Method of communication

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a communication method, an apparatus, and a computer storage medium. A terminal device receives a DRX cycle configuration from a network device and determines a start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the DRX configuration and hyperframe information associated with the DRX cycle. The terminal device then performs downlink channel monitoring based on the start time. In this way, the start time of the DRX cycle can be approximately coincident with the arrival time of a packet without accumulation delay, wasted resources, additional signaling overhead, and SFN wraparound mismatch problems.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to a communication method, apparatus, and computer storage medium for discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, power saving has become an important issue for services that use periodic packets, especially for services such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and other cross-reality (XR) services, as well as cloud gaming, due to the control signaling overhead and scheduling delays. Video streams are recognized as an important traffic type in both downlink and uplink. Typically, video streams are 60, 90, or 120 frames per second (FPS), meaning that packets arrive at the radio access network (RAN) every 1 / 60, 1 / 90, or 1 / 120 seconds. However, the DRX cycle period in the current specification is an integer number of milliseconds. It is impossible to set the start time of a DRX cycle to exactly match the arrival time of a packet. This mismatch between the arrival time of a packet and the start time of a DRX cycle poses a problem. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Generally, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, apparatus, and computer storage medium for Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configuration.

[0004] In a first aspect, a method of communication is provided, the method including: receiving, in a terminal device, a configuration of a DRX cycle from a network device; determining a start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the configuration of the DRX cycle and information of a hyperframe associated with the DRX cycle; and performing downlink channel monitoring based on the start time.

[0005] In a second aspect, a method of communication is provided, the method including: transmitting a DRX cycle configuration from a terminal device in a network device; determining a start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the DRX cycle configuration and information of a hyperframe associated with the DRX cycle; and performing downlink transmission based on the start time.

[0006] In a third aspect, there is provided a communications apparatus, the apparatus comprising a processor configured to cause the apparatus to perform the communications method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a communications apparatus, comprising a processor configured to cause the apparatus to perform the communications method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the communication method set forth in the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the communication method set forth in the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0010] Other features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

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

[0012] [Figure 1A] 1 illustrates an exemplary communication network in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0013] [Figure 1B] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example of operation in a DRX cycle.

[0014] [Figure 2] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of mismatch between XR frame packets and DRX cycles according to a conventional solution.

[0015] [Figure 3] 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a communication process for DRX configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Figure 4A] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example configuration with a positive non-integer DRX cycle length according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 4B] 4B shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario in the example configuration of FIG. 4A.

[0018] [Figure 5A] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of setting a DRX cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 5B] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of setting a DRX cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 5C] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another example of setting a DRX cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 6] 1 illustrates an example of a method of communication implemented in a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 7] 1 illustrates an example of a method of communication implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for practicing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes only to help those skilled in the art understand and practice the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitations on the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure described here can be implemented in various ways different from those described below.

[0026] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, 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.

[0027] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device with wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include User Equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices, in-vehicle devices for V2X communications where X means pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network, devices for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), spacecraft or aircraft in a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) including High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) including satellites and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), Virtual Reality (VR), and other technologies. This includes, but is not limited to, extended reality (XR) devices that include different types of reality, such as extended reality (XR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are aircraft without a human pilot and are commonly referred to as drones, devices on high-speed trains (HST), image capture devices such as digital cameras, sensors, gaming devices, music storage and playback devices, or internet appliances that enable wireless or wired internet access and browsing.The "terminal device" may further have "multicast / broadcast" capabilities to support public safety and mission-critical, V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast distribution, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, over-the-air software distribution, group communication, and IoT applications. It may also incorporate one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), known as multi-SIMs. The term "terminal device" may be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0028] The term "network device" means a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage area capable of communicating with a terminal device. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, a Node B (Node B or NB), an evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB), a next generation Node B (gNB), a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Head (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an IAB node, a low power node such as a femto node or a pico node, and a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS).

[0029] A terminal device or a network device may have artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning capabilities, which generally include models that can be learned from a large amount of data collected for a specific function and used to predict some information.

[0030] The terminal device or network device may operate 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). It can also operate on licensed, unlicensed, and 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, and cross-division duplex modes.

[0031] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in test equipment, such as, for example, a signal generator, a signal analyzer, a spectrum analyzer, a network analyzer, a test terminal equipment, a test network equipment, a channel emulator, and the like.

[0032] In one embodiment, a 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 related to the different RATs may be transmitted to the terminal device from at least one of the first network device and the second network 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 to the terminal device or via the first network device. In one embodiment, information related to the configuration of the terminal device configured by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information relating to the reconfiguration of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device to the terminal device directly or via the first network device.

[0033] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the," are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "comprises" and variations thereof are intended to be open-ended, meaning "including, but not limited to." The term "based on" is intended to mean "based at least in part on." The terms "one embodiment" and "embodiment" are intended to mean "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" is intended to mean "at least one other embodiment." Terms such as "first," "second," etc. may refer to different objects or the same object. The following content may include other definitions, both explicit and implicit.

[0034] In some instances, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as "optimum," "lowest," "highest," "minimum," "maximum," etc. It will be understood that such descriptions are intended to indicate choices among multiple functional alternatives used, and that such choices are not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or more preferred than other choices.

[0035] In the context of this application, the term "symbol" refers to an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol or a Discrete Fourier Transform spread Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol. The term "slot" includes a number of consecutive symbols, e.g., 14 symbols, 12 symbols. The term "minislot" includes one or more consecutive symbols and has fewer symbols than a slot, e.g., 1, 2, 4, or 7 symbols.

[0036] As mentioned above, for some services, such as XR services, it is impossible to set the start time of the DRX cycle to perfectly match the packet arrival time. To improve the performance of related services, it is necessary to address this mismatch between the packet arrival time and the DRX cycle period.

[0037] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution to solve the above and other potential problems. In this solution, the DRX cycle configuration is designed so that the DRX cycle is associated with a hyperframe. In this way, the period of the DRX cycle can be approximately aligned with the arrival time of packets without accumulating delays, wasted resources, and additional signaling overhead. Furthermore, signaling overhead can be reduced because the DRX configuration does not need to be reconfigured or reactivated every time the system frame number (SFN) wraps around. Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure can support all frame rates of currently known applications and can also support potential frame rates in the future.

[0038] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to any suitable scenario. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented for XR. Alternatively, embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented for any of reduced-capacity NR devices, NR Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output (MIMO), NR sidelink extensions, NR systems at frequencies above 52.6 GHz, extended NR operation up to 71 GHz, Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) / enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC) over non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), NTNs, UE power saving extensions, NR coverage extensions, NB-IoT and LTE-MTC, integrated access and backhaul (IAB), NR multicast and broadcast services, or multi-radio dual-connectivity extensions.

[0039] The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example of a communication network

[0040] FIG. 1A illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary communications network 100A in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1A, communications network 100A may include terminal devices 110 and network devices 120. In some embodiments, terminal devices 110 may be served by network devices 120. It should be understood that the number of terminal devices and network devices in FIG. 1 is given for illustrative purposes, without implying any limitations of the present disclosure. Communications network 100A may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices adapted to implement embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] 1A, terminal device 110 may communicate with network device 120 via a channel, such as a wireless communication channel. Communications in communication network 100A may conform to any suitable standard, including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), New Radio (NR), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Machine Type Communication (MTC), etc. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed in accordance with any generation of communication protocols now known or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) networks.

[0042] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit a DRX cycle configuration to the terminal device 110. In this case, the terminal device 110 may perform downlink channel monitoring based on the DRX cycle configuration. FIG. 1B shows a schematic diagram 100B illustrating an example of operation in a DRX cycle. As shown in FIG. 1B, the DRX cycle 130 is composed of an active phase 131 (i.e., an on-period) and an inactive phase 132 (i.e., a DRX opportunity). The terminal device 110 performs downlink channel monitoring, such as PDCCH monitoring, only in the active phase 131.

[0043] In some scenarios, a network device may transmit an XR frame packet to a terminal device, and the terminal device may receive an XR frame packet from the network device. FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario 200 of a mismatch between an XR frame packet and a DRX cycle according to a conventional solution. In this example, the XR frame packet contains an XR video stream at 60 FPS. That is, the XR frame packet arrives at the RAN approximately every 1 / 60 seconds (i.e., about 16.67 ms). Assume that the period of the DRX cycle is set to 20 ms. In the context of this application, the start time of the DRX cycle refers to the start time of the active phase (on period) of the DRX cycle.

[0044] 2, it is assumed that the arrival time of the XR frame packet 210 perfectly matches the start time 221 of the DRX cycle 220. The time interval between the XR frame packet 210 and the next XR frame packet 211 is 16.67 ms, and the time interval between the start time 221 of the DRX cycle 220 and the start time 231 of the next DRX cycle 230 is 20 ms, so the arrival time of the XR frame packet 211 mismatches with the start time 231 of the DRX cycle 230. In this example, the start time 231 of the DRX cycle 230 is later than the arrival time of the XR frame packet 211.

[0045] Generally, if the start time of the DRX cycle is earlier than the arrival time of a packet, i.e., if the on-period starts before the packet arrives, the terminal device needs to stay awake for a long time to search a downlink control channel, such as a PDCCH. This wastes a lot of power. If the start time of the DRX cycle is later than the arrival time of a packet, i.e., if the on-period starts after the packet arrives, the overall transmission delay of the packet increases. Furthermore, some on-periods may be wasted because no packet arrives within or before them.

[0046] According to the current specification, the DRX cycle can only be set as an integer number of milliseconds, so the mismatch shown in Figure 2 still exists. Dynamic adaptation of DRX is recognized as a potential area for XR and needs to be further studied.

[0047] Therefore, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a DRX configuration solution to overcome these and other potential problems. The configuration of the DRX cycle is designed so that the DRX cycle is associated with a hyperframe. This will be described in detail with reference to Figures 3 to 5C.

[0048] In the context of this application, the term "DRX cycle" may refer to a long DRX cycle, a short DRX cycle, or both. Example of DRX settings

[0049] 3 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a process 300 for communication for DRX configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the process 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 1A. The process 300 may involve a terminal device 110 and a network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1A.

[0050] 3, network device 120 transmits a DRX cycle configuration to terminal device 110 (301). In some embodiments, the configuration may be configured for a long DRX cycle. In some embodiments, the configuration may be configured for a short DRX cycle. In some embodiments, the configuration may be configured for both the long DRX cycle and the short DRX cycle.

[0051] In some embodiments, the configuration may indicate at least one of a DRX cycle length, a DRX cycle start offset, and a DRX cycle slot offset. In some embodiments, the DRX cycle length may be a non-integer value (also referred to herein as a nominal DRX cycle length). The non-integer value may refer to a non-integer number of time units. In some embodiments, the DRX cycle length may be an integer value. The integer value may refer to an integer number of time units. In the context of this application, a time unit may be a millisecond, a subframe, a slot, a minislot, or an OFDM symbol.

[0052] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the start time of the DRX cycle based on the configuration. In the context of this application, the start time of the DRX cycle is the time to start the on-duration timer, and the on-duration is the duration at the start of the DRX cycle, and the on-duration timer is determined based on the RRC information drx-onDurationTimer.

[0053] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine a quotient of the time unit index and the nominal DRX cycle length and round down the quotient to determine an integer. Terminal device 110 may then determine the start time of the DRX cycle based on the determined integer.

[0054] For example, the start time may be determined based on the following equations (1) and (2). floor[Ns-floor(Ns / p)*p] = drx_StartOffset (1) Here, floor( ) represents a function for rounding down operation, p represents the length of the DRX cycle, drx_StartOffset represents the start offset of the DRX cycle, and Ns is determined by equation (2). Ns=SFN*10 + Nsub (2) Here, SFN represents the system frame number, and Nsub represents the subframe number.

[0055] For a subframe with index Ns, if equation (1) is true, the DRX cycle should start drx_SlotOffset (drx_SlotOffset represents the slot offset of the DRX cycle) after the start of the subframe. In this way, the start time can be determined. For clarity, an example will be described with reference to Figure 4A.

[0056] 4A shows a schematic diagram 400A illustrating an example configuration with a positive non-integer DRX cycle length according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where p=1000 / 60ms, drx_StartOffset=0, and drx_SlotOffset=0.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 4A , assume that data transmission 410 is the first data transmission in a period and SFN=0. Based on equations (1) and (2), it may be determined that the DRX cycle of data transmission 410 starts in subframe 0. 1000 / 60 ms later, data transmission 420 may arrive. Based on equations (1) and (2), it may be determined that the DRX cycle of data transmission 420 starts in subframe 17. Similarly, based on equations (1) and (2), it may be determined that the DRX cycle of data transmission 430 starts in subframe 34. It may be determined that the DRX cycle of data transmission 430 starts in subframe 50.

[0058] It should be noted that, although the start time of the DRX cycle is described at the subframe level in the example of FIG. 4A , the start time of the DRX cycle may be at any other suitable time unit. For example, the start time of the DRX cycle may be at the symbol level or the minislot level. The present disclosure is not limited to this aspect.

[0059] It can be seen that the gaps between the start times of the DRX cycles of adjacent data transmissions 410, 420, 430, and 440 are 17 subframes, 17 subframes, and 16 subframes. These gaps are non-uniform. This allows the DRX cycles to approximately match the period of the XR packet arrival times, avoiding additional power consumption due to mismatches. Furthermore, because there is no cumulative offset between the DRX cycles and packet arrival times, packets are prevented from arriving at times outside the on-period of the DRX cycles.

[0060] In some embodiments, for a short DRX cycle, equation (1) may be modified as equation (3) below: floor[Ns-floor(Ns / p)*p] = floor[drx_StartOffset-floor(drx_StartOffset / p)*p] (3) Here, floor( ) represents a function for rounding down calculation, p represents the length of the DRX cycle, drx_StartOffset represents the start offset of the DRX cycle, and Ns is determined by the above formula (2).

[0061] It should be understood that each of equations (1) and (2) may be equivalent to equation (4) below: floor(Ns modulo p) = drx_StartOffset and floor(Ns modulo p) = floor(drx_StartOffset modulo p) (4) where floor() represents a function of round down operation, p represents the length of the DRX cycle, drx_StartOffset represents the start offset for the DRX cycle, Ns is determined by the above formula (2), and modulo represents a modulo operation on rational numbers when p is a non-integer, or a modulo operation on integers when p is an integer. For example, for two rational or integer numbers a and b, a modulo b=a-floor(a / b)*b.

[0062] However, as illustrated in Equations (1) to (4), determining a set of start times for a set of DRX cycles based on the above embodiment may cause problems at the boundaries of SFN periods. An SFN period includes multiple consecutive SFNs, for example, from SFN0 to SFN9 or from SFN100 to SFN199. In the context of this application, the term "SFN period" may refer to the duration from SFN0 to SFN1023. The SFN period is equal to 10.24 seconds (10,240 ms) or 10,240 subframes. After SFN1023, the SFN period repeats from SFN0 to SFN1023. In some embodiments, the terms "SFN period" and "hyperframe" may be used interchangeably.

[0063] Obviously, the duration of the SFN period (i.e., 10240 ms) is not an integer multiple of the nominal DRX cycle length, even for some integer DRX cycle lengths, e.g., 3 ms, 7 ms, or 17 ms. Therefore, there may not be enough subframes left in the SFN period for the last DRX cycle. For clarity, an example is described in relation to Figure 4B.

[0064] FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario 400B in the example configuration of FIG. 4A. Assume that a set of start times is determined based on equations (1) and (2). As shown in FIG. 4B, DRX cycle 450 may be determined to start at subframe 0 and last for 17 subframes, and DRX cycle 460 may be determined to start at subframe 10217 and last for 17 subframes. Similarly, the last DRX cycle may be determined to start at subframe 10234 and last for 16 subframes. However, as shown in FIG. 4B, only six subframes remain in this SFN period. That is, DRX cycle 470 starts at subframe 10234, but only six subframes are actually available. Furthermore, the next DRX cycle starts at SFN0 in the next SFN period. Therefore, there are not enough subframes in the SFN period for the last DRX cycle. This is called the SFN wraparound mismatch problem.

[0065] 2 and 4A-4B, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a solution for determining the start time of a DRX cycle. Continuing to refer to FIG. 3, in this solution, upon receiving the configuration, the terminal device 110 determines the start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the DRX cycle configuration and information about a hyperframe associated with the DRX cycle (302).

[0066] For illustrative purposes, several exemplary embodiments are described below in relation to Embodiments 1 to 5. Embodiment 1

[0067] In this embodiment, in order to avoid a situation where there are not enough subframes in the last DRX cycle in the SFN period, the definition of Ns in the above equation (1) or (4) is changed.

[0068] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may consider at least one of the following SFN period conditions to determine the start time: whether the SFN period has ended, whether the SFN period has started, whether the SFN is 1023, whether the SFN is 0, whether the SFN has changed from 1023 to 0, or an SFN period index. Of course, other SFN period conditions are also applicable.

[0069] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine Ns based on an index of the SFN period associated with the DRX cycle, the SFN, and a subframe number. For example, Ns may be modified as determined by the following equation (5): Ns = (Np*1024 + SFN) * 10 + Nsub (5) Here, SFN represents the system frame number, Nsub represents the subframe number, and Np represents the value of the counter for the SFN period (also referred to herein as the index of the SFN period).

[0070] In some embodiments, Np starts at 0 after DRX is configured and increments by 1 when an SFN period ends or when an SFN period begins (in other words, at the end of SFN 1023 or the start of SFN 0). In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may set or reset Np to 0 in response to receiving a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI) from network device 120 to enable or change the DRX configuration.

[0071] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine the value of Np based on the reception time of the DRX cycle configuration. For example, assuming that the DRX cycle configuration is received in a slot and the slot belongs to a hyperframe, the terminal device may determine that Np is equal to zero for the hyperframe and that Np is increased by one when a new hyperframe starts. As another example, assuming that the DRX cycle configuration is received in a slot, a subframe, or a system frame and the slot, subframe, or system frame belongs to the hyperframe, if the duration between the start of the hyperframe and the start or end of the slot, subframe, or system frame is less than or equal to a threshold, the terminal device may determine that Np is equal to one for the hyperframe. Otherwise, if the time duration between the start of the hyperframe and the start or end of the slot, subframe, or system frame is greater than or equal to a threshold, the terminal device may determine that Np is equal to zero for the hyperframe and that Np is increased by one when a new hyperframe starts. As an example, the threshold is the number of OFDM symbols, the number of slots, the number of subframes, or the number of system frames.

[0072] In some embodiments, the DRX cycle configuration may include a reference hyper-system frame number (H-SFN). Terminal device 110 may determine the value of Np based on the reference H-SFN. For example, terminal device 110 may determine that Np is zero in the closest hyperframe having the same H-SFN number as the reference H-SFN, and that Np increases by one when a new hyperframe starts. In some embodiments, the H-SFN of a hyperframe may be determined based on System Information Block one (SIB1) information. In some embodiments, the H-SFN of a hyperframe may be determined based on an RRC information element.

[0073] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine the value of Np based on the half hyperframe indication. In some embodiments, if the DRX cycle configuration includes a half hyperframe indication and terminal device 110 receives the DRX cycle configuration in the second half of the hyperframe, for example, if terminal device 110 receives the DRX cycle configuration in a system frame with an SFN from 512 to 1023, terminal device 110 may determine that Np is zero for the current hyperframe and increments by one when the next hyperframe begins. In some embodiments, if the DRX cycle configuration includes a half hyperframe indication and terminal device 110 receives the DRX cycle configuration in the first half of the hyperframe, for example, if terminal device 110 receives the DRX cycle configuration in a system frame with an SFN from 0 to 511, terminal device 110 may determine that Np is one for the current hyperframe and increments by one when the next hyperframe begins. In some embodiments, if the DRX cycle configuration does not include an indication of a half hyperframe (e.g., the indication of a half hyperframe is not configured or the DRX cycle configuration includes an indication of the first half of a hyperframe), the terminal device 110 may determine that Np is 0 in the current hyperframe and increases by 1 when the next hyperframe begins. In practice, the indication of a half hyperframe refers to an indication of the second half of a hyperframe. For example, the indication of the second half of a hyperframe may include any SFN in the range from 512 to 1023. It should be understood that any other suitable method is also possible.

[0074] Since there is a delay between the time when the DRX cycle setting is generated and the time when the DRX cycle setting is transmitted, even if the network device generates the DRX cycle setting in the second half of the hyperframe (for example, the system frame of SFN 1023), it may transmit the DRX cycle setting in the first half of the hyperframe (for example, the system frame of SFN 0 that follows the system frame of SFN 1023). This may lead to misunderstandings about the value of Np between the network device and the terminal device.

[0075] Based on the above method described in embodiment 1, the DRX cycle setting includes a half hyperframe indication. If the DRX cycle setting is generated in the second half of the hyperframe, the half hyperframe indication is indicated; otherwise, if the DRX cycle setting is generated in the first half of the hyperframe, the half hyperframe indication is not indicated. The terminal device can then know that the DRX cycle setting is generated in the second half of the hyperframe. Therefore, if the DRX cycle setting is received in the first half of the hyperframe, the terminal device can know from the generation of the DRX cycle setting that the current hyperframe is actually the second half of the hyperframe, and therefore the value of Np should be 1.

[0076] Then, the terminal device 110 may determine the start time of the DRX cycle based on equations (1) and (5).

[0077] In this way, the mismatch between the arrival time of a packet and the start time of a DRX cycle can be avoided, and the mismatch of the SFN wraparound can also be avoided. Embodiment 2

[0078] In this embodiment, a new formula for determining the start time of a DRX cycle is defined. A non-integer rational number is introduced into the DRX cycle, and a round operation is applied to avoid a mismatch between the arrival time of a packet and the start time of the DRX cycle.

[0079] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a value (also referred to herein as a first value) by performing a round operation on the product of the DRX cycle index and the period of the DRX cycle, and may determine the start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the first value and the DRX cycle configuration. In some embodiments, the period of the DRX cycle may be a non-integer value. In some embodiments, the period of the DRX cycle is an integer value. In the context of this application, the terms "period of the DRX cycle" and "length of the DRX cycle" may be used interchangeably.

[0080] In some embodiments, if the period is a fraction, the terminal device 110 may obtain a first product by multiplying the DRX cycle index by the numerator of the fraction, and obtain a first value by dividing the first product by the denominator of the fraction.

[0081] In some embodiments, the configuration of the DRX cycle may include an indication of a half hyperframe. In some embodiments, the indication of a half hyperframe may include an SFN (also referred to herein as a reference SFN). In some embodiments, the reference SFN may be 0. In some embodiments, the reference SFN may be 512. In some embodiments, the reference SFN may be any of {0, 1, ..., 1023}. It should be understood that the indication of a half hyperframe may take any other suitable manner.

[0082] In some embodiments, the DRX cycle configuration may include a reference slot offset relative to a reference SFN. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine a start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the first value, the reference SFN, and the reference slot offset.

[0083] For example, the terminal device 110 may sequentially consider that the Nth DRX cycle occurs in a slot in which the following equation (6) is true after the DRX cycle setting is configured, initialized, or activated. (N1×SFN+N2) = [(N1×SFN ref + slot ref )+round(N×p)×N1 / 10] modulo (1024×N1) (6) where N1 denotes the number of slots per frame, SFN denotes the system frame number, N2 denotes the slot number within the frame, p denotes the period of the DRX cycle, N denotes the index of the DRX cycle, and SFN ref indicates the reference SFN, and slot ref denotes the reference slot offset. In this example, round(N×p) may correspond to the first value mentioned above.

[0084] In some embodiments, p may be equal to the period of the long DRX cycle or the period of the short cycle. In some embodiments, p may be an integer value. In some embodiments, p may be a non-integer value (i.e., a fraction) in milliseconds, for example, 1000 / fps, where fps may be 30, 60, 90, 120, or any other suitable value.

[0085] For example, typical frame rates and their corresponding periods are shown in Table 1 below. [Table 1]

[0086] In some embodiments, if the DRX cycle setting is configured by RRC signaling, the SFN ref may be provided by drx-timeReferenceSFN, slot refmay be provided by drx-timeDomainOffset, where drx-timeReferenceSFN indicates the SFN used to determine the resource offset in the time domain, and drx-timeDomainOffset indicates the resource offset in the time domain relative to SFN = drx-timeReferenceSFN. In some embodiments, drx-timeReferenceSFN∈{0, 512}. In some alternative embodiments, drx-timeReferenceSFN∈{0, 1, ..., 1023}. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may use the closest SFN with the indicated number prior to receiving the DRX cycle configuration.

[0087] In some embodiments, when the DRX cycle setting is dynamically indicated, for example, when the DRX cycle setting is initialized or activated by a DCI, a MAC CE, or a Wake-Up Signal (WUS), the SFN ref and slot ref is SFN start time and slot start time where SFN start time and slot start time are the SFN and slot of the first DRX cycle when the DRX configuration is initialized or activated, respectively.

[0088] In some scenarios, the DRX cycle switches between a long DRX cycle and a short DRX cycle, and the N value for the long DRX cycle cannot be used in the short DRX cycle, and vice versa. Taking this into consideration, embodiments of the present disclosure provide for management of the N values ​​for the long DRX cycle and the short DRX cycle. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may maintain a first count value (denoted as n1) for the short DRX cycle and a second count value (denoted as n2) for the long DRX cycle. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may maintain a first count value n1 for the short DRX cycle and determine a second count value n2 for the long DRX cycle based on the first count value n1, the period of the long DRX cycle, and the period of the short DRX cycle. For example, the second count value n2 may be determined based on the following equation (7): n2 = floor[n1 / (p1 / p2)] (7) Here, n2 indicates the count value of the long DRX cycle, n1 indicates the count value of the short DRX cycle, p1 indicates the period of the long DRX cycle, and p2 indicates the period of the short DRX cycle.

[0089] In some embodiments, both n1 and n2 may be reset to 0 when the DRX cycle configuration is configured, initialized, or activated.

[0090] In some embodiments, the DRX cycle configuration does not include the start offset of the DRX cycle (eg, drx-StartOffet) and the slot offset of the DRX cycle (eg, drx-SlotOffset).

[0091] FIG. 5A shows a schematic diagram 500A illustrating an example of setting a DRX cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the traffic period is 60 fps, and therefore the DRX cycle period is 1000 / 60 ms = 50 / 3 ms = 16.67 ms. The traffic and DRX periods are readjusted every 50 ms. In this example, the SFNref and slot ref indicates time point A. According to equation (6), the start time of the first DRX cycle (index=0) is 0 (time point A), the start time of the second DRX cycle (index=1) is 17 ms (time point B), the start time of the third DRX cycle (index=2) is 33 ms (time point C), and the start time of the fourth DRX cycle (index=3) is 50 ms (time point D). It can be seen that the arrival times of the traffic and the start times of the DRX cycles are substantially coincident. It should be understood that FIG. 5A is merely an example and is not intended to be limiting.

[0092] In this way, mismatches between packet arrival times and the start times of DRX cycles can be avoided on a slot-by-slot basis. In particular, the DRX cycle can be made to approximately match the packet arrival time period, thereby avoiding additional power consumption due to mismatches. Also, since there is no cumulative offset between the DRX cycle and packet arrival times, it is possible to avoid packets arriving outside the on-period of the DRX cycle. Compared with ceiling or floor calculations, the round calculation on the period matches packet arrival times better. Taking 90 fps as an example, the period is 11.11 ms, and the ceiling calculation rounds it up to 12 ms (offset is 0.89 ms), while the round calculation rounds it down to 11 ms (offset is 0.11 ms). Embodiment 3

[0093] This embodiment is a modification of embodiment 2. In this embodiment, the configuration of the DRX cycle may include an indication of a half hyperframe and a subframe number (also referred to herein as a reference subframe number). In some embodiments, the indication of the half hyperframe may include a reference SFN. Of course, any other suitable form is also possible. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a subframe associated with the DRX cycle based on at least the reference SFN, the subframe number, the DRX cycle index, and the period of the DRX cycle. Then, the terminal device 110 may determine a start time of the DRX cycle based on the subframe and a slot offset (e.g., drx-SlotOffset) for the subframe.

[0094] In some embodiments, if a short DRX cycle is used for a DRX group and the following equation (8) is true, the terminal device 110 may start the on-duration timer (e.g., drx-onDurationTimer) for this DRX group after the slot offset of the DRX cycle (e.g., drx-SlotOffset) from the start of the subframe. SFN×10+Nsub = [(10×SFN ref + subframe ref )+round(n1×p2)] modulo 10240 (8) Here, SFN indicates the system frame number, Nsub indicates the subframe number, n1 indicates the count value of the short DRX cycle, and p2 indicates the period of the short DRX cycle.

[0095] In some embodiments, if a long DRX cycle is used for a DRX group and the following equation (9) is true, the terminal device 110 may start the on-duration timer (e.g., drx-onDurationTimer) for this DRX group after the slot offset (e.g., drx-SlotOffset) of the DRX cycle from the start of the subframe. SFN×10+Nsub = [(10×SFN ref + subframe ref )+round(n2×p1)] modulo 10240 (9) Here, SFN indicates the system frame number, Nsub indicates the subframe number, n2 indicates the count value of the long DRX cycle, and p1 indicates the period of the long DRX cycle.

[0096] In some embodiments, if the DRX cycle setting is configured by RRC signaling, the SFN ref is provided by drx-timeReferenceSFN and slot ref may be provided by drx-timeDomainOffset, where drx-timeReferenceSFN indicates the SFN used to determine the resource offset in the time domain in units of 1 ms, and drx-timeDomainOffset indicates the resource offset in the time domain relative to SFN = drx-timeReferenceSFN. In some embodiments, drx-timeReferenceSFN∈{0, 512}. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may use the closest SFN with the indicated number prior to receiving the DRX cycle configuration.

[0097] In some embodiments, when the DRX cycle configuration is dynamically indicated, for example, when the DRX cycle configuration is initialized or activated by the DCI, MAC CE, or WUS, the SFN ref and subframe ref is SFN start time and subframe start time where SFN start time and subframe start time are the SFN and subframe of the first DRX cycle when the DRX configuration is initialized or activated, respectively.

[0098] In this way, mismatches between packet arrival times and DRX cycle start times can be avoided on a subframe-by-subframe basis. Embodiment 4

[0099] In this embodiment, a reference hyperframe is introduced to solve the above mismatch problems, including the mismatch between the arrival time of a packet and the start time of a DRX cycle and the SFN wraparound mismatch.

[0100] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the reference hyperframe based on a DRX cycle configuration. In some embodiments, the DRX cycle configuration may include an indication of a half hyperframe. If the DRX cycle configuration is configured by RRC signaling, the terminal device 110 may determine the hyperframe associated with the half hyperframe as the reference hyperframe. If the DRX cycle configuration is dynamically indicated, the terminal device 110 may determine the hyperframe associated with the first DRX cycle for which the DRX cycle configuration is indicated as the reference hyperframe.

[0101] Next, the terminal device 110 may determine hyperframe information (for convenience, referred to herein as H-SFN-M) based on the reference hyperframe and the DRX cycle index. In some embodiments, the reference hyperframe may correspond to an initial value of H-SFN-M, for example, 0. It should be understood that other suitable values ​​may also be adopted as the initial value. H-SFN-M may indicate a hyperframe that increments by 1 when the SFN wraps around (e.g., from SFN1023 to SFN0). In some embodiments, when the DRX cycle index is 0, H-SFN-M may be set to 0.

[0102] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine the start time of a DRX cycle based on at least a DRX cycle configuration and H-SFN-M. In some embodiments, the DRX cycle configuration may include a reference SFN and a reference slot offset relative to the reference SFN. After the DRX cycle configuration is configured, initialized, or activated, terminal device 110 may sequentially consider the Nth DRX cycle to occur in a slot for which the following equation (10) is true: (H-SFN-M × 1024 × N1 + N1 × SFN + N2) = [(N1 × SFN ref + slot ref ) + round(N × p) × N1 / 10] (10) where H-SFN-M indicates the hyperframe information related to the Nth DRX cycle, N1 indicates the number of slots per frame, SFN indicates the system frame number, N2 indicates the slot number within the frame, p indicates the period of the DRX cycle, N indicates the index of the DRX cycle, and SFN ref indicates the reference SFN, and slot ref indicates the reference slot offset.

[0103] In some embodiments, the round operation in equation (10) may be replaced with a ceiling operation. In some embodiments, the round operation in equation (10) may be replaced with a floor operation.

[0104] In some embodiments, if the DRX cycle setting is configured by RRC signaling, the SFN ref is provided by drx-timeReferenceSFN, slot refmay be provided by drx-timeDomainOffset, where drx-timeReferenceSFN indicates the SFN used to determine the resource offset in the time domain, the terminal device 110 uses the closest SFN with the indicated number prior to receiving the DRX cycle configuration, and drx-timeDomainOffset indicates the resource offset in the time domain relative to SFN = drx-timeReferenceSFN. In some embodiments, drx-timeReferenceSFN∈{0, 512}. In some alternative embodiments, drx-timeReferenceSFN∈{0, 1, ..., 1023}. SFN ref Based on this, the terminal device 110 ref In other words, when N is 0, H-SFN-M is set to 0. For illustrative purposes, an example of how to determine H-SFN-M=0 will be described with reference to FIG. 5B.

[0105] 5B shows a schematic diagram 500B illustrating another example of setting a DRX cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. ref indicates SFN512. As shown in Figure 5B, ref If the DRX cycle setting is received in an SFN 1022 that is in the same hyperframe as the hyperframe in which the SFN is located, then this hyperframe corresponds to H-SFN-M 0. ref If the DRX cycle setting is received in a hyperframe that is one hyperframe later than the hyperframe in which H-SFN-M=1, the hyperframe in which the DRX cycle setting is received is considered to correspond to H-SFN-M=1. It should be understood that Figure 5B is merely an example and is not intended to be limiting.

[0106] In some embodiments, when the DRX cycle setting is dynamically indicated, for example, when the DRX cycle setting is initialized or activated by a DCI, MAC CE, or wake-up signal (WUS), the SFN ref and slot ref is SFN start time and slot start time where SFN start time and slot start time are the SFN and slot of the first DRX cycle in which the DRX configuration is initialized or activated, respectively. H-SFN-M may be set to 0 for the first DRX cycle in which the DRX configuration is initialized or activated. In other words, if N is 0, H-SFN-M is set to 0.

[0107] In this way, the period of the DRX cycle can be approximately aligned with the arrival time of packets without accumulating delays, wasted resources, and additional signaling overhead. Furthermore, signaling overhead can be reduced because the DRX configuration does not need to be reconfigured or reactivated every time the SFN wraps around. Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure can support all frame rates of currently known applications, as well as potential frame rates in the future. Embodiment 5

[0108] In this embodiment, by introducing two H-SFN values ​​as hyperframe information, the above-mentioned mismatch problems, including the mismatch between the packet arrival time and the start time of the DRX cycle and the mismatch of the SFN wraparound, are solved.

[0109] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive system information from network device 120 indicating the first H-SFN of a hyperframe (denoted H-SFN-M1 for convenience). In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may obtain H-SFN-M1 from SIB1. For example, H-SFN-M1 may be equal to hyperSFNM provided by RRC signaling. hyperSFNM may indicate a hyperframe that increments by one when the SFN wraps around (from SFN1023 to SFN0). In some embodiments, an H-SFN cycle may correspond to a duration of 1000 H-SFNs, i.e., the value range of H-SFN is 0 to 999 (e.g., for XR traffic, an H-SFN cycle value of 100 or 10 may be used). While an H-SFN range of 0 to 999 is used herein as an example, it should be understood that other suitable value ranges are also feasible.

[0110] Terminal device 110 may determine a second H-SFN (for convenience, referred to herein as H-SFN-M2) based on the DRX cycle configuration. In some embodiments, the DRX cycle configuration may include an indication of a half hyperframe. In some embodiments, the indication of a half hyperframe may include a reference SFN. Of course, any other suitable form is also possible. If the DRX cycle configuration is configured by RRC signaling, terminal device 110 may determine a third H-SFN associated with the half hyperframe and determine the second H-SFN based on the third H-SFN.

[0111] In some embodiments, if the DRX cycle setting is dynamically indicated, the terminal device 110 may determine the second H-SFN based on the hyperframe associated with the first DRX cycle for which the DRX cycle setting is indicated.

[0112] Terminal device 110 may then determine the start time based on at least the DRX cycle configuration, the first H-SFN, the second H-SFN, and the number of H-SFNs in the H-SFN cycle. In some embodiments, the DRX cycle configuration may include a reference SFN and a reference slot offset relative to the reference SFN. After the DRX cycle configuration is configured, initialized, or activated, terminal device 110 may sequentially consider the Nth DRX cycle to occur in a slot for which the following equation (11) is true: (H-SFN-M1× 1024 × N1 + N1 × SFN + N2) = [(H-SFN-M2× 1024 × N1 + N1 × SFN ref + slot ref ) + round(N × p) × N1 / 10] modulo (N3 × 1024 × N1) (11) Here, H-SFN-M1 indicates the H-SFN included in the system information (i.e., the first H-SFN), H-SFN-M2 indicates the H-SFN determined from the DRX cycle setting (i.e., the second H-SFN), N1 indicates the number of slots per frame, SFN indicates the system frame number, N2 indicates the slot number within the frame, N3 indicates the number of H-SFNs within the H-SFN cycle, p indicates the period of the DRX cycle, N indicates the index of the DRX cycle, and SFN ref indicates the reference SFN, and slot ref denotes the reference slot offset. In this example, N3=1000. It should be understood that N3 can take any suitable value.

[0113] In some embodiments, the round operation in equation (11) may be replaced with a ceiling operation. In some embodiments, the round operation in equation (11) may be replaced with a floor operation.

[0114] In some embodiments, if the DRX cycle setting is configured by RRC signaling, the SFN ref may be provided by drx-timeReferenceSFN, slotref may be provided by drx-timeDomainOffset, where drx-timeReferenceSFN indicates the SFN used to determine the resource offset in the time domain, the terminal device 110 uses the closest SFN with the indicated number prior to receiving the DRX cycle configuration, and drx-timeDomainOffset indicates the resource offset in the time domain relative to SFN = drx-timeReferenceSFN. In some embodiments, drx-timeReferenceSFN∈{0, 512}. In some alternative embodiments, drx-timeReferenceSFN∈{0, 1, ..., 1023}. SFN ref Based on this, the terminal device 110 ref The DRX cycle setting may determine which hyperframe the H-SFN-M is in. DRX-Config and SFN DRX-Config In some embodiments, the SFN ref and SFN DRX-Config are in the same H-SFN, H-SFN-M2 is H-SFN-M DRX-Config In some embodiments, the SFN ref The hyperframe in which is located is the SFN DRX-Config If H-SFN-M2 is located before the hyperframe in which H-SFN-M is located, DRX-Config Equals -1.

[0115] For illustrative purposes, an example of a method for determining H-SFN-M2 will be described with reference to FIG. 5C, which shows a schematic diagram 500C illustrating another example of setting a DRX cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, SFN ref indicates SFN512. As shown in Figure 5C, SFN ref If the DRX cycle setting is received in SFN 1022 in the same hyperframe as the hyperframe in which H-SFN-M2 is located, and SFN 1022 belongs to H-SFN-M n, H-SFN-M2 is equal to n. refIf a DRX cycle configuration is received for SFN1 that is one hyperframe later than the hyperframe in which H-SFN-M2 is located, and SFN1 belongs to H-SFN-M n+1, then H-SFN-M2 is equal to n+1-1=n. It should be understood that Figure 5C is merely an example and is not intended to be limiting.

[0116] In some embodiments, when the DRX cycle setting is dynamically indicated, for example, when the DRX cycle setting is initialized or activated by a DCI, a MAC CE, or a wake-up signal (WUS), the H-SFN-M2 is used as the H-SFN-M. start time where H-SFN-M start time is the respective H-SFN-M of the first DRX cycle in which the DRX configuration is initialized or activated.

[0117] In this way, the period of the DRX cycle can be approximately aligned with the arrival time of packets without accumulating delays, wasted resources, and additional signaling overhead. Furthermore, signaling overhead can be reduced because the DRX configuration does not need to be reconfigured or reactivated every time the SFN wraps around. Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure can support all frame rates of currently known applications, as well as potential frame rates in the future.

[0118] It should be understood that all of the above formulas are merely exemplary and not limiting, and other suitable forms are possible.

[0119] So far, the determination of the start time of a DRX cycle has been described in relation to embodiments 1 to 5. It should be understood that embodiments 1 to 5 may be used individually or in any suitable combination.

[0120] 3, once the start time is determined, the terminal device 110 monitors the downlink channel based on the start time (303). For example, the terminal device 110 starts monitoring the PDCCH at the start time.

[0121] Similarly, upon transmitting the DRX configuration, the network device 120 also determines the start time of the DRX cycle (304). The operations for determining (304) are similar to those for determining (302) and will not be repeated here for brevity. Once the start time is determined, the network device 120 performs (305) downlink channel transmission.

[0122] The process in Figure 3 allows the DRX cycle to be approximately equal to the packet arrival time period, thereby avoiding additional power consumption due to mismatch. Also, since there is no cumulative offset between the DRX cycle and the packet arrival time, it is possible to avoid packets arriving at times outside the on-period of the DRX cycle. Furthermore, the SFN wraparound mismatch problem mentioned above is also resolved. Example of the method

[0123] Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure provide communication methods implemented in terminal devices and network devices, which are described below with reference to Figures 6-7.

[0124] 6 illustrates an exemplary method 600 of communication implemented in a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 600 may be performed in terminal device 110 as shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of discussion, method 600 is described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 600 may include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some blocks that are shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0125] In block 610, terminal device 110 receives a DRX cycle configuration from network device 120. In some embodiments, the configuration may include an indication of a half hyperframe. In some embodiments, the indication of a half hyperframe may include an SFN (i.e., a reference SFN). In some embodiments, the configuration may further include a subframe number. In some embodiments, the configuration may further include a reference slot offset relative to the reference SFN. In some embodiments, the configuration may further include at least one of a DRX cycle length, a DRX cycle start offset, or a DRX cycle slot offset. In some embodiments, the DRX cycle length may be a non-integer value. In some embodiments, the DRX cycle length may be an integer value.

[0126] In block 620, terminal device 110 determines a start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the DRX cycle configuration and information about the hyperframe associated with the DRX cycle. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine the start time based on equations (1) and (5). In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine the start time based on any of equations (6) and (8) through (11).

[0127] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a reference hyperframe based on the setting of the DRX cycle, and may determine hyperframe information based on the reference hyperframe and the index of the DRX cycle.

[0128] In some embodiments where the DRX cycle configuration includes an indication of a half hyperframe, if the DRX cycle configuration is configured by radio resource control signaling, terminal device 110 may determine, as the reference hyperframe, the hyperframe associated with the half hyperframe. If the DRX cycle configuration is indicated dynamically, terminal device 110 may determine, as the reference hyperframe, the hyperframe associated with the first DRX cycle for which the DRX cycle configuration is indicated.

[0129] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive system information indicating a first H-SFN of a hyperframe from network device 120. Terminal device 110 may determine a second H-SFN based on a DRX cycle configuration. Terminal device 110 may determine the start time based on at least the DRX cycle configuration, the first H-SFN, the second H-SFN, and the number of H-SFNs in the H-SFN cycle.

[0130] In some embodiments in which the DRX cycle configuration includes an indication of a half hyperframe, if the DRX cycle configuration is configured by radio resource control signaling, terminal device 110 may determine a third H-SFN associated with the half hyperframe and determine a second H-SFN based on the third H-SFN. If the DRX cycle configuration is indicated dynamically, terminal device 110 may determine a second H-SFN based on a hyperframe associated with the first DRX cycle in which the DRX cycle configuration is indicated.

[0131] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the first value by performing a round operation on the product of the DRX cycle index and the DRX cycle period, and may determine the start time based on the DRX cycle setting, hyperframe information, and the first value.

[0132] In some embodiments, if the period is a fraction, the terminal device 110 may obtain a first product by multiplying the DRX cycle index by the numerator of the fraction, and obtain a first value by dividing the first product by the denominator of the fraction.

[0133] In some embodiments where the DRX cycle configuration includes an SFN, subframe number, and slot offset for the DRX cycle, the terminal device 110 may determine the subframe associated with the DRX cycle based on at least the SFN, subframe number, DRX cycle index, and DRX cycle period, and may determine the start time based on the subframe and slot offset.

[0134] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may maintain a first count value of the short DRX cycle and a second count value of the long DRX cycle.

[0135] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may maintain a first count value of the short DRX cycle and determine a second count value of the long DRX cycle based on the first count value, the period of the long DRX cycle, and the period of the short DRX cycle.

[0136] In block 630, terminal device 110 performs downlink channel monitoring based on the determined start time.

[0137] By the method of FIG. 6, the start time of the DRX cycle can be made to coincide approximately with the packet arrival time without the SFN wraparound mismatch problem.

[0138] 7 illustrates another exemplary method 700 of communication implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 700 may be performed in network device 120 shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of discussion, method 700 is described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 700 may include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some blocks that are shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0139] As shown in FIG. 7, in block 710, network device 120 transmits a DRX cycle configuration to terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the configuration may include an indication of a half hyperframe. In some embodiments, the indication of a half hyperframe may include an SFN (i.e., a reference SFN). In some embodiments, the configuration may further include a subframe number. In some embodiments, the configuration may further include a reference slot offset relative to the reference SFN. In some embodiments, the configuration may further include at least one of a DRX cycle length, a DRX cycle start offset, or a DRX cycle slot offset. In some embodiments, the DRX cycle length may be a non-integer value. In some embodiments, the DRX cycle length may be an integer value.

[0140] At block 720, network device 120 determines a start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the DRX cycle configuration and information about the hyperframe associated with the DRX cycle. In some embodiments, network device 120 may determine the start time based on equations (1) and (5). In some embodiments, network device 120 may determine the start time based on any of equations (6) and (8) through (11).

[0141] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may determine the reference hyperframe based on the setting of the DRX cycle, and may determine the hyperframe information based on the index of the reference hyperframe and the DRX cycle.

[0142] In some embodiments where the DRX cycle configuration includes an indication of a half hyperframe, if the DRX cycle configuration is configured by radio resource control signaling, the network device 120 may determine, as the reference hyperframe, the hyperframe associated with the half hyperframe. If the DRX cycle configuration is indicated dynamically, the network device 120 may determine, as the reference hyperframe, the hyperframe associated with the first DRX cycle for which the DRX cycle configuration is indicated.

[0143] In some embodiments, network device 120 may transmit system information indicating the first H-SFN of the hyperframe to terminal device 110. Network device 120 may determine the second H-SFN based on a DRX cycle configuration. Network device 120 may determine the start time based on at least the DRX cycle configuration, the first H-SFN, the second H-SFN, and the number of H-SFNs in the H-SFN cycle.

[0144] In some embodiments where the DRX cycle configuration includes an indication of a half hyperframe, if the DRX cycle configuration is configured by radio resource control signaling, the network device 120 may determine a third H-SFN associated with the half hyperframe and determine a second H-SFN based on the third H-SFN. If the DRX cycle configuration is indicated dynamically, the network device 120 may determine a second H-SFN based on a hyperframe associated with the first DRX cycle in which the DRX cycle configuration is indicated.

[0145] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may determine the first value by performing a round operation on the product of the DRX cycle index and the period of the DRX cycle, and determine the start time based on the DRX cycle configuration, the hyperframe information, and the first value.

[0146] In some embodiments, if the period is a fraction, the network device 120 may determine a first product by multiplying the DRX cycle index by the numerator of the fraction and determine the first value by dividing the first product by the denominator of the fraction.

[0147] In some embodiments, where the DRX cycle configuration includes an SFN, a subframe number, and a slot offset for the DRX cycle, the network device 120 may determine the subframe associated with the DRX cycle based on at least the SFN, the subframe number, the DRX cycle index, and the period of the DRX cycle, and may determine the start time based on the subframe and the slot offset.

[0148] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may maintain a first count value of the short DRX cycle and a second count value of the long DRX cycle.

[0149] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may maintain a first count value of the short DRX cycle and determine a second count value of the long DRX cycle based on the first count value, the period of the long DRX cycle, and the period of the short DRX cycle.

[0150] At block 730, the network device 120 performs the downlink transmission based on the determined start time.

[0151] By the method of FIG. 7, the start time of the DRX cycle can be made to coincide approximately with the packet arrival time without the SFN wraparound mismatch problem. Device Example

[0152] 8 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 800 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparatus 800 may be considered another exemplary implementation of terminal device 110 or network device 120 shown in FIG. 1. Thus, apparatus 800 may be implemented in, or at least as part of, terminal device 110 or network device 120.

[0153] As shown, the apparatus 800 includes a processor 810, a memory 820 coupled to the processor 810, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 840 coupled to the processor 810, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 840. The memory 810 stores at least a portion of a program 830. The TX / RX 840 is for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although in practice, the access nodes described herein may have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 / Xn interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs / gNBs, an S1 / NG interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / SGW / UPF and an eNB / gNB, a Un interface for communication between an eNB / gNB and a Relay Node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between an eNB / gNB and a terminal device.

[0154] The program 830 may include program instructions that, when executed by an associated processor 810, cause the device 800 to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure as described with reference to Figures 3-7. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware executable by the processor 810 of the device 800. The processor 810 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. The combination of the processor 810 and the memory 820 may also constitute a processing means 850 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0155] Memory 820 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology (e.g., but not limited to, computer-readable non-transitory storage media, semiconductor-based storage devices, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed and removable memory, etc.). Although only one memory 820 is shown in device 800, multiple physically distinct memory modules may be installed in device 800. Processor 810 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may include, by way of example and not limitation, 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 configuration. Device 800 may have multiple processors, e.g., application-specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock synchronous with the main processor.

[0156] In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises circuitry configured to receive a DRX cycle configuration from a network device, determine a start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the DRX cycle configuration and information about a hyperframe associated with the DRX cycle, and perform downlink channel monitoring based on the start time.

[0157] In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to transmit a DRX cycle configuration to the terminal device, determine a start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the DRX cycle configuration and information of a hyperframe associated with the DRX cycle, and perform downlink transmission based on the start time.

[0158] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be a combination of analog hardware circuitry and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware. As a further example, a circuit may be any portion of a hardware processor with software, such as a digital signal processor, software, and memory that cooperate to perform various functions in a device, such as a terminal device or network device. In yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or processor, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, that requires software / firmware for operation but the software may be absent when not needed for operation. As used herein, the term circuitry also encompasses a simple hardware circuit, processor, portion of a hardware circuit or processor, and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementation.

[0159] In summary, the embodiments of the present disclosure can provide the following solutions:

[0160] In one solution, a communication method includes receiving a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle configuration from a network device in a terminal device, determining a start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the DRX cycle configuration and information of a hyperframe associated with the DRX cycle, and performing downlink channel monitoring based on the start time.

[0161] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining a reference hyperframe based on a setting of the DRX cycle, and determining the information of the hyperframe based on an index of the reference hyperframe and the DRX cycle.

[0162] In some embodiments, the DRX cycle configuration includes an indication of a half hyperframe. In these embodiments, determining a reference hyperframe includes, in accordance with a determination that the DRX cycle configuration is configured by radio resource control signaling, determining a hyperframe associated with the half hyperframe as the reference hyperframe, and in accordance with a determination that the DRX cycle configuration is dynamically indicated, determining a hyperframe associated with a first DRX cycle for which the DRX cycle configuration is indicated as the reference hyperframe.

[0163] In some embodiments, determining the start time includes receiving system information from the network device indicating a first Hyper System Frame Number (H-SFN) of the hyperframe, determining a second H-SFN based on a configuration of the DRX cycle, and determining the start time based on at least the configuration of the DRX cycle, the first H-SFN, the second H-SFN, and the number of H-SFNs in an H-SFN cycle.

[0164] In some embodiments, the DRX cycle configuration includes an indication of a half hyperframe. In these embodiments, determining the second H-SFN includes: determining a third H-SFN associated with the half hyperframe in accordance with a determination that the DRX cycle configuration was configured by radio resource control signaling and determining the second H-SFN based on the third H-SFN; and determining the second H-SFN in accordance with a determination that the DRX cycle configuration was dynamically indicated based on a hyperframe associated with a first DRX cycle in which the DRX cycle configuration was indicated.

[0165] In some embodiments, determining the start time includes determining a first value by performing a round operation on a product of an index of the DRX cycle and a period of the DRX cycle, and determining the start time based on a setting of the DRX cycle, the information of the hyperframe, and the first value.

[0166] In some embodiments, performing the round operation includes, in accordance with determining that the period is a fraction, obtaining a first product by multiplying the index of the DRX cycle and a numerator of the fraction, and obtaining the first value by dividing the first product by a denominator of the fraction.

[0167] In some embodiments, the indication of the half hyperframe includes a System Frame Number (SFN).

[0168] In some embodiments, the DRX cycle setting further includes a subframe number.

[0169] In some embodiments, determining the start time includes determining a subframe associated with the DRX cycle based on at least the SFN, the subframe number, the DRX cycle index, and a period of the DRX cycle, and determining the start time based on the subframe and a slot offset for the subframe.

[0170] In some embodiments, the method further includes maintaining a first count value of the short DRX cycle and a second count value of the long DRX cycle.

[0171] In some embodiments, the method further includes maintaining a first count value of a short DRX cycle, and determining a second count value of the long DRX cycle based on the first count value, a period of a long DRX cycle, and a period of the short DRX cycle.

[0172] In another solution, a communication method includes transmitting a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle configuration from a terminal device in a network device, determining a start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the DRX cycle configuration and information of a hyperframe associated with the DRX cycle, and performing downlink transmission based on the start time.

[0173] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining a reference hyperframe based on a setting of the DRX cycle, and determining the information of the hyperframe based on an index of the reference hyperframe and the DRX cycle.

[0174] In some embodiments, the DRX cycle configuration includes an indication of a half hyperframe. In these embodiments, determining the reference hyperframe includes, in accordance with a determination that the DRX cycle configuration is configured by radio resource control signaling, determining as the reference hyperframe a hyperframe associated with the half hyperframe, and in accordance with a determination that the DRX cycle configuration is dynamically indicated, determining as the reference hyperframe a hyperframe associated with a first DRX cycle for which the DRX cycle configuration is indicated.

[0175] In some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, from the network device, system information indicating a first Hyper System Frame Number (H-SFN) of the hyperframe. In these embodiments, determining the start time includes determining a second H-SFN based on a configuration of the DRX cycle, and determining the start time based on at least the DRX cycle configuration, the first H-SFN, the second H-SFN, and a number of H-SFNs within an H-SFN cycle.

[0176] In some embodiments, the DRX cycle configuration includes an indication of a half hyperframe. In these embodiments, determining the second H-SFN includes: determining a third H-SFN associated with the half hyperframe in accordance with a determination that the DRX cycle configuration was configured by radio resource control signaling and determining the second H-SFN based on the third H-SFN; and determining the second H-SFN in accordance with a determination that the DRX cycle configuration was dynamically indicated based on a hyperframe associated with a first DRX cycle in which the DRX cycle configuration was indicated.

[0177] In some embodiments, determining the start time includes determining a first value by performing a round operation on a product of an index of the DRX cycle and a period of the DRX cycle, and determining the start time based on a setting of the DRX cycle, the information of the hyperframe, and the first value.

[0178] In some embodiments, performing the round operation includes, in accordance with determining that the period is a fraction, obtaining a first product by multiplying the index of the DRX cycle and a numerator of the fraction, and obtaining the first value by dividing the first product by a denominator of the fraction.

[0179] In some embodiments, the indication of the half hyperframe includes a System Frame Number (SFN).

[0180] In some embodiments, the DRX cycle setting further includes a subframe number.

[0181] In some embodiments, determining the start time includes determining a subframe associated with the DRX cycle based on at least the SFN, the subframe number, the DRX cycle index, and a period of the DRX cycle, and determining the start time based on the subframe and a slot offset for the subframe.

[0182] In some embodiments, the method further includes maintaining a first count value of the short DRX cycle and a second count value of the long DRX cycle.

[0183] In some embodiments, the method further includes maintaining a first count value of a short DRX cycle, and determining a second count value of the long DRX cycle based on the first count value, a period of a long DRX cycle, and a period of the short DRX cycle.

[0184] In another solution, a device for communication comprises a processor configured to cause said device to perform any of the above methods.

[0185] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented by hardware, while other aspects may be implemented by firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or illustrated by some other pictorial representation, and it will be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented by, for example, but not limited to, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or combinations thereof.

[0186] The present disclosure further provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules. The instructions execute on a target real or virtual processor device to perform a process or method such as those described above with reference to FIGS. 3-7. Typically, 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-readable instructions of the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0187] Program code for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, and when executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are performed. The program code may run entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a separate software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0188] The above-described program code may be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include 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.

[0189] Although operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that performing these operations in the particular order or sequence shown, or performing all of the operations shown, is required to achieve desired results. In some situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while the above discussion includes several specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Some features that are described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0190] 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 method of communication comprising: receiving, in the terminal device, a setting of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle from a network device; determining a start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the DRX cycle configuration and information of a hyperframe associated with the DRX cycle; performing downlink channel monitoring based on the start time; A method comprising:

2. determining a reference hyperframe based on the setting of the DRX cycle; determining the information of the hyperframe based on the reference hyperframe and an index of the DRX cycle; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. The setting of the DRX cycle includes an indication of a half hyperframe; determining the reference hyperframe determining, according to a determination that the DRX cycle configuration is configured by radio resource control signaling, a hyperframe associated with the half hyperframe as the reference hyperframe; determining, according to a determination that the DRX cycle setting is dynamically indicated, a hyperframe associated with a first DRX cycle for which the DRX cycle setting is indicated as the reference hyperframe; The method of claim 2 , comprising:

4. Determining the start time comprises: receiving system information from the network device indicating a first hyper system frame number (H-SFN) of the hyperframe; determining a second H-SFN based on the setting of the DRX cycle; determining the start time based on at least the DRX cycle configuration, the first H-SFN, the second H-SFN, and the number of H-SFNs in an H-SFN cycle; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

5. The setting of the DRX cycle includes an indication of a half hyperframe; Determining the second H-SFN includes: determining a third H-SFN associated with the half hyperframe according to determining that the DRX cycle setting is set by radio resource control signaling, and determining the second H-SFN based on the third H-SFN; In accordance with determining that the DRX cycle setting is dynamically indicated, determining the second H-SFN based on a hyperframe associated with a first DRX cycle for which the DRX cycle setting is indicated; The method of claim 4, comprising:

6. Determining the start time comprises: determining a first value by performing a round operation on a product of an index of the DRX cycle and a period of the DRX cycle; determining the start time based on the DRX cycle setting, the information of the hyperframe, and the first value; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

7. performing the round operation According to determining that the period is a fraction, obtaining a first product by multiplying the index of the DRX cycle and a numerator of the fraction; obtaining the first value by dividing the first product by the denominator of the fraction; The method of claim 6, comprising:

8. The indication of the half hyperframe includes a System Frame Number (SFN). The method according to claim 3 or 5.

9. The DRX cycle setting further includes a subframe number. The method of claim 8.

10. Determining the start time comprises: determining a subframe associated with the DRX cycle based on at least the SFN, the subframe number, the DRX cycle index, and a period of the DRX cycle; determining the start time based on the subframe and a slot offset for the subframe; Including, 10. The method of claim 9.

11. maintaining a first count value of a short DRX cycle and a second count value of a long DRX cycle. The method of claim 1.

12. maintaining a first count value of short DRX cycles; determining a second count value of the long DRX cycle based on the first count value, a period of the long DRX cycle, and a period of the short DRX cycle; further comprising: The method of claim 1.

13. A method of communication comprising: transmitting a setting of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle from a terminal device in a network device; determining a start time of the DRX cycle based on at least the DRX cycle configuration and information of a hyperframe associated with the DRX cycle; performing a downlink transmission based on the start time; A method comprising:

14. determining a reference hyperframe based on the setting of the DRX cycle; determining the information of the hyperframe based on the reference hyperframe and an index of the DRX cycle; 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

15. The setting of the DRX cycle includes an indication of a half hyperframe; determining the reference hyperframe determining, according to a determination that the DRX cycle configuration is configured by radio resource control signaling, a hyperframe associated with the half hyperframe as the reference hyperframe; determining, according to a determination that the DRX cycle setting is dynamically indicated, a hyperframe associated with a first DRX cycle for which the DRX cycle setting is indicated as the reference hyperframe; 15. The method of claim 14, comprising:

16. transmitting, from the network device, system information indicating a first hyper system frame number (H-SFN) of the hyperframe; Determining the start time comprises: determining a second H-SFN based on the setting of the DRX cycle; determining the start time based on at least the DRX cycle configuration, the first H-SFN, the second H-SFN, and the number of H-SFNs in an H-SFN cycle; The method of claim 13, comprising:

17. The setting of the DRX cycle includes an indication of a half hyperframe; Determining the second H-SFN includes: determining a third H-SFN associated with the half hyperframe according to determining that the DRX cycle setting is set by radio resource control signaling, and determining the second H-SFN based on the third H-SFN; In accordance with determining that the DRX cycle setting is dynamically indicated, determining the second H-SFN based on a hyperframe associated with a first DRX cycle for which the DRX cycle setting is indicated; 17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

18. Determining the start time comprises: determining a first value by performing a round operation on a product of an index of the DRX cycle and a period of the DRX cycle; determining the start time based on the DRX cycle setting, the information of the hyperframe, and the first value; 14. The method of claim 13, comprising:

19. performing the round operation According to determining that the period is a fraction, obtaining a first product by multiplying the index of the DRX cycle and a numerator of the fraction; obtaining the first value by dividing the first product by the denominator of the fraction; 20. The method of claim 18, comprising:

20. A communication device, comprising:

20. An apparatus comprising a processor configured to cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or any one of claims 13 to 19.

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