Method and apparatus for resource indication

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a method and device for resource indication. The method comprises: receiving control information, the control information indicating one or more first resource units, the one or more first resource units being located in a first control resource set, the one or more resource units being used for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); and receiving the PDSCH based on the control information. Unused control resources can be used for data transmission, so that the resource utilization rate can be improved.

Description

Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0001] This application claims priority to PCT Patent Application No. PCT / CN2023 / 114972 entitled “RE-LEVEL SHARING IN NR CORESET IN DSS CARRIER” filed on August 25, 2023, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for resource indication. BACKGROUND

[0003] A terminal device can be configured with one or more control resource sets. A control resource set (CORESET) indicates physical resources for control information or one or more control channels. For example, a control resource set can be understood as a set of time-frequency resources for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). In the time domain, a CORESET can be configured as a single or several consecutive orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. In the frequency domain, a CORESET can be a set of contiguous or non-contiguous frequency domain resources, including search spaces of different aggregation levels. However, part of the physical resources of a CORESET is sometimes not used, resulting in resource waste.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve resource utilization is a technical problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a method and apparatus for resource indication. The above technical solution can improve resource utilization.

[0006] According to a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can be performed by a first terminal device or a chip of the first terminal device. The method includes: receiving control information, wherein the control information indicates one or more first resource units, the one or more first resource units are located in a first control resource set, and the one or more resource units are used for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); and receiving the PDSCH based on the control information.

[0007] According to a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can be performed by a network device or a chip of the network device. The method comprises: transmitting control information, wherein the control information indicates one or more first resource units, the one or more first resource units are located in a first control resource set, and the one or more resource units are used for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); and transmitting the PDSCH.

[0008] According to the above technical solution, the network device can indicate that the first terminal device can use the physical resources of the first control resource set for PDSCH transmission. The unused control resources can be used for data transmission, thereby improving the resource utilization.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first terminal device is associated with a first radio access technology, and the first control resource set includes part or all of a second control resource set associated with a second radio access technology.

[0010] According to the above technical solution, part of the physical resources between one or more 5G UEs used for transmitting PDCCH and PDSCH and one or more 6G UEs can be shared, thereby improving the resource utilization.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first terminal device is associated with a first radio access technology, and the first control resource set is dedicated to the first radio access technology.

[0012] According to the above technical solution, the design of the dedicated first control resource set can not consider the influence of coexistence between the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology. The corresponding performance of the new generation of radio access technology can be enhanced.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, the one or more first resource units are located in a subset of the first control resource set.

[0014] According to the above technical solution, the control information can indicate one or more first resource units in the subset, which can simplify the control information relative to indicating the first resource units in the entire first control resource set.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, at least part of the resource units in the first control resource set other than the first resource units are used for demodulation reference signals.

[0016] According to the technical solution, the first terminal device can not use the physical resources allocated for the demodulation reference signal, so as to ensure the reliability of the demodulation reference signal transmission.

[0017] In some embodiments, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the control information includes first information and second information, the first information indicates a PDSCH resource set, the PDSCH resource set includes the subset and physical resources occupied by the PDSCH that are not overlapped with the first control resource set, and the second information indicates the first resource element in the subset.

[0018] According to the technical solution, the complete scheduled PDSCH resource set can be indicated, and the subset can be referred to as an overlapping part between the scheduled PDSCH resource set and the first CORESET. An additional field for indicating the subset can not be needed, which can make the control information simple.

[0019] In some embodiments, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the control information includes third information and fourth information, the third information indicates the physical resources occupied by the PDSCH that are not overlapped with the first control resource set, and the fourth information indicates the first resource element in the subset.

[0020] According to the technical solution, the PDSCH resource is not overlapped with one or more CORESETs, and the subset can be designed separately, which can make the resource allocation more flexible.

[0021] In some embodiments, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the control information includes fifth information, and the fifth information indicates that the first control resource set includes the subset or the first control resource set does not include the subset.

[0022] According to the technical solution, the control information can indicate the existence of the subset, and the terminal device can assume whether one or more resource elements in the first control resource set are used for the PDSCH.

[0023] In some embodiments, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the control information includes sixth information, and the sixth information indicates a location of the subset in a time domain and a frequency domain.

[0024] According to the technical solution, the subset can be flexibly indicated through the control information, so as to make the resource allocation more flexible.

[0025] In some embodiments, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the downlink control information (DCI) includes the control information, the DCI is associated with the first control resource set, or the DCI is associated with a third control resource set.

[0026] According to the technical solution, the control resource set where the control information is located can be the first control resource set or another control resource set, and resource allocation can be more flexible.

[0027] In some embodiments, the DCI includes first-level information and second-level information, and the first-level information and the second-level information are carried in different physical channels.

[0028] For example, the first-level information can be located in the PDCCH, and the second-level information can be located in the PDSCH.

[0029] In some embodiments, the first-level information includes first information, and the second-level information includes second information.

[0030] In some embodiments, the first-level information includes third information, and the second-level information includes fourth information.

[0031] In some embodiments, the first-level information includes fifth information.

[0032] In some embodiments, the second-level information includes sixth information.

[0033] In some embodiments, the control information indicates one or more bitmaps, and the one or more bitmaps are used to determine the one or more first resource units.

[0034] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving indication information, wherein the indication information indicates one of a plurality of control resource sets, at least one of the plurality of control resource sets includes part or all of a second control resource set associated with a second radio access technology, and the first terminal device is associated with a first radio access technology.

[0035] In some embodiments, the method further includes sending indication information, wherein the indication information indicates one of a plurality of control resource sets, at least one of the plurality of control resource sets includes part or all of a second control resource set associated with a second radio access technology, and the first terminal device is associated with a first radio access technology.

[0036] In some embodiments in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the first resource unit is any one of a resource block (RB), a control channel element (CCE), and a resource element (RE).

[0037] In some embodiments in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the second radio access technology is a fifth generation (5G) radio access technology, and the first radio access technology is a sixth generation (6G) radio access technology.

[0038] According to a third aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device comprises functions or units for performing the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0039] According to a fourth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device comprises functions or units for performing the method according to the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0040] According to a fifth aspect, a system is provided. The system comprises the terminal device according to the third aspect and the network device according to the fourth aspect.

[0041] According to a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus comprises at least one processor coupled to at least one memory. The at least one memory is configured to store a computer program or one or more instructions. The at least one processor is configured to invoke and run the computer program or the one or more instructions from the at least one memory, so that the communication apparatus performs the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the communication apparatus performs the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0042] In some implementations of the sixth aspect in combination with the sixth aspect, the communication apparatus can be a network device or a component (e.g., a chip or an integrated circuit) installed in a network device. For another example, the communication apparatus can be a terminal device or a component (e.g., a chip or an integrated circuit) installed in a terminal device.

[0043] In some implementations of the sixth aspect in combination with the sixth aspect, the communication apparatus can be a terminal device or a component (e.g., a chip or an integrated circuit) installed in a terminal device. For another example, the communication apparatus can be a network device or a component (e.g., a chip or an integrated circuit) installed in a network device.

[0044] According to a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor is connected to the communication interface. The processor is configured to execute one or more instructions, and the communication interface is configured to communicate with other network elements under the control of the processor. The processor is capable of performing the methods described according to the first aspect, any possible embodiment of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible embodiment of the second aspect.

[0045] According to an eighth aspect, a computer storage medium is provided. The computer storage medium stores program code for executing one or more instructions for the method according to the first aspect, any possible embodiment of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible embodiment of the second aspect.

[0046] According to a ninth aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising one or more instructions, wherein when the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer performs the method according to the first aspect, any possible embodiment of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible embodiment of the second aspect.

[0047] According to a tenth aspect, this application provides a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that cause a processor in a device to implement the method according to the first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect.

[0048] According to the eleventh aspect, this application provides an apparatus for performing the method according to the first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect.

[0049] According to the twelfth aspect, this application provides a processor for executing instructions to cause a device to perform the method according to the first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect.

[0050] According to a thirteenth aspect, this application provides an integrated circuit for performing the method according to the first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect.

[0051] According to the fourteenth aspect, this application provides a communication apparatus, comprising: a transceiver unit configured to perform a receiving step according to the first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect; and a processing unit configured to perform a processing step according to the first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect.

[0052] According to the fifteenth aspect, this application provides a communication apparatus including a transceiver unit for performing the transmission steps described in the second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0053] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the application scenario provided in this application.

[0054] Figure 2 An exemplary communication system 100 is shown.

[0055] Figure 3 Another example of an ED and a base station is shown.

[0056] Figure 4 The unit or module in the device is shown.

[0057] Figure 5 A first embodiment of spectrum sharing between two technologies is shown.

[0058] Figure 6 A second embodiment of spectrum sharing between the two technologies is shown.

[0059] Figure 7 A third embodiment of spectrum sharing between the two technologies is shown.

[0060] Figure 8 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0061] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of DCI associated with 6G technology provided by an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0062] Figure 10 Various types of resources in a first CORESET provided by embodiments of this application are illustrated.

[0063] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a subset of the first CORESET provided by an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0064] Figure 12 A first example of control information provided by an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0065] Figure 13 A second example of control information provided by an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0066] Figure 14 and Figure 15 A first example of the location of control information provided in an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0067] Figure 16 andFigure 17 A second example of the location of control information provided in an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0068] Figure 18 and Figure 19 This is a schematic block diagram of a possible device provided by an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0069] The technical solution of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0070] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) system, Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Fifth Generation (5G) wireless communication system, New Ratio (NR) wireless communication system, Sixth Generation (6G) wireless communication system, or other evolved communication systems.

[0071] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, let's first take... Figures 1 to 3 The following describes in detail the communication system to which the embodiments of this application are applicable, using the communication system shown as an example.

[0072] refer to Figure 1This simplified schematic diagram of a communication system is provided as an illustrative example, but not a limitation. Communication system 100 includes a radio access network 120. Radio access network 120 may be a next-generation (e.g., sixth-generation, 6G, or later) radio access network, or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) radio access network. One or more electric devices (EDs) 110a to 110j (collectively referred to as 110) may be interconnected with each other or connected to one or more network nodes (170a, 170b, collectively referred to as 170) within radio access network 120. Core network 130 may be part of the communication system and may depend on or be independent of the radio access technology used in communication system 100. Furthermore, communication system 100 includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160.

[0073] Figure 2 An exemplary communication system 100 is illustrated. Typically, the communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired components to transmit data and other content. The purpose of the communication system 100 may be to provide content such as voice, data, video, and / or text via broadcast, multicast, and unicast. The communication system 100 can operate by sharing resources (e.g., carrier spectrum bandwidth) among its constituent components. The communication system 100 may include terrestrial communication systems and / or non-terrestrial communication systems. The communication system 100 can provide a wide range of communication services and applications (e.g., earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive sensing and positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.). The communication system 100 can provide high availability and robustness through the joint operation of terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication systems. For example, integrating a non-terrestrial communication system (or components thereof) into a terrestrial communication system can enable a heterogeneous network comprising multiple layers. Compared to traditional communication networks, heterogeneous networks can achieve better overall performance through efficient multi-link joint operation, more flexible function sharing, and faster physical layer link switching between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.

[0074] Terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication systems can be considered as subsystems of a communication system. In the example shown, communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a to 110d (generally referred to as ED 110), radio access networks (RANs) 120a and 120b, a non-terrestrial communication network 120c, a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. RANs 120a and 120b include corresponding base stations (BSs) 170a and 170b, which can generally be referred to as terrestrial transmit and receive points (T-TRPs) 170a and 170b. The non-terrestrial communication network 120c includes access nodes 120c, which can generally be referred to as non-terrestrial transmit and receive points (NT-TRPs) 172.

[0075] Alternatively or additionally, any ED 110 can be used to connect, access, or communicate with any other T-TRP 170a and 170b and NT-TRP 172, Internet 150, core network 130, PSTN 140, other network 160, or any combination thereof. In some examples, ED 110a can perform uplink and / or downlink transmissions with T-TRP 170a via interface 190a. In some examples, ED 110a, 110b, and 110d can also communicate directly with each other via one or more sidelink air interfaces 190b. In some examples, ED 110d can perform uplink and / or downlink transmissions with NT-TRP 172 via interface 190c.

[0076] Air interfaces 190a and 190b can use similar communication technologies, such as any suitable wireless access technology. For example, communication system 100 can implement one or more channel access methods in air interfaces 190a and 190b, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA). Air interfaces 190a and 190b can utilize other high-dimensional signal spaces, which may involve combinations of orthogonal and / or non-orthogonal dimensions.

[0077] The air interface 190c enables communication between the ED 110d and one or more NT-TRP 172s via a wireless link, or simply a link. For some examples, the link is a dedicated connection for unicast transmission, a connection for broadcast transmission, or a connection for multicast transmission between a group of EDs and one or more NT-TRPs.

[0078] RANs 120a and 120b communicate with core network 130 to provide various services, such as voice, data, and other services, to EDs 110a, 110b, and 110c. RANs 120a and 120b and / or core network 130 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown), which may or may not be directly served by core network 130, and may or may not use the same radio access technology as RANs 120a, RAN 120b, or both. Core network 130 may also act as a gateway access between (i) RANs 120a and 120b and / or EDs 110a, 110b, and 110c, and between (ii) other networks (e.g., PSTN 140, Internet 150, and other networks 160). Furthermore, some or all of ED110a, 110b, and 110c may include the ability to communicate with different wireless networks via different wireless links using different wireless technologies and / or protocols. Instead of wireless communication (or other than wireless communication), ED 110a, 110b, and 110c may also communicate with service providers or exchanges (not shown) via wired communication channels and with the Internet 150. PSTN 140 may include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 150 may include a network of computers and / or subnets (internal networks) and incorporate protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). ED 110a, 110b, and 110c may be multimode devices capable of operating according to multiple wireless access technologies and include multiple transceivers required to support these technologies.

[0079] Figure 3Another example of an ED 110 and base stations 170a, 170b, and / or 170c is shown. The ED 110 is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The ED 110 can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.

[0080] Each ED 110 represents any end-user equipment suitable for wireless operation and may include (or be referred to as): user equipment / device (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular phone, station (STA), machine-type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, tablet, wireless sensor, consumer electronics device, smartbook, vehicle, automobile, truck, bus, train, or IoT device, industrial equipment, or devices within the aforementioned devices (e.g., communication modules, modems, or chips), etc. Next-generation ED 110 may be referred to using other terms. Base stations 170a and 170b are T-TRPs and will be referred to as T-TRP 170 below. Figure 3 As also shown, NT-TRP will be referred to as NT-TRP 172 below. Each ED 110 connected to T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be dynamically or semi-statically turned on (i.e., established, activated, or enabled), turned off (i.e., released, deactivated, or disabled), and / or configured in response to one or more of the availability and necessity of the connection.

[0081] ED 110 includes a transmitter 201 and a receiver 203 coupled to one or more antennas 204. Only one antenna 204 is shown in the figure. One, some, or all of the antennas may also be panels. For example, the transmitter 201 and receiver 203 may be integrated as a transceiver. The transceiver is used to modulate data or other content for transmission by at least one antenna 204 or a network interface controller (NIC). The transceiver is also used to demodulate data or other content received through at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and / or for processing signals received wirelessly or wiredly. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals.

[0082] ED 110 includes at least one memory 208. Memory 208 stores instructions and data used, generated, or acquired by ED 110. For example, memory 208 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein, and executed by one or more processing units 210. Each memory 208 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices. Any suitable type of memory can be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, processor cache, etc.

[0083] ED 110 may also include one or more input / output devices (not shown) or interfaces (e.g., connected to...). Figure 1 (Wired interface of Internet 150 in the network). Input / output devices support interaction with users or other devices in the network. Each input / output device includes any suitable structure for providing or receiving information from the user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touchscreen, including network interface communication.

[0084] ED 110 also includes a processor 210 for performing operations, including operations related to preparing for uplink transmissions to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, operations related to processing downlink transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, and operations related to processing sidelink transmissions to and from another ED 110. Processing operations related to preparing for uplink transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing downlink transmissions may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. According to an embodiment, the downlink transmission may be received by receiver 203, possibly using receive beamforming, and processor 210 may extract signaling from the downlink transmission (e.g., by detecting and / or decoding signaling). Examples of signaling may be reference signals transmitted by NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 276 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction indications (e.g., beam angle information (BAI)) received from T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 210 may perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as operations related to detecting synchronization sequences, decoding, and acquiring system information. In some embodiments, processor 210 may perform channel estimation, for example, using reference signals received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170.

[0085] Although not shown, processor 210 may form part of transmitter 201 and / or receiver 203. Although not shown, memory 208 may form part of processor 210.

[0086] Each of the processor 210 and the processing components of the transmitter 201 and receiver 203 can be implemented by the same or different one or more processors for executing instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 208). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 210 and the processing components of the transmitter 201 and receiver 203 can be implemented using special-purpose circuitry, such as a programmable field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0087] The T-TRP 170 may be known by other names in some embodiments, such as base station, basetransceiver station (BTS), wireless base station, network node, network device, network-side device, transmit / receive node, NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), home eNodeB, next-generation NodeB (gNB), transmission point (TP), site controller, access point (AP) or wireless router, relay station, remote radio head, ground node, ground network device or ground base station, base band unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), radio unit (RU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The T-TRP 170 can be a macro BS, micro BS, relay node, host node, or a combination thereof. T-TRP 170 may refer to the aforementioned device or a component of the aforementioned device (such as a communication module, modem, or chip).

[0088] In some embodiments, the CU (or CU control plane (CP) and CU user plane (UP)), DU, or RU may be known by other names. For example, in an open RAN (ORAN) system, the CU may also be called an open CU (open CU, O-CU), the DU may also be called an open DU (open DU, O-DU), the CU-CP may also be called an open CU-CP (open CU-CP, O-CU-CP), the CU-UP may also be called an open CU-UP (open CU-UP, O-CU-CP), and the RU may also be called an open RU (open RU, O-RU). Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, or RU may be implemented by software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0089] In some embodiments, the various parts of T-TRP 170 may be distributed. For example, some modules of T-TRP 170 may be located remotely from the device housing the antenna of T-TRP 170 and may be coupled to the device housing the antenna via a communication link (not shown) sometimes referred to as a fronthaul (e.g., a common public radio interface (CPRI)). Therefore, in some embodiments, the term T-TRP 170 may also refer to modules on the network side that perform processing operations such as determining the location of ED 110, resource allocation (scheduling), message generation, and encoding / decoding; these modules are not necessarily part of the device housing the antenna of T-TRP 170. These modules may also be coupled to other T-TRPs. In some embodiments, T-TRP 170 may actually be multiple T-TRPs operating together to serve ED 110 through cooperative multicast and other means.

[0090] T-TRP 170 includes at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is shown in the figure. One, some, or all of the antennas may also be panels. The transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be integrated as a transceiver. T-TRP 170 also includes a processor 260 for performing operations including operations related to: preparing transmissions for downlink transmission to ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110, preparing transmissions for backhaul transmission to NT-TRP 172, and processing transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing transmissions for downlink or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing transmissions received in the uplink or via backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. Processor 260 can also perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as generating the contents of a synchronization signal block (SSB), generating system information, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 also generates beam direction indications, such as BAI, that can be scheduled for transmission by scheduler 253. Processor 260 performs other network-side processing operations described herein, such as determining the location of ED 110, determining the location for deploying NT-TRP 172, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 can generate signaling, such as one or more parameters for configuring ED 110 and / or one or more parameters for NT-TRP 172. Any signaling generated by processor 260 is transmitted by transmitter 252. It should be noted that the term "signaling" used herein can also be referred to as control signaling. Dynamic signaling can be sent in control channels, such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), while static or semi-static higher-layer signaling can be included in messages sent in data channels, such as the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0091] Scheduler 253 may be coupled to processor 260. Scheduler 253 may be included within or operate separately from T-TRP 170, and may schedule uplink, downlink, and / or backhaul transmissions, including issuing scheduling authorizations and / or configuring schedule-free (“configuration authorization”) resources. T-TRP 170 also includes memory 258 for storing information and data. Memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or acquired by T-TRP 170. For example, memory 258 may store software instructions or modules executed by processor 260 for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein.

[0092] Although not shown, processor 260 may form part of transmitter 252 and / or receiver 254. Furthermore, although not shown, processor 260 may implement scheduler 253. Although not shown, memory 258 may form part of processor 260.

[0093] The processor 260, scheduler 253, and processing components of transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may each be implemented by the same or different one or more processors for executing instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 258). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 260, scheduler 253, and processing components of transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry, such as FPGA, GPU, or ASIC.

[0094] Although the NT-TRP 172 is shown as an example of a drone only, the NT-TRP 172 can be implemented in any suitable non-terrestrial form. Furthermore, the NT-TRP 172 may be known by other names in some embodiments, such as a non-terrestrial node, a non-terrestrial network device, or a non-terrestrial base station. The NT-TRP 172 includes a transmitter 272 and a receiver 274 coupled to one or more antennas 280. Only one antenna 280 is shown in the figure. One, some, or all of the antennas may also be panels. The transmitter 272 and receiver 274 may be integrated as a transceiver. The NT-TRP 172 also includes a processor 276 for performing operations including: preparing transmissions for downlink transmission to ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110, preparing transmissions for backhaul transmission to T-TRP 170, and processing transmissions received from T-TRP 170 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing a transmission for downlink or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing transmissions received in the uplink or via backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. In some embodiments, processor 276 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction information (e.g., BAI) received from T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 276 may generate signaling, such as for configuring one or more parameters of ED 110. In some embodiments, NT-TRP 172 implements physical layer processing but does not implement higher-level functions such as those at the medium access control (MAC) or radio link control (RLC) layers. Since this is only an example, more generally, NT-TRP 172 may implement higher-level functions in addition to physical layer processing.

[0095] The NT-TRP 172 also includes a memory 278 for storing information and data. Although not shown, a processor 276 may form part of the transmitter 272 and / or receiver 274. Although not shown, the memory 278 may form part of the processor 276.

[0096] The processor 276 and the processing components of the transmitter 272 and receiver 274 may each be implemented by the same or different one or more processors for executing instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 278). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 276 and the processing components of the transmitter 272 and receiver 274 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry, such as a programmable FPGA, GPU, or ASIC. In some embodiments, the NT-TRP 172 may actually be multiple NT-TRPs operating together to provide services such as cooperative multicast transmission ED 110.

[0097] T-TRP 170, NT-TRP 172 and / or ED 110 may include other components, but for clarity these components are omitted.

[0098] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the process of transmitting a reference signal and measuring the channel based on the reference signal is briefly described below.

[0099] Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology supports antenna arrays with multiple antennas for signal transmission and reception to meet high transmission rate requirements. The ED 110, T-TRP 170, and / or NT-TRP mentioned above use MIMO for communication via radio resource blocks. MIMO utilizes multiple antennas on the transmitter and / or receiver to transmit radio resource blocks via parallel radio signals. MIMO can beamform the parallel radio signals to achieve reliable multipath transmission of radio resource blocks. MIMO can also bond parallel radio signals transmitting different data to increase the data rate of radio resource blocks.

[0100] In recent years, MIMO (Massive MIMO) wireless communication systems with a large number of antennas, such as the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 mentioned above, have garnered widespread attention from academia and industry. In MIMO systems, the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 typically have more than 10 antenna elements (e.g., 128 or 256) and serve dozens of ED 110s (e.g., 40). The large number of antenna elements in the T-TRP 170 and NT-TRP 172 significantly increases the spatial freedom of wireless communication, greatly improving transmission rates, spectral efficiency, and power efficiency, and largely eliminating inter-cell interference. The increased number of antennas allows for smaller and lower-cost antenna elements per unit. Utilizing the spatial freedom provided by the large number of antenna elements, each cell's T-TRP 170 and NT-TRP 172 can simultaneously communicate with multiple ED 110s within the cell on the same time-frequency resources, thereby significantly improving spectral efficiency. The numerous antenna elements of the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 also allow each user to have better spatial directivity for uplink and downlink transmissions, thereby reducing the transmission power of the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 and ED 110 and improving power efficiency. When the number of antennas in the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 is sufficiently large, the random channels between each ED 110 and the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be nearly orthogonal, and interference between cells and users, as well as the effects of noise, can be eliminated. The various advantages described above make massively multi-channel MIMO systems a promising application prospect.

[0101] A MIMO system may include a receiver connected to a receive (Rx) antenna, a transmitter connected to a transmit (Tx) antenna, and a signal processor connected to both the transmitter and the receiver. Each of the Rx and Tx antennas may include multiple antennas. For example, an Rx antenna may have a ULA antenna array, in which multiple antennas are arranged in rows at even intervals. When a radio frequency (RF) signal is transmitted through a Tx antenna, the Rx antenna can receive signals reflected and returned from a forward target.

[0102] One or more steps of the methods in the embodiments provided herein can be based on Figure 4 The corresponding unit or module is executed. Figure 4The diagram illustrates units or modules within a device, such as in ED 110, T-TRP 170, or NT-TRP 172. For example, signals may be transmitted by a transmitting unit or transmitting module. Signals may be received by a receiving unit or receiving module. Signals may be processed by a processing unit or processing module. Other steps may be performed by artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) modules. The corresponding units or modules may be implemented using hardware, one or more components or devices executing software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more of the units or modules may be integrated circuits, such as a programmable FPGA, GPU, or ASIC. It should be understood that if these modules are implemented, for example, using software executed by a processor, then these modules may be retrieved by the processor, wholly or partially, individually or collectively, for processing, in one or more instances, and these modules themselves may include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0103] Additional details regarding ED 110, T-TRP 170, and NT-TRP 172 are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these details are omitted herein.

[0104] An air interface typically includes numerous components and associated parameters that collectively specify how transmissions are sent and / or received over a wireless communication link between two or more communication devices. For example, an air interface may include one or more waveforms, one or more frame structures, one or more multiple access schemes, one or more protocols, one or more coding schemes, and / or one or more modulation schemes defining the transmission of information (e.g., data) over a wireless communication link. A wireless communication link may support links between a radio access network and user equipment (e.g., a "Uu" link), and / or wireless communication links may support links between devices, such as links between two user equipment (e.g., a "sidelink"), and / or wireless communication links may support links between a non-terrestrial (NT) communication network and user equipment (UE). Some examples of the aforementioned components are given below: Waveform components can specify the shape and form of the transmitted signal. Waveform options can include orthogonal multiple access (OFDM) and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOA) waveforms. Non-limiting examples of such waveform options include orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), filtered OFDM (f-OFDM), time-windowed OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), universal filtered multicarrier (UFMC), generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM), wavelet packet modulation (WPM), faster than Nyquist (FTN) waveforms, and low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) waveforms.

[0105] The frame structure component can specify the configuration of a frame or frame group. The frame structure component can indicate one or more of the following parameters: frame time, frequency, pilot signature, code, or other parameters. Further details about the frame structure will be discussed below.

[0106] Multiple access scheme components can specify multiple access technology options, including technologies that define how communication devices share the common physical channel, such as: time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), low density signature multicarrier code division multiple access (LDS-MC-CDMA), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), pattern division multiple access (PDMA), lattice partition multiple access (LPMA), resource spread multiple access (RSMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA). In addition, multiple access technology options may include: scheduled access and unscheduled access, also known as unlicensed access; non-orthogonal multiple access and orthogonal multiple access, for example, through dedicated channel resources (e.g., not shared between multiple communication devices); contention-based shared channel resources and non-contention-based shared channel resources; and cognitive radio-based access.

[0107] The Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) protocol component can specify how transmission and / or retransmission are performed. Non-limiting examples of transmission and / or retransmission mechanism options include mechanisms for specifying the size of the scheduled data pipeline, signaling mechanisms for transmission and / or retransmission, and retransmission mechanisms.

[0108] The coding and modulation components specify how the transmitted information is encoded / decoded and modulated / demodulated for transmission / reception. Encoding can refer to methods of error detection and forward error correction. Non-limiting examples of coding options include turbo lattice codes, turbo product codes, fountain codes, low-density parity-check codes, and polar codes. Modulation can simply refer to constellations (including, for example, modulation techniques and orders), or more specifically to various types of advanced modulation methods, such as layered modulation and low PAPR modulation.

[0109] In some embodiments, the air interface can be a "one-size-fits-all" concept. For example, once the air interface is defined, the components within it cannot be changed or adapted. In some implementations, only a limited set of parameters or modes of the air interface can be configured, such as cyclic prefix (CP) length or multiple input multiple output (MIMO) mode. In some embodiments, the air interface design can provide a uniform or flexible framework to support frequencies below 6 GHz and frequencies above 6 GHz (e.g., millimeter wave) for both licensed and unlicensed access. For example, the flexibility of a configurable air interface provided by a scalable set of parameters and symbol duration can support transmission parameter optimization for different spectrum bands and different services / devices. As another example, a uniform air interface can be self-contained in the frequency domain, and a frequency-domain self-contained design can support more flexible radio access network (RAN) slicing by sharing channel resources between different services in both frequency and time.

[0110] A frame structure is a feature of the physical layer of wireless communication that defines the structure of time-domain signal transmission. For example, it allows for timing references and timing adjustments of basic time-domain transmission units. Wireless communication between devices can occur on time-frequency resources controlled by the frame structure. A frame structure is sometimes referred to as a wireless frame structure.

[0111] Depending on the frame structure and / or the frame configuration within the frame structure, frequency division duplex (FDD) and / or time division duplex (TDD) and / or full duplex (FD) communication may be performed. FDD communication refers to transmissions in different directions (e.g., uplink and downlink) occurring on different frequency bands. TDD communication refers to transmissions in different directions (e.g., uplink and downlink) occurring within different durations. FD communication refers to transmission and reception occurring on the same time-frequency resources; that is, the device can simultaneously transmit and receive on the same frequency resources in time.

[0112] An example of a frame structure is the frame structure in Long-Term Evolution (LTE), which has the following specifications: each frame is 10 ms long; each frame has 10 subframes, each 1 ms long; each subframe includes two time slots, each 0.5 ms long; each time slot is used to transmit 7 OFDM symbols (assuming normal CP); each OFDM symbol has a symbol duration and a specific bandwidth (or partial bandwidth or bandwidth partition) related to the number of subcarriers and subcarrier spacing; the frame structure is based on OFDM waveform parameters such as subcarrier spacing and CP length (where CP has a fixed length or finite length option); the handover interval between the uplink and downlink in TDD needs to be an integer multiple of the OFDM symbol duration.

[0113] Another example of a frame structure is the frame structure in New Radio (NR), which has the following specifications: it supports multiple subcarrier intervals, each corresponding to a corresponding parameter set; the frame structure depends on the parameter set, but in any case, the frame length is set to 10 ms, each frame consists of 10 subframes, each subframe being 1 ms long; time slots are defined as 14 OFDM symbols; the time slot length depends on the parameter set. For example, the NR frame structure with a normal CP 15 kHz subcarrier interval (“Parameter Set 1”) and the NR frame structure with a normal CP 30 kHz subcarrier interval (“Parameter Set 2”) are different. For the 15 kHz subcarrier interval, the time slot length is 1 ms; for the 30 kHz subcarrier interval, the time slot length is 0.5 ms. The NR frame structure may offer greater flexibility than the LTE frame structure.

[0114] Another example of a frame structure is the exemplary flexible frame structure, such as for 6G networks or later. In a flexible frame structure, a symbol block can be defined as a minimum duration that can be scheduled within the flexible frame structure. A symbol block can be a transmission unit with optional redundant portions (e.g., a CP portion) and information portions (e.g., data portions). An OFDM symbol is an example of a symbol block. A symbol block can also be referred to as a symbol. Embodiments of flexible frame structures include various configurable parameters, such as frame length, subframe length, symbol block length, etc. A non-exhaustive list of possible configurable parameters in some embodiments of flexible frame structures includes: (1) Frame: The frame length is not limited to 10 ms; the frame length can be configurable and vary over time. In some embodiments, each frame includes one or more downlink synchronization channels and / or one or more downlink broadcast channels, each of which can transmit in different directions through different beamforming. The frame length can have more than one possible value and can be configured based on the application scenario. For example, autonomous vehicles may require relatively fast initial access, in which case the frame length for autonomous vehicle applications can be set to 5 ms. As another example, smart meters on a house may not require fast initial access, in which case the frame length for smart meter applications can be set to 20 ms.

[0115] (2) Subframe duration: Depending on the implementation, subframes can be defined in a flexible frame structure or not. For example, a frame can be defined to include time slots but not subframes. In a frame where subframes are defined, for example, for temporal alignment, the duration of the subframes can be configurable. For example, the length of a subframe can be configured to 0.1 ms, 0.2 ms, 0.5 ms, 1 ms, 2 ms, or 5 ms, etc. In some embodiments, if subframes are not needed in a particular scenario, the subframe length can be defined to be the same as the frame length, or it can be left undefined.

[0116] (3) Time Slot Configuration: Depending on the implementation, time slots may be defined in a flexible frame structure or not. In a frame where time slots are defined, the definition of the time slots (e.g., in terms of duration and / or the number of symbol blocks) may be configurable. In one embodiment, the time slot configuration is shared by all UEs or a group of UEs. In this case, the time slot configuration information may be sent to the UEs in a broadcast channel or one or more common control channels. In other embodiments, the time slot configuration may be UE-specific, in which case the time slot configuration information may be transmitted in a UE-specific control channel. In some embodiments, time slot configuration signaling may be sent together with frame configuration signaling and / or subframe configuration signaling. In other embodiments, time slot configuration may be transmitted independently of frame configuration signaling and / or subframe configuration signaling. Typically, time slot configuration may be system-wide, base station-wide, UE group-wide, or UE-specific.

[0117] (4) Subcarrier spacing (SCS): SCS is a parameter in a scalable set of parameters that can support SCS ranging from 15 kHz to 480 kHz. SCS can vary with the spectral frequency and / or maximum UE velocity to minimize the effects of Doppler shift and phase noise. In some examples, separate transmit and receive frames can exist, and the symbol SCS in the receive frame structure can be configured independently of the symbol SCS in the transmit frame structure. The SCS in the receive frame can differ from the SCS in the transmit frame. In some examples, the SCS of each transmit frame can be half the SCS of each receive frame. If the SCS differs between the receive and transmit frames, the difference does not necessarily need to be scaled by a factor of 2, for example, if the inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) is used instead of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to achieve more flexible symbol durations. Other examples of frame structures can be used with different SCS.

[0118] (5) Flexible transmission duration of the basic transmission unit: The basic transmission unit can be a symbol block (also called a symbol), which typically includes a redundant portion (called CP) and an information (e.g., data) portion, although in some embodiments, the CP can be omitted from the symbol block. The CP length can be flexible and configurable. The CP length can be fixed within a frame or flexible within a frame, and the CP length can change with frame changes, or with frame group changes, or with subframe changes, or with time slot changes, or dynamically with scheduling changes. The information (e.g., data) portion can be flexible and configurable. Another possible parameter associated with the definable symbol block is the ratio of the CP duration to the information (e.g., data) duration. In some embodiments, the symbol block length can be adjusted according to channel conditions (e.g., multipath delay, Doppler) and / or delay requirements and / or available duration. As another example, the symbol block length can be adjusted to suit the available duration in a frame.

[0119] (6) Flexible handover gap: A frame may include a downlink portion for downlink transmission from the base station and an uplink portion for uplink transmission from the UE. There may be a gap between each uplink portion and the downlink portion, which is called a handover gap. The handover gap length (duration) can be configurable. The handover gap duration can be fixed within the frame or flexible within the frame. The handover gap duration can change with the frame, or with the frame group, or with the subframe, or with the time slot, or dynamically with the scheduling.

[0120] Base stations and other equipment can provide coverage over a cell. Wireless communication with the device can take place on one or more carrier frequencies. A carrier frequency is called a carrier. A carrier can also be called a component carrier (CC). A carrier can be characterized by its bandwidth and reference frequency (e.g., the center frequency, lowest frequency, or highest frequency of the carrier). A carrier can be on licensed or unlicensed spectrum. Alternatively, wireless communication with the device can take place on one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs). For example, a carrier can have one or more BWPs. More generally, wireless communication with the device can be conducted on a spectrum. A spectrum can include one or more carriers and / or one or more BWPs.

[0121] A cell may include one or more downlink resources and optional one or more uplink resources, or a cell may include one or more uplink resources and optional one or more downlink resources, or a cell may include both one or more downlink resources and one or more uplink resources. For example, a cell may include only one downlink carrier / BWP, or only one uplink carrier / BWP, or multiple downlink carriers / BWP, or multiple uplink carriers / BWP, or one downlink carrier / BWP and one uplink carrier / BWP, or one downlink carrier / BWP and multiple uplink carriers / BWP, or multiple downlink carriers / BWP and one uplink carrier / BWP, or multiple downlink carriers / BWP and multiple uplink carriers / BWP. In some embodiments, alternatively or additionally, a cell may include one or more sidelink resources, which include sidelink transmit and receive resources.

[0122] A BWP is a set of continuous or discontinuous frequency subcarriers on a carrier, or a set of continuous or discontinuous frequency subcarriers on multiple carriers, or a set of discontinuous or continuous frequency subcarriers, and may have one or more carriers.

[0123] In some embodiments, a carrier may have one or more BWPs. For example, a carrier may have a bandwidth of 20 MHz and consist of one BWP, or a carrier may have a bandwidth of 80 MHz and consist of two adjacent consecutive BWPs. In other embodiments, a BWP may have one or more carriers. For example, a BWP may have a bandwidth of 40 MHz and consist of two adjacent consecutive carriers, each with a bandwidth of 20 MHz. In some embodiments, a BWP may include discontinuous spectrum resources consisting of discontinuous multiple carriers, wherein the first carrier in the discontinuous multiple carriers may be in the mmW band, the second carrier may be in a low-frequency band (e.g., the 2 GHz band), the third carrier (if present) may be in the THz band, and the fourth carrier (if present) may be in the visible light band. The resources belonging to a BWP within a carrier may be continuous or discontinuous. In some embodiments, a BWP has discontinuous spectrum resources on a carrier.

[0124] Wireless communication can be performed on an occupied bandwidth. The occupied bandwidth can be defined as the width of the frequency band such that the average transmitted power is equal to a specified percentage β / 2 of the total average transmitted power below the lower frequency limit and above the upper frequency limit, for example, β / 2 is set to 0.5%.

[0125] The carrier, BWP, or occupied bandwidth can be dynamically signaled by network devices (e.g., in physical layer control signaling) (e.g., DCI), or semi-statically signaled (e.g., in radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or in the medium access control (MAC) layer), or predefined based on the application scenario; or determined by the UE as a function of other parameters known to the UE, or fixed by, for example, standards.

[0126] In current networks, frame timing and synchronization are established based on synchronization signals, such as the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS). It should be noted that known frame timing and synchronization strategies involve adding timestamps to frame boundaries, for example (xx0:yy0:zz), where xx0, yy0, and zz in the timestamp can represent time formats such as hours, minutes, and seconds, respectively.

[0127] It is anticipated that different applications and use cases in future networks may involve using frames, time slots, and symbols with different periods to meet different requirements, functions, and quality of service (QoS) types. Therefore, using frames with different periods to meet these applications may pose challenges to frame timing alignment between different frame structures. For example, consider frame timing alignment for TDD configurations between adjacent carrier bands or sub-bands (or portions of bandwidth) of a channel / carrier bandwidth.

[0128] This invention generally relates to mobile wireless communications, and in certain embodiments, to frame timing alignment / realignment, wherein frame timing alignment / realignment may include timing alignment / realignment with respect to the boundaries of symbols, time slots, or subframes within a frame; or frames (therefore, frame timing alignment / realignment here is more general and not limited to the case where timing alignment / realignment comes only from frame boundaries). Furthermore, in this application, timing relative to a frame or frame boundary should be interpreted in a more general sense, i.e., a frame boundary means the timing point of a frame element within a frame, such as the timing point of a symbol, time slot, or subframe (the start or end) within a frame or the timing point of a frame. In the following, the phrases "(frame) timing alignment or timing realignment" and "timing relative to a frame boundary" are used in the more general sense described above.

[0129] In summary, aspects of this application relate to network devices, such as base station 170 (hereinafter referred to as TRP 170), that transmit signaling carrying a timing realignment indication message. The timing realignment indication message includes information supporting the receiving UE 110 in determining a timing reference point. Based on the timing reference point, frame transmissions of UE 110 can be aligned. In some aspects of this application, the aligned frames reside in different subbands of a carrier frequency band. In other aspects of this application, aligned frames exist in adjacent carrier frequency bands.

[0130] On the TRP 170 side, aspects of this application relate to using one or more types of signaling to indicate timing realignment (or / and timing correction) messages. Two exemplary types of signaling are provided herein to illustrate these schemes. The first exemplary type of signaling may be referred to as cell-specific signaling, examples of which include group common signaling and broadcast signaling. The second exemplary type of signaling may be referred to as UE-specific signaling. One or a combination of these two types of signaling can be used to transmit timing realignment indication messages. Timing realignment indication messages may be shown as a configuration to notify one or more UEs 110 of a timing reference point. In the following, reference to the term "UE 110" can be understood as a reference to a broad category of wireless communication devices within the cell (i.e., network receiving nodes, such as wireless devices, sensors, gateways, routers, etc.), i.e., served by TRP 170. A timing reference point is a timing reference moment that can be represented by relative timing based on timing points in a frame (e.g., symbols, slots, or subframes in a frame, or the start or end boundary of a frame). For simplicity, the term "frame boundary" will be used below to denote the boundary of a possible symbol, time slot, or subframe within a frame; or a frame. Therefore, a timing reference point can be represented in relative timing based on the current frame boundary (e.g., the start of the current frame). Alternatively, a timing reference point can be represented in absolute timing based on a specific standard timing reference, such as GNSS (e.g., GPS), Coordinated Universal Time ("UTC"), etc. In the absolute timing version of the timing reference point, the timing reference point can be explicitly stated.

[0131] A timing reference point can be shown to support timing adjustments at UE 110. Timing adjustments can be implemented to improve clock accuracy at UE 110. Alternatively or additionally, a timing reference point can be shown to support adjustments in future transmissions from UE 110. These adjustments can be shown as realigning transmitted frames at the timing reference point. It should be noted that realigning transmitted frames at the timing reference point can include timing realigning from a symbol, time slot, or subframe (start boundary) within a frame; or for frames at the timing reference point for one or more UEs and one or more BSs (in a cell or a group of cells), applicable to the following applications.

[0132] On the UE 110 side, UE 110 can monitor timing realignment indication messages. In response to receiving a timing realignment indication message, UE 110 can obtain a timing reference point and take steps to realign the frame at the timing reference point. For example, these steps may include starting the transmission of subsequent frames at the timing reference point.

[0133] Alternatively, before monitoring the timing realignment indication message, UE 110 can send a timing realignment request (i.e., a timing realignment request message) to TRP 170, causing TRP 170 to send a timing realignment indication message. In response to receiving the timing realignment request message, TRP 170 can send a timing realignment indication message to UE 110 including information about the timing reference point, thereby enabling UE 110 to perform timing realignment (or / and timing adjustments including clock timing error correction), wherein the timing realignment is based on the start boundary of a symbol, time slot, or subframe within a frame; or on frames for a UE and one or more base stations in a cell (or a group of cells).

[0134] According to various aspects of this application, the TRP 170 associated with a given cell can transmit a timing realignment indication message. The timing realignment indication message may include sufficient information to support the message's receiver in acquiring a timing reference point. The timing reference point may be used by one or more UEs 110 in the given cell when performing timing realignment (or / and timing adjustments including clock timing error correction).

[0135] According to various aspects of this application, a timing reference point can be represented relative to a frame boundary within a timing realignment indication message (wherein, as previously described and will be applied throughout the application, a frame boundary can be the boundary of a symbol, slot, or subframe within a frame; or the frame itself). The timing realignment indication message may include a relative timing indication. t. can be shown as a relative timing indication. t represents the timing reference point after a specific time elapsed following the frame boundary of a given frame (i.e., (t) occurs. Since frame boundaries are important for supporting UE 110 in determining timing reference points, it is important for UE 110 to know which frame has the boundary of interest. Accordingly, the timing realignment indication message may also include the system frame number (SFN) of the given frame.

[0136] In 5G NR, the SFN is a value ranging from 0 to 1023 (inclusive). Accordingly, 10 bits can be used to represent the SFN. When the SFN is carried by the SSB, 6 of the 10 bits used for the SFN can be carried in the master information block (MIB), and the remaining 4 bits can be carried in the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) payload.

[0137] Optionally, the timing realignment indication message may also include other parameters. For example, other parameters may include a minimum time offset. The minimum time offset may be established based on the duration of time preceding the timing reference point. UE 110 may rely on the minimum time offset as an indication that DL signaling (including the timing realignment indication message) will give UE 110 sufficient time to detect the timing realignment indication message to obtain information about the timing reference point.

[0138] The term "downlink" is used to indicate the direction from network devices (170, 172) to terminal devices (110), and the term "uplink" is used to indicate the direction from terminal devices (110) to network devices (170, 172).

[0139] The embodiments of this application can be applied to any communication scenario where a network device (e.g., T-TRP or NT-TRP) communicates with one or more terminal devices (e.g., ED). With the emergence of next-generation wireless communications, next-generation and older-generation wireless communications may be adopted simultaneously, especially in the early stages of next-generation adoption. For example, a network device can simultaneously communicate with one or more terminal devices associated with 5G technology (e.g., 5G UE) and one or more terminal devices associated with 6G technology (e.g., 6G UE). To facilitate understanding of this application, the following embodiments illustrate a network device communicating with a first terminal device (e.g., 6G UE), and the network device can also communicate with a second terminal device (e.g., 5G UE).

[0140] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the terms involved in this application are explained briefly below.

[0141] 1. Spectrum sharing In the initial deployment of next-generation technologies (such as 6G), one or more 5G UEs and one or more 5G networks will likely be used in conjunction with one or more 6G UEs and one or more 6G networks. Existing 5G technologies already occupy multiple spectrums. To improve spectrum coverage for next-generation technologies, it is important to design spectrum sharing between multiple generations of technologies.

[0142] Spectrum sharing means that multiple wireless access technologies can share the same spectrum. That is, there are multiple types of UEs (e.g., 5G UEs and 6G UEs) that can use the spectrum to transmit channels or signals. For example, one or more carriers can be allocated to one or more 5G UEs for transmitting channels and signals, and can be designated as one or more 5G carriers. One or more carriers can be allocated to one or more 6G UEs for transmitting channels or signals, and can be designated as one or more 6G carriers. One or more 5G carriers and one or more 6G carriers may partially or completely overlap. For ease of understanding of the embodiments of this application, Figures 5 to 7Three scenarios of spectrum sharing between 5G technology (one or more UEs) and 6G technology (one or more UEs) are shown.

[0143] Figure 5 A first embodiment of spectrum sharing between two technologies (e.g., 5G technology (one or more 5G UEs) and 6G technology (one or more 6G UEs)) is illustrated. Figure 5 As shown, 6G carriers and 5G carriers can completely overlap. In other words, 5G and 6G carriers can be located on the same frequency. One or more 6G UEs can reuse all 5G carriers.

[0144] Figure 6 A second embodiment of spectrum sharing between two technologies (e.g., 5G technology (one or more 5G UEs) and 6G technology (one or more 6G UEs)) is illustrated. Figure 6 As shown, 6G carriers and 5G carriers can partially overlap. In other words, one or more 6G UEs can reuse a portion of a 5G carrier.

[0145] Figure 7 A third embodiment of spectrum sharing between two technologies (e.g., 5G technology (one or more 5G UEs) and 6G technology (one or more 6G UEs)) is illustrated. Figure 7 As shown, a 6G carrier can overlap with two 5G carriers (e.g., 5G carrier 1 and 5G carrier 2). In other words, one or more 6G UEs can reuse some or all of multiple 5G carriers.

[0146] In some embodiments, spectrum sharing can be implemented statically or dynamically. Shared spectrum may include multiple carriers, with the carriers in the shared spectrum used for technologies specific to the static approach. Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) refers to multiple radio access technologies sharing the same spectrum, but the amount of spectrum allocated to each radio access technology (5G or 6G) may not be fixed. In 4G-5G DSS, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) and time division multiplexing (TDM) are supported, which can reduce conflicts between one or more 4G UEs and one or more 5G UEs. However, one or more 4G UEs and one or more 5G UEs each consume significant resources to transmit channels and signals.

[0147] 2. Control resource set A control resource set can also be called a CORESET. A CORESET indicates the physical resources used for control information or one or more control channels. For example, the definition proposed in 5G technology can be understood as a set of time-frequency resources used for the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). In the time domain, a CORESET can be configured as one or several consecutive orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. In the frequency domain, a CORESET can be a set of continuous or non-contiguous frequency domain resources, including search spaces for different aggregation levels. The number of control channel elements (CCEs) included in a PDCCH can be considered as the aggregation level of the PDCCH. For example, if a PDCCH includes 4 CCEs, then the aggregation level of the PDCCH is 4.

[0148] The number of PDCCH candidates is related to the aggregation level. That is, the location of potential time-frequency resources for PDCCH can be determined based on the aggregation level. The PDCCH candidates corresponding to the aggregation levels given in the CORESET constitute the search space. The sum of the search spaces corresponding to all aggregation levels of downlink control information (DCI) can be called the search space set. At least a portion of the DCI resides in the PDCCH; the DCI is used to schedule the physical resources for downlink and uplink data.

[0149] Physical resources are defined in CORESET. However, sometimes some physical resources in CORESET may not be used, resulting in resource waste.

[0150] Therefore, this application provides a communication method in which a UE can use unused resources of CORESET to improve resource utilization.

[0151] Figure 8 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication method can be applied to the communication system described above.

[0152] In S810, the network device sends control information to the first terminal device. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives control information from the network device.

[0153] In S820, the network device sends a PDSCH to the first terminal device. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the PDSCH from the network device.

[0154] The control information indicates one or more first resource elements located in a first control resource set, which are used for the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The network device can instruct a first terminal device to use the physical resources of the first control resource set for PDSCH transmission. Unused control resources can be used for data transmission, thereby improving resource utilization.

[0155] In some embodiments, the first terminal device is associated with a first wireless access technology.

[0156] In the embodiments of this application, the first wireless access technology and the second wireless access technology are two generations of wireless access technologies. For example, the first wireless access technology corresponds to 6G technology, and the second wireless access technology corresponds to 5G technology. In the following embodiments, a 6G UE can be an example of a first terminal device, and a 5G UE can be an example of a second terminal device.

[0157] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application use 5G and 6G technologies as examples. The first terminal device can be associated with other technologies. This application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0158] It should be noted that the term "first control resource set" is used for distinction only and does not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application. Similarly, the terms "second control resource set" and "first terminal device" in the following description are also used for distinction only and do not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application, and will not be elaborated further below.

[0159] The first terminal device can be configured with multiple CORESETs. The physical resources of a CORESET can be represented by its location in the time and frequency domains, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0160] In some embodiments, a CORESET may include part or all of a second CORESET associated with a second radio access technology (e.g., 5G technology). The first and second terminal devices may share the same spectrum, and some physical resources may be shared between the first and second terminal devices for one or more CORESETs. Terminal devices associated with different generations of technologies may use at least a portion of the same set of control resources, which can improve resource utilization.

[0161] For ease of description, the CORESET associated with the first radio access technology will be referred to as the 6G CORESET, and the CORESET associated with the second radio access technology will be referred to as the 5G CORESET.

[0162] The 6G core set can completely overlap with the 5G core set, or it can partially overlap. For example, the 6G core set can completely overlap with the 5G core set, the 6G core set can be a subset of the 5G core set, or the 5G core set can be a subset of the 6G core set. The embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0163] In some embodiments, a 6G core set may be dedicated to one or more terminal devices associated with a first radio access technology. A 6G core set may not overlap with a 5G core set. For example, a 6G UE may be configured with a 6G core set, and the 6G core set may not be shared by one or more 5G UEs.

[0164] For example, a 6G core set can be time-division multiplexed (TDM) with a 5G core set. Alternatively, a 6G core set can be frequency-division multiplexed (FDM) with a 5G core set. The number of resource blocks (RBs) in a 6G core set can be the same as or different from the number of RBs in a 5G core set. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0165] The above embodiments are for illustrative purposes. The first core set, where the PDSCH can occupy one or more resource units, can be any of the core sets described above. For example, the first core set can include all or part of a 5G core set. One or more 5G UEs used to transmit PDCCH and PDSCH can share some physical resources with one or more 6G UEs, thereby improving resource utilization.

[0166] For example, a first core set can be dedicated to a first radio access technology, meaning that the first core set does not overlap with a second core set. The design of a dedicated core set can disregard the impact of coexistence between the first and second radio access technologies. This can enhance the performance of next-generation radio access technologies (such as 6G).

[0167] In some embodiments, the parameter set may be associated with CORESET. The parameter set may include one or more of the following: The first parameter (e.g., frequency resource allocation) is used to determine the frequency resources in the frequency domain. For example, the bits in the frequency resource allocation field can represent a set of resource blocks; The second parameter (such as time resource allocation), also known as duration, is used to determine time resources in the time domain. For example, the time resource allocation field can indicate the continuous duration of CORESET in units of symbols; The third parameter (e.g., resource element group (REG) bundle size) indicates the number of REGs within a REG bundle; The fourth parameter (e.g., an interleaving indicator) indicates that the CORESET CCE-REG mapping is an interleaved predefined non-interleaved mapping; The fifth parameter (e.g., the interleaver size) is used to determine the interleaving depth of the CCE-REG mapping.

[0168] This application does not limit the set of parameters associated with a CORESET. For example, when a 6G CORESET and a 5G CORESET completely overlap in the time-frequency domain, the 5G CORESET and the 6G CORESET can also share the same set of parameters. For example, a CCE can consist of 6 REGs, where a REG represents a resource block during an OFDM symbol. The REGs in a CORESET are numbered in ascending order in a time-priority manner, starting from 0 for the first OFDM symbol and the lowest-numbered RB in the CORESET.

[0169] In some embodiments, when multiple CORESETs are configured for a first terminal device, different or identical parameter configurations can be associated with different CORESETs. For example, the REG sizes of two CORESETs can be the same or different, where the REG size can represent the number of REs within a REG. For example, the CCE sizes of two CORESETs can be the same or different, where the CCE size can represent the number of REGs within a CCE. For example, the REG bundle sizes of two CORESETs can be the same or different, where the REG bundle size can represent the number of REGs within a REG bundle. For example, the interleaving sizes of two CORESETs can be the same or different, where the interleaving size can be used to determine the interleaving depth. For example, the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) positions of two CORESETs can be the same or different, where the DMRS position can indicate the position of the PDCCH downlink control information (DCI) in the time-frequency domain.

[0170] One or more structures (or DCI formats) of the PDCCH can be associated with CORESET. In some embodiments, the structure of the PDCCH can be shared between a first radio access technology and a second radio access technology. For example, the structure of the PDCCH defined in 5G technology can be used in 6G technology.

[0171] In some embodiments, one or more structures of the PDCCH can be dedicated to 6G technology.

[0172] For example, such as Figure 9 As shown, Figure 9 A schematic diagram of DCI associated with 6G technology is shown. DCI associated with 6G technology can include Level 1 information and Level 2 information, which can reside on different channels. For example, Level 1 information can be located in the PDCCH, and Level 2 information can be located in the PDSCH. Level 1 and Level 2 information are two parts of DCI located on different channels, and their names are not necessarily limited to a specific implementation.

[0173] It should be noted that Level 2 information may not be multiplexed with UE DL data; that is, Level 2 information can be transmitted on the PDSCH without DL-SCH. This allows for greater flexibility in the size of Level 2 information. It also avoids the complexity of rate matching of downlink data when multiplexing downlink data with DCI. Level 1 information can indicate control information for Level 2 information. For example, Level 1 information may include one or more of the time, frequency, and spatial resource configurations of Level 2 information.

[0174] The structure of the PDCCH described above is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. Embodiments of physical resource configuration, parameter sets, and PDCCH structure can be implemented individually or in combination.

[0175] For example, a first-class CORESET may have the same physical resources as a 5G configuration, and this first-class CORESET may be referred to as a 5G-class CORESET. Alternatively, the configuration of this parameter set may be the same as or different from that of a 5G CORESET. One or more structures of the PDCCH may be the same as or different from those of a 5G CORESET. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0176] For example, a second-type coreset may have a portion of the same physical resources as a 5G coreset, and this second-type coreset may be referred to as a 5G-enhanced coreset. Alternatively, the configuration of this parameter set may be the same as or different from that of a 5G coreset. One or more structures of the PDCCH may be the same as or different from those of a 5G coreset. This application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0177] For example, a third-class coreset may have physical resources different from those of a 5G coreset, and a third-class coreset may be referred to as a pure 6G coreset. Alternatively, the configuration of this parameter set may be the same as or different from that of a 5G coreset. One or more structures of the PDCCH may be the same as or different from those of a 5G coreset. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0178] The examples above are for illustrative purposes. For the sake of brevity, not all examples are listed here.

[0179] A PDSCH can occupy one or more first resource units located in a first CORESET. That is, the physical resources of a scheduled PDSCH can partially overlap with those of a first CORESET. Although not shown, the physical resources of a scheduled PDSCH can partially overlap with those of two or more CORESETs. For ease of description, the first CORESET is used as an example.

[0180] This application does not limit the granularity of the first resource unit. For example, the first resource unit can be any one of a resource block (RB), a control channel element (CCE), and a resource element (RE). One or more physical resources may exist in the first CORESET.

[0181] For example, Figure 10 The various types of resources in the first core set are shown. The first core set may include one or more of the following: One or more available RBs may be referred to as one or more available RBs for PDSCH transmission; One or more unavailable RBs can be referred to as one or more unavailable RBs used for PDSCH transmission; One or more available RBs having one or more unavailable REs, wherein the RBs may include one or more available REs for PDSCH transmission and one or more unavailable REs for PDSCH.

[0182] Although not shown, the aforementioned one or more RBs can be replaced by one or more CCEs or physical resources of any size. Similarly, one or more REs can be replaced by physical resources of any other size. This application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0183] In some embodiments, at least some resource elements in the first resource set, excluding one or more first resource elements, can be used for DMRS. That is, one or more unavailable RBs or REs (i.e., one or more resource elements in the first resource set excluding one or more first resource elements) can be allocated to PDCCH DMRS transmission. The location of the PDCCH DMRS can be the same as the location of one or more unavailable RBs or one or more REs. Therefore, the first terminal device can avoid using the physical resources allocated for PDCCH DMRS to ensure the reliability of PDCCH DMRS transmission.

[0184] In some embodiments, one or more first resource units for PDSCH transmission may be located in one or more subsets of a first CORESET. Control information may indicate one or more first resource units in one or more subsets, which simplifies the control information compared to indicating first resource units in the entire first CORESET.

[0185] For example, Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a subset within the first CORESET is shown. One or more unused resource units within the subset can be used for PDSCH transmission. Although not shown, two or more subsets within the first CORESET can be used for PDSCH transmission, but are omitted here for brevity.

[0186] In some embodiments, control information may indicate one or more first resource units based on one or more bitmaps. This application does not limit the number, granularity, or size of the one or more bitmaps. Alternatively, the granularity and size of the bitmaps may be determined based on a set of parameters associated with the first CORESET.

[0187] For example, control information may indicate bitmap #1 with granular RBs, and bitmap #1 may indicate one or more available RBs and one or more unavailable RBs as described above. The size of bitmap #1 may be determined based on the size of a first CORESET. For example, the first CORESET may include 96 RBs, and the size of bitmap #1 with RB granularity may be equal to 96. Alternatively, when one or more available RBs are located in a subset, the size of bitmap #1 may be determined based on a subset of the first CORESET #1. Thus, the first terminal device may determine one or more available RBs for PDSCH transmission.

[0188] Alternatively, the control information may also indicate one or more bitmaps #2 with granular REs, which may indicate one or more available RBs with one or more unavailable REs. Thus, the first terminal device can determine one or more available REs for the PDSCH transmission.

[0189] Although not shown, the bitmap #1 with granular RBs described in the above example can be replaced with a bitmap with any other granularity, such as a bitmap with granular CCEs, a bitmap with granular REG bundles, or a bitmap with granular RBGs. The size of the RBG can be determined based on the size of the effective bandwidth part (BWP). For example, the first CORESET may include 96 RBs, the CCE may include 6 RBs, and the size of bitmap #1 with granular CCEs can be equal to 96.

[0190] Similarly, the one or more additional bitmaps #2 with granularity RE described in the above example can be replaced with bitmaps #2 with any other granularity, wherein the granularity of the one or more bitmaps #2 is smaller than the granularity of the one or more bitmaps #1. This application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0191] Although not shown, the indication information may indicate bitmaps with three or more granularities. For example, the indication information may indicate: a bitmap with granularity CCE to indicate one or more available CCEs; one or more bitmaps with granularity RB to indicate one or more available RBs; and one or more bitmaps with granularity RE to indicate one or more available REs.

[0192] Control information can instruct the first resource unit in various ways. For ease of understanding of this application, in conjunction with... Figure 12 and Figure 13 Some examples are given.

[0193] In the first embodiment, as Figure 12 As shown, the control information can indicate a set of scheduled PDSCH resources, which may include the subset and PDSCH resources that do not overlap with one or more CORESETs. The control information can also indicate one or more first resource units within the subset. The complete set of scheduled PDSCH resources can be indicated, and this subset may be referred to as the overlapping portion between the scheduled PDSCH resource set and the first CORESET. Additional fields used to indicate subsets may be unnecessary, which can simplify the control information.

[0194] For example, the control information may include a time-domain resource allocation field and a frequency-domain resource allocation field. The time-domain resource allocation field may indicate the location of the scheduled PDSCH resource set in the time domain. The frequency-domain resource allocation field may indicate the location of the scheduled PDSCH resource set in the frequency domain. The control information may also include one or more bitmaps to indicate a first resource element in a subset. This subset may be referred to as the overlap between the first CORESET and the scheduled PDSCH resource set. Thus, the first terminal device can determine all physical resources for PDSCH transmission based on the location of the scheduled PDSCH resource set, the location of the first CORESET, and one or more bitmaps.

[0195] In the second embodiment, as Figure 13 As shown, control information can indicate PDSCH resources that do not overlap with one or more CORESETs and one or more first resource units in a subset. PDSCH resources that do not overlap with one or more CORESETs and one or more first resource units in a subset can be indicated individually. That is, PDSCH resources that do not overlap with one or more CORESETs and subsets can be designed individually, which allows for more flexible resource allocation.

[0196] For example, the control information may include a time-domain resource allocation field and a frequency-domain resource allocation field. The time-domain resource allocation field may indicate the location of PDSCH resources that do not overlap with one or more CORESETs in the time domain. The frequency-domain resource allocation field may indicate the location of PDSCH resources that do not overlap with one or more CORESETs in the frequency domain. The control information may also include one or more bitmaps to indicate a first resource element in the subset. Thus, the first terminal device can determine all physical resources for PDSCH transmission based on the location of PDSCH resources that do not overlap with one or more CORESETs and one or more bitmaps.

[0197] In embodiments of this application, the locations of PDSCH resources that do not overlap with one or more CORESETs and the locations of subsets may be adjacent or non-adjacent in the time-frequency domain.

[0198] In some implementations of this application, the control information may also indicate whether a subset exists. For example, the configuration may include a 1-bit indication, where a value of 1 indicates that the first CORESET includes a subset of unused physical resources that can be used for PDSCH transmission, and a value of 0 indicates that the first CORESET does not include the subset. When the subset exists, the location of the subset may be predefined, or the control information may indicate the location of the subset in the time-frequency domain. For example, the control information may also include a time resource field and a frequency resource field of the subset. This application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0199] The embodiments of this application do not limit the location of the control information.

[0200] For example, Figure 14 and Figure 15 A first example of the location of control information is shown. At least part of the control information may be located in the first core set. For example, the control information may be included in the DCI associated with the first core set. Alternatively, the DCI may not be located in a subset.

[0201] For example, Figure 16 and Figure 17 A second example of the location of control information is shown. At least part of the control information may be located in a CORESET other than the first CORESET. For example, the control information may be included in the DCI associated with that CORESET.

[0202] For ease of description, in the following description, a CORESET carrying at least some control information may be represented as CORESET#A. CORESET#A can be any type of CORESET described above. That is, the format of the DCI associated with CORESET#A can be configured for 5G technology, or the format of the DCI associated with CORESET#A can be configured for 6G technology (e.g., Figure 9 (as shown in the DCI). This application does not limit this.

[0203] When two-level DCI can be used with CORESET#A (e.g.) Figure 9 When the DCI shown is associated, control information can be included in both levels of DCI.

[0204] For example, when control information can indicate the set of scheduled PDSCH resources in a subset and one or more first resource units (e.g., ... Figure 12 As shown), the control information may include first information for indicating the set of PDSCH resources to be scheduled and second information for indicating one or more first resource units in the subset. The first information may be included in the first-level information of the two-level DCI. The second information may be included in the second-level information of the two-level DCI.

[0205] For example, when the control information indicates a subset of PDSCH resources that do not overlap with one or more CORESETs and one or more first resource units (e.g., ... Figure 13 As shown), the control information may include third information for indicating PDSCH resources that do not overlap with one or more CORESETs, and fourth information for indicating one or more first resource units in a subset. The third information may be included in the first level information of the two-level DCI. The fourth information may be included in the second level information of the two-level DCI.

[0206] Alternatively, when the control information includes fifth information indicating whether the first CORESET includes one or more subsets, the fifth information may be included in the first level information of the two-level DCI.

[0207] Alternatively, when the control information includes sixth information indicating the location of a subset, the sixth information may be included in the second-level information of the two-level DCI.

[0208] In some embodiments, the first terminal device may be configured with multiple cores, which may correspond to one or more modes. For example, the first terminal device may operate in two modes, such as a first mode and a second mode. When the first terminal device (e.g., a 6G UE) operates in the first mode, the 6G UE may use some or all of the cores that include 5G cores, such as the first type of cores described above. When the 6G UE operates in the second mode, the 6G UE may use cores that do not overlap with 5G cores, such as the third type of cores described above. The first mode may be referred to as a 5G-like mode or a 5G enhanced mode, and the second mode may be referred to as a pure 6G mode; the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0209] For example, the first terminal device can operate in three modes, such as mode one, mode two, and mode three. When the first terminal device (e.g., a 6G UE) operates in mode one, the 6G UE can use a core set that completely overlaps with the 5G core set, such as the first type of core set described above. When the 6G UE can operate in mode two, the 6G UE can use a core set that partially overlaps with the 5G core set, such as the second type of core set described above. When the 6G UE can operate in mode three, the 6G UE can use a core set that does not overlap with the 5G core set, such as the third type of core set described above. Mode one can be called a 5G-like mode, mode two can be called a 5G enhanced mode, and mode three can be called a pure 6G mode.

[0210] In some embodiments, the network device may instruct the first terminal device which of a plurality of CORESETs to use. That is, prior to step 810, the network device and the first terminal device may perform the following step 830.

[0211] Optionally, in S830, the first terminal device receives indication information from the network device. Accordingly, the network device sends indication information to the first terminal device.

[0212] The indication information may indicate one of a plurality of control resource sets, at least one of which includes part or all of the second control resource set associated with the second radio access technology. The CORESET of the indication may be the CORESET in which at least part of the control information is located.

[0213] The indication information can indicate one of multiple cores in various ways. In a first embodiment, the indication information can indicate a mode upon which the first terminal device can determine the core. For example, a 6G UE can operate in a 5G-like mode, a 5G enhanced mode, and a pure 6G mode, and these three modes are associated with cores respectively. When the indication information indicates that the 6G UE is operating in a 5G-like mode, the 6G UE can use a core that completely overlaps with the 5G core.

[0214] In the second embodiment, the indication information may indicate a first radio access technology or a second radio access technology, and the first terminal device may determine the CORESET based on the indicated radio access technology. For example, if the network device indicates 5G technology, the 6G UE may determine to use a CORESET that completely overlaps with the 5G CORESET.

[0215] In the third embodiment, the indication information can indicate the index of the CORESET. For example, the network device can configure multiple CORESETs for a 6G UE and indicate which CORESET the 6G UE uses through the corresponding index.

[0216] In the fourth embodiment, the indication can indicate the mode / wireless access technology and index. For example, one or more of the above parameters for one or more CORESETs can be predefined. Therefore, the configuration can indicate the index of the CORESET, which can be used to determine the location of the CORESET.

[0217] The above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. The CORESET indicated may be the CORESET where at least some of the control information is located.

[0218] In embodiments of this application, the network device may instruct a first terminal device to use the physical resources of a first set of control resources for PDSCH transmission. Unused control resources can be used for data transmission, thereby improving resource utilization.

[0219] The above text combined Figures 8 to 17 The methods provided by the embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Figure 18 and Figure 19The apparatus provided by the embodiments of this application has been described in detail. The description of the apparatus embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the above method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0220] refer to Figure 18 The diagram illustrates a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 10 includes a transceiver unit 11 and a processing unit 12. The transceiver unit 11 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing unit 11 is used to perform data processing. The transceiver unit 11 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0221] In some embodiments, the communication device 10 may further include a storage unit. The storage unit may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 12 may read the instructions and / or data from the storage unit to enable the communication device to implement the method embodiments described above.

[0222] The communication device 10 can be used to perform the actions performed by the first terminal device in the above method embodiments. In this case, the communication device 10 can be the first terminal device or a component that can be configured in the first terminal device. The transceiver unit 11 is used to perform communication-related (e.g., receive / transmit related) operations on the first terminal device side in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 12 is used to perform processing-related operations on the first terminal device side in the above method embodiments.

[0223] Communication device 10 can implement the embodiments provided in this application. Figures 8 to 17 The steps or processes performed by the first terminal device. The communication device 10 may include steps or processes for performing... Figures 8 to 17 The unit executing the method in the first terminal device. Furthermore, the units in the communication device 10 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively used to implement... Figures 8 to 17 The corresponding process in the text.

[0224] Alternatively, the communication device 10 can be used to perform the actions performed by the network device in the above method embodiments. In this case, the communication device 10 can be a network device or a component that can be configured in a network device. The transceiver unit 11 is used to perform communication-related (e.g., receive / transmit related) operations on the network device side in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 12 is used to perform processing-related operations on the network device side in the above method embodiments.

[0225] Communication device 10 can implement the embodiments provided in this application. Figures 8 to 17 The steps or processes performed by network devices. Communication device 10 may include methods for performing... Figures 8 to 17 The unit in the communication device 10 is the one that executes the method by the network device. Furthermore, the units in the communication device 10 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively used to implement...Figures 8 to 17 The corresponding process in the text.

[0226] The specific process by which the unit performs the corresponding steps described above is described in detail in the above method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0227] refer to Figure 19 The diagram illustrates a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 20 includes a processor 21. The processor 21 is coupled to a memory 22. The memory 22 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 21 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 22 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0228] In some embodiments, the communication device 20 includes one or more processors 21.

[0229] In one example, such as Figure 19 As shown, the communication device 20 may also include a memory 22.

[0230] In some embodiments, the communication device 20 may include one or more memories 22.

[0231] In one example, memory 22 may be integrated with processor 21 or may be set up separately from processor 21.

[0232] In one example, such as Figure 19 As shown, the communication device 20 may further include a transceiver 23, wherein the transceiver 23 is used to receive and / or transmit signals. For example, the processor 21 may be used to control the transceiver 23 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0233] In some embodiments, the communication device 20 may be a first terminal device or a component (e.g., a chip, circuit, or processing system) that can be configured in the first terminal device; or, the communication device 20 may be a network device or a component (e.g., a chip, circuit, or processing system) that can be configured in the network device.

[0234] In one embodiment, the communication device 20 is used to perform the operations performed by the first terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0235] For example, processor 21 can be used to perform processing-related operations performed by the first terminal device in the above method embodiments, and transceiver 23 can be used to perform communication-related (e.g., receive / send-related) operations performed by the first terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0236] In another embodiment, the communication device 20 is used to perform the operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0237] For example, processor 21 can be used to perform processing-related operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, and transceiver 23 can be used to perform communication-related (e.g., receive / send-related) operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0238] Embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions for implementing the methods described in the method embodiments, either executed by a first terminal device or by a network device.

[0239] For example, when a computer program is executed by a computer, it can enable the computer to implement the method executed by the first terminal device or the method executed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0240] Embodiments of this application also provide a computer program product including instructions. When executed by a computer, the instructions enable the computer to implement the method executed by the first terminal device or the method executed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0241] Embodiments of this application also provide a communication system. The communication system includes the first terminal device and network device described in the above embodiments.

[0242] For explanations and benefits regarding any communication devices provided above, please refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above. Further details will not be repeated here.

[0243] The processor mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU). The processor can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates, transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or it can be any common processor.

[0244] The memory mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, and may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, RAM can include a variety of forms, such as the following: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0245] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0246] It should also be noted that the memory described in this specification is intended to include, but is not limited to, these memories and any other suitable types of memory.

[0247] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the units and methods, can be implemented in electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of protection of this application.

[0248] It should be noted that the term "receive / receiving" as used herein can refer to receiving or otherwise acquiring from an element / component within the same device or from another device separate from the device. Similarly, the term "transmit / transmitting" can refer to outputting or sending to / for an element / component within the same device or to / for another device separate from the device. For example, any method / process described herein can be performed by a chipset, in which case any transmitting or receiving step can occur between elements of the chipset.

[0249] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working process of the above-described apparatus and units can be referred to the corresponding process in the above method embodiments. Further details will not be repeated here.

[0250] In the several embodiments provided in this application, the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the described apparatus embodiments are merely exemplary. For example, dividing into units is merely a logical functional division and may be other divisions in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be merged or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not performed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be implemented through some interface. Indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units can be implemented in electronic, mechanical or other forms.

[0251] The units described as individual components may be physically separate or not; the components shown as units may be physical units or not, may be located in the same location, or may be distributed among multiple network units. The solution provided in this application can be implemented by selecting some or all of the units based on actual needs.

[0252] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, each functional unit can be integrated into one unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0253] All or part of the above embodiments can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When an embodiment is implemented using software, all or part of the embodiment can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of them produce the processes or functions provided by the embodiments of this application. A computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, a computer can be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc. Computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from a computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, and microwave, etc.) means. A computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access, or a data storage device that integrates one or more available media, such as a server or data center. Available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), semiconductor media (e.g., SSDs), etc. For example, the available media may include, but are not limited to, various media that can store program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, disks, or optical discs.

[0254] The above description is merely one specific implementation of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims and the specification.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first terminal device and includes: Receive control information, wherein the control information indicates one or more first resource elements, the one or more first resource elements are located in a first control resource set, and the one or more resource elements are used for the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH); The PDSCH is received based on the control information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first terminal device is associated with a first wireless access technology, and the first control resource set includes part or all of the second control resource set associated with a second wireless access technology.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first terminal device is associated with the first wireless access technology, and the first control resource set is dedicated to the first wireless access technology.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The one or more first resource units are located in a subset of the first control resource set.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, At least some of the resource units in the first control resource set, excluding the one or more first resource units, are used to demodulate the reference signal.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The control information includes first information and second information. The first information indicates a PDSCH resource set, which includes the subset and the physical resources occupied by the PDSCH that do not overlap with the first control resource set. The second information indicates the first resource unit in the subset.

7. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The control information includes third information and fourth information. The third information indicates the physical resources occupied by the PDSCH that do not overlap with the first control resource set, and the fourth information indicates the first resource unit in the subset.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The control information includes a fifth piece of information, which indicates whether the first control resource set includes the subset or whether the first control resource set does not include the subset.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The control information includes a sixth piece of information, which indicates the position of the subset in the time and frequency domains.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The downlink control information (DCI) includes the control information, and the DCI is associated with the first control resource set or the DCI is associated with the third control resource set.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The DCI includes first-level information and second-level information, which are carried in different physical channels.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The first level of information includes first information, and the second level of information includes second information.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The first level of information includes the third level of information, and the second level of information includes the fourth level of information.

14. The method according to claim 11 or 13, characterized in that, The first level of information includes the fifth level of information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11, 13, and 14, characterized in that, The second level of information includes the sixth information.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that, The control information indicates one or more bitmaps, which are used to determine the one or more first resource units.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first terminal device receives instruction information, wherein the instruction information indicates one of a plurality of control resource sets, at least one of the plurality of control resource sets including part or all of a second control resource set associated with a second wireless access technology, and the first terminal device is associated with a first wireless access technology.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that, The first resource element is any one of the resource block RB, control channel element CCE, and resource element RE.

19. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 18, characterized in that, The second wireless access technology is the fifth-generation 5G wireless access technology, and the first wireless access technology is the sixth-generation 6G wireless access technology.

20. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to network devices, including: Send control information, wherein the control information indicates one or more first resource elements, the one or more first resource elements being located in a first control resource set, the one or more resource elements being used for the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH); Send the PDSCH.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first terminal device is associated with a first wireless access technology, and the first control resource set includes part or all of the second control resource set associated with a second wireless access technology.

22. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first terminal device is associated with the first wireless access technology, and the first control resource set is dedicated to the first wireless access technology.

23. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 22, characterized in that, The one or more first resource units are located in a subset of the first control resource set.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, At least some of the resource units in the first control resource set, excluding the one or more first resource units, are used to demodulate the reference signal.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that, The control information includes first information and second information. The first information indicates a PDSCH resource set, which includes the subset and the physical resources occupied by the PDSCH that do not overlap with the first control resource set. The second information indicates the first resource unit in the subset.

26. The method according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that, The control information includes third information and fourth information. The third information indicates the physical resources occupied by the PDSCH that do not overlap with the first control resource set, and the fourth information indicates the first resource unit in the subset.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, The control information includes a fifth piece of information, which indicates whether the first control resource set includes the subset or whether the first control resource set does not include the subset.

28. The method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that, The control information includes a sixth piece of information, which indicates the position of the subset in the time and frequency domains.

29. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 28, characterized in that, The downlink control information (DCI) includes the control information, and the DCI is associated with the first control resource set or the third control resource set.

30. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that, The DCI includes first-level information and second-level information, which are carried in different physical channels.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that, The first level of information includes first information, and the second level of information includes second information.

32. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that, The first level of information includes the third level of information, and the second level of information includes the fourth level of information.

33. The method according to claim 30 or 32, characterized in that, The first level of information includes the fifth level of information.

34. The method according to any one of claims 30, 32 and 33, characterized in that, The second level of information includes the sixth information.

35. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 34, characterized in that, The control information indicates one or more bitmaps, which are used to determine the one or more first resource units.

36. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 35, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending instruction information, wherein the instruction information indicates one of a plurality of control resource sets, at least one of the plurality of control resource sets including part or all of a second control resource set associated with a second radio access technology, and the first terminal device is associated with a first radio access technology.

37. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 36, characterized in that, The first resource element is any one of the resource block RB, control channel element CCE, and resource element RE.

38. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 37, characterized in that, The second wireless access technology is the fifth-generation 5G wireless access technology, and the first wireless access technology is the sixth-generation 6G wireless access technology.

39. An apparatus, characterized in that, The apparatus includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing one or more instructions executable on the processor, wherein when the one or more instructions are executed, the apparatus is capable of performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, or performing the method according to any one of claims 20 to 38.

40. An apparatus, characterized in that, The apparatus includes functions or units that perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19 or the method according to any one of claims 20 to 38.

41. A communication system, characterized in that, The device includes a first terminal device and a network device, wherein the first terminal device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, and the network device performs the method according to any one of claims 20 to 38.

42. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It includes one or more instructions, wherein when the one or more instructions are executed on a computer, the computer performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, or the method according to any one of claims 20 to 38.

43. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, characterized in that, Storage instructions that cause a processor in the device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, or the method according to any one of claims 20 to 38.

44. A device, characterized in that, Used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, or the method according to any one of claims 20 to 38.

45. A processor, characterized in that, Used to execute instructions to cause the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, or the method according to any one of claims 20 to 38.

46. ​​An integrated circuit, characterized in that, Used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, or the method according to any one of claims 20 to 38.

47. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Transceiver unit, configured to perform the receiving step according to any one of claims 1 to 19; A processing unit for performing the processing steps according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

48. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a transceiver unit for performing the transmission steps according to any one of claims 20 to 38.

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