Configuration of PDCCH

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable storage media for configuration of physical control channels (PDCCH). In a method, a first apparatus receives a master information block (MIB) message from a second apparatus. At least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration associated with a plurality of repetitions of a PDCCH transmission. Based on the at least one configuration, the first apparatus monitors the plurality of repetitions of the PDCCH transmission from the second apparatus.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are generally related to the telecommunications field, and more specifically to apparatus, methods, and computer-readable storage media for configuring a physical control channel (PDCCH). Background Technology

[0002] In 3GPP Release 18 (Rel-18), considering the characteristics of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), including large propagation delays and satellite mobility, the NTN study applied solutions developed by New Radio (NR) coverage enhancements to NTNs and identified potential problems and enhancements. In the preliminary study phase, coverage performance of different uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) channels was evaluated, and bottleneck channels were identified. This identification resulted in the following objectives for NTNs: specifying enhancements to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) for Message 4 (Msg4) Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) - Acknowledgment (ACK) (e.g., repeat), studying demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) considering NTN details (e.g., time-frequency pre-compensation), and specifying enhancements to the Release 17 (Rel-17) procedures, if necessary. A proposal suggests extending the scope of Msg4 HARQ-ACK to cover PUCCH transmissions used for HARQ-ACK when dedicated PUCCH resources are not yet configured (where only the target UE supports PUCCH repetition). Some DL channels also require enhancement. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to at least: receive a Master Information Block (MIB) message from a second apparatus, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates that at least one configuration is associated with multiple repetitions of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmissions; and, based on the at least one configuration, monitor multiple repetitions of PDCCH transmissions from the second apparatus.

[0004] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to at least: send a MIB message to a first apparatus, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration, the at least one configuration being associated with a plurality of repetitions of PDCCH transmission; and send a plurality of repetitions of PDCCH transmission to the first apparatus based on the at least one configuration.

[0005] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes receiving a MIB message from a second device, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration, the at least one configuration being associated with multiple repetitions of PDCCH transmissions; and monitoring multiple repetitions of PDCCH transmissions from the second device based on the at least one configuration.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: sending a MIB message to a first device, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration, the at least one configuration being associated with a plurality of repetitions of PDCCH transmission; and sending the plurality of repetitions of PDCCH transmission to the first device based on the at least one configuration.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: components for receiving a MIB message from a second apparatus, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration, the at least one configuration being associated with a plurality of repetitions of PDCCH transmissions; and components for monitoring the plurality of repetitions of PDCCH transmissions from the second apparatus based on the at least one configuration.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: components for sending a MIB message to a first apparatus, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration, the at least one configuration being associated with a plurality of repetitions of PDCCH transmission; and components for sending the plurality of repetitions of PDCCH transmission to the first apparatus based on the at least one configuration.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon for causing a device to perform at least the method according to a third or fourth aspect.

[0010] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 An example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown; Figure 2 Signaling diagrams of example communication processes according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown; Figure 3 An example process for PDCCH repetitive configuration according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown; Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an example method for configuring PDCCH according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown; Figure 5 A flowchart is shown for another example method of PDCCH configuration according to some example embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 6 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and Figure 7 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0012] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. In addition to the embodiments described below, the embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways.

[0014] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0015] The embodiments described in this disclosure using references to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., may include specific features, structures, or characteristics, but not every embodiment necessarily includes specific features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, whether or not it is explicitly described, it can be understood that, within the knowledge of those skilled in the art, combining it with other embodiments will affect such feature, structure, or characteristic.

[0016] It should be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0017] As used herein, “at least one of the following: a list of two or more elements” and “at least one of the lists of two or more elements” and similar wording, wherein a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, means at least one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0018] As used herein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the execution step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs, but may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0019] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to also include the plural forms. It will be further understood that, when used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “comprising,” and / or “including” specify the presence of features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0020] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more, or all of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuits) and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) The combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware and (ii) Any part of the hardware processor and software (including digital signal processors), software and memory, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions and (c) Hardware circuitry and / or processors, such as microprocessors or parts thereof, which require software (e.g. firmware) to operate, but which may be absent when not needed for operation.

[0021] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As a further example, as used herein, the term "circuit" also covers implementations of hardware circuitry or processors (or processors) or a portion thereof and their accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuit" also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0022] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to a variety of communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there are, of course, future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement this disclosure. This disclosure should not be construed as limiting its scope to the systems described above.

[0023] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communications network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Network devices can refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Head (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), repeater, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, low-power nodes such as femtocells, picocells, non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network devices, such as satellite network devices, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites, spacecraft network devices, etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, the Radio Access Network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at the IAB donor node. The IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves similarly to a UE toward its parent node, while the DU portion of the IAB node behaves similarly to a base station toward the next-hop IAB node.

[0024] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback facilities, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Terminal equipment may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment," "communication equipment," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0025] As used herein, the terms “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” can refer to any resource used to perform communication, such as communication between a terminal device and a network device, including resources in the time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain, code domain, or any other resources supporting the communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated otherwise, resources in the frequency and time domains will be used as examples of transmission resources used to describe some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0026] As mentioned above, in Rel-18, coverage enhancements for the NTN primarily focus on UL enhancements, such as enhancements to the Msg4 HARQ-ACK and enhancements to the DMRS bundling framework used for PUSCH. However, some DL channels also require enhancements. When considering satellite power constraints (due to, for example, regulatory requirements or power splitting between satellite beams), channels associated with initial access require enhancements for downlink coverage enhancement. Such channels can include the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) for message 2 (Msg2), and the PDSCH for Msg4. For example, when considering power flux density (PFD) constraints or more generally constraints on satellite output power, coverage enhancements for the PDCCH are needed to improve channel performance.

[0027] To improve coverage, the following methods can be considered: (a) reducing interference and noise contributions, (b) increasing transmission power, and (c) increasing energy per bit (by reducing the payload or transmitting over a longer period). However, method (a) is not relevant to PDCCH enhancement, and method (b) is not feasible due to PFD limitations. Method (c) can be achieved by introducing repetition of the channel to be enhanced. For example, to improve the physical layer performance of the channel, a larger amount of resources can be allocated to data or control channel transmission for a specific number of bits (in the case of data and / or control channels). This is achieved by repeatedly transmitting the payload data so that the receiver can combine the received signals and improve the reliability of the demodulated and decoded bits.

[0028] In Rel-17, UE-specific search space (USS) PDCCH repetition has been designated for the multiple transmit and receive point (TRP) feature, and this mechanism can be extended to NTN, at least for PDCCH in Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection modes. However, the repetition feature does not apply to PDCCH in initial access, and especially not to configured Type 0-PDCCH. In the enhancement of Type 0-PDCCH coverage, Type 0-PDCCH can be repeated multiple times in the same or different time slots, thereby allowing the UE to combine received Type 0-PDCCH transmissions.

[0029] However, in order to combine multiple Type0-PDCCH repetitions, it is beneficial for the UE to know at least whether the gNB is transmitting and preferably how many repetitions the gNB has transmitted, and thus be able to determine the time span of the Type0-PDCCH repetitions. Therefore, there is a need for a configuration method for Type0-PDCCHs with repetitions.

[0030] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure present a configuration scheme for PDCCH coverage enhancement. This scheme uses at least one bit in the Master Information Block (MIB) message to indicate PDCCH coverage enhancements, such as PDCCH repetition, a larger aggregation level of PDCCH (i.e., aggregation level 32), extended PDCCH resources, etc. In some embodiments, one or more fields or bits in the MIB may be used or repurposed to transmit the configuration for PDCCH repetition.

[0031] In this way, the receiver (such as the UE) can know that it is operating under a specific deployment of PDCCH coverage enhancement (such as PDCCH repetition). Under this deployment, some additional operations, such as PDCCH repetition monitoring, can be implemented. Therefore, PDCCH coverage enhancement can be implemented effectively and efficiently.

[0032] It should be noted that although the proposed solution originates from the NTN scenario, it can be generally applied to any deployment scenario. In the following examples, some implementations will use PDCCH repetition as an example implementation of PDCCH coverage enhancement, but these examples can be generally applied to any other implementation of PDCCH coverage enhancement. Furthermore, some implementations will use Type0-PDCCH as an example implementation of PDCCH, but these examples can be generally applied to any other type of PDCCH.

[0033] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown.

[0034] In the communication environment 100, multiple communication devices, including a first device 110 and a second device 120, are capable of communicating with each other. In this example, the first device 110 can operate as a terminal device, such as a UE, and the second device 120 can operate as a network device, such as a gNB. The second device 120 can serve a coverage area, referred to as cell 125. The first device 110 can access the communication network via cell 125.

[0035] In some example embodiments, the third device 130 may also be deployed in the communication environment 100, and it may communicate with both the first device 110 and the second device 120. In the example, the third device 130 may operate as another terminal device. In some example embodiments, the first device 110, the second device 120, and the third device 130 may be configured to implement beamforming technology and communicate with each other via multiple beams.

[0036] In the following description, for illustrative purposes, some exemplary embodiments are depicted where the first device 110 operates as a terminal device and the second device 120 operates as a network device. However, in some exemplary embodiments, the operations described with respect to the terminal device may be implemented at the network device or other devices, and the operations described with respect to the network device may be implemented at the terminal device or other devices.

[0037] In some example embodiments, if the first device 110 is a terminal device and the second device 120 is a network device, the link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 is called a DL (Deep Link), and the link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 is called a UL (Upper Link). In the DL, the second device 120 is a Tx device (or sender), and the first device 110 is an Rx device (or receiver). In the UL, the first device 110 is a Tx device (or sender), and the second device 120 is an Rx device (or receiver). If both the first device 110 and the second device 120 are terminal devices, the link between the first device 110 and the second device 120 is called a sidelink (SL). In the SL, one of the first device 110 and the second device 120 is a Tx device (or sender), and the other device is an Rx device (or receiver).

[0038] Communication in communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), and sixth-generation (6G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other currently known or future-developed technologies.

[0039] It should be understood that the number of devices and their connections are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 1 The information shown is not intended to imply any limitation. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0040] In some example embodiments, during cell search, the UE (which may be an example implementation of the third device 130) can determine the control resource set (CORESET) and search space (e.g., time domain location) for the Type 0-PDCCH from the MIB message from the gNB (which may be an example implementation of the second device 120).

[0041] The MIB is carried by a physical channel called the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), and the PBCH is part of the SS / PBCH block (SSB). The SSB carries the PSS (Primary Synchronization Signal), the SSS (Secondary Synchronization Signal), and the PBCH.

[0042] MIB messages can be defined as follows:

[0043] Fields cellBarred Indicates whether the cell is blocked. This field can be ignored by Integrated Access Backhaul Mobile Terminal (IAB-MT). For connections to the NTN, this field can also be ignored.

[0044] Fields ssb-SubcarrierOffset This field indicates the frequency domain offset between the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block (SS / PBCH block or SSB) and the total resource block grid in the number of subcarriers. This field corresponds to... Or k_ssb. The range of values ​​for this field can be extended by adding the most significant bit (MSB) encoded within the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). This field can indicate that the cell does not provide System Information Block 1 (SIB1), and therefore there is no CORESET (also known as CORESET#0 or CORESET 0) configured in the MIB for the Common Search Space (CSS) set of Type 0-PDCCH. In this case, the field pdcch-ConfigSIB1 The frequency location of the SS / PBCH with a control resource set and search space for SIB1 can be indicated in units of Global Synchronization Channel Number (GSCN). This is used to determine the presence of CORESET 0 and the time-frequency location for determining the timing of CORESET 0 and Type 0-PDCCH monitoring. pdcch-ConfigSIB1 k_ssb is transmitted via MIB messages.

[0045] CORESET0 is a specific type of CORESET that carries the PDCCH / DCI for SIB1. Resource allocation for CORESET0 (i.e., time-domain and frequency-domain resource allocation) is configured by the MIB (i.e., carried in the PBCH within the SSB). Other types of CORESETs are configured by, for example, the SIB or RRCSetup / RRCReconfiguration, but CORESET0 cannot be configured by the SIB or other RRC messages because it must be known before the SIB or other RRC messages are detected. The starting position of CORESET0 in the frequency domain can be defined with reference to the SSB position.

[0046] When an SS / PBCH block is detected, the UE can obtain information from fields such as... ssb-SubcarrierOffset (or The MIB parameter of (or k_ssb) determines the existence of a CORESET (i.e., CORESET0) for the Type0-PDCCH CSS set. For example, if for frequency range 1 (FR1). Or if it is for frequency range 2 (FR2). Then the UE can determine that CORESET0 exists. If this applies to FR1, Or if it is for FR2, If so, the UE can determine that CORESET0 does not exist. In other words, based on the value of k_ssb, the UE can understand whether CORESET0 exists for a given SSB.

[0047] For example, if the UE determines that CORESET0 exists from the MIB message, the UE can select it from the field. pdcch-ConfigSIB1 In controlResourceSetZero Determine the number of contiguous resource blocks and the number of contiguous symbols used for CORESET0, and also from... pdcch-ConfigSIB1 In searchSpaceZero Determine the timing for PDCCH monitoring.

[0048] If the UE detects the first SS / PBCH block and determines that the CORESET for the Type0-PDCCH CSS set does not exist, and for FR1, Or for FR2, Then the UE can determine the nearest global synchronization channel number (GSCN) of the second SS / PBCH block (in the corresponding frequency direction), the second SS / PBCH block having a setting for the associated Type 0-PDCCH CSS set. CORESET. It is the GSCN of the first SS / PBCH block, in FR1 and frequency range 2-1 (FR2-1). In the frequency range 2-2 (FR2-2) ,and This refers to the GSCN offset. If the UE detects a second SS / PBCH block and the second SS / PBCH block does not provide a CORESET for the Type 0-PDCCH CSS set, the UE can ignore information related to the GSCN of the SS / PBCH block location used to perform cell search. The first SS / PBCH block and the second SS / PBCH block (or SSB) refer to SSBs in different frequency locations (GSCNs) for the same SSB index. In other words, if the UE evaluates that CORESET0 does not exist for the first SSB (k_ssb>23 in FR1), the UE can use k_ssb and pdcch-ConfigSIB1 The value is used to determine the second frequency location where an SSB with an associated CORESET0 exists. However, if the second SSB does not actually have an associated CORESET0 (the k_ssb of the second SSB is still greater than 23), the UE can ignore the value determined by k_ssb>23. pdcch- ConfigSIB1 The information provided.

[0049] If the UE detects the SS / PBCH block and determines that the CORESET for the Type0-PDCCH CSS set does not exist, and for FR1, Or for FR2, Then the UE can determine whether it is within the GSCN range or within the GSCN range. There is no SS / PBCH block (SSB) with an associated Type0-PDCCH CSS set. and Each by pdcch-ConfigSIB1 In controlResourceSetZero and SearchSpaceZero Confirmed. If the GSCN range is... If so, the UE can determine that there is no information for the second SS / PBCH block, which has a CORESET set on the detected SS / PBCH block for the associated Type0-PDCCH CSS.

[0050] Table 1 shows as well as pdcch-ConfigSIB1 In controlResourceSet and ZerosearchSpaceZero The combination with FR1 Mapping between: Table 1

[0051] In some example embodiments, PDCCH repetition is enabled between the first device 110 and the second device 120 via a MIB message. At least one configuration associated with PDCCH repetition is sent by the second device 120 to the first device 110 via at least one bit of a MIB message. Reference will be made below. Figure 2 Discuss some example implementations.

[0052] Figure 2 A signaling diagram is shown of an example communication process 200 between a first device 110 and a second device 120 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown, the second device 120 can send a (210) MIB message to the first device 110. At least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration, which is associated with multiple repetitions of the PDCCH transmission (also known as PDCCH repetitions). Therefore, the first device 110 can receive a (220) MIB message indicating at least one configuration. In an example embodiment where the PDCCH is Type 0-PDCCH, the at least one configuration may include a configuration with repetitions of Type 0-PDCCH.

[0054] In some example embodiments, at least one configuration associated with PDCCH repetition may include multiple repetition factors. In some example embodiments, at least one configuration may include an indication to support multiple repetitions. Such an indication may be a trigger specifying a repetition framework.

[0055] In some example embodiments, at least one configuration associated with PDCCH repetition may include information regarding the timing of initiation of PDCCH monitoring for multiple repetitions. Alternatively or additionally, at least one configuration may include periodicity of the timing of initiation of PDCCH monitoring for multiple repetitions.

[0056] At least one configuration can be indicated via the use, multiplexing, and / or repurposing of bits or fields in a MIB message. In one example, at least one free bit may be used or repurposed to transmit at least one configuration. In another example, the set of bits used to indicate whether a cell is prohibited (referred to as the "first bit set"), such as fields... cellBarred It can be used or repurposed to transmit configurations.

[0057] In some example embodiments, the free bits and a first set of bits used to indicate whether the cell is blocked can be used together to transmit configurations associated with PDCCH repetition. In the example, two fields (e.g., the free bit field and the field) cellBarredCombinations of these can generate code points associated with different repeat factors. Table 2 shows example mappings between Type0-PDCCH repeat factors and such code points.

[0058] Table 2

[0059] It should be understood that the code points shown in Table 2 are merely illustrative and not limiting. Any form of mapping or correspondence may exist between the combination of idle bits and the first set of bits and the configuration associated with PDCCH repetition. Furthermore, in embodiments, only idle bits or only fields... cellBarred It can be used to indicate configurations, such as repetition factors. For example, the idle bit can take the value 0 or 1, which can be mapped to a certain number of repetitions, or it can trigger a specified repetition frame.

[0060] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine mapping information between at least one configuration and at least one bit in the MIB message. The mapping information may be implemented, for example, in the form of a table, such as shown in Table 2. Based on this mapping information, the first device 110 may determine at least one configuration. For example, where Table 2 is used to indicate the mapping information, the repetition factor may be determined by the first device 110 via corresponding code points, such as a combination of two bits in Table 2.

[0061] The mapping information may be predefined, for example, in the 3GPP standard. Alternatively or additionally, when the first device 110 is in an RRC connected state, the first device 110 may receive the mapping information from the second device 120, for example, via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0062] In some example embodiments, at least one configuration associated with PDCCH repetition can be indicated via a set of bits in the MIB message (referred to as the second bit set), which indicates the subcarrier offset between the SSB (referred to as the first SSB) and the reference resource block grid, or indicates whether the first SSB has a CORESET for the associated PDCCH, such as a field. ssb-SubcarrierOffset (i.e., k_ssb). For example, the field ssb-SubcarrierOffset One or more specific entries can be used for configuration.

[0063] In some example embodiments, the second set of bits may have a value used to indicate to the first device 110 at least one configuration for PDCCH transmissions associated with the first SSB or another SSB (referred to as the second SSB). In the example, the value may come from a range of values. The range of values ​​may include values ​​between 24 and 29 in FR1 or values ​​between 12 and 13 in FR2. For a third device 130 that may operate as a UE that does not support PDCCH duplication or is a legacy UE, a value from the range of values ​​may indicate that no PDCCH is associated with the first SSB.

[0064] field ssb-SubcarrierOffset (Indicated as k_ssb) As an example of the second bit set, the k_ssb value between 24 and 29 for FR1 and the k_ssb value between 12 and 13 for FR2 can be used by the second device 120 to indicate a second SSB that may have a recurring associated CORESET0. The frequency position of the second SSB can be determined by the first device 110 via the mapping in Table 1. The first SSB and the second SSB refer to SSBs at different frequency positions (GSCN) for the same SSB index. In the example, specific entries in the MIB message of the first SSB, for FR1 between 24 and 29 (e.g., k_ssb = 24) and for FR2 between 12 and 13 (e.g., k_ssb = 12), can be used to indicate to the first device 110 that such a first SSB does not have an associated CORESET0, but the second SSB has an associated CORESET0 configured with repetition, wherein the repetition factor (or number of repetitions) is determined by the first device 110 via a standard specification.

[0065] In some embodiments, the value of k_ssb between 24 and 29 for FR1 and the value of k_ssb between 12 and 13 for FR2 can be used by the second device 120 to indicate a second SSB, which may have an associated CORESET0 configured with a certain number of repetitions. In an example, the entry k_ssb = 24 can be used to indicate to the first device 110 that such a first SSB does not have an associated CORESET0, but the second SSB has an associated CORESET0 configured with 2 repetitions (i.e., a repetition factor equal to 2). In an example, the entry k_ssb = 25 can be used to indicate to the first device 110 that such a first SSB does not have an associated CORESET0, but the second SSB has an associated CORESET0 configured with 4 repetitions (i.e., a repetition factor equal to 4).

[0066] In some other embodiments, specific entries in the MIB message of the first SSB, such as k_ssb between 24 and 29 for FR1 (e.g., k_ssb = 24) and k_ssb between 12 and 13 for FR2 (e.g., k_ssb = 12), can be used to indicate to the first device 110 that such a first SSB can have an associated CORESET0 configured with repetition. In this case, a UE with PDCCH repetition capability can interpret the value of k_ssb differently than a conventional UE. For example, for a UE with PDCCH repetition capability, this value means that the SSB is associated with a CORESET0 configured with repetition. In this case, the second device 120 sends a Type 0-PDCCH according to the associated CORESET0 regardless. Other UEs can alternatively look at other SSB frequency locations (GSCNs) for CORESET0, such as those defined in the Rel-18 specification.

[0067] In some embodiments, the value of k_ssb between 24 and 29 for FR1 and the value of k_ssb between 12 and 13 for FR2 may be used by the second device 120 to indicate that the first SSB may have an associated CORESET0 configured with a specific number of repetitions. In an example, the entry k_ssb = 24 may be used to indicate to the first device 110 that the first SSB has an associated CORESET0 configured with 2 repetitions (i.e., a repetition factor equal to 2). In an example, the entry k_ssb = 25 may be used to indicate to the first device 110 that the first SSB has an associated CORESET0 configured with 4 repetitions (i.e., a repetition factor equal to 4).

[0068] In some example embodiments, the value of the second bit set is a reserved value, such as 30 in FR1 or 14 in FR2, to indicate to the first device 110 that the PDCCH transmission associated with the first SSB is configured with multiple repetitions. For example, the entry k_ssb=30 for FR1 and the entry k_ssb=14 for FR2 in the MIB message of the first SSB can be used to indicate to the first device 110 that such a first SSB has an associated CORESET0 configured with repetitions. In this case, the repetition factor (or the number of repetitions) can be determined by the first device 110 via a standard specification. In this case, the repetition factor (or the number of repetitions) can be determined by the first device 110 via a field. pdcch-ConfigSIB1 At least one bit is indicated to the first device 110.

[0069] In some example embodiments, where the value of k_ssb is used to transmit information about whether the CORESET0 of the first SSB or the second SSB is configured with repetition, the subcarrier offset between the first SSB and the reference resource block grid (necessary information for receiving CORESET0) can be equal to the value of the second bit set, such as k_ssb. In an example, where the entry k_ssb = 24 is used to indicate to the first device 110 that the first SSB has an associated CORESET0 configured with 2 repetitions, k_ssb = 24 can be used not only to indicate to the first device 110 that the first SSB has an associated CORESET0 configured with 2 repetitions, but also to indicate that the subcarrier offset between the first SSB and the reference resource block grid is equal to 24 subcarriers.

[0070] In some example embodiments, the subcarrier offset can be associated with a value and a predetermined offset, for example, equal to k_ssb minus the offset. In an example where the entry k_ssb = 24 is used to indicate to the first device 110 that the first SSB has an associated CORESET0 configured with two repetitions, k_ssb = 24 can not only indicate to the first device 110 that the first SSB has an associated CORESET0 configured with two repetitions, but can also indicate that the subcarrier offset between the first SSB and the reference resource block grid is equal to 24 subcarriers minus the offset in subcarrier units. The offset can transpose k_ssb values ​​greater than 23 within the k_ssb range between 0 and 23. In an example, the offset can be equal to 11 subcarriers, such that the subcarrier offset between the first SSB and the reference resource block grid is equal to 13 subcarriers. Alternatively or additionally, the subcarrier offset can be predefined, for example, as a specified value. For example, the first device 110 may determine that the frequency domain offset between the SSB and the overall resource block grid (which can be transmitted to the third device 130 as a value of k_ssb by a conventional UE) is equal to k_ssb or equal to k_ssb minus the offset. In some example embodiments, the subcarrier offset may be equal to a specified value (e.g., 0).

[0071] In some example embodiments, the value of the second bit set can indicate to the first device 110 that the SSB with a CORESET configured for a repeating associated PDCCH is within the frequency range of the GSCN value. In an example, this value of the second bit set could be 31 in FR1 or 15 in FR2. The value can also indicate to the third device 130, which can operate as a conventional UE, that the SSB with a CORESET for the associated PDCCH is not present in the range of the GSCN.

[0072] As an example, the entry k_ssb=31 for FR1 and the entry k_ssb=15 for FR2 in the MIB message of the first SSB are used to indicate to the first device 110 that the first device 110 can find within the range The SSB is configured with a repeating associated CORESET0. In this case, the repeat factor (or number of repeats) can be determined by the first device 110 via a standard specification. In this case, the repeat factor (or number of repeats) can be determined by the first device 110 via a range The frequency location within the range is determined, and within that range, an SSB with a recurring associated CORESET0 is found.

[0073] In some example embodiments, at least one configuration associated with PDCCH repetition can be indicated via a bit set of the MIB message (referred to as the third bit set) to indicate the CORESET, common search space, and PDCCH parameters, or to indicate frequency locations where an SSB with SIB1 can or cannot be found, such as fields. pdcch-ConfigSIB1 In the example, at least one bit of the third bit set, such as a field pdcch-ConfigSIB1 It can be used or modified to indicate the number of PDCCH repetitions.

[0074] In some example embodiments, at least one free bit, a first set of bits (such as a field) cellBarred The combination of the second set of bits (such as the field k_ssb) and the third set of bits can be used to indicate where a repeating CORESET0 is located (e.g., which SSB it is associated with) and to determine the number of PDCCH repeats of such a CORESET0.

[0075] In some example implementations, repurposed or reused bits in the MIB message may be valid for UEs with PDCCH repetition capability. UEs without this capability (Rel-19 or Rel-18 UEs without PDCCH repetition capability) may ignore the configuration and still operate in the conventional manner, for example, without Type 0-PDCCH repetition.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the configuration of PDCCH (such as Type 0-PDCCH) repetition can be applied to a frequency band used for NTN or an NTN frequency band. In this case, PDCCH repetition is performed in an NTN scenario via an access-specific frequency band.

[0077] like Figure 2As shown, after the second device 120 sends a (210) MIB message to the first device 110 to indicate at least one configuration associated with PDCCH repetition, the second device 120 may send a (230) PDCCH repetition to the first device 110 based on at least one configuration. Accordingly, the first device 110 may monitor (240) PDCCH repetition from the second device 120 based on at least one configuration.

[0078] In some example embodiments, during the reception and decoding of PDCCH repetitions, the first device 110 may combine repetitions before decoding. In some other example embodiments, the first device 110 may rely on channel changes over time to decode individual PDCCH repetitions.

[0079] Figure 3 An example process 300 for PDCCH repetitive configuration according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. In this example, UE 305 is an example implementation of first device 110, and gNB 310 is an example implementation of second device 120.

[0080] In process 300, at 312, UE 305 can receive the configuration of the repetition factor from gNB 310 via MIB, for example, which is one of the factors in [1,2,4,8]. The UE can then know that repetition is enabled and obtain the repetition factor, for example... Figure 3 Example 4.

[0081] In the example, the repetition factor can be configured through the free field in the MIB and cellBarred The field is used to transmit data. For example, an idle field can be replaced by the field "Type0-PDCCH Repeat", and the field can take the value 0 or 1. cell-Barred The field can remain unchanged, but its purpose can be altered so that the value "barred" indicates a bit value of 1, while the value "notBarred" indicates a bit value of 0. These two bits can be combined to generate code points corresponding to the Type0-PDCCH repetition factor, as shown in Table 2 above.

[0082] An example of MIB is shown below.

[0083] MIB ::= SEQUENCE { systemFrameNumber BIT STRING (SIZE (6)), subCarrierSpacingCommon ENUMERATED {scs15or60, scs30or120}, ssb-SubcarrierOffset INTEGER (0..15), dmrs-TypeA-Position ENUMERATED {pos2, pos3}, pdcch-ConfigSIB1 PDCCH-ConfigSIB1, cellBarred ENUMERATED {barred, notBarred}, intraFreqReselection ENUMERATED {allowed, notAllowed}, Type0-PDCCH repetitions BIT STRING (SIZE (1)) UE 305 can also be obtained from fields pdcch-ConfigSIB1 From the middle controlResourceSetZero Frequency domain resources and from SearchSpaceZero The time-domain resources. Then, UE 305 can begin monitoring for repetition.

[0084] like Figure 3 As shown, in 314, 316, 318, 320, 322, 324, 326, and 328, gNB 310 can transmit PDCCH and PDSCH at the repetition times of the time slots and frames indicated by the System Frame Number (SFN). Therefore, UE 305 can monitor each repetition time and detect DCI 1_0 of scheduling SIB1 after the combined Type 0-PDCCH repetition. UE 305 can perform blind decoding for Type 0-PDCCH transmissions and repetitions.

[0085] In another example, the configuration for repeating Type0-PDCCH received via MIB (312) can be found in a field in FR1. ssb-SubcarrierOffset In this case, the MIB of the first SSB can be used to indicate to UE 305 via the reserved entry k_ssb=30 that such a first SSB has a configured associated CORESET0 with duplicates. Therefore, a non-capable UE (not shown) can assume that the CORESET0 associated with such a first SSB does not exist, while a UE with PDCCH duplication capability, such as UE 305, can determine that the detected SSB has an associated CORESET0 with duplicates.

[0086] In the example, UE 305 can determine from the specification that the frequency domain offset between the first SSB and the overall resource block grid in the number of subcarriers is equal to a specified value (e.g., 0 subcarriers, which means the overall resource block grid and the first SSB are frequency-aligned). Furthermore, considering... pdcch-ConfigSIB1 It has a size of 8 bits, divided into 4 bits for controlResourceSetZero and 4 bits are used SearchSpaceZero UE 305 can access the field in the MIB of the first SSB. pdcch-ConfigSIB1 To determine the two pieces of information. In the example, controlResourceSetZero The first two MSBs indicate the number of Type0-PDCCH repetitions, and controlResourceSetZero The remaining two bits are used to determine the number of consecutive resource blocks and the number of consecutive symbols in CORESET0. In another example, SearchSpaceZero The two MSBs indicate the number of Type 0-PDCCH repetitions. Then, UE 305 can start monitoring PDCCH repetitions at 314.

[0087] Any combination of idle bits with the first set of bits, the second set of bits, and the third set of bits can be used to indicate configuration to UE 305.

[0088] Example Method Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an example method 400 for PDCCH configuration according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 400 can be configured by, for example... Figure 1 The first device 110 shown is used to achieve this. For the purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 400 is described from the perspective of the first device 110.

[0089] In block 410, first device 110 receives a MIB message from second device 120. At least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration associated with multiple repetitions of PDCCH transmission. In block 420, based on at least one configuration, first device 110 monitors multiple repetitions of PDCCH transmission from second device 120.

[0090] In some example embodiments, at least one configuration may include at least one of the following: multiple repeat factors; indication that multiple repeats are enabled; information about the timing of the start of PDCCH monitoring for multiple repeats; or the period for the timing of the start of PDCCH monitoring for multiple repeats.

[0091] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine mapping information between at least one configuration and at least one bit in the MIB message.

[0092] In some example embodiments, at least one bit in the MIB message may include at least one of the following: at least one idle bit; a first set of bits for indicating whether the cell is blocked; a second set of bits for indicating the subcarrier offset between the first SSB and the reference resource block grid, or for indicating whether the first SSB has a CORESET for the associated PDCCH; or a third set of bits for indicating the CORESET, common search space and PDCCH parameters, or for indicating the frequency location that the SSB with SIB1 can or cannot be found.

[0093] In some example embodiments, a combination of at least one free bit and a first set of bits can be used to indicate at least one configuration.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the second bit set may include values ​​that indicate to the first device 110 at least one configuration for PDCCH transmission associated with the first SSB or the second SSB.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the value may come from a range of values ​​used to indicate at least one configuration to the first device 110. A value from a range may indicate to the third device 130 that no PDCCH is associated with the first SSB. In some example embodiments, the value may be between 24 and 29 in FR1 or between 12 and 13 in FR2.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the value of the second bit set may be 30 in FR1 or 14 in FR2.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the subcarrier offset between the first SSB and the reference resource block grid can be predefined or associated with the value of the second bit set and a predetermined offset.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the value of the second bit set may indicate to the first device 110 that the SSB having a CORESET configured with repeated associated PDCCHs is within the range of the GSCN. The value may indicate to the third device 130 that the SSB having a CORESET for associated PDCCHs is not within the range of the GSCN. In some example embodiments, the value may be 31 in FR1 or 15 in FR2.

[0099] In some example embodiments, at least one bit in the third bit set may be used to indicate the number of repetitions of the PDCCH transmission.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the PDCCH may include Type0-PDCCH.

[0101] In some example embodiments, PDCCH transmission can be performed in the frequency band used for NTN.

[0102] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 for PDCCH configuration according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 500 can be configured by, for example... Figure 1 The second device 120 shown is used to achieve this. For the purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 500 is described from the perspective of the second device 120.

[0103] In block 510, the second device 120 sends a MIB message to the first device 110. At least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration, which is associated with multiple repetitions of the PDCCH transmission. In block 520, the second device 120 sends multiple repetitions of the PDCCH transmission to the first device 110 based on at least one configuration.

[0104] In some example embodiments, at least one configuration may include at least one of the following: multiple repeat factors; indication that multiple repeats are enabled; information about the timing of the start of PDCCH monitoring for multiple repeats; or the period for the timing of the start of PDCCH monitoring for multiple repeats.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 can determine mapping information between at least one configuration and at least one bit in the MIB message.

[0106] In some example embodiments, at least one bit in the MIB message may include at least one of the following: at least one idle bit; a first set of bits for indicating whether the cell is blocked; a second set of bits for indicating the subcarrier offset between the first SSB and the reference resource block grid, or for indicating whether the first SSB has a CORESET for the associated PDCCH; or a third set of bits for indicating the CORESET, common search space and PDCCH parameters, or for indicating the frequency location where the SSB with SIB1 can or cannot be found.

[0107] In some example embodiments, a combination of at least one free bit and a first set of bits can be used to indicate at least one configuration.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the second bit set may include values ​​that indicate to the first device 110 at least one configuration for PDCCH transmission associated with the first SSB or the second SSB.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the value may come from a range of values ​​used to indicate at least one configuration to the first device 110. A value from a range may indicate to the third device 130 that no PDCCH is associated with the first SSB. In some example embodiments, the value may be between 24 and 29 in FR1 or between 12 and 13 in FR2.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the value of the second bit set may be 30 in FR1 or 14 in FR2.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the subcarrier offset between the first SSB and the reference resource block grid can be predefined or associated with the value of the second bit set and a predetermined offset.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the value of the second bit set may indicate to the first device 110 that the SSB having a CORESET configured with repeated associated PDCCHs is within the range of the GSCN. The value may indicate to the third device 130 that the SSB having a CORESET for associated PDCCHs is not within the range of the GSCN. In some example embodiments, the value may be 31 in FR1 or 15 in FR2.

[0113] In some example embodiments, at least one bit in the third bit set may be reused to indicate the number of repetitions of the PDCCH transmission.

[0114] The above is for reference only. Figures 1 to 3 All operations and features described in relation to the first device 110 and the second device 120 are equally applicable to methods 400 and 500 and have similar effects. For the sake of simplicity, details will be omitted.

[0115] Example devices, equipment and media In some example embodiments, the first means capable of performing method 400 (e.g., Figure 1 The first device 110 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 400. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for receiving a Master Information Block (MIB) message from the second device, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration, the at least one configuration being associated with multiple repetitions of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmissions; and a component for monitoring multiple repetitions of PDCCH transmissions from the second device based on at least one configuration.

[0117] In some example embodiments, at least one configuration includes at least one of the following: multiple repetition factors; indication that multiple repetitions are enabled; information regarding the timing of the start of PDCCH monitoring for multiple repetitions; or the period for the timing of the start of PDCCH monitoring for multiple repetitions.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes a component for determining mapping information between at least one configuration and at least one bit in the MIB message.

[0119] In some example embodiments, at least one bit in the MIB message includes at least one of the following: at least one idle bit, a first set of bits for indicating whether the cell is blocked, a second set of bits for indicating the subcarrier offset between the first synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block (SSB) and the reference resource block grid, or for indicating whether the first SSB has a CORESET for the associated PDCCH, or a third set of bits for indicating the CORESET, common search space and PDCCH parameters, or for indicating the frequency location that the SSB with SIB1 can or cannot be found.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the combination of at least one free bit and a first set of bits indicates at least one configuration.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the second set of bits includes values ​​that indicate to the first device at least one configuration for PDCCH transmission associated with the first SSB or the second SSB.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the value comes from a range of values ​​used to indicate at least one configuration to a first device, wherein the value from the range indicates to a third device that no PDCCH is associated with the first SSB.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the value is between 24 and 29 in frequency range 1 or between 12 and 13 in frequency range 2.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the value of the second bit set is 30 in frequency range 1 or 14 in frequency range 2.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the subcarrier offset between the first SSB and the reference resource block grid is predefined or associated with the value of the second bit set and a predetermined offset.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the value of the second bit set indicates to the first device that the SSB with a CORESET for configuring a repeating associated PDCCH is within the range of the Global Synchronization Channel Number (GSCN), while the value indicates to the third device that the SSB with a CORESET for the associated PDCCH is not within the range of the GSCN.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the value is 31 in frequency range 1 or 15 in frequency range 2.

[0128] In some example embodiments, at least one bit in the third bit set indicates the number of repetitions of the PDCCH transmission.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the PDCCH includes Type0-PDCCH.

[0130] In some example embodiments, PDCCH transmission is performed in a frequency band used for non-terrestrial networks (NTN).

[0131] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes components for performing other operations in some example embodiments of method 400 or the first device 110. In some example embodiments, the device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of the first device.

[0132] In some example embodiments, a second means capable of performing method 500 (e.g., Figure 1 The second device 120 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 500. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 The second device 120 in the middle.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: a component for sending a Master Information Block (MIB) message to the first device, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration, the at least one configuration being associated with multiple repetitions of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission; and a component for sending multiple repetitions of a PDCCH transmission to the first device based on the at least one configuration.

[0134] In some example embodiments, at least one configuration includes at least one of the following: multiple repetition factors; indication that multiple repetitions are enabled; information regarding the timing of the start of PDCCH monitoring for multiple repetitions; or the period for the timing of the start of PDCCH monitoring for multiple repetitions.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further includes a component for determining mapping information between at least one configuration and at least one bit in the MIB message.

[0136] In some example embodiments, at least one bit in the MIB message includes at least one of the following: at least one idle bit, a first set of bits for indicating whether the cell is blocked, a second set of bits for indicating the subcarrier offset between the first synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block (SSB) and the reference resource block grid, or for indicating whether the first SSB has a CORESET for the associated PDCCH, or a third set of bits for indicating the CORESET, common search space and PDCCH parameters, or for indicating the frequency location that the SSB with SIB1 can or cannot be found.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the combination of at least one free bit and a first set of bits indicates at least one configuration.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the second set of bits includes values ​​that indicate to the first device at least one configuration for PDCCH transmission associated with the first SSB or the second SSB.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the value comes from a range of values ​​used to indicate at least one configuration to a first device, wherein the value from the range indicates to a third device that no PDCCH is associated with the first SSB.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the value is between 24 and 29 in frequency range 1 or between 12 and 13 in frequency range 2.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the value of the second bit set is 30 in frequency range 1 or 14 in frequency range 2.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the subcarrier offset between the first SSB and the reference resource block grid is predefined or associated with the value of the second bit set and a predetermined offset.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the value of the second bit set indicates to the first device that the SSB with a CORESET for configuring a repeating associated PDCCH is within the range of the Global Synchronization Channel Number (GSCN), while the value indicates to the third device that the SSB with a CORESET for the associated PDCCH is not within the range of the GSCN.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the value is 31 in frequency range 1 or 15 in frequency range 2.

[0145] In some example embodiments, at least one bit in the third bit set is reused to indicate the number of repetitions of the PDCCH transmission.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes components for performing other operations in some example embodiments of method 500 or the second device 120. In some example embodiments, the device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of the second device.

[0147] Figure 6 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Device 600 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1 The first device 110 or the second device 120 shown. As shown, device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to processor 610, and one or more communication modules 640 coupled to processor 610.

[0148] Communication module 640 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 640 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, communication module 640 may include at least one antenna.

[0149] Processor 610 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 600 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-subordinate to a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0150] Memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 624, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), optical disc, laser disc, and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that will not be continuously exposed to power loss.

[0151] Computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 610. The instructions of program 630 may include instructions for performing operations / actions of some example embodiments of this disclosure. Program 630 may be stored in memory, such as ROM 624. Processor 610 can perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 630 into RAM 622.

[0152] Example embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented via program 630, enabling device 600 to execute reference... Figures 1 to 5 Any processing discussed in this disclosure. Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented in hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0153] In some example embodiments, program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 600 (such as in memory 620) or in other storage devices accessible by device 600. Device 600 may load program 630 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 622 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), rather than a limitation of the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0154] Figure 7 An example of a computer-readable medium 700 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc. A program 630 is stored on the computer-readable medium 700.

[0155] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, and others can be implemented in firmware or software, which can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0156] Some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-volatile computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in a program module that execute in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any of the methods described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. In various embodiments, the functionality of a program module can be combined or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for a program module can execute within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0157] The program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program code enables the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0158] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0159] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can be, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0160] Furthermore, although operations are depicted in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring the operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in a sequential order, or to perform all illustrated operations, in order to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as a description of features that may be specified in a particular embodiment. Unless explicitly stated, certain features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0161] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that this disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions, the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: Receive a Master Information Block (MIB) message from a second device, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration associated with multiple repetitions of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission; as well as Based on the at least one configuration, the multiple repetitions of the PDCCH transmission from the second device are monitored.

2. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one configuration comprises at least one of the following: The multiple repeating factors; The multiple repeated enabled indications; Information regarding the timing of the repeated initiation of PDCCH monitoring; or The period for the repeated start of the PDCCH monitoring.

3. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further enable the first device to: Determine the mapping information between the at least one configuration and the at least one bit in the MIB message.

4. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one bit in the MIB message comprises at least one of the following: At least one free bit, The first set of bits is used to indicate whether the cell is blocked. The second set of bits is used to indicate the subcarrier offset between the first synchronization signal and the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) block (SSB) and the reference resource block grid, or to indicate whether the first SSB has a CORESET for the associated PDCCH, or The third set of bits is used to indicate the CORESET, common search space, and PDCCH parameters, or to indicate the frequency location where the SSB with System Information Block 1 (SIB1) can or cannot be found.

5. The first apparatus of claim 4, wherein the combination of the at least one idle bit and the first set of bits indicates the at least one configuration.

6. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 5, wherein the second bit set includes a value for instructing the first apparatus to use the at least one configuration for PDCCH transmission associated with the first SSB or the second SSB.

7. The first device of claim 6, wherein the value comes from a range of values, the range of values ​​being used to indicate the at least one configuration to the first device, wherein the value from the range of values ​​indicates to the third device that no PDCCH is associated with the first SSB.

8. The first device according to claim 7, wherein the value is between 24 and 29 in frequency range 1 or between 12 and 13 in frequency range 2.

9. The first apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the value of the second bit set is 30 in frequency range 1 or 14 in frequency range 2.

10. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the subcarrier offset between the first SSB and the reference resource block grid is predefined or associated with the value of the second bit set and the predetermined offset.

11. The first apparatus of claim 6, wherein the value of the second bit set indicates to the first apparatus that an SSB having a CORESET for an associated PDCCH configured with repetition is within the range of a Global Synchronization Channel Number (GSCN), wherein the value indicates to the third apparatus that an SSB having a CORESET for an associated PDCCH is not present within the range of the GSCN.

12. The first device according to claim 11, wherein the value is 31 in frequency range 1 or 15 in frequency range 2.

13. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 12, wherein at least one bit in the third bit set indicates the number of repetitions of the PDCCH transmission.

14. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the PDCCH includes Type 0-PDCCH.

15. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the PDCCH transmission is performed in a frequency band for non-terrestrial networks (NTN).

16. A second device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: A Master Information Block (MIB) message is sent to a first device, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration, the at least one configuration being associated with multiple repetitions of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission; as well as Based on the at least one configuration, the plurality of repetitions of the PDCCH transmission are sent to the first device.

17. The second apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one configuration comprises at least one of the following: The multiple repeating factors; The multiple repeated enabled indications; Information regarding the timing of the repeated initiation of PDCCH monitoring; or The period for the repeated start of the PDCCH monitoring.

18. The second device according to any one of claims 16 to 17, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further enable the second device to: Determine the mapping information between the at least one configuration and the at least one bit in the MIB message.

19. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the at least one bit in the MIB message comprises at least one of the following: At least one free bit, The first set of bits is used to indicate whether the cell is blocked. The second set of bits is used to indicate the subcarrier offset between the first synchronization signal and the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) block (SSB) and the reference resource block grid, or to indicate whether the first SSB has a CORESET for the associated PDCCH, or The third set of bits is used to indicate the CORESET, common search space, and PDCCH parameters, or to indicate the frequency location where an SSB with a system information block (SIB1) can or cannot be found.

20. The second apparatus of claim 19, wherein the combination of the at least one idle bit and the first set of bits indicates the at least one configuration.

21. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 19 to 20, wherein the second bit set includes a value for instructing the first apparatus the at least one configuration for PDCCH transmission associated with the first SSB or the second SSB.

22. The second device of claim 21, wherein the value comes from a range of values, the range of values ​​being used to indicate the at least one configuration to the first device, wherein the value from the range of values ​​indicates to the third device that no PDCCH is associated with the first SSB.

23. The second device according to claim 22, wherein the value is between 24 and 29 in frequency range 1 or between 12 and 13 in frequency range 2.

24. The second apparatus of claim 21, wherein the value of the second bit set is 30 in frequency range 1 or 14 in frequency range 2.

25. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the subcarrier offset between the first SSB and the reference resource block grid is predefined or associated with the value of the second bit set and the predetermined offset.

26. The second apparatus of claim 21, wherein the value of the second bit set indicates to the first apparatus that the SSB having a CORESET for being configured with repeated associated PDCCHs is within the range of the Global Synchronization Channel Number (GSCN), wherein the value indicates to the third apparatus that the SSB having a CORESET for the associated PDCCHs is not within the range of the GSCN.

27. The second apparatus of claim 26, wherein the value is 31 in frequency range 1 or 15 in frequency range 2.

28. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 27, wherein at least one bit in the third bit set is reused to indicate the number of repetitions of the PDCCH transmission.

29. A method comprising: Receive a Master Information Block (MIB) message from a second device, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration associated with multiple repetitions of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission; as well as Based on the at least one configuration, the multiple repetitions of the PDCCH transmission from the second device are monitored.

30. A method comprising: A Master Information Block (MIB) message is sent to a first device, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration, the at least one configuration being associated with multiple repetitions of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission; as well as Based on the at least one configuration, the plurality of repetitions of the PDCCH transmission are sent to the first device.

31. A first device, comprising: A component for receiving a Master Information Block (MIB) message from a second device, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration associated with multiple repetitions of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission; as well as The plurality of repeating components used to monitor the PDCCH transmission from the second device based on the at least one configuration.

32. A second device, comprising: A component for sending a Master Information Block (MIB) message to a first device, wherein at least one bit in the MIB message indicates at least one configuration associated with multiple repetitions of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission; as well as The plurality of repeating components used to send the PDCCH transmission to the first device based on the at least one configuration.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a device to perform the method according to claim 29 or claim 30.

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