Method, terminal device, and network device

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method, an apparatus, and a computer storage medium for communication. The terminal device performs a first size alignment of a pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling when the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is greater than a predefined number after multiple size alignments of multiple pairs of DCI formats for single-cell scheduling, and monitors the PDCCH from the network device based on the first size alignment. Therefore, the order of DCI size alignment can be determined, and the total number of DCI sizes can be restricted. Since the DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling may be adjusted after the size alignment of the DCI formats for single-cell scheduling, the complexity of blind detection can be reduced, and the detection performance can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communication technologies, and more particularly, to methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for communication.

Background Art

[0002] In 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)) TS 38.213, a user equipment (UE) is defined to monitor a set of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates in one or more control resource sets (CORESETs) on an active downlink (DL) bandwidth part (BWP) of each activated serving cell with PDCCH monitoring configured according to a corresponding search space set, where monitoring means receiving each PDCCH candidate and decoding it according to the monitored downlink control information (DCI) format.

[0003] In Release 15, it is possible to schedule a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) on a serving cell using DCI on the PDCCH. In Release 17, DCI is enhanced to schedule multiple PDSCHs in different slots in the time domain on a serving cell. It has been proposed to further enhance DCI to schedule multiple PDSCHs on multiple cells. However, it is necessary to discuss how to blindly detect PDCCH candidates for multiple PDSCHs on multiple cells.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Overall, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, an apparatus, and a computer storage medium for communication.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, at a terminal device, performing a first size alignment of a pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling according to a determination that the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is greater than a predefined number, after a plurality of size alignments of a plurality of pairs of downlink control information (DCI) formats for single-cell scheduling; and monitoring a PDCCH from a network device based on the first size alignment.

[0006] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, at a terminal device, performing a size alignment between a first size and a second size according to a determination that the first size of a downlink control information (DCI) format for a first cell is smaller than the second size of the DCI format for a second cell, where the terminal device is configured to monitor the DCI format for scheduling a plurality of cells including the first cell and the second cell; and monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) from a network device that carries the DCI format based on the size alignment.

[0007] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, at a terminal device, determining, according to a determination that values for determining start positions of a plurality of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates are the same for a plurality of cells, a first number of the plurality of cells and a second number of the plurality of PDCCH candidates; determining, based on the first number and the second number, a number of PDCCH candidates for each of the plurality of cells; and monitoring a PDCCH from a network device based on the number of PDCCH candidates for each cell.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, at a network device, performing a first size alignment of a pair of downlink control information (DCI) formats for multi-cell scheduling according to a determination that a total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is greater than a predefined number after a plurality of size alignments of a plurality of pairs of DCI formats for single-cell scheduling; and transmitting the PDCCH to a terminal device based on the first size alignment.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, in a network device, performing size alignment between a first size of a downlink control information (DCI) format for a first cell and a second size of the DCI format for a second cell according to a determination that the first size is smaller than the second size, and transmitting, based on the size alignment, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carrying the DCI format to a terminal device, where the terminal device is configured to monitor the DCI format for scheduling a plurality of cells including the first cell and the second cell.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, in a network device, determining a first number of the plurality of cells and a second number of the plurality of PDCCH candidates according to a determination that values for determining start positions of a plurality of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates are the same for the plurality of cells, determining, based on the first number and the second number, the number of PDCCH candidates for each of the plurality of cells, and transmitting a PDCCH to a terminal device based on the number of PDCCH candidates for each cell.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor and a memory. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores instructions. When executed by the processor, the instructions cause the terminal device to execute the method according to the first, second, or third aspect described above.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a processor and a memory. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the network device is caused to execute the method according to the fourth, fifth, or sixth aspect described above.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to execute the method according to any one of the first to sixth aspects described above.

[0014] It should be understood that the summary section of the invention is not intended to identify important or fundamental features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure should be readily understandable from the following description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] Some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail in the accompanying drawings to further clarify the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure.

[0016]

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[0028] In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0029] Here, the principles of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to several exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are intended to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways different from those described below.

[0030] 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.

[0031] References to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "exemplary embodiment", etc. in the present disclosure indicate that the described embodiment can include certain features, structures, or characteristics, but each embodiment does not necessarily include the particular features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when describing a particular feature, structure, or characteristic in relation to an embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of one skilled in the art that such feature, structure, or characteristic can affect other embodiments, whether explicitly described or not.

[0032] It should be understood that terms such as "first" and "second" can be used herein to describe various elements, but these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, the first element can be named the second element, and similarly, the second element can be named the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the recited terms.

[0033] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" also include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes", and / or "including" specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0034] In some instances, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as "best", "lowest", "highest", "minimum", "maximum", etc. Such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection can be made from among a number of functional alternatives that are available, and it should be understood that such a selection need not be better, smaller, higher, or otherwise more preferred than other selections.

[0035] As used herein, the term "communication network" means a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA®), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and the like. Further, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network may be realized according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced network or sixth generation (6G) communication protocol, and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will naturally be future types of communication technologies and systems that can embody the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered limited to only the aforementioned systems.

[0036] As used herein, 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, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDA), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) devices, all Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, in-vehicle devices for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication where X means pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network, devices for integrated access and backhaul (IAB), spacecraft or aircraft within non-terrestrial networks (NTN) including high altitude platforms (HAP) such as satellites and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), extended reality (XR) devices including different types of reality such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), virtual reality (VR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) commonly referred to as drones which are aircraft without human pilots, devices on high speed trains (HST), or image acquisition devices such as digital cameras, sensors, game devices, music storage and playback devices, or Internet appliances enabling wireless / wired Internet access and browsing, etc., including but not limited to these. The "terminal device" may further have a "multicast / broadcast" function to support V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast delivery, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, software delivery via wireless, group communication, and IoT applications, which place the highest importance on public safety and missions.One or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), known as multi-SIM, may also be incorporated. The term "terminal device" may be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0037] As used herein, the term "network device" means a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage communicable with a terminal device. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, satellites, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) platforms, 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, femto node, pico node and other low power nodes, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS).

[0038] In one embodiment, the terminal device may be connected to a first network device and a second network device. One of the first network device and the second network device may be a master node, and the other may be a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different radio access technologies (RATs). In one embodiment, the first network device may be a first RAT device, and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In one embodiment, the first RAT device is an eNB, and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information regarding different RATs may be transmitted from at least one of the first network device and the second network device to the terminal device. In one embodiment, the first information may be transmitted from the first network device to the terminal device, and the second information may be transmitted from the second network device directly or via the first network device to the terminal device. In one embodiment, information regarding the settings of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information regarding the reconfiguration of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device directly or via the first network device to the terminal device.

[0039] The communication described herein may conform to any suitable standard including, but not limited to, New Radio access (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), cdma2000, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Further, the communication may be performed according to any generation of communication protocol known currently or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.85G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), and sixth generation (6G) communication protocols. The technology described herein can be used in the above-mentioned wireless networks and wireless technologies, as well as other wireless networks and wireless technologies. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed according to any generation of communication protocol known currently or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocol, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced network, or sixth generation (6G) network.

[0040] The terminal device or network device may have the ability of artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning. Generally, it includes a model that can be learned from a large number of data collected for a specific function and used to predict some information.

[0041] The terminal device or network device may operate, for example, on several frequency ranges such as FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), frequency bands greater than 100 GHz, and terahertz (THz). Furthermore, it can operate on licensed / unlicensed / shared spectrum. The terminal device may have one or more connections with the network device under a multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) application scenario. The terminal device or network device can operate in full-duplex, flexible-duplex, cross-split duplex modes.

[0042] 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 device, a test network device, or a channel emulator. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be executed according to any generation of communication protocol known currently or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G) communication protocol, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced network, or the sixth generation (6G) network.

[0043] As used herein, the term "circuit" may mean a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware. As yet another example, a circuit may be any part of a hardware processor with software, including a digital signal processor, software, and memory, that cooperate to cause a device, such as a terminal device or a network device, to perform various functions. In yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit that requires software / firmware for operation and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a part thereof, where the software may or may not be present if it is not required for operation. As used herein, the term "circuit" also includes implementation only with a hardware circuit or a processor or a part of a hardware circuit or a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware.

[0044] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The terms "comprising" and variations thereof are to be understood as non-exclusive terms meaning "including, but not limited to". The term "based on" is to be understood as "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" are to be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" is to be understood as "at least one other embodiment". Terms such as "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or the same object. Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included hereinafter.

[0045] In some examples, a value, procedure, or device is referred to as "best," "lowest," "highest," "minimum," "maximum," etc. Such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection can be made from among a number of available functional alternatives, and it should be understood that such a selection need not be better, smaller, higher, or otherwise preferable to other selections.

[0046] In the context of the present disclosure, the terms "acknowledgment response," "positive response," "ACK," "HARQ," "hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment response," "HARQ-ACK," "negative response," "NACK," "NAK," "ACK / NACK," and "ACK / NAK" may be used interchangeably. In the context of the present disclosure, the terms "DCI," "DCI format carrying information," and "DCI format" may be used interchangeably.

[0047] As described above, in order to further improve scheduling efficiency, in Release 18, it is permitted for one DCI to schedule multiple PDSCHs on multiple cells, and in some scenarios, the multiple cells may be referred to as multiple component carriers (CCs). Fallback DCIs, such as DCI formats 0_0 and 1_0, do not support multi-cell scheduling, and DCI formats 0-X or 1-X are considered. In some examples, the DCI format 0-X / 1-X on the scheduling cell may be used to schedule multiple physical uplink shared channels (PUSCHs) or PDSCHs on multiple cells including the scheduling cell. In some examples, the DCI format 0-X / 1-X on the scheduling cell may be used to schedule multiple PUSCHs / PDSCHs on multiple cells not including the scheduling cell.

[0048] In the present disclosure, the term "multi-carrier DCI (MC-DCI)" may refer to, for example, one DCI scheduling for a plurality of carriers or one DCI scheduling for a plurality of cells. In the present disclosure, the term "slot" may refer to a dynamic scheduling unit. The slot used herein may refer to a normal slot including a predetermined number of symbols, or may refer to a sub-slot including fewer symbols than the predetermined number of symbols.

[0049] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication solution. In the solution, the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling may be adjusted after the size alignment of the DCI format for single-cell scheduling. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the complexity of blind detection and improve the detection performance. Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the principle and implementation manners of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0050] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary communication system 100 in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. The communication system 100, which is part of a communication network, includes a network device 110 and a terminal device 120.

[0051] The network device 110 can provide services to the terminal device 120, and the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may communicate data and control information with each other. In some embodiments, the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may communicate using a direct link / channel.

[0052] In system 100, the link from network device 110 to terminal device 120 is referred to as the downlink (DL), and the link from terminal device 120 to network device 110 is referred to as the uplink (UL). In the downlink, network device 110 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and terminal device 120 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the uplink, terminal device 120 is a transmitting TX device (or transmitter), and network device 110 is an RX device (or receiver). It should be understood that network device 110 may provide one or more serving cells. In some embodiments, network device 110 can provide multiple cells.

[0053] Communication in communication system 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including but not limited to Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Further, the communication may be performed according to any generation of communication protocol known currently or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced network, or sixth generation (6G) communication protocol.

[0054] It should be understood that the number of devices as shown in FIG. 1 and their connection relationships and types are used for illustration only and do not imply any limitation. Communication system 100 may include any suitable number of devices suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0055] In some embodiments, the network device 110 may provide a plurality of cells. In some embodiments, DCI may be used to schedule PDSCH. In some exemplary embodiments, DCI may be used to schedule one or more PDSCHs on one serving cell. In some embodiments, DCI may be used to schedule a plurality of PDSCHs on a plurality of cells, and at least one PDSCH is scheduled for any one of the plurality of cells.

[0056] In some embodiments, the UE may monitor a set of PDCCH candidates to obtain the DCI. The PDCCH candidates may include three elements, namely, the DCI size, the starting point, and the aggregation level. To reduce the complexity of PDCCH monitoring, there are upper limits on the number of PDCCH candidates and the number of control-channel elements (CCEs). For example, the maximum number of monitored PDCCH candidates per slot and per serving cell is

Number

Number

[0057] Note that there is a DCI size limit for the "3 + 1" for each serving cell, that is, the total number of different DCI sizes set for monitoring is 4 or less for the cell, and the total number of different DCI sizes with a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) set for monitoring is 3 or less for the cell. In some embodiments, when the total number of different DCI sizes is not satisfied, DCI size alignment is adopted for some DCI formats to reduce the total number of different DCI sizes.

[0058] In some examples, as shown in Table 1, assume that the lengths of DCI format 1_0 / 0_0 on the common search space (CSS) and DCI format 1_0 / 0_0 on the UE-specific search space (USS) are A and B respectively, the lengths of DCI format 0_1 and DCI format 1_1 are C and D respectively, and the lengths of DCI format 0_2 and DCI format 1_2 are E and F respectively.

[0059] In some embodiments, there may be three steps to reduce the total number of different DCI sizes. First, adjust format 1_0 / 0_0 between CSS and USS, then adjust formats 0_2 and 1_2, and thirdly, adjust formats 0_1 and 1_1. As shown in Table 1, when the total number of DCI sizes is more than 3, the first step is executed, and the lengths of 1_0 / 0_0 on CSS and 1_0 / 0_0 on USS are adjusted to A. If the total number of DCI sizes is still greater than 3 after the first step, the second step is executed, and the lengths of 0_2 and 1_2 are adjusted to max(E,F). If the total number of DCI sizes is still greater than 3 after the second step, the third step is executed, and the lengths of 0_1 and 1_1 are adjusted to max(C,D).

Table 1

[0060] In some embodiments, the start position of the PDCCH candidate may be determined. In some embodiments, for the search space set s associated with CORESET p, the carrier indicator field value

Number

Number

Number

Number

[0061] In formula (1), for any CSS

Number

Number

Number

Number

Number

Number

[0062] In formula (1), [Number] it is [Number] is [Number] within, if possible, for each RB set, the number of CCEs numbered from 0 to [Number] up to [Number] is the carrier indicator field value when the UE is configured to have a carrier indicator field by CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig for the serving cell where the PDCCH is monitored, and in other cases, including cases regarding any CSS, [Number] it is

[0063] In formula (1),

Number

Number

Number

Number

Number

[0064] In formula 1, for any CSS and for USS

Number

Number

Number

Number

Number

Number

Number

[0065] In some embodiments, the information element (IE) CrossCarrierSchedulingConfig is used to define the configuration when cross-carrier scheduling is used within a cell.

Number

[0066] In some embodiments, the IE "schedulingCellId" indicates which cell signals downlink allocation and uplink grant for the related SCell, if applicable. When the UE is configured to have dual connectivity (DC), the cell to be scheduled is part of the same cell group as the cell to be scheduled (i.e., the master cell group (MCG) or the secondary cell group (SCG)). When the UE is configured to have two PUCCH groups, the cell to be scheduled and the cell to be scheduled are within the same PUCCH group.

[0067] In some embodiments, for multi-cell scheduling DCI, the DCI size budget may be further considered. In some examples, the existing DCI size budget may be maintained for each cell to be scheduled. For example, the DCI size budget is maintained via DCI size alignment, and the DCI size budgets of DCI format 0_X / 1_X are counted for each of the cells to be scheduled. For example, the DCI size budget is maintained via the set size for multi-cell scheduling DCI, and the DCI size budgets of DCI format 0_X / 1_X are counted for each of the cells to be scheduled. For example, the DCI size budget is maintained via DCI size alignment, and the DCI size budget of multi-cell scheduling DCI is counted only within one cell to be scheduled.

[0068] In some other examples, the existing DCI size budget is not necessarily maintained for each cell to be scheduled. For example, the DCI size budget of multi-cell scheduling DCI is counted only within one cell to be scheduled. For example, the DCI size budget of multi-cell scheduling DCI is not counted for each serving cell and is not considered in the DCI size alignment procedure specific to the associated serving cell. For example, for K cells to be scheduled together, the gNB ensures that the total budget of the DCI size of 3*K is not exceeded. For example, disable the "3+1" limit for multi-cell scheduling. For example, the DCI size budget for DCI size alignment can be set separately for each cell. For example, in consideration of the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling, the DCI size budget of the cell to be scheduled may be increased. Therefore, the DCI size budget of the cell to be scheduled can be reduced.

[0069] In some embodiments, further research may be conducted on the BD / CCE count for multi-cell scheduling DCI. In some examples, it may be counted for each of the cells scheduled together. In some examples, it may be counted only within one scheduled cell. In some examples, it may be scaled for each of the cells scheduled together according to the number of cells scheduled together. In some examples, it may be counted as part of the cell that schedules rather than each scheduled cell. In some examples, it may be scaled for each of the scheduled cells excluding the cell that schedules. In some examples, it may be counted for each of the cells scheduled together excluding the cell that schedules.

[0070] In some embodiments, in the case of multi-cell scheduling, the cells scheduled together are indicated by DCI format 0_X / 1_X. In some examples, as one option, the indicator in the DCI may point to one row of a table that defines the combination of cells to be scheduled. For example, this table is set by radio resource control (RRC) signaling. For example, separate tables may be set for multi-cell PDSCH scheduling and multi-cell PUSCH scheduling. For example, as one option, the indicator in the DCI may be a bitmap corresponding to a set of configured cells schedulable by DCI 0_X / 1_X. For example, the set of configured cells is separate for multi-cell PDSCH scheduling and multi-cell PUSCH scheduling. In some examples, as one option, an existing field (e.g., carrier indicator field (CIF), frequency domain resource assignment (FDRA)) may be used to indicate whether one or more cells have been scheduled. In some examples, it is not excluded that other DCI information fields (e.g., BWP) are indicated together by the indicator of the cells scheduled together.

[0071] In the context of the present disclosure, the term "DCI format for multi-cell scheduling" may refer to a DCI format that schedules uplink transmissions on multiple cells and a DCI format that schedules downlink transmissions on multiple cells. In some examples, the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling may include DCI format 0_X and DCI format 1_X.

[0072] In the background of the present disclosure, the term "DCI format for single-cell scheduling" may be referred to as a DCI format that is not for multi-cell scheduling. In some examples, the DCI format for single-cell scheduling may include DCI format 0_2 and 1_2, DCI format 0_1 and 1_1, DCI format 1_0 / 0_1 on CSS, and DCI format 1_0 / 0_1 on USS.

[0073] When MC-DCI is configured, DCI format 0_X / 1_X may be used to configure multiple PDSCH / PUSCH on multiple cells. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a solution for DCI size alignment is provided. In this solution, the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling may be adjusted after the size alignment of the DCI format for single-cell scheduling. Therefore, the order of size alignment can be determined, and the total number of DCI sizes can be limited.

[0074] First, referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a signaling diagram showing a communication process 200 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation only, the process 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The process 200 may involve a terminal device 120 and a network device 110.

[0075] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 may be configured to have MC-DCI. That is, the terminal device 120 may be configured to receive DCI scheduling for receiving PDSCH on multiple cells.

[0076] The network device 110 performs DCI size alignment for different DCI formats (212). The network device 110 further transmits PDCCH 222 to the terminal device 120 (220). On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 performs DCI size alignment for different DCI formats (214). The terminal device 120 monitors the PDCCH from the network device 110 based on the DCI size alignment (216). The terminal device 120 may receive the PDCCH 222 through monitoring (224).

[0077] In some exemplary embodiments, the DCI size alignment performed by the terminal device 120 and / or the network device 110 as shown in FIG. 2 may be specific to a cell, e.g., a serving cell. In some embodiments, the DCI size alignment performed by the terminal device 120 and / or the network device 110 may be based on a predefined number of the total number of DCI sizes. In some exemplary embodiments, if the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is more than 4, or if the total number of DCI sizes with C-RNTI set for monitoring the PDCCH is more than 3, further DCI size alignment may be performed.

[0078] Specifically, after the size alignment of the DCI format for single cell scheduling, if the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is more than 4, or after the size alignment of the DCI format for single cell scheduling, if the total number of DCI sizes with C-RNTI set for monitoring the PDCCH is more than 3, a first size alignment of the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling may be performed.

[0079] For example, after the size alignment of DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1 (step 3 shown in Table 1), if the total number of DCI sizes is greater than 4, or after the size alignment of DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1 (step 3 shown in Table 1), if the total number of DCI sizes with C-RNTI is greater than 3, the sizes of DCI formats 0_X and 1_X may be adjusted.

[0080] In some examples, if the size of DCI format 0_X is smaller than the size of DCI format 1_X, some padding bits may be generated for DCI format 0_X, and DCI format 0_X may be padded up to the size of DCI format 1_X. In some examples, if the size of DCI format 1_X is smaller than the size of DCI format 0_X, some padding bits may be generated for DCI format 1_X, and DCI format 1_X may be padded up to the size of DCI format 0_X.

[0081] In some exemplary embodiments, after the DCI alignment of format 0_2 / 1_2 and 0_1 / 1_1, if for a cell, the total number of different DCI sizes set for monitoring is more than 4, or after the DCI alignment of format 0_2 / 1_2 and 0_1 / 1_1, if for a cell, the total number of different DCI sizes with C-RNTI set for monitoring is more than 3, (1) if the number of information bits in DCI format 0_X before padding is smaller than the payload size of DCI format 1_X for scheduling the same serving cell, generate some zero-padding bits for DCI format 0_X until its payload size becomes equal to the payload size of DCI format 1_X, or (2) if the number of information bits in DCI format 1_X before padding is smaller than the payload size of DCI format 0_X for scheduling the same serving cell, zeros should be appended to DCI format 1_X until its payload size becomes equal to the payload size of DCI format 0_X.

[0082] In some exemplary embodiments, since DCI formats 0_X / 1_X require a larger number of information bits, the difference in the number of information bits between formats 0_X and 1_X becomes larger, which means that more padding bits are required for alignment. Padding bits degrade the detection performance but can reduce the complexity of blind detection. Performing the alignment of formats 0_X and 1_X after the alignment of formats 0_1 and 1_1 (the third step) can minimize the padding bits, thereby improving the detection performance and reducing the PDCCH CCE occupancy. Thus, in the fourth step, the size alignment of DCI formats 0_X and 1_X may be performed.

[0083] For example, assume that the lengths of DCI format 0_X and DCI format 1_X are G and H, respectively. In some embodiments, after the third step of size alignment, if the total number of DCI sizes with C-RNTI is more than 3, the fourth step is executed, and as shown in Table 2 below, the lengths of DCI format 0_X and 1_X may be adjusted to max(G, H).

[0084] In some embodiments, after the size alignment of the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling, if the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is more than 4, or after the size alignment of the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling, if the total number of DCI sizes with C-RNTI set for monitoring the PDCCH is more than 3, the network device 110 and / or the terminal device 120 may determine that the size alignment has failed.

[0085] In some embodiments, after the size alignment of the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling, if the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is more than 4, or after the size alignment of the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling, if the total number of DCI sizes with C-RNTI set for monitoring the PDCCH is more than 3, a second size alignment of the DCI format may be performed between one of the DCI formats for single-cell scheduling and the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling.

[0086] Assume that the size of the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling is adjusted to a first size, and the size of one of the DCI formats for single-cell scheduling is a second size. For example, if the first size is smaller than the second size, some padding bits may be generated to pad the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling to have the second size. For example, if the second size is smaller than the first size, some padding bits may be generated to pad the one DCI format among the DCI formats for single-cell scheduling to have the first size. In other words, the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling (i.e., DCI format 0_X, 1_X) and one of the DCI formats for single-cell scheduling may be sized to the larger of the first size and the second size.

[0087] In some examples, among the DCI formats for single cell scheduling, one DCI format that is adjusted to the DCI format for multi cell scheduling may be DCI format 0_1 / 1_1 or DCI format 0_2 / 1_2. In some exemplary embodiments, after the DCI alignment of formats 0_2 / 1_2, 0_1 / 1_1, and 0_X / 1_X, if the total number of different DCI sizes set for monitoring for a cell is greater than 4, or after the DCI alignment of formats 0_2 / 1_2, 0_1 / 1_1, and 0_X / 1_X, if the total number of different DCI sizes with C-RNTI set for monitoring for a cell is greater than 3, (1) if the number of information bits in DCI format 0_1 / 1_1 before padding is smaller than the payload size of DCI format 0_X / 1_X for scheduling the same serving cell, generate some zero padding bits for DCI format 0_1 / 1_1 until its payload size becomes equal to the payload size of DCI format 0_X / 1_X, or (2) if the number of information bits in DCI format 0_X / 1_X before padding is smaller than the payload size of DCI format 0_1 / 1_1 for scheduling the same serving cell, zeros should be appended to DCI format 0_X / 1_X until its payload size becomes equal to the payload size of DCI format 0_1 / 1_1.

[0088] In some embodiments, one of the DCI formats for single-cell scheduling may be DCI format 0_1 or 1_1. Thus, the sizes of DCI formats 0_X and 1_X and the size of DCI format 0_1 / 1_1 may be adjusted. In some examples, DCI format 0_2 / 1_2 is mainly for compact DCI scheduling, and adding padding bits to DCI format 0_2 / 1_2 will significantly reduce the detection performance. Therefore, by adjusting DCI formats 0_1 / 1_1 and 0_X / 1_X, simultaneous transmission of URLLC (ultra-reliable & low-latency communication) services and eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband) services becomes possible.

[0089] As an example, assume that the size of DCI format 0_1 / 1_1 after the third step is max(C,D), and the size of DCI format 0_X / 1_X after the fourth step is max(G,H). In some embodiments, if the total number of DCI sizes with C-RNTI is more than 3 after the fourth step of size alignment, the fifth step is executed, and as shown in Table 2 below, the lengths of DCI formats 0_X / 1_X and 0_1 / 1_1 may be adjusted to max(C,D,G,H). The following Table 2 is for illustration purposes only and is not limiting. For the sake of brevity, DCI formats 0_0 / 1_0, the first and second steps are omitted, and reference may be made to Table 1 above.

Table 2

[0090] In this way, the order of DCI size alignment can be determined, and the total number of DCI sizes can be restricted. Specifically, the DCI format for multi-cell scheduling may be adjusted after the size alignment of the DCI format for single-cell scheduling, so that the complexity of blind detection can be reduced and the detection performance can be improved.

[0091] First, refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a signaling diagram showing a communication process 300 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes only, the process 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The process 300 may involve the terminal device 120 and the network device 110. In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 may be configured to have MC-DCI. That is, the terminal device 120 may be configured to receive DCI scheduling for receiving PDSCH on a plurality of cells.

[0092] The network device 110 performs DCI size alignment between different cells (312). The network device 110 further transmits the PDCCH 322 to the terminal device 120 (320). On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 performs DCI size alignment between different cells (314). The terminal device 120 monitors the PDCCH from the network device 110 based on the DCI size alignment (316). The terminal device 120 may receive the PDCCH 322 by monitoring (324).

[0093] In some exemplary embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the DCI size alignment performed by the terminal device 120 and / or the network device 110 may be performed among a plurality of cells including a first cell and a second cell. In some examples, the first cell may be a serving cell, and the second cell may be another serving cell. In some embodiments, the size of the DCI format 0_X / 1_X for the first cell may be larger than, smaller than, or different from the size of the DCI format 0_X / 1_X for the second cell, and size alignment of the DCI format 0_X / 1_X between different cells may be performed.

[0094] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 110 may send configuration information to the terminal device 120, and the configuration information may indicate whether to perform size alignment between different cells. On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 may receive the configuration information. For example, when the configuration information indicates to perform size alignment between different cells, the process 300 may be executed.

[0095] In some exemplary embodiments, when the first size of the DCI format 0_X / 1_X for the first cell is smaller than the second size of the DCI format 0_X / 1_X for the second cell, some padding bits may be generated to pad the first size to the second size. Similarly, when the second size of the DCI format 0_X / 1_X for the second cell is smaller than the first size of the DCI format 0_X / 1_X for the first cell, some padding bits may be generated to pad the second size to the first size.

[0096] In some embodiments, if the number of information bits in DCI format 0_X or 1_X for a serving cell before padding is less than the payload size of DCI format 0_X or 1_X for another serving cell, some zero-padding bits are generated for the DCI format 0_X or 1_X until its payload size becomes equal to the payload size of DCI format 0_X or 1_X for another serving cell.

[0097] In some embodiments, the same value may be set for both the first cell and the second cell, and the same value may be used to determine the start position of the PDCCH candidate. In some examples, the same value is

Number

Number

[0098] As described above, DCI format 0_X / 1_X is used to schedule the PDSCH on multiple cells. In some examples, each of the multiple cells may have a value for determining the PDCCH candidate start position. In some examples, the value (e.g.,

Number

[0099] It should be understood that the conventional carrier indicator field has two functions, namely, the function of determining the cell to be scheduled and the function of determining the start position of the PDCCH candidate. However, in the present disclosure, this value can be used to determine the start position of the PDCCH candidate. For example, the value for determining the start position of the PDCCH candidate may be an existing parameter or a newly defined parameter. In some examples, there may be another value for determining the associated cell to be scheduled, and the present disclosure does not limit this aspect.

[0100] Therefore, the DCI format 0_X / 1_X between different cells can be adjusted, and some advantages can be obtained. For example, when the PDCCH candidates of the DCI format 0_X / 1_X determined for the first cell are the same as the PDCCH candidates of the DCI format 0_X / 1_X determined for the second cell, the size alignment of the DCI format 0_X / 1_X between the first cell and the second cell can reduce the complexity of blind detection.

[0101] First, refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a signaling diagram showing a communication process 400 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation only, the process 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The terminal device 120 and the network device 110 may be involved in the process 400.

[0102] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 may be configured to have MC-DCI. That is, the terminal device 120 may be configured to receive DCI scheduling for receiving PDSCH on a plurality of cells. In some embodiments, two or more cells may be configured such that the values for determining the start positions of a plurality of PDCCH candidates are the same.

[0103] The network device 110 determines a first number of cells with the same number for determining the start positions of a plurality of PDCCH candidates and a second number of the plurality of PDCCH candidates (412). The network device 110 determines the number of PDCCH candidates for each of the two or more cells based on the first number and the second number (422). The network device 110 further transmits PDCCH 432 to the terminal device 120 (430).

[0104] On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 determines a first number of cells with the same number for determining the start positions of a plurality of PDCCH candidates and a second number of the plurality of PDCCH candidates (414). The terminal device 120 determines the number of PDCCH candidates for each of the two or more cells based on the first number and the second number (424). The terminal device 120 monitors the PDCCH from the network device 110 (426). The terminal device 120 may receive PDCCH 432 by monitoring (434).

[0105] In some exemplary embodiments, the value for determining the start position may be set by the network device 110, for example, via an RRC signal. In some examples, the value may be realized as a carrier indicator field value (e.g.,

Number

Number

Number

[0106] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 110 and / or the terminal device 120 may determine that the number of PDCCH candidates for each cell is the result of dividing a second number by a first number. Alternatively or additionally, the network device 110 and / or the terminal device 120 may determine that the number of CCEs for each cell is a third number of CCEs determined by dividing the value by the first number.

[0107] Specifically, when search space settings on different cells have the same carrier indicator field value that determines the PDCCH candidate start position

Number

Number

Number

[0108] For better understanding, refer to FIG. 5 showing an exemplary scenario 500 in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. Assume that DCI is used to schedule a plurality of cells including cell A, cell B, and cell C. Cell A and cell B are set to have the same value

Number

Number

[0109] As shown in FIG. 5, based on value 1, the number of PDCCH candidates is 6, and the starting position is P1. Additionally, the count number of PDCCH candidates for cell A (or cell B) may be determined as 3, which is the result of dividing 6 by 2.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 5, based on value 2, the number of PDCCH candidates is 2, and the starting position is P2, which is specific to cell C. Thus, the network device 110 has the flexibility regarding the PDCCH candidate plan for setting the same or different

Number

Number

Number

[0111] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 600 implemented in a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, method 600 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 from the perspective of the terminal device 120.

[0112] In block 610, after the multiple size alignments of multiple pairs of DCI formats for single cell scheduling, if the total number of DCI sizes set to monitor the PDCCH is greater than a predefined number, the terminal device 120 performs a first size alignment of a pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling. In block 620, the terminal device 120 monitors the PDCCH from the network device 110 based on the first size alignment.

[0113] In some exemplary embodiments, the pair of DCI formats includes a first DCI format and a second DCI format. The terminal device 120 determines one DCI format with a smaller size from the first DCI format and the second DCI format. The first DCI format is used to schedule uplink transmissions on multiple cells, and the second DCI format is used to schedule downlink transmissions on the multiple cells. The terminal device 120 may generate some padding bits to pad the one DCI format to have the same size as the other DCI format of the first DCI format and the second DCI format.

[0114] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 may further perform a second size alignment between the pair of DCI formats and one of the multiple pairs of DCI formats if the total number of DCI sizes set to monitor the PDCCH is greater than the predefined number after the first size alignment.

[0115] In some exemplary embodiments, when the first size of the pair of DCI formats is smaller than the second size of one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats, the terminal device 120 may generate some padding bits to pad the pair of DCI formats to have the second size. In some exemplary embodiments, when the first size of the pair of DCI formats is larger than the second size of one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats, the terminal device 120 may generate some padding bits to pad one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats to have the first size.

[0116] In some exemplary embodiments, one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats includes DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1. In some exemplary embodiments, the pair of DCI formats includes DCI formats 0_X and 1_X.

[0117] In some exemplary embodiments, the total number of DCI sizes set to monitor the PDCCH is greater than 4, or the total number of DCI sizes having a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) set to monitor the PDCCH is greater than 3.

[0118] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 700 implemented in a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, method 700 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 from the perspective of the terminal device 120.

[0119] In block 710, when the first size of the DCI format for the first cell is smaller than the second size of the DCI format for the second cell, the terminal device 120 performs size alignment between the first size and the second size, and the terminal device 120 is configured to monitor the DCI format for scheduling a plurality of cells including the first cell and the second cell. In block 720, the terminal device 120 monitors the PDCCH from the network device 110 based on the size alignment.

[0120] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 generates some padding bits to pad the first size to the second size. In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 further receives, from the network device 110, configuration information indicating whether to perform size alignment among the plurality of cells. In some exemplary embodiments, the DCI format is DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X. In some exemplary embodiments, the first cell and the second cell are configured such that values for determining start positions of a plurality of PDCCH candidates are the same.

[0121] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 800 implemented in a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, method 800 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 from the perspective of the terminal device 120.

[0122] In block 810, when, for a plurality of cells, values for determining start positions of a plurality of PDCCH candidates are the same, the terminal device 120 determines a first number of the plurality of cells and a second number of the plurality of PDCCH candidates. In block 820, the terminal device 120 determines, for each of the plurality of cells, the number of PDCCH candidates based on the first number and the second number. In block 830, the terminal device 120 monitors the PDCCH from the network device 110 based on the number of PDCCH candidates for each cell.

[0123] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 determines the number of PDCCH candidates for each cell based on the result of dividing the second number by the first number. In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 120 further determines the number of CCEs for each cell to a third number of CCEs determined by dividing the value by the first number. In some exemplary embodiments, the value is a carrier indicator field value.

[0124] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 900 implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, method 900 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 from the perspective of the network device 110.

[0125] In block 910, after a plurality of size alignments of a plurality of pairs of DCI formats for single cell scheduling, if the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring PDCCH is greater than a predefined number, the network device 110 performs a first size alignment of a pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling. In block 920, the network device 110 transmits PDCCH to the terminal device 120 based on the first size alignment.

[0126] In some exemplary embodiments, the pair of DCI formats includes a first DCI format and a second DCI format. The network device 110 determines one DCI format with a smaller size from the first DCI format and the second DCI format. The first DCI format is used to schedule uplink transmissions on a plurality of cells, and the second DCI format is used to schedule downlink transmissions on the plurality of cells. The network device 110 may generate some padding bits to pad the one DCI format to have the same size as the other DCI format of the first DCI format and the second DCI format.

[0127] In some exemplary embodiments, after the first size alignment, if the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is greater than the predefined number, the network device 110 may perform a second size alignment between the pair of DCI formats and one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats.

[0128] In some exemplary embodiments, if the first size of the pair of DCI formats is smaller than the second size of one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats, the network device 110 may generate some padding bits to pad the pair of DCI formats to have the second size. In some exemplary embodiments, if the first size of the pair of DCI formats is larger than the second size of one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats, the network device 110 may generate some padding bits to pad the one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats to have the first size.

[0129] In some exemplary embodiments, one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats includes DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1. In some exemplary embodiments, the pair of DCI formats includes DCI formats 0_X and 1_X. In some exemplary embodiments, the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring PDCCH is greater than 4, or the total number of DCI sizes having a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) set for monitoring PDCCH is greater than 3.

[0130] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 1000 implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, method 1000 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 from the perspective of network device 110.

[0131] In block 1010, if a first size of a DCI format for a first cell is smaller than a second size of the DCI format for a second cell, network device 110 performs a size alignment between the first size and the second size. In block 1020, network device 110 transmits PDCCH to terminal device 120 based on the size alignment, and terminal device 120 is configured to monitor the DCI format that schedules a plurality of cells including the first cell and the second cell.

[0132] In some exemplary embodiments, network device 110 generates some padding bits to pad the first size to be the second size. In some exemplary embodiments, network device 110 further transmits configuration information indicating whether to perform size alignment among the plurality of cells to terminal device 120.

[0133] In some exemplary embodiments, the DCI format is DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X. In some embodiments, the transmitted PDCCH may carry a DCI format for multi-cell scheduling. In some exemplary embodiments, the first cell and the second cell are set such that values for determining start positions of a plurality of PDCCH candidates are the same.

[0134] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 1100 implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, method 1100 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 from the perspective of network device 110.

[0135] In block 1110, when values for determining start positions of a plurality of PDCCH candidates are the same for a plurality of cells, network device 110 determines a first number of the plurality of cells and a second number of the plurality of PDCCH candidates. In block 1120, network device 110 determines, for each of the plurality of cells, the number of PDCCH candidates based on the first number and the second number. In block 1130, network device 110 transmits a PDCCH to terminal device 120 based on the number of PDCCH candidates for each cell.

[0136] In some exemplary embodiments, network device 110 determines the number of PDCCH candidates for each cell as a result of dividing the second number by the first number. In some exemplary embodiments, network device 110 further determines, for each cell, the number of CCEs as a third number of CCEs determined by dividing the value by the first number. In some exemplary embodiments, the value is a carrier indicator field value.

[0137] Details of some embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11. Hereinafter, exemplary realizations of a terminal device and a network device will be described.

[0138] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device comprises a circuit, and the circuit is configured to perform a first size alignment of a pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling after a plurality of size alignments of a plurality of pairs of DCI formats for single-cell scheduling, and to monitor PDCCH from the network device based on the first size alignment when the total number of DCI sizes configured to monitor the PDCCH is greater than a predefined number.

[0139] In some exemplary embodiments, the pair of DCI formats includes a first DCI format and a second DCI format, the terminal device comprises a circuit, and the circuit is configured to determine one DCI format having a smaller size from the first DCI format and the second DCI format, the first DCI format is used to schedule uplink transmissions on a plurality of cells, the second DCI format is used to schedule downlink transmissions on the plurality of cells, and to generate some padding bits to pad the one DCI format to have the same size as the other DCI format of the first DCI format and the second DCI format.

[0140] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device comprises a circuit, and the circuit is configured to perform a second size alignment between the pair of DCI formats and one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats when the total number of DCI sizes configured to monitor the PDCCH is greater than the predefined number after the first size alignment.

[0141] In some exemplary embodiments, when the first size of the pair of DCI formats is smaller than the second size of one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats, the terminal device includes a circuit, and the circuit is configured to generate some padding bits to pad the pair of DCI formats to have the second size. In some exemplary embodiments, when the first size of the pair of DCI formats is larger than the second size of one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats, the terminal device includes a circuit, and the circuit is configured to generate some padding bits to pad one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats to have the first size.

[0142] In some exemplary embodiments, one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats includes DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1. In some exemplary embodiments, the pair of DCI formats includes DCI formats 0_X and 1_X.

[0143] In some exemplary embodiments, the total number of DCI sizes configured to monitor PDCCH is greater than 4, or the total number of DCI sizes having a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) configured to monitor PDCCH is greater than 3.

[0144] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device includes a circuit, and when the first size of the DCI format for the first cell is smaller than the second size of the DCI format for the second cell, the circuit performs size alignment between the first size and the second size. The terminal device is configured to monitor the DCI format for scheduling a plurality of cells including the first cell and the second cell, and based on the size alignment, is configured to monitor a PDCCH that carries the DCI format from the network device.

[0145] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device includes a circuit, and the circuit is configured to generate some padding bits to pad the first size to the second size.

[0146] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device includes a circuit, and the circuit is configured to receive, from the network device, configuration information indicating whether to perform the size alignment among the plurality of cells.

[0147] In some exemplary embodiments, the DCI format is DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X.

[0148] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device includes a circuit. When, for a plurality of cells, values for determining start positions of a plurality of PDCCH candidates are the same, the circuit determines a first number of the plurality of cells and a second number of the plurality of PDCCH candidates, determines, for each of the plurality of cells, the number of PDCCH candidates based on the first number and the second number, and based on the number of PDCCH candidates for each cell, is configured to monitor a PDCCH from the network device.

[0149] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device comprises a circuit, and the circuit is configured to determine the number of the PDCCH candidates for each cell based on a result of dividing the second number by the first number.

[0150] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device comprises a circuit, and the circuit is configured to determine the number of CCEs for each cell to a third number of CCEs determined by dividing the value by the first number.

[0151] In some exemplary embodiments, the value is a carrier indicator field value.

[0152] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device comprises a circuit, and when the total number of DCI sizes set to monitor PDCCH after multiple size alignments of multiple pairs of DCI formats for single cell scheduling is greater than a predefined number, the circuit is configured to perform a first size alignment of a pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling and transmit the PDCCH to the terminal device based on the first size alignment.

[0153] In some exemplary embodiments, the pair of DCI formats includes a first DCI format and a second DCI format. The network device comprises a circuit, and the circuit is configured to determine one DCI format with a smaller size from the first DCI format and the second DCI format. The first DCI format is used to schedule uplink transmission on multiple cells, and the second DCI format is used to schedule downlink transmission on the multiple cells. The circuit is configured to generate some padding bits to pad the one DCI format to have the same size as the other DCI format of the first DCI format and the second DCI format.

[0154] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device comprises a circuit, and the circuit is configured to perform a second size alignment between the pair of DCI formats and one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats when the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is greater than the predefined number after the first size alignment.

[0155] In some exemplary embodiments, when the first size of the pair of DCI formats is smaller than the second size of one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats, the network device comprises a circuit, and the circuit is configured to generate some padding bits to pad the pair of DCI formats to have the second size. In some exemplary embodiments, when the first size of the pair of DCI formats is greater than the second size of one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats, the network device comprises a circuit, and the circuit is configured to generate some padding bits to pad one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats to have the first size.

[0156] In some exemplary embodiments, one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats includes DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1. In some exemplary embodiments, the pair of DCI formats includes DCI formats 0_X and 1_X.

[0157] In some exemplary embodiments, the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is greater than 4, or the total number of DCI sizes having a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) set for monitoring the PDCCH is greater than 3.

[0158] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device includes a circuit, and when the first size of the DCI format for the first cell is smaller than the second size of the DCI format for the second cell, the circuit performs size alignment between the first size and the second size, and based on the size alignment, is configured to transmit a PDCCH carrying the DCI format to the terminal device, and the terminal device is configured to monitor the DCI format for scheduling a plurality of cells including the first cell and the second cell.

[0159] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device includes a circuit, and the circuit is configured to generate some padding bits to pad the first size to the second size.

[0160] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device includes a circuit, and the circuit is configured to transmit configuration information indicating whether to perform the size alignment among the plurality of cells to the terminal device.

[0161] In some exemplary embodiments, the DCI format is DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X.

[0162] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device includes a circuit, and when, for a plurality of cells, values for determining start positions of a plurality of PDCCH candidates are the same, the circuit determines a first number of the plurality of cells and a second number of the plurality of PDCCH candidates, and based on the first number and the second number, determines, for each of the plurality of cells, a number of PDCCH candidates, and based on the number of PDCCH candidates for each cell, is configured to transmit a PDCCH to the terminal device.

[0163] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device comprises a circuit, and the circuit is configured to determine, for each cell, the number of the PDCCH candidates as a result of dividing the second number by the first number.

[0164] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device comprises a circuit, and the circuit is configured to determine, for each cell, the number of CCEs as a third number of CCEs determined by dividing the value by the first number.

[0165] In some exemplary embodiments, the value is a carrier indicator field value.

[0166] FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 1200 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1200 can be considered as another exemplary embodiment of the terminal device 120 and / or the network device 110 as shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, the apparatus 1200 may be implemented in the terminal device 120 or the network device 110, or as at least a part thereof.

[0167] As shown, apparatus 1200 includes a processor 1210, a memory 1220 coupled to the processor 1210, an appropriate transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 1240 coupled to the processor 1210, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 1240. The memory 1210 stores at least a portion of program 1230. The TX / RX 1240 is used for two-way communication. The TX / RX 1240 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although the access nodes referred to in this disclosure may actually have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 interface for two-way communication between eNBs, an S1 interface for communication between a mobility management entity (MME) / serving gateway (S-GW) and an eNB, a Un interface for communication between an eNB and a relay node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between an eNB and a terminal device.

[0168] It is assumed that when program 1230 is executed by the associated processor 1210, it includes program instructions that enable apparatus 1200 to operate in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure, as described herein with reference to FIGS. 2 - 11. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 1210 of apparatus 1200, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 1210 may be configured to implement various embodiments of this disclosure. Further, the combination of the processor 1210 and the memory 1220 may form processing means 1250 suitable for implementing various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0169] Memory 1220 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and, by way of non-limiting example, may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology such as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a semiconductor-based memory device, a magnetic memory device and system, an optical memory device and system, a fixed memory, and a removable memory. Although only one memory 1220 is shown within device 1200, there may be several physically different memory modules within device 1200. Processor 1210 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and, by way of non-limiting example, may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1200 may have a specific-purpose integrated circuit chip that is temporally dependent on a clock that synchronizes a plurality of processors, such as a main processor.

[0170] In short, embodiments of the present disclosure can provide the following solutions.

[0171] The present disclosure provides a communication method, the method comprising, at a terminal device, after a plurality of size alignments of a plurality of pairs of downlink control information (DCI) formats for single-cell scheduling, performing a first size alignment of a pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling according to a determination that a total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is greater than a predefined number; and monitoring a PDCCH from a network device based on the first size alignment.

[0172] In one embodiment, in the method, the pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling includes a first DCI format and a second DCI format, and performing the first size alignment includes determining one DCI format with a smaller size from the first DCI format for scheduling uplink transmissions on a plurality of cells and the second DCI format for scheduling downlink transmissions on the plurality of cells. generating some padding bits to pad the one DCI format with the smaller size to have the same size as the other DCI format of the first DCI format and the second DCI format.

[0173] In one embodiment, the method further includes performing a second size alignment between the pair of DCI formats and one pair of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats according to a determination that the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is greater than the predefined number after the first size alignment.

[0174] In one embodiment, in the method, performing the second size alignment includes generating some padding bits to pad the first size of the pair of DCI formats to the second size according to a determination that the first size of the pair of DCI formats is smaller than the second size of the one pair of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats, or generating some padding bits to pad the second size of the one pair of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats to the first size according to a determination that the first size is greater than the second size.

[0175] In one embodiment, in the method, one pair among the plurality of pairs of the DCI formats includes DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1.

[0176] In one embodiment, in the method, the pair of the DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling includes DCI formats 0_X and 1_X.

[0177] In one embodiment, in the method, that the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is greater than a predefined number includes that the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is greater than 4, or the total number of DCI sizes having a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) set for monitoring the PDCCH is greater than 3.

[0178] The present disclosure provides a method of communication. The method includes, at a terminal device, performing size alignment between a first size and a second size according to a determination that a first size of a downlink control information (DCI) format for a first cell is smaller than a second size of the DCI format for a second cell, where the terminal device is set to monitor the DCI format for scheduling a plurality of cells including the first cell and the second cell, and monitoring, based on the size alignment, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) that carries the DCI format from a network device.

[0179] In one embodiment, in the method, performing the size alignment includes generating some padding bits to pad the first size to be the second size.

[0180] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving, from the network device, setting information indicating whether to perform the size alignment among the plurality of cells.

[0181] In one embodiment, in the method, the DCI format is DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X.

[0182] The present disclosure provides a communication method. The method includes, at a terminal device, determining a first number of the plurality of cells and a second number of the plurality of PDCCH candidates according to a determination that values for determining start positions of a plurality of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates are the same for the plurality of cells; determining, for each of the plurality of cells, a number of PDCCH candidates based on the first number and the second number; and monitoring, for each of the plurality of cells, a PDCCH from a network device based on the number of PDCCH candidates for each of the plurality of cells.

[0183] In one embodiment, in the method, determining, for each of the plurality of cells, a number of PDCCH candidates includes determining, for each of the plurality of cells, the number of PDCCH candidates as a result of dividing the second number by the first number.

[0184] In one embodiment, the method further includes determining, for each of the plurality of cells, a number of control channel elements (CCEs) as a third number of CCEs determined by dividing the value by the first number.

[0185] In one embodiment, in the method, the same value for determining the start positions of the plurality of PDCCH candidates is a carrier indicator field value.

[0186] The present disclosure provides a method of communication. The method includes, in a network device, after multiple size alignments of multiple pairs of downlink control information (DCI) formats for single cell scheduling, performing a first size alignment of a pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling according to a determination that a total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is greater than a predefined number, and transmitting the PDCCH to a terminal device based on the first size alignment.

[0187] In one embodiment, in the method, the pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling includes a first DCI format and a second DCI format. Performing the first size alignment includes determining one DCI format having a smaller size from the first DCI format for scheduling uplink transmissions on multiple cells and the second DCI format for scheduling downlink transmissions on the multiple cells, and generating some padding bits to pad the one DCI format having the smaller size to have the same size as the other DCI format of the first DCI format and the second DCI format.

[0188] In one embodiment, the method further includes, after the first size alignment, performing a second size alignment between the pair of DCI formats and one pair of the multiple pairs of DCI formats according to a determination that the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is greater than the predefined number.

[0189] In one embodiment, in the method, performing the second size alignment includes generating some padding bits to pad the first size of the pair of DCI formats to the second size according to a determination that the first size of the pair of DCI formats is smaller than the second size of the one pair among the plurality of pairs of DCI formats, or generating some padding bits to pad the second size of the one pair among the plurality of pairs of DCI formats to the first size according to a determination that the first size is larger than the second size.

[0190] In one embodiment, in the method, the one pair among the plurality of pairs of DCI formats includes DCI format 0_1 and 1_1.

[0191] In one embodiment, in the method, the pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling includes DCI format 0_X and 1_X.

[0192] In one embodiment, in the method, that the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring PDCCH is greater than a predefined number includes that the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring PDCCH is greater than 4, or the total number of DCI sizes having a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) set for monitoring PDCCH is greater than 3.

[0193] The present disclosure provides a communication method. The method includes, in a network device, performing size alignment between a first size and a second size according to a determination that a first size of a downlink control information (DCI) format for a first cell is smaller than a second size of the DCI format for a second cell, and transmitting, based on the size alignment, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carrying the DCI format to a terminal device. The terminal device is configured to monitor the DCI format for scheduling a plurality of cells including the first cell and the second cell.

[0194] In one embodiment, in the method, performing the size alignment includes generating some padding bits to pad the first size to be the second size.

[0195] In one embodiment, the method further includes transmitting, to the terminal device, configuration information indicating whether to perform the size alignment among the plurality of cells.

[0196] In one embodiment, in the method, the DCI format is DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X.

[0197] The present disclosure provides a communication method, which includes, in a network device, determining a first number of the plurality of cells and a second number of the plurality of PDCCH candidates according to a determination that values for determining start positions of a plurality of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates are the same for the plurality of cells; determining, for each of the plurality of cells, a number of PDCCH candidates based on the first number and the second number; and transmitting PDCCH to a terminal device based on the number of PDCCH candidates for each of the plurality of cells.

[0198] In one embodiment, in the method, determining, for each of the plurality of cells, a number of PDCCH candidates includes determining, for each of the plurality of cells, the number of PDCCH candidates as a result of dividing the second number by the first number.

[0199] In one embodiment, the method further includes determining, for each of the plurality of cells, a number of control channel elements (CCEs) as a third number of CCEs determined by dividing the value by the first number.

[0200] In one embodiment, in the method, the same value for determining start positions of the plurality of PDCCH candidates is a carrier indicator field value.

[0201] The present disclosure provides a terminal device including a processor and a memory storing computer program code, where the memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the processor to execute the above method implemented in the terminal device.

[0202] The present disclosure provides a network device including a processor and a memory storing computer program code, where the memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the processor to execute the above-described method implemented in the network device using the network device.

[0203] The present disclosure discloses a computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer-readable medium device, cause the device to execute the above-described method implemented in a terminal device or a network device.

[0204] Overall, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or other pictorial representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented, by way of non-limiting example, in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or any combination thereof.

[0205] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, that are executed within an apparatus on a target physical processor or virtual processor to perform the processes or methods described above with reference to FIGS. 6-20. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules may be combined or divided among the program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed within a local or distributed apparatus. In a distributed apparatus, the program modules may be disposed in both local and remote storage media.

[0206] The program code for performing the method of the present disclosure may be described in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes are provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing device, and when the program code is executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram are realized. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0207] The above program code may be implemented on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that can be utilized by or associated with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with the same. 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 media. More specific examples of the machine-readable storage medium may include an electrical connection having 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.

[0208] Note that although the operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that such operations are required to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or that all of the operations shown are required to be performed, to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although some specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Some of the features described in the context of individual embodiments may be combined in a single embodiment to be implemented. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may be implemented separately in a plurality of embodiments, or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0209] Although the present disclosure has been described in terms of structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in 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 exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising: at a terminal device, in accordance with a determination that the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is greater than a predefined number after a plurality of size alignments of a plurality of pairs of downlink control information (DCI) formats for single cell scheduling, performing a first size alignment of a pair of DCI formats for multi cell scheduling; monitoring a PDCC from a network device based on the first size alignment; A method comprising the steps of.

2. The pair of DCI formats for multi cell scheduling includes a first DCI format and a second DCI format, Performing the first size alignment includes: determining one DCI format having a smaller size from the first DCI format for scheduling uplink transmissions on a plurality of cells and the second DCI format for scheduling downlink transmissions on the plurality of cells; generating some padding bits to pad the one DCI format having the smaller size to have the same size as the other DCI format of the first DCI format and the second DCI format; The method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of.

3. After the first size alignment, in accordance with a determination that the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCC is greater than the predefined number, performing a second size alignment between the pair of DCI formats and one of the plurality of pairs of DCI formats; The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of.

4. Performing the second size alignment includes: Generating some padding bits to pad the first size of the pair of DCI formats to the second size according to the determination that the first size of the pair of DCI formats is smaller than the second size of the one pair among the plurality of pairs of DCI formats, or Generating some padding bits to pad the second size of the one pair among the plurality of pairs of DCI formats to the first size according to the determination that the first size is larger than the second size, The method according to claim 3, comprising.

5. One pair among the plurality of pairs of DCI formats includes DCI format 0_1 and 1_1, and the pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling includes DCI format 0_X and 1_X The method according to claim 3.

6. A method of communication, comprising In a terminal device, performing size alignment between the first size and the second size according to the determination that the first size of the downlink control information (DCI) format for a first cell is smaller than the second size of the DCI format for a second cell, wherein the terminal device is configured to monitor the DCI format for scheduling a plurality of cells including the first cell and the second cell, and Based on the size alignment, monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) that carries the DCI format from a network device. A method comprising.

7. Performing the size alignment includes Generating some padding bits to pad the first size to the second size. The method according to claim 6.

8. Receiving, from the network device, configuration information indicating whether to perform the size alignment between the plurality of cells. The method according to claim 6, further comprising.

9. The DCI format is DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X. The method according to claim 6.

10. A method of communication, comprising: in a network device, after multiple size alignments of multiple pairs of downlink control information (DCI) formats for single-cell scheduling, according to a determination that the total number of DCI sizes set for monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is greater than a predefined number, performing a first size alignment of a pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling; transmitting the PDCCH to a terminal device based on the first size alignment; A method comprising the above.

11. The pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling includes a first DCI format and a second DCI format, Performing the first size alignment includes: determining one DCI format with a smaller size from the first DCI format for scheduling uplink transmissions on multiple cells and the second DCI format for scheduling downlink transmissions on the multiple cells; generating some padding bits to pad the one DCI format with the smaller size to have the same size as the other DCI format of the first DCI format and the second DCI format; The method according to claim 10, comprising the above.

12. After the first size alignment, according to a determination that the total number of the DCI sizes set for monitoring the PDCCH is greater than the predefined number, performing a second size alignment between the pair of DCI formats and one pair of the multiple pairs of DCI formats; The method according to claim 10, further comprising the above.

13. Performing the second size alignment includes: In accordance with the determination that the first size of the pair of DCI formats is smaller than the second size of the one pair among the plurality of pairs of DCI formats, generating some padding bits to pad the first size of the pair of DCI formats to be the second size, or In accordance with the determination that the first size is larger than the second size, generating some padding bits to pad the second size of the one pair among the plurality of pairs of DCI formats to be the first size, The method according to claim 12, comprising.

14. One pair among the plurality of pairs of DCI formats includes DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1, and the pair of DCI formats for multi-cell scheduling includes DCI formats 0_X and 1_X The method according to claim 12.

15. A method of communication, comprising In a network device, performing size alignment between the first size and the second size in accordance with the determination that the first size of the downlink control information (DCI) format for a first cell is smaller than the second size of the DCI format for a second cell; Based on the size alignment, transmitting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carrying the DCI format to a terminal device, The terminal device is configured to monitor the DCI format for scheduling a plurality of cells including the first cell and the second cell Method.

16. Performing the size alignment includes Generating some padding bits to pad the first size to be the second size The method according to claim 15.

17. Transmitting setting information indicating whether to perform the size alignment between the plurality of cells to the terminal device, The method according to claim 15, further comprising.

18. The DCI format is DCI format 0_X or DCI format 1_X The method according to claim 15.

19. A processor and a memory storing computer program code, a terminal device comprising: the memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the terminal device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 using the processor Terminal device.

20. A processor and a memory storing computer program code, a network device comprising: the memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the network device to execute the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18 using the processor Network device.

21. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 Computer-readable medium.

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