Method and apparatus for downlink control information (DCI) field selection to indicate antenna port

Abstract

The application relates to devices and components including apparatuses, systems and methods to support multi-cell scheduling. In an example, a base station transmits a downlink control information (DCI) with a particular DC I format to a user equipment (UE). The DCI may indicate cells that are co-scheduled, and may indicate a value of an index that can be used by the UE to determine a set of D MRS antenna port numbers to be used by at least one of the co-scheduled cells. Depending on how the UE is configured for the at least one cell (e.g., according to a configured DMRS antenna port indicator), the UE may use the value or a different value to determine a set of DMRS antenna port numbers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for downlink control information (DCI) field selection to indicate antenna ports. Background Art

[0002] Cellular communications may be defined in various standards to enable communication between user equipment and cellular networks. For example, fifth-generation mobile networks (5G) are wireless standards designed to improve data transmission speeds, reliability, availability, and more. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] Figure 1 An example of a network environment according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0004] Figure 2 An example of downlink control information (DCI) for co-scheduling multiple cells for a user equipment (UE) according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0005] Figure 3 An example of a DCI field indicating a DMRS antenna port number for a configured cell is illustrated according to some embodiments.

[0006] Figure 4 An example of using values ​​in a configuration to determine a set of DMR S antenna port numbers per cell according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0007] Figure 5 Examples of possible uses of different types of DCI fields for indicating DMRS antenna port numbers according to some embodiments are illustrated.

[0008] Figure 6 An example of an operational procedure / algorithm structure for a UE to determine a DMRS antenna port number according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0009] Figure 7 An example of an operation flow / algorithm structure for a base station to indicate a DMRS antenna port number according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0010] Figure 8 Another example of an operational procedure / algorithm structure for a UE to determine a DMRS antenna port number according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0011] Figure 9 Another example of an operation flow / algorithm structure for a base station to indicate a DMRS antenna port number according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0012] Figure 10 An example of a receiving component according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 11 An example of a UE according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0014] Figure 12 An example of a base station according to some embodiments is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals may be used to identify the same or similar elements in different figures. In the following description, specific details, such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, technologies, etc., are set forth for the purpose of illustration and not limitation, so as to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art who benefit from this disclosure that various aspects of the various embodiments may be practiced in other examples that deviate from these specific details. In some instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the various embodiments due to unnecessary details. For the purposes of this document, the phrase "A or B" refers to (A), (B), or (A and B).

[0016] Typically, a user equipment (UE) may be configured to communicate with a network using multi-cell technology (also referred to herein as multi-carrier technology). The network (e.g., its base station) may co-schedule cells for downlink transmissions to the UE and / or uplink transmissions from the UE. In an example, a single downlink control information (DCI) is used for co-scheduling. The DCI may have a specific DCI format, such as 1_X for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or 0_X for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The DCI format may include a DCI field (such as a type 1A field) that indicates common information for all co-scheduled cells. The value of the index is indicated by the DCI field and is used by the UE to determine a set of demodulation reference signal (DRMS) port numbers to be used for each co-scheduled cell.

[0017] In some cases, cells are configured differently for the UE. For example, a first configuration for a first cell has a different number of possible values ​​for the index than a second configuration for a second cell. For illustration, the first configuration may be a first DMRS antenna port indication table with sixteen entries, while the second configuration may be a second DMRS antenna port indication table with thirty-two entries. In these and other cases, because the same value is indicated for both cells, the indicated value may not exist in the first configuration or may correspond to a reserved value for a DMRS antenna port number. For example, a DCI field indicates a value of twenty-four, and such a value does not exist in the first DMRS antenna port indication table. In such cases, the UE may alternatively use a default value instead of the indicated value. The default value may be the lowest value, the highest value, or some other network-configured value in the first configuration (e.g., the first entry, the last non-reserved entry, or an entry between the first and last non-reserved entries in the first DMRS antenna port indication table).

[0018] Furthermore, the network may initially avoid using DCI fields of a particular type (e.g., Type 1A). Instead, a different type, such as a Type 2 field, may be used. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may assume that received DCI does not use a particular type and / or may interpret any received DCI as using a different type of DCI field.

[0019] The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure.

[0020] As used herein, the term "circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a hardware component such as an electronic circuit, a logic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) or a memory (shared, dedicated, or group) configured to provide the functionality, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable device (FPD) (e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a complex PLD (CPLD), a high capacity PLD (HCPLD), a structured ASIC, or a programmable system on chip (SoC)), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In some embodiments, the circuit can execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functionalities. The term "circuit" can also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements and a program code for executing the functionality of the program code (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system). In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code can be referred to as a specific type of circuit.

[0021] As used herein, the term "processor circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit that is capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or recording, storing, or transferring digital data. The term "processor circuit" may refer to an application processor, a baseband processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes.

[0022] As used herein, the term "interface circuitry" refers to circuitry that enables, is part of, or includes information exchange between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuitry" may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, an I / O interface, a peripheral component interface, a network interface card, and the like.

[0023] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to a device that has radio communication capabilities and can represent a remote user of network resources in a communication network. Furthermore, the terms "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous and may be referred to as a client, mobile phone, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. Furthermore, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

[0024] As used herein, the term "base station" refers to a device with radio communication functionality, i.e., a network of a communication network (or more simply, a network), and can be configured as an access node in the communication network. Access to the communication network by a UE may be at least partially managed by a base station, whereby the UE connects to the base station to access the communication network. Depending on the radio access technology (RAT), a base station may be referred to as a gNodeB (gNB), an eNodeB (eNB), an access point, etc.

[0025] As used herein, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computing devices, or components thereof. Additionally, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to one another. Furthermore, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to multiple computing devices or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to one another and configured to share computing resources or networked resources.

[0026] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component within a computing environment, or a physical or virtual component within a specific device, such as computer equipment, mechanical equipment, memory space, processor / CPU time, processor / CPU utilization, processor and accelerator load, hardware time or utilization, power, input / output operations, ports or network sockets, channel / link allocation, throughput, memory utilization, storage, network, database, and application, workload units, etc. "Hardware resources" may refer to computing, storage, or network resources provided by physical hardware elements. "Virtualized resources" may refer to computing, storage, or network resources provided by a virtualization infrastructure to applications, devices, systems, etc. The terms "network resources" or "communication resources" may refer to resources accessible to a computer device / system via a communication network. The term "system resource" may refer to any type of shared entity that provides a service and may include computing resources or network resources. System resources may be considered a set of coherent functions, network data objects, or services accessible through a server, where such system resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and can be clearly identified.

[0027] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium for conveying data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous or equivalent with "communication channel," "data communication channel," "transmission channel," "data transmission channel," "access channel," "data access channel," "link," "data link," "carrier," "radio frequency carrier," or any other similar term representing a path or medium through which data is conveyed. Additionally, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection between two devices for sending and receiving information.

[0028] As used herein, the terms "instantiate," "instantiate," and the like refer to the creation of an instance. "Instance" also refers to a concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0029] The term "connected" may mean that two or more elements at a common communication protocol layer have an established signaling relationship with each other through a communication channel, link, interface, or reference point.

[0030] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to physical or virtualized equipment or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered synonymous with or referred to as a networked computer, networking hardware, network equipment, network node, virtualized network function, etc.

[0031] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual contents of an information element, or a data element that contains the contents. An information element may include one or more additional information elements.

[0032] Figure 1 A network environment 100 according to some embodiments is illustrated. The network environment 100 may include a UE 104 and a gNB 108. The gNB 108 may be a base station that provides a wireless access cell, such as a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) cell, through which the UE 104 can communicate with the gNB 108. The UE 104 and the gNB 108 may communicate over an air interface compatible with 3GPP technical specifications, such as those defining fifth generation (5G) NR system standards.

[0033] The gNB 108 can transmit information (e.g., data and control signaling) in the downlink direction by mapping logical channels onto transport channels and transport channels onto physical channels. Logical channels can transfer data between the radio link control (RLC) and MAC layers; transport channels can transfer data between the MAC and PHY layers; and physical channels can transfer information across the air interface. Physical channels can include the physical broadcast channel (PBCH), the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0034] The PBCH may be used to broadcast system information that a UE 104 may use to initially access a serving cell. The PBCH may be sent in a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block along with a physical synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS). The UE 104 may use the SS / PBCH block (SSB) during the cell search process (including cell selection and reselection) and for beam selection.

[0035] The PDSCH may be used to transfer end-user application data, Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) messages, system information messages (in addition to, for example, MIB), and paging messages.

[0036] The PDCCH may convey DCI used by the scheduler of the gNB 108 to allocate both uplink and downlink resources. The DCI may also be used to provide uplink power control commands, configure the slot format, or indicate that preemption has occurred.

[0037] gNB 108 may also transmit various reference signals to UE 104. Reference signals may include demodulation reference signals (DMRS) for PBCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH. UE 104 may compare the received version of the DMRS with the known transmitted DMRS sequence to estimate the impact of the propagation channel. UE 104 may then apply the inverse of the propagation channel during the demodulation process for the corresponding physical channel transmission.

[0038] Reference signals may also include a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). CSI-RS can be a multi-purpose downlink transmission that can be used for CSI reporting, beam management, connected mode mobility, radio link failure detection, beam failure detection and recovery, and fine-tuning of time and frequency synchronization.

[0039] Reference signals and information from physical channels can be mapped to the resources of the resource grid. For a given antenna port, subcarrier spacing configuration and transmission direction (e.g., downlink or uplink), there is a resource grid. The basic unit of the NR downlink resource grid can be a resource element, which can be defined by one subcarrier in the frequency domain and one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in the time domain. Twelve consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain can constitute a physical resource block (PRB). A resource element group (REG) may include one PRB in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain, for example, twelve resource elements. A control channel element (CCE) may represent a resource group used to send a PDCCH. One CCE may be mapped to multiple REGs, for example, six REGs.

[0040] UE 104 can use physical uplink channels to send data and control information to gNB 108. Different types of physical uplink channels are available, including, for example, the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUCCH carries control information from UE 104 to gNB 108, such as uplink control information (UCI), while the PUSCH carries data traffic (e.g., end-user application data) and may carry UCI.

[0041] The UE 104 and gNB 108 may perform beam management operations to identify and maintain desired beams for transmission in the uplink and downlink directions. Beam management may be applied to both PDSCH and PDCCH in the downlink direction and PUSCH and PUCCH in the uplink direction.

[0042] In an example, communications with gNB 108 and / or base stations can use channels in the frequency range 1 (FR1) band, the frequency range 2 (FR2) band, and / or the frequency range high (FRH) band. The FR1 band includes both licensed and unlicensed bands. The NR unlicensed band (NR-U) includes spectrum shared with other types of radio access technologies (RATs) (e.g., LTE-LAA, WiFi, etc.). A listen-before-talk (LBT) process can be used to avoid or minimize conflicts between different RATs in NR-U, whereby devices should perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) check before using a channel.

[0043] like Figure 1 As further illustrated, network environment 100 may also include a base station 112 to which UE 104 may also connect. Base station 112 supports the same RAT as gNB 108 (e.g., base station 112 is also a gNB). Additionally or alternatively, base station 112 supports a different RAT (e.g., a long term evolution (LTE) eNB).

[0044] In an example, UE 104 supports carrier aggregation (CA), whereby UE 104 can simultaneously connect and exchange data with gNB 108 and / or base station 112 over multiple component carriers (CCs). CCs can belong to the same frequency band, in which case they are referred to as intra-band CCs. Intra-band CCs can be contiguous or non-contiguous. CCs can also belong to different frequency bands, in which case they are referred to as inter-band CCs. A serving cell can be configured for UE 104 to use a CC. A serving cell can be a primary cell (PCell), a primary secondary cell (PSCell), or a secondary cell (SCell). Multiple SCells can be activated via an SCell activation procedure, where the component carriers of these serving cells can be intra-band contiguous, intra-band non-contiguous, or inter-band. Serving cells can be collocated or non-collocated.

[0045] The UE 104 may also support dual connectivity (DC), in which the UE may simultaneously transmit and receive data from two serving nodes or cell groups (a primary node (MN) and a secondary node (SN)) on multiple CCs. The DC capability may be used with two serving nodes operating in the same RAT or in different RATs (e.g., a MN operating in NR and a SN operating in LTE). These different DC modes include, for example, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access - New Radio (EN) -DC, NR-DC, and NE-DC (where the MN is an NR gNB and the SN is an LTE eNB).

[0046] A single DCI may be used to co-schedule different cells for downlink transmissions to UE 104 (e.g., on the PDSCH). This DCI may be referred to as DCI format 1_X. Similarly, a single DCI may be used to co-schedule different cells for uplink transmissions from UE 104 (e.g., on the PUSCH). This DCI may be referred to as DCI format 0_X. The use of such DCI is further illustrated in the following figures.

[0047] like Figure 1 As further illustrated, network environment 100 may include additional UEs, such as UE 106, in communication with gNB 108. Although not shown, network environment 100 may also include multiple base stations that may be communicatively coupled with gNB 108 and / or communicatively coupled with UE 104 and / or UE 106.

[0048] Figure 2 An example of DCI 212 for co-scheduling multiple cells 210 for a UE according to some embodiments is illustrated. The DCI 212 can be DCI format 1_X or DCI format 0_X. As illustrated, the number of cells 210 co-scheduled by the same single DCI 212 is "K". For example, "K" can be two, three, or four, but can also be a larger positive integer. The DCI 212 is transmitted in one cell 210A (e.g., using the first CC) and can be co-scheduled for that cell 210A (or possibly not), cell 210B (using the second CC), and so on, up to cell 210K (using the Kth CC).

[0049] Typically, DCI 212 schedules more than one cell and includes different fields for scheduling. Among these fields, one field may indicate the value of an index to be used by the UE to determine the set of DMRS antenna port numbers. This field (referred to herein as the DMRS antenna port indication field for ease of reference) may be common to all co-scheduled cells 210 (e.g., indicating the same value for the DMRS antenna port number per cell), or may be separate for each of the co-scheduled cells 210.

[0050] In the use case of DCI format 0_X or 1_X, the DCI that schedules more than one cell may include a type 1 field, a type 2 field, or a type 3 field. For the type 1 field, there may be multiple possibilities. The type 1A field may be used as a single field that indicates common information for all co-scheduled cells. The type 1B field may be used as a single field that indicates separate information for each of the co-scheduled cells via a joint indication. The type 1C field may be used as a single field that indicates information for only one of the co-scheduled cells. In contrast, the type 2 field may be used as a separate field for each of the co-scheduled cells. The type 3 field may be used as a common field or a separate field for each of the co-scheduled cells, or may be separate for each subgroup, depending on explicit configuration (e.g., configuration via RRC).

[0051] For DCI format 1_X, the DMRS antenna port indication field can be configured between type 1A and type 2. The same is also true for DCI format 0_X. However, other field types are also possible.

[0052] Specific to the Type 1A field, the field may have bits of a specific size (e.g., four, five, or six bits) based on the maximum size of the field in the legacy format among cells in the set configured for DCI format 1_X (or DCI format 0_X). Figure 2 , assuming that DCI 212 co-schedules cell 210A and cell 210B. Also assume that a four-bit configuration is used for cell 210A, while a five-bit configuration is used for cell 210B. Here, the bit configuration for a cell may be the number of bits used to indicate an index value that can be used by a UE to look up the set of DMRS antenna port numbers for use by that cell, as further described in the following figures. In this case, the Type 1A field in DCI 212 for co-scheduling cell 210A and cell 210B is configured to have a size of five bits. For each of the co-scheduled cells, the indicated bits (e.g., index value) are interpreted independently as in the conventional format. For example, the same five bits are interpreted twice by the UE: first in a lookup of the first configuration (e.g., the first DMRS table) for cell 210A, and a second time (e.g., separate from the first time) in a lookup of the second configuration (e.g., the second DMRS table) for cell 210B. To which cells the Type 1A field applies may be determined based on another field in the DCI 212 , where the other field may indicate the co-scheduled cells.

[0053] Specific to Type 2 fields, the field size is the sum of the number of bits for each cell in the set (configured for DCI format 1_X) (e.g., a sum of four, five, six, etc. bits, depending on the configured cells also being co-scheduled). The indicated bits for each cell are interpreted as in that cell's legacy format, independent of the indicated bits for other cells. Legacy configurations can be utilized to reduce field size.

[0054] Figure 3 An example of a DCI field according to some embodiments is illustrated, which indicates the DMRS antenna port number for the configured cell. Here, a single DCI 310 is used to schedule multiple cells. The DCI 310 may have the format 0_X or 1_X. The DCI 310 may indicate the scheduled cells (e.g., by including their corresponding cell identifiers or indicators of these identifiers). The DCI 310 may also include a DMRS antenna port indication field. Figure 3 In the example of FIG, the DMRS antenna port indication field is configured as a Type 1A field 312. The Type 1A field 312 may include a plurality of bits forming a bitmap. The value of the bitmap corresponds to an index that is used by the UE to determine the set of DMRS antenna port numbers to be used for each co-scheduled cell.

[0055] Specifically, multiple cells may be configured for the UE. The first configuration may correspond to the first cell (eg, Figure 2 210A), the second configuration may correspond to a second cell (eg, Figure 2 210B), and so on, until the K-th configuration corresponds to the K-th cell (e.g., Figure 2 210K of cells). DCI 310 may be used to co-schedule all cells or a subset of the "K" cells. The configuration of each cell may include information that can be used to determine a set of DMRS antenna port numbers to be used. An example of such information for a cell is a DMRS antenna port indication table (referred to herein as a DMRS table for brevity). Typically, a DMRS table (or more broadly, a configuration of a cell) may include multiple index value entries and DMRS antenna port entries. The index value entry may indicate the value of the index and may be associated with a DMRS antenna port entry. The associated DMRS antenna port entry may indicate a set of DMRS antenna port numbers to be used. An example of a DMRS table may be any one of the tables showing DMRS antenna port numbers in Section 7.3.1.1.2 or Section 7.3.1.2.2 of 3GPP TS 38.212 V17.4.0 (2023-01) (the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference), or any other technical specification describing the same, similar, or equivalent table.

[0056] exist Figure 3In the example of , DMRS table 320A is part of a first configuration for a first cell, DMRS table 320B is part of a second configuration for a second cell, and so on, until DMRS table 320K is part of a K-th configuration for the K-th first cell. Each of these DMRS tables includes possible values ​​for the index (e.g., DMRS table 320A includes value 322A, DMRS table 320B includes value 322B, and DMRS table 320K includes value 322K). Each value in each DMRS table is associated with a set of DMRS antenna port numbers (e.g., each value in value 322A is associated with one of DMRS antenna port entries 324a, each value in value 322B is associated with one of DMRS antenna port entries 324B, and each value in value 322K is associated with one of DMRS antenna port entries 324K). The sizes of DMRS tables 320A-320K can be different. For example, DMRS table 320A may include a greater or lesser number of entries (or rows) than DMRS table 320B. For example, DMRS table 320A may include a set of sixteen possible values ​​322A and sixteen associated DMRS antenna port numbers 324A. For example, this may be the case when DMRS S type 1 and maximum length 1 are configured for a first cell (e.g., see Table 7.3.1.2.2-1 of 3GPP TS 38.212 V17.4.0 (2023-01)). In contrast, DMRS table 320B may include a set of thirty-two possible values ​​322A and thirty-two associated DMRS antenna port numbers 324A (e.g., see Table 7.3.1.2.2-2 of 3GPP TS 38.212 V17.4.0 (2023-01)). For example, this may be the case when DMRS type 1 and maximum length 2 are configured for a second cell.

[0057] Assuming all K cells are co-scheduled via DCI 310, Type 1A field 312 indicates a single value for the index, which is used by the UE to independently determine the set of DMRS antenna port numbers to be used by each of the co-scheduled cells. For example, the UE uses this value in a first lookup of first DMRS table 320A to determine a first value from value 322A, and then determines the associated set of DMRS antenna port numbers from DMRS antenna port entry 324A. Similarly, the UE uses the same value in a second lookup of second DMRS table 320B to determine a second value from value 322B, and then determines the associated set of DMRS antenna port numbers from DMRS antenna port entry 324B. This type of lookup is repeated for the remaining co-scheduled cells. These two example tables are replicated below. The first column in each table corresponds to the illustrated value 322A or 322B. The last column in Table 1 corresponds to the illustrated DMRS antenna port number 324A. The third and seventh columns in Table 2 correspond to the DMRS antenna port number 324B.

[0058]

[0059] Table 1 (Example of DMRS table 320A)

[0060]

[0061]

[0062] Table 2 (Example of DMRS table 320B)

[0063] In some cases, the value indicated by Type 1A field 312 in DCI 310 may correspond to a reserved value in the cell configuration (e.g., in the DMRS table) or may not exist in the cell configuration. For example, consider an example in which DMRS table 320A includes a set of sixteen possible values ​​322A and sixteen associated DMRS antenna port numbers 324A. In this example, DMRS table 320B includes a set of thirty-two possible values ​​322A and thirty-two associated DMRS antenna port numbers 324A. The indicated value may be fifteen, which may correspond to a reserved value for DMRS port numbers in DMRS table 320A and to an available set of DMRS port numbers in DMRS table 320B. Thus, for a first cell, the indicated value cannot be used to determine the DMRS port number to be used by the first cell (while such determination is possible for a second cell). Similarly, the indicated value may be twenty (or some value greater than fifteen and less than thirty-one). In this case, the indicated value also cannot be used to determine the DMRS port number to be used by the first cell (while such determination is possible for the second cell).

[0064] Figure 4 An example of using a value in a configuration to determine a set of DMR S-port numbers per cell according to some embodiments is illustrated. Here, the DCI field in the DCI (e.g., Figure 3 The Type 1A field 312A of the AT_CONNECT_CELL_SCHEMA_01 indicates this value. In this example, two configured cells (e.g., Figure 2 The UE has a first configuration of a first cell, wherein the first configuration includes a first DMRS table 410 (eg, Figure 3 Similarly, the UE has a second configuration for the second cell, where the second configuration includes a second DMRS table 420 (e.g., Figure 3 DMRS table 320B).

[0065] The UE determines the value indicated in the DCI field and uses the indicated value in the different searches for the two configurations. The UE also determines a condition 430 to trigger the use of a default value (e.g., the second value) instead of the indicated value (e.g., the first value) for at least the first cell. The condition includes at least one of the following: the indicated value corresponds to a reserved value in the first configuration of the first cell, or the number of possible values ​​in the first configuration is different from the number of possible values ​​in the second configuration of the second cell. Referring to DMRS table 410 and DMRS table 420 as example configuration information for the two configurations, the condition can be understood as follows: if the size of the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells is different from the size of the DMRS antenna port indication tables of other co-scheduled cells, and / or if the indicated index is reserved in the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells, the default value is used, and then, for the at least one co-scheduled cell, the DMRS antenna port number is determined using the lowest index, the highest index (not a reserved index), or an index configured between the lowest and highest indexes from the corresponding DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0066] For illustration, consider the example Tables 1 and 2 above. If the indicated value is fifteen, then the value cannot be used for the first cell (e.g., the condition "if the indicated index is retained in the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells" is satisfied). In this case, the indicated value may be usable for the second cell. Similarly, if the indicated value is twenty, then the value cannot be used for the first cell (e.g., the value is excluded from the first table because the sub-condition "if the size of the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells is different from the size of the DMRS antenna port indication table of the other co-scheduled cells" is satisfied). Either of these two sub-conditions may be satisfied because the bitmap used in the Type 1A field is set according to the maximum size among the co-scheduled cells.

[0067] Continuing with the two-cell example, for the first cell, the UE may perform selection 432 of a default value. This default value may be the lowest value in DMRS table 420 (e.g., lowest index "0" according to Table 1), in which case the UE may determine the associated DMRS antenna port set (e.g., DMRS port "0" according to Table 1). This default value may also be the highest value in DMRS table 420, for which no reserved value exists (e.g., highest index "11" according to Table 1), in which case the UE may determine the associated DMRS antenna port set (e.g., DMRS ports "0, 2" according to Table 1). Alternatively, this default value may be configured for the UE by the network (e.g., a base station) (e.g., via RRC signaling) to be between the lowest and highest values ​​(e.g., according to index "8" in Table 1). This configuration may be specific to the first cell or may be common to all configured cells. Since the indicated value may be applicable to the second cell, the UE does not need to perform selection 432 of a default value. Alternatively, the UE selects the value indicated by 440 and uses the value to determine the DMRS antenna port set. Referring back to Table 2, the UE determines that for index "15", the DMRS antenna port set is DMRS antenna port "2" in the case of codeword "1".

[0068] In some cases, the DMRS table configured for a cell may include an entry for a multi-symbol DMRS. In the example of Table 2, codeword "1" disables a DMRS corresponding to a length of 1 symbol. In contrast, codeword "1" enables a DMRS corresponding to a length of 2 symbols. In these cases, a third subcondition may be introduced to trigger selection of a default value rather than the indicated value 432. Specifically, if the size of the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells is different from the size of the DMRS antenna port indication table of other co-scheduled cells, and / or if the indicated index is reserved in the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells, and / or if the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells configured for co-scheduling is for DMRS of multiple symbol lengths (e.g., 2-symbol DMRS), then for the at least one co-scheduled cell, the DMRS antenna port number is determined using the lowest index, the highest index (for the highest index, no reserved value is set for the DMRS antenna port set) from the corresponding DMRS antenna port indication table, or an index configured to be between the lowest index and the highest index for DMRS of multiple symbol lengths.

[0069] To illustrate this situation, refer back to Table 2 and the indicated value of fifteen. In this example, codeword "1" is enabled. Therefore, the indicated value corresponds to a reserved value for the DMRS antenna port set and cannot be used for the second cell. Therefore, the UE can perform selection 432 of the default value by selecting index "0" (thus selecting DMRS ports "0-4"), index "3" (thus selecting DMRS ports "0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7"), or an index between "0" and "3".

[0070] continue Figure 4 For example, a network (eg, a base station) may provide different UEs (eg, Figure 1UE 104 and UE 106) schedule cells. When a first UE (e.g., UE 104) meets this condition, the network may assume that the first UE will use default values ​​instead of the indicated values, and therefore will use a specific set of DMRS antenna ports that depends on the default values. Given that the network configures cells for the UE and then co-schedules the specific cells using a single DCI, the network may determine that this condition is met. In this case, assuming that the UE will instead use the default values ​​for at least the first of the multiple co-scheduled cells, the network may indicate the values ​​to be used by the first UE 104 in the DCI. The network may also indicate the same values ​​for a second UE (e.g., UE 106) in a different DCI that also schedules transmission for the second UE in the first cell. This is possible because, given that the first UE will not use the indicated values ​​(e.g., will use the default values) and the second UE will use the indicated values ​​(or, if the second UE also meets this condition, will use different default values), the second UE will not determine the same DMRS antenna port numbers as the first UE.

[0071] Therefore, when at least a first UE and a first cell among multiple cells co-scheduled for at least the first UE meet the condition, the network may use the same index (e.g., an index having the same value) in a first DCI transmitted to the first UE and a second DCI transmitted to a second UE. The indicated value of the index is used by the first UE to determine a first set of DMRS antenna port numbers to be used by the first cell. This use includes selecting a default value instead of the indicated value. The indicated value of the index is also used by the second UE to determine a second set of DMRS antenna port numbers to be used by the first cell. The first set and the second set are different. This use includes using the indicated value to determine the second set (e.g., when the network schedules only the first cell for the second UE, or when the network co-schedules multiple cells for the second UE but the condition is not met). This use includes using a different default value to determine the second set (e.g., when the network co-schedules multiple cells for the second UE and the first cell and the second UE also meet the condition). In the latter case, the network may configure the two UEs to use different default values ​​(e.g., the first UE is configured to use the lowest index, while the second UE is configured to use the highest index).

[0072] Figure 4 The example of is provided for illustrative purposes only. Other DMRS tables may be used. Similarly, more than two cells may be co-scheduled. In this case, selecting 432 a default value for each cell may depend on how condition 430 is satisfied.

[0073] Figure 5An example of possible uses of different types of DCI fields for indicating DMRS antenna port numbers according to some embodiments is illustrated. In the example, gNB 508 ( Figure 1 ) for UE 504 ( Figure 1 In an example of a UE 104 configured with multiple cells, a single DCI (e.g., with DCI format 0_X or 1_X) is used to co-schedule cells for the UE among the configured cells. The DCI also indicates an index value for each co-scheduled cell, which the UE 504 uses to determine the set of DMRS antenna ports to be used by the co-scheduled cells.

[0074] In one example, to avoid indicating a value for an index that cannot be used by UE 504 to determine a set of DMRS antenna ports, UE 504 is not expected to be configured with a Type 1A field for port indication via a single DCI format for multi-cell scheduling. In other words, if the size of the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells is different from the size of the DMRS antenna port indication tables of the other co-scheduled cells, and / or if the indicated index is retained in the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells, then UE 504 is not expected to be configured with a Type 1A field for DMRS antenna port indication via a single DCI format (for multi-cell scheduling). This may correspond to not being expected to configure UE 504 with a single bit field in the DCI format to indicate one / the same index in each of the DMRS antenna port indication tables of each of the co-scheduled cells, thereby determining the corresponding antenna port number for transmitting / receiving the corresponding PDSCH / PUSCH.

[0075] In this case, gNB 508 may initially configure UE 504 (e.g., via RRC signaling) to use the Type 2 field. Thus, gNB 508 may transmit DCI 520 to coordinate the scheduling of the cell, but this DCI 520 may not include the Type 1A field. Alternatively, DCI 520 may include the Type 2 field 522.

[0076] In another example, if the Type 1A field is configured and the conditions related to DMRS antenna port configuration are met (including any or all of the sub-conditions discussed above), the UE 504 may ignore the received Type 1A field. In other words, if the size of the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells is different from the size of the DMRS antenna port indication table of the other co-scheduled cells, and / or if the indicated index is retained in the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells, the UE 504 may ignore the Type 1A field used for DMRS antenna port indication via a single DCI format (for multi-cell scheduling). In this case, the gNB 508 may transmit DCI 510 for the co-scheduled cells, and the DCI 510 may include the Type 1A field. However, the DMRS antenna port indication field is interpreted by the UE 508 as a Type 2A field.

[0077] In yet another example, UE 504 may be configured to use both Type 1A and Type 2 fields. Prior to scheduling, gNB 508 may determine that the cell to be co-scheduled satisfies conditions related to the DMRS antenna port configuration (including any or all of the sub-conditions discussed above). For example, gNB 508 may determine the cell's configuration and, given that a particular cell is to be scheduled, may determine that the condition is met. In this case, gNB 508 may transmit DCI 520.

[0078] In another example, the UE 504 may be configured to use both the Type 1A field and the Type 2 field. Here, upon receiving a single DCI indicating a co-scheduled cell, the UE 504 may determine that the conditions related to the DMRS antenna port configuration (including any or all of the sub-conditions discussed above) are met. Since the conditions are met, the UE 504 interprets the received DMRS antenna port indication field as a Type 2 field. This Figure 5 If gNB 508 transmits DCI 520, UE 504 interprets the received DMRS antenna port indication field as a Type 2 field. Figure 5 In the case of gNB 508 transmitting DCI 510, the transmitted DCI 520 is received as DCI 530. The DMRS antenna port indication field in DCI 530 is treated as a type 2 field and is interpreted as such. If gNB 508 transmits DCI 510, UE 504 also interprets the received DMRS antenna port indication field as a type 2 field. Figure 5In the case of a DMRS antenna port indication field in the DCI 530, the transmitted DCI 510 is received as a DCI 530. The DMRS antenna port indication field in the DCI 530 is a type 1A field, but is interpreted as a type 2 field. Conversely, if this condition is not met, the gNB 508 may transmit the DCI 510. In this case, the UE 504 also interprets the received DMRS antenna port indication field as a type 1A field. Figure 5 In the example embodiment, the transmitted DCI 510 is received as DCI 530. The DMRS antenna port indication field in DCI 530 is a type 1A field and is interpreted as such.

[0079] In an example, the UE 504 is configured with at least a Type 1A field for DMRS antenna port indication via a single DCI format (for multi-cell scheduling), such as when a single bit field in the DCI format is used to indicate one index and the same index is used in each DMRS antenna port indication table of each co-scheduled cell to determine the corresponding antenna port number for transmitting / receiving a corresponding PDSCH / PUSCH. If the size of the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells is different from the size of the DMRS antenna port indication tables of the other co-scheduled cells and / or if the indicated index is reserved in the DMRS antenna port indication table of at least one of the co-scheduled cells, the UE 504 may assume that it is configured with a combination of Type 1A and Type 2 field types for DMRS antenna port indication via a single DCI format (for multi-cell scheduling). In other words, for a set of co-scheduled cells having corresponding DMRS antenna port indication tables of the same size, a single bit field is assumed for port indication. In contrast, for at least one of the co-scheduled cells of different sizes, an additional DMRS antenna port indication field is used.

[0080] For illustration, consider three cells: cell 0, cell 1, and cell 2. If cell 0 and cell 1 have the same DMRS antenna port indication table size, and cell 2 has a different table size, a joint bit field (code point in the DCI) is used for cell 0 and cell 1 (e.g., the field is a Type 1A field), and an additional bit field (code point in the DCI) is used for cell 2 (e.g., although configured as a Type 1A field, the field is interpreted as a Type 2 field because it is used solely for cell 2).

[0081] In another example, consider four cells: cell 0, cell 1, cell 2, and cell 3. If cell 0 and cell 1 have the same first DMRS antenna port indication table size, and cell 2 and cell 3 also have the same second DMRS antenna port indication table size, and if the first and second DMRS antenna port indication table sizes are different from the second DMRS antenna port indication table sizes, then a joint bit field (code point in the DCI) is used for cell 0 and cell 1 (e.g., the field is a first Type 1A field), and an additional joint bit field (code point in the DCI) is used for cell 2 and cell 3 (e.g., the field is a second Type 1A field), whereby the two joint bit fields together represent two Type 2 fields (the first field is used for the group of cell 0 and cell 1, and the second field is used for the group of cell 2 and cell 3).

[0082] Figure 6 An example of an operational flow / algorithm structure 600 for a UE to determine a DMRS antenna port number according to some embodiments is illustrated. The UE is an example of any of the UEs described in this disclosure. The operational flow / algorithm structure 600 may be performed by the UE as a whole and / or by specific components thereof.

[0083] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 600 includes receiving configuration information from a base station at 602, the configuration information indicating that multiple cells are configured for the UE and that downlink control information (DCI) formats are to be used for co-scheduling communications on a number of the multiple cells. For example, the configuration information is received via RRC signaling, identifies the cells configured for use by the UE, includes a DMRS antenna port indication table for these cells, and indicates that DCI format 1_X and DCI format 0_X are to be used for co-scheduling cells among the configured cells, and that such DCI formats are to include a type 1A field.

[0084] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 600 includes, at 604, receiving a single DCI from the base station, the single DCI having the DCI format for co-scheduling communications in at least a first cell and a second cell among the plurality of cells, and including a field indicating an index having a first value, the first value being used to determine one or more first demodulation reference signal (DMRS) antenna port numbers associated with communications in the first cell according to a first configuration of the first cell, and one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers associated with communications in the second cell according to a second configuration of the second cell. For example, the DCI has a DCI format 1_X or DCI format 0_X with a Type 1A field. The DCI may indicate the co-scheduled cell. The Type 1A field may include a bitmap indicating the first value. The first configuration may be a first DMRS antenna port indication table, and the second configuration may be a second DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0085] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 600 includes determining, at 606, that a condition is satisfied for determining the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers using a second value instead of the first value, wherein satisfying the condition indicates that the first value cannot be used to determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers. For example, the UE may determine that the first value is not present in a first DMRS antenna port indication table included in the first configuration and / or that the table has a different size than a second DMRS antenna port indication table included in the second configuration. Alternatively, the UE may search the first DMRS antenna port table and determine that the first value is included but corresponds to a reserved value for a set of DMRS antenna ports.

[0086] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 600 includes, at 608, using the second value to determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers based on the first configuration. For example, the UE may select the second value as a default value, such as a value with the lowest index in the first DMRS antenna port indication table, a value with the highest index available for non-reserved DMRS antenna port numbers in the first DMRS antenna port indication table, or a value configured between the lowest index and the highest index. Thus, the UE uses the second value to look up the first DMRS antenna port indication table and determine a set of DMRS antenna port numbers for use. This determined set is used to receive and process DMRS from the base station using the first cell, so as to subsequently communicate with the base station using the first cell.

[0087] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 600 includes, at 610, using the first value to determine one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers associated with communications in the second cell based on the second configuration. In an example, the first value is usable for the second cell because the first value exists in the second DMRS antenna port indication table for the cell and corresponds to a non-reserved DMRS antenna port number in the second DMRS antenna port indication table. Therefore, the UE uses the first value to look up the second DMRS antenna port indication table and determine a set of DMRS antenna port numbers for use. This determined set is used to receive and process DMRS transmitted from the base station using the second cell, in order to subsequently communicate with the base station using the second cell.

[0088] Figure 7 An example of an operational flow / algorithm structure 700 for a base station to indicate a DMRS antenna port number according to some embodiments is illustrated. The base station is an example of any base station described in this disclosure. The operational flow / algorithm structure 700 can be performed by the base station as a whole and / or by specific components thereof.

[0089] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 700 includes transmitting configuration information to a first user equipment (UE) at 702, the configuration information indicating that multiple cells are configured for the first UE and that a downlink control information (DCI) format is to be used for co-scheduling communications on a number of the multiple cells. For example, the configuration information is transmitted via RRC signaling, identifies the cells configured for use by the UE, includes a DMRS antenna port indication table for these cells, and indicates that DCI format 1_X and DCI format 0_X are to be used for co-scheduling cells between the configured cells, and that such DCI format is to include a type 1A field.

[0090] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 700 includes, at 704, transmitting a single first DCI to the first UE, the single first DCI having the DCI format for co-scheduling a first communication in at least a first cell and a second cell of the plurality of cells for the first UE, and including a field indicating an index having a first value, the first value being used to determine one or more first demodulation reference signal (DMRS) antenna port numbers used in association with the first communication. For example, the DCI has a DCI format 1_X or DCI format 0_X with a Type 1A field. The DCI may indicate the co-scheduled cell. The Type 1A field may include a bitmap indicating the first value.

[0091] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 700 includes transmitting, at 706, a second DCI to a second UE, the second DCI scheduling at least a second communication on the first cell for the second UE and indicating the first value used to determine one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers to be used in association with the second communication. For example, the DCI may be in any available format for scheduling PDSCH and / or PUSCH transmissions and may include a field indicating the first value. In an example, the second DCI may even be a DCI format 1_X or DCI format 0_X with a type 1A field to indicate the co-scheduled cell of the second UE.

[0092] Indicating the same first value in the second DCI may be possible because, for example, the base station may determine that the first UE meets the condition. The condition involves the DMRS antenna port indication table of the first UE.

[0093] Figure 8 Another example of an operational flow / algorithm structure 800 for a UE to determine a DMRS antenna port number according to some embodiments is illustrated. The UE is an example of any of the UEs described in this disclosure. The operational flow / algorithm structure 800 may be performed by the UE as a whole and / or by specific components thereof.

[0094] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 800 may include receiving configuration information from a base station, the configuration information indicating that a plurality of cells are configured for the UE, at 802. For example, the configuration information is received via RRC signaling, identifies the cells configured for use by the UE, and includes a table indicating DMRS antenna ports for the cells.

[0095] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 800 includes, at 804, receiving a single download control information (DCI) from the base station, the single download control information (DCI) having a DCI format that co-schedules communications in at least a first cell and a second cell among the plurality of cells and includes a field having a first type and indicating an index, the index having a value for determining one or more first demodulation reference signal (DMRS) antenna port numbers associated with a first communication in the first cell and one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers associated with a second communication in the second cell. For example, the DCI has a DCI format 1_X or DCI format 0_X with a Type 1A field. The DCI may indicate the co-scheduled cell. The Type 1A field may include a bitmap indicating the value.

[0096] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 800 includes, at 806, determining whether a condition is satisfied for at least the first cell to interpret the field according to a second type different from the first type, wherein satisfying the condition indicates that the value cannot be used to determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers. For example, the UE may determine that the value is not present in a first DMRS antenna port indication table included in the first configuration and / or that the table has a different size than a second DMRS antenna port indication table included in the second configuration. Alternatively, the UE may search the first DMRS antenna port table and determine that the first value is included but corresponds to a reserved value of the set of DMRS antenna ports.

[0097] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 800 includes, at 808, determining the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers based on the first type or the second type. For example, if the condition is not met, the first type (e.g., type 1A) is used; otherwise, the second type (e.g., type 2) is used. Then, as described above, the DCI is interpreted based on the relevant type.

[0098] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 800 includes: at 810, communicating in the first cell based on the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers. For example, the UE determines a set of DMRS antenna port numbers and uses the determined set to receive and process DMRS from the base station using the first cell, so as to then communicate with the base station using the first cell.

[0099] Figure 9 Another example of an operational flow / algorithm structure 900 for a base station to indicate a DMRS antenna port number according to some embodiments is illustrated. The base station is an example of any base station described in this disclosure. The operational flow / algorithm structure 900 can be performed by the base station as a whole and / or by specific components thereof.

[0100] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 900 includes transmitting configuration information to a user equipment (UE), the configuration information indicating that a plurality of cells are configured for the UE, at 902. For example, the configuration information is transmitted via RRC signaling, identifies the cells configured for use by the UE, and includes a table indicating DMRS antenna ports for the cells.

[0101] In an example, the operational flow / algorithm structure 900 includes determining that communications with the UE are to be co-scheduled in at least a first cell and a second cell in the plurality of cells, at 904. For example, the determination is based on data to be transmitted to the UE or based on a request by the UE for an uplink grant.

[0102] In an example, operational flow / algorithm structure 900 includes, at 906, transmitting a single download control information (DCI) to the UE, the single download control information (DCI) having a DCI format for co-scheduling communications in at least the first cell and the second cell, and including a field having a first type and indicating an index, the index having a value for identifying one or more first demodulation reference signal (DMRS) antenna port numbers associated with the first communication in the first cell and one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers associated with the second communication in the second cell. For example, before configuring the UE, the base station determines the DMRS antenna port indication table and determines, based on the table, that the condition is satisfied. Therefore, as part of configuring the multiple cells for the UE, the base station may configure the use of type 2 fields in DCI formats 1_X and 0_X instead of type 1A fields. In another example, the UE is configured to use both type 1A and type 2 fields. Before scheduling these cells, the base station may determine that the cells to be co-scheduled meet the condition related to the DMRS antenna port configuration. In this case, the base station transmits the DCI with the type 2 field. Alternatively, if DCI with a Type 1A field is transmitted (eg, where only Type 1A fields are configured), the base station may assume that the UE is able to interpret the field as a Type 2 field.

[0103] Figure 10 1 illustrates a receiving component 1000 of a UE 104 according to some embodiments. A device, such as that described in any of the figures above, may include a similar receiving component. The receiving component 1000 may include an antenna panel 1004 that includes a plurality of antenna elements. The panel 1004 is shown as having four antenna elements, but other embodiments may include other numbers of antenna elements.

[0104] The antenna panel 1004 may be coupled to an analog beamforming (BF) assembly including a plurality of phase shifters 1008(1) to 1008(4). The phase shifters 1008(1) to 1008(4) may be coupled to a radio frequency (RF) chain 1012. The RF chain 1012 may amplify a received analog RF signal, downconvert the RF signal to baseband, and convert the analog baseband signal to a digital baseband signal that may be provided to a baseband processor for further processing.

[0105] In various embodiments, control circuitry, which may reside in a baseband processor, may provide BF weights (e.g., W1 to W4), which may represent phase shift values, to phase shifters 1008(1) to 1008(4) to provide receive beams at antenna panel 1004. These BF weights may be determined based on channel-based beamforming.

[0106] Figure 11UE 1100 according to some embodiments is illustrated. UE 1100 may be similar to Figure 1 UE 104 and is essentially interchangeable therewith.

[0107] Similar to the description above regarding UE 104, UE 1100 can be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet, an industrial wireless sensor (e.g., a microphone, a carbon dioxide sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, a thermometer, a motion sensor, an accelerometer, a laser scanner, a fluid level sensor, an inventory sensor, a voltage / current meter, and an actuator), a video surveillance / monitoring device (e.g., a camera and a video camera), a wearable device, or a relaxation IoT device. In some embodiments, the UE can be a reduced-capacity UE or an NR-Light UE.

[0108] UE 1100 may include a processor 1104, an RF interface circuit 1108, a memory / storage 1112, a user interface 1116, a sensor 1120, a driver circuit 1122, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 1124, and a battery 1128. The components of UE 1100 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions of integrated circuits, discrete electronic devices or other modules, logic components, hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof. Figure 11 The block diagram is intended to show a simplified view of some of the components of the UE 1100. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0109] Components of UE 1100 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1132, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or extension), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc., that allows various circuit components (on a common or different chip or chipset) to interact with each other.

[0110] The processor 1104 may include processor circuits such as, for example, a baseband processor circuit (BB) 1104A, a central processor unit circuit (CPU) 1104B, and a graphics processor unit circuit (GPU) 1104C. The processor 1104 may include any type of circuit or processor circuit that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions (such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from the memory / storage device 1112) to cause the UE 1100 to perform operations as described herein.

[0111] In some embodiments, the baseband processor circuit 1104A can access the communication protocol stack 1136 in the memory / storage device 1112 to communicate over a 3GPP-compatible network. Generally speaking, the baseband processor circuit 1104A can access the communication protocol stack to perform user plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, and PDU layer; and control plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and non-access stratum (NAS) layer. In some embodiments, PHY layer operations can additionally / alternatively be performed by components of the RF interface circuit 1108.

[0112] The baseband processor circuit 1104A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in a 3GPP-compliant network. In some embodiments, the waveforms used for NR may be based on cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the uplink.

[0113] The baseband processor circuit 1104A may also access group information 1124 from the memory / storage 1112 to determine a search space group in which multiple repetitions of the PDCCH may be sent.

[0114] The memory / storage 1112 may include any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that may be distributed throughout the UE 1100. In some embodiments, some of the memory / storage 1112 may be located on the processor 1104 itself (e.g., L1 cache and L2 cache), while other memory / storage 1112 may be external to the processor 1104 but accessible via a memory interface. The memory / storage 1112 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0115] The RF interface circuit 1108 may include transceiver circuitry and a radio frequency front-end module (RFEM), which allows the UE 1100 to communicate with other devices over a radio access network. The RF interface circuit 1108 may include various components arranged in a transmit path or a receive path. These components may include switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuits, control circuits, etc.

[0116] In the receive path, the RFEM receives the radiated signal from the air interface via antenna 1124 and further filters and amplifies the signal (using a low-noise amplifier). The signal is provided to the transceiver's receiver, which downconverts the RF signal to a baseband signal that is provided to the baseband processor of processor 1104.

[0117] In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides an RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier before radiating the signal across the air interface via the antenna 1124.

[0118] In various embodiments, the RF interface circuit 1108 may be configured to send / receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technology.

[0119] Antenna 1124 may include multiple antenna elements, each of which converts electrical signals into radio waves to pass through the air and converts received radio waves into electrical signals. These antenna elements may be arranged into one or more antenna panels. Antenna 1124 may have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to achieve beamforming and multiple-input, multiple-output communications. Antenna 1124 may include a microstrip antenna, a printed antenna manufactured on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, a patch antenna, a phased array antenna, etc. Antenna 1124 may have one or more panels designed for a specific frequency band, including a frequency band in FR1 or FR2.

[0120] User interface circuitry 1116 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable a user to interact with UE 1100. User interface 1116 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual component for accepting input, including, in particular, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a trackpad, a touchscreen, a microphone, a scanner, or a head-mounted device. Output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual component for displaying or otherwise conveying information, such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information. Output device circuitry may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, including, in particular, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators (such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs (such as a display device or touchscreen (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), an LED display, a quantum dot display, a projector, etc.)), where the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc., is generated or produced by the operation of UE 1100.

[0121] Sensors 1120 may include devices, modules, or subsystems whose purpose is to detect events or changes in their environment and to communicate information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, among others, inertial measurement units including accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetometers; microelectromechanical systems or nanoelectromechanical systems including three-axis accelerometers, three-axis gyroscopes, or magnetometers; fluid level sensors; flow sensors; temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors); pressure sensors; barometric pressure sensors; gravity meters; altimeters; image capture devices (e.g., cameras or lensless apertures); light detection and ranging sensors; proximity sensors (e.g., infrared radiation detectors, etc.); depth sensors; ambient light sensors; ultrasound transceivers; microphones or other similar audio capture devices; and the like.

[0122] The driver circuit 1122 may include software and hardware components that operate to control specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE 1100. The driver circuit 1122 may include various drivers to allow other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the UE 1100. For example, the driver circuit 1122 may include a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touch screen interface, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings from the sensor circuit 1120 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuit 1120, a driver for obtaining actuator positions of electromechanical components or controlling and allowing access to electromechanical components, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, or an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0123] The PMIC 1124 may manage the power provided to various components of the UE 1100. Specifically, with respect to the processor 1104, the PMIC 1124 may control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0124] In some embodiments, the PMIC 1124 may control or otherwise be part of various power-saving mechanisms for the UE 1100. For example, if the platform UE is in the RRC_Connected state, in which it remains connected to a RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, after a period of inactivity, the platform may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the UE 1100 may power down for short intervals, thereby saving power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the UE 1100 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the UE is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handovers, etc. The UE 1100 enters a very low-power state and performs paging, in which the UE periodically wakes up again to listen to the network, and then powers down again. The UE 1100 may not receive data in this state; to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. An additional power saving mode can disable the device from the network for a period exceeding the paging interval (from a few seconds to a few hours). During this period, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered down. Any data transmitted during this period will incur significant latency, assuming that latency is acceptable.

[0125] The battery 1128 can power the UE 1100, but in some examples, the UE 1100 can be installed and deployed in a fixed location and can have a power source coupled to the power grid. The battery 1128 can be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery (such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc.). In some specific implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 1128 can be a typical lead-acid automobile battery.

[0126] Figure 12 The gNB 1200 is illustrated according to some embodiments. The gNB node 1200 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the gNB 108. The base station may have the same or similar components as the gNB 1200.

[0127] gNB 1200 may include a processor 1204, an RF interface circuit 1208, a core network (CN) interface circuit 1212, and / or a memory / storage device circuit 1216.

[0128] Components of gNB 1200 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1228.

[0129] The processor 1204, RF interface circuit 1208, memory / storage circuit 1216 (including communication protocol stack 1210), antenna 1224, and interconnect 1228 may communicate with each other. Figure 10Like-named elements are shown and described similarly.

[0130] The CN interface circuitry 1212 can provide connectivity to a core network (e.g., a 5th Generation Core Network (5GC) using a 5GC-compatible network interface protocol, such as a Carrier Ethernet protocol, or some other suitable protocol). Network connectivity can be provided to / from the gNB 1200 via optical fiber or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuitry 1212 can include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuitry 1212 can include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0131] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0132] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods described in the Examples section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the following embodiments. For another example, circuitry associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the embodiments described in the Examples section below.

[0133] Example

[0134] In the following sections, additional exemplary embodiments are provided.

[0135] Embodiment 1 includes a method implemented by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving configuration information from a base station, the configuration information indicating that multiple cells are configured for the UE and a downlink control information (DCI) format is to be used for co-scheduling communications on a number of the multiple cells; receiving a single DCI from the base station, the single DCI having the DCI format, co-scheduling communications in at least a first cell and a second cell of the multiple cells, and including a field indicating an index having a first value, the first value being used to determine one or more first demodulation reference signal (DMRS) antenna port numbers associated with communications in the first cell according to a first configuration of the first cell, and for determining one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers associated with communications in the second cell according to a second configuration of the second cell; determining that a condition is satisfied for determining the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers using a second value instead of the first value, wherein satisfying the condition indicates that the first value cannot be used to determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers; using the second value to determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers based on the first configuration; and using the first value to determine the one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers associated with communications in the second cell based on the second configuration.

[0136] Embodiment 2 includes a method implemented by a base station, the method comprising: transmitting configuration information to a first user equipment (UE), the configuration information indicating that multiple cells are configured for the first UE and a downlink control information (DCI) format will be used to co-schedule communications on many of the multiple cells; transmitting a single first DCI to the first UE, the single first DCI having the DCI format, co-scheduling first communications in at least the first cell and the second cell of the multiple cells for the first UE, and including a field indicating an index having a first value, the first value being used to determine one or more first demodulation reference signal (DMRS) antenna port numbers used in association with the first communication; and transmitting a second DCI to a second UE, the second DCI scheduling a second communication on at least the first cell for the second UE and indicating the first value used to determine one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers used in association with the second communication.

[0137] Embodiment 3 includes a method implemented by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving configuration information from a base station, the configuration information indicating that multiple cells are configured for the UE; receiving single download control information (DCI) from the base station, the single download control information (DCI) having a DCI format, co-scheduling communications in at least a first cell and a second cell of the multiple cells, and including a field having a first type and indicating an index, the index having a value for determining one or more first demodulation reference signal (DMRS) antenna port numbers associated with a first communication in the first cell and one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers associated with a second communication in the second cell; determining whether a condition is satisfied for interpreting the field according to a second type different from the first type for at least the first cell, wherein satisfying the condition indicates that the value cannot be used to determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers; determining the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers based on the first type or the second type; and communicating in the first cell based on the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers.

[0138] Embodiment 4 includes a method implemented by a base station, the method comprising: transmitting configuration information to a user equipment (UE), the configuration information indicating that multiple cells are configured for the UE; determining that communications with the UE will be co-scheduled in at least a first cell and a second cell among the multiple cells; and transmitting a single download control information (DCI) to the UE, the single download control information (DCI) having a DCI format, co-scheduling communications in at least the first cell and the second cell, and including a field having a first type and indicating an index, the index having a value for determining one or more first demodulation reference signal (DMRS) antenna port numbers associated with a first communication in the first cell and one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers associated with a second communication in the second cell.

[0139] Embodiment 5 includes a method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the first configuration includes a first DMRS antenna port indication table, wherein the second configuration includes a second DMRS antenna port indication table, and wherein the condition includes at least one of the following: whether the size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table is different from the size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table, or whether the first value corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0140] Embodiment 6 includes the method of embodiment 5, wherein the second value is a default value, the default value is set to a lowest value or a highest value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table, the highest value not corresponding to the reserved value.

[0141] Embodiment 7 includes the method of embodiment 5, wherein the second value is pre-configured in the configuration information to be between a lowest value and a highest value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0142] Embodiment 8 includes the method according to embodiment 5, wherein the condition further comprises: whether the first DMRS antenna port indication table is associated with a DMRS of multiple symbol lengths.

[0143] Embodiment 9 includes the method according to embodiment 8, which further includes: determining that the first DMRS antenna port indication table is associated with the DMRS of multiple symbol lengths; and determining the second value as the lowest value or the highest value for the DMRS of multiple symbol lengths in the first DMRS antenna port indication table, and the highest value does not correspond to the reserved value.

[0144] Embodiment 10 includes the method of any of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein the single DCI has DCI format 0_X or 1_X, and wherein the field is a type 1A field.

[0145] Embodiment 11 includes the method of embodiment 10, wherein the DCI format is at least one of DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X, and wherein the field is a type 1A field.

[0146] Embodiment 12 includes a method according to embodiment 11, wherein the type 1A field indicates that the first value is used for a first search by the first UE on a first DMRS antenna port indication table configured for the first cell and a second search by the first UE on a DMRS antenna port indication table configured for the first cell.

[0147] Embodiment 13 includes the method of embodiment 12, wherein the result of the first lookup indicates that the first value does not exist in the first DMRS antenna port indication table or corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0148] Embodiment 14 includes the method of embodiment 13, wherein the result causes the first UE to determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers using a second value from the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0149] Embodiment 15 includes the method of embodiment 14, wherein the second value is a lowest value or a highest value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table, the highest value not corresponding to the reserved value.

[0150] Embodiment 16 includes a method according to embodiment 14, wherein the first DMRS antenna port indication table is associated with a DMRS of multiple symbol lengths, and wherein the second value is a lowest value or a highest value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table for the DMRS of multiple symbol lengths.

[0151] Embodiment 17 includes a method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 16, the method further comprising: determining, based on the configuration information, that conditions for co-scheduling the first cell and the second cell for the first UE are met; and including the first value in the second DCI transmitted to the second UE based on the first UE satisfying the conditions.

[0152] Embodiment 18 includes the method of embodiment 17, wherein the configuration information indicates a first DMRS antenna port indication table configured for the first cell and a second DMRS antenna port indication table configured for the second cell, and wherein the condition includes at least one of: whether a size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table is different from a size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table, or whether the first value corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0153] Embodiment 19 includes the method according to embodiment 18, wherein the condition further comprises: whether the first DMRS antenna port indication table is associated with a DMRS of multiple symbol lengths.

[0154] Embodiment 20 includes the method of any one of embodiments 1 to 19, wherein the configuration information further indicates that the DCI format is to be used for co-scheduling communications on a number of the plurality of cells.

[0155] Embodiment 21 includes the method of embodiment 20, wherein the DCI format is at least one of DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X, wherein the first type is type 1A, and wherein the second type is type 2.

[0156] Embodiment 22 includes the method according to embodiment 21, wherein the type 1A is used when the condition is not met, and wherein the type 2 is used when the condition is met.

[0157] Embodiment 23 includes a method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 22, wherein the single DCI, the field, the index and the value are respectively a single first DCI, a first field, a first index and a first value, and wherein the method further includes: receiving a second single DCI from the base station, the second single DCI having the DCI format, co-scheduling communications in at least the first cell and the third cell of the multiple cells, and including a second field, the second field having the first type and indicating a second index having a second value, the second value being used to determine one or more third DMRS antenna port numbers associated with the third communication in the third cell and one or more fourth DMRS antenna port numbers associated with the fourth communication in the first cell; using the second value to determine one or more third DMRS antenna port numbers associated with the third communication in the third cell based on the third configuration of the third cell; and using the second value to determine one or more fourth DMRS numbers associated with the fourth communication in the first cell based on the first configuration of the first cell.

[0158] Embodiment 24 includes the method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 26, wherein the configuration information indicates a first configuration of the first cell and a second configuration of the second cell, and wherein determining whether the condition is met is based on the first configuration and the second configuration.

[0159] Embodiment 25 includes the method of embodiment 24, wherein the first configuration includes a first DMRS antenna port indication table, and wherein the second configuration includes a second DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0160] Embodiment 26 includes a method according to embodiment 25, wherein the condition includes at least one of the following: whether the size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table is different from the size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table, or whether the value corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0161] Embodiment 27 includes a method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 25, wherein the configuration information indicates a first DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the first cell and a second DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the second cell, and wherein the configuration information further indicates that the DCI type 1A field and the DCI type 2 field are configured for the UE in association with the co-scheduled cell.

[0162] Embodiment 28 includes the method according to embodiment 27, and the method further includes: determining that the first cell and the second cell are co-scheduled based on the single DCI; determining that the size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table is the same as the size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table; determining to indicate a single bit field in the field; and using the single bit field to determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers and the one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers.

[0163] Embodiment 29 includes the method according to embodiment 27, which further includes: determining that the first cell and the second cell are co-scheduled based on the single DCI; determining that the size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table is different from the size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table; determining that the field is a first field that can be used to determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port number fields, and the second field in the DCI can be used to determine the one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers; using the first field to determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers; and using the second field to determine the one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers.

[0164] Embodiment 30 includes a method according to any of embodiments 1 to 29, wherein the DCI format is at least one of DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X, wherein the first type is type 1A, wherein the single DCI causes the UE to interpret the field according to a second type based on satisfying a condition, and the second type is type 2.

[0165] Embodiment 31 includes a method according to embodiment 30, wherein the configuration information indicates a first DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the first cell and a second DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the second cell, and wherein the condition includes at least one of the following: whether the size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table is different from the size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table, or whether the value corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0166] Embodiment 32 includes the method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 31, further comprising: determining that the UE satisfies a condition associated with co-scheduling the first cell and the second cell, wherein based on satisfying the condition, the field is a type 2 field.

[0167] Embodiment 33 includes a method according to embodiment 32, wherein the condition includes at least one of the following: whether the size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the first cell is different from the size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the second cell, or whether the value corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0168] Embodiment 34 includes a method according to any of embodiments 1 to 34, wherein the DCI format is at least one of DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X, and wherein the method further includes: determining that using type 1A for the type is not suitable for at least the first communication; and using type 2 for the type instead of type 1A.

[0169] Embodiment 35 includes a method according to embodiment 34, wherein the type 1A is not suitable based on satisfying a condition, the condition comprising at least one of the following: whether the size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the first cell is different from the size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the second cell, or whether the value corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0170] Embodiment 36 includes a method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 35, wherein the UE and the single DCI are respectively a first UE and a single first DCI, and wherein the method further comprises: transmitting a second DCI to a second UE, the second DCI scheduling a third communication in at least the first cell for the second UE and indicating the value for determining one or more DMRS antenna port numbers used in association with the third communication.

[0171] Embodiment 37 includes the method according to embodiment 36, which further includes: determining, based on the configuration information, whether the conditions for co-scheduling the first cell and the second cell for the first UE are met; and including the value in the second DCI transmitted to the second UE based on the first UE satisfying the conditions.

[0172] Embodiment 38 includes the method of embodiment 37, wherein the condition comprises whether a size of a first DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the first cell is different from a size of a second DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the second cell.

[0173] Embodiment 39 includes the method of embodiment 38, wherein the condition further comprises: whether the value corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

[0174] Embodiment 40 includes an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of the method as described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 39.

[0175] Embodiment 41 includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, wherein the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of embodiments 1 to 39.

[0176] Embodiment 42 includes an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of the method as described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1-39.

[0177] Embodiment 43 includes a device comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of embodiments 1 to 39.

[0178] Embodiment 44 includes a system comprising means for performing one or more elements of the method according to or in connection with any one of embodiments 1 to 39.

[0179] Embodiment 45 includes a network comprising components for performing one or more elements of the method according to or in connection with any one of embodiments 1 to 39.

[0180] Embodiment 46 includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, wherein the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a network, cause the network to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of embodiments 1 to 39.

[0181] Embodiment 47 includes a network comprising logic components, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of the method according to or in connection with any one of embodiments 1 to 39.

[0182] Embodiment 48 includes a network comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of embodiments 1 to 39.

[0183] Unless expressly stated otherwise, any of the embodiments described above may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the various embodiments.

[0184] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving configuration information from a base station, the configuration information indicating that a plurality of cells are configured for the UE; receiving, from the base station, single download control information (DCI), the single download control information (DCI) having a DCI format for co-scheduling communications in at least a first cell and a second cell of the plurality of cells, and including a field having a first type and indicating an index, the index having a value for determining one or more first demodulation reference signal (DMRS) antenna port numbers associated with a first communication in the first cell and one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers associated with a second communication in the second cell; determining whether a condition is satisfied for interpreting the field for at least the first cell according to a second type different from the first type, wherein satisfying the condition indicates that the value cannot be used to determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers; Determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers based on the first type or the second type; as well as Communicating in the first cell based on the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration information further indicates that the DCI format is to be used for co-scheduling communications on a number of the plurality of cells.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the DCI format is at least one of DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X, wherein the first type is type 1A, and wherein the second type is type 2. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the type 1A is used when the condition is not satisfied, and wherein the type 2 is used when the condition is satisfied.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the single DCI, the field, the index, and the value are a single first DCI, a first field, a first index, and a first value, respectively, and wherein: The method further comprises: receiving a second single DCI from the base station, the second single DCI having the DCI format, co-scheduling communications in at least the first cell and a third cell of the plurality of cells, and including a second field, the second field having the first type and indicating a second index having a second value, the second value being used to determine one or more third DMRS antenna port numbers associated with a third communication in the third cell and one or more fourth DMRS antenna port numbers associated with a fourth communication in the first cell; using the second value to determine one or more third DMRS antenna port numbers associated with a third communication in the third cell based on a third configuration of the third cell; and The second value is used to determine one or more fourth DMRS numbers associated with a fourth communication in the first cell based on the first configuration of the first cell. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the configuration information indicates a first configuration of the first cell and a second configuration of the second cell, and wherein satisfying the condition is determined based on the first configuration and the second configuration. 7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the first configuration comprises a first DMRS antenna port indication table, and wherein the second configuration comprises a second DMRS antenna port indication table.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the condition comprises at least one of: whether a size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table is different from a size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table, or whether the value corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the configuration information indicates a first DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the first cell and a second DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the second cell, and wherein the configuration information further indicates that a DCI type 1A field and a DCI type 2 field are configured for the UE in association with a co-scheduled cell.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: determining, according to the single DCI, that the first cell and the second cell are co-scheduled; Determine that a size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table is the same as a size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table; determining to indicate a single bit field in said field; as well as The one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers and the one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers are determined using the single bit field.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: determining, according to the single DCI, that the first cell and the second cell are co-scheduled; Determine that a size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table is different from a size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table; determining that the field is a first field that can be used to determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port number fields, and that a second field in the DCI can be used to determine the one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers; Determine the one or more first DMRS antenna port numbers using the first field; as well as The one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers are determined using the second field.

12. A method implemented by a base station, the method comprising: transmitting configuration information to a user equipment (UE), the configuration information indicating that a plurality of cells are configured for the UE; determining that communications with the UE are to be co-scheduled in at least a first cell and a second cell among the plurality of cells; as well as Single download control information (DCI) is transmitted to the UE, wherein the single download control information (DCI) has a DCI format, coordinates communications in at least the first cell and the second cell, and includes a field of a first type and indicating an index, wherein the index has a value, and the value is used to determine one or more first demodulation reference signal (DMRS) antenna port numbers associated with a first communication in the first cell and one or more second DMRS antenna port numbers associated with a second communication in the second cell.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the DCI format is at least one of DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X, wherein the first type is type 1A, wherein the single DCI causes the UE to interpret the field according to a second type based on satisfying a condition, the second type being type 2.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the configuration information indicates a first DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the first cell and a second DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the second cell, and wherein the condition comprises at least one of: whether a size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table is different from a size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table, or whether the value corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: It is determined that the UE satisfies a condition associated with co-scheduling the first cell and the second cell, wherein based on satisfying the condition, the field is a type 2 field.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the condition comprises at least one of: whether a size of the first DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the first cell is different from a size of the second DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the second cell, or whether the value corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the DCI format is at least one of DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X, and wherein the method further comprises: determining that use of type 1A for said type is inappropriate for at least said first communication; as well as Instead of the type 1A, type 2 is used for the type.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the Type 1A is not suitable based on satisfying a condition, wherein the condition comprises at least one of: whether a size of a first DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the first cell is different from a size of a second DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the second cell, or whether the value corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the UE and the single DCI are a first UE and a single first DCI, respectively, and wherein the method further comprises: A second DCI is transmitted to a second UE, the second DCI scheduling at least a third communication in the first cell for the second UE and indicating the value used to determine one or more DMRS antenna port numbers used in association with the third communication.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: Determining, based on the configuration information, that a condition for co-scheduling the first cell and the second cell for the first UE is satisfied; as well as Based on the first UE satisfying the condition, the value is included in the second DCI transmitted to the second UE.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the conditions include: Whether a size of a first DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the first cell is different from a size of a second DMRS antenna port indication table associated with the second cell.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the condition further comprises: Whether the value corresponds to a reserved value in the first DMRS antenna port indication table.

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