Method and apparatus for discontinuous transmission or discontinuous reception

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a method and a device for discontinuous transmission or discontinuous reception. A terminal device receives a DTX or DRX configuration indicating configuration information on a DTX or DRX mode of a network device. The terminal device monitors downlink transmissions or performs uplink transmissions based on one or more conditions regardless of the cell DTX or DRX configuration. In this manner, an improved solution for communicating in the DTX or DRX mode may be provided, which may meet certain services with low latency requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to methods, apparatus, devices and computer-readable storage media for discontinuous transmission (DTX) or discontinuous reception (DRX), in particular for cell-specific DTX or DRX. Background Art

[0002] In communication technology, continuous evolution is still ongoing in order to provide efficient and reliable solutions for utilizing wireless communication networks. Efforts are currently underway to develop fifth generation (5G) or 5G advanced wireless systems. The new wireless systems can support various types of service applications for terminal devices.

[0003] In 5G systems, for applications that do not require continuous reception, such as augmented reality, wireless communication networks can use discontinuous transmission (DTX) and discontinuous reception (DRX) modes to communicate with certain terminal devices. The DTX / DRX mode can provide power saving in the network and the terminal device. However, this DTX / DRX mode, especially cell-specific DTX / DRX, may have some impact on the current system. Summary of the invention

[0004] Generally speaking, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for communicating with low latency.

[0005] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include: one or more processors; and one or more transceivers, the one or more transceivers being communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: receive a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and monitor downlink transmission from the network device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0006] In a second aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include: one or more processors; and one or more transceivers, the one or more transceivers being communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: receive a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and perform uplink transmission based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0007] In a third aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include: one or more processors; and one or more transceivers, the one or more transceivers being communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: transmit a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and perform downlink transmission to the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include: one or more processors; and one or more transceivers, the one or more transceivers being communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: transmit a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and monitor uplink transmission from the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a method at a terminal device is provided. The method may include: receiving a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and monitoring downlink transmission from the network device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a method at a terminal device is provided. The method may include: receiving a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and performing uplink transmission based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a method at a network device is provided. The method may include: transmitting a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and performing downlink transmission to the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a method at a network device is provided. The method may include: transmitting a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and monitoring uplink transmission from the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, an apparatus of a terminal device is provided. The apparatus may include: a component for receiving a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and a component for monitoring downlink transmission from the network device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a device of a terminal device is provided. The device may include: a component for receiving a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and a component for performing uplink transmission based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, an apparatus of a network device is provided. The apparatus may include: a component for transmitting a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and a component for performing downlink transmission to the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, an apparatus of a network device is provided. The apparatus may include: a component for transmitting a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and a component for monitoring uplink transmission from the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0017] In a fourteenth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the terminal device, through the at least one processor, to: receive a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and monitor downlink transmission from the network device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0018] In a fifteenth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the terminal device, through the at least one processor, to: receive a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and perform uplink transmission based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0019] In a sixteenth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the network device, through the at least one processor, to: transmit a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and perform downlink transmission to the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0020] In a seventeenth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the network device, through the at least one processor, to: transmit a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and monitor uplink transmission from the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0021] In an eighteenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a device to at least execute a method according to any one of the fifth to eighth aspects above.

[0022] In a nineteenth aspect, a device is provided, comprising components for: receiving a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and monitoring downlink transmission from the network device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0023] In a twentieth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising a component for: receiving a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and performing uplink transmission based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0024] In a twenty-first aspect, a device is provided, comprising a component for: transmitting a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and performing a downlink transmission to the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0025] In a twenty-second aspect, a device is provided, comprising components for: transmitting a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and monitoring uplink transmission from the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0026] In a twenty-third aspect, a computer program is provided, comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and monitor downlink transmissions from the network device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0027] In a twenty-fourth aspect, a computer program is provided, comprising instructions which, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least: receive a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and perform uplink transmission based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0028] In aspect twenty-fifth, a computer program is provided, comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and perform a downlink transmission to the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0029] In a twenty-sixth aspect, a computer program is provided, comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and monitor uplink transmissions from the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0030] In a twenty-seventh aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include: a receiving circuit system configured to receive a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and a monitoring circuit system configured to monitor downlink transmission from the network device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0031] In a twenty-eighth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include: a receiving circuit system configured to receive a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and a monitoring circuit system configured to perform uplink transmission based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0032] In a twenty-ninth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include: a transmission circuit system configured to transmit a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and an execution circuit system configured to perform downlink transmission to the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0033] In a thirtieth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include: a transmission circuit system configured to transmit a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and a monitoring circuit system configured to monitor uplink transmission from the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0034] It should be understood that the invention summary section is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0036] Figure 1 shows an example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0037] Figure 2 An example flow chart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown:

[0038] Figure 3 An example flow chart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0039] Figure 4 An example flow chart of a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0040] Figure 5 An example flow chart of a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown:

[0041] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B An example communication process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown:

[0042] Figure 7 shows an example simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0043] Figure 8 An example block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0044] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for illustrative purposes, and are helpful for those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be realized in various ways except for the following described methods.

[0046] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0047] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," and the like indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it should be considered that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0048] It should be understood that, although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed items.

[0049] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to be limiting as exemplary embodiments. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "one", "a kind of" and "said" are intended to also include plural forms. It should also be understood that when used herein, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes" and / or "including" specify the existence of declared features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, "at least one of the following: " and "at least one of " and similar expressions mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements, wherein the list of two or more elements is linked by "and" or "or".

[0050] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0051] (a) hardware circuit implementations only (such as implementations of analog and / or digital circuitry only), and

[0052] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0053] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and

[0054] (ii) any portion of a hardware processor with software (including a digital signal processor), software and memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions, and

[0055] (c) A hardware circuit and or processor, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (eg, firmware) to operate, but where the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0056] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and where applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit of a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0057] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable communication protocol of any generation, including but not limited to the third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) or further sixth generation (6G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can embody the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the aforementioned system.

[0058] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network, via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from the network. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a NodeB (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a repeater, a low-power node (such as a femto node, a pico node, etc.), depending on the terminology and technology applied.

[0059] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device (such as a digital camera), a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premises device (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and application (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and application (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless device operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0060] In the 5G system, it is proposed to further improve the network energy saving on the network device side in both BS transmission and reception, such as network energy saving techniques in time, frequency, space or power domains. These techniques may focus on how to dynamically and / or semi-statically achieve more efficient operation and utilize potential support / feedback from UE and potential UE assistance information to achieve finer-grained adaptation of transmission and / or reception.

[0061] Currently, it is also proposed to enable wireless devices to utilize discontinuous transmission (DTX) and / or discontinuous reception (DRX), in particular to save battery life but also to help reduce network congestion. A cell DTX / DRX configuration indicating configuration information about the DTX / DRX mode of the network may affect at least a terminal device in RRC_CONNECTED, RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state. The cell DTX / DRX configuration may be specific to a cell serving a terminal device, specific to a beam of a cell, specific to a cell group consisting of a plurality of cells, or specific to a UE.

[0062] Periodic cell DTX / DRX may be configured by the network via radio resource control RRC signaling. For example, dedicated or general signaling may be used to notify the UE of sleep mode. Therefore, the network device may perform downlink transmission or uplink reception during the active period, and may enter power saving mode during the inactive period. The cell DTX mode / configuration may also be dynamically indicated to the terminal device via, for example, layer 1 or layer 2 (L1 / L2) signaling. Dynamic L1 / L2 signaling at least supports indications dedicated to the terminal device. Dedicated signaling may be signaled to a specific UE, for example, via RRC signaling, media access control MAC control element CE, or L1 signaling (i.e., physical layer). General signaling may be signaled to multiple UEs (e.g., UEs within the coverage area of ​​a specific cell), for example, via system information broadcast.

[0063] The inventors note that, in the case where the network device is in an energy-saving mode when transmission and reception are not frequent, the terminal device may still have uplink and downlink transmission requirements, especially those with low latency requirements. In this case, unacceptable delays may occur in the DTX / DRX mode of the network device. Downlink transmission may also be similarly affected.

[0064] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a solution for flexible communication with low latency is provided. In the solution, a terminal device receives a DTX / DRX configuration from a network device, the DTX / DRX configuration indicating configuration information about a DTX / DRX mode of the network device. Then, regardless of the DTX / DRX configuration, the terminal device monitors downlink transmission or performs uplink transmission based on one or more conditions.

[0065] Such conditions may take precedence over the DTX / DRX configuration or cause transmission / reception to be performed regardless of the DTX / DRX configuration. When these conditions are met or triggered, the terminal device may ignore the DTX / DRX configuration and perform downlink reception or uplink transmission. Therefore, a flexible solution for transmission and reception in the DTX / DRX mode of the network device is provided, which can provide higher system performance by, for example, providing certain services with low latency requirements even in the DTX / DRX mode.

[0066] The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that these embodiments are illustrated as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way.

[0067] refer to Figure 1 , which illustrates an example communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Figure 1As shown, the communication system 100 may include a terminal device 110 and a network device 120. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may provide a serving cell (also referred to herein as a cell), as shown in the dashed line.

[0068] The ellipse is schematically shown, and a terminal device 110 may be located in the cell and served by a network device 120 .

[0069] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices or cells in the environment 100 is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation of the present disclosure. The communication system 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices and / or cells suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it will be understood that one or more terminal devices may be located in the environment 100.

[0070] like Figure 1 As shown, the terminal device 110 may communicate with the network device 120 via a channel such as a wireless communication channel. The communication in the communication system 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including but not limited to long term evolution (LTE), LTE evolution, advanced LTE (LTE-A), new air interface (NR), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), etc. The embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed according to any generation of communication protocols currently known or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include but are not limited to third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, advanced 5G networks or sixth generation (6G) networks.

[0071] Communication in the direction from the terminal device 110 toward the network device 120 is called UL communication, and communication in the reverse direction from the network device 120 toward the terminal device 110 is called DL communication. Wireless communication channels may include a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH).

[0072] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit UL data to the network device 120 via a UL data channel transmission. For example, the UL data channel transmission may be a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission. Of course, any other suitable form is also feasible.

[0073] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive DL data from the network device 120 via a DL data channel transmission. For example, the DL data channel transmission may be a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission. Of course, any other suitable form is also possible.

[0074] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive downlink control information (DCI) from the network device 120 via a DL control channel transmission. For example, the DL control channel transmission may be a PDCCH transmission. Of course, any other suitable form is also possible.

[0075] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit uplink control information (UCI), such as HARQ feedback information, to the network device 120 via a UL control channel transmission. For example, the UL control channel transmission may be a PUCCH transmission. Of course, any other suitable form is also feasible.

[0076] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 receives a DTX / DRX configuration from the network device, which indicates configuration information about the DTX / DRX mode of the network device. Then, regardless of the DTX / DRX configuration, the terminal device monitors downlink transmission or performs uplink transmission based on one or more conditions.

[0077] Figure 2 An example flow chart of a method 200 implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 200 is a method for DL ​​reception in a DTX mode of a network device, the method being implemented at a terminal device. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 200 is described from the perspective of the terminal device 110. It should be understood that the method 200 may also include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some of the shown blocks, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0078] At block 210 , the terminal device 110 receives a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from the network device 120 , wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information regarding a DTX mode of the network device.

[0079] In some embodiments, the DTX configuration may indicate a sleep mode of the network device. For example, it may include DTX parameters such as the length of the DTX period, the duty cycle, and the start of the DTX period. For another example, it may also include PDCCH opportunities that the terminal device should not monitor. With this information, the terminal device can know when the network device performs DL downlink transmission and when it is sleeping. In some embodiments, the DTX mode configuration may include a DTX mode configuration for any one of a cell, a beam, a cell group, or a terminal device.

[0080] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may have periodic CSI-RS / PDCCH opportunities configured from network device 120, and it may perform DL reception by following a general DTX pattern. In other words, these CSI-RS / PDCCH opportunities will be transmitted when the network device is active, and thus, for terminal device 110 with a DTX pattern configuration, terminal device 110 may monitor / measure these opportunities only when network device 120 is active. In some examples, RS opportunities may be any other RS ​​except CSI-RS opportunities.

[0081] At block 220, regardless of the DTX configuration, the terminal device 110 monitors downlink transmissions from the network device 120 based on one or more conditions. In other words, regardless of the DTX configuration, the terminal device 110 monitors downlink transmissions based on one or more conditions. For example, even if the DTX configuration indicates that the network device 120 is in a DTX period, if any of the conditions is met or triggered, the terminal device 110 still monitors downlink transmissions.

[0082] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of setting one or more conditions for downlink reception is proposed, and these conditions will take precedence over the DTX configuration. In other words, if any of these conditions are met, the terminal device will ignore the DTX configuration and transmit the message as usual. In some embodiments, the one or more conditions may include a set of predetermined conditions for downlink reception.

[0083] In some embodiments, one or more conditions may include one or more of the following: a random access response (RAR) receive window is running; a timer for contention resolution is running; a message B (MSGB) response window in a two-step random access procedure is running; a buffer status report (BSR) is transmitted; a scheduling request (SR) is transmitted; or a system information window is running so that the terminal device receives one or more types of system information.

[0084] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also obtain a condition configuration indicating one or more conditions for downlink reception. In some embodiments, the downlink condition configuration may be received from the network device 120. Additionally or alternatively, the downlink condition configuration may be predefined by a communication protocol.

[0085] In some embodiments, the terminal device may monitor the physical downlink control channel PDCCH for the RAR during the reception window of the RAR. Additionally or alternatively, the terminal device may monitor the PDCCH for the MSGB or fallback RAR during the reception window of the MSGB. Additionally or alternatively, the terminal device may monitor the PDCCH while the timer for contention resolution is running.

[0086] The following will refer to Fig. 6A 6 , the network device 120 transmits 602 a DTX configuration 604. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 receives 606 the DTX configuration 604. The terminal device 110 may then transmit 608 a MSGA, SR, or BSR 610, which may follow the DRX configuration of the network device. Alternatively or additionally, one or more of the uplink transmissions may be transmitted based on a set of uplink transmission conditions, which ignores the DRX configuration of the network device.

[0087] Thus, after the network device 120 receives 612 a MSGA, SR or BSR 610, it may transmit 614 a MSGB / fallback RAR, RAR, uplink grant, downlink assignment or SI 616 for DL ​​transmission without following the DTX mode. Thus, due to abnormal conditions, the terminal device 110 will also monitor 618 DL transmissions even during the network's sleep time according to the DTX configuration.

[0088] As an example, in a contention-based random access procedure, the terminal device 110 may randomly select a preamble sequence from a preamble sequence resource pool and transmit 608 the preamble sequence to the network device 120. The preamble transmission may follow a DRX pattern or an uplink transmission condition where the network device 120 is actually monitoring UL transmissions from the terminal device. In other words, the terminal device 110 may only consider random access opportunities that do not conflict with the DRX pattern as valid for transmitting a preamble.

[0089] However, it is desirable for the network device 120 to respond as quickly as possible. After receiving 612 the random access request 610, the network device 120 may transmit 614 a random access response (RAR) 616 to the terminal device 110 as a response to the random access request without following the DTX mode. Therefore, regardless of the DTX mode, the terminal device 110 may monitor the PDCCH during the RAR response window.

[0090] After transmitting the preamble sequence, the terminal device 110 may transmit a third message (Msg3) of the random access procedure to the network device 120, which may include, for example, a connection establishment / recovery request message, a terminal device identifier, a buffer status report, etc. The network device 120 may then transmit a contention resolution message, i.e., a fourth message (Msg4), to the terminal device 110 to complete the contention resolution. Additionally or alternatively, the contention resolution message may also be transmitted by the network device without considering the DTX configuration. Therefore, regardless of the DTX mode, the terminal device 110 may monitor the PDCCH during the time period when the contention resolution timer is running.

[0091] As another example, a contention-free random access procedure is initiated and the network device 120 may similarly transmit 614 a RAR 616 to the terminal device 110 as a response to the random access request without following the DTX mode. Therefore, regardless of the DTX mode, the terminal device 110 may monitor the PDCCH during the RAR response window.

[0092] As another example, in a two-step random access procedure, terminal device 110 transmits message A (MSGA) to network device 120. It is also expected that network device 120 responds as quickly as possible. Upon detecting MSGA, network device 120 may transmit MSGB or fallback RAR without following the DTX mode. Terminal device 110 may monitor MSGB or fallback RAR within the MSGB response window without following the DTX mode.

[0093] In some embodiments, the terminal device may monitor the PDCCH only through the search space / control resource set (CORESET) used to receive RAR / MSGB / contention resolution messages in DTX mode. For example, such a search space may include a random access search space, such as ra-SearchSpace. For another example, such a control resource set may include CORESET zero, such as CORESET#0.

[0094] In some embodiments, the terminal device may monitor the PDCCH within a predetermined time period after transmitting the BSR. For example, the BSR is transmitted when a MAC protocol data unit (PDU) including a BSR MAC CE is constructed and the MAC PDU is transmitted with an uplink grant (e.g., via the PUSCH). In some embodiments, the BSR may indicate data buffered for a particular type of logical channel (LCH) or for a logical channel group (LCG) with a particular type of LCH. Fig. 6A To describe in more detail.

[0095] In an example, the terminal device 110 may transmit 608 a BSR 610 to the network device 120. It may also be desirable for the network device 120 to respond to the BSR as quickly as possible. Whether a cell DTX pattern is followed after transmitting the BSR may depend on the indicated buffered data. For example, if the indicated data is associated with a high priority LCH or an LCG including a high priority LCH, the network device may transmit 614 an UL grant without following a DRX pattern.

[0096] Then, if the BSR indicates data buffered for a high priority LCH or for an LCG with a high priority LCH (which may or may not have buffered data), the terminal device 110 may monitor 618 the PDCCH regardless of the cell DTX mode. If the BSR only indicates data buffered for a low priority LCH or for an LCG with a low priority LCH (which may or may not have buffered data), the terminal device 110 may still follow the cell DTX mode.

[0097] In some embodiments, a high priority LCH may be determined based on the type of LCH. For example, certain types of LCHs may be determined as high priority LCHs. In some embodiments, a high priority LCH may be determined based on a priority threshold (pre-defined or network configured) of the LCH. An LCH with a priority level higher than or equal to a predetermined threshold may be determined as a high priority LCH, and an LCH with a priority level lower than or equal to the threshold may be determined as a low priority LCH.

[0098] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may monitor the PDCCH within a predetermined period of time after transmitting the SR, wherein the SR is triggered in association with a BSR triggered by any of a specific type of LCH or beam failure recovery BFR report. Fig. 6A To describe in more detail.

[0099] In an example, for the purpose of receiving an uplink grant, the terminal device 110 may transmit 608 a scheduling request (SR) to the network device 120. It may also be desirable for the network device 120 to respond as quickly as possible. Whether to follow the cell DTX pattern in response to the SR depends on the SR trigger or the buffer status report (BSR) trigger that triggers the SR. For example, if the SR trigger is associated with a high priority LCH or BFR trigger (e.g., SCell BFR or BFD-RS set failure on SCell / SpCell), the network device may transmit 614 an UL grant without following the DRX pattern.

[0100] After transmitting such an SR, the terminal device 110 may then monitor the PDCCH regardless of the DTX mode. If the SR trigger is associated with, for example, a BSR triggered by a low priority LCH, a BFD-RS set failure on the SCell, or a persistent LBT failure recovery of the SCell, the terminal device 110 may still follow the DTX mode for PDCCH monitoring after transmitting the SR. A high priority LCH may be an LCH of a specific type or an LCH with a priority higher than or equal to a specific threshold, and a low priority LCH may be an LCH of another type or an LCH with a priority less than or equal to a specific threshold.

[0101] In some embodiments, the DTX configuration is cell-specific, and the terminal device 110 may also receive dedicated signaling of the DTX configuration from the network device 120, wherein the dedicated signaling indicates a new DTX configuration that overrides the DTX configuration specific to the terminal device. There is no need to update the general DTX mode for all terminal devices, as the monitoring behavior of other terminal devices may not be affected.

[0102] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may monitor the system information from the network device in a system information window of one or more types of system information. In some embodiments, the one or more types of system information may include a predetermined type of system information. In some embodiments, the predetermined type of system information may include a system information block for a public warning system (PWS) message or an earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS) message.

[0103] Utilizing the implementation scheme proposed herein, a terminal device may be enabled to perform DL monitoring or reception without following the DTX mode of a network device, which may mitigate or alleviate the negative impact on low-latency services when the network device performs a DTX / DRX mode to save energy, thereby providing improved system performance and efficiency by reducing potential latency.

[0104] Figure 3 An example flow chart of a method 300 implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 300 is a solution for UL transmission in a DRX mode of a network device, which is implemented at a terminal device. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 300 is described from the perspective of the terminal device 110. It should be understood that the method 300 may also include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some of the shown blocks, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0105] At block 310 , the terminal device 110 receives a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from the network device 120 , wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information regarding a DRX mode of the network device 120 .

[0106] Similar to the DTX mode, the DRX configuration may indicate a sleep mode of the network device in uplink reception. For example, it may include DRX parameters such as the length of the DRX period, the duty cycle, and the start of the DRX period. For another example, it may also include uplink opportunities when the terminal device should not perform UL transmission. The terminal device can know when the network device monitors UL reception and when it is sleeping through the DRX configuration. For example, the DRX mode configuration may include a DRX mode configuration for any one of a cell, a beam, a cell group, or a terminal device.

[0107] As an example, for UL transmission, the terminal device 110 may have a dedicated RRC configuration for periodic channel state information (CSI) reporting, a configuration grant (CG), and it may perform UL transmission following a common cell DRX pattern, i.e., perform UL transmission at configured times only when the network device 120 is monitoring UL transmission. The configuration grant may include, for example, semi-persistent transmission or pre-configured uplink transmission resources.

[0108] As another example, for UL transmissions with low priority, such as associated with a low priority LCH or an LCG with a lower priority LCH, the UL transmissions may follow the DRX pattern of the network device.

[0109] At block 320, the terminal device 110 performs uplink transmission based on one or more conditions regardless of the cell DRX configuration. In other words, when any one of the one or more conditions is met, the terminal device 110 may perform UL transmission regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0110] In some embodiments, the one or more conditions may include one or more of: channel state information (CSI) reporting; configuration grant (CG); buffer failure recovery (BFR) reporting; and random channel (RACH) preamble transmission.

[0111] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also obtain an uplink condition configuration indicating a set of predetermined uplink conditions. As an example, the uplink condition configuration may be received from a network device. As another example, the uplink condition configuration may be predefined by a communication protocol.

[0112] In an example, the terminal device 110 may decide to follow or not follow the cell DRX pattern for different channels / signals or according to the cell DRX pattern. For example, CG / PUSCH does not follow the cell DRX pattern because it affects UL latency, while CSI-RS reporting / SRS follows the DRX pattern.

[0113] As an example, for example, if the network device 120 desires more frequent UL transmissions without updating the general DTX mode, the network device 120 may send dedicated signaling that takes precedence over the general DRX mode. The terminal device 110 then performs uplink transmissions according to the dedicated signaling without following the configured cell DRX mode. Figure 6B To describe in more detail.

[0114] like Figure 6BAs shown, the network device 120 may transmit 620 a cell DRX configuration 622. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 receives 624 the cell DRX configuration 622. For example, the terminal device 110 transmits 626 a CSI-RS report, a BFR report, a CG or a RACH preamble 628 for UL transmission without following the DRX pattern. Therefore, the network device 120 monitors 630 UL transmission without following the DRX pattern. It should be noted that if the network device 120 supports both DRX and DTX, the DRX and DTX configurations may be transmitted to the terminal device 110 in the same message. The message may be, for example, dedicated signaling or broadcast signaling, and the broadcast signaling may be, for example, system information.

[0115] In some embodiments, the DRX configuration is cell-specific, and the terminal device 110 may also receive dedicated signaling of the DRX configuration from the network device 120, wherein the dedicated signaling indicates a new DRX configuration dedicated to the terminal device overriding the DRX configuration. The terminal device 110 will perform uplink transmissions following the new DRX configuration instead of the DRX configuration. There is no need to update the universal DRX mode for all terminal devices, as the behavior of other terminal devices will not be affected.

[0116] In some embodiments, for implementation of UL transmission, the terminal device 110 may also receive at least one uplink resource configuration. The uplink resource configuration may indicate uplink transmission resources configured periodically or semi-persistently. The uplink transmission resources may include CSI reporting resources, CG resources, or both.

[0117] Figure 4 An example flow chart of a method 400 implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 400 is a solution for DL ​​transmission in DRX mode of the network device, which is performed at the network device. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 400 is described from the perspective of the network device 120. It should be understood that the method 400 may also include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some of the shown blocks, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0118] At block 410, the network device 120 transmits a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to the terminal device 110, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device 120. Figure 2 As described, the DTX configuration may indicate a sleep mode for the network device.

[0119] For example, it may include DTX parameters such as the length of the DTX period, the duty cycle, and the start of the DTX period. Through this information, the terminal device may be informed of information about when the network device performs DL downlink transmission and when it is sleeping. The DTX mode configuration may include a DTX mode configuration for any one of a cell, beam, or cell group.

[0120] At block 420 , regardless of the DTX configuration, the network device 120 performs downlink transmissions to the terminal device 110 based on one or more conditions.

[0121] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is proposed to set one or more conditions for downlink reception, and these conditions will take precedence over the DTX configuration in the terminal device. In other words, if any of these conditions are met, the terminal device will ignore the DTX configuration and transmit the message as usual. In some embodiments, the one or more conditions may include a set of predetermined conditions for downlink reception.

[0122] For a network device, in scenarios associated with these conditions, the network device will perform DL transmissions without following the DTX mode to achieve timely DL transmissions.

[0123] In some embodiments, the DTX configuration may be cell-specific, and the network device may also transmit dedicated signaling of the DTX configuration to the terminal device 110, wherein the dedicated signaling indicates a new DTX configuration that overrides the DTX configuration specific to the terminal device.

[0124] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may also transmit a downlink condition configuration indicating one or more conditions. The one or more conditions may include one or more of the following conditions: a random access response (RAR) reception window is running; a timer for contention resolution is running; a message B (MSGB) response window in a two-step random access procedure is running; a buffer status report (BSR) is transmitted; a scheduling request (SR) is transmitted; or a system information window is running so that the terminal device receives one or more types of system information.

[0125] In some embodiments, performing downlink transmission may include any of the following: transmitting RAR after receiving a RACH preamble; transmitting MSGB or fallback RAR after receiving message A (MSGA) in a two-step random access procedure; transmitting a contention resolution message after receiving a contention resolution request.

[0126] In some embodiments, performing a downlink transmission may comprise transmitting an uplink grant on the PDCCH in response to a BSR from the terminal device 110, wherein the BSR indicates data buffered for a logical channel of a particular type LCH or for a logical channel group LCG having a particular type of LCH.

[0127] In some embodiments, performing a downlink transmission may include transmitting an uplink grant on the PDCCH in response to a SR from the terminal device 110, wherein the SR is triggered in association with a BSR triggered by any one of a specific type of LCH, an LCG having a specific type of LCH, or an associated beam failure recovery BFR trigger.

[0128] In some embodiments, performing downlink transmission may further include: transmitting system information to the terminal device within a system information window of one or more types of system information. The one or more types of system information may include predetermined types of system information, and the predetermined types of system information include system information blocks for public warning system (PWS) messages or earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS) messages.

[0129] Figure 5 An example flow chart of a method 500 implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 400 is a solution for UL reception in a DRX mode of a network device, which is performed at the network device. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 500 is described from the perspective of the network device 120. It should be understood that the method 500 may also include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some of the shown blocks, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0130] At block 510 , the network device 120 transmits a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to the terminal device 110 , wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information regarding a DRX mode of the network device.

[0131] As reference Figure 3 As described, the DRX configuration may indicate a sleep mode of the network device in uplink reception. For example, it may include DRX parameters such as the length of the DRX period, the duty cycle, and the start of the DRX period. The terminal device may be informed of information about when the network device monitors UL reception and when it is sleeping through the DRX configuration. For example, the DRX mode configuration may include a DRX mode configuration for any one of a cell, a beam, or a cell group.

[0132] At block 520 , regardless of the DRX configuration, the network device 120 monitors uplink transmissions from the terminal device 110 based on one or more conditions.

[0133] In some embodiments, the DRX configuration may be cell-specific, and the network device may further transmit dedicated signaling of the DRX configuration to the terminal device 110 , wherein the dedicated signaling indicates a new DRX configuration that is an overriding DRX configuration specific to the terminal device.

[0134] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may also transmit a conditional configuration indicating one or more conditions. The one or more conditions may include one or more of the following conditions: CSI reporting; CG; BFR reporting; and RACH preamble transmission.

[0135] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may also transmit at least one uplink resource configuration, wherein the uplink resource configuration indicates an uplink transmission resource configured periodically or semi-persistently. For example, the uplink transmission resource may include one or both of a CSI report resource and a CG resource.

[0136] It will be appreciated that, in the above, for the sake of simplicity, only the operations at the network device are briefly described. These operations at the network side may correspond to those at the terminal device. Figure 4 and Figure 5 For detailed operations of some operations or features in the Figure 2 and Figure 3 Those described for terminal devices.

[0137] In some embodiments, a device capable of executing method 200 (eg, terminal device 110) may include a component for executing the corresponding steps of method 200. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0138] In some embodiments, the device may also include means for performing steps in some embodiments of method 200. In some embodiments, the means may include at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause execution of the device by the at least one processor.

[0139] In some embodiments, an apparatus for performing method 200 includes: a component for receiving a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and a component for monitoring downlink transmissions from the network device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0140] In some embodiments, a device capable of executing method 300 (eg, terminal device 110) may include a component for executing the corresponding steps of method 300. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0141] In some embodiments, the device may also include means for performing steps in some embodiments of method 300. In some embodiments, the means may include at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause execution of the device by the at least one processor.

[0142] In some embodiments, an apparatus for performing method 300 includes: a component for receiving a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and a component for performing uplink transmission based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0143] In some embodiments, a device capable of executing method 400 (e.g., network device 120) may include a component for executing the corresponding steps of method 400. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0144] In some embodiments, the device may also include means for performing steps in some embodiments of method 400. In some embodiments, the means include at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause execution of the device by the at least one processor.

[0145] In some embodiments, an apparatus for performing method 400 includes: a component for transmitting a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of a network device; and a component for performing a downlink transmission to the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

[0146] In some embodiments, a device capable of executing method 500 (e.g., network device 120) may include a component for executing the corresponding steps of method 500. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0147] In some embodiments, the device may further include means for performing steps in some embodiments of method 500. In some embodiments, the means include at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause execution of the device by the at least one processor.

[0148] In some embodiments, an apparatus for performing method 500 includes: a component for transmitting a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of a network device; and a component for monitoring uplink transmissions from the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

[0149] Figure 7 700 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 700 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 700 may be provided to implement a communication apparatus, such as Figure 1 The terminal device 110 and the network device 120 are shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processor 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processor 710.

[0150] The communication module 740 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 740 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary to communicate with other network elements.

[0151] The communication module 740 may include, for example, one or more transceivers. The one or more transceivers may be coupled to one or more antennas to wirelessly transmit and receive communication signals. The one or more transceivers allow the communication device to communicate with other devices that may be wired and / or wireless. The transceiver may support one or more radio technologies. For example, the one or more transceivers may include a cellular subsystem, a WLAN subsystem, and / or a Bluetooth subsystem. TM Subsystem. In some examples, one or more transceivers may include processors, controllers, radios, sockets, plugs, buffers, and similar circuits / devices for connecting to and communicating on a network.

[0152] Processor 710 may be of any type suitable for a local area network and may include one or more of the following: as non-limiting examples, a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 700 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time controlled by a clock that synchronizes a main processor.

[0153] The memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage devices and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that will not be maintained for the duration of a power outage.

[0154] The computer program 730 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 710. The program 730 may be stored in the ROM 724. The processor 710 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 730 into the RAM 722.

[0155] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented with the help of program 730, so that the device 700 can execute the Figure 2 to any process of the present disclosure discussed in connection with Figure 6. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented in hardware or in a combination of software and hardware.

[0156] In some embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 700 (such as in the memory 720) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 700. The device 700 can load the program 730 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 722 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage device, such as a ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. FIG. 12 shows an example of a computer-readable medium 800 in the form of a CD or DVD. The computer-readable medium has the program 730 stored thereon.

[0157] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented with hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented with hardware, while other aspects may be implemented with firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it is to be understood that the boxes, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented with hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware, or controllers or other computing devices, or a combination thereof, as non-limiting examples.

[0158] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in a program module, which are executed on a target real or virtual processor in a device to perform the above-referenced Figures 2 to 5 Any of the described methods 200 to 500. In general, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, categories, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local devices or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in both local storage media and remote storage media.

[0159] The program code for performing the method of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0160] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable an apparatus, device or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0161] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or apparatuses, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media would include: an electrical connection with one or more wirings, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0162] In addition, although the operation is described in a specific order, this should not be understood as requiring to perform such operation in the specific order shown or in a continuous order or requiring to perform all the operations shown to reach the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be understood as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as a description of the features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Some features described in the context of a separate embodiment also may be realized in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment also may be realized in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable subcombination.

[0163] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or method actions, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, the terminal device include: one or more processors; as well as one or more transceivers, the one or more transceivers being communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the terminal device to: receiving a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and Downlink transmissions from the network device are monitored based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

2. The terminal device of claim 1 , wherein the DTX configuration is cell-specific and further causes the terminal device to: Dedicated signaling of a DTX configuration is received from the network device, wherein the dedicated signaling indicates a new DTX configuration dedicated to the terminal device that overrides the DTX configuration.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the terminal device is further caused to: obtaining a condition configuration indicating the one or more conditions, and The condition configuration is received from the network device or is predefined by a communication protocol.

4. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the one or more conditions include one or more of the following conditions: The random access response RAR receiving window is running; The timer used to resolve the contention is running; The message B (MSGB) response window in the two-step random access process is running; A buffer status report BSR is transmitted; A scheduling request SR is transmitted; or The system information window is running so that the terminal device receives one or more types of system information.

5. The terminal device of claim 4, wherein monitoring the downlink transmission comprises any of the following: monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for the RAR during the reception window of the RAR; monitoring a PDCCH for MSGB or fallback RAR during the reception window of MSGB; The PDCCH is monitored while the timer for contention resolution is running.

6. The terminal device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the downlink transmission is monitored include: The PDCCH is monitored within a predetermined time period after transmission of a BSR indicating data buffered for a logical channel LCH of a specific type or for a logical channel group LCG having an LCH of a specific type.

7. The terminal device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the downlink transmission is monitored include: The PDCCH is monitored within a predetermined period of time after transmitting the SR, wherein the SR is triggered in association with a BSR triggered by any one of a specific type of LCH, an LCG with a specific type of LCH, or a beam failure recovery BFR trigger.

8. The terminal device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein monitoring the downlink transmission is further include: System information from the network device is monitored in a system information window of one or more types of system information.

9. The terminal device of claim 8, wherein the one or more types of system information include a predetermined type of system information, and wherein the predetermined type of system information includes a system information block for a Public Warning System (PWS) message or an Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) message.

10. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the DTX mode configuration comprises a DTX mode configuration for any one of a cell, a beam or a cell group.

11. A terminal device, the terminal device include: one or more processors; as well as one or more transceivers, the one or more transceivers being communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the terminal device to: receiving a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and Uplink transmission is performed based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

12. The terminal device of claim 11, wherein the DRX configuration is cell-specific and further causes the terminal device to: Dedicated signaling of a DRX configuration is received from the network device, wherein the dedicated signaling indicates a new DRX configuration dedicated to the terminal device that overrides the DRX configuration.

13. The terminal device according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the terminal device is further caused to obtain a condition configuration indicating the one or more conditions, and The condition configuration is received from the network device or is predefined by a communication protocol.

14. The terminal device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the one or more conditions include one or more of the following conditions: Channel state information CSI report; Configure authorization CG; Buffer Failure Recovery (BFR) reporting; and Random channel RACH preamble transmission.

15. The terminal device according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the terminal device is further caused to: Receive at least one uplink resource configuration, wherein the uplink resource configuration indicates uplink transmission resources that are periodically or semi-persistently configured, wherein the uplink transmission resources include one or both of CSI reporting resources and CG resources.

16. The terminal device according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the DRX mode configuration comprises a DRX mode configuration for any one of a cell, a beam or a cell group.

17. A network device, the network device include: one or more processors; as well as one or more transceivers, the one or more transceivers being communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, and the one or more processors being configured to cause the network device to: transmitting a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and Downlink transmission to the terminal device is performed based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein the DTX configuration is cell-specific and further causes the network device to: Dedicated signaling of a DTX configuration is transmitted to the terminal device, wherein the dedicated signaling indicates a new DTX configuration dedicated to the terminal device that overrides the DTX configuration.

19. The network device according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the network device is further caused to: A condition configuration indicative of the one or more conditions is transmitted.

20. The network device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the one or more conditions include one or more of the following conditions: The random access response RAR receiving window is running; The timer used to resolve the contention is running; The message B (MSGB) response window in the two-step random access process is running; A buffer status report BSR is transmitted; A scheduling request SR is transmitted; or The system information window is running so that the terminal device receives one or more types of system information.

21. The network device of claim 20, wherein performing the downlink transmission comprises any of the following: Transmitting the RAR after receiving a random access RACH preamble; Transmitting the MSGB or fallback RAR after receiving message A (MSGA) in a two-step random access procedure; A contention resolution message is transmitted after receiving a contention resolution request.

22. The network device of claim 20 or 21, wherein the downlink transmission is performed include: An uplink grant is transmitted on the PDCCH in response to a BSR from the terminal device, wherein the BSR indicates data buffered for a logical channel of a particular type, LCH, or for a logical channel group, LCG, having a particular type of LCH.

23. The network device according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the downlink transmission is performed include: An uplink grant is transmitted on the PDCCH in response to a SR from the terminal device, wherein the SR is triggered in association with a BSR triggered by any one of a specific type of LCH, an LCG with a specific type of LCH, or a beam failure recovery (BFR) report.

24. The network device according to any one of claims 20 to 21, wherein the downlink transmission is performed include: System information is transmitted to the terminal device within a system information window of one or more types of system information.

25. The network device of claim 24, wherein the one or more types of system information include a predetermined type of system information, and wherein the predetermined type of system information includes a system information block for a Public Warning System (PWS) message or an Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) message.

26. The terminal device of any one of claims 17 to 25, wherein the DTX mode configuration comprises a DTX mode configuration for any one of a cell, a beam or a cell group.

27. A network device, the network device include: one or more processors; as well as one or more transceivers, the one or more transceivers being communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, and the one or more processors being configured to cause the network device to: transmitting a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; as well as Uplink transmissions from the terminal device are monitored based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

28. The network device of claim 27, wherein the DRX configuration is cell-specific and further causes the network device to: Dedicated signaling of the DRX configuration is transmitted to the terminal device, wherein the dedicated signaling indicates a new DRX configuration dedicated to the terminal device that overrides the DRX configuration.

29. The network device according to claim 27 or 28, wherein the network device is further caused to: A condition configuration indicative of the one or more conditions is transmitted.

30. The network device of any one of claims 27 to 29, wherein the one or more conditions include one or more of the following conditions: Channel state information CSI report; Configure authorization CG; Buffer Failure Recovery (BFR); and Random access RACH preamble transmission.

31. The network device according to any one of claims 27 to 30, wherein the network device is further caused to: At least one uplink resource configuration is transmitted, wherein the uplink resource configuration indicates an uplink transmission resource that is configured periodically or semi-persistently, wherein the uplink transmission resource includes one or both of a CSI reporting resource and a CG resource.

32. The terminal device of any one of claims 27 to 31, wherein the DRX mode configuration comprises a DRX mode configuration for any one of a cell, a beam or a cell group.

33. A method at a terminal device, the method include: receiving a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; as well as Downlink transmissions from the network device are monitored based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

34. A method at a terminal device, the method include: receiving a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; Uplink transmission is performed based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

35. A method at a network device, the method include: transmitting a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; as well as Downlink transmission to the terminal device is performed based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

36. A method at a network device, the method include: transmitting a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; as well as Uplink transmissions from the terminal device are monitored based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

37. A device of a terminal device, the device include: means for receiving a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; as well as Means for monitoring downlink transmissions from the network device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

38. A device of a terminal device, the device include: means for receiving a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; as well as Means for performing uplink transmission based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

39. A device for a network device, the device include: means for transmitting a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; as well as Means for performing downlink transmission to the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

40. A device of a network apparatus, the device include: means for transmitting a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; as well as Means for monitoring uplink transmissions from the terminal device based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

41. A terminal device, the terminal device include: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the terminal device, through the at least one processor: receiving a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and Downlink transmissions from the network device are monitored based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

42. A terminal device, the terminal device include: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the terminal device, through the at least one processor: receiving a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration from a network device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; and Uplink transmission is performed based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

43. A network device, the network device include: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause, by the at least one processor, the network device to: transmitting a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DTX configuration indicates configuration information about a DTX mode of the network device; and Downlink transmission to the terminal device is performed based on one or more conditions regardless of the DTX configuration.

44. A network device, the network device include: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause, by the at least one processor, the network device to: transmitting a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration to a terminal device, wherein the DRX configuration indicates configuration information about a DRX mode of the network device; as well as Uplink transmissions from the terminal device are monitored based on one or more conditions regardless of the DRX configuration.

45. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a device to at least perform the method of any one of claims 33 to 36.

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