Method and device for secondary cell dormancy indication

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a method and equipment for secondary cell dormancy indication. In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, a UE may: receive, from a BS, signaling that configures a first set of cells for multi-cell scheduling by a DCI format, and a CRC of the DCI format is scrambled by a C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI of the UE; receiving the DCI format from the BS; determining whether a field set in the DCI format is re-used for indicating secondary cell dormancy of each secondary cell of the UE, wherein a first bit of the field set corresponds to a first secondary cell of the UE; and switching to a sleep BWP of the first secondary cell of the UE in response to the first bit indicating sleep of the first secondary cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to wireless communication technologies, and more specifically to SCell sleep indication of multiple secondary cells (SCells) via downlink control information (DCI). Background Technology

[0002] A wireless communication system may include one or more network communication devices, such as base stations, which can support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices, also referred to as user equipment (UE) or other suitable terms. The wireless communication system can support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices by utilizing the resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers, etc.)). Furthermore, the wireless communication system can support wireless communication across various radio access technologies, including third-generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth-generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth-generation (5G) radio access technology (also known as New Radio (NR)), and other suitable radio access technologies above 5G (e.g., sixth-generation (6G)).

[0003] For example, carrier aggregation (CA) technology can be used in wireless communication systems to improve data rates. CA technology can refer to aggregating spectrum resources (e.g., carriers or cells) from the same or different frequency bands. In a CA scenario, multiple cells can be configured for the UE, and DL or UL channels can be uploaded over one or more of these cells.

[0004] A UE in a wireless communication system may be configured with one or more SCells. However, one or more of the configured SCells may not always be used for data transmission. Therefore, if the UE can stop monitoring the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in one or more SCells where data transmission is not expected, power consumption can be reduced.

[0005] In wireless communication systems, it is necessary to instruct the SCell to go into sleep mode. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The article “a” preceding an element is not limited and is understood to refer to “at least one” or “one or more” of those elements. The terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” and “at least one of one or more” are interchangeable. As used herein (included in the claims), the word “or” used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with phrases such as “at least one of…”, “one or more of…”, or “one or both of…”) indicates an inclusive list, such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an instance step described as “based on condition A” may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase “at least partially based on.” Furthermore, as used herein (included in the claims), a “set” may comprise one or more elements.

[0007] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a UE. The UE may include at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, configured to cause the UE to: receive signaling from a base station (BS), the signaling being configured for a first set of cells for multi-cell scheduling via a DCI format, wherein a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the DCI format is scrambled using the UE's Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) or Modulation and Coding Scheme C-RNTI (MCS-C-RNTI); receive the DCI format from the BS; determine whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, wherein the first bit of the field set corresponds to the UE's first secondary cell; and switch to the sleep bandwidth portion (BWP) of the UE's first secondary cell in response to the first bit indicating the sleep of the first secondary cell.

[0008] In some embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: determine that the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE in response to the absence of a one-shot Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) request field in the DCI format or an indication that a one-shot HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, the absence of a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and all Frequency Domain Resource Assignment (FDRA) fields in the DCI format indicating invalid values.

[0009] In some embodiments, the DCI may include a first indicator indicating whether the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell of the UE, or whether a second indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell group of the UE.

[0010] In some embodiments, when the first indicator indicates that the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, the DCI format does not schedule any data transmissions. In some embodiments, when the first indicator indicates that the second indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell group of the UE, the DCI format schedules one or more data transmissions for the UE.

[0011] In some embodiments, the field set may include one or more FDRA fields corresponding to one or more cells in the second cell set that have the minimum serving cell index. In some embodiments, the second cell set is indicated by the DCI format in the first cell set if the DCI format includes an indicator indicating a scheduled cell; otherwise, the second cell set is the first cell set.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first cell set may include the primary cell of the UE. The at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: determine that the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE in response to the absence of a HARQ-ACK request field in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, the absence of a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and all FDRA fields in the DCI format except the FDRA field of the primary cell indicating invalid values.

[0013] In some embodiments, the field set does not include fields for the primary cell.

[0014] In some embodiments, the at least one processor is further configured to enable the UE to determine whether the primary cell is scheduled by the DCI format based on whether the FDRA field of the primary cell indicates a valid or invalid value or based on whether the scheduled cell combination indicated by the DCI format includes the primary cell.

[0015] In some embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: determine that the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE in response to the absence of a HARQ-ACK request field in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, the absence of a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and at least one FDRA field in the DCI format indicating an invalid value.

[0016] In some embodiments, the number of the at least one FDRA field is determined based on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE.

[0017] In some embodiments, the field set is specifically for the cell with the minimum serving cell index among one or more cells in the second cell set, wherein the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value. In some embodiments, the second cell set is indicated by the DCI format in the first cell set if the DCI format includes an indicator indicating a scheduled cell; otherwise, the second cell set is the first cell set.

[0018] In some embodiments, the field set is concatenated into a bitmap-based indicator according to predefined rules, and each secondary cell of the UE corresponds to a corresponding bit in the bitmap-based indicator.

[0019] In some embodiments, depending on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE, multiple bits in the bitmap-based indicator are used to indicate the sleep state of each secondary cell of the UE, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator are reserved.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first value of the first bit may indicate that the UE switches to the dormant BWP of the first secondary cell. In some embodiments, the second value of the first bit may indicate that the UE switches to the first active BWP of the first secondary cell when the currently active BWP of the first secondary cell is the dormant BWP, or may indicate that the UE maintains the currently active BWP of the first secondary cell when the currently active BWP of the first secondary cell is not the dormant BWP.

[0021] In some embodiments, the field set may include one or more of the following: cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes; cell-specific fields with configurable field sizes; and cell common fields.

[0022] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a BS. The BS may include at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, and configured such that the BS: transmits signaling to a UE, the signaling configuring a first cell set for multi-cell scheduling via a DCI format, and the CRC of the DCI format is scrambled by the UE's C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI; and transmits the DCI format to the UE, wherein the DCI format may indicate whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, and the first bit of the set of fields corresponds to the first secondary cell of the UE.

[0023] In some embodiments, if a HARQ-ACK request field is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and all FDRA fields in the DCI format indicate invalid values, the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE.

[0024] In some embodiments, the DCI may include a first indicator indicating whether the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell of the UE, or whether a second indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell group of the UE.

[0025] In some embodiments, when the first indicator indicates that the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, the DCI format does not schedule any data transmissions. In some embodiments, when the first indicator indicates that the second indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell group of the UE, the DCI format schedules one or more data transmissions for the UE.

[0026] In some embodiments, the field set may include one or more FDRA fields corresponding to one or more cells in the second cell set that have the minimum serving cell index. In some embodiments, the second cell set is indicated by the DCI format in the first cell set if the DCI format includes an indicator indicating a scheduled cell; otherwise, the second cell set is the first cell set.

[0027] In some embodiments, the first cell set may include the primary cell of the UE. In some embodiments, if a HARQ-ACK request field is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and all FDRA fields in the DCI format except for the FDRA field of the primary cell indicate invalid values, the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE.

[0028] In some embodiments, the field set does not include fields for the primary cell.

[0029] In some embodiments, whether the primary cell is scheduled by the DCI format is based on whether the FDRA field of the primary cell indicates a valid or invalid value, or on whether the scheduled cell combination indicated by the DCI format includes the primary cell.

[0030] In some embodiments, if a HARQ-ACK request field is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and at least one FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value, the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE.

[0031] In some embodiments, the at least one processor is further configured to enable the BS to determine the number of the at least one FDRA field based on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE.

[0032] In some embodiments, the field set is specifically for the cell with the minimum serving cell index among one or more cells in the second cell set, wherein the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value. In some embodiments, the second cell set is indicated by the DCI format in the first cell set if the DCI format includes an indicator indicating a scheduled cell; otherwise, the second cell set is the first cell set.

[0033] In some embodiments, the field set is concatenated into a bitmap-based indicator according to predefined rules, and each secondary cell of the UE corresponds to a corresponding bit in the bitmap-based indicator.

[0034] In some embodiments, depending on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE, multiple bits in the bitmap-based indicator are used to indicate the sleep state of each secondary cell of the UE, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator are reserved.

[0035] In some embodiments, the first value of the first bit may indicate that the UE switches to the dormant BWP of the first secondary cell. In some embodiments, the second value of the first bit may indicate that the UE switches to the first active BWP of the first secondary cell when the currently active BWP of the first secondary cell is the dormant BWP, or may indicate that the UE maintains the currently active BWP of the first secondary cell when the currently active BWP of the first secondary cell is not the dormant BWP.

[0036] In some embodiments, the field set may include one or more of the following: cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes; cell-specific fields with configurable field sizes; and cell common fields.

[0037] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a processor. The processor may include at least one controller coupled to at least one memory and configured to: receive signaling from a BS, the signaling configuring a first cell set for multi-cell scheduling via a DCI format, wherein a CRC of the DCI format is scrambled by a UE's C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI; receive the DCI format from the BS; determine whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, wherein the first bit of the field set corresponds to the UE's first secondary cell; and switch to the sleep BWP of the UE's first secondary cell in response to the first bit indicating sleep of the first secondary cell.

[0038] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a processor. The processor may include at least one controller coupled to at least one memory and configured to: transmit signaling to a UE, the signaling configuring a first cell set for multi-cell scheduling via a DCI format, wherein a CRC of the DCI format is scrambled by the UE's C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI; and transmit the DCI format to the UE, wherein the DCI format may indicate whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, and the first bit of the set of fields corresponds to the UE's first secondary cell.

[0039] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for wireless communication. The method may include: receiving signaling from a BS, the signaling configuring a first cell set for multi-cell scheduling via a DCI format, wherein the CRC of the DCI format is scrambled by a UE's C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI; receiving the DCI format from the BS; determining whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, wherein the first bit of the field set corresponds to the UE's first secondary cell; and switching to the UE's sleep BWP for the first secondary cell in response to the first bit indicating sleep for the first secondary cell.

[0040] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for wireless communication. The method may include: transmitting signaling to a UE, the signaling configuring a first cell set for multi-cell scheduling via a DCI format, wherein the CRC of the DCI format is scrambled using the UE's C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI; and transmitting the DCI format to the UE, wherein the DCI format may indicate whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, and the first bit of the set of fields corresponds to the UE's first secondary cell.

[0041] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide an apparatus. According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the apparatus may include: at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon; at least one receiving circuitry; at least one transmitting circuitry; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiving circuitry, and the at least one transmitting circuitry, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer-executable instructions are configured to cause the apparatus to perform a method according to some embodiments of this disclosure using the at least one processor. Attached Figure Description

[0042] To illustrate the advantages and features of this disclosure, the description of the disclosure is presented with reference to specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and should therefore not be construed as limiting its scope.

[0043] Figure 1 Illustrated schematic diagrams of wireless communication systems according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0044] Figure 2 This describes an exemplary bitmap-based indicator for indicating the sleep state of multiple SCells of a UE, according to some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0045] Figure 3 and 4 A flowchart illustrating a method for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0046] Figure 5 Examples of UEs according to some embodiments of this disclosure are described;

[0047] Figure 6 Examples of processors according to some embodiments of this disclosure are described; and

[0048] Figure 7 Examples of network equipment (NE) according to some embodiments of this disclosure are described. Detailed Implementation

[0049] The detailed description of the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present disclosure may be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functionality may be achieved through different embodiments intended to be covered within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0050] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of this disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. For ease of understanding, embodiments are provided under specific network architectures and new service scenarios, such as 3GPP 5G NR, or 6G, 3GPP LTE, etc. It has been considered that all embodiments in this disclosure are applicable to similar technical problems as network architectures and new service scenarios evolve; furthermore, the terminology stated in this disclosure may be changed without affecting the principles of this disclosure.

[0051] A UE in a wireless communication system may be configured with one or more SCells. However, at least one of the SCells may not always be used for data transmission. It is desirable to change the SCell from a non-sleeping BWP to a sleeping BWP to save power.

[0052] To address the aforementioned issues, SCell sleep indication for multiple SCells of a UE can be supported in the multi-cell scheduling DCI format. Embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for supporting SCell sleep indication in the DCI format.

[0053] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0054] The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more NEs 102 (e.g., one or more BSs), one or more UEs 104, and a core network (CN) 106. The wireless communication system 100 may support various radio access technologies. In some embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an LTE-A network. In some other embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may be an NR network, such as a 5G network, a 5G-A network, or a 5G Ultra Wideband (5G-UWB) network. In other embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may be a combination of 4G and 5G networks, or other suitable radio access technologies, including IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20. The wireless communication system 100 may support radio access technologies beyond 5G, such as 6G. In addition, the wireless communication system 100 can support technologies such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

[0055] One or more NEs 102 may be distributed across a geographical area to form a wireless communication system 100. One or more of the NEs 102 described herein may be, include, or be referred to as a network node, base station, network element, network function, network entity, radio access network (RAN), NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terms. NEs 102 and UEs 104 may communicate via a communication link, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, NEs 102 and UEs 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receiving signaling, transmitting signaling) via a Uu interface.

[0056] NE 102 can provide a geographic coverage area that supports services for one or more UEs 104 within that geographic coverage area. For example, NE 102 and UE 104 can support wireless communication of signals associated with services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc.) based on one or more radio access technologies. In some embodiments, NE 102 can be mobile, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In some embodiments, different geographic coverage areas 112 associated with the same or different radio access technologies can overlap, but different geographic coverage areas can be associated with different NEs 102.

[0057] One or more UEs 104 may be distributed across a geographical area of ​​the wireless communication system 100. UE 104 may include or be referred to as a remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, remote device, subscriber device, transmitter device, receiver device, or some other suitable term. In some implementations, UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, and other instances thereof. Additionally or alternatively, UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, and other instances thereof.

[0058] UE 104 may be able to support direct wireless communication with other UE 104 via a communication link. For example, UE 104 may support direct wireless communication with another UE 104 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular-V2X deployments, communication link 114 may be referred to as a side link. For example, UE 104 may support direct wireless communication with another UE 104 via a PC5 interface.

[0059] NE 102 may support communication with CN 106 or with another NE 102 or both. For example, NE 102 may interface with another NE 102 or CN 106 via one or more backhaul links (e.g., S1, N2, N3, or another network interface). In some embodiments, NE 102 may communicate directly with each other. In some other embodiments, NE 102 may communicate with each other or indirectly (e.g., via CN 106). In some embodiments, one or more NE 102 may include sub-components, such as access network entities, which may be instances of access node controllers (ANCs). The ANC may communicate with one or more UEs 104 via one or more other access network transmitting entities (which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmit-receive points (TRPs)).

[0060] CN 106 can support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. CN 106 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include control plane entities that manage access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management functions (AMF)) and user plane entities that route or interconnect packets to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). In some implementations, the control plane entities may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions of one or more UEs 104 served by one or more NEs 102 associated with CN 106, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signaling bearers, etc.).

[0061] CN 106 can communicate with the packet data network via one or more backhaul links (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or another network interface). The packet data network may contain an application server. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 can communicate with the application server. UE 104 can establish a session (e.g., a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, etc.) with CN 106 via NE 102. CN 106 can use the established session (e.g., an established PDU session) to route services (e.g., control information, data, etc.) between UE 104 and the application server. A PDU session may be an instance of a logical connection between UE 104 and CN 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of CN 106).

[0062] In the wireless communication system 100, NE 102 and UE 104 can use the resources of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communication). In some embodiments, NE 102 and UE 104 may support different resource structures. For example, NE 102 and UE 104 may support different frame structures. In some embodiments, such as in 4G, NE 102 and UE 104 may support a single frame structure. In some other embodiments, such as in 5G and other suitable radio access technologies, NE 102 and UE 104 may support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures). NE 102 and UE 104 may support various frame structures based on one or more parameter sets.

[0063] The wireless communication system 100 may support one or more parameter sets, and the parameter sets may include subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefixes. A first parameter set (e.g., μ = 0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a regular cyclic prefix. In some embodiments, the first parameter set (e.g., μ = 0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may utilize one time slot per subframe. A second parameter set (e.g., μ = 1) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a regular cyclic prefix. A third parameter set (e.g., μ = 2) may be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a regular cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth parameter set (e.g., μ = 3) may be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a regular cyclic prefix. A fifth parameter set (e.g., μ = 4) may be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a regular cyclic prefix. The sixth parameter set (e.g., μ = 5) may be associated with the sixth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 480 kHz) and the regular cyclic prefix. The seventh parameter set (e.g., μ = 6) may be associated with the seventh subcarrier spacing (e.g., 960 kHz) and the regular cyclic prefix.

[0064] The time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to frames (also called radio frames). Each frame may have a duration, for example, 10 milliseconds (ms). In some embodiments, each frame may contain multiple subframes. For example, each frame may contain 10 subframes, and each subframe may have a duration, for example, 1 ms. In some embodiments, each frame may have the same duration. In some embodiments, each subframe of a frame may have the same duration.

[0065] Alternatively, the time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to time slots. For example, a subframe may contain a certain number (e.g., quantity) of time slots. The number of time slots in each subframe may also depend on one or more parameter sets supported in the wireless communication system 100. For example, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth parameter sets (i.e., μ=0, μ=1, μ=2, μ=3, μ=4) associated with corresponding subcarrier intervals of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz may utilize one time slot per subframe, two time slots per subframe, four time slots per subframe, eight time slots per subframe, and 16 time slots per subframe, respectively. Each time slot may contain a certain number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols). In some embodiments, the number (e.g., quantity) of time slots in a subframe may depend on the parameter set. For a conventional cyclic prefix, a time slot may contain 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable to a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), a time slot may contain 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per time slot for the regular cyclic prefix and the extended cyclic prefix, the number of time slots per subframe, and the number of time slots per frame may depend on the parameter set. It should be understood that references to the first parameter set (e.g., μ = 0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may be used interchangeably between subframes and time slots.

[0066] In the wireless communication system 100, the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum can be divided into various categories, frequency bands, channels, etc., based on frequency or wavelength. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may support one or more operating frequency bands, such as frequency range names FR1 (410MHz to 7.125GHz), FR2 (24.25GHz to 52.6GHz), FR3 (7.125GHz to 24.25GHz), FR4 (52.6GHz to 114.25GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6GHz to 71GHz), and FR5 (114.25GHz to 300GHz). In some embodiments, NE 102 and UE 104 may perform wireless communication on one or more of the operating frequency bands. In some embodiments, FR1 may be used by NE 102 and UE 104, as well as other equipment or devices, for cellular communication services (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 can be used by NE 102 and UE 104, as well as other equipment or devices, for short-range, high data rate capabilities.

[0067] FR1 may be associated with one or more parameter sets (e.g., at least three parameter sets). For example, FR1 may be associated with a first parameter set containing a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ = 0); a second parameter set containing a 30 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ = 1); and a third parameter set containing a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ = 2). FR2 may be associated with one or more parameter sets (e.g., at least two parameter sets). For example, FR2 may be associated with a third parameter set containing a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ = 2); and a fourth parameter set containing a 120 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ = 3).

[0068] UE 104 may include computing devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, smart TVs (e.g., TVs connected to the Internet), set-top boxes, game consoles, security systems (including security cameras), in-vehicle computers, network devices (e.g., routers, switches, and modems), etc. According to some embodiments of this disclosure, UE 104 may include portable wireless communication devices, smartphones, cellular phones, flip phones, devices with subscriber identity modules, personal computers, selective call receivers, or any other devices capable of transmitting and receiving communication signals on a wireless network. In some embodiments of this disclosure, UE 104 includes wearable devices such as smartwatches, fitness trackers, optical head-mounted displays, etc. Furthermore, UE 104 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, mobile device, mobile station, user, terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, fixed terminal, subscriber station, user terminal, or device, or described using other terms used in the art. UE 104 may communicate with NE 102 (e.g., BS) via uplink (UL) communication signals. NE 102 can communicate with UE 104 via downlink (DL) communication signals.

[0069] In some embodiments of this disclosure, NE 102 and UE 104 may communicate on licensed spectrum, while in other embodiments, NE 102 and UE 104 may communicate on unlicensed spectrum. This disclosure is not intended to limit implementations to any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol.

[0070] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the wireless communication system 100 may be designed to support CA (Cybernetic Acquisition). To reduce signaling overhead in the case of CA, multi-cell data transmission (e.g., Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) or Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)) scheduling is supported using a single scheduling DCI format, and in the context of this disclosure, this is referred to as multi-cell scheduling. For example, a dedicated UL DCI format (e.g., DCI format 0_3) may be introduced for scheduling up to 4 PUSCHs across 4 cells, with one PUSCH per cell. For example, a dedicated DL DCI format (e.g., DCI format 1_3) may be introduced for scheduling up to 4 PDSCHs across 4 cells, with one PDSCH per cell.

[0071] For example, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the BS can configure a set of cells that can be used for multi-cell scheduling by the UE. For instance, the BS can transmit a DCI format to the UE, and the DCI format can schedule one or more downlink data transmissions (e.g., PDSCH) or uplink data transmissions (e.g., PUSCH) on one or more cells in the configured cell set. One or more scheduled cells are indicated by the DCI format within the configured cell set; that is, if an indicator is included in the DCI format, then it is indicated by the indicator in the DCI format; otherwise, if the DCI format does not contain such an indicator, then the one or more scheduled cells are all cells in the configured cell set. For clarity, such indicators are hereinafter referred to as scheduled cell indicators.

[0072] A UE in a wireless communication system may be configured with one or more SCells. However, at least one of these SCells may not always be used for data transmission. It is desirable to change an SCell from a non-sleeping BWP to a sleeping BWP to save power. A sleeping BWP can be configured by the network as one of the downlink BWPs for an SCell via dedicated RRC signaling. In a sleeping BWP, the UE can stop monitoring the PDCCH on or within the SCell, but can continue to perform Channel State Information (CSI) measurements, Automatic Gain Control (AGC), and beam management (if configured). Therefore, a solution for SCell sleeping indication for multiple SCells of the UE is needed.

[0073] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the multi-cell scheduling DCI format can indicate the secondary cell hibernation of multiple secondary cells of the UE. For example, a set of fields in the DCI format can be reused to indicate the secondary cell hibernation of each secondary cell of the UE. Further details regarding embodiments of this disclosure will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0074] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the BS can configure a cell set (referred to as cell set #1 for clarity) via a DCI format for multi-cell scheduling. In some embodiments, the CRC of the DCI format can be scrambled via the UE's C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI. As will be described in detail in the following text, the DCI format may implicitly or explicitly indicate whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE.

[0075] In some embodiments of this disclosure, when the multi-cell DCI format is used to indicate that each configured SCell of the UE is in sleep mode, this DCI format does not schedule any data transmission. An invalid value is indicated in each FDRA field of the DCI format. The DCI format is transmitted on the UE's primary cell (PCell).

[0076] In some embodiments, for the FDRA field in the DCI format, when all bits of the FDRA field are set to '0' for resource allocation type 0, or '1' for resource allocation type 1, or '0' or '1' for dynamic handover resource allocation type, or '0' for resource allocation type 2 with a 30kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS), or '1' for resource allocation type 2 with a 15kHz SCS, this FDRA field indicates an invalid value; otherwise, this FDRA field indicates a valid value.

[0077] From the UE's perspective, in response to the absence of a HARQ-ACK request field in the DCI format or an indication that no HARQ-ACK feedback has been triggered, the absence of a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator in the DCI format or an indication that no HARQ-ACK retransmission has been triggered, and all FDRA fields in the DCI format indicating invalid values, the UE can determine that the field set in the DCI format (represented as field set #A) is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each of the UE's secondary cells; otherwise, the DCI format does not indicate per-SCell sleep of any of the UE's secondary cells. From the BS's perspective, depending on whether the DCI format is used to indicate per-SCell sleep of the UE's secondary cells, the fields in the DCI format can be set accordingly.

[0078] In some embodiments, fields in field set #A can be concatenated into an indicator (represented as a bitmap-based indicator) according to predefined rules, and each secondary cell of the UE corresponds to a corresponding bit in the bitmap-based indicator. Details regarding the fields included in field set #A and the predefined rules used to sort these fields will be described later.

[0079] In some embodiments, a mapping relationship between bits in a bitmap-based indicator and the configured secondary cell of the UE can be predefined. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the most significant bit (MSB) to the least significant bit (LSB) of the bitmap-based indicator according to the ascending order of the SCell index. For example, the MSB of the bitmap-based indicator can indicate the sleep state of the SCell with the lowest SCell index, the bits after the MSB can indicate the sleep state of the SCell with the second lowest SCell index, and so on. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the MSB to the LSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the descending order of the SCell index. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the LSB to the MSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the ascending order of the SCell index. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the LSB to the MSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the descending order of the SCell index.

[0080] In some embodiments, depending on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE, multiple bits in the bitmap-based indicator are used to indicate the sleep state of each secondary cell of the UE, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator are reserved. For example, assuming the bitmap-based indicator contains 16 bits and the UE is configured with 8 SCells, then 8 bits are sufficient for SCell sleep indication. In some embodiments, the 8 MSBs of the bitmap-based indicator can be used to indicate the UE's SCell sleep state, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator can be ignored. In some embodiments, the 8 LSBs of the bitmap-based indicator can be used to indicate the UE's SCell sleep state, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator can be ignored.

[0081] A specific bit (represented as bit #A) in the bitmap-based indicator can be used to indicate the sleep state of the UE's corresponding secondary cell (represented as cell #A). In some embodiments, the value of bit #A (e.g., '0' or '1') can indicate that the UE switches to the sleep BWP of cell #A. Another value of bit #A (e.g., '1' or '0') can indicate that the UE switches to the first active BWP of cell #A if the currently active BWP of cell #A is a sleep BWP, or can indicate that the UE maintains the current active BWP of cell #A if the currently active BWP of cell #A is not a sleep BWP.

[0082] The DCI format can indicate a cell set (represented as cell set #2) within cell set #1 via, for example, a scheduled cell indicator in the DCI format (if present); otherwise, cell set #2 is cell set #1. When the DCI format is used to indicate SCell sleep, the cells in cell set #2 are not actually scheduled by the DCI format. Fields specific to cell set #2 in the DCI format can be reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE. Cell common fields (e.g., the Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) sequence initialization field and the BWP indicator field) can also be reused for secondary cell sleep indication.

[0083] In some embodiments, field set #A may include one or more of the fields in the DCI format: cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes (e.g., modulation and coding scheme (MCS) field or new data indicator (NDI) field); cell-specific fields with configurable field sizes (e.g., redundancy version (RV) field, HARQ procedure number field, or antenna port field (if configured as cell-specific type)); and cell common fields (e.g., DMRS sequence initialization field or BWP indicator field).

[0084] Field set #A may not contain FDRA fields because each FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value. The number of FDRA fields in the DCI format (denoted as N) may be equal to the number of cells in cell set #2. When a list of scheduled cell combinations is configured for the UE (e.g., via RRC signaling), the scheduled cell indicator in the DCI format may indicate a cell combination from the list of scheduled cell combinations. The indicated cell combination is cell set #2, and N is the number of cells in the indicated cell combination. As a special case, the list of scheduled cell combinations may contain only one cell combination, in which case N is the number of cells in that single cell combination. When a list of scheduled cell combinations is not configured for the UE, the DCI format does not contain a scheduled cell indicator, in which case cell set #2 is cell set #1, and N is the number of cells in cell set #1. The N FDRA fields in the DCI format may be placed according to a predefined order (e.g., ascending or descending) of the corresponding serving cell indexes of the cells in cell set #2. For example, when using the ascending order of the serving cell index, the first FDRA field can correspond to the frequency domain resource allocation of the cell with the smallest serving cell index in cell set #2.

[0085] In some instances, field set #A may contain fields specifically for one or more cells within cell set #2 that have the minimum serving cell index (e.g., a single cell), where the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value. In some instances, field set #A may contain fields specifically for one or more cells within cell set #2 that have the minimum serving cell index, where the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates a valid value.

[0086] Fields in field set #A can be sorted according to predefined rules. For example, cell-specific fields in field set #A can be sorted by cell index first and field type second. Here, the order of cell indexes can refer to ascending or descending order of the cell indexes of cells in cell set #2. Any other sorting method that a person skilled in the art can conceive of may be applied.

[0087] The following examples illustrate some exemplary instances of field set #A and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this disclosure. For simplicity, in the following examples, ascending order of the cell index is used, and the cells in cell set #2 are represented as cells #1 to #N sorted according to the ascending order of the cell index.

[0088] In some instances, field set #A may contain only cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes, which may be sorted according to the order of cell index first and field type second. For example, field set #A may contain an MCS field and an NDI field. For example, field set #A may be sorted as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #1, NDI of TB1 in cell #1, MCS of TB1 in cell #2, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #N} (hereinafter referred to as instance #A1).

[0089] In some instances, field set #A may contain only cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes, which may be sorted in order of field type first and cell index second. For example, field set #A may contain an MCS field and an NDI field. For example, field set #A may be sorted as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #1, MCS of TB1 in cell #2, ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #1, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, ..., NDI of TB1 in cell #N} (hereinafter referred to as instance #A2).

[0090] In some instances, field set #A may contain cell-specific fields with non-configurable and / or configurable field sizes, which may be ordered according to the cell index first and the field type second. For example, field set #A may contain an MCS field, an NDI field, an RV field, a HARQ procedure number field, and an antenna port field (if configured as cell-specific type). For example, field set #A can be sorted as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #1, NDI of TB1 in cell #1, RV of TB1 in cell #1, HARQ procedure number of cell #1, antenna port of cell #1 (if configured as cell-specific type), MCS of TB1 in cell #2, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, RV of TB1 in cell #2, HARQ procedure number of cell #2, antenna port of cell #2 (if configured as cell-specific type), ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #N, RV of TB1 in cell #N, HARQ procedure number of cell #N, antenna port of cell #N (if configured as cell-specific type)} (hereinafter referred to as instance #A3).

[0091] In some instances, field set #A may contain cell-specific fields with non-configurable and / or configurable field sizes, which may be ordered according to field type first and cell index second. For example, field set #A may contain MCS field, NDI field, RV field, HARQ procedure number field, and antenna port field (if configured as cell-specific type). For example, field set #A can be sorted as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #1, MCS of TB1 in cell #2, ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #1, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, ..., NDI of TB1 in cell #N, RV of TB1 in cell #1, RV of TB1 in cell #2, ..., RV of TB1 in cell #N, HARQ procedure number of cell #1, HARQ procedure number of cell #2, ..., HARQ procedure number of cell #N, antenna port of cell #1 (if configured as cell-specific type), antenna port of cell #2 (if configured as cell-specific type), ..., antenna port of cell #N (if configured as cell-specific type)} (hereinafter referred to as instance #A4).

[0092] In the example above, field set #A contains only cell-specific fields for TB1. It should be noted that in some other instances, field set #A may also contain cell-specific fields for TB2 (if configured). For example, field set #A may contain the MCS of TB2, the NDI of TB2, the RV of TB2, or any combination thereof.

[0093] The UE can be configured with up to a maximum number of SCells. For clarity, we assume the maximum number is 15. Note that the maximum number can be any other positive integer.

[0094] In some instances, where the combination of fields in field set #A can provide more than 15 bits for the SCell hibernation indicator, some fields in field set #A may be excluded or retained.

[0095] For example, in instance #A3, the total number of bits for {MCS of TB1 in cell #1 (e.g., 5 bits), NDI of TB1 in cell #1 (e.g., 1 bit), RV of TB1 in cell #1 (e.g., 2 bits), HARQ procedure number of cell #1 (e.g., 4 bits), antenna port of cell #1 (if configured as cell-specific type) (e.g., 4 bits)} can be equal to 16 bits. Therefore, field set #A does not need to include {MCS of TB1 in cell #2, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, RV of TB1 in cell #2, HARQ procedure number of cell #2, antenna port of cell #2 (if configured as cell-specific type), ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #N, RV of TB1 in cell #N, HARQ procedure number of cell #N, antenna port of cell #N (if configured as cell-specific type)}. In other words, field set #A can contain {MCS of TB1 of cell #1, NDI of TB1 of cell #1, RV of TB1 of cell #1, HARQ procedure number of cell #1, antenna port of cell #1 (if configured as cell-specific type)} (hereinafter referred to as instance #A3).

[0096] In some instances, where the combination of fields in field set #A can provide more bits than the number of SCells configured for the UE, some fields in field set #A may be excluded or retained.

[0097] For example, assuming N = 2 and the number of configured SCells = 8, the total number of bits in field set #A in instance #A1 can be equal to 12 bits. Therefore, field set #A does not need to include {NDI of TB1 in cell #2 (e.g., 1 bit)}. Field set #A can include {MCS of TB1 in cell #1 (e.g., 5 bits), NDI of TB1 in cell #1 (e.g., 1 bit), and MCS of TB1 in cell #2 (e.g., 5 bits)} (hereinafter referred to as instance #A1'), and thus provides 11 bits, which is greater than the number of configured SCells (i.e., 8).

[0098] Since the number of SCells configured for the UE is variable, some bits of the field combination in field set #A are reserved if the number of configured SCells is greater than the number of bits provided, provided that the remaining bits provide sufficient bits for SCell sleep indication. For example, as mentioned above, depending on the number of SCells configured for the UE, one or more bits in the bitmap-based indicator formed by field set #A may be reserved. For example, assuming N=2 and the number of configured SCells=8, according to example #A1', 3 (i.e., 11-8) bits in the bitmap-based indicator may be reserved.

[0099] Typically, the number of bits in the field combination of field set #A is expected to be no less than 15 or the number of SCells configured for the UE. However, if the number of bits in the field combination of field set #A (e.g., the size of the bitmap-based indicator) is less than the number of SCells configured for the UE, the bitmap-based indicator may not be able to indicate the sleep of one or more SCells of the UE (e.g., the SCell with the highest SCell index), or alternatively, one bit in the field combination of field set #A can be used to indicate the sleep of the UE's corresponding secondary cell group.

[0100] Figure 2 This describes an exemplary bitmap-based indicator 200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Assuming N=2, according to example #A1, field set #A may contain {MCS of TB1 in cell #1}. Figure 2 The NDI of TB1 in cell #1 is represented as 211. Figure 2 The MCS of TB1 in cell #2 is represented as 213. Figure 2 The NDI of TB1 in cell #2 is represented as 215. Figure 2 (represented as 217)}. Assuming the number of configured SCells is 8, the 8 MSBs of the bitmap-based indicator 200 can be used to indicate the sleep state of each of the 8 configured SCells, and the remaining bits of the bitmap-based indicator 200 can be reserved (e.g., ignored by the UE). The 8 MSBs of the bitmap-based indicator 200 can correspond to SCells with SCell indices from lowest to highest.

[0101] In some embodiments of this disclosure, when the multi-cell DCI format is used to indicate SCell sleep for each configured SCell of the UE, this DCI format may include an indicator (represented as indicator #B) indicating whether a set of fields (represented as field set #B) in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, or whether another indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate secondary cell sleep for each group of secondary cells of the UE. The DCI format is transmitted on the UE's PCell. In some embodiments, up to five SCell groups may be configured by RRC signaling, such that another indicator requires up to five bits, where each bit corresponds to one SCell group. In some other embodiments, other maximum numbers of SCell groups may be supported.

[0102] In some embodiments, when the indicator #B indicates that the field set #B in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, the DCI format does not schedule any data transmissions, and one or more FDRA fields in the DCI format may be reused for SCell sleep indication. When the indicator #B indicates that another indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell group of the UE, the DCI format may schedule one or more data transmissions. In some instances, the indicator #B may contain at least one bit. For example, bit '1' may indicate that a field is reused for per-secondary-cell sleep indication, and bit '0' may indicate that another indicator in the DCI format is used for per-secondary-cell-group sleep indication; or vice versa. In some embodiments, each bit in the other indicator may correspond to a secondary cell group.

[0103] From the UE's perspective, the UE can determine whether a set of fields in the DCI format (e.g., field set #B) is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each of the UE's secondary cells, based on the indicator #B in the DCI format. If indicator #B indicates that a field is reused for secondary cell sleep indication, then the UE can determine that no scheduled data transmissions are being made, and one or more FDRA fields in the DCI format can be reused for SCell sleep indication. That is, field set #B can contain one or more FDRA fields. Details of field set #B will be described later. If indicator #B indicates that another indicator in the DCI format is used for secondary cell group sleep indication, then the UE can refer to the other indicator to determine the sleep for each secondary cell group. From the BS's perspective, it can set the fields in the DCI format accordingly.

[0104] In some embodiments, fields in field set #B can be concatenated into an indicator (e.g., a bitmap-based indicator) according to predefined rules, and each secondary cell of the UE corresponds to a corresponding bit in the bitmap-based indicator. Details regarding the fields included in field set #B and the predefined rules used to sort these fields will be described later.

[0105] In some embodiments, a mapping relationship between bits in a bitmap-based indicator and the configured secondary cell of the UE can be predefined. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the MSB to LSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the ascending order of the SCell index. For example, the MSB of the bitmap-based indicator can indicate the sleep state of the SCell with the lowest SCell index, the bits after the MSB can indicate the sleep state of the SCell with the second lowest SCell index, and so on. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the MSB to LSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the descending order of the SCell index. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the LSB to MSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the ascending order of the SCell index. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the LSB to MSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the descending order of the SCell index.

[0106] In some embodiments, depending on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE, multiple bits in the bitmap-based indicator are used to indicate the sleep state of each secondary cell of the UE, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator are reserved. For example, assuming the bitmap-based indicator contains 16 bits and the UE is configured with 8 SCells, then 8 bits are sufficient for SCell sleep indication. In some embodiments, the 8 MSBs of the bitmap-based indicator can be used to indicate the UE's SCell sleep state, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator can be ignored. In some embodiments, the 8 LSBs of the bitmap-based indicator can be used to indicate the UE's SCell sleep state, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator can be ignored.

[0107] A specific bit (represented as bit #B) in the bitmap-based indicator can be used to indicate the sleep state of the UE's corresponding secondary cell (represented as cell #B). In some embodiments, the value of bit #B (e.g., '0' or '1') can indicate that the UE switches to the sleep BWP of cell #B. Another value of bit #B (e.g., '1' or '0') can indicate that the UE switches to the first active BWP of cell #B if the currently active BWP of cell #B is a sleep BWP, or can indicate that the UE maintains the current active BWP of cell #B if the currently active BWP of cell #B is not a sleep BWP.

[0108] The DCI format can indicate a cell set (e.g., cell set #2) within cell set #1 via, for example, a scheduled cell indicator in the DCI format (if present); otherwise, cell set #2 is cell set #1. If the indicator #B field is reused for secondary cell sleep indication, the cells in cell set #2 are not actually scheduled by the DCI format. Fields specific to cells in cell set #2 in the DCI format (e.g., the FDRA field) can be reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE. Cell common fields can also be reused for secondary cell sleep indication.

[0109] In some embodiments, field set #B may include one or more fields in the DCI format: cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes; cell-specific fields with configurable field sizes; and cell common fields.

[0110] As described above, the number of FDRA fields (e.g., N) in the DCI format can be equal to the number of cells in cell set #2. When a list of scheduled cell combinations is configured for the UE (e.g., via RRC signaling), the scheduled cell indicator in the DCI format can indicate a cell combination from the list of scheduled cell combinations. The indicated cell combination is cell set #2, and N is the number of cells in the indicated cell combination. As a special case, the list of scheduled cell combinations may contain only one cell combination, in which case N is the number of cells in that single cell combination. When a list of scheduled cell combinations is not configured for the UE, the DCI format does not contain a scheduled cell indicator; in which case cell set #2 is cell set #1, and N is the number of cells in cell set #1. The N FDRA fields in the DCI format can be placed according to a predefined order (e.g., ascending or descending) of the corresponding serving cell indexes of the cells in cell set #2. For example, when using the ascending order of the serving cell index, the first FDRA field can correspond to the frequency domain resource allocation of the cell with the smallest serving cell index in cell set #2.

[0111] For indicator #B, the FDRA field in the DCI format does not need to be set to an invalid value. In some embodiments, field set #B may contain one or more FDRA fields corresponding to one or more cells in cell set #2 that have the minimum serving cell index.

[0112] In some instances, field set #B may contain fields specifically for one or more cells within cell set #2 that have the minimum serving cell index (e.g., a single cell), where the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value. In some instances, field set #B may contain fields specifically for one or more cells within cell set #2 that have the minimum serving cell index, where the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates a valid value.

[0113] Fields in field set #B can be sorted according to predefined rules. For example, cell-specific fields in field set #B can be sorted by cell index first and field type second. Here, the order of cell indexes can refer to ascending or descending order of the cell indexes of cells in cell set #2. Any other sorting method that a person skilled in the art can conceive of may be applied.

[0114] The following examples illustrate some exemplary instances of field set #B and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this disclosure. For simplicity, in the following examples, ascending order of the cell index is used, and the cells in cell set #2 are represented as cells #1 to #N sorted according to the ascending order of the cell index.

[0115] In some instances, field set #B may contain only the FDRA field, which may be sorted according to the cell index. For example, field set #B may be sorted as: {FDRA of cell #1, FDRA of cell #2, ..., FDRA of cell #N} (hereinafter referred to as instance #B1).

[0116] In some instances, field set #B may contain only cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes, which may be sorted according to the order of cell index first and field type second. For example, field set #B may contain FDRA, MCS, and NDI fields. For example, field set #B may be sorted as: {FDRA of cell #1, MCS of cell #1 TB1, NDI of cell #1 TB1, FDRA of cell #2, MCS of cell #2 TB1, NDI of cell #2 TB1, ..., FDRA of cell #N, MCS of cell #N TB1, NDI of cell #N TB1} (hereinafter referred to as instance #B2).

[0117] In some instances, field set #B may contain only cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes, which may be sorted in order of field type first and cell index second. For example, field set #B may contain FDRA, MCS, and NDI fields. For example, field set #B may be sorted as: {FDRA of cell #1, FDRA of cell #2, ..., FDRA of cell #N, MCS of TB1 of cell #1, MCS of TB1 of cell #2, ..., MCS of TB1 of cell #N, NDI of TB1 of cell #1, NDI of TB1 of cell #2, ..., NDI of TB1 of cell #N} (hereinafter referred to as instance #B3).

[0118] In some instances, field set #B may contain cell-specific fields with non-configurable and / or configurable field sizes, which may be ordered according to the cell index first and the field type second. For example, field set #B may contain FDRA, MCS, NDI, RV, HARQ procedure number, and antenna port fields (if configured as cell-specific types). For example, the field set #B can be sorted as: {FDRA of cell #1, MCS of cell #1 TB1, NDI of cell #1 TB1, RV of cell #1 TB1, HARQ procedure number of cell #1, antenna port of cell #1 (if configured as cell-specific type), FDRA of cell #2, MCS of cell #2 TB1, NDI of cell #2 TB1, RV of cell #2 TB1, HARQ procedure number of cell #2, antenna port of cell #2 (if configured as cell-specific type), ..., FDRA of cell #N, MCS of cell #N TB1, NDI of cell #N TB1, RV of cell #N TB1, HARQ procedure number of cell #N, antenna port of cell #N (if configured as cell-specific type)} (hereinafter referred to as instance #B4).

[0119] In some instances, field set #B may contain cell-specific fields with non-configurable and / or configurable field sizes, which may be ordered according to field type first and cell index second. For example, field set #B may contain FDRA field, MCS field, NDI field, RV field, HARQ procedure number field, and antenna port field (if configured as cell-specific type). For example, the field set #B can be sorted as: {FDRA of cell #1, FDRA of cell #2, ..., FDRA of cell #N, MCS of TB1 of cell #1, MCS of TB1 of cell #2, ..., MCS of TB1 of cell #N, NDI of TB1 of cell #1, NDI of TB1 of cell #2, ..., NDI of TB1 of cell #N, RV of TB1 of cell #1, RV of TB1 of cell #2, ..., RV of TB1 of cell #N, HARQ procedure number of cell #1, HARQ procedure number of cell #2, ..., HARQ procedure number of cell #N, antenna port of cell #1 (if configured as cell-specific type), antenna port of cell #2 (if configured as cell-specific type), ..., antenna port of cell #N (if configured as cell-specific type)} (hereinafter referred to as instance #B5).

[0120] In the above example, field set #B contains only cell-specific fields for TB1. It should be noted that in some other instances, field set #B may also contain cell-specific fields for TB2 (if configured). For example, field set #B may contain the MCS of TB2, the NDI of TB2, the RV of TB2, or any combination thereof.

[0121] The UE can be configured with up to a maximum number of SCells. For clarity, we assume the maximum number is 15. Note that the maximum number can be any other positive integer.

[0122] In some instances, where the combination of fields in field set #B can provide more than 15 bits for the SCell hibernation indicator, some fields in field set #B may be excluded or retained.

[0123] For example, suppose cell #1 has 10 bits of bandwidth required for FDRA indication. In instance #B2, the total number of bits for {FDRA of cell #1, MCS of TB1 of cell #1 (e.g., 5 bits)} is equal to 15 bits. Therefore, field set #B does not need to contain {NDI of TB1 of cell #1, FDRA of cell #2, MCS of TB1 of cell #2, NDI of TB1 of cell #2, ..., FDRA of cell #N, MCS of TB1 of cell #N, NDI of TB1 of cell #N}. That is, field set #B can contain {FDRA of cell #1, MCS of TB1 of cell #1} (hereinafter referred to as instance #B2').

[0124] In some instances, where the combination of fields in field set #B can provide more bits than the number of SCells configured for the UE, some fields in field set #B may be excluded or retained.

[0125] For example, assuming N=2, the number of configured SCells is 8, and cell #1 has 10 bits of bandwidth required for FDRA indication, the FDRA of cell #1 can provide 10 bits, which is greater than the number of configured SCells. Instance #B1 can be modified to {FDRA of cell #1} (hereinafter referred to as instance #B1'). That is, field set #B can contain only {FDRA of cell #1}.

[0126] Since the number of SCells configured for the UE is variable, some bits of the field combination in field set #B are reserved if the number of configured SCells is greater than the number of bits provided, provided that the remaining bits provide sufficient bits for SCell sleep indication. For example, as mentioned above, depending on the number of SCells configured for the UE, one or more bits in the bitmap-based indicator formed by field set #B may be reserved. For example, assuming N=2, the number of configured SCells=8, and cell #1 has 10 bits of bandwidth required for FDRA indication, according to example #B1', 2 (i.e., 10⁻⁸) bits in the bitmap-based indicator may be reserved.

[0127] Typically, the number of bits in the field combination of field set #B is expected to be no less than 15 or the number of SCells configured for the UE. However, if the number of bits in the field combination of field set #B (e.g., the size of the bitmap-based indicator) is less than the number of SCells configured for the UE, the bitmap-based indicator may not be able to indicate the sleep state of one or more SCells of the UE (e.g., the SCell with the highest SCell index), or alternatively, one bit in the field combination of field set #B can be used to indicate the sleep state of the UE's corresponding secondary cell group.

[0128] In some embodiments of this disclosure, cell set #1 may include the UE's PCell. When a multi-cell DCI format is used to indicate that each configured SCell of the UE is in sleep mode, this DCI format can schedule data transmission on the PCell, wherein a valid value indicated in the FDRA field corresponds to the PCell. All FDRA fields except the PCell's FDRA field indicate invalid values. The DCI format is transmitted on the UE's PCell.

[0129] From the UE's perspective, in response to the absence of a HARQ-ACK request field in the DCI format or an indication that no HARQ-ACK feedback has been triggered, the absence of a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator in the DCI format or an indication that no HARQ-ACK retransmission has been triggered, and all FDRA fields in the DCI format except for the FDRA field of the PCell indicating invalid values, the UE can determine that the field set in the DCI format (represented as field set #C) is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each of the UE's secondary cells; otherwise, the DCI format does not indicate the sleep of any of the UE's secondary cells per SCell. From the BS's perspective, depending on whether the DCI format is used to indicate the sleep of the UE's secondary cells, the fields in the DCI format can be set accordingly.

[0130] In some embodiments, fields in field set #C can be concatenated into an indicator (e.g., a bitmap-based indicator) according to predefined rules, and each secondary cell of the UE corresponds to a corresponding bit in the bitmap-based indicator. Details regarding the fields included in field set #C and the predefined rules used to sort these fields will be described later.

[0131] In some embodiments, a mapping relationship between bits in a bitmap-based indicator and the configured secondary cell of the UE can be predefined. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the MSB to LSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the ascending order of the SCell index. For example, the MSB of the bitmap-based indicator can indicate the sleep state of the SCell with the lowest SCell index, the bits after the MSB can indicate the sleep state of the SCell with the second lowest SCell index, and so on. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the MSB to LSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the descending order of the SCell index. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the LSB to MSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the ascending order of the SCell index. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the LSB to MSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the descending order of the SCell index.

[0132] In some embodiments, depending on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE, multiple bits in the bitmap-based indicator are used to indicate the sleep state of each secondary cell of the UE, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator are reserved. For example, assuming the bitmap-based indicator contains 16 bits and the UE is configured with 8 SCells, then 8 bits are sufficient for SCell sleep indication. In some embodiments, the 8 MSBs of the bitmap-based indicator can be used to indicate the UE's SCell sleep state, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator can be ignored. In some embodiments, the 8 LSBs of the bitmap-based indicator can be used to indicate the UE's SCell sleep state, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator can be ignored.

[0133] A specific bit (represented as bit #C) in the bitmap-based indicator can be used to indicate the sleep state of the UE's corresponding secondary cell (represented as cell #C). In some embodiments, the value of bit #C (e.g., '0' or '1') may indicate that the UE switches to the sleep BWP of cell #C. Another value of bit #C (e.g., '1' or '0') may indicate that the UE switches to the first active BWP of cell #C if the currently active BWP of cell #C is a sleep BWP, or may indicate that the UE maintains the current active BWP of cell #C if the currently active BWP of cell #C is not a sleep BWP.

[0134] The DCI format can indicate a cell set (e.g., cell set #2) within cell set #1 via, for example, a scheduled cell indicator in the DCI format (if present); otherwise, cell set #2 is cell set #1. Cell set #2 may or may not contain a PCell. Whether a PCell is scheduled by the DCI format, or whether cell set #2 contains a PCell, can be determined based on whether the scheduled cell combination indicated by the DCI format (e.g., by the scheduled cell indicator) contains a PCell, or based on whether the FDRA field of the PCell indicates a valid or invalid value.

[0135] When the DCI format is used to indicate SCell hibernation, cells in cell set #2 other than the PCell (if included in cell set #2) are not actually scheduled by the DCI format. Fields specific to this (type of) cell can be reused to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell of the UE. Because the DCI format schedules PCells, field set #C does not contain any fields for or specific to PCells. For example, when the DCI format does not schedule data transmissions on PCells, common cell fields can be reused for secondary cell hibernation indication.

[0136] In some embodiments, field set #C may include one or more fields in the DCI format: cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes (other than cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes for PCell (if any); cell-specific fields with configurable field sizes (other than cell-specific fields with configurable field sizes for PCell (if any); and cell common fields.

[0137] Field set #C may not contain an FDRA field. The number of FDRA fields in the DCI format (denoted as N) may be equal to the number of cells in cell set #2. When a list of scheduled cell combinations is configured for the UE (e.g., via RRC signaling), the scheduled cell indicator in the DCI format may indicate a cell combination from the list of scheduled cell combinations. The indicated cell combination is cell set #2, and N is the number of cells in the indicated cell combination. As a special case, the list of scheduled cell combinations may contain only one cell combination, in which case N is the number of cells in that single cell combination. When a list of scheduled cell combinations is not configured for the UE, the DCI format does not contain a scheduled cell indicator, in which case cell set #2 is cell set #1, and N is the number of cells in cell set #1. The N FDRA fields in the DCI format may be placed according to a predefined order (e.g., ascending or descending) of the corresponding serving cell indexes of the cells in cell set #2. For example, when using the ascending order of the serving cell index, the first FDRA field can correspond to the frequency domain resource allocation of the cell with the smallest serving cell index in cell set #2.

[0138] In some instances, field set #C may contain fields specifically for one or more cells within cell set #2 that have the minimum serving cell index (e.g., a single cell), where the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value. In some instances, field set #C may contain fields specifically for one or more cells within cell set #2 that have the minimum serving cell index, where the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates a valid value.

[0139] Fields in field set #C can be sorted according to predefined rules. For example, cell-specific fields in field set #C can be sorted by cell index first and field type second. Here, the order of cell indexes can refer to ascending or descending order of the cell indexes of cells in cell set #2. Any other sorting method that a person skilled in the art can conceive of may be applied.

[0140] The following examples illustrate some exemplary instances of field set #C and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this disclosure. For simplicity, in the following examples, ascending order of the cell index is used, assuming that cell set #2 does not contain PCells, and that cells in cell set #2 are represented as cells #1 to #N sorted according to the ascending order of the cell index. In the case where cell set #2 contains PCells, since PCells typically have the lowest serving cell index (e.g., 0), cell #1 is a PCell, and the cell-specific fields of cell #1, as described below, will be excluded from field set #C.

[0141] In some instances, field set #C may contain only cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes, which may be sorted according to the order of cell index first and field type second. For example, field set #C may contain an MCS field and an NDI field. For example, field set #C may be sorted as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #1, NDI of TB1 in cell #1, MCS of TB1 in cell #2, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #N} (hereinafter referred to as instance #C1). When cell #1 is a PCell, field set #C may be represented as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #2, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #N}.

[0142] In some instances, field set #C may contain only cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes, which may be sorted in order of field type first and cell index second. For example, field set #C may contain an MCS field and an NDI field. For example, field set #C may be sorted as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #1, MCS of TB1 in cell #2, ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #1, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, ..., NDI of TB1 in cell #N} (hereinafter referred to as instance #C2). When cell #1 is a PCell, field set #C may be represented as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #2, ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, ..., NDI of TB1 in cell #N}.

[0143] In some instances, field set #C may contain cell-specific fields with non-configurable and / or configurable field sizes, which may be ordered according to the cell index first and the field type second. For example, field set #C may contain an MCS field, an NDI field, an RV field, a HARQ procedure number field, and an antenna port field (if configured as cell-specific type). For example, the field set #C can be sorted as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #1, NDI of TB1 in cell #1, RV of TB1 in cell #1, HARQ procedure number of cell #1, antenna port of cell #1 (if configured as cell-specific type), MCS of TB1 in cell #2, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, RV of TB1 in cell #2, HARQ procedure number of cell #2, antenna port of cell #2 (if configured as cell-specific type), ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #N, RV of TB1 in cell #N, HARQ procedure number of cell #N, antenna port of cell #N (if configured as cell-specific type)} (hereinafter referred to as instance #C3). When cell #1 is a PCell, the field set #C can be represented as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #2, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, RV of TB1 in cell #2, HARQ procedure number of cell #2, antenna port of cell #2 (if configured as cell-specific type), ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #N, RV of TB1 in cell #N, HARQ procedure number of cell #N, antenna port of cell #N (if configured as cell-specific type)}.

[0144] In some instances, field set #C may contain cell-specific fields with non-configurable and / or configurable field sizes, which may be ordered according to field type first and cell index second. For example, field set #C may contain MCS field, NDI field, RV field, HARQ procedure number field, and antenna port field (if configured as cell-specific type). For example, the field set #C can be sorted as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #1, MCS of TB1 in cell #2, ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #1, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, ..., NDI of TB1 in cell #N, RV of TB1 in cell #1, RV of TB1 in cell #2, ..., RV of TB1 in cell #N, HARQ procedure number of cell #1, HARQ procedure number of cell #2, ..., HARQ procedure number of cell #N, antenna port of cell #1 (if configured as cell-specific type), antenna port of cell #2 (if configured as cell-specific type), ..., antenna port of cell #N (if configured as cell-specific type)} (hereinafter referred to as instance #C4). When cell #1 is a PCell, the field set #C can be represented as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #2, ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N, NDI of TB1 in cell #2, ..., NDI of TB1 in cell #N, RV of TB1 in cell #2, ..., RV of TB1 in cell #N, HARQ procedure number of cell #2, ..., HARQ procedure number of cell #N, antenna port of cell #2 (if configured as cell-specific type), ..., antenna port of cell #N (if configured as cell-specific type)}.

[0145] In the above example, field set #C contains only cell-specific fields for TB1. It should be noted that in some other instances, field set #C may also contain cell-specific fields for TB2 (if configured). For example, field set #C may contain the MCS of TB2, the NDI of TB2, the RV of TB2, or any combination thereof.

[0146] The UE can be configured with up to a maximum number of SCells. For clarity, we assume the maximum number is 15. Note that the maximum number can be any other positive integer.

[0147] In some instances, where the combination of fields in field set #C can provide more than 15 bits for the SCell hibernation indicator, some fields in field set #C can be excluded or retained.

[0148] In some instances, where the combination of fields in field set #C can provide more bits than the number of SCells configured for the UE, some fields in field set #C may be excluded or retained.

[0149] Since the number of SCells configured for the UE is variable, some bits of the field combination provided by field set #C are reserved if the number of SCells is more than the number of configured SCells, provided that the remaining bits provide enough bits for SCell sleep indication. For example, as mentioned above, depending on the number of SCells configured for the UE, one or more bits in the bitmap-based indicator formed by field set #C may be reserved.

[0150] Typically, the number of bits in the field combination of field set #C is expected to be no less than 15 or the number of SCells configured for the UE. However, if the number of bits in the field combination of field set #C (e.g., the size of the bitmap-based indicator) is less than the number of SCells configured for the UE, the bitmap-based indicator may not be able to indicate the sleep of one or more SCells of the UE (e.g., the SCell with the highest SCell index), or alternatively, one bit in the field combination of field set #C can be used to indicate the sleep of the corresponding secondary cell group of the UE.

[0151] In some embodiments of this disclosure, when the multi-cell DCI format is used to indicate that each configured SCell of the UE is in sleep mode, this DCI format is transmitted on the PCell and can schedule one or more data transmissions, wherein a valid value indicated in the FDRA field corresponds to a scheduled cell in a cell set (e.g., set #2), and an invalid value indicated in the FDRA field corresponds to an unscheduled cell in set #2. The DCI format can indicate cell set #2 in cell set #1 by, for example, a scheduled cell indicator in the DCI format (if present); otherwise, cell set #2 is cell set #1.

[0152] For clarity, one or more cells in cell set #2 that are not actually scheduled by the DCI format (e.g., the corresponding FDRA field of each of the one or more cells indicates an invalid value) are referred to as cell set #3. Cell set #3 may or may not contain PCells. In cases where the DCI format is used to indicate SCell hibernation, cells in cell set #3 are not actually scheduled by the DCI format, and fields specific to the DCI format of cells in cell set #3 can be reused to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell of the UE.

[0153] From the UE's perspective, in response to the absence of a HARQ-ACK request field in the DCI format or indicating that a HARQ-ACK feedback was not triggered, the absence of a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator in the DCI format or indicating that a HARQ-ACK retransmission was not triggered, and at least one FDRA field in the DCI format indicating an invalid value, the UE can determine that the field set in the DCI format (represented as field set #D) is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each of the UE's secondary cells; otherwise, in response to the absence of a HARQ-ACK request field indicating that a HARQ-ACK feedback was triggered, or the HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator indicating a HARQ-ACK retransmission, or all FDRA fields in the DCI format indicating a valid value, the UE can determine that the DCI format does not indicate the sleep of any of the UE's secondary cells per SCell. From the BS's perspective, depending on whether the DCI format is used to indicate the sleep of the UE's secondary cells, the fields in the DCI format can be set accordingly.

[0154] In some embodiments, fields in field set #D can be concatenated into an indicator (e.g., a bitmap-based indicator) according to predefined rules, and each secondary cell of the UE corresponds to a corresponding bit in the bitmap-based indicator. Details regarding the fields included in field set #D and the predefined rules used to sort these fields will be described later.

[0155] In some embodiments, a mapping relationship between bits in a bitmap-based indicator and the configured secondary cell of the UE can be predefined. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the MSB to LSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the ascending order of the SCell index. For example, the MSB of the bitmap-based indicator can indicate the sleep state of the SCell with the lowest SCell index, the bits after the MSB can indicate the sleep state of the SCell with the second lowest SCell index, and so on. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the MSB to LSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the descending order of the SCell index. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the LSB to MSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the ascending order of the SCell index. In some embodiments, configured SCells can be mapped to the LSB to MSB of the bitmap-based indicator according to the descending order of the SCell index.

[0156] In some embodiments, depending on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE, multiple bits in the bitmap-based indicator are used to indicate the sleep state of each secondary cell of the UE, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator are reserved. For example, assuming the bitmap-based indicator contains 16 bits and the UE is configured with 8 SCells, then 8 bits are sufficient for SCell sleep indication. In some embodiments, the 8 MSBs of the bitmap-based indicator can be used to indicate the UE's SCell sleep state, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator can be ignored. In some embodiments, the 8 LSBs of the bitmap-based indicator can be used to indicate the UE's SCell sleep state, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator can be ignored.

[0157] A specific bit (represented as bit #D) in the bitmap-based indicator can be used to indicate the sleep state of the UE's corresponding secondary cell (represented as cell #D). In some embodiments, the value of bit #D (e.g., '0' or '1') can indicate that the UE switches to the sleep BWP of cell #D. Another value of bit #D (e.g., '1' or '0') can indicate that the UE switches to the first active BWP of cell #D if the currently active BWP of cell #D is a sleep BWP, or can indicate that the UE maintains the current active BWP of cell #D if the currently active BWP of cell #D is not a sleep BWP.

[0158] Fields in the cell set #3 specific to the DCI format can be reused to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell of the UE. For example, when the DCI format does not schedule any data transmissions, the cell common field can be reused to indicate secondary cell hibernation.

[0159] In some embodiments, field set #D may include one or more fields in the DCI format: a cell-specific field with a non-configurable field size for unscheduled cells (e.g., cells in cell set #3); a cell-specific field with a configurable field size for unscheduled cells (e.g., cells in cell set #3); and a cell common field.

[0160] Field set #D may not contain an FDRA field. The number of FDRA fields in the DCI format (e.g., N) may be equal to the number of cells in cell set #2. When a list of scheduled cell combinations is configured for the UE (e.g., via RRC signaling), the scheduled cell indicator in the DCI format may indicate a cell combination from the list of scheduled cell combinations. The indicated cell combination is cell set #2, and N is the number of cells in the indicated cell combination. As a special case, the list of scheduled cell combinations may contain only one cell combination, in which case N is the number of cells in that single cell combination. When a list of scheduled cell combinations is not configured for the UE, the DCI format does not contain a scheduled cell indicator, in which case cell set #2 is cell set #1, and N is the number of cells in cell set #1. The N FDRA fields in the DCI format may be placed according to a predefined order (e.g., ascending or descending) of the corresponding serving cell indexes of the cells in cell set #2. For example, when using ascending order of the serving cell index, the first FDRA field may correspond to the frequency domain resource allocation of the cell with the smallest serving cell index in cell set #2. The number of cells in cell set #3 (denoted as N') depends on (e.g., equals) the number of FDRA fields in the DCI format indicating invalid values.

[0161] In some instances, field set #D may contain fields specifically for one or more cells within cell set #3 that have the minimum serving cell index (e.g., a single cell), where the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value. In some instances, field set #D may contain fields specifically for one or more cells within cell set #3 that have the minimum serving cell index, where the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates a valid value.

[0162] Fields in field set #D can be sorted according to predefined rules. For example, cell-specific fields in field set #D can be sorted by cell index first and field type second. Here, the order of cell indexes can refer to ascending or descending order of the cell indexes of cells in cell set #3. Any other sorting method that a person skilled in the art can conceive of may be applied.

[0163] The following examples illustrate some exemplary instances of field set #D and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this disclosure. For simplicity, in the following examples, ascending order of the cell index is used, and the cells in cell set #3 are represented as cells #1' to #N' sorted according to the ascending order of the cell index.

[0164] In some instances, field set #D may contain only cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes, which may be sorted in order of cell index first and field type second. For example, field set #D may contain an MCS field and an NDI field. For example, field set #D may be sorted as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #1', NDI of TB1 in cell #1', MCS of TB1 in cell #2', NDI of TB1 in cell #2', ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N', NDI of TB1 in cell #N'} (hereinafter referred to as instance #D1).

[0165] In some instances, field set #D may contain only cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes, which may be sorted in order of field type first and cell index second. For example, field set #D may contain an MCS field and an NDI field. For example, field set #D may be sorted as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #1', MCS of TB1 in cell #2', ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N', NDI of TB1 in cell #1', NDI of TB1 in cell #2', ..., NDI of TB1 in cell #N'} (hereinafter referred to as instance #D2).

[0166] In some instances, field set #D may contain cell-specific fields with non-configurable and / or configurable field sizes, which may be ordered according to the cell index first and the field type second. For example, field set #D may contain an MCS field, an NDI field, an RV field, a HARQ procedure number field, and an antenna port field (if configured as cell-specific type). For example, the field set #D can be sorted as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #1', NDI of TB1 in cell #1', RV of TB1 in cell #1', HARQ procedure number of cell #1', antenna port of cell #1' (if configured as cell-specific type), MCS of TB1 in cell #2', NDI of TB1 in cell #2', RV of TB1 in cell #2', HARQ procedure number of cell #2', antenna port of cell #2' (if configured as cell-specific type), ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N', NDI of TB1 in cell #N', RV of TB1 in cell #N', HARQ procedure number of cell #N', antenna port of cell #N' (if configured as cell-specific type)} (hereinafter referred to as instance #D3).

[0167] In some instances, field set #D may contain cell-specific fields with non-configurable and / or configurable field sizes, which may be ordered according to field type first and cell index second. For example, field set #D may contain MCS field, NDI field, RV field, HARQ procedure number field, and antenna port field (if configured as cell-specific type). For example, the field set #D can be sorted as: {MCS of TB1 in cell #1', MCS of TB1 in cell #2', ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N', NDI of TB1 in cell #1', NDI of TB1 in cell #2', ..., NDI of TB1 in cell #N', RV of TB1 in cell #1', RV of TB1 in cell #2', ..., RV of TB1 in cell #N', HARQ procedure number of cell #1', HARQ procedure number of cell #2', ..., HARQ procedure number of cell #N', antenna port of cell #1' (if configured as cell-specific type), antenna port of cell #2' (if configured as cell-specific type), ..., antenna port of cell #N' (if configured as cell-specific type)} (hereinafter referred to as instance #D4).

[0168] In the example above, field set #D contains only cell-specific fields for TB1. It should be noted that in some other instances, field set #D may also contain cell-specific fields for TB2 (if configured). For example, field set #D may contain the MCS of TB2, the NDI of TB2, the RV of TB2, or any combination thereof.

[0169] In some embodiments, the number of FDRA fields indicating invalid values ​​or the number of cells in cell set #3 (i.e., the value of N') can be determined based on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE. For example, the BS can determine the number of bits required for the secondary cell sleep indication based on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE. If the cell-specific fields of a single cell are sufficient to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE, then the BS can set the DCI format such that cell set #3 contains only a single cell with the corresponding FDRA field indicating an invalid value, and the FDRA fields of the other cells in cell set #2 are indicated with valid values. In some instances, there may be more than one cell in cell set #3, i.e., more than one cell is indicated with an invalid FDRA value, then in field set #D, the field of the cell in cell set #3 with the smallest or highest cell index is reused to indicate the SCell sleep of each SCell of the UE. If the cell-specific fields of a single cell are insufficient, then the BS can determine the number of cells in cell set #3 or the number of FDRA fields indicating invalid values ​​based on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE. For example, if the cell-specific fields of two cells are sufficient, then cell set #3 may contain two cells with corresponding FDRA fields indicating invalid values, and the FDRA fields of the other cells in cell set #2 may be indicated with valid values. In some instances, there may be more than two cells in cell set #3, i.e., more than two cells indicated with invalid FDRA values, and then in field set #D, the fields of the two cells in cell set #3 with the lowest or highest cell index are reused to indicate SCell sleep for each SCell of the UE.

[0170] The UE can be configured with up to a maximum number of SCells. For clarity, we assume the maximum number is 15. Note that the maximum number can be any other positive integer.

[0171] In some instances, where the combination of fields in field set #D can provide more than 15 bits for the SCell hibernation indicator, some fields in field set #D can be excluded or retained.

[0172] For example, in instance #D3, the total number of bits for {MCS of TB1 of cell #1' (e.g., 5 bits), NDI of TB1 of cell #1' (e.g., 1 bit), RV of TB1 of cell #1' (e.g., 2 bits), HARQ procedure number of cell #1' (e.g., 4 bits), antenna port of cell #1' (if configured as cell-specific type) (e.g., 4 bits)} can be equal to 16 bits. When N' > 1, field set #D may contain only the cell-specific fields of cell #1' (i.e., the cell in cell set #3 with the smallest serving cell index), and does not need to contain the cell-specific fields of cells in cell set #3 with larger serving cell indices (e.g., cells #2' to #N'). In other words, field set #D does not need to contain {MCS of TB1 in cell #2', NDI of TB1 in cell #2', RV of TB1 in cell #2', HARQ procedure number of cell #2', antenna port of cell #2' (if configured as cell-specific type), ..., MCS of TB1 in cell #N', NDI of TB1 in cell #N', RV of TB1 in cell #N', HARQ procedure number of cell #N', antenna port of cell #N' (if configured as cell-specific type)}. That is, field set #D can contain {MCS of TB1 in cell #1', NDI of TB1 in cell #1', RV of TB1 in cell #1', HARQ procedure number of cell #1', antenna port of cell #1' (if configured as cell-specific type)} (hereinafter referred to as instance #D3').

[0173] When the cells in cell set #3 are sorted in descending order according to the cell index of the secondary cell hibernation indication, the field set #D under instance #D3 can be modified to: {MCS of TB1 of cell #N', NDI of TB1 of cell #N', RV of TB1 of cell #N', HARQ procedure number of cell #N', antenna port of cell #N' (if configured as cell-specific type)), ..., MCS of TB1 of cell #2', NDI of TB1 of cell #2', RV of TB1 of cell #2', HARQ procedure number of cell #2', antenna port of cell #2' (if configured as cell-specific type), MCS of TB1 of cell #1', NDI of TB1 of cell #1', RV of TB1 of cell #1', HARQ procedure number of cell #1', antenna port of cell #1' (if configured as cell-specific type)}. Since the cell-specific fields of cell #N' (i.e., the cell with the largest serving cell index in cell set #3) are sufficient to indicate the secondary cell dormancy of each secondary cell of the UE, i.e., the number of bits is 16, which is greater than 15, field set #D can contain only the cell-specific fields of cell #N' (i.e., the cell with the largest serving cell index in cell set #3), and does not need to contain the cell-specific fields of cells with smaller serving cell indices in cell set #3. That is, field set #D can contain {MCS of TB1 of cell #N', NDI of TB1 of cell #N', RV of TB1 of cell #N', HARQ procedure number of cell #N', antenna port of cell #N' (if configured as cell-specific type)}.

[0174] However, if the cell-specific fields of cell #1' (or cell N') are insufficient to indicate the secondary cell dormancy of each secondary cell in the UE, then field set #D may further include cell-specific fields of cells in cell set #3 that have a larger (or smaller) serving cell index. For example, field set #D may include cell-specific fields of cells in cell set #3 that have the smallest and second smallest serving cell indices. Alternatively, field set #D may include cell-specific fields of cells in cell set #3 that have the largest and second largest serving cell indices.

[0175] Those skilled in the art can readily apply the above principles to other instances or embodiments of this disclosure.

[0176] In some instances, where the combination of fields in field set #D can provide more bits than the number of SCells configured for the UE, some fields in field set #D may be excluded or retained.

[0177] For example, assuming N' = 2 and the number of configured SCells = 8, the total number of bits in field set #D in instance #D1 can be equal to 12 bits. Therefore, field set #D does not need to include {NDI of TB1 for cell #2 (e.g., 1 bit)}. Field set #D can include {MCS of TB1 for cell #1 (e.g., 5 bits), NDI of TB1 for cell #1 (e.g., 1 bit), and MCS of TB1 for cell #2 (e.g., 5 bits)} (hereinafter referred to as instance #D1'), and thus provides 11 bits, which is greater than the number of configured SCells (i.e., 8).

[0178] Since the number of SCells configured for the UE is variable, some bits of the field combination in field set #D are reserved if the number of configured SCells is greater than the number of bits provided, provided that the remaining bits provide sufficient bits for SCell sleep indication. For example, as mentioned above, depending on the number of SCells configured for the UE, one or more bits in the bitmap-based indicator formed by field set #D can be reserved. For example, assuming N' = 2 and the number of configured SCells = 8, according to example #D1', 3 (i.e., 11-8) bits in the bitmap-based indicator can be reserved.

[0179] Typically, the number of bits in the field combination of field set #D is expected to be no less than 15 or the number of SCells configured for the UE. However, if the number of bits in the field combination of field set #D (e.g., the size of the bitmap-based indicator) is less than the number of SCells configured for the UE, the bitmap-based indicator may not be able to indicate the sleep state of one or more SCells of the UE (e.g., the SCell with the highest SCell index), or alternatively, one bit in the field combination of field set #D can be used to indicate the sleep state of the UE's corresponding secondary cell group.

[0180] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a method 300 for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable. Figure 3 The embodiments shown are illustrated in the document. In some instances, method 300 may be performed by a UE (e.g., as referenced in the document). Figure 1 The UE 104 described herein is executed. In some embodiments, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions or operations. In some instances, the processor of the UE may enable the UE to execute method 300.

[0181] At point 311, the UE can receive signaling from the BS, which configures a first set of cells for multi-cell scheduling using a DCI format, and the CRC of the DCI format is scrambled using the UE's C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI. At point 313, the UE can receive the DCI format from the BS. At point 315, the UE can determine whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each of the UE's secondary cells, wherein the first bit of the set of fields corresponds to the UE's first secondary cell. At point 317, the UE can switch to the sleep BWP of the UE's first secondary cell in response to the first bit indicating the sleep of the first secondary cell.

[0182] In some embodiments, the UE may determine that the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE in response to the absence of a HARQ-ACK request field in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, the absence of a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and all FDRA fields in the DCI format indicating invalid values.

[0183] In some embodiments, the DCI may include a first indicator indicating whether the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell of the UE, or whether a second indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell group of the UE.

[0184] In some embodiments, when the first indicator indicates that the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, the DCI format does not schedule any data transmissions. In some embodiments, when the first indicator indicates that the second indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell group of the UE, the DCI format schedules one or more data transmissions for the UE.

[0185] In some embodiments, the field set may include one or more FDRA fields corresponding to one or more cells in the second cell set that have the minimum serving cell index. In some embodiments, the second cell set is indicated by the DCI format in the first cell set if the DCI format includes an indicator indicating a scheduled cell; otherwise, the second cell set is the first cell set.

[0186] In some embodiments, the first cell set may include the primary cell of the UE. The UE may, in response to the absence of a HARQ-ACK request field in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, the absence of a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and all FDRA fields in the DCI format except for the primary cell's FDRA field indicating invalid values, determine that the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each of the UE's secondary cells.

[0187] In some embodiments, the field set does not include fields for the primary cell.

[0188] In some embodiments, the UE may determine whether the primary cell is scheduled by the DCI format based on whether the FDRA field of the primary cell indicates a valid or invalid value or based on whether the scheduled cell combination indicated by the DCI format includes the primary cell.

[0189] In some embodiments, the UE may, in response to the absence of a HARQ-ACK request field in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, the absence of a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and at least one FDRA field in the DCI format indicating an invalid value, determine that the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE.

[0190] In some embodiments, the number of the at least one FDRA field is determined based on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE.

[0191] In some embodiments, the field set is specifically for the cell with the minimum serving cell index among one or more cells in the second cell set, wherein the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value. In some embodiments, the second cell set is indicated by the DCI format in the first cell set if the DCI format includes an indicator indicating a scheduled cell; otherwise, the second cell set is the first cell set.

[0192] In some embodiments, the field set is concatenated into a bitmap-based indicator according to predefined rules, and each secondary cell of the UE corresponds to a corresponding bit in the bitmap-based indicator.

[0193] In some embodiments, depending on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE, multiple bits in the bitmap-based indicator are used to indicate the sleep state of each secondary cell of the UE, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator are reserved.

[0194] In some embodiments, the first value of the first bit may indicate that the UE switches to the dormant BWP of the first secondary cell. In some embodiments, the second value of the first bit may indicate that the UE switches to the first active BWP of the first secondary cell when the currently active BWP of the first secondary cell is the dormant BWP, or may indicate that the UE maintains the currently active BWP of the first secondary cell when the currently active BWP of the first secondary cell is not the dormant BWP.

[0195] In some embodiments, the field set may include one or more of the following: cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes; cell-specific fields with configurable field sizes; and cell common fields.

[0196] Those skilled in the art should understand that the sequence of operations in exemplary method 300 may be altered, and some operations in exemplary method 300 may be eliminated or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

[0197] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a method 400 for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable. Figure 4 The embodiments shown herein. In some instances, method 400 may be provided by a BS or NE (e.g., as referenced). Figure 1 The described NE 102) is executed. In some embodiments, the BS or NE can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the BS or NE to perform the described functions or operations. In some instances, the processor of the NE can cause the NE to execute method 400.

[0198] At 411, the BS may transmit signaling to the UE, the signaling configuring a first cell set for multi-cell scheduling via a DCI format, wherein the CRC of the DCI format is scrambled using the UE's C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI. At 413, the BS may transmit the DCI format to the UE, wherein the DCI format indicates whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, and the first bit of the set of fields corresponds to the UE's first secondary cell.

[0199] In some embodiments, if a HARQ-ACK request field is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and all FDRA fields in the DCI format indicate invalid values, the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE.

[0200] In some embodiments, the DCI may include a first indicator indicating whether the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell of the UE, or whether a second indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell group of the UE.

[0201] In some embodiments, when the first indicator indicates that the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, the DCI format does not schedule any data transmissions. In some embodiments, when the first indicator indicates that the second indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell group of the UE, the DCI format schedules one or more data transmissions for the UE.

[0202] In some embodiments, the field set may include one or more FDRA fields corresponding to one or more cells in the second cell set that have the minimum serving cell index. In some embodiments, the second cell set is indicated by the DCI format in the first cell set if the DCI format includes an indicator indicating a scheduled cell; otherwise, the second cell set is the first cell set.

[0203] In some embodiments, the first cell set may include the primary cell of the UE. In some embodiments, if a HARQ-ACK request field is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and all FDRA fields in the DCI format except for the FDRA field of the primary cell indicate invalid values, the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE.

[0204] In some embodiments, the field set does not include fields for the primary cell.

[0205] In some embodiments, whether the primary cell is scheduled by the DCI format is based on whether the FDRA field of the primary cell indicates a valid or invalid value, or on whether the scheduled cell combination indicated by the DCI format includes the primary cell.

[0206] In some embodiments, if a HARQ-ACK request field is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and at least one FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value, the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE.

[0207] In some embodiments, the BS may determine the number of the at least one FDRA field based on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE.

[0208] In some embodiments, the field set is specifically for the cell with the minimum serving cell index among one or more cells in the second cell set, wherein the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value. In some embodiments, the second cell set is indicated by the DCI format in the first cell set if the DCI format includes an indicator indicating a scheduled cell; otherwise, the second cell set is the first cell set.

[0209] In some embodiments, the field set is concatenated into a bitmap-based indicator according to predefined rules, and each secondary cell of the UE corresponds to a corresponding bit in the bitmap-based indicator.

[0210] In some embodiments, depending on the number of secondary cells configured for the UE, multiple bits in the bitmap-based indicator are used to indicate the sleep state of each secondary cell of the UE, and the remaining bits in the bitmap-based indicator are reserved.

[0211] In some embodiments, the first value of the first bit may indicate that the UE switches to the dormant BWP of the first secondary cell. In some embodiments, the second value of the first bit may indicate that the UE switches to the first active BWP of the first secondary cell when the currently active BWP of the first secondary cell is the dormant BWP, or may indicate that the UE maintains the currently active BWP of the first secondary cell when the currently active BWP of the first secondary cell is not the dormant BWP.

[0212] In some embodiments, the field set may include one or more of the following: cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes; cell-specific fields with configurable field sizes; and cell common fields.

[0213] Those skilled in the art should understand that the sequence of operations in exemplary method 400 may be altered, and some operations in exemplary method 400 may be eliminated or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

[0214] Figure 5 An example of a UE 500 according to aspects of this disclosure is described. UE 500 may include a processor 502, a memory 504, a controller 506, and a transceiver 508. The processor 502, memory 504, controller 506, or transceiver 508, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of components for performing the various aspects of this disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled via one or more interfaces (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, and electrically).

[0215] Processor 502, memory 504, controller 506, or transceiver 508, or various combinations or components thereof, may be implemented in hardware (e.g., a circuit system). The hardware may be a processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof configured or otherwise supporting components for performing the functions described in this disclosure.

[0216] Processor 502 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, ASIC, FPGA, or any combination thereof). In some embodiments, processor 502 may be configured to operate memory 504. In some other embodiments, memory 504 may be integrated into processor 502. Processor 502 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory 504 to cause UE 500 to perform various functions of this disclosure.

[0217] Memory 504 may comprise volatile or non-volatile memory. Memory 504 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code containing instructions that, when executed by processor 502, cause UE 500 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as memory 504 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, wherein the communication media includes any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available medium accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0218] In some implementations, processor 502 and memory 504 coupled to processor 502 may be configured to cause UE 500 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., instructions stored in memory 504 are executed by processor 502). For example, processor 502 may support wireless communication at UE 500 according to the examples disclosed herein. For example, UE 500 may be configured to support the execution of functions such as those described herein. Figure 3 The component of the described operation.

[0219] For example, UE 500 may be configured to support: a component for receiving signaling from BS, the signaling being configured for a first set of cells for multi-cell scheduling via a DCI format, wherein the CRC of the DCI format is scrambled by UE 500’s C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI; a component for receiving the DCI format from BS; a component for determining whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the sleep of a secondary cell for each secondary cell of UE 500, wherein the first bit of the set of fields corresponds to the first secondary cell of UE 500; and a component for switching to the sleep BWP of the first secondary cell of UE 500 in response to the first bit indicating the sleep of the first secondary cell.

[0220] Controller 506 manages the input and output signals of UE 500. Controller 506 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into UE 500. In some implementations, controller 506 may utilize, for example... Or an operating system of other operating systems. In some implementations, controller 506 may be implemented as part of processor 502.

[0221] In some embodiments, UE 500 may include at least one transceiver 508. In other embodiments, UE 500 may have more than one transceiver 508. Transceiver 508 may represent a wireless transceiver. Transceiver 508 may include one or more receiver chains 510, one or more transmitter chains 512, or a combination thereof.

[0222] Receiver chain 510 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, or packets) over a wireless medium. For example, receiver chain 510 may include one or more antennas for receiving signals over the air or over a wireless medium. Receiver chain 510 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. Receiver chain 510 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and obtain transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during signal transmission. Receiver chain 510 may include at least one decoder for decoding the demodulated signal to receive transmitted data.

[0223] Transmitter chain 512 can be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, or packets). Transmitter chain 512 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques, such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes like phase shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Transmitter chain 512 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over a wireless medium. Transmitter chain 512 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

[0224] Those skilled in the art will understand that components in the exemplary UE 500 may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. For example, some components in the exemplary UE 500 may be omitted or modified, or new components may be added to the exemplary UE 500. For example, in some embodiments, the UE 500 may not include the controller 506.

[0225] Figure 6 An example of a processor 600 according to aspects of this disclosure is described. Processor 600 may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. Processor 600 may include a controller 602 configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. Processor 600 may optionally include at least one memory 604, which may be, for example, an L1 / L2 / L3 cache. Additionally or alternatively, processor 600 may optionally include one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs) 606. One or more of these components may be electronically communicated or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses).

[0226] Processor 600 may be a processor chipset and includes a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receive, acquire, retrieve, transmit, output, forward, store, determine, identify, access, write, read) according to the examples described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., memory native to the processor chipset (e.g., processor 600) or contained in the processor chipset (e.g., processor 600) or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase-change memory (PCM), and others).

[0227] Controller 602 can be configured to manage and coordinate various operations of processor 600 (e.g., signaling, receiving, acquiring, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, and reading) to enable processor 600 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. For example, controller 602 can operate as a control unit of processor 600, generating control signals that manage the operation of various components of processor 600. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory accesses, and coordinating operation timing.

[0228] Controller 602 may be configured to fetch (e.g., fetch, retrieve, receive) instructions from memory 604 and determine subsequent instructions to be executed to enable processor 600 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. Controller 602 may be configured to track the memory addresses of instructions associated with memory 604. Controller 602 may be configured to decode instructions to determine the operations to be performed and the operands involved. For example, controller 602 may be configured to interpret instructions and determine control signals to be output to other components of processor 600 to enable processor 600 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. Additionally or alternatively, controller 602 may be configured to manage data flow within processor 600. Controller 602 may be configured to control data transfers between registers, ALU, and other functional units of processor 600.

[0229] Memory 604 may include one or more caches (e.g., memory local to processor 600 or included in processor 600, or other memory such as RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc.). In some embodiments, memory 604 may reside within or on the processor chipset (e.g., local to processor 600). In some other embodiments, memory 604 may reside outside the processor chipset (e.g., remote from processor 600).

[0230] Memory 604 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code containing instructions that, when executed by processor 600, cause processor 600 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. Controller 602 and / or processor 600 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory 604 to cause processor 600 to perform various functions. For example, processor 600 and / or controller 602 may be coupled to or coupled to memory 604, and processor 600, controller 602, and memory 604 may be configured to perform the various functions described herein. In some instances, processor 600 may include multiple processors, and memory 604 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled to one or more of the multiple memories, which may be individually or collectively configured to perform the various functions described herein.

[0231] One or more ALUs 606 may be configured to support various operations according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, one or more ALUs 606 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., processor 600). In some other embodiments, one or more ALUs 606 may reside outside the processor chipset (e.g., processor 600). One or more ALUs 606 may perform one or more calculations on data, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For example, one or more ALUs 606 may receive input operands and an opcode that determines the operation to be performed. One or more ALUs 606 may be configured with various logic and arithmetic circuitry, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate data according to the operation. Alternatively, one or more ALU 606s may support logical operations such as AND, OR, XOR, NOR, and NAND, enabling one or more ALU 606s to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

[0232] The processor 600 can support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein.

[0233] For example, processor 600 can be configured to support the execution of tasks such as those related to... Figure 3 The components of the described operation. For example, processor 600 may be configured or operable to support: components for receiving signaling from the BS, the signaling being configured for a first set of cells for multi-cell scheduling via a DCI format, and the CRC of the DCI format being scrambled via the UE's C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI; components for receiving the DCI format from the BS; components for determining whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the sleep of a secondary cell for each secondary cell of the UE, wherein the first bit of the set of fields corresponds to the UE's first secondary cell; and components for switching to the sleep BWP of the UE's first secondary cell in response to the first bit indicating the sleep of the first secondary cell.

[0234] For example, processor 600 can be configured to support the execution of tasks such as those related to... Figure 4 The components of the described operation. For example, processor 600 may be configured to support: components for transmitting signaling to the UE, the signaling being configured for a first set of cells for multi-cell scheduling via a DCI format, and the CRC of the DCI format being scrambled via the UE's C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI; and components for transmitting a DCI format to the UE, wherein the DCI format may indicate whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE, and the first bit of the set of fields corresponds to the UE's first secondary cell.

[0235] Those skilled in the art will understand that components in the exemplary processor 600 may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. For example, some components in the exemplary processor 600 may be omitted or modified, or new components may be added to the exemplary processor 600. For example, in some embodiments, the processor 600 may not include an ALU 606.

[0236] Figure 7 This describes an example of NE 700 according to aspects of this disclosure. NE 700 may include a processor 702, a memory 704, a controller 706, and a transceiver 708. The processor 702, memory 704, controller 706, or transceiver 708, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of components for performing the various aspects of this disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled via one or more interfaces (e.g., operatively ground, communicatively ground, functional ground, electronic ground, electrical ground).

[0237] Processor 702, memory 704, controller 706, or transceiver 708, or various combinations or components thereof, may be implemented in hardware (e.g., a circuit system). The hardware may be a processor, DSP, ASIC, or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof configured or otherwise supporting components for performing the functions described in this disclosure.

[0238] Processor 702 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, ASIC, FPGA, or any combination thereof). In some embodiments, processor 702 may be configured to operate memory 704. In some other embodiments, memory 704 may be integrated into processor 702. Processor 702 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory 704 to cause NE 700 to perform various functions of this disclosure.

[0239] Memory 704 may comprise volatile or non-volatile memory. Memory 704 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code containing instructions that, when executed by processor 702, cause NE 700 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as memory 704 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, wherein the communication media includes any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available medium accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0240] In some embodiments, processor 702 and memory 704 coupled to processor 702 may be configured to cause NE 700 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., instructions stored in memory 704 are executed by processor 702). For example, processor 702 may support wireless communication at NE 700 according to the examples disclosed herein. For example, NE 700 may be configured to support the execution of functions such as those described herein. Figure 4 The component of the described operation.

[0241] For example, the NE 700 can be configured to support: a component for transmitting signaling to the UE, the signaling being configured in a DCI format for a first cell set for multi-cell scheduling, and the CRC of the DCI format being scrambled by the UE's C-RNTI or MCS-C-RNTI; and a component for transmitting a DCI format to the UE, wherein the DCI format can indicate whether a set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell dormancy of each secondary cell of the UE, and the first bit of the set of fields corresponds to the UE's first secondary cell.

[0242] Controller 706 manages the input and output signals of NE 700. Controller 706 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into NE 700. In some implementations, controller 706 may utilize, for example... Or an operating system of other operating systems. In some implementations, controller 706 may be implemented as part of processor 702.

[0243] In some embodiments, the NE 700 may include at least one transceiver 708. In other embodiments, the NE 700 may have more than one transceiver 708. The transceiver 708 may represent a wireless transceiver. The transceiver 708 may include one or more receiver chains 710, one or more transmitter chains 712, or a combination thereof.

[0244] Receiver chain 710 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, receiver chain 710 may include one or more antennas for receiving signals over the air or over a wireless medium. Receiver chain 710 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., an LNA) configured to amplify the received signal. Receiver chain 710 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and obtain transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during signal transmission. Receiver chain 710 may include at least one decoder for decoding the demodulated signal to receive transmitted data.

[0245] Transmitter chain 712 can be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, or packets). Transmitter chain 712 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more technologies, such as AM, FM, or digital modulation schemes like PSK or QAM. Transmitter chain 712 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over a wireless medium. Transmitter chain 712 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

[0246] Those skilled in the art will understand that components in the exemplary NE 700 may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. For example, some components in the exemplary NE 700 may be omitted or modified, or new components may be added to the exemplary NE 700. For example, in some embodiments, the NE 700 may not include the controller 706.

[0247] Those skilled in the art will understand that the operations or steps of the methods described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Furthermore, in some aspects, the operations or steps of the method may reside as one or any combination or set of code and / or instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium that can be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0248] While this disclosure has been described with reference to specific embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations will likely be apparent to those skilled in the art. This disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. For example, various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added, or substituted in other embodiments. Furthermore, not all elements in each figure are essential for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, the teachings of this disclosure will enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the disclosed embodiments by simply employing the elements of the independent claims. Therefore, the embodiments of this disclosure as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

[0249] In this document, the term "includes" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements but may also include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further constraints, an element beginning with "a" (a, an), etc., does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element. Furthermore, the term "another" is defined as at least a second or more. The terms "having," etc., as used herein, are defined as "including." Expressions such as "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include any and all combinations of the words listed with the expression. For example, the expression "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include A, B, or both A and B. The terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to clearly illustrate embodiments of this disclosure and are not intended to limit the substance of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) comprising: At least one memory; and At least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to: The signaling is received from the base station BS. The signaling is configured in the downlink control information (DCI) format for a first cell set used for multi-cell scheduling. The cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the DCI format is scrambled by the cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) or modulation and coding scheme (C-RNTIMCS-C-RNTI) of the UE. Receive the DCI format from the BS; Determine whether the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE, wherein the first bit of the field set corresponds to the first secondary cell of the UE; and In response to the first bit indicating the sleep of the first secondary cell, the UE switches to the sleep bandwidth portion (BWP) of the first secondary cell.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: In response to the absence of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Confirmation (HARQ-ACK) field in the DCI format or an indication that no HARQ-ACK feedback has been triggered, the absence of a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator in the DCI format or an indication that no HARQ-ACK retransmission has been triggered, and the invalid values ​​of all Frequency Domain Resource Assignment (FDRA) fields in the DCI format, the set of fields in the DCI format is determined to be reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the DCI includes a first indicator indicating whether the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell of the UE, or whether a second indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell group of the UE.

4. The UE of claim 3, wherein the DCI format does not schedule any data transmission when the first indicator indicates that the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE; or When the first indicator indicates that the second indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate that the secondary cell of each secondary cell group of the UE is in sleep mode, the DCI format schedules one or more data transmissions for the UE.

5. The UE according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the field set includes one or more Frequency Domain Resource Assignment (FDRA) fields corresponding to one or more cells having the minimum serving cell index in the second cell set, and wherein the second cell set is indicated by the DCI format in response to the DCI format containing an indicator of a scheduled cell, or the second cell set is the first cell set otherwise.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first cell set includes the primary cell of the UE, and the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: In response to the absence of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) field in the DCI format or an indication that no HARQ-ACK feedback has been triggered, the absence of a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator in the DCI format or an indication that no HARQ-ACK retransmission has been triggered, and the invalid values ​​of all FDRA fields in the DCI format except for the Frequency Domain Resource Assignment (FDRA) field of the primary cell, the set of fields in the DCI format is determined to be reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: In response to the absence of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) field in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, the absence of a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator in the DCI format or an indication that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and at least one Frequency Domain Resource Assignment (FDRA) field in the DCI format indicating an invalid value, the set of fields in the DCI format is determined to be reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE.

8. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the field set is specifically for the cell with the minimum serving cell index among one or more cells in the second cell set, and wherein the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value; and The DCI format includes an indicator indicating a scheduled cell, wherein the second cell set is indicated by the DCI format in the first cell set, or the second cell set is the first cell set otherwise.

9. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the field set is concatenated into a bitmap-based indicator according to a predefined rule, and each secondary cell of the UE corresponds to a corresponding bit in the bitmap-based indicator.

10. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the first value of the first bit indicates that the UE switches to the dormant BWP of the first secondary cell; and The second value of the first bit indicates that the UE switches to the first active BWP of the first secondary cell when the current active BWP of the first secondary cell is the dormant BWP, or indicates that the UE maintains the current active BWP of the first secondary cell when the current active BWP of the first secondary cell is not the dormant BWP.

11. The UE of claim 1, wherein the field set includes one or more of the following: Cell-specific fields with non-configurable field sizes; Cell-specific fields with configurable field sizes; and Community public fields.

12. A base station (BS), comprising: At least one memory; and At least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, and configured to cause the BS to: Signaling is transmitted to the user equipment (UE), the signaling being configured with a first cell set for multi-cell scheduling in the downlink control information (DCI) format, and the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the DCI format is scrambled by the UE’s cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) or modulation and coding scheme (C-RNTI MCS-C-RNTI). and The DCI format is transmitted to the UE, wherein the DCI format indicates whether the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE, and the first bit of the field set corresponds to the first secondary cell of the UE.

13. The BS according to claim 12, wherein if the HARQ-ACK request field is not present in the DCI format or indicates that no HARQ-ACK feedback has been triggered, the HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator is not present in the DCI format or indicates that no HARQ-ACK retransmission has been triggered, and all Frequency Domain Resource Assignment (FDRA) fields in the DCI format indicate invalid values, the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE.

14. The BS of claim 12, wherein the DCI includes a first indicator indicating whether the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each secondary cell of the UE, or whether a second indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate secondary cell hibernation for each group of secondary cells of the UE.

15. The BS of claim 14, wherein the DCI format does not schedule any data transmission when the first indicator indicates that the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE; or When the first indicator indicates that the second indicator in the DCI format is used to indicate that the secondary cell of each secondary cell group of the UE is in sleep mode, the DCI format schedules one or more data transmissions for the UE.

16. The BS of claim 12, wherein the first cell set includes the primary cell of the UE; and In cases where the HARQ-ACK request field is not present in the DCI format or indicates that no HARQ-ACK feedback has been triggered, the HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator is not present in the DCI format or indicates that no HARQ-ACK retransmission has been triggered, and all FDRA fields in the DCI format except for the Frequency Domain Resource Assignment (FDRA) field of the primary cell indicate invalid values, the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell hibernation of each secondary cell of the UE.

17. The BS of claim 12, wherein if a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) request field is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK feedback has not been triggered, a HARQ-ACK retransmission indicator is not present in the DCI format or indicates that a HARQ-ACK retransmission has not been triggered, and at least one Frequency Domain Resource Assignment (FDRA) field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value, the set of fields in the DCI format is reused to indicate secondary cell sleep for each secondary cell of the UE.

18. The BS of claim 12, wherein the field set is specifically for the cell with the minimum serving cell index among one or more cells in the second cell set, wherein the corresponding FDRA field in the DCI format indicates an invalid value; and The DCI format includes an indicator indicating a scheduled cell, wherein the second cell set is indicated by the DCI format in the first cell set, or the second cell set is the first cell set otherwise.

19. A processor comprising: At least one controller coupled to at least one memory, and configured to cause the processor to: The signaling is received from the base station BS. The signaling is configured in the downlink control information (DCI) format for a first cell set used for multi-cell scheduling. The cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the DCI format is scrambled by the cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) or modulation and coding scheme (C-RNTI MCS-C-RNTI) of the user equipment UE. Receive the DCI format from the BS; Determine whether the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE, wherein the first bit of the field set corresponds to the first secondary cell of the UE; and In response to the first bit indicating the sleep of the first secondary cell, the UE switches to the sleep bandwidth portion (BWP) of the first secondary cell.

20. A method for wireless communication, comprising: The signaling is received from the base station BS. The signaling is configured in the downlink control information (DCI) format for a first cell set used for multi-cell scheduling. The cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the DCI format is scrambled by the cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) or modulation and coding scheme (C-RNTIMCS-C-RNTI) of the user equipment UE. Receive the DCI format from the BS; Determine whether the field set in the DCI format is reused to indicate the secondary cell sleep of each secondary cell of the UE, wherein the first bit of the field set corresponds to the first secondary cell of the UE; and In response to the first bit indicating the sleep of the first secondary cell, the UE switches to the sleep bandwidth portion (BWP) of the first secondary cell.

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