Transmitting / receiving apparatus and scheduling apparatus

Abstract

To provide a transmission / reception device, a scheduling device, a method, and an integrated circuit which support an improved procedure for facilitating UE power saving including a procedure involving monitoring of a downlink control channel in a communication system.SOLUTION: In a wireless communication system comprising a scheduling apparatus being a base station and a transceiver apparatus being a user equipment, the transceiver apparatus comprises a transceiver configured to receive a configuration of whether to disable hybrid automatic repeat request, HARQ, feedback via radio resource control, RRC, and a monitoring period control circuitry configured to start an RTT timer for a non-terrestrial network, NTN, when the HARQ feedback is not disabled based on the received configuration.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to transmitting and receiving signals in a communication system. In particular, the present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for such transmission and reception. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)® is working on technical specifications for the next generation of cellular technology, also known as the fifth generation (5G).

[0003] One objective is to provide a single technical framework that addresses all usage scenarios, requirements, and deployment scenarios (see, for example, Section 6 of TR38.913 version 15.0.0), including at least enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC). For example, eMBB deployment scenarios may include indoor hotspots, dense urban, rural, urban macro, and high-speed, URLLC deployment scenarios may include industrial control systems, mobile healthcare (remote monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment), real-time control of vehicles, and wide-area monitoring and control systems for smart grids, and mMTC deployment scenarios may include scenarios with a large number of devices with non-time-critical data transmission, such as smart wearables and sensor networks. eMBB and URLLC services are similar in that they both require extremely high bandwidth, but differ in that URLLC services may preferably require ultra-low latency.

[0004] A second objective is to achieve forward compatibility: backward compatibility with Long Term Evolution (LTE, LTE-A) cellular systems is not required, facilitating the introduction of entirely new system designs and / or novel features. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One non-limiting and exemplary embodiment facilitates providing improved procedures for facilitating conserving UE power, including procedures involving monitoring a downlink control channel.

[0006] In one embodiment, the technology disclosed herein comprises a transceiver that, during operation, receives control information indicating scheduled transmission of data via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and circuitry that, during operation, sets a monitoring period depending on the number of blind retransmissions of the data, and the transceiver, during operation, monitors the PDCCH during the monitoring period.

[0007] It should be noted that the general or specific embodiments may be implemented as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, a storage medium, or any selective combination thereof.

[0008] Further benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments may become apparent from the specification and drawings. Benefits and / or advantages may be obtained individually through various embodiments and features of the specification and drawings, which need not all be provided to obtain one or more of such benefits and / or advantages. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] In the following, exemplary embodiments will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example architecture of a 3GPP NR system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example user and control plane architecture for LTE eNB, gNB, and UE. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the division of functions between NG-RAN and 5GC. [Figure 4]FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram of an RRC connection setup / reconfiguration procedure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating usage scenarios for enhanced Mobile Broadband, Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), and Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC). [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example 5G system architecture for a non-roaming scenario. [Figure 7A] FIG. 1 illustrates a DRX procedure with HARQ feedback for transmission of downlink data. [Figure 7B] FIG. 1 illustrates a DRX procedure with HARQ feedback for transmission of uplink data. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates the process of blind retransmission without receiving ACK / NACK feedback. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 illustrates a process of retransmitting data when a DRX cycle is set for a transmitting and receiving device. [Figure 10] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a blind retransmission process without HARQ feedback; [Figure 11] 1 illustrates a situation in which control information and downlink data are received by a transceiver without scheduled retransmissions, causing the transceiver to unnecessarily monitor the PDCCH. [Figure 12] 1 illustrates a situation in which control information and downlink data are received by a transceiver device at scheduled retransmissions, and the transceiver device erroneously retransmits the data. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating functional components of a scheduling device and a transceiver device according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a time sequence of transmission between a scheduling device and a transmission / reception device when a monitoring period is set using the drx-InactivityTimer. [Figure 15]A diagram showing the steps of a method performed by a transceiver device when a monitoring period is set using the drx-InactivityTimer. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a timeline of transmissions between a scheduling device and a transceiver device when a monitoring period is set using the drx-RetransmissionTimer. [Figure 17] A diagram showing the steps of a method performed by a transceiver device when a monitoring period is set using the drx-RetransmissionTimer. [Figure 18] 10 shows a timeline of transmissions between a scheduling device and a transceiver device when a monitoring period is set using the drx-InactivityTimer and an end indicator is received. FIG. [Figure 19] 10 illustrates method steps performed by a transceiver when a monitoring period is set using the drx-InactivityTimer and an end indicator is received. [Figure 20] 10 shows a timeline of transmissions between a scheduling device and a transceiver device when a monitoring period is set using the drx-RetransmissionTimer and an end indicator is received. FIG. [Figure 21] 10 illustrates method steps performed by a transceiver when a monitoring period is set using the drx-RetransmissionTimer and an end indicator is received. [Figure 22] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to an embodiment in which a retransmission indicator indicating the number of blind retransmissions is received and used to set a monitoring period using the drx-InactivityTimer. [Figure 23] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to an embodiment in which a retransmission indicator indicating the number of blind retransmissions is received and a drx-RetransmissionTimer is used to set the monitoring period. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a timeline of transmissions between a scheduling device and a transceiver device when a monitoring period is set by setting a partial monitoring period using the drx-InactivityTimer. [Figure 25] A diagram showing the steps of a method performed by a transceiver device when a monitoring period is set by setting a partial monitoring period using the drx-InactivityTimer. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the timeline of transmissions between a scheduling device and a transceiver device when a monitoring period is set by setting a partial monitoring period using the drx-RetransmissionTimer. [Figure 27] A diagram showing the steps of the method performed by the transceiver device when the monitoring period is set by setting a partial monitoring period using the drx-RetransmissionTimer. [Figure 28] A flowchart showing the steps of a method performed by a transceiver device when a monitoring period is set by setting a partial monitoring period using the drx-InactivityTimer and the number of blind retransmissions is indicated. [Figure 29] A flowchart showing the steps of a method performed by a transceiver device when a monitoring period is set by setting a partial monitoring period using drx-RetransmissionTimer and the number of blind retransmissions is indicated. [Figure 30] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic representation of a MAC Control element CE indicating the number of blind retransmissions according to an embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 5G NR system architecture and protocol stack 3GPP is working on the next release for fifth-generation cellular technology, simply called 5G, which includes the development of New Radio Access Technology (NR), which will operate in frequencies up to the 100 GHz range. The first version of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, allowing for the advancement of trials and commercial deployment of smartphones compliant with the 5G NR standard.

[0011] In particular, the overall system architecture assumes a Next Generation-Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) that includes gNBs and provides NG radio access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocol termination for UEs. The gNBs are interconnected with each other by an Xn interface. The gNBs are also connected to a Next Generation Core (NGC) by a Next Generation (NG) interface, and more specifically to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (e.g., a specific core entity that runs the AMF) by an NG-C interface and to a User Plane Function (UPF) (e.g., a specific core entity that runs the UPF) by an NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is shown in Figure 1 (see, for example, Section 4 of 3GPP TS38.300 v15.6.0).

[0012] Various different deployment scenarios can be supported (see, for example, 3GPP TR38.801 v14.0.0). For example, a decentralized deployment scenario is presented therein (see, for example, Section 5.2 of TR38.801; a centralized deployment is shown in Section 5.4), in which base stations supporting 5G NR can be deployed. Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary decentralized deployment scenario (see, for example, Figure 5.2-1 of TR38.801), further illustrating an LTE eNB with user equipment (UE) connected to both the gNB and the LTE eNB. The new eNB for NR 5G can illustratively be referred to as a gNB. The eLTE eNB is an evolved version of the eNB that supports connectivity with the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and the Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0013] The NR user plane protocol stack (see, for example, 3GPP TS38.300 Section 4.4.1) has a PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol, see Section 6.4 of TS38.300) sublayer, an RLC (Radio Link Control, see Section 6.3 of TS38.300) sublayer, and a MAC (MediuMAC CEss Control, see Section 6.2 of TS38.300) sublayer, which are terminated at the gNB on the network side. Furthermore, a new access stratum (AS) sublayer (SDAP, Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced on top of PDCP (see, for example, subclause 6.5 of 3GPP TS38.300). A control plane protocol stack is also specified for NR (see, for example, section 4.4.2 of TS38.300). An overview of Layer 2 functions is given in subclause 6 of TS38.300. The functions of the PDCP, RLC and MAC sublayers are listed in sections 6.4, 6.3 and 6.2 of TS38.300, respectively. The functions of the RRC layer are listed in subclause 7 of TS38.300.

[0014] For example, the MAC layer handles logical channel multiplexing and scheduling and scheduling related functions, including handling of different numerologies.

[0015] The physical layer (PHY) is responsible for, for example, coding, PHY HARQ processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping of signals to the appropriate physical time-frequency resources. It also handles mapping of transport channels to physical channels. The physical layer provides services to the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources used for the transmission of a particular transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. One physical channel is the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), which is used for random access.

[0016] Use cases / deployment scenarios for NR may include enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), and massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), which have diverse requirements regarding data rate, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20 Gbps for downlink and 10 Gbps for uplink) and user-experienced data rates on the order of three times those offered by IMT-Advanced. On the other hand, in the case of URLLC, tighter requirements are placed on ultra-low latency (0.5 ms for each of UL and DL user plane latency) and high reliability (1-10 ms within 1 ms). -5 ). Finally, mMTC is preferably imposed on high connection densities (1,000,000 devices / km in urban environments). 2 ), large coverage in harsh environments, and extremely long battery life (15 years) for low-cost devices.

[0017] Therefore, OFDM numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) duration, number of symbols per scheduling interval, etc.) suitable for one use case may not work well for another use case. For example, low-latency services may preferably require a shorter symbol duration (and thus a larger subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (a.k.a., TTI) than mMTC services. Furthermore, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spreads may preferably require a longer CP duration than scenarios with short delay spreads. To maintain similar CP overhead, subcarrier spacing should be optimized accordingly. NR may support multiple values ​​of subcarrier spacing. Correspondingly, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, etc. are currently being considered. Symbol duration T u and the subcarrier spacing Δf is Δf=1 / T u Similar to LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to denote the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier for the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0018] In the new radio system 5G-NR, for each numerology and carrier, a resource grid of subcarriers and OFDM symbols is defined for the uplink and downlink, respectively. Each element in the resource grid is called a resource element and is identified based on a frequency index in the frequency domain and a symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS38.211 v15.6.0).

[0019] 5G NR function split between NG-RAN and 5GC Figure 3 shows the functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC. The NG-RAN logical node is the gNB or ng-eNB. The 5GC logical nodes are the AMF, UPF, and SMF.

[0020] In particular, the gNB and ng-eNB host the following main functions: Functions for radio resource management, such as radio bearer control, radio admission control, connection mobility control, and dynamic allocation (scheduling) of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink IP header compression, encryption, and data integrity protection AMF selection at UE attachment when routing to the AMF cannot be determined from information provided by the UE Routing user plane data to the UPF Routing of control plane information to AMF Setting up and disconnecting connections Scheduling and sending paging messages Scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (originating from AMF or OAM) Measurement and measurement reporting configuration for mobility and scheduling Transport-level packet marking in the uplink Session management Network slicing support QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers Support for UEs in RRC_INACTIVE state NAS message distribution function Radio access network sharing Dual Connectivity · Close interaction between NR and E-UTRA

[0021] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) hosts the following main functions: Non-Access Stratum (NAS), signaling termination NAS signaling security Access Layer (AS), security control Core Network (CN) inter-node signaling for mobility between 3GPP access networks Idle mode UE reachability (including control and execution of paging retransmissions) Registration area management Support for intra- and inter-system mobility Access authentication Access permissions, including roaming rights checks Mobility management controls (subscriptions and policies) Network slicing support Session Management Function (SMF), selection

[0022] Furthermore, the User Plane Function (UPF) hosts the following main functions: Anchor points for intra / inter-RAT mobility (if applicable) External PDU session points for interconnection to data networks Packet routing and forwarding Packet inspection and user plane portion of policy rule enforcement Traffic usage reporting Uplink classifier that supports routing of traffic flows to the data network Branching point supporting multi-homed PDU sessions QoS processing for the user plane, including packet filtering, gating, and UL / DL rate enforcement Uplink traffic validation (SDF to QoS flow mapping) Downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification trigger

[0023] Finally, the Session Management Function (SMF) hosts the following main functions: Session management UE IP address allocation and management ·UP function selection and control Configuring traffic steering in the User Plane Function (UPF) to route traffic to the appropriate destination Policy enforcement and QoS control parts Downlink data notification

[0024] RRC connection setup and reconfiguration procedures Figure 4 illustrates some interactions between the UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entities) in the context of a UE transition from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED for part of the NAS (see TS38.300 v15.6.0).

[0025] RRC is a higher layer signaling protocol used for UE and gNB configuration. In particular, this transition involves the AMF preparing UE context data (e.g., including PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities, and UE security capabilities) and sending it to the gNB with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST. The gNB then activates AS security with the UE. This is performed by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE, and the UE responding with a SecurityModeComplete message to the gNB. The gNB then performs reconfiguration to set up signaling radio bearer 2 (SRB2) and data radio bearers (DRB(s)) by sending an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE and receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete message from the UE in response. In the case of a signaling-only connection, SRB2 and DRBs are not configured, so the steps related to RRCReconfiguration are skipped. Finally, the gNB notifies the AMF that the configuration procedure is complete with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE.

[0026] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a fifth-generation core (5GC) entity (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) that includes: a control circuit that, during operation, establishes a next-generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB; and a transmitter that, during operation, sends an initial context setup message to the gNodeB over the NG connection to trigger a signaling radio bearer setup between the gNodeB and a user equipment (UE). Specifically, the gNodeB sends radio resource control (RRC) signaling, which includes a resource allocation configuration information element, to the UE over the signaling radio bearer. The UE then performs uplink transmission or downlink reception based on the resource allocation configuration.

[0027] IMT usage scenarios from 2020 onwards Figure 5 illustrates several use cases for 5G NR. 3GPP NR (3rd Generation Partnership Project new radio) considers three use cases that are envisioned to support a wide variety of services and applications via IMT-2020. Phase 1 specifications for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) have been completed. In addition to further extending eMBB support, current and future work will involve standardization for Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) and Massive Machine Type Communications. Figure 5 illustrates some examples of envisioned usage scenarios for IMT beyond 2020.

[0028] URLLC use cases have stringent requirements for capabilities such as throughput, latency, and availability, and are envisioned as one of the enablers for future vertical applications such as wireless control of industrial manufacturing or production processes, remote medical surgery, distribution automation in smart grids, and transportation safety. URLLC's high reliability is supported by identifying technologies that meet the requirements set by TR 38.913. For NR URLLC in Release 15, key requirements include a target user plane latency of 0.5 ms for the uplink (UL) and 0.5 ms for the downlink (DL). Typical URLLC requirements for a single transmission of a packet are a BLER (block error rate) of 1E-5 for a 32-byte packet size with a user plane latency of 1 ms.

[0029] From the RAN1 perspective, reliability can be improved in many possible ways. Current scope for improving reliability includes defining separate CQI tables for URLLC, more compact DCI formats, PDCCH repetition, etc. However, as NR becomes more stable and developed (for NR URLLC key requirements), the scope for achieving high reliability may increase. Specific use cases for NR URLLC in Rel. 15 include augmented reality / virtual reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications.

[0030] Furthermore, technology enhancements targeted at NR URLLC aim to improve latency and reliability. Technology enhancements for latency improvement include configurable numerology, non-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, gratuitous (configured grant) uplink grants, slot-level repetition of data channels, and downlink preemption. Preemption means that a transmission that already has resources allocated is stopped and the already allocated resources are used for another transmission requested later, but with lower latency and higher priority requirements. Therefore, an already granted transmission is preempted by a later transmission. Preemption is applicable regardless of the specific service type. For example, a transmission for service type A (URLLC) can be preempted by a transmission for service type B (e.g., eMBB). Technology enhancements for reliability improvement include dedicated CQI / MCS tables for a target BLER of 1E-5.

[0031] The use case for massive machine-type communication (mMTC) is characterized by a very large number of connected devices, typically transmitting relatively small amounts of non-latency-sensitive data. The devices are required to be low-cost and have very long battery life. From an NR perspective, utilizing very narrow bandwidth portions is one possible solution that has power savings from the UE perspective and allows for long battery life.

[0032] Thus, it is expected that the reliability range for NR will expand. One key requirement for all cases, especially for URLLC and mMTC, is high or ultra-reliability. Several mechanisms can be considered to improve reliability from a radio perspective and a network perspective. In general, there are several key potential areas that can help improve reliability. Among these areas are compact control channel information, repetition of data / control channels, and diversity in terms of frequency, time, and / or space domains. These areas are generally applicable to reliability, regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0033] For NR URLLC, further use cases with more stringent requirements have been identified, such as factory automation, transportation, and power supply, including power distribution. The more stringent requirements include higher reliability (up to the 10-6 level), higher availability, packet sizes up to 256 bytes, time synchronization up to a few microseconds, which can be 1 microsecond or a few microseconds depending on the frequency range, and low latency, on the order of 0.5-1 ms, depending on the use case, with a target user plane latency of 0.5 ms.

[0034] Additionally, for NR URLLC, several technology enhancements from a RAN1 perspective have been identified. Among these are PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) enhancements related to compact DCI, PDCCH repetition, and increased PDCCH monitoring. Furthermore, UCI (Uplink Control Information) enhancements are related to enhanced HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) and CSI feedback enhancements. Also identified are PUSCH enhancements related to minislot-level hopping and retransmission / repetition enhancements. The term "minislot" refers to a transmission time interval (TTI) containing fewer symbols than a slot (a slot containing 14 symbols).

[0035] QoS Control The 5G Quality of Service (QoS) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Therefore, at the NAS level, QoS flows are the finest granularity of QoS differentiation in a PDU session. QoS flows are identified within a PDU session by a QoS Flow ID (QFI) carried in the encapsulation header on the NG-U interface.

[0036] For each UE, the 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes at least one data radio bearer (DRB) along with the PDU session; additional DRB(s) for that PDU session's QoS flow(s) may be subsequently configured (it is up to the NG-RAN when to do so), e.g., as shown above with reference to FIG. 4. The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and the 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, while AS-level mapping rules in the UE and the NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0037] Figure 6 shows the 5G NR non-roaming reference architecture (see TS 23.501 v16.1.0, section 4.23). Application Functions (AFs), e.g., external application servers hosting the 5G services exemplarily described in Figure 5, interact with the 3GPP core network to provide services supporting, for example, application influence on traffic routing, access to the Network Exposure Function (NEF), or interaction with a policy framework (e.g., QoS control) for policy control (see Policy Control Function, PCF). Based on the operator's deployment, application functions deemed trusted by the operator can interact directly with the relevant network functions. Application functions not authorized by the operator to directly access network functions interact with the relevant network functions using the external exposure framework via the NEF.

[0038] Figure 6 shows further functional units of the 5G architecture, namely, Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Network Repository Function (NRF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), and Data Network (DN), i.e., operator services, Internet access or third-party services.

[0039] In LTE and NR, a terminal is referred to as a user equipment (UE). This may be a mobile device such as a wireless phone, a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a universal serial bus (USB) stick with user equipment functionality. However, the term mobile device is not so limited; in general, a relay may have the functionality of such a mobile device, or a mobile device may also function as a relay.

[0040] A base station is a network node that forms part of a network for providing services to terminals, for example. A base station is a network node that provides wireless access to terminals. Communication between terminals and base stations is typically standardized. In LTE and NR, the wireless interface protocol stack includes a physical layer, a medium access control (MAC), and higher layers. In the control plane, the higher layer protocol Radio Resource Control Protocol is provided. Through RRC, the base station can control the configuration of terminals, and the terminals can communicate with the base station to perform control tasks such as connection and bearer establishment and modification, measurements, and other functions.

[0041] The services provided by a layer for transferring data to a higher layer are usually referred to as channels. For example, LTE and NR distinguish between logical channels provided by the MAC layer to higher layers, transport channels provided by the physical layer to the MAC layer, and physical channels that define mappings on physical resources.

[0042] Logical channels are the different types of data transfer services offered by the MAC. Each logical channel type is defined by the type of information it transfers. Logical channels are divided into two groups: control channels and traffic channels. Control channels are used only for the transfer of control plane information. Traffic channels are used only for the transfer of user plane information.

[0043] Discontinuous Reception - DRX Packet data is often bursty, with occasional periods of silence. From a latency perspective, it is beneficial to permanently monitor downlink control signaling in order to receive uplink grants or downlink data transmissions and react immediately to changes in traffic behavior. At the same time, this is costly in terms of power consumption in devices. To reduce device power consumption, LTE includes a mechanism for discontinuous reception (DRX).

[0044] An exemplary implementation of a discontinuous reception (DRX) function in 5G NR for PDCCH monitoring according to the currently standardized version is described below in a simplified and abbreviated form.

[0045] The basic mechanism of DRX is a configurable DRX period within the device. When the DRX period is configured, the device monitors downlink control signaling only during the active period per DRX period, and sleeps with the receiver circuitry turned off during the remaining off periods. This allows for a significant reduction in power consumption. Naturally, this imposes limitations on the scheduler, as the device can only respond during the active periods.

[0046] To reduce battery consumption in the UE, a mechanism is used to minimize the time the UE spends monitoring the PDCCH, called the discontinuous reception (DRX) function. The DRX function can be configured for RRC_IDLE, in which case the UE uses a specific DRX value or a default DRX value (defaultPagingCycle). The default paging cycle is broadcast in the system information and can have values ​​of 32, 64, 128, or 256 radio frames. The UE needs to wake up at one paging occasion per DRX cycle, where a paging occasion is one subframe. The DRX function can also be configured for an "RRC_CONNECTED" UE, in which case the UE does not need to constantly monitor the downlink control channel for downlink control information (or simply, the UE monitors the PDCCH) (see 3GPP Technical Standard TS38.321 "NR; Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocol Specification," 15.6.0, chapter 5.7).

[0047] The following parameters are available to define the behavior of a DRX UE, for example, the On-Duration period during which the mobile node is active (i.e., DRX Active Time) and the period during which the mobile node is in DRX (i.e., not in DRX Active Time).

[0048] - drx-onDurationTimer: Duration at the start of the DRX cycle - drx-SlotOffset: Delay before starting drx-onDurationTimer - drx-InactivityTimer: duration after PDCCH opportunity for which PSCCH indicates the latest UL or DL ​​transmission for the MAY entity - drx-RetransmissionTimerDL (per DL HARQ process excluding broadcast process): maximum duration until DL retransmission is received - drx-RetransmissionTimerUL (per UL HARQ process): Maximum duration until a grant for UL retransmission is received - drx-LongCycleStartOffset: Long DRX cycle and drx-StartOffset that define the subframe in which the long DRX cycle and short DRX cycle start - drx-ShortCycle(optional): Short DRX cycle - drx-ShortCycleTimer (optional): duration for which the UE follows the short DRX cycle - drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL (per DL HARQ process excluding broadcast process): minimum duration expected by the MAC entity before DL allocation for HARQ retransmissions - drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL (per UL HARQ process): Minimum duration expected by the MAC entity before a UL HARQ retransmission is granted.

[0049] The total duration that the UE is awake is referred to as the "active time" or DRX active time. The active time may include, for example, any of the following: - the running time of the drx-onDurationTimer, drx-InactivityTimer, drx-RetransmissionTimerDL, drx-RetransmissionTimerUL, or ra-ContentionResolutionTimer (as described in 3GPP TS 38.321, clause 5.1.5); - the time that a scheduling request is transmitted and pending on the PUCCH (as described in 3GPP TS 38.321 clause 5.4.4); - the time during which no PDCCH indicating a new transmission addressed to the C-RNTI of the MAC entity is received after successfully receiving a random access response for a contention-based random access preamble that has not been selected by the MAC entity (as described in 3GPP TS 38.321 clause 5.1.4).

[0050] A "DRX period" or "DRX off period" is a duration of downlink subframes during which the UE can skip reception of the downlink channel for battery saving purposes, i.e., is not required to monitor the downlink channel. The DRX operation provides the mobile terminal with the opportunity to repeatedly deactivate radio circuitry (according to the currently active DRX cycle) to save power. Whether the UE actually stays in DRX (i.e., is not active) during the DRX period may be determined by the UE; for example, the UE typically performs inter-frequency measurements that are not possible during the On-Duration period and therefore need to be performed at other times, e.g., during the DRX off period.

[0051] To meet the competing requirements, two DRX cycles (short and long) can be configured for each UE, and the short DRX cycle is optional; i.e., only the long DRX cycle can be used. The transition between the short DRX cycle, the long DRX cycle, and continuous reception is controlled by a timer or an explicit command from the gNB. In a sense, the short DRX cycle can be considered as a confirmation period in case a late packet arrives before the UE enters the long DRX cycle. If data arrives at the gNB while the UE is in the short DRX cycle, the data is scheduled for transmission at the next on-duration time, and the UE resumes continuous reception. On the other hand, if no data arrives at the gNB during the short DRX cycle, the UE assumes that packet activity has timed out and enters the long DRX cycle.

[0052] During active time, the UE monitors the PDCCH, reports the configured Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), and reports Channel Quality Information (CQI), Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI), Rank Indicator (RI), and Precoder Type Indication (PTI) on the PUCCH. When the UE is not in active time, Type 0 triggered SRS and CQI, PMI, RI, and PTI on the PUCCH may not be reported. If a CQI mask is configured for the UE, reporting of CQI, PMI, RI, and PTI on the PUCCH is limited to on-duration subframes.

[0053] The DRX period can be configured for the NR downlink such that the UE does not need to decode the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or receive physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmissions for a certain period of time by periodically switching off the receiver, as defined for connected mode in 3GPP TS 38.321 ("NR; Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocol Specification", Version 15.6.0, Section 5.7) and for idle or inactive states in 3GPP TS 38.304 ("User Equipment (UE) Procedures in Idle Mode and RRC Inactive State", Version 15.4.0, Section 7.1), for example.

[0054] According to the 3GPP TS 38.321 v15.6.0 specification, when a DRX period is configured, the active time includes the time during which the drx-onDurationTimer, drx-InactivityTimer, drx-RetransmissionTimerDL, drx-RetransmissionTimerUL, or ra-ContentionResolutionTimer is running, as described in section 5.1.5 of 3GPP TS 38.321.

[0055] The drx-onDurationTimer defines the duration at the start of the DRX period, and the drx-InactivityTimer specifies the duration after a PDCCH opportunity where the PDCCH indicates a new uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) transmission for the MAC entity. The drx-RetransmissionTimerDL and UL define the maximum duration before receiving a DL retransmission and a grant for a UL retransmission, respectively.

[0056] Intermittent reception with HARQ feedback Transmissions over wireless channels are prone to errors due, for example, to variations in the quality of the received signal. Therefore, wireless communication systems may use a form of forward error correction (FEC) that adds redundancy to the transmitted signal, allowing the receiver to correct errors. However, some data units may be received in error. The Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process, which relies on a combination of error correction coding and retransmission (reTx) of erroneous data units, is used in many communication systems.

[0057] An erroneous data unit despite the error correction coding is detected by the receiver, which requests a retransmission from the transmitter. In particular, an acknowledgement (ACK) message or a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message may be sent by the receiver. If a NACK is sent, the scheduling device may schedule a retransmission of the data unit and send a corresponding DCI.

[0058] That is, the PDCCH should be monitored for reception of DCI for data retransmission, even if a DRX period is configured for the receiver.

[0059] Hereinafter, a transceiver according to the present disclosure may also be referred to as a UE, but although the present disclosure uses the term UE, it is not limited to UEs in LTE or NR and can be applied to any other transceiver.

[0060] Figure 7A shows the DRX procedure with HARQ feedback. At time A, the UE receives DCI for a new downlink transmission during the active time of the configured DRX cycle. At time B, the corresponding data is received by the UE via the PDSCH, and then the received data is decoded. If the data cannot be successfully decoded, a NACK message is sent from the UE to the gNB at time C.

[0061] Any signal transmission based on electromagnetic waves incurs a signal transmission delay due to the speed of light. Specifically, two times the one-way propagation delay of a wireless signal between a source and a destination is called the round trip delay (RTD). RTD may also include the processing time at the processing node to generate a response signal.

[0062] Therefore, after sending the NACK, the UE stops monitoring the PDCCH and starts the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL timer. As long as the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL has not expired, the UE does not monitor the PDCCH to reduce power consumption. The sleep period is shown as a shaded area in Figure 7A.

[0063] At time D, the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL expires and the UE starts monitoring the PDCCH again to receive DCI for data retransmission. At time E, the data is transmitted again and received by the UE. If the received data cannot be successfully decoded, another NACK may be sent at time F.

[0064] In this procedure, retransmission is triggered by UE feedback on whether previously transmitted data was successfully received and decoded. During periods when RTD does not expect to transmit DCI for data retransmission, the UE enters a sleep mode in which the PDCCH is not monitored to reduce power consumption. When the timer expires and DCI for retransmission can be expected, the UE starts monitoring the PDCCH again.

[0065] FIG. 7B shows a DRX procedure with HARQ feedback for uplink data transmission.

[0066] At time A, the UE receives DCI for a new uplink transmission during the active time of the configured DRX period and starts the drx-InactivityTimer. At time B, the corresponding data is transmitted by the UE via the PDSCH.

[0067] After transmitting the UL data, the UE stops monitoring the PDCCH, stops the drx-RetransmissionTimerUL (if running), and starts the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL timer. Unless the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL has expired, the UE does not monitor the PDCCH to reduce power consumption. The sleep period is shown as the shaded area in Figure 7B.

[0068] At time C, the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL expires, the drx-RetransmissionTimerUL is started, and the UE starts monitoring the PDCCH again. A DCI for data retransmission is then received. At time D, UL data is transmitted again, the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL is restarted, and the UE stops monitoring the PDCCH until the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL expires at time E, and the drx-RetransmissionTimerUL expires at time F.

[0069] In this procedure, retransmission is triggered by the reception of DCI for retransmission of UL data. During the period when DCI for retransmission of data is not expected due to RTD, the UE enters a sleep mode in which the PDCCH is not monitored to reduce power consumption. When the timer expires and DCI for retransmission can be expected, the UE starts monitoring the PDCCH again.

[0070] Non-terrestrial networks 3GPP studies and describes NR-based operation in non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) (see, e.g., 3GPP TR 38.811, Studies on NR (New Radio) for Supporting Non-Terrestrial Networks, Version 15.0.0, and 3GPP TR 38.821, Solutions for NR for Supporting Non-Terrestrial Networks, Version 0.3.0).

[0071] As a result of their wide service coverage capabilities and reduced vulnerability of space / aircraft to physical attacks and natural disasters, NTNs can facilitate the deployment of NR services in unprotected areas (e.g., isolated or remote areas on aircraft or ships) and in unprotected areas (e.g., suburban and rural areas) that cannot be covered by terrestrial NR networks. Furthermore, NTNs can enhance the reliability of NR services by providing service continuity to passengers on mobile platforms or by ensuring service availability everywhere, especially for critical communications.

[0072] The benefits relate to either non-terrestrial networks operating alone or integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks that may affect coverage, user bandwidth, system capacity, service reliability, or availability.

[0073] A non-terrestrial network refers to a network or segment of a network that uses RF resources, for example, onboard a satellite. An NTN is typically characterized by the following system elements: NTN terminal refers to a 3GPP UE, or a terminal specific to a satellite system when the satellite does not directly serve a 3GPP UE. Service link refers to the wireless link between the user equipment and the space / airborne platform. Airborne platform carrying payloads Gateways connecting space / air platforms to core networks Feeder link refers to the radio link between the Gateway Center and the space / airborne platform.

[0074] The round trip delay depends on the distance between the source node, e.g., the terminal (UE), and the destination node. In NTNs, signals may be transmitted via satellites, etc., and the value of RTD may be much larger than in terrestrial networks. For example, for signals transmitted via satellites in geostationary orbit, i.e., at an altitude of approximately 35,786 km, the RTD may be as large as 541.14 ms.

[0075] Blind retransmission without HARQ feedback To ensure fast and reliable transmission of data, retransmissions may be sent without receiving feedback from the UE. That is, the UE may not send a NACK to the gNB if it is unable to successfully decode the received data. Instead, the gNB may retransmit the data a configured number of times.

[0076] Furthermore, for uplink data transmission, the gNB may transmit DCI for UL retransmission without receiving the initial transmission of the UL data, so that the UE performs a blind retransmission of the UL data.

[0077] In this approach, RTD due to the feedback loop does not occur, and at the same time, the reliability of data transmission is increased by multiple retransmissions.

[0078] Blind retransmission refers to further transmission of data without receiving feedback regarding the success / failure of reception or decoding at the data destination, eg, a UE.

[0079] HARQ feedback can be disabled by the network, for example. In this case, no ACK / NACK is returned to the gNB for the downlink, for example. However, even without ACK / NACK feedback, the gNB can still send retransmissions if configured. In other words, the gNB can assume a NACK for a previous transmission or retransmission of data.

[0080] Figure 8 shows the retransmission of data without receiving a NACK at the gNB. As a first step, a DCI for the new transmission is sent to the UE, followed by the transmission of data (DL data). The gNB then assumes a NACK and transmits further DCI and corresponding DL data. In other words, data can be transmitted multiple times by the gNB (with a preceding transmission of DCI) without receiving feedback from the UE.

[0081] Retransmissions in DRX with and without HARQ Figure 9 shows the process of DL data retransmission when the DRX cycle is set. In the figure, the time sequence of transmission is shown from left to right. When the DRX cycle is set, the UE starts the drx-InactivityTimer when a DCI for a new transmission is received, so that retransmission of data and corresponding DCI does not occur during the UE's off period. As long as the drx-InactivityTimer has not expired, the UE monitors the channel for DL ​​data reception. If DL data is received and cannot be successfully decoded, the UE sends a NACK to the gNB and starts the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL, taking into account RTD.

[0082] Unless the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL has expired, the UE does not monitor the PDCCH to reduce power consumption. After the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL has expired, the drx-RetransmissionTimerDL is started and the PDCCH is monitored for the reception of a DCI for retransmission of DL data as long as the timer has not expired, and the DL data may be received thereafter.

[0083] Similarly, if data is transmitted by the UE to the gNB and a DRX period is configured, the UE starts the drx-InactivityTimer when a DCI for the first transmission of UL data is received. Therefore, after transmitting the UL data, the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL is started to account for RTD. The UE does not monitor the PDCCH to reduce power consumption unless the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL has expired. After the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL has expired, the drx-RetransmissionTimerUL is started, and the PDCCH is monitored for the reception of a DCI for the retransmission of UL data unless the timer has expired, and the UL data may be received thereafter.

[0084] Without feedback on the successful / unsuccessful reception of DL data or DCI for UL data retransmissions, the UE does not know whether further retransmissions that could not be successfully decoded are expected after past transmissions.

[0085] In this case, the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL may be set to zero so that the drx-RetransmissionTimerDL or drx-RetransmissionTimerUL starts immediately, or the timer may be disabled so that the drx-RetransmissionTimerDL (or UL) starts immediately or after the minimum processing time has expired.

[0086] The drx-RetransmissionTimerDL can be started when DL data cannot be successfully decoded, as shown in Figure 10, where the temporal sequence of transmissions is shown from left to right.

[0087] However, if the UE starts the drx-RetransmissionTimerDL or drx-RetransmissinTimerUL and the gNB has not scheduled a retransmission, the UE's power consumption will increase unnecessarily.

[0088] Figure 11 illustrates a situation in which DCI and DL data are received by a UE and the DL data cannot be successfully decoded. The time sequence of transmissions is shown from left to right. If HARQ feedback is disabled by the network and the UE starts the drx-RetransmissionTimerDL or drx-RetransmissionTimerUL even though the gNB does not schedule retransmission of DL data, the UE will unnecessarily monitor the PDCCH as long as the timer is running, thereby increasing power consumption.

[0089] On the other hand, if the UE does not start the drx-RetransmissionTimerDL after failing to decode the received DL data in a new transmission, the UE may go to sleep and miss the retransmission from the gNB, as shown in Figure 12, where the temporal sequence of transmissions is shown from left to right.

[0090] The present disclosure provides techniques that can facilitate adjusted monitoring duration in the framework of feedback-free blind retransmission. In particular, the present disclosure provides procedures for a set DRX period to ensure reception of retransmissions while simultaneously reducing power consumption of transceiver devices.

[0091] The present disclosure provides a transceiver and a scheduling device as shown in FIG.

[0092] The transceiver 100 includes a transceiver 110 (a transmitter and / or receiver including hardware components such as one or more antennas and control circuitry for controlling the operation of the hardware components), which receives control information over a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) during operation, the control information indicating scheduled transmission of data. Furthermore, the transceiver 100 includes circuitry 120 for setting a monitoring period according to the number of blind retransmissions of data during operation, and the transceiver 110 monitors the PDCCH during the monitoring period during operation.

[0093] For example, the transceiver 100 is a UE in an NR network. Accordingly, the transceiver 110 and the circuitry 120 are also referred to as a "UE transceiver" and "UE circuitry." However, these terms are used merely to distinguish the transceiver 110 and the circuitry 120 from circuits and transceivers configured by other devices, such as the scheduling device 200 or a base station. The transceiver 100 may be a terminal service, a relay device, or a similar communication device in a communication system. The UE circuitry 120 may be considered to be a "monitoring period control circuitry" or may be considered to include a "monitoring period control circuitry."

[0094] Further, a scheduling device 200 (or scheduling node) is provided as shown in FIG.

[0095] The scheduling apparatus 200 comprises a circuit 220 that, during operation, determines the number of blind retransmissions of data. The scheduling apparatus 200 further comprises a transceiver 210 that, during operation, transmits control information via a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, the control information indicating a scheduled transmission or retransmission of the data according to the number of blind retransmissions.

[0096] For example, the scheduling device 200 is a network node (base station) in a NR network system (gNB) or a similar communication system. The circuit 220 is also referred to as a “retransmission control circuit” or a “scheduling device circuit” to distinguish it from circuits such as the UE circuit 120.

[0097] There is further provided a method including receiving control information indicating a scheduled transmission of data via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and setting a monitoring period according to a number of blind retransmissions of the data, wherein the PDCCH is monitored during the monitoring period.

[0098] In the further description, details and embodiments apply to the transceiver device 100, the scheduling device 200 (or scheduling node), and the method, respectively, unless an explicit description or context indicates otherwise.

[0099] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0100] In this embodiment, the monitoring period is configured by the circuit 120 by starting a timer when the transceiver 110 receives DCI (control information) for the first transmission of data. The timer value, i.e., the runtime of the timer, is sufficient for the transceiver 110 to receive all of the configured number of retransmissions. If further DCI, for example, a DCI for a retransmission, is received, the timer is not started. The DCI for a retransmission may be referred to as second control information. Because there is no sleep time during all rounds of retransmission, there is no need to use the drx-HARQ-RTT-Timer DL (or UL). Therefore, the UE 100 does not send HARQ feedback from the UE 100 to the gNB 200.

[0101] Whether blind retransmission is performed can be configured semi-statically or dynamically, and the runtime of the timer corresponding to the duration of the monitoring period can also be configured semi-statically or dynamically accordingly. When blind transmission is configured semi-statically, RRC signaling can be used to configure the runtime value of the timer. When blind retransmission is configured dynamically, the runtime value of the timer can also be configured dynamically, for example, via DCI or MAC Control Element (MAC CE). For example, a 1-bit may be used to indicate whether blind retransmission is configured. For example, a value of 0 may indicate that blind retransmission is not configured, and a value of 1 may indicate that blind retransmission is configured. Details of signaling the runtime of the timer or the number of retransmissions by RRC, MAC CE, or DCI are described below.

[0102] In other words, according to this embodiment, the UE 100 knows the period during which retransmissions are expected. During this monitoring period, the PDCCH is monitored for DCI for retransmissions.

[0103] According to this embodiment, a single timer can be utilized to set the monitoring period, and the transceiver 110 monitors the PDCCH, which allows for fast retransmission without feedback (HARQ) to compensate for long RTD, for example, in NTN.

[0104] A first modified example of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 14 and 15. Figure 14 shows a timeline of transmission between gNB200 (scheduling device) and UE100 (transmitting / receiving device) when the monitoring period is set using the drx-InactivityTimer. Figure 15 shows steps of a method executed by UE100 when the monitoring period is set using the drx-InactivityTimer.

[0105] In step S100, the transceiver 100, or more specifically, the UE transceiver 110, receives a DCI for a first transmission of downlink (DL) data from a gNB during the active time of a configured DRX period. After receiving the DCI for the new transmission, the circuit 120 initiates a monitoring period by starting a drx-InactivityTimer, which causes the transceiver 110 to monitor the channel for blind transmissions.

[0106] Further, in step S110, it is determined whether the drx-InactivityTimer is running. That is, it is determined whether the UE 100 is in active time. If the drx-InactivityTimer is not running (step S110, NO), the method ends. However, if it is determined that the UE is in active time, the transceiver 110 monitors the channel for blind retransmission in step S120.

[0107] Furthermore, when DL data is received, it is decoded by circuit 120. In step S130, it is determined whether the received data was successfully decoded. If the received data was successfully decoded (step S130, YES), the method ends. However, if the data was not successfully decoded, the method proceeds to step S110, where it is determined whether the drx-InactivityTimer timer is still running.

[0108] However, if the PDSCH transmission is successfully decoded (i.e., the DL data is successfully decoded), there is no need to monitor the PDCCH for this particular HARQ process. However, the UE 100 may continue to monitor the PDCCH for other transmissions that are received.

[0109] Furthermore, the drx-InactivityTimer may not terminate if the data received in the framework of the retransmission is successfully decoded, but may expire after each runtime.

[0110] A second modification of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 16 and 17. Figure 16 shows a timeline of transmission between the gNB 200 (scheduling device) and the UE 100 (transmitting / receiving device) when the monitoring period is set using the drx-RetransmissionTimer. Figure 17 shows steps of a method performed by the UE 100 when the monitoring period is set using the drx-RetransmissionTimer.

[0111] In this variation of the embodiment, the UE 100 starts the drx-RetransmissionTimer after decoding the data transmitted in the first transmission. As can be seen in Figure 16, the drx-InactivityTimer is started after reception of the DCI for the first transmission according to the configured DRX procedure. Furthermore, when the corresponding DL data is received and decoded, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is started when an error occurs in decoding the DL data.

[0112] Similar to the above variants, the runtime of the drx-RetransmissionTimer can be set according to a configuration signaled by the gNB, e.g., via RRC, MAC CE, or DCI, to ensure a monitoring period covering the configured retransmissions. The retransmission timer is per HARQ process and may stop once the UE 100 successfully decodes the received data.

[0113] In step S200 of FIG. 17, DCI for the first transmission of DL data is received, and after receiving each DL data, the data is decoded, and if the decoding is not successful, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is started.

[0114] In step S210, it is determined whether the UE 100 is in the active time. That is, it is determined whether the drx-RetransmissionTimer is running. If the UE 100 is not in the active time (step S210, NO), the method ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the drx-RetransmissionTimer is running, that is, the UE 100 is not in the active time, the method proceeds to step S220.

[0115] In step S220, the PDCCH is monitored for DCI for blind retransmission of DL data, and when DCI is received, the corresponding DL data is received accordingly.

[0116] In step S230, the received data is decoded by circuit 120, and it is determined whether the decoding of the received DL data was successful. If the DL data could not be decoded successfully (step S230, NO), proceed to step S210 and determine again whether drx-RetransmissionTimer is (still) running. If not, that is, if it is determined that the received data was decoded successfully (step S230, YES), proceed to step S240.

[0117] In step S240, the drx-RetransmissionTimer corresponding to the current HARQ process is stopped, and then the method ends.

[0118] After the DL data is successfully decoded, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is terminated, although this disclosure is not limited thereto and the above timer may expire after its set runtime.

[0119] In the described variant of this embodiment, a single timer is used to set the monitoring period during which the PDCCH is monitored for reception of DCI for blind retransmissions, in particular the duration of the monitoring period is configured to cover all blind retransmissions.

[0120] The timers for implementing the monitoring period can be the drx-InactivityTimer and the drx-RetransmissionTimer. Note that in contrast to the drx-InactivityTimer, the drx-RetransmissionTimer can be started for each of multiple HARQ processes or data reception processes. That is, the drx-RetransmissionTimer may be terminated after the corresponding DL data has been successfully decoded. On the other hand, the drx-InactivityTimer can be terminated only if no more HARQ processes are active.

[0121] It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to using the drx-InactivityTimer or the drx-RetransmissionTimer to set the monitoring period, and other timers may be used. For example, a new timer may be introduced.

[0122] In further embodiments described below with reference to Figures 18-22, the UE transceiver 110 further receives an end indicator indicating the expiration of a timer defining a monitoring period for retransmissions, and the circuitry 120 subsequently ends the monitoring period upon receipt of the end indicator.

[0123] Similar to the above embodiments, the duration of the monitoring period, or more specifically the runtime of the timer defining the duration of the period for monitoring the PDCCH for retransmissions, may be set, for example, by RRC, MAC CE or DCI signaling.

[0124] For example, the monitoring period may be terminated when an explicit indication to stop the timer is received, which may be performed via the MAC CE, for example, upon receipt of the last DL retransmission or UL data transmission.

[0125] Alternatively, the implicit indication may trigger the circuit 130 to stop the timer, thus terminating the monitoring period for monitoring the PDCCH. For example, the implicit indication to terminate the monitoring period may be implemented as a last transmission indication in the last PDCCH transmission, where one bit may be used to indicate whether it is the last retransmission. For example, a last bit value of 1 may indicate the last retransmission, while a last bit value of 0 may indicate a further retransmission. In this case, the UE 100 terminates the monitoring period if the received last bit indicates a value of 1.

[0126] In this approach, even if additional signaling is required, the UE may terminate the monitoring period by stopping the respective timer when the last DCI is received, thereby preventing unnecessary monitoring of the PDCCH and thus reducing the power consumption of the device.

[0127] In the first variant, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is disabled. In other words, the UE does not start or restart the drx-RetransmissionTimer if the received data is not successfully decoded. Instead, the drx-InactivityTimer is started when the received data cannot be successfully decoded in the first transmission. Furthermore, when an indicator indicating the end of the monitoring period (end indicator) is received, the UE ends the monitoring period by stopping each drx-InactivityTimer. This procedure is shown in Figures 18 and 19.

[0128] Figure 18 shows a timeline of transmissions between the gNB 200 (scheduling device) and the UE 100 (transceiver device) when a monitoring period is set using the drx-InactivityTimer and an end indicator is received. Figure 19 shows method steps performed by the UE 100 when a monitoring period is set using the drx-InactivityTimer and an end indicator is received.

[0129] In step S300, the first PDCCH transmission is received and the drx-InactivityTimer is started.

[0130] In step S310, it is determined whether the UE is in active time. That is, it is determined whether the drx-InactivityTimer has expired. Furthermore, it is determined whether an end indicator indicating the end of the monitoring period has been received. The end indicator may be transmitted explicitly or implicitly, as described above. If the UE 100 is not in active time or an end indicator has been received (step S310, YES), the method ends. On the other hand, if the UE 100 is in active time and has not received an end indicator (step S310, NO), the process proceeds to step S320.

[0131] In step S320, the UE 100 monitors the PDCCH for reception of DCI for retransmission of DL data. That is, the PDCCH is monitored for reception of second control information. Upon receiving DL data, in step S330, it is determined whether the received data can be successfully decoded. If the data received via the PDSCH can be successfully decoded (step S330, YES), the method ends. On the other hand, if the received data cannot be successfully decoded (step S330, NO), the method proceeds to step S310.

[0132] Note that even if the UE successfully decodes the received data, the PDCCH will continue to be monitored until the drx-InactivityTimer expires or an explicit / implicit indication is received from the gNB. "End" in the above method does not mean the end of all timers.

[0133] Furthermore, it should be noted that an end indicator indicating the end of the monitoring period may be received by the UE 100 in a corresponding procedure for blind retransmission of UL data.

[0134] In a second variant, the drx-InactivityTimer is started when a DCI for the first transmission of DL data is received. Furthermore, a monitoring period is initiated by starting the drx-RetransmissionTimer when the data received in the first transmission is decoded. Furthermore, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is stopped upon receipt of an implicit or explicit indication. This procedure is illustrated in Figures 20 and 21.

[0135] Figure 20 shows a timeline of transmissions between gNB 200 (scheduling apparatus) and UE 100 (transceiver apparatus) when a monitoring period is configured using drx-RetransmissionTimer and an end indicator is received. Figure 21 shows method steps performed by UE 100 when a monitoring period is configured using drx-RetransmissionTimer and an end indicator is received.

[0136] After receiving the DCI for the first transmission of DL data, the drx-InactivityTimer is started according to the configured DRX process, and the corresponding DL data is received and decoded via the PDSCH.

[0137] In step S400, if the received data cannot be decoded normally, that is, if a PDSCH decoding error occurs in the first transmission, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is started.

[0138] In step S410, it is determined whether the UE 100 is in active time. That is, it is determined whether the drx-RetransmissionTimer is running. It is also determined whether an end indicator indicating the end of the monitoring period has been received. If the UE 100 is not in active time or an end indicator has been received (step S410, YES), the process proceeds to step S440. On the other hand, if the UE is in active time and an end indicator has not been received, the process proceeds to step S420.

[0139] In step S420, the PDCCH is monitored for DCI for retransmission of DL data.

[0140] When DL data is received according to the received DCI, it is determined in step S430 whether the received data has been decoded normally. If the received data has not been decoded normally (step S430, NO), the process proceeds to step S410. On the other hand, if the received data has been decoded normally (step S430, YES), the process proceeds to step S440.

[0141] In step S440, the drx-RetransmissionTimer corresponding to the current HARQ process expires, and the method ends.

[0142] In a described variant of the embodiment, an explicit or implicit indication (end indicator) is received to stop a timer that defines a monitoring period during which the PDCCH is monitored for the second control information. Upon receiving the end indicator, the monitoring period is ended by stopping the respective timer.

[0143] In this approach, the gNB200 may actively trigger the end of the monitoring period, for example, when further retransmissions of DL data are not intended, thereby reducing the power consumption of the UE.

[0144] In a further embodiment, the gNB 200 transmits a duration indicator indicating the duration of the monitoring period. For example, the duration of the monitoring period may be indicated as the runtime of a dedicated timer. The gNB 200 also transmits a retransmission indicator to the UE 100 indicating the number of retransmissions.

[0145] When the UE 100 receives the runtime value and indicates the number of retransmissions, it extends the runtime value of the actual timer as a multiple of the number of retransmissions. That is, if the gNB 200 indicates a certain number of retransmissions and a timer runtime value is set, the runtime of the timer dedicated to defining the duration of the monitoring period is calculated by multiplying the set runtime by the number of retransmissions. After receiving the first transmission, the UE 100 starts the timer using the calculated extended runtime value.

[0146] In particular, depending on whether the number of retransmissions is set semi-statically (e.g., via RRC) or dynamically (e.g., via MAC CE or DCI), the number of blind retransmissions may also be indicated semi-statically or dynamically.

[0147] In this approach, the monitoring period can end when the last transmission is received.

[0148] Note that different HARQ processes can be configured independently of the number of blind retransmissions and the values ​​of the DRX timers (e.g., drx-InactivityTimer and drx-RetransmissionTimer). Dynamic values ​​of the blind retransmissions and DRX timers can be configured, for example, via DCI signaling.

[0149] In a first variant, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is disabled so that the UE 100 does not start the drx-RetransmissionTimer upon receiving a retransmission. Instead, the drx-InactivityTimer is started with a runtime calculated when the first PDCCH transmission is received. The timer may be stopped when the last retransmission is received and it is determined that the inactivity timer is not running for another HARQ process. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to stopping the timer, and the timer may run until it expires. Details of this procedure will be described with reference to FIG. 22.

[0150] In step S500, the UE 100 receives a retransmission indicator indicating the number of blind retransmissions, and further receives a continuation indicator indicating the runtime of the drx-InactivityTimer.

[0151] In step S510, a new runtime value of the drx-InactivityTimer is calculated as the product of the set runtime value of the drx-InactivityTimer and the number of blind retransmissions.

[0152] In step S520, the first PDCCH transmission is received and the drx-InactivityTimer is started with the newly calculated runtime.

[0153] In step S530, it is determined whether UE 100 is in active time. That is, it is determined whether drx-InactivityTimer is running. If it is determined that drx-InactivityTimer is not running, that is, UE 100 is not in active time (step S530, NO), the process ends. If it is determined that UE 100 is in active time, the process proceeds to step S540.

[0154] In step S540, the PDCCH is monitored for reception of DCI for retransmission of DL data (second control information).

[0155] When the DCI and each DL data are received, it is determined in step S550 whether the received DL data can be decoded normally. If the DL data received via the PDSCH can be decoded normally (step S550, YES), the method ends. If it is determined that the received DL data cannot be decoded normally, the method proceeds to step S560.

[0156] In step S560, it is determined whether the number of blind retransmissions has expired. In other words, UE 100 tracks the number of blind retransmissions received and compares this number with the indicated number of blind retransmissions received in step S500. If the number of blind retransmissions has not expired (step S560, NO), further retransmissions are expected, and processing proceeds to step S530. On the other hand, if the number of blind retransmissions has expired (step S560, YES), processing proceeds to step S570.

[0157] In step S570, it is determined whether the drx-InactivityTimer is running for another HARQ process. If the drx-InactivityTimer is not running for another HARQ process (step S570, NO), the timer is stopped and the method ends. If the drx-InactivityTimer is running for another HARQ process, proceed to step S530.

[0158] In a second variant, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is started with a calculated runtime value when an error occurs during decoding of data from the initial transmission. The timer may be stopped when the data received in the blind retransmission is successfully decoded or after the indicated number of retransmissions. This procedure is described in more detail with reference to Figure 23.

[0159] In step S600, a retransmission indicator is received indicating the number of blind retransmissions. Further, a continuation indicator is received indicating the duration of the monitoring period. For example, the continuation indicator may indicate the runtime value of drx-RetransmissionTimer.

[0160] In step S610, a new runtime value of the drx-RetransmissionTimer is calculated as the product of the received runtime value of the drx-RetransmissionTimer and the number of blind retransmissions.

[0161] In step S620, the first PDCCH transmission is received and the drx-retransmissionTimer is started with the calculated runtime.

[0162] In step S630, it is determined whether the UE 100 is in active time. That is, it is determined whether the drx-RetransmissionTimer is running. If it is determined that the drx-RetransmissionTimer is not running, that is, the UE 100 is not in active time (step S630, NO), the process ends. If it is determined that the UE 100 is in active time, the process proceeds to step S640.

[0163] In step S640, the PDCCH monitors reception of DCI for retransmission of DL data (second control information).

[0164] When the DCI and each DL data are received, it is determined in step S650 whether the received DL data can be decoded normally. If the DL data received via the PDSCH is decoded normally (step S650, YES), the process proceeds to step S670. If it is determined that the received DL data cannot be decoded normally, the process proceeds to step S660.

[0165] In step S660, it is determined whether the number of blind retransmissions has expired. In other words, the UE 100 keeps track of the number of blind retransmissions received and compares this number with the indicated number of blind retransmissions received in step S600. If the number of blind retransmissions has not expired (step S660, NO), further retransmissions are expected, so the process proceeds to step S630. On the other hand, if the number of blind retransmissions has expired (step S660, YES), the process proceeds to step S670.

[0166] In step S670, the drx-RetransmissionTimer corresponding to the current HARQ process is stopped, and then the process ends.

[0167] According to a variant of the above-described embodiment, the gNB transmits a retransmission indicator to the UE 100, indicating the number of retransmissions. Furthermore, a duration indicator, indicating the runtime of a dedicated timer, is received by the UE 100. The UE 100 then calculates the duration of the monitoring period to be proportional to the indicated number of blind retransmissions. Specifically, the duration of the monitoring period is set as the product of the indicated number of blind retransmissions and the indicated runtime of the respective timer.

[0168] In a further embodiment, the monitoring period is configured by configuring one or more partial monitoring periods during which the transceiver 110 of the transceiver device 100 (UE) monitors the PDCCH for DCI for blind retransmissions of data, for example by restarting a dedicated timer whenever DCI is received via the PDCCH, regardless of whether the received DCI relates to an initial transmission of data or to a blind retransmission of said data.

[0169] The partial monitoring period may be immediately after receiving DCI or after decoding DL data received via PDSCH.

[0170] In this embodiment, the runtime value of the timer is set to be sufficient for the UE 100 to be in the active time when it receives the next retransmission.

[0171] Starting the respective timers after not successfully decoding the received data and not starting the respective timers when the data is successfully decoded can reduce the power consumption of UE 100 and at the same time ensure that blind retransmissions are received as needed.

[0172] According to a first variant, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is disabled so that the UE 100 does not start or restart the drx-RetransmissionTimer when it receives a retransmission. Instead, the drx-InactivityTimer is started every time a transmission or retransmission is received. Details of this procedure are described with reference to Figures 24 and 25.

[0173] Figure 24 shows a timeline of transmissions between the gNB 200 (scheduling device) and the UE 100 (transceiver device) when a monitoring period is set by setting a partial monitoring period using the drx-InactivityTimer. Figure 25 shows method steps performed by the UE 100 when a monitoring period is set by setting a partial monitoring period using the drx-InactivityTimer.

[0174] As shown in Figure 24, the drx-InactivityTimer is started each time a PDCCH transmission or retransmission is received by the UE 100. If the received data can be successfully decoded (ACK for the last transmission shown in Figure 24), the drx-InactivityTimer is not restarted.

[0175] As shown in Fig. 25, in step S700, it is determined whether the UE 100 is in active time. That is, it is determined whether the drx-InactivityTimer is running. If the drx-InactivityTimer is not running (step S700, NO), the method ends. If the drx-InactivityTimer is running (step S710, YES), the method proceeds to step S710.

[0176] In step S710, the PDCCH is monitored for reception of DCI for blind retransmission of DL data.

[0177] When the DCI and the respective DL data are received, it is determined in step S720 whether the received DL data can be decoded normally. If the data received via the PDSCH can be decoded (step S720, YES), the method ends. If the received DL data cannot be decoded normally (step S720, NO), the method proceeds to step S730.

[0178] In step S730, as soon as DCI for blind retransmission of DL data is received via PDCCH, the drx-InactivityTimer is restarted and proceed to step S700.

[0179] According to a second variant, the UE 100 starts the drx-RetransmissionTimer each time the data received in a retransmission cannot be successfully decoded. Details of this procedure are described with reference to Figures 26 and 27.

[0180] Figure 26 shows a timeline of transmissions between gNB200 (scheduling device) and UE100 (transceiver device) when a monitoring period is set by setting a partial monitoring period using drx-RetransmissionTimer. Figure 27 shows method steps performed by UE100 when a monitoring period is set by setting a partial monitoring period using drx-RetransmissionTimer.

[0181] As can be seen from Figure 26, when a DCI for a new transmission of DL data is received, the drx-InactivityTimer is started, for example, according to the configured DRX process. For each DL data received and not successfully decoded, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is started and the PDCCH is monitored for the reception of a DCI for a retransmission of DL data. Each time DL data is received but not successfully decoded, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is (re)started for the reception of the next blind retransmission. When the data received via the PDSCH is successfully decoded, as indicated by a successful (ACK) decoding of the data received in the last blind retransmission, the drx-RetransmissionTimer may be stopped.

[0182] As can be seen from FIG. 27, in step S800, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is started when a decoding error occurs for data received via the PDSCH.

[0183] In step S810, it is determined whether the UE 100 is in an active state. That is, it is determined whether the drx-RetransmissionTimer is running. If the drx-RetransmissionTimer is not running (step S810, NO), the method ends. If the UE 100 is in an active state and the drx-RetransmissionTimer is running (step S820, YES), the method proceeds to step S820.

[0184] In step S820, the PDCCH is monitored for reception of DCI for retransmission of DL data.

[0185] In step S830, it is determined whether the DL data received via the PDSCH has been decoded normally. If the DL data has been decoded normally (step S830, YES), the process proceeds to step S850. If it has not been decoded normally (step S830, NO), the process proceeds to step S840.

[0186] In step S840, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is restarted (after decoding the received data) and the method continues with step S810.

[0187] In step S850, the drx-RetransmissionTimer corresponding to the current HARQ process is stopped, and then the method ends.

[0188] According to the described variant of this embodiment, the monitoring period is set by the circuit 130 of the transceiver device 100 by starting a partial monitoring period each time control information or second control information is received.

[0189] Note that the circuitry may initiate a partial monitoring period after unsuccessfully decoding the received data, and in this approach, the PDCCH is not unnecessarily monitored because a successful decode does not initiate a partial monitoring period.

[0190] In a further embodiment, the runtime of the timer for the partial monitoring period is long enough for the UE 100 to be active when the DCI for the retransmission is transmitted. Furthermore, the gNB indicates the number of blind retransmissions by transmitting a respective retransmission indicator indicating the number of blind retransmissions. The UE 100 (re)starts the respective timer each time DCI for a transmission or retransmission is received via the PDCCH.

[0191] The timer may be started immediately after receiving DCI or after decoding each piece of received DL data.

[0192] Furthermore, before starting the monitoring period (by starting the respective timer), it is determined whether the number of received retransmissions is equal to the number of retransmissions indicated by the gNB 200. If the number of received retransmissions is equal to or greater than the number of indicated retransmissions, no dedicated timer is started.

[0193] This approach avoids the UE 100 monitoring the PDCCH when no blind retransmissions are expected.

[0194] It should be noted that depending on whether the number of blind retransmissions is set semi-statically or dynamically, the number of blind retransmissions may be indicated semi-statically or dynamically, respectively. For example, for semi-static indication, RRC signaling may be utilized, and for dynamic indication, MAC CE or DCI may be utilized.

[0195] Furthermore, it should be noted that different HARQ processes can be independently configured with several blind retransmission and DRX timer values ​​(duration of monitoring period), including drx-RetransmissionTimer and drx-InactivityTimer. The dynamic value of the number of blind retransmissions can be configured or indicated by DCI signaling.

[0196] In a first variant, the monitoring period is set by starting a partial monitoring period using the drx-InactivityTimer, which is started every time DL data is received via the PDSCH, cannot be successfully decoded, and the last blind retransmission has not yet been performed according to the indicated number of blind retransmissions. Also, in a variant of this embodiment, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is disabled.

[0197] FIG. 28 shows a flowchart illustrating steps of a method performed by UE 100 when a monitoring period is set by setting a partial monitoring period using drx-InactivityTimer and the number of blind retransmissions is indicated.

[0198] In step S800, a retransmission indicator indicating the number of blind retransmissions is received from gNB200.

[0199] In step S810, it is determined whether the UE 100 is in active time. That is, it is determined whether the drx-InactivityTimer is running. If the drx-InactivityTimer is not running (step S810, NO), that is, if the UE is not in active time, the method ends. If the UE 100 is in active time (step S820, YES), proceed to step S820.

[0200] In step S820, the UE 100 monitors the PDCCH for reception of DCI for blind retransmission.

[0201] After receiving DCI for transmitting or retransmitting DL data, the DL data is received, and in step S830 it is determined whether the received DL data can be successfully decoded. If the DL data is successfully decoded (step S830, YES), the method ends. If the DL data is not successfully decoded (step S830, NO), the method proceeds to step S840.

[0202] In step S840, it is determined whether the number of blind retransmissions has been completed. In other words, the UE 100 tracks the number of received blind retransmissions and determines whether the number of received blind retransmissions is equal to the number of blind retransmissions indicated by the indicator received in step S800. If the number of blind retransmissions has been completed (step S840, YES), the method ends. If the number of blind retransmissions has not been completed (step S840, NO), the method proceeds to step S850.

[0203] In step S850, the drx-ImactivityTimer is restarted and the process continues to step S810.

[0204] In a second variant, the monitoring period is set by initiating a partial monitoring period using the drx-RetransmissionTimer, which is started each time DL data received via PDSCH cannot be successfully decoded and the last blind retransmission has not yet been performed according to the indicated number of blind retransmissions.

[0205] FIG. 29 shows a flowchart illustrating steps of a method performed by UE 100 when a monitoring period is set by setting a partial monitoring period using drx-RetransmissionTimer and the number of blind retransmissions is indicated.

[0206] In step S900, a retransmission indicator indicating the number of blind retransmissions is received from the gNB 200. Additionally, a value for the runtime of the drx-RetransmissionTimer is received. Details of the signaling of the number of blind retransmissions and the runtime of the timer are further described below.

[0207] In step S910, it is determined whether the UE 100 is in active time. That is, it is determined whether the drx-RetransmissionTimer is running. If the drx-RetransmissionTimer is not running (step S910, NO), that is, if the UE is not in active time, the method ends. If the UE 100 is in active time (step S920, YES), proceed to step S920.

[0208] In step S920, the UE 100 monitors the PDCCH for reception of DCI for blind retransmission.

[0209] In step S930, after receiving DCI for retransmission of DL data, the DL data is received and it is determined whether the received DL data can be decoded normally. If the DL data is decoded normally (step S930, YES), the method ends. If the DL data is not decoded normally (step S930, NO), the method proceeds to step S940.

[0210] In step S940, it is determined whether the number of blind retransmissions has been completed. In other words, the UE 100 tracks the number of received blind retransmissions and determines whether the number of received blind retransmissions is equal to the number of blind retransmissions indicated by the indicator received in step S900. If the number of blind retransmissions has been completed (step S940, YES), the method ends. If the number of blind retransmissions has not been completed (step S940, NO), the method proceeds to step S950.

[0211] In step S850, the drx-RetransmissionTimer is restarted (after decoding the DL data received via the PDSCH) and continues to step S910.

[0212] According to a variant of this embodiment, the transceiver 100 receives a retransmission indicator indicating the number of retransmissions. Furthermore, a monitoring period is set by starting one or more partial monitoring periods, for example by starting a respective timer. The timer is started only if the indicated number of retransmissions has not yet been completed.

[0213] This approach prevents the transceiver 100 from monitoring the PDCCH for DCI for blind retransmission of DL data when the gNB 200 does not retransmit said data, thus reducing the power consumption of the transceiver and at the same time ensuring that the transceiver 100 is in active time when the second control information is transmitted or the corresponding DL data is retransmitted.

[0214] The following describes in detail possible configuration paths for the number of blind retransmissions.

[0215] As already indicated, the number of blind retransmissions may be configured by an RRC message. The number of blind retransmissions may be configured in the DRX configuration element as shown below.

[0216] [Table 1]

[0217] In particular, the number of blind retransmissions may be configured via an additional parameter, which is denoted as "drx-NumberofBlindRetransmissions" in the above example.

[0218] The number of blind retransmissions may also be configured by the MAC CE.

[0219] In NR, for example, the MAC layer can insert so-called MAC control elements (MAC CEs) into transport blocks to be transmitted over transport channels. MAC CEs are used for in-band control signaling, such as timing advance commands or random access responses.

[0220] However, according to the present disclosure, the MAC CE may carry information regarding the number of blind retransmissions, and the MAC CE may indicate the number of blind retransmissions from 0 to 7, for example.

[0221] 30 schematically illustrates a MAC control element, CE, indicating the number of blind retransmissions according to one embodiment. For example, a field Di of the MAC CE may indicate the number of blind retransmissions, and when Di is set to "1", it may indicate that the number of blind retransmissions is i. For example, D1 corresponds to one blind retransmission, D2 corresponds to two blind retransmissions, D3 corresponds to three blind retransmissions, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to one byte indicating up to seven retransmissions, and more blind retransmissions may be configured by the MAC CE.

[0222] Furthermore, the number of blind retransmissions may be set by the DCI, for example, the number of blind retransmissions may be signaled using 3 bits to indicate up to 8 blind retransmissions.

[0223] The following details the possible runtime configuration paths for timers.

[0224] As already indicated, the runtime of the timer may be set by an RRC message. The runtime of the timer can be set in the DRX configuration element as shown below.

[0225] [Table 2]

[0226] In particular, the runtime of the timers can be set via the parameters drx-InactivityTimer, drx-RetransmissionTimerDL, and drx-RetransmissionTimerUL, i.e., the runtime value of each timer is associated with an index.

[0227] Also, the timer values ​​may be indicated by the MAC CE, for example, as shown in Figure 30. In this case, the MAC CE may indicate an index value for each timer. When the MAC CE is received by the UE, the timer value corresponding to the index indicated by the MAC CE may be applied to a dedicated timer in a monitoring period for monitoring the PDCCH for DCI of blind retransmission.

[0228] Alternatively, the time value may be indicated by a DCI, where the DCI indicates an index number, and the US, upon receiving the DCI, applies the runtime according to the index indicated by the DCI.

[0229] The setting of blind retransmission is not limited to any of the above-mentioned embodiments, and may be switched between the above-mentioned methods.

[0230] For example, at time t, the gNB may configure the runtime value of the timer either via DCI or RRC. Furthermore, at another time t', the number of blind retransmissions may be configured via DCI. In this case, the UE may derive the new timer value by multiplying the timer value by the number of blind retransmissions, as described above.

[0231] Similarly, the gNB can switch between configuration options. For example, if the gNB cannot configure the number of blind retransmissions at time t, the UE restarts the timer when it cannot successfully decode the received data. Additionally, at time t', the gNB may configure the number of blind retransmissions.

[0232] In the described embodiment and each variation, the number of blind retransmissions may be set for each HARQ process based on packet priority.

[0233] For example, three blind retransmissions may be configured for HARQ process 1, while a single blind retransmission may be configured for HARQ process 2, and no blind retransmissions may be configured for HARQ process 3.

[0234] Furthermore, for example, the number of blind retransmissions may be set according to the priority level of the transmitted packets. For example, for a first packet having a higher priority level than a second packet, a higher number of blind retransmissions may be set for a second packet having a lower priority level. For example, the number of blind retransmissions may be set to be proportional to the priority level of the transmitted packets.

[0235] Furthermore, it should be noted that different HARQ processes may be configured with different timer values. Furthermore, if the number of blind retransmissions is configured, the configured number of retransmissions may be different for different HARQ processes.

[0236] In the described embodiment and respective variants, the drx-HARQ-RTT timer may be disabled or its runtime value may be set to zero when HARQ feedback is disabled.

[0237] It should be noted that the methods according to the embodiments and their respective modifications are described for a single HARQ process. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In particular, the "end" of the method does not mean the end of all running timers.

[0238] Although the methods of the embodiments and their respective variations are primarily described in relation to downlink data transmitted from a gNB to a UE, these methods may be equally applied to transmissions from a UE to a gNB, i.e., transmission of uplink data.

[0239] That is, the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL may be set to zero or disabled such that the drx-InactivityTimer and / or the drx-RetransmissionTimerUL are started after receiving the DCI for the first transmission or after the transmission.

[0240] The term drx-RetransmissionTimer used in this disclosure may refer to drx-RetransmissionTimerDL for retransmission of downlink data or drx-RetransmissionTimerUL for retransmission of uplink data. Furthermore, the term drx-HARQ-RTT-Timer used in this disclosure may refer to drxHARQ-RTT-TimerDL or HARQ-RTT-TimerUL.

[0241] The present disclosure may be realized by software, hardware, or software interfacing with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each embodiment above may be partially or entirely realized by an LSI (Large Scale Integration) such as an integrated circuit (IC), and each process described in each embodiment may be partially or entirely controlled by the same LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be formed as an individual chip, or a single chip may be formed to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may also include data input / output devices coupled thereto. Here, an LSI may be referred to as an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI depending on the degree of integration. However, the technology for realizing an integrated circuit is not limited to LSI, and may be realized using a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or an application-specific processor. Furthermore, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), which allows reconfiguration of the connections and settings of circuit cells arranged within the LSI or a reconfigurable processor that can be programmed after fabrication, may also be used. The present disclosure may be realized as digital processing or analog processing. If future integrated circuit technologies replace LSI as a result of advances in semiconductor technology and other derivative technologies, functional blocks can be integrated using future integrated circuit technologies. Biotechnology is also applicable.

[0242] The present disclosure may be implemented by any type of apparatus, device or system having communication capabilities, referred to as a communications apparatus.

[0243] Some non-limiting examples of such communication devices include telephones (e.g., mobile (cell) phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, netbooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smart watches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine (remote health and remote medical) devices, and vehicles (e.g., automobiles, airplanes, ships) that provide communication capabilities, and various combinations thereof.

[0244] The communications apparatus is not limited to being portable or mobile, but may include any type of apparatus, device or system that is non-portable or fixed, such as smart home devices (e.g., appliances, lighting, smart meters, control panels), vending machines and any other "thing" in an "Internet of Things (IoT)" network.

[0245] Communications may include, for example, exchanging data via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, satellite systems, and the like, as well as various combinations thereof.

[0246] A communications apparatus may include devices such as a controller or a sensor coupled to the communications device to perform the communications functions described in this disclosure. For example, a communications apparatus may include a controller or a sensor that generates control or data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications apparatus.

[0247] Communications equipment may also include infrastructure facilities such as base stations, access points, and any other equipment, device, or system that communicates with or controls equipment such as those in the above non-limiting examples.

[0248] As described above, an apparatus and method are provided that allow blind retransmissions while ensuring reception of such transmissions when a DRX period is set.

[0249] A transceiver device is provided, comprising: a transceiver that, during operation, receives control information indicating scheduled transmission of data via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); and circuitry that, during operation, sets a monitoring period depending on the number of blind retransmissions of the data, wherein the transceiver, during operation, monitors the PDCCH during the monitoring period.

[0250] In some embodiments, the transceiver receives data in response to the control information during operation.

[0251] In some embodiments, the transceiver, during operation, transmits data in response to control information.

[0252] In other words, during operation, the transceiver can receive or transmit data in response to the control information, depending on whether the control information indicates reception or transmission of data. The advantages achieved by the present disclosure are achieved by setting a monitoring period in which the PDCCH is monitored regardless of whether data is being transmitted or received.

[0253] That is, the control information indicates the scheduling of blind retransmission of data, i.e., the control information does not contain said data but provides scheduling information to the transceiver for receiving or transmitting data.

[0254] Additionally, blind retransmission may refer to transmission of previously transmitted data. In particular, blind retransmission is the retransmission of data with or without feedback.

[0255] In some embodiments, during operation, the transceiver receives second control information over the PDCCH within the monitoring period indicating a scheduled retransmission of the data.

[0256] In some embodiments, the transceiver receives data in response to the second control information during operation.

[0257] In some embodiments, the transceiver, during operation, transmits data in response to the second control information.

[0258] In other words, during operation, the transceiver can receive or transmit data in accordance with the second control information depending on whether the second control information indicates reception or transmission of data. The advantages achieved by the present disclosure are achieved by setting a monitoring period in which the PDCCH is monitored regardless of whether data is transmitted or received.

[0259] In some embodiments, during operation, the circuitry initiates a monitoring period when control information is received.

[0260] In some embodiments, the transceiver receives, during operation, a duration indicator indicating the duration of the monitoring period, and the circuitry, during operation, sets the duration of the monitoring period according to the duration indicated by the duration indicator.

[0261] In some embodiments, the circuitry sets, during operation, the duration of the monitoring period proportional to the number of blind retransmissions.

[0262] In some embodiments, the transceiver receives a retransmission indicator during operation that indicates the number of blind retransmissions.

[0263] In some embodiments, the transceiver receives, during operation, an end indicator indicating an end of the monitoring period, and the circuitry, during operation, ends the monitoring period when the end indicator is received.

[0264] In some embodiments, the circuitry, during operation, sets the monitoring period by initiating a partial monitoring period each time the control information or the second control information is received.

[0265] In some embodiments, the transceiver, during operation, receives data in response to the control information or the second control information, and the circuit, during operation, decodes the received data in response to the control information or the second control information, determines whether the decoded data is normal, and sets a monitoring period by starting a partial monitoring period for each time the received data is not decoded normally.

[0266] In some embodiments, the transceiver, during operation, receives a retransmission indicator indicating a number of retransmissions, and the circuit, during operation, does not initiate a partial monitoring period if the number of received second control information equals the indicated number of retransmissions.

[0267] In some embodiments, during operation, the transceiver receives data in response to the control information or the second control information, and during operation, the circuitry decodes the data received by the transceiver and terminates the monitoring period if the data is successfully decoded.

[0268] In some embodiments, the circuitry, during operation, sets the monitoring period by starting a timer with a runtime equal to the duration of the monitoring period.

[0269] In some embodiments, a DRX cycle is set to be discontinuous reception, and the transceiver monitors the PDCCH during active times and does not monitor the PDCCH during off periods during operation.

[0270] Further provided is a scheduling apparatus comprising: a circuit for determining, during operation, a number of blind retransmissions of data; and a transceiver for transmitting, during operation, control information indicating scheduled transmissions or retransmissions of data depending on the number of blind retransmissions via a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH.

[0271] In some embodiments, the transceiver receives data in response to the control information during operation.

[0272] In some embodiments, the transceiver, during operation, transmits data in response to control information.

[0273] In other words, during operation, the transceiver can receive or transmit data in accordance with the control information, depending on whether the control information indicates reception or transmission of data. The advantages achieved by the present disclosure are achieved by setting a monitoring period in which the PDCCH is monitored regardless of whether data is being transmitted or received.

[0274] In other words, the control information indicates the scheduling of the transmission or blind retransmission of data, i.e., the control information does not include said data but provides scheduling information for the transceiver device to receive or transmit data.

[0275] Additionally, blind retransmission may refer to transmission of previously transmitted data. In particular, blind retransmission is the retransmission of data with or without feedback.

[0276] In some embodiments, the circuitry determines, during operation, the duration of the monitoring period, and the transceiver transmits, during operation, a duration indicator indicating the duration of the monitoring period.

[0277] In some embodiments, the transceiver transmits a retransmission indicator during operation that indicates the number of retransmissions.

[0278] In some embodiments, the transceiver transmits an end indicator during operation to indicate the end of the monitoring period.

[0279] There is further provided a method, comprising: receiving control information indicating a scheduled transmission of data via a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH; and setting a monitoring period according to a number of blind retransmissions of the data, wherein the PDCCH is monitored during the monitoring period.

[0280] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving data in response to the control information.

[0281] In some embodiments, the method includes transmitting data in response to the control information.

[0282] In other words, the method may include receiving or transmitting data in response to the control information, depending on whether the control information indicates reception or transmission of data. The advantages achieved by the present disclosure are achieved by setting a monitoring period in which the PDCCH is monitored regardless of whether data is transmitted or received.

[0283] That is, the control information indicates scheduling of blind retransmission of data, i.e., the control information does not include the data but provides scheduling information for the transceiver to receive or transmit data.

[0284] Additionally, blind retransmission may be referred to as a transmission of previously transmitted data. In particular, blind retransmission is a retransmission of data with or without transmitted feedback.

[0285] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving, via the PDCCH within the monitoring period, second control information indicating a scheduled retransmission of the data.

[0286] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving data in response to the second control information.

[0287] In some embodiments, the method includes transmitting data in response to the second control information.

[0288] In other words, the method may include receiving or transmitting data in response to the second control information depending on whether the control information indicates reception or transmission of data. The advantages achieved by the present disclosure are achieved by setting a monitoring period in which the PDCCH is monitored regardless of whether data is transmitted or received.

[0289] That is, the control information indicates scheduling of blind retransmission of data, i.e., the control information does not include the data but provides scheduling information for the transceiver to receive or transmit data.

[0290] Additionally, blind retransmission may refer to the transmission of previously transmitted data. In particular, blind retransmission is the retransmission of data with or without received feedback.

[0291] In some embodiments, the method includes initiating a monitoring period when control information is received.

[0292] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a duration indicator indicating a duration of a monitoring period, and setting the duration of the monitoring period according to the duration indicated by the duration indicator.

[0293] In some embodiments, the method includes setting the duration of the monitoring period proportional to the number of blind retransmissions.

[0294] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a retransmission indicator indicating a number of blind retransmissions.

[0295] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving an end indicator indicating an end of the monitoring period, and terminating the monitoring period if the end indicator is received.

[0296] In some embodiments, the method includes setting a monitoring period by initiating a partial monitoring period each time the control information or the second control information is received.

[0297] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving data in response to the control information or the second control information; decoding the received data in response to the control information or the second control information; determining whether the decoded data is normal; and setting a monitoring period by starting a partial monitoring period for each time the received data is not decoded normally.

[0298] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a retransmission indicator indicating a number of retransmissions, and not starting a partial monitoring period if the number of received second control information is equal to the indicated number of retransmissions.

[0299] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving data in response to the control information or the second control information, decoding the received data by the transceiver, and terminating the monitoring period if the data is successfully decoded.

[0300] In some embodiments, the method includes setting the monitoring period by starting a timer with a runtime equal to the duration of the monitoring period.

[0301] In some embodiments, a DRX cycle is set to be discontinuous reception, and the transceiver monitors the PDCCH during active times and does not monitor the PDCCH during off periods during operation.

[0302] Further provided is a method including the steps of determining a number of blind retransmissions of data, and transmitting control information indicating scheduled transmission or retransmission of the data according to the number of blind retransmissions via a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH.

[0303] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving data in response to the control information.

[0304] In some embodiments, the method includes transmitting data in response to the control information.

[0305] In other words, the method may include receiving or transmitting data in response to the control information, depending on whether the control information indicates reception or transmission of data. The advantages achieved by the present disclosure are achieved by setting a monitoring period in which the PDCCH is monitored regardless of whether data is transmitted or received.

[0306] In other words, the control information indicates the scheduling of the transmission or blind retransmission of data, i.e., the control information does not include said data but provides scheduling information for the transceiver device to receive or transmit data.

[0307] Additionally, blind retransmission may refer to transmission of previously transmitted data. In particular, blind retransmission is the retransmission of data with or without feedback.

[0308] In some embodiments, the method includes determining a duration of the monitoring period and transmitting a duration indicator indicating the duration of the monitoring period.

[0309] In some embodiments, the method includes transmitting a retransmission indicator indicating the number of retransmissions.

[0310] In some embodiments, the method includes transmitting an end indicator indicating an end of the monitoring period.

Claims

1. a transceiver configured to receive a configuration for disabling or not disabling Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback via Radio Resource Control (RRC); a circuit for starting an RTT timer for a non-terrestrial network (NTN) when the HARQ feedback is not disabled based on the setting; Equipped with Transmitting and receiving equipment.

2. The transceiver receives control information via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) within a monitoring period; the control information indicates scheduled data and relates to the transmission of new data or retransmission of data; The transmitting / receiving device according to claim 1 .

3. the circuitry initiates the monitoring period when the control information is received. The transmitting / receiving device according to claim 2 .

4. the transceiver receiving a retransmission indicator indicating the number of retransmissions of data; The transmitting / receiving device according to claim 1 .

5. In operation, the circuit determining whether the data was successfully decoded; If the data is not successfully decoded, the monitoring period begins after the RTT timer expires. The transmitting / receiving device according to claim 2 .

6. The circuit comprises: Decoding the data received by the transceiver; If the data is successfully decoded, then terminating the monitoring period. The transmitting / receiving device according to claim 2 .

7. the monitoring period includes at least one of a duration of a drx-InactivityTimer and a duration of a drx-RetransmissionTimer; The transmitting / receiving device according to claim 2 .

8. The discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle is set, The transceiver monitors the PDCCH during an active time and does not monitor the PDCCH during an off period. The transmitting / receiving device according to claim 2 .

9. A transceiver configured to transmit a configuration of whether to disable Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback via Radio Resource Control (RRC), When the HARQ feedback is not disabled based on the configuration, an RTT timer for a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is started. Scheduling device.

10. receiving via Radio Resource Control (RRC) a configuration as to whether Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback is disabled; When the HARQ feedback is not disabled based on the configuration, starting an RTT timer for a non-terrestrial network (NTN); having method.

11. transmitting a configuration of whether to disable Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback via Radio Resource Control (RRC); When the HARQ feedback is not disabled based on the configuration, an RTT timer for a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is started. method.

12. receiving a configuration whether to disable Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback via Radio Resource Control (RRC); starting an RTT timer for a non-terrestrial network (NTN) when the HARQ feedback is not disabled based on the configuration; Including, Integrated circuit.

13. transmitting a setting of whether to disable Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback via Radio Resource Control (RRC); When the HARQ feedback is not disabled based on the configuration, an RTT timer for a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is started. Integrated circuit.

14. If the transmission of the HARQ feedback is not disabled, after transmitting the HARQ feedback, start a timer in the NTN plus a value of the propagation delay. The transmitting / receiving device according to claim 1 .

15. Whether to disable the HARQ feedback is set for each HARQ process. The transmitting / receiving device according to claim 1 .

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