Transmit / Receive Point Adaptation

Abstract

The first device receives configuration information for at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device from the second device. The configuration information indicates a muting state of at least one TRP of the at least one cell or at least one cell group. The first device determines a muting state of at least one TRP of the at least one cell or at least one cell group based on the configuration information. In this way, the muting state of the TRP(s) is indicated so that the terminal equipment can act accordingly to enable dynamic TRP adaptation for energy savings.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to methods, apparatus, devices, and computer-readable storage media for transmit / receive point (TRP) adaptation. [Background technology]

[0002] In the communications field, wireless access networks account for a large portion of the energy consumption of the entire network, so adaptive technologies for transmission and reception in the time, frequency, space, and power domains are important for energy conservation.

[0003] In Rel-18, it is agreed to utilize dynamic TRP adaptation for network energy savings. Therefore, enabling and / or promoting dynamic TRP adaptation needs further study. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for TRP adaptation for network energy efficiency.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided, the first device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to: receive, at the first device, configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device from a second device, the configuration information indicating a muting state of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group; and determine, based on the configuration information, a muting state of the at least one TRP of the at least one cell or at least one cell group.

[0006] In a second aspect, a second device is provided, the second device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: determine configuration information for at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device, where the configuration information indicates a muting state of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group; and transmit the configuration information to the first device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided, the method including: receiving, at a first device, from a second device, configuration information for at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device, the configuration information indicating a muting state of at least one transmit reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group; and determining, based on the configuration information, a muting state of the at least one TRP of the at least one cell or at least one cell group.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided, the method including: determining, at a second device, configuration information for at least one cell or at least one cell group of a first device, the configuration information indicating a muting state of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group; and transmitting the configuration information to the first device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided comprising: means, at a first device, for receiving configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device from a second device, the configuration information indicating a muting state of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group; and means for determining a muting state of the at least one TRP of the at least one cell or at least one cell group based on the configuration information.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided comprising: means, at a second device, for determining configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of a first device, the configuration information indicating a muting state of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group; and means for transmitting the configuration information to the first device.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform a method according to at least any one of the third to fourth aspects above.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: receive, at a first device, configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device from a second device, the configuration information indicating a muting state of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group; and determine a muting state of the at least one TRP of the at least one cell or at least one cell group based on the configuration information.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least determine, at a second device, configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device, wherein the configuration information indicates a muting state of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group; and transmit the configuration information to the first device.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, there is provided a first device comprising: a receiving circuit configured to receive, in the first device, configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device from a second device, the configuration information indicating a muting state of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group; and a determining circuit configured to determine a muting state of the at least one TRP of the at least one cell or at least one cell group based on the configuration information.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a second device comprising: a determining circuit configured in the second device to determine configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device, the configuration information indicating a muting state of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group; and a transmitting circuit configured to transmit the configuration information to the first device.

[0016] It should be understood that the Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent through the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] Exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example process for enabling dynamic TRP adaptation in some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a group-common DCI including configuration information, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates another example process for enabling dynamic TRP adaptation in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented in a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for practicing embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 8 shows a block diagram of an exemplary computer-readable medium in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes to help those skilled in the art understand and practice the present disclosure, and are not intended to imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various forms other than those described below.

[0019] 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 belongs.

[0020] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not all embodiments need include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is understood that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly stated.

[0021] Although terms such as "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various elements, it should be understood that these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0022] The terms used in the examples are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, it will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," "includes," and / or "including" identify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, "at least one of the following, " and "at least one of " and similar expressions in which a list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or" mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0023] As used in this application, the term "circuit" means (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., analog and / or digital-only implementations); (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software (if applicable); (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware; (ii) software (including digital signal processors), software, and hardware processor portions with memory that work together to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions; (c) A hardware circuit or processor, such as a microprocessor or part of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may be absent when not required for operation; It may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0024] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, as used herein, the term circuit also covers simply a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. The term circuit also covers, for example, a baseband or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device, if applicable to the particular claim element.

[0025] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network conforming to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), HSPA (High-Speed ​​Packet Access), or NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT). Furthermore, communications between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network may be conducted according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including, but not limited to, any suitable first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols currently known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will, of course, be future communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure may be embodied. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered limited to only the aforementioned systems.

[0026] As used herein, the term "network equipment" refers to a node of a communication network through which terminal equipment accesses the network and receives services therefrom. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, network equipment may refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), e.g., a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low-power node such as a femto, or a pico.

[0027] The term "terminal equipment" refers to any terminal equipment capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal equipment may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a mobile subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). Terminal equipment includes, but is not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal equipment, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal equipment such as digital cameras, gaming terminal equipment, music storage and playback equipment, in-vehicle wireless terminal equipment, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, wearables such as watches, head-mounted displays (HMD), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating in commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment," "communications equipment," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" can be used interchangeably.

[0028] As used herein, the term "TRP" refers to a network-side transmission / reception point having an antenna array (having one or more antenna elements) located at a specific geographical location and can be used to transmit and receive signals to and from terminal devices. In embodiments of the present disclosure, a TRP may refer to a macrocell, a microcell, an RRH, a relay, a femto node, a pico node, etc. Although some embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to two exemplary TRPs, these embodiments are for illustrative purposes 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. It should be understood that the present disclosure described herein may be implemented in various manners other than those described below.

[0029] As mentioned above, enabling and / or facilitating dynamic TRP adaptation needs further research. Specifically, a terminal device may need to know whether the TRP(s) configured for it are muted or unmuted, thereby sharing a common understanding with the network to enable dynamic TRP adaptation. However, no such mechanism has been proposed to date.

[0030] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a solution for enabling or facilitating dynamic TRP adaptation is provided. In this solution, a first device, i.e., a terminal equipment, receives configuration information for at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device from a second device, i.e., a network equipment. The configuration information indicates a muting status of at least one TRP of the at least one cell or at least one cell group. Based on the configuration information, the first device determines a muting status of at least one TRP of the at least one cell or at least one cell group. In this way, the terminal equipment can recognize the muting status of the TRP(s) configured in the terminal equipment, so that the terminal equipment can act accordingly to enable dynamic TRP adaptation.

[0031] The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, however, it should be noted that these embodiments are shown as exemplary embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way.

[0032] Reference is first made to FIG. 1 , which illustrates an exemplary communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1 , system 100 includes two network devices, such as network device 111 and network device 112. Network devices 111 and 112 may each have one respective antenna port group. In other words, network devices 111 and 112 may be associated with or function as two respective TRPs, and therefore may also be referred to as TRP 111 and TRP 112 in this disclosure.

[0033] Each of the network devices 111 and 112 may serve one or more areas (also referred to as cells) using different frequency bands in both the DL and UL. In a communication system, "UL" refers to the communication link in the direction from the terminal device to the network device, and "DL" refers to the communication link in the direction from the network device to the terminal device.

[0034] System 100 also includes one or more terminal devices, such as terminal devices 120 and 121. Terminal devices 120 and 121 can connect to and communicate with either or both of network devices 111 and 112 on the UL and DL depending on the location of the terminal devices within the cells of network devices 111 and 112.

[0035] 1, for example, network device 111 may serve cells 101, 102, and 103, and network device 112 may serve cell 102. Cells 101, 102, and 103 may be configured as serving cells for terminal device 120. Cell 102 may be configured as serving cell for terminal device 121.

[0036] Furthermore, although not shown in FIG. 1 , cells 101, 102, and 103 may be grouped into one or more cell groups for terminal equipment 120 according to a grouping rule. For example, cells 101, 102, and 103 may be grouped for the purpose of TRP muting or unmuting. As an example, cells 101, 102, and 103 may be determined as one cell group. As another example, cells 101 and 102 may be determined as a first cell group, and cell 103 may be determined as a second cell group.

[0037] It should be understood that the number of network devices (TRPs) and terminal devices in Figure 1 is for illustrative purposes, without implying any limitation. System 100 may include any suitable number of network devices (TRPs) and terminal devices adapted to implement embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] Communications in communication system 100 may be conducted according to any suitable communication protocol(s), including, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols such as first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), and fifth generation (5G), wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or other protocols now known or developed in the future. Furthermore, communications may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including, but not limited to, code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or other technologies now known or developed in the future.

[0039] Reference is now made to Figure 2, which illustrates an example process 200 for enabling dynamic TRP adaptation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For purposes of explanation, process 200 will be described with reference to Figure 1.

[0040] A first device 201 and a second device 202 may be involved in the process 200. The first device 201 may be a terminal device, such as terminal device 120 or terminal device 121 as shown in Figure 1. The second device 202 may be a network device, such as network device 111, network device 112 as shown in Figure 1, or other network device that communicates with the first device 201.

[0041] In the process 200, the second device 202 determines configuration information 203 for at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device 201. The configuration information indicates the muting status of at least one TRP of the at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device 201.

[0042] The second device 202 may determine whether to mute or unmute the TRP(s) set for the first device 201 for energy conservation, i.e., the second device 202 may determine dynamic TRP adaptation for the first device 201.

[0043] The second device 202 transmits (204) the determined configuration information 210 to the first device 201. The first device 201 receives (205) the configuration information 210 from the second device 202. As an example, the terminal device 120 may receive the configuration information 210 from the network device 111 and / or the network device 112. Based on the configuration information 210, the first device 201 determines (215) the muting state of at least one TRP of at least one cell or at least one cell group.

[0044] In some embodiments, the configuration information 210 may be specific to a cell or a cell group, and the cell or a cell within the cell group may be a serving cell of the first device 201 (or may be a non-serving cell configured with a PCI different from the serving cell PCI). As an example, the terminal device 120 may receive the configuration information 210 indicating the muting status of the TRP 111 of one cell 101. As another example, the terminal device 120 may receive the configuration information 210 indicating the muting status of the TRPs 111 and 112 of a cell group including the cells 101 and 102.

[0045] In some embodiments, configuration information 210 may be specific to multiple cells or multiple cell groups. As an example, terminal device 120 may simultaneously receive configuration information 210 indicating the muting status of TRP 111 in cell 101 and configuration information 210 indicating the muting status of TRPs 111 and 112 in cell 102. As another example, terminal device 120 may receive configuration information 210 indicating the muting status of TRPs in a first cell group that includes cells 101 and 102 and configuration information 210 indicating the muting status of TRP 111 in a second cell group that includes cell 103.

[0046] In some embodiments, the first device 201 may receive 205 the configuration information 210 via a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). Alternatively or additionally, the first device 201 may receive 205 the configuration information 210 via a radio resource control (RRC) message. Alternatively or additionally, the first device 201 may receive 205 the configuration information 210 via downlink control information (DCI). The DCI may be a user-specific DCI. In other words, the first device 201 may receive 205 the configuration information 201 via a DCI specific to the first device 201. Alternatively, the DCI may be a group-common DCI addressed to a group of devices that make up the first device 201. The group-common DCI may include the configuration information 210.

[0047] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a group-common DCI 300 including configuration information 210 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the group-common DCI 300 may have a set of bits or fields specific to each group of devices. In other words, each set of bits or fields may be used to indicate configuration information for a respective terminal device. For example, a first set of bits 301-1 may be used to indicate configuration information for terminal device 120, and a second set of bits 301-2 may be used to indicate configuration information for terminal device 121. The group-common DCI 300 may have other sets of bits, such as sets of bits 301-N.

[0048] In some embodiments, the first set of bits 301-1 may be the same as the second set of bits 301-2, and therefore the configuration information indicated by the first set of bits 301-1 may be the same as the configuration information indicated by the second set of bits 301-2. Alternatively, the configuration information indicated by the first set of bits 301-1 may be different from the configuration information indicated by the second set of bits 301-2.

[0049] Returning to FIG. 2 , in some embodiments, the first device 201 may receive 205 the configuration information 210 by receiving a bitmap. The configuration information 210 may be or may be indicated by a bitmap. The value of the bit may indicate the muting state of the TRP, e.g., whether the TRP is muted or unmuted. The number of bits in the bitmap may depend on the number of cells or cell groups configured in the first device 201 for the purpose of enabling dynamic TRP adaptation. Alternatively or additionally, the number of bits may depend on the number of TRP(s) configured in each cell or cell group.

[0050] The bitmap may comprise at least one bit associated with or specific to a cell or group of cells configured for the first device 201 for purposes of enabling dynamic TRP adaptation. For example, the bitmap may include bits 0010 corresponding to cells with two TRPs configured. A first bit value of 1 may indicate that the first TRP is not muted, and a second bit value of 0 may indicate that the second TRP is muted, or vice versa.

[0051] In some embodiments, a primary TRP and a secondary TRP may be configured for a cell. In this case, the bitmap may consist of one bit indicating the muting status of the cell's secondary TRP without any bits indicating the muting status of the cell's primary TRP. In other words, only one TRP may be allowed to be dynamically muted. In this way, the number of bits required to indicate the muting status of TRP(s) can be reduced. For example, if a cell consists of TRP0 and TRP1, and TRP0 is configured as the secondary TRP, the bitmap consists of one bit [0] indicating that TRP0 is muted.

[0052] In some embodiments, the bitmap may include a first bit indicating a muting status of a first TRP of the cell group and a second bit indicating a muting status of a second TRP of the cell group.

[0053] In some embodiments, a first cell and a second cell of a cell group may both be configured with a first TRP and a second TRP, where a first bit value of 1 may indicate that the first TRP is not muted and a second bit value of 0 may indicate that the second TRP is muted for both the first cell and the second cell.

[0054] For example, the bitmap may include bits 0010 corresponding to a cell group including a first cell and a second cell, where a first bit value of 1 may indicate that the first TRP is not muted for the cell group, and a second bit value of 0 may indicate that the second TRP is muted for the cell group.

[0055] In some other embodiments, a first cell of a cell group may be configured with multiple TRPs (e.g., two TRPs with two CORESETPoolIndex configurations) and a second cell of the cell group may be configured with a single TRP (e.g., no multi-TRP configuration is provided for that cell). In this case, a default TRP or TRP identifier may be assumed or configured for the second cell, e.g., a TRP corresponding to a lower or higher index of the TRP identifier (e.g., CORESETPoolIndex 0). Thus, the muting status of the single TRP may be indicated (by default) by a specific bit.

[0056] For example, the bitmap may include bits

[0010] corresponding to a cell group including a first cell and a second cell, where a first bit value of 1 indicates that TRP0 is not muted and a second bit value of 0 indicates that a second TRP1 is muted.

[0057] In some embodiments, the bitmap is made up of sets of bits, each set of bits corresponding to a cell or cell group. For example, the bitmap may include bits [1 0 1 1] corresponding to a first cell / cell group and a second cell / cell group. The first two bits

[0010] correspond to the first cell / cell group, and the second two bits

[0011] correspond to the second cell / cell group.

[0058] In some embodiments, instead of or in addition to a bitmap, the first device 201 may receive 205 the configuration information 210 by receiving an indicator associated with a muting pattern of the at least one muting pattern. The first device 201 may be configured with at least one muting pattern (e.g., via a radio resource control (RRC) configuration), and each muting pattern may indicate a muting state of at least one TRP of a cell or group of cells.

[0059] The indicator may be an index of a muting pattern. Alternatively, the indicator may be a bitmap corresponding to the muting pattern. The indicator may be included in a DCI or MAC CE (or RRC). The first device 201 may receive the indicator via the DCI or MAC CE (or RRC) and apply the muting pattern associated with the indicator to a corresponding cell or cell group.

[0060] In some embodiments, the muting pattern may further indicate a muting period (or muting period) and / or an unmute period (or unmute period). In other words, the muting pattern may indicate a periodic or recurring TRP muting / unmute period. One or more TRPs may be muted during a muting period (or muting period) and unmuted after the muting period (or muting period). Alternatively or additionally, one or more TRPs may be unmuted during an unmute period (or unmute period) and unmuted after the unmute period (or unmute period).

[0061] Furthermore, the muting period and / or unmuting period can be set for one TRP or multiple TRPs. In other words, the muting period can be configured with a set of subperiods for a set of TRPs. For example, the muting period may include a first subperiod and a second subperiod. The first TRP may be muted during the first subperiod, and the second TRP (or both the first and second TRPs) may be muted during the second subperiod.

[0062] In some embodiments, the first device 201 can determine that the configuration information 210 has been received based on a dedicated Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) that scrambles the DCI. The dedicated RNTI may be a new RNTI or an existing RNTI. The first device 201 may be pre-configured with a set of RNTIs. The dedicated RNTI in the set of RNTIs can indicate that the scrambled DCI includes the configuration information 210.

[0063] Alternatively or additionally, the first device 201 may determine that the configuration information 210 has been received based on at least one dedicated control resource set (CORESET). The at least one dedicated control resource set (CORESET) may be configured or indicated to be used to transmit a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carrying DCI including the configuration information 210. Similarly, the first device 201 may pre-configure an association between the at least one dedicated CORESET and the configuration information 210.

[0064] Alternatively or additionally, the first device 201 may determine that the configuration information 210 has been received based on at least one dedicated field or bit in the DCI or MAC CE. The at least one dedicated field or bit may be a newly defined field or an existing field or bit. Similarly, the first device 201 may pre-configure an association between the at least one dedicated field or bit and the configuration information 210.

[0065] Alternatively or additionally, the first device 201 may determine that the configuration information 210 has been received based on a dedicated DCI format. The dedicated DCI format may be an existing DCI format, such as DCI format 0_1 ​​or 0_2 used for scheduling UL transmissions, DCI format 1_1 or 1_2 used for scheduling DL transmissions, or a group-common DCI format such as DCI format 2_6. Alternatively, the dedicated DCI format may be a new DCI format for enabling dynamic TRP adaptation.

[0066] Alternatively or additionally, the first device 201 may determine that it has received the configuration information 210 based on a bitmap indicating the configuration information 210. The first device 201 may receive the bitmap and determine that it has received the configuration information 210.

[0067] In some embodiments, the first device 201 may receive an instruction or configuration from the second device 202 via RRC, MAC CE, or DCI, or hard-coded in a specification. Based on the instruction or configuration, the first device 201 may determine that it has received configuration information 210. As described above, the first device 201 may receive the configuration information 210 via the DCI or MAC CE (or RRC). If it receives the DCI or MAC CE, the first device 201 may determine, based on the instruction or configuration, that the DCI or MAC CE includes the configuration information 210 and determine the muting status of the TRP(s) from the configuration information 210.

[0068] In some embodiments, the instruction or configuration may be a dedicated Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) that scrambles the DCI. The dedicated RNTI may be a new RNTI or an existing RNTI. The first device 201 may be pre-configured with a set of RNTIs. The dedicated RNTI in the set of RNTIs may indicate that the scrambled DCI includes the configuration information 210.

[0069] Alternatively or additionally, the indication or configuration may be a dedicated DCI format. The dedicated DCI format may be an existing DCI format, for example, DCI format 0_1 ​​or 0_2 used for scheduling UL transmissions, DCI format 1_1 or 1_2 used for scheduling DL transmissions, or a group-wide DCI format such as DCI format 2_6. Alternatively, the dedicated DCI format may be a new DCI format for the purpose of enabling dynamic TRP adaptation.

[0070] Alternatively or additionally, the instructions or settings may be part of a bitmap indicating the configuration information 210. The first device 201 can receive the bitmap and determine that the configuration information 210 has been received. In other words, the bitmap indicates that the configuration information 210 is being conveyed and may also indicate the configuration information 210 itself.

[0071] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the configuration information 210 indicating the muting state of the TRP(s) may be implemented by reusing indicators of the bandwidth part (BWP) dormancy information and / or wake-up information of the first device 201. For example, DCI format 2_6 or an existing bitmap currently used to indicate wake-up information and / or BWP dormancy information may be reused as or to indicate the configuration information 210.

[0072] Additionally, in some embodiments, cells may be grouped for purposes of enabling dynamic TRP adaptation based on grouping rules for purposes of BWP dormancy. In other words, configuration information 210 may be specific to a cell group that is the same as a cell group configured for BWP dormancy or cell dormancy.

[0073] In some embodiments, the configuration information 210 may indicate both the muting status of the TRP(s) and the BWP dormant information (or wake-up information). For example, a bit in a bitmap may indicate both the muting status of the TRP(s) and the dormant status of the BWP. As another example, an existing bitmap for BWP dormant information may be expanded in size to accommodate the bits required to indicate the muting status of the TRP(s).

[0074] In this case, upon receiving the DCI or MAC CE, the first device 201 may first determine, based on an instruction or configuration, whether the DCI or MAC CE includes configuration information 210 indicating one of a muting state, BWP pause information, or wake-up information. The first device 201 may further determine the muting state of the TRP(s) from the configuration information 210 based on a pre-configured association between the configuration information 210 and the first device's interpretation of the configuration information 210.

[0075] Alternatively, upon receiving a DCI or a MAC CE, the first device 201 may determine, based on an instruction or configuration, that the DCI or MAC CE includes configuration information 210, and may also determine, based on the instruction or configuration, the muting state of the TRP(s) from the configuration information 210. For example, the first device 201 may determine, based on a dedicated RNTI, that the scrambled DCI includes configuration information 210 and determine the muting state of the TRP(s).

[0076] Based on the configuration information 210, the first device 201 determines a muting state 215 of at least one TRP of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device 201.

[0077] In some embodiments, the first device 201 may determine a mute state for a TRP (e.g., each TRP) of the at least one TRP as one of a set of states. The set of states may include a first state in which all transmissions and receptions between the first device 201 and the TRP are muted. The first state may also be referred to as a full mute state.

[0078] Alternatively or additionally, the set of states may include a second state in which at least one predetermined transmission or reception between the first device 201 and the TRP is muted. The predetermined transmission(s) or reception(s) muted in the second state may be defined in a specification. Alternatively, the predetermined transmission(s) or reception(s) muted may be provided to the first device 201 via an RRC configuration. The second state may also be referred to as a partial mute state. The partial mute state may be considered a type of TRP dormant state.

[0079] For example, if a TRP is in a partially muted state, the first device 201 may not expect a PDCCH to be transmitted from the TRP. In this case, the first device 201 may not monitor the PDCCH. As another example, the first device 201 may not expect to receive from this TRP.

[0080] Alternatively or additionally, the set of states may define a third state in which transmission and reception between the first device and the TRP is not muted. In other words, the first device 201 can expect normal transmission and reception with the TRP. The third state may also be referred to as an unmuted state.

[0081] In some embodiments, the first device 201 may be configured or instructed (e.g., via RRC or MAC CE) whether to consider a full muting state or a partial muting state when determining the muting state. Alternatively, the first device 201 may be instructed via DCI or MAC CE using new or existing field(s), bit(s), or format(s) whether to consider a full muting state or a partial muting state.

[0082] In some embodiments, the predetermined transmission / reception period in the second state may be different from the corresponding predetermined transmission / reception period in the third state. The predetermined transmission / reception may be a transmission / reception that is unmuted in the partial mute state, but the transmission / reception period may be longer than the period in the unmuted state. Therefore, better energy conservation can be achieved.

[0083] In some embodiments, the first device 201 may determine, for a TRP of the at least one TRP, a muting state for the BWP of the cell in which the TRP is configured. In other words, the muting state may be configured at the BWP level, rather than for the entire bandwidth of the cell.

[0084] In some embodiments, a TRP may be identified by a CORESETPoolIndex. Alternatively or additionally, a TRP may be identified by its ID, e.g., a TRP ID. Alternatively or additionally, a TRP may be identified by a set of Reference Signals (RS). Alternatively or additionally, a TRP may be identified by a set of RS resources. Alternatively or additionally, a TRP may be identified by a Physical Cell ID (PCI).

[0085] In this way, through the process 200, the muting status of the TRP(s) set in the first device 201, for example, the terminal equipment 120, can be indicated to the first device 201. Thus, the first device 201 can operate according to the muting status of the TRP(s), thereby enabling dynamic TRP adaptation.

[0086] 4 illustrates another example of a process 400 for enabling dynamic TRP adaptation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that process 400 can be considered a more specific example of process 200. It will be understood that process 400 can be applied to communication system 100 of FIG. 1 and any other similar communication scenarios.

[0087] 4, the first device 201 may receive 405 a first configuration 410 including a set of RNTIs. Each RNTI may be used to indicate whether the scrambled DCI includes one or more of the following information: a muting status of TRP(s), BWP dormancy information, or wake-up information (or other information). For example, a first RNTI may indicate that the corresponding DCI includes information about the muting status of TRP(s), a second RNTI may indicate that the corresponding DCI includes information about BWP dormancy information, and a third RNTI may indicate that the corresponding DCI includes information about both the muting status of TRP(s) and BWP dormancy information.

[0088] The first device 201 may further receive a second setting 420 for configuring cell groups for the purpose of enabling dynamic TRP adaptation. The second setting 420 may indicate configuring a first cell group (also referred to as cell group 0) and a second cell group (also referred to as cell group 1) for the first device 201.

[0089] The first device 201 may receive 425 the DCI 430 scrambled with an RNTI (e.g., the first RNTI or the third RNTI) used to indicate that the DCI 430 contains muting status information for the TRP(s). The DCI 430 may include a bitmap, such as [1 0 0 0].

[0090] The first device 201 may determine 435 that the DCI 430 includes information on the muting status of the TRP(s) based on the RNTI that scrambles the DCI 430. The first device 201 may further determine 440 the muting status of the TRP(s) in the first cell group and the second cell group based on the bitmap included in the DCI 430.

[0091] As an example, based on the bitmap [1 0 0 0], the first device 201 may determine 440 that the first two bits

[0010] correspond to cell group 0, the second two bits

[0000] correspond to cell group 1, a bit value of 0 indicates muting the TRP, and a bit value of 1 indicates unmuting the TRP. The first device 201 may determine 440 that a first TRP (e.g., TRP 0) may be unmuted for cell group 0 and muted for cell group 1, and may determine 440 that a second TRP (e.g., TRP 1) may be muted for both cell group 0 and cell group 1.

[0092] Similarly, the first device 201 may receive 445 a DCI 450 scrambled with an RNTI (e.g., the first RNTI or the third RNTI) used to indicate that the DCI 450 contains muting status information for the TRP(s). The DCI 450 may include a bitmap [1 1 1 1].

[0093] The first device 201 may determine 455 that the DCI 450 includes information on the muting status of the TRP(s) based on the RNTI that scrambles the DCI 450. The first device 201 may further determine 460 the muting status of the TRPs in the first cell group and the second cell group based on the bitmap included in the DCI 450.

[0094] As an example, based on the bitmap [1 1 1 1], the first device 201 may determine that the first two bits

[0011] correspond to cell group 0, the second two bits

[0011] correspond to cell group 1, a bit value of 1 indicates unmuting the TRP, and a bit value of 0 indicates muting the TRP (460). The first device 201 may determine that TRP0 may be unmuted for cell group 0 and may be unmuted for cell group 1 (460).

[0095] 4, if TRP0 is configured for cell group 1 but not for cell group 0, first device 201 may determine, based on bitmap [1 1 1 1], that TRP0 may be unmuted for cell group 1. Also, first device 201 may determine that TRP1 may be unmuted for both cell group 0 and cell group 1.

[0096] 5 shows a flowchart of an example method 500 implemented in a terminal device in some embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the first device 201 with reference to FIG.

[0097] In block 510, the first device 201 receives configuration information 210 of at least one cell or at least one cell group for the first device 201 from the second device 202, the configuration information indicating a muting state of at least one transmit reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group. In block 520, the first device 201 determines a muting state of the at least one TRP of the at least one cell or at least one cell group based on the configuration information 210.

[0098] In some embodiments, the configuration information further indicates at least one of bandwidth part (BWP) sleep information of the first device or wake-up information of the first device.

[0099] In some embodiments, when receiving the configuration information, the first device 201 may determine that the configuration information has been received from the second device based on at least one of a dedicated Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) that scrambles the downlink control information (DCI), a dedicated control resource set (CORESET) used to transmit the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) that carries the DCI, a dedicated field or bit in the DCI or medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), a dedicated DCI format, or a bitmap indicating the configuration information.

[0100] In some embodiments, when receiving the configuration information, the first device 201 may receive the configuration information via at least one of a user equipment (UE)-specific DCI, a group common DCI, a MAC CE, or an RRC.

[0101] In some embodiments, when receiving the configuration information, the first device 201 may receive a bitmap in which at least one bit is associated with one of at least one cell or at least one group of cells.

[0102] In some embodiments, a primary TRP and a secondary TRP are configured for at least one cell or for cells of at least one group of cells, and at least one bit includes a bit indicating the muting state of the secondary TRP of the cell without a bit indicating the muting state of the primary TRP of the cell.

[0103] In some embodiments, the at least one bit includes a first bit and a second bit, the first bit indicating a muting state of a first TRP of a cell group among the at least one cell group, and the second bit indicating a muting state of a second TRP of the cell group.

[0104] In some embodiments, when receiving the configuration information, the first device 201 may receive an indicator via at least one of a MAC CE or a DCI, the indicator being associated with a muting pattern from a plurality of muting patterns configured in the first device, the muting pattern indicating a muting state of at least one TRP of one of the at least one cell or at least one group of cells.

[0105] In some embodiments, when determining the mute state of the at least one TRP based on the configuration information, the first device 201 may determine, for the TRP of the at least one TRP, one of the following mute states: a first state in which all transmissions and receptions between the first device and the TRP are muted; a second state in which at least one predetermined transmission and reception between the first device and the TRP is muted; and a third state in which transmissions and receptions between the first device and the TRP are not muted.

[0106] In some embodiments, a TRP of the at least one TRP is identified or represented (or replaced) by at least one of a CORESETPoolIndex, an identity of the TRP, a set of reference signals (RS) or a set of RS resources, or a physical cell ID (PCI).

[0107] In some embodiments, when receiving the configuration information, the first device 201 may receive a group-common DCI that includes the configuration information, the group-common DCI being directed to a group of devices that make up the first device, and the muting status of one or more TRPs of other devices in the group of devices being indicated by the same or other configuration information included in the group-common DCI.

[0108] In some embodiments, when determining the muting state of the at least one TRP based on the configuration information, the first device 201 may determine, for a TRP of the at least one TRP, the muting state of the BWP of the cell in which the TRP is configured.

[0109] In some embodiments, one of the at least one group of cells is the same as the group of cells configured for BWP dormancy or cell dormancy.

[0110] In some embodiments, the predetermined transmission and reception period of the second state is different from the corresponding predetermined transmission and reception period of the third state.

[0111] In some embodiments, the muting pattern further indicates at least one of a muting period or muting duration of one or more TRPs or a de-muting period or muting duration of one or more TRPs.

[0112] In some embodiments, when receiving the configuration information, the first device 201 may receive instructions or settings from the second device and determine that the configuration information has been received based on the instructions or settings.

[0113] 6 shows a flowchart of an example method 600 implemented in a network device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of explanation, the method 600 will be described from the perspective of the second device 202 with reference to FIG.

[0114] In block 610, the second device 202 determines configuration information for at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device, where the configuration information indicates a muting state of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or the at least one cell group. In block 620, the second device 202 transmits the configuration information to the first device.

[0115] In some embodiments, the configuration information further indicates at least one of bandwidth part (BWP) sleep information of the first device or wake-up information of the first device.

[0116] In some embodiments, when transmitting the configuration information, the second device 202 may transmit the configuration information via at least one of a user equipment (UE)-specific DCI, a group-common DCI, a MAC CE, or an RRC.

[0117] In some embodiments, when transmitting the configuration information, the second device 202 may transmit a bitmap in which at least one bit is associated with one of at least one cell or at least one group of cells.

[0118] In some embodiments, a primary TRP and a secondary TRP are configured for at least one cell or for cells of at least one group of cells, and at least one bit includes a bit indicating the muting state of the secondary TRP of the cell without a bit indicating the muting state of the primary TRP of the cell.

[0119] In some embodiments, the at least one bit includes a first bit and a second bit, the first bit indicating a muting state of a first TRP of a cell group of the at least one cell group, and the second bit indicating a muting state of a second TRP of the cell group.

[0120] In some embodiments, when transmitting the configuration information, the second device 202 may transmit an indicator via at least one of a MAC CE or a DCI, the indicator being associated with a muting pattern from a plurality of muting patterns configured for the first device, the muting pattern indicating a muting state of at least one TRP for one of the at least one cell or at least one group of cells.

[0121] In some embodiments, the at least one TRP includes a TRP, and the mute state of the TRP includes one of a first state in which all transmissions and receptions between the first device and the TRP are muted, a second state in which at least one predetermined transmission and reception between the first device and the TRP is muted, or a third state in which no transmissions and receptions between the first device and the TRP are muted.

[0122] In some embodiments, the TRP of the at least one TRP is identified by at least one of a CORESETPoolIndex, an identity of the TRP, a set of reference signals (RS) or a set of RS resources, or a physical cell ID (PCI).

[0123] In some embodiments, when transmitting the configuration information, the second device 202 may transmit a group-common DCI including the configuration information to a group of devices including the first device, wherein the muting status of one or more TRPs for other devices in the group of devices is indicated by the same or other configuration information included in the group-common DCI.

[0124] In some embodiments, the muting state of at least one TRP is associated with the BWP of the cell in which the TRP is set.

[0125] In some embodiments, one of the at least one cell group is the same as the group of cells configured for BWP dormancy or cell dormancy.

[0126] In some embodiments, the predetermined transmission and reception period of the second state is different from the corresponding predetermined transmission and reception period of the third state.

[0127] In some embodiments, the muting pattern further indicates at least one of a muting period of one or more TRPs or a de-muting period of one or more TRPs.

[0128] In some embodiments, the second device 202 may further send an instruction or setting to the first device 201. The instruction or setting may indicate that setting information indicating a muting state has been sent. The first device 201 may determine that the setting information has been received based on the instruction or setting.

[0129] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 500 (first device 201 in the exemplary embodiment) may comprise means for performing each step of the method 500. The means may be embodied in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0130] In some embodiments, the configuration information further indicates at least one of bandwidth part (BWP) sleep information of the first device or wake-up information of the first device.

[0131] In some embodiments, the TRP of the at least one TRP is identified by at least one of a CORESETPoolIndex, an ID of the TRP, a set of reference signals (RS) or a set of RS resources, or a physical cell ID (PCI).

[0132] In some embodiments, the means for receiving the configuration information may include means for determining that the configuration information is received from the second device based on at least one of a dedicated Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) that scrambles the downlink control information (DCI), a dedicated control resource set (CORESET) used to transmit a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) that carries the DCI, a dedicated field or bit in the DCI or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), a dedicated DCI format, or a bitmap that indicates the configuration information.

[0133] In some embodiments, the means for receiving the configuration information may include means for receiving the configuration information via at least one of a user equipment (UE) specific DCI, a group common DCI, or a MAC CE.

[0134] In some embodiments, the means for receiving the configuration information may include means for receiving a bitmap, with at least one bit associated with one of the at least one cell or at least one group of cells.

[0135] In some embodiments, a primary TRP and a secondary TRP are configured for at least one cell or for at least one group of cells, and at least one bit includes a bit indicating the muting state of the secondary TRP of the cell without a bit indicating the muting state of the primary TRP of the cell.

[0136] In some embodiments, the at least one bit includes a first bit and a second bit, the first bit indicating a muting state of a first TRP of a cell group among the at least one cell group, and the second bit indicating a muting state of a second TRP of the cell group.

[0137] In some embodiments, the means for receiving the configuration information may comprise means for receiving an indicator via at least one of a MAC CE or a DCI, the indicator being associated with a muting pattern of a plurality of muting patterns configured for the first device, the muting pattern indicating a muting state of at least one TRP of one of the at least one cell or at least one group of cells.

[0138] In some embodiments, the means for determining a muting state of the at least one TRP based on the configuration information may comprise means for determining, for the TRP of the at least one TRP, one of: a first state in which all transmissions and receptions between the first device and the TRP are muted; a second state in which at least one predetermined transmission and reception between the first device and the TRP is muted; and a third state in which no transmissions and receptions between the first device and the TRP are muted.

[0139] In some embodiments, the means for receiving configuration information may comprise means for receiving a group-common DCI including the configuration information, the group-common DCI being directed to a group of devices including the first device, and wherein a muting state of one or more TRPs of other devices of the group of devices is indicated by the same or other configuration information included in the group-common DCI.

[0140] In some embodiments, the means for determining a muting state of the at least one TRP based on the configuration information may include means for determining, for the TRP of the at least one TRP, a muting state of a BWP of a cell in which the TRP is configured.

[0141] In some embodiments, the means for receiving the configuration information may comprise means for receiving instructions or settings from the second device and means for determining, based on the instructions or settings, that the configuration information has been received.

[0142] In some embodiments, one of the at least one group of cells is the same as the group of cells configured for BWP dormancy or cell dormancy.

[0143] In some embodiments, the predetermined transmission and reception period of the second state is different from the corresponding predetermined transmission and reception period of the third state.

[0144] In some embodiments, the muting pattern further indicates at least one of a muting period or muting duration of one or more TRPs, or a de-muting period or muting duration of one or more TRPs.

[0145] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 500. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to execute.

[0146] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 600 (e.g., the second device 202) may comprise means for performing each step of the method 600. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0147] In some embodiments, an apparatus comprises: means for determining configuration information for at least one cell or at least one cell group of a first device, the configuration information indicating a muting status of at least one transmit reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group; and means for transmitting the configuration information to the first device.

[0148] In some embodiments, the configuration information further indicates at least one of bandwidth part (BWP) sleep information of the first device or wake-up information of the first device.

[0149] In some embodiments, the means for transmitting the configuration information may include means for transmitting the configuration information via at least one of a user equipment (UE) specific DCI, a group common DCI, a MAC CE, or an RRC.

[0150] In some embodiments, the means for transmitting the configuration information may include means for transmitting a bitmap, with at least one bit associated with one of the at least one cell or at least one group of cells.

[0151] In some embodiments, a primary TRP and a secondary TRP are configured for at least one cell or for cells of at least one group of cells, and at least one bit includes a bit indicating the muting state of the secondary TRP of the cell without a bit indicating the muting state of the primary TRP of the cell.

[0152] In some embodiments, the at least one bit includes a first bit and a second bit, the first bit indicating a muting state of a first TRP of a cell group of the at least one cell group, and the second bit indicating a muting state of a second TRP of the cell group.

[0153] In some embodiments, the means for transmitting the configuration information may include means for transmitting an indicator via at least one of a MAC CE or a DCI, the indicator being associated with a muting pattern of a plurality of muting patterns configured in the first device, the muting pattern indicating a muting state of at least one TRP of one of the at least one cell or the at least one group of cells.

[0154] In some embodiments, the means for transmitting the configuration information may include means for transmitting a group-common DCI including the configuration information to a group of devices including the first device, wherein the muting state of one or more TRPs of other devices in the group of devices is indicated by the same or other configuration information included in the group-common DCI.

[0155] In some embodiments, the at least one TRP includes a TRP, and the mute state of the TRP includes one of: a first state in which all transmissions and receptions between the first device and the TRP are muted; a second state in which at least one predetermined transmission and reception between the first device and the TRP is muted; or a third state in which no transmissions and receptions between the first device and the TRP are muted.

[0156] In some embodiments, the TRP of the at least one TRP is identified by at least one of a CORESETPoolIndex, an ID of the TRP, a set of reference signals (RS) or a set of RS resources, or a physical cell ID (PCI).

[0157] In some embodiments, the muting state of at least one TRP is associated with the BWP of the cell in which the TRP is set.

[0158] In some embodiments, one of the at least one cell group is the same as the group of cells configured for BWP dormancy or cell dormancy.

[0159] In some embodiments, the predetermined transmission and reception period of the second state is different from the corresponding predetermined transmission and reception period of the third state.

[0160] In some embodiments, the muting pattern further indicates at least one of a muting period of one or more TRPs or a de-muting period of one or more TRPs.

[0161] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for transmitting an instruction or setting to the first device 201. The instruction or setting may indicate that setting information indicating a muting state has been transmitted. The first device 201 may determine that the setting information has been received based on the instruction or setting.

[0162] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 600. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to execute.

[0163] 7 is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 700 may be provided to implement a communication device such as terminal equipment 120, terminal equipment 121, network equipment 111, or network equipment 112 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 connected to processor 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to processor 710.

[0164] The communication module 740 is for two-way communication. The communication module 740 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0165] The processor 710 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 700 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes a main processor.

[0166] The memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), and other magnetic and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that do not persist through power-down periods.

[0167] The computer program 730 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 710. The program 730 may be stored in the ROM 724. The processor 710 can load the program 730 into the RAM 722 to perform any suitable operations and processes.

[0168] 2 to 6, the device 700 may be implemented by a program 730 such that the device 700 can execute any process of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0169] In some embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 700 (such as in memory 720) or other storage accessible by the device 700. The computing device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 722 and execute it. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage device, such as a ROM, an EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, a CD, a DVD, etc. Figure 8 shows an example of a computer-readable medium 800 in the form of a CD or DVD, on which the program 730 is stored.

[0170] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. One aspect may be implemented in hardware, while another aspect may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or some other graphical representation, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or a controller or other computing device, or combinations thereof, in non-limiting examples.

[0171] 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 those included in program modules, that execute on a target real or virtual processor to perform the method 400 or 500 described above with reference to FIGS. 2-6. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split among program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0172] Program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, and when executed by the processor or controller, cause the specific functions / operations in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be performed. The program code can run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0173] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or associated data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, computing device, or processor to perform the various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0174] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. Computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media 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 above. The term "non-transitory" as used herein refers to the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), as opposed to a limitation regarding the permanence of the data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0175] Furthermore, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown, or sequentially, or to perform all of the operations shown, to achieve desirable results. In certain situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be preferred. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above description, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be unique to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0176] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure, as defined by the appended claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. a first device, at least one processor; When executed by the at least one processor, the first device is configured to: receiving, from a second device, configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device, the configuration information indicating a muting status of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or the at least one cell group; determining the muting state of the at least one TRP of the at least one cell or the at least one cell group based on the configuration information; at least one memory storing instructions for executing the A first device comprising:

2. The setting information further includes: Bandwidth Part (BWP) idle information of the first device; or wake-up information of the first device; The first device of claim 1 exhibiting at least one of:

3. The first device receiving the configuration information via at least one of a user equipment (UE)-specific downlink control information (DCI), a group-common DCI, a medium access control element (MAC CE), or a radio resource control (RRC); 3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is adapted to receive the configuration information by

4. The first device a dedicated Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) that scrambles the DCI; a dedicated control resource set (CORESET) used to transmit a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carrying DCI; a dedicated field or bit in the DCI or MAC CE; DCI exclusive format, a bitmap indicating the setting information; determining that the configuration information is received from the second device based on at least one of:

4. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is adapted to receive the configuration information by

5. The first device is receiving a bitmap, at least one bit associated with one of the at least one cell or the at least one group of cells; 5. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is adapted to receive the configuration information by

6. 6. The first device of claim 5, wherein a primary TRP and a secondary TRP are set for the at least one cell or a cell of the at least one cell group, and the at least one bit includes a bit indicating the muting status of the secondary TRP of the cell without a bit indicating the muting status of the primary TRP of the cell.

7. 6. The first device of claim 5, wherein the at least one bit includes a first bit and a second bit, the first bit indicating the muting state of a first TRP of the at least one cell group, and the second bit indicating the muting state of a second TRP of the cell group.

8. The first device receiving an indicator via at least one of a MAC CE or a DCI, the indicator being associated with a muting pattern of a plurality of muting patterns configured for the first device, the muting pattern indicating the muting state of the at least one TRP of the at least one cell or one of the at least one cell group; 8. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is adapted to receive the configuration information by

9. The first device For each TRP of the at least one TRP, a first state in which all transmissions and receptions between the first device and the TRP are muted; a second state in which at least one predetermined transmission / reception between the first device and the TRP is muted; a third state in which transmission and reception between the first device and the TRP are not muted; determining one of the states as the muting state; The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the first device is configured to determine the muting state of the at least one TRP based on the setting information by:

10. The TRP of the at least one TRP is CORESETPoolIndex, TRP's identity, a set of reference signals (RS) or a set of RS resources, or Physical Cell ID (PCI), 10. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is identified by at least one of:

11. The first device receiving a group-common DCI including the configuration information, the group-common DCI being addressed to a group of devices including the first device, and the muting state of one or more TRPs of other devices in the group of devices being indicated by the same or other configuration information included in the group-common DCI; The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the first device receives the configuration information by

12. The first device, based on the setting information, For a TRP of the at least one TRP, determining the muting state of a BWP of a cell to which the TRP is configured; 12. The first device according to claim 1, adapted to determine the muting state of the at least one TRP by:

13. The first device of claim 1 , wherein one of the at least one cell group is the same as a cell group configured for BWP dormancy or cell dormancy.

14. The first device of claim 9 , wherein a predetermined period of transmission and reception in the second state is different from a corresponding period of the predetermined period of transmission and reception in the third state.

15. The muting pattern further comprises: a muting period or muting duration of one or more TRPs, or the demuting period or demuting period of one or more TRPs; 15. The first device according to claim 8, wherein the first device exhibits at least one of the following:

16. The first device receiving a notification or setting from the second device; determining, based on the notification or the setting, that the setting information has been received; 16. A first device according to any preceding claim, adapted to receive the configuration information by

17. a second device, at least one processor; When executed by the at least one processor, the second device receives at least: determining configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device, the configuration information indicating a muting status of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or the at least one cell group; transmitting the configuration information to the first device; at least one memory storing instructions causing the execution of A second device comprising:

18. The setting information further includes: Bandwidth Part (BWP) idle information of the first device; or wake-up information of the first device; 20. The second device of claim 17, wherein the second device exhibits at least one of:

19. The second device transmitting the configuration information via at least one of a user equipment (UE) specific DCI, a group common DCI, MACCE, or RRC; 19. The second device according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the second device is adapted to transmit the configuration information by

20. The second device transmitting a bitmap, at least one bit associated with one of said at least one cell or said at least one group of cells; 20. The second device according to claim 17, wherein the second device is adapted to transmit the configuration information by

21. The second device of claim 20, wherein a primary TRP and a secondary TRP are set for the at least one cell or a cell of the at least one cell group, and the at least one bit includes a bit indicating the muting status of the secondary TRP of the cell without a bit indicating the muting status of the primary TRP of the cell.

22. 21. The second device of claim 20, wherein the at least one bit includes a first bit and a second bit, the first bit indicating the muting state of a first TRP of the at least one cell group, and the second bit indicating the muting state of a second TRP of the cell group.

23. The second device transmitting an indicator via at least one of a MAC CE or a DCI, the indicator being associated with a muting pattern of a plurality of muting patterns configured for the first device, the muting pattern indicating the muting state of the at least one TRP of the at least one cell or one of the at least one cell group; 23. The second device according to any one of claims 17 to 22, adapted to transmit the configuration information by

24. The at least one TRP includes a TRP, and the muting state of the TRP is a first state in which all transmissions and receptions between the first device and the TRP are muted; a second state in which at least one predetermined transmission or reception between the first device and the TRP is muted; or a third state in which transmission and reception between the first device and the TRP are not muted; 24. The second device of claim 17, comprising one of:

25. The TRP of the at least one TRP is CORESETPoolIndex, TRP's identity, a set of reference signals (RS) or a set of RS resources, or Physical Cell ID (PCI), 25. The second device of claim 17, wherein the second device is identified by at least one of:

26. The second device the first device is configured to transmit the configuration information by transmitting a group common DCI including the configuration information to a group of devices including the first device, wherein the muting status of one or more TRPs of other devices in the group of devices is indicated by the same configuration information or other configuration information included in the group common DCI; A second device according to any one of claims 17 to 25.

27. 27. The second device of claim 17, wherein the muting state of a TRP of the at least one TRP is associated with a BWP of a cell in which the TRP is configured.

28. The second device of claim 17 , wherein one of the at least one cell group is the same as a cell group configured for BWP dormancy or cell dormancy.

29. 25. The second device of claim 24, wherein a predetermined period of transmission and reception in the second state is different from a corresponding period of the predetermined period of transmission and reception in the third state.

30. The muting pattern further includes: the muting period of one or more TRPs, or Unmute period of one or more TRPs; 30. A second device according to any one of claims 23 to 29, exhibiting at least one of:

31. receiving, at a first device, from a second device, configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device, the configuration information indicating a muting status of at least one transmit reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or the at least one cell group; determining the muting state of the at least one TRP of the at least one cell or the at least one cell group based on the configuration information; A method comprising:

32. determining, at a second device, configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device, the configuration information indicating a muting status of at least one transmission / reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or the at least one cell group; transmitting the configuration information to the first device; A method comprising:

33. means, in a first device, for receiving from a second device configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device, the configuration information indicating a muting status of at least one transmit reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or at least one cell group; means for determining the muting state of the at least one TRP of the at least one cell or the at least one cell group based on the configuration information; An apparatus comprising:

34. means, in a second device, for determining configuration information of at least one cell or at least one cell group of the first device, the configuration information indicating a muting status of at least one transmit reception point (TRP) of the at least one cell or the at least one cell group; means for transmitting the configuration information to the first device; An apparatus comprising:

35. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of claim 31 or 32.

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