question.

[0166] The communication device 900 includes a processing system 905 coupled to a transceiver 982 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). In some aspects (e.g., when the communication device 900 is a network entity), the processing system 905 may be coupled to a network interface 986 that is configured to communicate with the communication device 900 via a communication link (e.g., as described herein, such as with respect to Figure 2The processing system 905 may be configured to perform processing functions of the communication device 900, including processing signals received by the communication device 900 and / or to be sent by the communication device 900.

[0167] The processing system 905 includes one or more processors 910. In various aspects, the one or more processors 910 may represent one or more of the receive processor 358, the transmit processor 364, the TX MIMO processor 366, and / or the controller / processor 380, as described with respect to FIG. Figure 3 In various aspects, the one or more processors 910 may represent one or more of the receive processor 338, the transmit processor 320, the TX MIMO processor 330, and / or the controller / processor 340, as described with respect to Figure 3 The one or more processors 910 are coupled to the computer readable medium / memory 945 via the bus 980. In some aspects, the computer readable medium / memory 945 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer executable code) that, when executed by the one or more processors 910, cause the one or more processors 910 to perform: Figure 7 The method 700 described herein or any aspect related thereto; and / or Figure 8 The described method 800 or any aspect related thereto. Note that references to a processor performing a function of the communication device 900 may include one or more processors 910 performing that function of the communication device 900 .

[0168] In the depicted example, the computer-readable medium / memory 945 stores code (e.g., executable instructions) such as code for receiving 950, code for executing 955, code for decoding 960, code for launching 965, code for sending 970, and code for scheduling 975. The processing of the code for receiving 950, the code for executing 955, the code for decoding 960, the code for launching 965, the code for sending 970, and the code for scheduling 975 may cause the communication device 900 to perform: Figure 7 The method 700 described herein or any aspect related thereto; and / or Figure 8 The described method 800 or any aspect related thereto.

[0169] The one or more processors 910 include circuits configured to implement (e.g., execute) code stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 945, including circuits such as: circuits for receiving 915, circuits for executing 920, circuits for decoding 925, circuits for launching 930, circuits for sending 935, and circuits for scheduling 940. Processing using the circuits for receiving 915, the circuits for executing 920, the circuits for decoding 925, the circuits for launching 930, the circuits for sending 935, and the circuits for scheduling 940 may cause the communication device 900 to perform: Figure 7 The method 700 described herein or any aspect related thereto; and / or Figure 8 The described method 800 or any aspect related thereto.

[0170] The various components of the communication device 900 may provide means for performing the following: Figure 7 The method 700 described herein or any aspect related thereto; and / or Figure 8 The method 800 described herein or any aspect related thereto. For example, a component for sending, transmitting, or outputting for sending may include Figure 3 The transceiver 354 and / or antenna 352 of the UE 104 illustrated in Figure 3 The transceiver 332 and / or antenna 334 of the BS 102 illustrated in FIG. Fig. 9 The transceiver 982 and antenna 984 of the communication device 900 in FIG. 1 may include Figure 3 The transceiver 354 and / or antenna 352 of the UE 104 illustrated in Figure 3 The transceiver 332 and / or antenna 334 of the BS 102 illustrated in FIG. Fig. 9 The transceiver 982 and antenna 984 of the communication device 900.

[0171] In some examples, the processes described herein (e.g., process 700, process 800, and / or other processes described herein) may be performed by a computing device or apparatus (e.g., a network node, such as a UE, a base station, a portion of a base station, etc.). For example, as described above, process 700 may be performed by a UE, and process 800 may be performed by a base station or a portion of a base station. In another example, process 700 and / or process 800 may be performed by a network node having Fig. 9 The computing device of the computing system 900 shown in FIG. Fig. 9 The wireless communication device of the computing architecture shown may include components of a UE and may implement Figure 7 and / or Figure 8 operation.

[0172] In some cases, a computing device or apparatus may include various components, such as one or more input devices, one or more output devices, one or more processors, one or more microprocessors, one or more microcomputers, one or more cameras, one or more sensors, and / or other components configured to perform the steps of the processes described herein. In some examples, a computing device may include a display, one or more network interfaces configured to communicate and / or receive data, any combination thereof, and / or other components. The one or more network interfaces may be configured to communicate and / or receive wired and / or wireless data, including data in accordance with 3G, 4G, 5G, and / or other cellular standards, data in accordance with WiFi (802.11x), data in accordance with Bluetooth TM Standard data, data according to the Internet Protocol (IP) standard and / or other types of data.

[0173] Components of a computing device may be implemented in circuits. For example, a component may include and / or may be implemented using electronic circuits or other electronic hardware, which may include one or more programmable electronic circuits (e.g., microprocessors, graphics processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), central processing units (CPUs), and / or other suitable electronic circuits), and / or may include and / or may be implemented using computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof for performing the various operations described herein.

[0174] Process 700 and process 800 are illustrated as logic flow diagrams, the operations of which represent sequences of operations that may be implemented in hardware, computer instructions, or a combination thereof. In the context of computer instructions, each operation represents a computer-executable instruction stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or more processors, performs the described operation. Generally speaking, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific functions or implement specific data types. The order in which the operations are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described operations may be combined in any order and / or in parallel to implement the process.

[0175] Additionally, process 700, process 800, and / or other processes described herein may be performed under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions, and may be implemented as code (e.g., executable instructions, one or more computer programs, or one or more applications) that is executed together on one or more processors, by hardware, or a combination thereof. As noted above, the code may be stored on a computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium, for example, in the form of a computer program that includes multiple instructions that can be executed by one or more processors. The computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium may be non-transitory.

[0176] Specific details are provided in the above description to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects and examples provided herein, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the application is not limited thereto. Thus, although the exemplary aspects of the present application have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that various inventive concepts can be implemented and adopted in various other ways, and the appended claims are not intended to be interpreted as including these variations, unless limited by the prior art. The various features and aspects of the above-mentioned applications can be used individually or in combination. In addition, without departing from the broader scope of the specification, the various aspects can be utilized in any number of environments and applications beyond those described herein. Therefore, the specification and the accompanying drawings should be considered as illustrative rather than restrictive. For the purpose of illustration, each method is described in a specific order. It should be understood that, in alternative aspects, each method can be performed in a different order than described.

[0177] For the sake of explanation, in some cases, the present technology can be presented as including separate functional blocks, which include devices, device components, steps or routines in the method embodied in software or a combination of hardware and software. Additional components other than those components shown in the drawings and / or described herein can be used. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes and other components can be shown as components in block diagram form to avoid confusing these aspects in unnecessary details. In other cases, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures and techniques can be shown without unnecessary details to avoid confusing various aspects.

[0178] In addition, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functions. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on specific applications and the design constraints proposed to the entire system. The technician can implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but such specific implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0179] Various aspects may be described above as a process or method, which is depicted as a flow chart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flow chart may describe an operation as a sequential process, many operations in the operation may be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be rearranged. The process is terminated when the operation of the process is completed, but the process may have additional steps not included in the accompanying drawings. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, the termination of the process may correspond to the function returning to a calling function or a main function.

[0180] The processes and methods according to the above examples can be implemented using stored computer executable instructions or otherwise available computer executable instructions from a computer readable medium. Such instructions may include, for example, instructions and data that configure a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. Portions of the computer resources used may be accessed via a network. Computer executable instructions may be, for example, binary, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, source code. Examples of computer readable media that can be used to store instructions, information used, and / or information created during the methods according to the described examples include disks or optical disks, flash memory, USB devices with non-volatile memory, networked storage devices, etc.

[0181] In some aspects, computer readable storage devices, media, and memories may include wired or wireless signals containing bit streams, etc. However, when referred to, non-transitory computer readable storage media expressly excludes media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals themselves.

[0182] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned in the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof in some cases, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0183] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or executed using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or any combination thereof, and may be implemented in any of a variety of form factors. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, program code or code segments (e.g., computer program products) for performing the necessary tasks may be stored in a computer-readable or machine-readable medium. The processor may perform the necessary tasks. Examples of form factors include: laptops, smartphones, mobile phones, tablet devices, or other small form factor personal computers, personal digital assistants, rack-mounted devices, stand-alone devices, and the like. The functions described herein may also be embodied in peripheral devices or add-in cards. By way of further example, such functions may also be implemented on circuit boards in different chips or different processes executed on a single device.

[0184] The instructions, the media for conveying such instructions, the computing resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are example means for providing the functionality described in this disclosure.

[0185] The techniques described herein may also be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Such techniques may be implemented in any of a variety of devices, such as general-purpose computers, wireless communication device handsets, or integrated circuit devices with multiple uses, including applications in wireless communication device handsets and other devices. Any features described as modules or components may be implemented together in an integrated logic device or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. If implemented in software, the techniques may be implemented at least in part by a computer-readable data storage medium including a program code, which includes instructions for executing one or more of the above methods, algorithms, and / or operations when executed. The computer-readable data storage medium may form part of a computer program product, which may include packaging materials. The computer-readable medium may include a memory or data storage medium, such as a random access memory (RAM) (such as a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM)), a read-only memory (ROM), a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, a magnetic or optical data storage medium, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the techniques may be implemented at least in part by a computer-readable communication medium that carries or communicates program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed, read, and / or executed by a computer, such as a propagated signal or wave.

[0186] The program code may be executed by a processor, which may include one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general-purpose microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuits. Such processors may be configured to perform any of the techniques described in this disclosure. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor; however, 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, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Therefore, the term "processor" as used herein may refer to any of the aforementioned structures, any combination of the aforementioned structures, or any other structure or device suitable for implementing the techniques described herein.

[0187] It should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the less than ("<") and greater than (">") symbols or terms used herein may be replaced by less than or equal to ("≤") and greater than or equal to ("≥") symbols, respectively, without departing from the scope of the present specification.

[0188] Where a component is described as being “configured to” perform certain operations, such configuration may be achieved, for example, by designing electronic circuits or other hardware to perform the operations, by programming programmable electronic circuits (e.g., a microprocessor or other suitable electronic circuits) to perform the operations, or any combination thereof.

[0189] The phrases “coupled to” or “communicatively coupled to” refer to any component being physically connected directly or indirectly to another component, and / or any component being in communication directly or indirectly with another component (e.g., connected to the other component via a wired or wireless connection and / or other suitable communication interface).

[0190] Claim language or other language stating "at least one of" a set and / or "one or more of" a set indicates that one member of the set or multiple members of the set (in any combination) satisfies the claim. For example, claim language stating "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" means A, B, or A and B. In another example, claim language stating "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" means A, B, C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, or any repetition is information or data (e.g., A and A, B and B, C and C, A and A and B, etc.), or any other ordering, repetition, or combination of A, B, and C. The language "at least one of" a set and / or "one or more of" a set does not limit the set to the items listed in the set. For example, claim language stating "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" may mean A, B, or A and B, and may additionally include items not listed in the set of A and B. The phrases "at least one" and "one or more" are used interchangeably herein.

[0191] Claim language or other language reciting "at least one processor, the at least one processor configured to," "at least one processor configured to," "one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to," "one or more processors configured to," etc., indicates that a processor or multiple processors (in any combination) can perform the associated operations. For example, claim language reciting "at least one processor, the at least one processor configured to: X, Y, and Z" means that a single processor can be used to perform operations X, Y, and Z; or multiple processors are each tasked with a particular subset of operations X, Y, and Z, such that the multiple processors together perform X, Y, and Z; or a group of multiple processors work together to perform operations X, Y, and Z. In another example, claim language reciting "at least one processor, the at least one processor configured to: X, Y, and Z" may mean that any single processor can perform only at least a subset of operations X, Y, and Z.

[0192] In the case of one or more elements that perform functions (e.g., steps of a method), one element may perform all functions, or more than one element may perform these functions together. When more than one element performs these functions together, each function need not be performed by each of those elements (e.g., different functions may be performed by different elements) and / or each function need not be performed entirely by only one element (e.g., different elements may perform different sub-functions of a function). Similarly, in the case of one or more elements that are configured to cause another element (e.g., a device) to perform a function, one element may be configured to cause another element to perform all functions, or more than one element may be configured together to cause another element to perform these functions.

[0193] In the case of referring to an entity (e.g., any entity or device described herein) that performs a function or is configured to perform a function (e.g., a step of a method), the entity may be configured to cause one or more elements (individually or collectively) to perform these functions. One or more components of an entity may include at least one memory, at least one processor, at least one communication interface, another component configured to perform one or more (or all) of these functions, and / or any combination thereof. In referring to an entity that performs a function, the entity may be configured to cause one component to perform all functions, or to cause more than one component to perform these functions together. When an entity is configured to cause more than one component to perform these functions together, each function does not need to be performed by each of those components (e.g., different functions may be performed by different components) and / or each function does not need to be performed entirely by only one component (e.g., different components may perform different sub-functions of functions).

[0194] Illustrative aspects of the present disclosure include:

[0195] Aspect 1. A first network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the first network entity is configured to: receive information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) from a second network entity; and perform unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration among a plurality of multicast DRX cycles, wherein the unicast data communication is performed between the first network entity and the second network entity.

[0196] Aspect 2. The first network entity according to aspect 1, wherein the first network entity is further configured to: receive an indication from the second network entity that the first network entity is capable of receiving unicast data during corresponding DRX active times of the multiple multicast DRX cycles.

[0197] Aspect 3. The first network entity according to aspect 2, wherein the indication is included in the configuration.

[0198] Aspect 4. A first network entity according to any one of Aspects 2 to 3, wherein in order to receive the indication, the first network entity is configured to: receive information indicating one or more configured group-specific radio network temporary identifiers (G-RNTIs), wherein each of the one or more configured G-RNTIs is associated with a corresponding multicast DRX configuration; compare a cell-specific RNTI (C-RNTI) associated with the first network entity with the one or more configured G-RNTIs; and based on the C-RNTI and a specific G-RNTI in the one or more configured G-RNTIs having the same value, determine that the first network entity is able to receive unicast data during corresponding DRX active times of multiple multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the specific G-RNTI.

[0199] Aspect 5. A first network entity according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein in order to perform unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration, the first network entity is configured to: receive downlink (DL) unicast data from the second network entity during a multicast DRX cycle included in the multiple multicast DRX cycles; or send uplink (UL) unicast data to the second network entity during a multicast DRX cycle included in the multiple multicast DRX cycles.

[0200] Aspect 6. A first network entity according to Aspect 5, wherein in order to receive the DL unicast data, the first network entity is configured to: receive a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission within the active time of the multicast DRX cycle, wherein the PDCCH transmission is encrypted using a cell-specific radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) corresponding to the first network entity, and wherein the PDCCH transmission schedules the DL transmission of the DL unicast data; and receive the DL transmission of the DL unicast data within the multicast DRX cycle.

[0201] Aspect 7. A first network entity according to any one of Aspects 5 to 6, wherein the first network entity is configured to: decode a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission within a portion of the active time of the multicast DRX cycle that overlaps with a portion of the active time of a unicast DRX cycle associated with the first network entity; and start an inactivity timer for at least one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle.

[0202] Aspect 8. A first network entity according to Aspect 7, wherein the first network entity is configured to: receive configuration information indicating a selected one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle from the second network entity; and start the inactivity timer for the selected one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle associated with the configuration information.

[0203] Aspect 9. A first network entity according to any one of Aspects 7 to 8, wherein the first network entity is configured to: restart the inactivity timer for a selected one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle having a corresponding inactivity timer that was recently started or restarted.

[0204] Aspect 10. A first network entity according to any one of Aspects 7 to 9, wherein the first network entity is configured to: determine that the downlink control information (DCI) format associated with the PDCCH transmission is configured only for one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle; and start the inactivity timer for the one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle for which the DCI format associated with the PDCCH transmission is configured.

[0205] Aspect 11. A first network entity according to any one of Aspects 5 to 10, wherein, in order to send the UL unicast data, the first network entity is configured to send the UL unicast data using a UL transmission time determined based on the following items: a group-specific radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI) scrambled by a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) included in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission received by the first network entity; or a PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a cell-specific RNTI (C-RNTI) included in a PDCCH transmission received by the first network entity.

[0206] Aspect 12. A first network entity according to any one of Aspects 1 to 11, wherein the first network entity is configured to: determine hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback configuration information included in the information indicating the configuration for multicast DRX; and enable or disable HARQ feedback for the unicast data communication based on the HARQ feedback configuration information.

[0207] Aspect 13. A first network entity according to any one of Aspects 1 to 12, wherein the first network entity is configured to perform control and data reception associated with the unicast data communication based on one or more of the following: unicast physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration information, unicast physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) configuration information, or unicast PDSCH configuration information via configured scheduling.

[0208] Aspect 14. A first network entity according to any one of Aspects 1 to 13, wherein the first network entity is configured to perform control and data reception associated with the unicast data communication based on one or more of the following: multicast physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration information, multicast physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) configuration information, or multicast PDSCH configuration information via configured scheduling.

[0209] Aspect 15. A first network entity according to any one of Aspects 1 to 14, wherein in order to perform unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles, the first network entity is configured to: receive scheduling downlink control information (DCI) having a multicast DCI format or a unicast DCI format, wherein the scheduling DCI indicates a scheduled time for the unicast data communication; and perform the unicast data communication at the scheduled time, wherein the scheduled time is included in the active time of the one or more multicast DRX cycles.

[0210] Aspect 16. A network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the network entity is configured to: send information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) to a user equipment (UE); and use one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration among multiple multicast DRX cycles to perform unicast data communication with the UE.

[0211] Aspect 17. The network entity according to aspect 16, wherein the network entity is further configured to: send an indication to the UE that the UE is capable of receiving unicast data during a corresponding multicast DRX cycle.

[0212] Aspect 18. The network entity according to aspect 17, wherein the indication is included in the configuration.

[0213] Aspect 19. A network entity according to any one of Aspects 17 to 18, wherein in order to send the indication, the network entity is configured to: send information indicating one or more configured group-specific radio network temporary identifiers (G-RNTIs), wherein each of the one or more configured G-RNTIs is associated with a corresponding multicast DRX configuration, and wherein at least one of the one or more configured G-RNTIs has the same value as a cell-specific RNTI (C-RNTI) associated with the UE.

[0214] Aspect 20. A network entity according to any one of Aspects 16 to 19, wherein in order to perform unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration, the network entity is configured to: send downlink (DL) unicast data to the UE during a multicast DRX cycle included in the multiple multicast DRX cycles; or receive uplink (UL) unicast data from the UE during a multicast DRX cycle included in the multiple multicast DRX cycles.

[0215] Aspect 21. A network entity according to Aspect 20, wherein in order to send the DL unicast data, the network entity is configured to: send a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission within the active time of the multicast DRX cycle, wherein the PDCCH transmission is encrypted using a cell-specific radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) corresponding to the first network entity, and wherein the PDCCH transmission schedules the DL transmission of the DL unicast data; and send the DL transmission of the DL unicast data within the multicast DRX cycle.

[0216] Aspect 22. A network entity according to any one of Aspects 20 to 21, wherein the network entity is configured to: send a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to the UE within a portion of the active time of the multicast DRX cycle that overlaps with a portion of the active time of the unicast DRX cycle associated with the UE.

[0217] Aspect 23. A network entity according to Aspect 22, wherein the network entity is configured to: send configuration information indicating a selected one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle to the UE, wherein the configuration information configures the UE to start an inactivity timer for the selected one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle.

[0218] Aspect 24. A network entity according to any one of Aspects 22 to 23, wherein the network entity is configured to: configure the UE to restart the inactivity timer for a selected one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle having a corresponding inactivity timer that was most recently started or restarted.

[0219] Aspect 25. A first network entity according to any one of Aspects 22 to 24, wherein the network entity is configured to: send the PDCCH transmission using a downlink control information (DCI) format configured only for one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle; and configure the UE to start the inactivity timer for the one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle for which the DCI format associated with the PDCCH transmission is configured.

[0220] Aspect 26. A network entity according to any one of Aspects 20 to 25, wherein, in order to receive the UL unicast data, the network entity is configured to receive the UL unicast data using a UL transmission time based on the following: a group-specific radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI) scrambled by a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) included in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission sent by the network entity to the UE; or a PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a cell-specific RNTI (C-RNTI) included in a PDCCH transmission sent by the network entity to the UE.

[0221] Aspect 27. A network entity according to any one of Aspects 16 to 26, wherein the network entity is configured to: determine hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback configuration information to enable or disable HARQ feedback for the unicast data communication with the UE; and include the HARQ feedback configuration information in the information indicating the configuration for multicast DRX.

[0222] Aspect 28. A network entity according to any one of Aspects 16 to 27, wherein the network entity is configured to send a configuration for control and data reception associated with the unicast data communication to the UE, wherein the configuration is based on one or more of the following: unicast physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration information, unicast physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) configuration information, or unicast PDSCH configuration information scheduled through a configured schedule.

[0223] Aspect 29. A network entity according to any one of Aspects 16 to 28, wherein the network entity is configured to send a configuration for control and data reception associated with the unicast data communication to the UE, wherein the configuration is based on one or more of the following: multicast physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration information, multicast physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) configuration information, or multicast PDSCH configuration information scheduled through a configuration.

[0224] Aspect 30. A network entity according to any one of Aspects 16 to 29, wherein in order to perform unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles, the network entity is configured to: send scheduling downlink control information (DCI) having a multicast DCI format or a unicast DCI format, wherein the scheduling DCI indicates a scheduled time for the unicast data communication; and perform the unicast data communication at the scheduled time, wherein the scheduled time is included in the active time of the one or more multicast DRX cycles.

[0225] Aspect 31. A method comprising performing the operations according to any one of aspects 1 to 15.

[0226] Aspect 32. A method comprising performing the operations according to any one of aspects 16 to 30.

[0227] Aspect 33. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising one or more components for performing the operations according to any one of aspects 1 to 15.

[0228] Aspect 34. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising one or more components for performing the operations according to any one of aspects 16 to 30.

[0229] Aspect 35. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which when executed by at least one processor cause the at least one processor to perform operations according to any one of aspects 1 to 15.

[0230] Aspect 36. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which when executed by at least one processor cause the at least one processor to perform operations according to any one of aspects 16 to 30.

[0231] Aspect 37. A method of wireless communication by a UE, comprising: receiving signaling for configuration of multicast DRX from a network entity; and performing UE-specific data communication in a multicast DRX cycle according to the configuration.

[0232] Aspect 38. The method according to aspect 37 further comprises: receiving an indication that the UE is capable of receiving unicast data in the active time of the DRX cycle.

[0233] Aspect 39. A method according to aspect 38, wherein the indication is included in the configuration.

[0234] Aspect 40. The method according to any one of aspects 38 to 39, wherein receiving the indication comprises receiving a configuration of a group-specific RNTI having the same value as the UE-specific RNTI.

[0235] Aspect 41. A method according to any one of aspects 38 to 40, wherein performing UE-specific data communication in a multicast DRX cycle according to the configuration comprises: monitoring a PDCCH scrambled with a UE-specific RNTI during an active time of the multicast DRX cycle.

[0236] Aspect 42. The method according to Aspect 41 also includes: successfully decoding the PDCCH in a portion of the active time of the multicast DRX cycle that overlaps with the active time of the unicast DRX cycle; and starting an inactivity timer for at least one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle.

[0237] Aspect 43. A method according to Aspect 42, wherein which one of the multicast DRX cycle inactivity timer or the unicast cycle inactivity timer to start is determined based on at least one of the following: a predefined rule; a network configuration; which one of the multicast DRX cycle inactivity timer or the unicast DRX cycle inactivity timer was most recently started or restarted; or whether the DCI format of the PDCCH is configured only for one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle.

[0238] Aspect 44. A method according to any one of aspects 37 to 43, wherein performing UE-specific data communication in a multicast DRX cycle according to the configuration comprises sending uplink unicast data in an active time of the multicast DRX cycle.

[0239] Aspect 45. The method according to aspect 44, wherein the transmission of the uplink unicast data is scheduled via: a PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a group-specific RNTI; or a PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a UE-specific RNTI.

[0240] Aspect 46. A method according to any one of aspects 37 to 45, wherein the transmission of HARQ feedback for unicast data sent in a multicast DRX cycle is: always enabled; enabled by default; or configured as part of the configuration for multicast DRX.

[0241] Aspect 47. The method according to any one of aspects 37 to 46, wherein during the multicast DRX cycle, at least one of a unicast PDCCH, a unicast PDSCH, or a unicast PDSCH scheduled via the configuration is configured via the multicast configuration.

[0242] Aspect 48. The method according to any one of aspects 37 to 47, wherein unicast data communication in the active time of the multicast DRX cycle is scheduled via a scheduling DCI having a multicast DCI format or a unicast DCI format.

[0243] Aspect 49. The method according to any one of aspects 37 to 48, wherein a unicast DCI format for scheduling unicast data communications in an active time of a multicast DRX cycle is configured as part of a multicast PDCCH configuration within a multicast search space.

[0244] Aspect 50. The method according to any one of aspects 37 to 49, wherein data communication in an active time of a multicast DRX cycle is scheduled via a scheduling DCI having a group common DCI format.

[0245] Aspect 51. The method according to any one of aspects 37 to 50 further includes: sending signaling indicating information about the ability of the UE to perform UE-specific data communication in a multicast DRX cycle.

[0246] Aspect 52. A method of wireless communication by a network entity, comprising: sending signaling for configuration of multicast DRX at a UE; and performing UE-specific data communication in a multicast DRX cycle according to the configuration.

[0247] Aspect 53. The method according to aspect 52 further comprises: sending an indication that the UE is capable of receiving unicast data in the active time of the DRX cycle.

[0248] Aspect 54. A method according to aspect 53, wherein the indication is included in the configuration.

[0249] Aspect 55. A method according to any one of aspects 53 to 54, wherein sending the indication comprises sending a configuration of a group-specific RNTI having the same value as the UE-specific RNTI.

[0250] Aspect 56. A method according to any one of aspects 53 to 55, wherein performing UE-specific data communication in a multicast DRX cycle according to the configuration comprises: sending a PDCCH scrambled with a UE-specific RNTI during an active time of the multicast DRX cycle.

[0251] Aspect 57. The method according to any one of aspects 52 to 56, wherein performing UE-specific data communication in the multicast DRX cycle according to the configuration includes receiving uplink unicast data in an active time of the multicast DRX cycle.

[0252] Aspect 58. The method according to aspect 57 further includes: scheduling the transmission of the uplink unicast data via: a PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a group-specific RNTI; or a PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a UE-specific RNTI.

[0253] Aspect 59. A method according to any one of aspects 52 to 58, wherein the transmission of HARQ feedback for unicast data sent in a multicast DRX cycle is: always enabled; enabled by default; or configured as part of the configuration for multicast DRX.

[0254] Aspect 60. The method according to any one of aspects 52 to 59, wherein during the multicast DRX cycle, at least one of a unicast PDCCH, a unicast PDSCH, or a unicast PDSCH scheduled via the configuration is configured via the multicast configuration.

[0255] Aspect 61. The method according to any one of aspects 52 to 60, wherein unicast data communication in the active time of the multicast DRX cycle is scheduled via a scheduling DCI having a multicast DCI format or a unicast DCI format.

[0256] Aspect 62. The method according to any one of aspects 52 to 61, wherein a unicast DCI format for scheduling unicast data communications in an active time of a multicast DRX cycle is configured as part of a multicast PDCCH configuration within a multicast search space.

[0257] Aspect 63. The method according to any one of aspects 52 to 62, wherein data communication in the active time of the multicast DRX cycle is scheduled via a scheduling DCI having a group common DCI format.

[0258] Aspect 64. The method according to any one of aspects 52 to 63 further includes: receiving signaling indicating information about the ability of the UE to perform UE-specific data communication in a multicast DRX cycle.

[0259] Aspect 65. An apparatus comprising: a memory comprising executable instructions; and a processor configured to execute the executable instructions and cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of Aspects 37 to 64.

[0260] Aspect 66. An apparatus comprising means for performing a method according to any one of aspects 37 to 64.

[0261] Aspect 67. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions which, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform a method according to any one of aspects 37 to 67.

[0262] Aspect 68. A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, comprising code for executing the method according to any one of aspects 37 to 67.

Claims

1. A first network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the first network entity is configured to: receiving information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) from a second network entity; and One or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration among a plurality of multicast DRX cycles are used to perform unicast data communication, wherein the unicast data communication is performed between the first network entity and the second network entity.

2. The first network entity according to claim 1, wherein the first network entity is further configured to: An indication is received from the second network entity that the first network entity is capable of receiving unicast data during corresponding DRX active times of the plurality of multicast DRX cycles. The first network entity according to claim 2 , wherein the indication is included in the configuration.

4. The first network entity according to claim 2, wherein in order to receive the indication, the first network entity is configured to: receiving information indicating one or more configured group-specific radio network temporary identifiers (G-RNTIs), wherein each of the one or more configured G-RNTIs is associated with a respective multicast DRX configuration; comparing a cell-specific RNTI (C-RNTI) associated with the first network entity to the one or more configured G-RNTIs; and Based on the C-RNTI and a specific G-RNTI among the one or more configured G-RNTIs having the same value, determining that the first network entity is capable of receiving unicast data during corresponding DRX active times of a plurality of multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the specific G-RNTI.

5. The first network entity of claim 1 , wherein in order to perform unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration, the first network entity is configured to: receiving downlink (DL) unicast data from the second network entity during a multicast DRX cycle included in the plurality of multicast DRX cycles; or Uplink (UL) unicast data is sent to the second network entity during a multicast DRX cycle included in the plurality of multicast DRX cycles.

6. The first network entity according to claim 5, wherein in order to receive the DL unicast data, the first network entity is configured to: receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission during an active time of the multicast DRX cycle, wherein the PDCCH transmission is scrambled with a cell-specific radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) corresponding to the first network entity, and wherein the PDCCH transmission schedules a DL transmission of the DL unicast data; and The DL transmission of the DL unicast data is received within the multicast DRX cycle.

7. The first network entity according to claim 5, wherein the first network entity is configured to: decoding a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission within a portion of the active time of the multicast DRX cycle that overlaps with a portion of the active time of a unicast DRX cycle associated with the first network entity; and An inactivity timer is started for at least one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle.

8. The first network entity according to claim 7, wherein the first network entity is configured to: receiving configuration information indicating a selected one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle from the second network entity; and The inactivity timer for the selected one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle associated with the configuration information is started.

9. The first network entity according to claim 7, wherein the first network entity is configured to: The inactivity timer is restarted for a selected one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle having a corresponding inactivity timer that was most recently started or restarted.

10. The first network entity according to claim 7, wherein the first network entity is configured to: determining that a downlink control information (DCI) format associated with the PDCCH transmission is configured for only one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle; and The inactivity timer is started for the one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle for which the DCI format associated with the PDCCH transmission is configured.

11. The first network entity according to claim 5, wherein, to transmit the UL unicast data, the first network entity is configured to transmit the UL unicast data using a UL transmission time determined based on: a Group-Specific Radio Network Temporary Identifier (G-RNTI) scrambled by a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) included in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission received by the first network entity; or A PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a cell-specific RNTI (C-RNTI) included in a PDCCH transmission received by the first network entity.

12. The first network entity according to claim 1, wherein the first network entity is configured to: determining hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback configuration information included in the information indicating the configuration for multicast DRX; and HARQ feedback for the unicast data communication is enabled or disabled based on the HARQ feedback configuration information.

13. The first network entity of claim 1 , wherein the first network entity is configured to perform control and data reception associated with the unicast data communication based on one or more of: unicast physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration information, unicast physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) configuration information, or unicast PDSCH configuration information via a configured schedule.

14. The first network entity of claim 1 , wherein the first network entity is configured to perform control and data reception associated with the unicast data communication based on one or more of: multicast physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration information, multicast physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) configuration information, or multicast PDSCH configuration information via a configured schedule.

15. The first network entity of claim 1 , wherein to perform unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles, the first network entity is configured to: receiving scheduled downlink control information (DCI) in a multicast DCI format or a unicast DCI format, wherein the scheduled DCI indicates a scheduled time for the unicast data communication; and The unicast data communication is performed at the scheduled time, wherein the scheduled time is included in a multicast DRX cycle of the one or more multicast DRX cycles.

16. A network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the network entity is configured to: sending information indicating a configuration for multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) to a user equipment (UE); and Unicast data communication with the UE is performed using one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration among a plurality of multicast DRX cycles.

17. The network entity according to claim 16, wherein the network entity is further configured to: An indication is sent to the UE that the UE is capable of receiving unicast data during a corresponding multicast DRX cycle.

18. The network entity of claim 17, wherein the indication is included in the configuration.

19. The network entity according to claim 17, wherein in order to send the indication, the network entity is configured to: Information indicating one or more configured group-specific radio network temporary identifiers (G-RNTIs) is sent, wherein each of the one or more configured G-RNTIs is associated with a corresponding multicast DRX configuration, and wherein at least one of the one or more configured G-RNTIs has the same value as a cell-specific RNTI (C-RNTI) associated with the UE.

20. The network entity of claim 16, wherein to perform unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles corresponding to the configuration, the network entity is configured to: sending downlink (DL) unicast data to the UE during a multicast DRX cycle included in the plurality of multicast DRX cycles; or Uplink (UL) unicast data is received from the UE during a multicast DRX cycle included in the plurality of multicast DRX cycles.

21. The network entity according to claim 20, wherein in order to send the DL unicast data, the network entity is configured to: sending a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission during an active time of the multicast DRX cycle, wherein the PDCCH transmission is scrambled with a cell-specific radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) corresponding to the first network entity, and wherein the PDCCH transmission schedules a DL transmission of the DL unicast data; and The DL transmission of the DL unicast data is sent within the multicast DRX cycle.

22. The network entity according to claim 20, wherein the network entity is configured to: A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission is sent to the UE during a portion of the active time of the multicast DRX cycle overlapping with a portion of the active time of a unicast DRX cycle associated with the UE.

23. The network entity according to claim 22, wherein the network entity is configured to: Configuration information indicating a selected one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle is sent to the UE, wherein the configuration information configures the UE to start an inactivity timer for the selected one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle.

24. The network entity according to claim 22, wherein the network entity is configured to: The UE is configured to restart the inactivity timer for a selected one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle having a corresponding inactivity timer that was most recently started or restarted.

25. The first network entity according to claim 22, wherein the network entity is configured to: transmitting the PDCCH transmission using a downlink control information (DCI) format configured for only one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle; and The UE is configured to start the inactivity timer for the one of the multicast DRX cycle or the unicast DRX cycle for which the DCI format associated with the PDCCH transmission is configured.

26. The network entity of claim 20, wherein to receive the UL unicast data, the network entity is configured to receive the UL unicast data using a UL transmission time based on: a Group-Specific Radio Network Temporary Identifier (G-RNTI) scrambled by a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) included in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission sent by the network entity to the UE; or A PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a cell-specific RNTI (C-RNTI) included in a PDCCH transmission sent by the network entity to the UE.

27. The network entity of claim 16, wherein the network entity is configured to: determining hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback configuration information to enable or disable HARQ feedback for the unicast data communication with the UE; and The HARQ feedback configuration information is included in the information indicating the configuration for multicast DRX.

28. The network entity of claim 16, wherein the network entity is configured to send a configuration for control and data reception associated with the unicast data communication to the UE, wherein the configuration is based on one or more of: unicast physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration information, unicast physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) configuration information, or unicast PDSCH configuration information via a configured schedule.

29. The network entity of claim 16, wherein the network entity is configured to send a configuration for control and data reception associated with the unicast data communication to the UE, wherein the configuration is based on one or more of: multicast physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration information, multicast physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) configuration information, or multicast PDSCH configuration information via a configured schedule.

30. The network entity of claim 16, wherein to perform unicast data communication using one or more multicast DRX cycles, the network entity is configured to: sending scheduled downlink control information (DCI) in a multicast DCI format or a unicast DCI format, wherein the scheduled DCI indicates a scheduled time for the unicast data communication; and The unicast data communication is performed at the scheduled time, wherein the scheduled time is included in a multicast DRX cycle of the one or more multicast DRX cycles.

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