Terminal device, network device, and communication method

Abstract

Implementations of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, device, and computer-readable medium. The method, implemented in a terminal device, includes receiving a first DCI from a network device in the terminal device. The first DCI includes a first indication of a first set of cells and schedules data transmission in a subset of the first set. The subset comprises multiple of the cells. The method also includes receiving a second indication of a subset of the first set from the network device. The method further includes performing data transmission in multiple of the cells in the subset based on the first DCI.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to methods, apparatus and computer-readable media for communications. [Background technology]

[0002] Legacy dynamic scheduling only allows scheduling of data transmissions within a single cell by Downlink Control Information (DCI). With the increasing number of available distributed spectrum bands and increasing bandwidth spectrum, the need for simultaneous scheduling of multiple cells is expected to increase. To reduce the DCI overhead and increase the flexibility and spectral or power efficiency of data scheduling across multiple cells, including intra-band cells and inter-band cells, it is beneficial to extend from single-cell scheduling to multi-cell scheduling using a single scheduling DCI. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Generally, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for communications. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes receiving, at a terminal device, a first DCI from a network device. The first DCI includes a first indication of a first set of cells to schedule data transmission in a subset of the first set. The subset includes a plurality of the cells. The method also includes receiving, from the network device, a second indication of a subset of the first set. The method further includes performing data transmission in a plurality of the cells in the subset based on the first DCI.

[0005] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes transmitting a first DCI from a network device to a terminal device. The first DCI includes a first indication of a first set of cells to schedule data transmission in a subset of the first set. The subset includes multiple of the cells. The method also includes transmitting a second indication of the subset of the first set to the terminal device. The method further includes performing data transmission in multiple of the cells in the subset based on the first DCI.

[0006] In a third aspect, there is provided a terminal device comprising a processor and a memory having instructions stored thereon, the memory and the instructions being configured, together with the processor, to cause the terminal device to perform a method according to the first aspect.

[0007] In a fourth aspect there is provided a network device comprising a processor and a memory having instructions stored thereon, the memory and the instructions being configured, together with the processor, to cause the network device to perform a method according to the second aspect.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform a method according to the first aspect.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform a method according to the second aspect.

[0010] It should be understood that this Summary of the Invention is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent through the following description. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description of several embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings.

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an exemplary communication network in which implementations of the present disclosure may be practiced.

[0013] [Diagram 2] 1 shows an example signaling chart illustrating an example process of communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates an example associated with multi-cell scheduling according to the present disclosure.

[0015] [Figure 4] 1 shows a flowchart of an example method according to some implementations of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Diagram 5] 13 shows a flowchart of an example method according to some other implementations of the present disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus suitable for practicing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are merely described for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitations on the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0020] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0021] In this specification, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities.Examples of terminal devices include user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, mobile phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communication (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices, vehicle-mounted devices for V2X communication (where X represents pedestrians, vehicles, or infrastructure / networks), Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), Small Data Transmission (SDT), mobility, Multicast and Broadcast Service (MBS), positioning, dynamic / flexible duplexing in commercial networks, devices for reduced capability (RedCap), High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) including Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) and non-terrestrial networks including satellites. Examples of such devices include, but are not limited to, spacecraft or aircraft in a universal terminal (NTN), eXtended Reality (XR) devices including different types of reality such as Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality (VR), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, which are aircraft that do not require a human pilot, devices on high speed trains (HST), imaging devices such as digital cameras, sensors, game devices, music storage and playback devices, and Internet devices that enable wireless / wired Internet access and browsing.The "Terminal Equipment" may further have multicast / broadcast capabilities to support public safety, mission critical, V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast distribution, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, wireless software distribution, group communication, and IoT applications. It may also incorporate one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), known as multi-SIM. The term "Terminal Equipment" may be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber equipment, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0022] The term "network device" refers to a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage through which terminal devices can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, a Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), next generation Node B (gNB), transmission reception point (TRP), remote radio unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote radio head (RRH), IAB node, low power node such as femto node, pico node, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), network-controlled repeater (NCR), etc.

[0023] A terminal device or a network device may have artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning capabilities, which generally include models that can be used to learn from a large amount of data collected for a specific function and predict some information.

[0024] The terminal device or network device may function in multiple frequency ranges, e.g., FR1 (410 MHz-7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz-71 GHz), frequency bands above 100 GHz, Terahertz (THz), etc. Furthermore, it can function in licensed / unlicensed / shared spectrum. The terminal device may have multiple connections with the network device in a Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) application scenario. The terminal device or network device can function in full duplex, flexible duplex, and cross-division duplex modes.

[0025] The network device may have a function of saving network energy, Self-Organizing Network (SON) / Minimization of Drive Test (MDT). The terminal may have a function of power saving.

[0026] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in test equipment, such as, for example, a signal generator, a signal analyzer, a spectrum analyzer, a network analyzer, a test terminal equipment, a test network equipment, a channel emulator, and the like.

[0027] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed in accordance with any generation of communication protocols now known or developed in the future, 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, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) networks.

[0028] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "comprises" and variations thereof are interpreted as open ended terms meaning "including, but not limited to." The term "based on" is interpreted as "based at least in part on." The terms "some embodiments" and "one embodiment" are interpreted as "at least some embodiments." The term "another embodiment" is interpreted as "at least one other embodiment." Terms such as "first," "second," and the like may refer to different objects or the same object. The following content may include other definitions, both explicit and implicit.

[0029] In some instances, values, processes or devices are referred to as "optimum," "lowest," "highest," "minimum," "maximum," etc. It is understood that such descriptions are intended to indicate choices among multiple functional alternatives that may be used, and that such choices are not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or more preferred than other choices.

[0030] Hereinafter, the terms "cell" and "carrier" may be used interchangeably.

[0031] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The network 100 includes a terminal device 110 and a network device 120 that serves the terminal device 110. The serving area of ​​the network device 120 is referred to as a cell. The network device 120 may provide one or more cells. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the network device 120 may provide a cell 102. It should be understood that the network device 120 may provide more cells in some other implementations. It should also be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices is shown for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation. The network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it will be understood that one or more terminal devices may be located in the cell 102 and be served by the network device 120.

[0032] Communications in communication network 100 may be performed according to any generation of communication protocols now known or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are 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, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) networks.

[0033] The principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 2-6. Referring to Figure 2, Figure 2 shows a signaling diagram illustrating a process 200 of multi-cell scheduling according to some implementations of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the process 200 will be described with reference to Figure 1. The process 200 may involve the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 shown in Figure 1. Although the process 200 has been described in the context of the communication network 100 of Figure 1, the process may be applied to other communication scenarios as well.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, the network device 120 transmits (210) a first DCI to the terminal device 110. The first DCI includes a first indication of a first set of cells and schedules data transmission in a subset of the first set, the subset comprising at least one of the cells in the first set. In response, the terminal device 110 receives the first DCI from the network device 120.

[0035] The network device 120 transmits (220) a second indication of the subset of the first set to the terminal device 110. In response, the terminal device 120 receives a second indication from the network device 110.

[0036] The terminal device 110 then performs data transmission in multiple ones of the cells in the subset based on the first DCI (230).

[0037] In some implementations, the data transmission may include a downlink data transmission (e.g., a data transmission on a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)) or an uplink data transmission (e.g., a data transmission on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)).

[0038] Process 200 reduces the complexity of monitoring by not having to simultaneously monitor all sizes of the first set of cell combinations.

[0039] 3 illustrates an example 300 associated with multi-cell scheduling according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, terminal device 110 may be served by cells 310, 312, and 314. In other words, each of cells 310, 312, and 314 may be a serving cell for terminal device 110.

[0040] In some implementations, the first cell may be associated with a first carrier, the second cell may be associated with a second carrier, and the third cell may be associated with a third carrier. In some implementations, two or more of the first carrier, the second carrier, and the third carrier may be aggregated for downlink data transmission (e.g., data transmission in a PDSCH) and / or uplink data transmission (e.g., data transmission in a PUSCH).

[0041] The terminal device 110 may receive a first DCI 320 from the network device 120. The first DCI 320 may include a first indication of a first set of cells and may schedule data transmission on a subset of the first set. In the example of 300, the first set of cells may include cells 310, 312, and 314.

[0042] In some implementations, the first DCI 320 may include a Carrier Indicator Field (CIF). The CIF may include a first indication of the first set of cells. In other words, a value of the CIF may indicate the first set of cells. In such implementations, the network device 120 may configure different CIF values ​​for the terminal device 110 via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. Each of the CIF values ​​may be associated with a set of cells. When the terminal device 110 detects a value of the CIF in the first DCI 320, the terminal device 110 can determine the first set of cells.

[0043] In some implementations, different CIF values ​​may be associated with different bit lengths of the first DCI 320. This means that the size of the first DCI 320 may be determined for each set of cells, and DCI size alignment may be applied for each set of serving cells.

[0044] In some implementations, the procedure for per-cell DCI size adjustment may be reused for DCI size adjustment per set of serving cells, thus reducing device complexity in multi-cell scheduling and realizing a unified implementation of single-cell and multi-cell scheduling.

[0045] In some implementations, the terminal device 110 may not expect the total number of different DCI sizes configured for monitoring to exceed four for the set of cells. Alternatively, the terminal device 110 may not expect the total number of different DCI sizes (having a Cell-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI)) configured for monitoring to exceed three for the set of cells.

[0046] The subset of the first set may comprise at least one of the cells 310, 312, 314 in the first set. For purposes of explanation, the subset of the first set is also referred to as a second set of cells. In some implementations, the second set may comprise a portion of the cells in the first set. For example, the second set may comprise cells 310 and 312, cells 310 and 314, or cells 312 and 314. In other implementations, the second set may comprise all of the cells in the first set. In some other implementations, the second set may comprise one of the cells 310, 312, 314. The cells in the second set are also referred to as active cells because they are the cells for which the first DCI 320 schedules data transmissions.

[0047] It should be understood that the number of cells in the first and second sets is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation, and the first and second sets may each comprise any suitable number of cells.

[0048] In some implementations, terminal device 110 may receive the second indication of a subset of the first set (i.e., the second set of cells) via control signaling. For example, terminal device 110 may receive the second indication of the second set of cells via one of the first DCI, a second DCI that may be different from the first DCI, a Media Access Control Element (MAC CE), or RRC signaling.

[0049] In an implementation in which the second set comprises a portion of the cells in the first set, the size of the first DCI 320 may be changed based on the active cells in the second set. After receiving control signaling to change the second set, the terminal device 110 may switch the monitored size of the first DCI 320.

[0050] In some implementations, a first cell in the second set may be determined as a reference cell or a master cell.

[0051] In some implementations, at least one field in the first DCI 320 that is common to the active cells in the second set may be associated with a reference cell in the second set, or in other words, at least one field in the first DCI 320 may be applied to the reference cell.

[0052] Alternatively, at least one field in the first DCI 320 that is common to the active cells in the second set may be associated with all the active cells, or in other words, at least one field in the first DCI 320 may apply to all the active cells.

[0053] In some implementations, the terminal device 110 may receive RRC signaling indicating that at least one field in the first DCI 320 is associated with the reference cell or with all active cells. This allows, on the one hand, to save DCI overhead due to common fields, and, on the other hand, to allow flexibility in field indication. Different fields may have different rules, but there is no hard indication restriction on these rules.

[0054] For example, the "Bandwidth Part (BWP) Indicator" field of the first DCI 320 may be a common field. When the value of the "Bandwidth Part Indicator" field is changed, only the BWP of the reference cell may be changed accordingly, and the BWP of other cells in the second set may be maintained. Alternatively, when the value of the "Bandwidth Part Indicator" field is changed, the BWP of all active cells may be changed simultaneously.

[0055] As another example, the "Transmit Power Control (TPC) command for scheduled PUSCH" field may be a common field. If a value in the "TPC command for scheduled PUSCH" field is indicated, only the PUSCH power of the reference cell may be adjusted accordingly, and the PUSCH power of other cells in the second set may be maintained. Alternatively, if a value in the "TPC command for scheduled PUSCH" field is indicated, the PUSCH power of all active cells may be adjusted.

[0056] In some implementations, when the second set comprises a first number of active cells, some fields of the first DCI 320 may have a first number of subfields. Each of the subfields may correspond to an active cell. Some fields of the first DCI 320 may be common fields for all active cells. The size of the common field may be determined based on a reference cell. Alternatively, the size of the common field may be determined based on a maximum or minimum value of the corresponding field of all active cells.

[0057] In some implementations, the first DCI 320 or a second DCI different from the first DCI 320 may include an indication of a reference cell in the second set (also referred to as a third indication). In some implementations, the active cells in the second set may be arranged in order of the active cell identifier (ID). For example, the active cells may be arranged in ascending or descending order of the active cell ID. The first DCI 320 or the second DCI may include a field indicating a reference cell.

[0058] For example, in this example, the second set comprises cells 310, 312, arranged in ascending order of cell 310, 312 IDs. Cells 310, 312 may be associated with sequence numbers 1, 2, respectively. A value of "1" in the field of the first DCI 320 or the second DCI indicates that cell 310 is a reference cell. A value of "2" in the field of the first DCI 320 or the second DCI indicates that cell 312 is a reference cell.

[0059] In some implementations, the reference cell may be changed by a corresponding field in the first DCI 320 or the second DCI. The reference cell may be indicated with the first set or the second set, and the starting active cell (i.e., the first active cell) in the configured list of the second set may be determined as the reference cell.

[0060] By introducing a first set of cells and a second set of active cells, the combinations of DCI sizes can be reduced. Since some DCI sizes for monitoring are switched based on instructions, it is not necessary to simultaneously monitor all sizes of the combinations of cell sets, and the monitoring complexity can be reduced.

[0061] In some implementations, the terminal device 110 may receive a second indication of a subset of the first set (i.e., a second set of cells) via the first DCI 320. In other words, the first DCI 320 may include a second indication of the second set of cells. In such implementations, the first DCI 320 may include a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) field and a Redundancy Version (RV) field. Each of the MCS field and the RV field is associated with one of the cells in the first set (also referred to as the second cell). The second indication includes a combination of a first predefined value of the MCS field and a second predefined value of the RV field. The combination indicates that the second cell is invalid. The terminal device 110 may determine the second set by excluding the second cell from the first set. This will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0062] As described above, the first DCI 320 may indicate that the first set comprises the cells 310, 312, and 314. The first DCI 320 may include three MCS fields and three RV fields. Each of the FDRA and RV fields may be associated with one of the cells 310, 312, and 314. The value of the MCS field associated with the cell 310 may be equal to 26, and the value of the RV field associated with the cell 310 may be equal to 1 for all transport blocks in the cell 310 (if four RV values ​​are configured per cell). This combination of the value of the MCS field (i.e., 26) and the value of the RV field (i.e., 1) may indicate that the cell 310 is not scheduled. The terminal device 110 may determine that the second set comprises the cells 312 and 314 by excluding the cell 310 from the first set.

[0063] Alternatively, the value of the MCS field associated with the cell 310 may be equal to 26 and the value of the RV field associated with the cell 310 may be a non-zero value for all transport blocks in the cell 310 (if two RV values ​​are configured per cell). This combination of the value of the MCS field (i.e., 26) and the value of the RV field (i.e., a non-zero value) may indicate that the cell 310 is not scheduled.

[0064] In some implementations, the first DCI 320 may include a Frequency Domain Resource Allocation (FDRA) field associated with one of the cells in the first set (also referred to as the third cell). The second indication may include a third predefined value of the FDRA field indicating that the third cell is invalid. The terminal device 110 may determine the second set by excluding the second cell from the first set, which will also be described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0065] As described above, the first DCI 320 may indicate that the first set includes cells 310, 312, and 314. The first DCI 320 may include three FDRA fields, each of which may be associated with one of the cells 310, 312, and 314. The values ​​of the FDRA field associated with cell 312 may all be equal to 1, indicating that cell 312 is not scheduled. The terminal device 110 may determine that the second set includes cells 310 and 314 by excluding cell 312 from the first set.

[0066] This implicit indication of invalid cells in the first DCI reduces the overhead of the first DCI and increases the flexibility of scheduling, i.e., it is not necessary to schedule all cells as indicated by the CIF, thus reducing the total number of monitored DCI sizes and thus the complexity of blind detection.

[0067] In FDRA for active cells, there may be different frequency resources configured in different cells.

[0068] In some implementations, the same starting position of the frequency domain resource and the same length of the frequency domain resource may be configured for different active cells in the second set. In such implementations, the same FDRA type, i.e., type 0 or type 1, or dynamic type switching may be applied to all active cells in the second set.

[0069] In such an implementation, the size of the FDRA field in the first DCI 320 may be determined based on a resource block (RB) size. The RB size may be determined based on the number of RBs or the number of RB groups. The number of RB groups may be equal to the number of RBs divided by a scaling factor (i.e., the number of RBs in an RB group).

[0070] In such an implementation, the size of the FDRA field may be determined based on the RB size of the reference cell in the second set. For active cells other than the reference cell, the network device 120 may set the offset of the active cell via RRC signaling. The first DCI 320 may include an FDRA field indicating the start position in the frequency domain of the reference cell and the length in the frequency domain of the reference cell. The start position in the frequency domain of the active cell may be determined as the sum of the start position and the offset of the reference cell. The length in the frequency domain of the active cell may be determined as the length of the reference cell. This allows flexible allocation of PUCCH resources at the edge of the frequency resource of each cell.

[0071] In such an implementation, the size of the FDRA field may be determined based on the minimum RB size of all active cells in the second set. For example, the RB size of active cell A in the second set may be the minimum RB size among the RB sizes of all active cells. For active cells other than cell A, if the RB size of the active cell is larger than X times that of cell A, the starting position of the active cell may be determined by multiplying the starting position of cell A by X, and the length of the active cell may be determined by multiplying the length of cell A by X. X represents an integer and may be set or predefined. For example, X may be equal to 1, 2, 4, or 8.

[0072] Alternatively, in such an implementation, the size of the FDRA field may be determined based on the maximum RB size of all active cells in the second set. For example, the RB size of active cell B in the second set may be the maximum RB size among the RB sizes of all active cells. For active cells other than cell B, if the FDRA value is greater than the maximum possible value of the active cell, an operation is applied to reduce the FDRA value of the active cell until the FDRA value is less than the maximum possible value of the active cell. For example, an operation may be a division by two.

[0073] In some implementations, different starting positions of the frequency domain resources and the same length of the frequency domain resources may be configured for different active cells in the second set. If there are N active cells in the second set, and the adjusted RB sizes of each cell are B1, B2, ..., B N The actual start position and length of the active cell is the adjusted start position and length multiplied by the scaling factor.

[0074] In some implementations, different starting positions of the frequency domain resources and different lengths of the frequency domain resources may be configured for different active cells in the second set. Suppose there are N active cells in the second set, and the adjusted RB sizes of each cell are B1, B2, ..., B N Assume that the total possible instructions in FDRA are B1(B1+1) / 2*B2(B2+1) / 2*,…,*B N (B N +1) / 2. The bit size of FDRA is CEIL(log2(B1(B1+1) / 2*B2(B2+1) / 2*,…,*B N (B N +1) / 2)), which applies ceil to all possible indications, saving the bit overhead of FDRA. In such an implementation, the different RIVs in different cells are combined to produce a total RIV that represents all the RIVs in the different cells. The RIV of cell i is i If , then the total RIV is determined as follows: TIFF2025510212000002.tif2487

[0075] In some implementations, if the number of active cells in the second set is greater than two, the active cells in the second set may be divided into multiple scheduling cell groups, each group comprising one or more cells in the second set, and the number of groups is less than the number of cells in the second set.

[0076] In some implementations, terminal device 110 may receive an indication of multiple scheduling cell groups via RRC signaling.

[0077] In some implementations, the number of bit fields in the first DCI may be equal to the number of scheduling cell groups.

[0078] Within one scheduling cell group, one bit field of the first DCI is shared by the cells in the scheduling cell group, and between scheduling cell groups, the bit field of the first DCI is unique for each scheduling cell group.

[0079] In some implementations, one beam indication field in the first DCI may be shared by cells in one scheduling cell group. For example, the beam indication field may include at least one of a transmission configuration indication (TCI), a sounding reference signal resource indication (SRS resource indication (SRI) or an antenna port indication. The same indication may be indicated to cells in a scheduling cell group. Different indications may be indicated to cells between scheduling cell groups. This is beneficial for non-collocated deployment of network devices. The same beam may be indicated to cells in the same location, and different beams may be indicated to cells in different locations.

[0080] 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 400 according to some implementations of the present disclosure. In some implementations, the method 400 may be implemented in a terminal device. For example, the method 400 may be implemented in a terminal device 110 as shown in FIG.

[0081] At block 410, the terminal device 110 receives a first DCI from a network device, the first DCI including a first indication of a first set of cells and scheduling data transmission on a subset of the first set, the subset comprising more than one of the cells.

[0082] At block 420, terminal device 110 receives a second indication of a subset of the first set from the network device.

[0083] At block 430, the terminal device 110 performs data transmission in multiple ones of the cells in the subset based on the first DCI.

[0084] In some implementations, receiving the second indication of the subset of the first set includes receiving the second indication via one of the first DCI, the second DCI, a Media Access Control Element (MAC CE), or radio resource control signaling.

[0085] In some implementations, the first DCI includes a first field associated with a first cell in a subset of the first set.

[0086] In some implementations, the first field includes at least one of a bandwidth portion indicator field or a transmit power control command field.

[0087] In some implementations, the first DCI includes a third indication of the first cell.

[0088] In some implementations, the second indication of the subset includes a list of cells in the subset, and the first cell includes a starting cell in the list.

[0089] In some implementations, receiving the second indication of the subset of the first set includes receiving a first DCI that includes the second indication.

[0090] In some implementations, the first DCI includes a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) field and a Redundancy Version (RV) field, each of the MCS field and the RV field being associated with a second cell of the cells in the first set. The second indication includes a combination of a first predefined value of the MCS field and a second predefined value of the RV field. The combination indicates that the second cell is disabled. In such implementations, the method 400 further includes determining a subset of the first set by excluding the second cell from the first set.

[0091] In some implementations, the first DCI includes a Frequency Domain Resource Allocation (FDRA) field associated with a third cell in the first set of cells, and the second indication includes a third predefined value of the FDRA field indicating that the third cell is disabled. In such implementations, the method 400 further includes determining a subset of the first set by excluding the third cell from the first set.

[0092] In some implementations, the first DCI includes a Frequency Domain Resource Allocation (FDRA) field, where the FDRA field indicates a first starting location of the frequency domain resources of the fourth cell in the subset of the first set and a first length of the frequency domain resources. In such implementations, the method 400 further includes determining a second starting location of the frequency domain resources of the fifth cell based on the starting location and the offset of the fifth cell in the subset of the first set and determining the first length as a second length of the frequency domain resources of the fifth cell.

[0093] In some implementations, the size of the FDRA field is determined based on the resource block size of the fourth cell.

[0094] In some implementations, the first set of subsets comprises a plurality of scheduling cell groups, each group comprising at least one of the cells in the subset, and the number of groups is less than the number of cells in the subset.

[0095] In some implementations, the second field of the first DCI is shared by a first one of the scheduling cell groups.

[0096] In some implementations, the second field includes at least one of a transmission configuration indication, a sounding reference signal resource indication, or an antenna port indication.

[0097] 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 500 according to some implementations of the present disclosure. In some implementations, the method 500 may be implemented in a terminal device. For example, the method 500 may be implemented in a network device 120 as shown in FIG.

[0098] At block 510, the network device 120 transmits a first DCI to the terminal device, the first DCI including a first indication of a first set of cells and scheduling data transmission on a subset of the first set, the subset comprising more than one of the cells.

[0099] At block 520, the network device 120 transmits a second indication of the subset of the first set to the end device.

[0100] At block 530, the network device 120 performs data transmission in more than one of the cells in the subset based on the first DCI.

[0101] In some implementations, transmitting the second indication of the subset of the first set includes transmitting the second indication via one of the first DCI, the second DCI, a Media Access Control Element (MAC CE), or radio resource control signaling.

[0102] In some implementations, the first DCI includes a first field associated with a first cell in a subset of the first set.

[0103] In some implementations, the first field includes at least one of a bandwidth portion indicator field or a transmit power control command field.

[0104] In some implementations, the first DCI includes a third indication of the first cell.

[0105] In some implementations, the second indication of the subset includes a list of cells in the subset, and the first cell includes a starting cell in the list.

[0106] In some implementations, transmitting the second indication of the subset of the first set includes transmitting a first DCI that includes the second indication.

[0107] In some implementations, the first DCI includes a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) field and a Redundancy Version (RV) field, each of the MCS field and the RV field being associated with a second cell of the cells in the first set. The second indication includes a combination of a first predefined value of the MCS field and a second predefined value of the RV field, the combination indicating that the second cell is disabled. In such implementations, a subset of the first set is determined by excluding the second cell from the first set.

[0108] In some implementations, the first DCI includes a Frequency Domain Resource Allocation (FDRA) field associated with a third cell in the first set of cells, and the second indication includes a third predefined value of the FDRA field indicating that the third cell is disabled. In such implementations, the subset of the first set is determined by excluding the third cell from the first set.

[0109] In some implementations, the first DCI includes a Frequency Domain Resource Allocation (FDRA) field, where the FDRA field indicates a first starting position of the frequency domain resources of the fourth cell in the subset of the first set and a first length of the frequency domain resources. Based on the starting position and an offset of the fifth cell in the subset of the first set, a second starting position of the frequency domain resources of the fifth cell is determined, and the first length is determined as a second length of the frequency domain resources of the fifth cell.

[0110] In some implementations, the size of the FDRA field is determined based on the resource block size of the fourth cell.

[0111] In some implementations, the first set of subsets comprises a plurality of scheduling cell groups, each group comprising at least one of the cells in the subset, and the number of groups is less than the number of cells in the subset.

[0112] In some implementations, the second field of the first DCI is shared by a first one of the scheduling cell groups.

[0113] In some implementations, the second field includes at least one of a transmission configuration indication, a sounding reference signal resource indication, or an antenna port indication.

[0114] 6 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 600 suitable for carrying out some implementations of the present disclosure. The apparatus 600 can be considered as a further exemplary embodiment of the terminal apparatus 110 or the network apparatus 120 shown in FIG. 1. Thus, the apparatus 600 can be implemented in, or at least as part of, the terminal apparatus 110 or the network apparatus 120.

[0115] As shown, the device 600 comprises a processor 610, a memory 620 coupled to the processor 610, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 640 coupled to the processor 610, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 640. The memory 620 stores at least a portion of a program 630. The TX / RX 640 is for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 640 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although in practice the access nodes described herein may have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 interface for bidirectional communication between gNBs or eNBs, an S1 interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Serving Gateway (S-GW) and a gNB or eNB, an Un interface for communication between a gNB or eNB and a relay node (RN), or an Uu interface for communication between a gNB or eNB and a terminal device.

[0116] The program 630 may be considered to include program instructions that, when executed by an associated processor 610, enable the device 600 to operate in accordance with implementations of the present disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to FIGS. 1-5. Implementations of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware executable by the processor 610 of the device 600. The processor 610 may be configured to implement various implementations of the present disclosure. Additionally, the combination of the processor 610 and the memory 620 may constitute a processing means 650 suitable for implementing various implementations of the present disclosure.

[0117] The memory 620 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may be implemented by any suitable data storage technology, including, but not limited to, computer-readable non-transitory storage media, semiconductor-based storage devices, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed and removable memories, etc. Although only one memory 620 is shown in the device 600, multiple physically distinct memory modules may be installed in the device 600. The processor 610 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following, by way of non-limiting examples: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor configurations. The device 600 may have multiple processors, for example application specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock synchronous with the main processor.

[0118] The components included in the apparatus and / or device of the present disclosure may be implemented in various ways, including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, one or more units may be implemented using software and / or firmware, e.g., machine-executable instructions stored in a storage medium. In addition to or instead of machine-executable instructions, some or all of the units of the apparatus and / or device may be implemented, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. For example, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include, but are not limited to, Field-programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application-specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Application-specific Standard Products (ASSPs), System-on-Chip Systems (SOCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and the like.

[0119] Typically, various implementations of the present disclosure may be implemented by hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented by hardware, while other aspects may be implemented by firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Various aspects of implementations of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or by some other pictorial representation, and it will be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented by, for example, but not limited to, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or combinations thereof.

[0120] The present disclosure further provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored in a computer readable non-transitory storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module. The instructions execute on a target real or virtual processor device to perform the process or method described above with reference to any of Figures 1-5. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various implementations, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or split among program modules as desired. The machine executable instructions of the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0121] The program codes for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, and when the program codes are executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are performed. The program codes may run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a separate software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0122] The above program code may be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0123] It should be noted that although operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that the operations must be performed in the particular order shown, or sequentially, or that all of the operations shown must be performed to achieve desired results. In some situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although the above discussion includes details of some specific embodiments, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular implementation. Some features that are described in the context of individual implementations may be implemented in combination in an embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of an embodiment may be implemented in multiple implementations, either individually or in any suitable subcombination.

[0124] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure, as defined by the appended claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. receiving, at a terminal device, first Downlink Control Information (DCI) from a network device, the first DCI including a first indication of a first set of cells and scheduling data transmission on a subset of the first set, the subset comprising a plurality of the cells; receiving a second indication of the subset of the first set from the network device; performing the data transmission in the plurality of the cells in the subset based on the first DCI; Including, Communication methods.

2. Receiving the second indication of the subset of the first set includes: The first DCI, A second DCI, A Media Access Control Element (MAC CE), or Radio Resource Control Signaling receiving the second indication via one of The method of claim 1.

3. the first DCI includes a first field associated with a first cell in the subset of the first set, the first cell being a reference cell. The method of claim 1.

4. The first field is A bandwidth fraction indicator field, or Transmit Power Control Command Field At least one of: The method according to claim 3.

5. the first DCI includes a third indication of the reference cell. The method according to claim 3.

6. the second indication of the subset includes a list of cells in the subset, and the reference cell is a starting cell in the list. The method according to claim 3.

7. Receiving the second indication of the subset of the first set includes: receiving the first DCI including the second indication; The method of claim 1.

8. The first DCI includes a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) field and a Redundancy Version (RV) field, each of the MCS field and the RV field being associated with a second cell of the cells in the first set; the second indication includes a combination of a first predefined value of the MCS field and a second predefined value of the RV field, the combination indicating that the second cell is invalid; determining the subset of the first set by excluding the second cell from the first set. The method of claim 7.

9. the first DCI includes a Frequency Domain Resource Allocation (FDRA) field associated with a third cell among the cells in the first set; the second indication includes a third predefined value of the FDRA field indicating that the third cell is invalid; determining the subset of the first set by excluding the third cell from the first set. The method of claim 7.

10. The first DCI includes a Frequency Domain Resource Allocation (FDRA) field, the FDRA field indicating a first start position of frequency domain resources of a fourth cell in the subset of the first set and a first length of the frequency domain resources; determining a second starting position of frequency domain resources of the fifth cell based on the starting position and an offset of the fifth cell within the subset of the first set; determining the first length as a second length of a frequency domain resource of the fifth cell; Further comprising: The method of claim 1.

11. The size of the FDRA field is determined based on the resource block size of the fourth cell. The method of claim 10.

12. the subsets of the first set comprise a plurality of scheduling cell groups, each of the groups comprising at least one of the cells in the subset, the number of groups being less than the number of the cells in the subset; The method of claim 1.

13. a second field of the first DCI is shared by a first scheduling cell group of the scheduling cell groups; The method of claim 12.

14. The second field is Sending settings instructions, A sounding reference signal resource indication, or Antenna Port Designation At least one of: The method of claim 13.

15. transmitting first Downlink Control Information (DCI) from a network device to a terminal device, the first DCI including a first indication of a first set of cells and scheduling data transmission on a subset of the first set, the subset comprising a plurality of the cells; transmitting a second indication of the subset of the first set to the terminal device; performing the data transmission in the plurality of the cells in the subset based on the first DCI; Including, Communication methods.

16. Transmitting the second indication of the subset of the first set includes: The first DCI, A second DCI, A Media Access Control Element (MAC CE), or Radio Resource Control Signaling transmitting the second instruction via one of The method of claim 15.

17. the first DCI includes a first field associated with a first cell in the subset of the first set, the first cell being a reference cell. The method of claim 15.

18. The first field is A bandwidth fraction indicator field, or Transmit Power Control Command Field At least one of:

20. The method of claim 17.

19. the first DCI includes a third indication of the reference cell.

20. The method of claim 17.

20. the second indication of the subset includes a list of cells in the subset, and the reference cell is a starting cell in the list.

20. The method of claim 17.

21. Transmitting the second indication of the subset of the first set includes: transmitting the first DCI including the second indication. The method of claim 15.

22. The first DCI includes a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) field and a Redundancy Version (RV) field, each of the MCS field and the RV field being associated with a second cell of the cells in the first set; the second indication includes a combination of a first predefined value of the MCS field and a second predefined value of the RV field, the combination indicating that the second cell is invalid; the subset of the first set is determined by excluding the second cell from the first set.

22. The method of claim 21.

23. the first DCI includes a Frequency Domain Resource Allocation (FDRA) field associated with a third cell among the cells in the first set; the second indication includes a third predefined value of the FDRA field indicating that the third cell is invalid; the subset of the first set is determined by excluding the third cell from the first set.

22. The method of claim 21.

24. The first DCI includes a Frequency Domain Resource Allocation (FDRA) field, the FDRA field indicating a first start position of frequency domain resources of a fourth cell in the subset of the first set and a first length of the frequency domain resources; a second starting position of the frequency domain resource of the fifth cell is determined based on the starting position and an offset of the fifth cell in the subset of the first set, and the first length is determined as a second length of the frequency domain resource of the fifth cell. The method of claim 15.

25. The size of the FDRA field is determined based on the resource block size of the fourth cell.

25. The method of claim 24.

26. the subsets of the first set comprise a plurality of scheduling cell groups, each of the groups comprising at least one of the cells in the subset, the number of groups being less than the number of the cells in the subset; The method of claim 15.

27. a second field of the first DCI is shared by a first scheduling cell group of the scheduling cell groups; 27. The method of claim 26.

28. The second field is Sending settings instructions, A sounding reference signal resource indication, or Antenna Port Designation At least one of:

28. The method of claim 27.

29. A processor; a memory coupled to the processor and having instructions stored therein; Equipped with The instructions, when executed by the processor, perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 14. Terminal device.

30. A processor; a memory coupled to the processor and having instructions stored therein; Equipped with The instructions, when executed by the processor, perform a method according to any one of claims 15 to 28. Network device.

31. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, comprising: The instructions, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 or any one of claims 15 to 28. Computer-readable medium.

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