User device, scheduling node, method for user device, and method for scheduling node

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving signals in a communication system. [Solution] A base station transmits downlink control information (DCI) signaling, and a communication device receives the DCI signaling. The DCI signaling includes instructions regarding the dormant behavior of a secondary cell (Scell). A Scell ​​is configured with multiple bandwidth portions (BWPs), including a dormant BWP and one or more normal BWPs. If the instructions indicate a transition from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior, a target BWP for performing the non-dormant behavior is determined. The determination of the target BWP is performed according to the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or pre-configured BWP, the legacy BWP indicator field of the DCI signaling, the most immediately active normal BWP, and at least one of the dormant BWPs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the transmission and reception of signals in a communication system. In particular, the present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for such transmission and reception.

Background Art

[0002] Currently, 3GPP (registered trademark: 3rd Generation Partnership Project) is working on the technical specifications of next-generation cellular technology, also known as the 5th generation (5G), including New Radio Access Technology (NR), a radio access technology (RAT) that operates in the frequency range up to 100 GHz. NR is a successor to technologies represented by LTE (Long Term Evolution) and LTE Advanced (LTE-A).

[0003] For systems such as LTE and NR, further improvements and options can facilitate the efficient operation of the communication system as well as specific apparatuses related to the system.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] One non-limiting and exemplary embodiment facilitates providing an efficient determination of a BWP for performing non-idle behavior in a wireless communication system.

[0005] In one embodiment, the technology disclosed herein features a device (e.g., a user device, UE). The device includes a transceiver that receives downlink control information (DCI) signaling during operation. The device further includes circuitry that, during operation, obtains instructions from the DCI signaling regarding the dormant behavior of a secondary cell (Scell), which is configured with multiple bandwidth portions (BWPs) including a dormant BWP and one or more normal BWPs, and determines a target BWP for performing the non-dormant behavior when the instructions indicate a transition from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior. The determination of the target BWP is performed in particular in accordance with the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or pre-configured BWP, a legacy BWP indicator field of the DCI signaling, the most immediately active normal BWP, and at least one of the dormant BWP.

[0006] It should be noted that general or specific embodiments may be implemented as systems, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs, storage media, or any selective combination thereof.

[0007] Further advantages and benefits of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from this specification and the drawings. The advantages and / or benefits may be obtained individually by the various embodiments and features of the specification and drawings, and it is not necessary for all of them to be provided in order to obtain one or more of such advantages and / or benefits. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] The following describes exemplary embodiments in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. [Figure 1] This diagram shows an example architecture of a 3GPP NR system. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram of the RRC connection setup / reconfiguration procedure. [Figure 4]This is a schematic diagram illustrating usage scenarios for enhanced Mobile Broadband, Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), and UltraReliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC). [Figure 5] This block diagram shows an exemplary 5G system architecture for non-roaming. [Figure 6] This block diagram shows an example of the functional structure of a network node and user device. [Figure 7] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an exemplary functional structure of a PDCCH generation circuit that may be included in an exemplary scheduling node. [Figure 8] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an exemplary functional structure of a PDCCH monitoring circuit that may be included in an exemplary user device. [Figure 9] This includes exemplary steps performed by network nodes, as well as exemplary steps performed by user devices. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] 5G NR system architecture and protocol stack 3GPP is working on the next release for fifth-generation cellular technology, simply called 5G, which will include the development of NR (New Radio Access Technology) operating in the frequency range up to 100 GHz. The first version of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, enabling trials and commercial deployment of smartphones compliant with the 5G NR standard.

[0010] In particular, the overall system architecture assumes an NG-RAN (Next Generation-Radio Access Network) that includes gNBs and provides NG Radio Access User Plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and Control Plane (RRC) protocol termination to the UE. The gNBs are interconnected with each other by Xn interfaces. The gNBs are also connected to the NGC (Next Generation Core) by NG (Next Generation) interfaces, and more specifically, to the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) (e.g., a specific core entity that performs the AMF) by NG-C interfaces and to the UPF (User Plane Function) (e.g., a specific core entity that performs the UPF) by NG-U interfaces. The NG-RAN architecture is shown in Figure 1 (see, for example, Section 4 of 3GPP TS38.300 v15.6.0).

[0011] The NR's user-plane protocol stack (see, for example, 3GPP TS38.300 Section 4.4.1) has a PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol, see TS38.300 Section 6.4) sublayer, an RLC (Radio Link Control, see TS38.300 Section 6.3) sublayer, and a MAC (Medium Access Control, see TS38.300 Section 6.2) sublayer, which are terminated at the gNB on the network side. Furthermore, a new access layer (AS) sublayer (SDAP, Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced on top of PDCP (see, for example, 3GPP TS38.300 Subclose 6.5). A control-plane protocol stack is also defined for the NR (see, for example, TS38.300 Section 4.4.2). An outline of Layer 2 functionality is given in TS38.300 Subclose 6. 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 subsection 7 of TS38.300.

[0012] For example, the MAC layer handles logical channel multiplexing and scheduling, as well as scheduling-related functions, including handling different neurology.

[0013] The Physical Layer (PHY) is responsible for, for example, encoding, PHY HARQ processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping signals to appropriate physical time-frequency resources. It also handles the 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 transmitting a particular transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. For example, physical channels include PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) for uplinks, and PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), and PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel) for downlinks.

[0014] Use cases / deployment scenarios for NR can include eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband), URLLC (UltRA Reliable Low-Latency Communications), and mMTC (massive Machine Type Communication), each with 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-perceived data rates on the order of three times that of IMT-Advanced. On the other hand, in the case of URLLC, the requirements are even tighter: ultra-low latency (0.5 ms each for UL and DL of user plane latency) and high reliability (1-10 ms within 1 ms). -5 ) is imposed on the following. Ultimately, mMTC is preferably imposed on high connectivity density (1,000,000 devices / km in urban environments). 2), this may require high coverage in harsh environments and extremely long-lasting batteries (15 years) for low-cost devices.

[0015] Therefore, OFDM neurology suitable for one use case (e.g., subcarrier interval, OFDM symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) duration, number of symbols per scheduling interval, etc.) may not work well for another use case. For example, a low-latency service may preferably require a shorter symbol duration (and therefore a larger subcarrier interval) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (aka TTI) than an mMTC service. Furthermore, a deployment scenario with a large channel delay spread may preferably require a longer CP duration than a scenario with a short delay spread. To maintain similar CP overhead, the subcarrier interval should be optimized accordingly. NR may support multiple values ​​for the subcarrier interval. In response to this, subcarrier intervals of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, etc. are currently being considered. Symbol duration T u The subcarrier spacing Δf is given by Δf = 1 / T u This is directly related through the formula. Similar to LTE systems, the term “resource element” can be used to refer to the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier for the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0016] In the new 5G-NR wireless system, resource grids for subcarriers and OFDM symbols are defined for each neurology and carrier, for both uplink and downlink. Each element in the resource grid is called a resource element and is identified based on its frequency index in the frequency domain and its symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS38.211 v15.7.0).

[0017] Compared with LTE numerology (subcarrier spacing and symbol length), NR supports multiple different types of subcarrier spacing labeled by parameters (in LTE, only the 15 kHz subcarrier spacing corresponding to μ = 0 in NR exists). The types of NR numerology are summarized in 3GPP TS 38.211, v 15.7.0.

[0018] 5G NR functional split between NG-RAN and 5GC Figure 2 is a diagram showing the functional split between NG-RAN and 5GC. The NG-RAN logical node is a gNB or ng-eNB. The 5GC has logical nodes AMF, UPF, and SMF.

[0019] In particular, 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 the UE in both the uplink and downlink · Compression of IP headers, encryption, and protection of data integrity · Selection of the AMF in UE attachment when the routing to the AMF cannot be determined from the information provided by the UE · Routing of user plane data to the UPF · Routing of control plane information to the AMF · Establishment and release of connections · Scheduling and transmission of paging messages · Scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (originated from the AMF or OAM) · Measurements and measurement report settings for mobility and scheduling · Transport-level packet marking in the uplink · Session management · Support for network slicing · QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers • Support for UEs in RRC_INACTIVE state • NAS message distribution function • Wireless access network sharing Dual connectivity • Close interaction between NR and E-UTRA

[0020] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) hosts the following main functions: • Non-accessible layer (NAS), signaling terminated • NAS signaling security • Access Layer (AS), Security Control • Core network (CN) node-to-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-system and inter-system mobility • Access Authentication • Access rights including roaming rights checks • Mobility management and control (subscriptions and policies) • Support for network slicing • Session management function (SMF), selection

[0021] Furthermore, the User Plane Function (UPF) hosts the following main functions: • Anchor points for mobility within / between RAT (if applicable) • External PDU session points for interconnection to the data network Packet routing and forwarding • Packet inspection and user plane portion of policy rule enforcement • Traffic usage report • Uplink classifier that supports routing of traffic flow to data networks • Branch point that supports multi-homed PDU sessions • QoS processing for the user plane, including packet filtering, gating, and UL / DL rate enforcement. • Uplink traffic verification (flow mapping from SDF to QoS) • Downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggers

[0022] Finally, the Session Management Function (SMF) hosts the following main functions: • Session management • Assignment and management of UE IP addresses • Selection and control of UP function • Configuring traffic steering in User Plane Functions (UPF) to route traffic to the appropriate destination. • Policy enforcement and QoS control section • Downlink for data notifications

[0023] RRC connection setup and reconfiguration procedure Figure 3 shows some interactions between UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entities) in the context of the UE migration from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED for a portion of NAS (see TS38.300 v15.6.0).

[0024] RRC is a higher-layer signaling (protocol) used for UE and gNB configuration. Specifically, this transition involves the AMF preparing UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security key, UE radio capability, and UE security capability) and sending it to the gNB along with the INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST. The gNB then activates AS security with the UE. This is done by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE, and the UE responding to the gNB with a SecurityModeComplete message. Subsequently, the gNB performs a reconfiguration to set up the signaling radio bearer 2 (SRB2) and data radio bearers (DRB(or more)) by sending an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE, and in response, the gNB receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete message from the UE. In the case of signal-only connections, SRB2 and DRB are not set up, so the steps related to RRCReconfiguration are skipped. Finally, gNB notifies AMF that the configuration procedure is complete in INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE.

[0025] Accordingly, this disclosure provides a fifth-generation core (5GC) entity (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) comprising a control circuit that establishes a next-generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB during operation, and a transmitter that, during operation, sends an initial context setting message to the gNodeB via the NG connection to trigger a signaling radio bearer setup between the gNodeB and the user equipment (UE). Specifically, the gNodeB sends a radio resource control (RRC), which is a signaling signal containing resource allocation setting information elements, to the UE via the signaling radio bearer. The UE then performs an uplink transmit or downlink receive based on the resource allocation setup.

[0026] IMT usage scenarios from 2020 onwards Figure 4 shows several use cases for 5G NR. 3GPP NR (3rd Generation Partnership Project new radio) considers three use cases where IMT-2020 is expected to support a wide variety of services and applications. Phase 1 of the eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband) specification is complete. In addition to further extending eMBB support, current and future work will involve standardization for UltraRA Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) and Massive Machine Type Communications. Figure 5 shows some examples of anticipated use scenarios for IMT beyond 2020 (see, for example, Figure 2 of ITU-R M.2083).

[0027] URLLC use cases have stringent requirements for capabilities such as throughput, latency, and effectiveness, and are envisioned as one of the enablers for future vertical applications such as wireless control of industrial manufacturing or production processes, telemedicine surgery, distribution automation in smart grids, and transportation security. The high reliability of URLLC 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 UL (uplink) and a target user plane latency of 0.5 ms for DL ​​(downlink). Typical URLLC requirements for a single packet transmission are a user plane latency of 1 ms and a BLER (block error rate) of 1E-5 for a packet size of 32 bytes.

[0028] From a physical layer perspective, reliability can be improved in many possible ways. Current measures to improve reliability include defining separate CQI tables for URLLC, a more compact DCI format, and PDCCH iterations. However, as NR becomes more stable and developed (for NR URLLC key requirements), the scope for achieving high reliability may expand. Specific use cases for NR URLLC in Rel. 15 include augmented reality / virtual reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications.

[0029] Furthermore, the technical enhancements targeted by NR URLLC aim to improve latency and reliability. Technical enhancements for latency improvement include configurable neurology, non-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, permission for free (configured-permitted) uplinks, slot-level iteration of data channels, and downlink preemption. Preemption means that a transmission for which resources have already been allocated is stopped, and those resources will be used for another transmission requested later, but which has low latency and a higher priority. Thus, transmissions that have already been permitted are preempted by later transmissions. Preemption is applicable regardless of the specific service type. For example, a transmission for service type A (URLLC) may be preempted by a transmission for service type B (e.g., eMBB). Technical enhancements for reliability improvement include a dedicated CQI / MCS table for 1E-5 target BLERs.

[0030] The use cases for mMTC (massive machine type communication) are characterized by a very large number of connected devices typically transmitting relatively small amounts of non-delay sensitive data. The devices are required to be low-cost and have very long battery life. From a noise reduction (NR) perspective, utilizing a very narrow bandwidth portion is one possible solution that offers power savings and long battery life from an UE perspective.

[0031] Thus, it is expected that the range of NR reliability will broaden. One important requirement for all cases, and especially for URLLC and mMTC, is high reliability or super reliability. Several mechanisms can be considered to improve reliability from both a radio and network perspective. In general, there are several important potential areas that can help improve reliability. Among these areas are compact control channel information, data / control channel repetition, and diversity in the frequency, time, and / or spatial domains. These areas are generally applicable to reliability regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0032] For NR URLLC, further use cases with more stringent requirements have been identified, including factory automation, the transportation industry, and power supply, including power supply. These stringent requirements require higher reliability (10 6 (Up to level), higher effectiveness, packet size up to 256 bytes, time synchronization up to a few microseconds, the value can be 1 microsecond or a few microseconds depending on the frequency range, and short latency is around 0.5 to 1 ms depending on the use case, with the target user plane latency being 0.5 ms in particular.

[0033] Furthermore, several technical enhancements have been identified for NR URLLC from a physical layer perspective. These include PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) enhancements related to compact DCI, PDCCH repetition, and increased PDCCH monitoring. In addition, UCI (Uplink Control Information) enhancements are related to enhanced HARQ (Hybrid Auto Retransmission Request) and CSI feedback enhancements. PUSCH enhancements related to minislot level hopping and retransmission / repetition enhancements have also been identified. The term "minislot" refers to a transmit time interval (TTI) containing fewer symbols than a slot (a slot containing 14 symbols).

[0034] QoS control The 5G QoS (Quality of Service) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bitrate (GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bitrate (non-GBR QoS flows). Therefore, at the NAS level, QoS flows are the finest granularity of QoS differentiation within a PDU session. QoS flows are identified within a PDU session by a QoS flow ID (QFI) carried in an encapsulation header on the NG-U interface.

[0035] 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) with the PDU session, and additional DRBs(s) for the QoS flow(s) of that PDU session may be configured thereafter, as shown above with reference to Figure 3 (it is up to the NG-RAN when doing so). The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters within the UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, while AS-level mapping rules within the UE and NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0036] Figure 5 shows a 5G NR non-roaming reference architecture (see TS 23.501 v16.1.0, Section 4.23). Application functions (AFs), such as an external application server hosting a 5G service as illustrated in Figure 4, interact with the 3GPP core network to provide services that support, for example, application influence on traffic routing, access to network exposure functions (NEFs), or interaction with policy frameworks (e.g., QoS control) for policy control (see policy control functions, PCFs). Based on the operator's placement, application functions considered trusted by the operator can interact directly with the relevant network functions. Application functions that are not permitted to have direct access to network functions by the operator interact with the relevant network functions using externally exposed frameworks via NEFs.

[0037] Figure 5 shows further functional units of the 5G architecture, namely the 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. All or some of the core network functions and application services may be deployed and running in a cloud computing environment.

[0038] Accordingly, the Disclosure provides an application server (e.g., AF in a 5G architecture) equipped with a transmitter that, during operation, sends a request to at least one of the 5GC functions (e.g., NEF, AMF, SMF, PCF, UPF, etc.) including QoS requirements for at least one of the URLLC, eMMB, and mMTC services to establish a PDU session including a radio bearer between the gNodeB and the UE in accordance with the QoS requirements, and during operation, performs a service using the established PDU session.

[0039] Terminals and base stations In LTE and NR, a terminal, user terminal, or user device is referred to as a user device (UE). This may be a mobile device or communication device such as a wireless telephone, smartphone, tablet computer, or USB (universal serial bus) stick that has the functionality of a user device. However, the term mobile device is not limited thereto, and generally 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, for example, a network node that forms part of a network to provide services to a terminal. A base station is a network node or scheduling node that provides radio access to a terminal. Communication between a terminal and a base station is typically standardized. In LTE and NR, the wireless interface protocol stack includes the physical layer, the MAC (Medium Access Control) layer, and upper layers. In the control plane, the upper layer protocol, the Radio Resource Control Protocol, is provided. Through the RRC, the base station can control the configuration of a terminal, and the terminal can communicate with the base station to perform control tasks such as establishing and correcting connections and bearers, measurement, and other functions. The term used in LTE is eNB (or eNodeB), while the term currently used in 5G NR is gNB.

[0041] The service for transferring data provided by a layer to a higher layer is typically referred to as a channel. 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 various types of data transfer services provided by MACs. Each logical channel type is defined by the type of information being transferred. Logical channels are classified into two groups: control channels and traffic channels. Control channels are used only for transferring control plane information. Traffic channels are used only for transferring user plane information.

[0043] Next, logical channels are mapped to transport channels by the MAC layer. For example, logical traffic channels and some logical control channels may be mapped to a transport channel called a Downlink Shared Channel (DL-SCH) in the downlink and to a transport channel called an Uplink Shared Channel (UL-SCH) in the uplink.

[0044] Since this disclosure relates to scheduling, both entities, a scheduled device (typically a communication device / transceiver) and a scheduling device (typically a network node), are involved. The present invention further provides a system including a scheduled scheduling device, as well as corresponding methods and programs.

[0045] The following describes a novel radio access technology for which UEs, base stations, and procedures are assumed to be for 5G mobile communication systems, but which may also be used in LTE mobile communication systems. Various embodiments and modifications are also described. The following disclosures are facilitated by the above discussion and findings, and can be based, for example, on at least some part thereof.

[0046] It should be noted that, in general, many assumptions are made herein so that the underlying principles of this disclosure can be explained in a clear and understandable manner. However, these assumptions should be understood as merely examples made herein for illustrative purposes that should not limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0047] Furthermore, some of the terms used below, such as procedures, entities, and layers, are closely related to the terms used in LTE / LTE-A systems or current 3GPP 5G standardization, even though certain terms used in the context of new radio access technologies for upcoming 3GPP 5G communication systems have not yet been fully determined or may ultimately change. Therefore, the terms may be changed in the future without affecting the functionality of the embodiments. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments and their scope of protection should not be limited to certain terms used exemplary herein due to the lack of newer or ultimately agreed-upon terms, but may be more broadly understood with respect to the functions and concepts that form the basis of the functionality and principles of this disclosure.

[0048] For example, a mobile station or mobile node or a user terminal or user equipment (UE) is a physical entity (physical node) in a communication network. A single node may have multiple functional entities. A functional entity refers to a software or hardware module that implements and / or provides a predetermined set of functions to the same or another node or other functional entities in the network. A node may have one or more interfaces that connect it to a communication facility or medium with which it can communicate. Similarly, a network entity may have logical interfaces that connect it to a communication facility or medium with which it can communicate to other functional entities or corresponding nodes.

[0049] Here, the term “base station” or “wireless base station” refers to a physical entity within a communication network. Similar to a mobile station, a base station can have several functional entities. A functional entity refers to a software or hardware module that implements and / or provides a predetermined set of functions to the same or another node or other functional entities in the network. A physical entity performs some control task related to the communication equipment, including one or more of scheduling and configuration. It should be noted that base station functions and communication device functions may be integrated within a single device. For example, a mobile terminal can also implement base station functionality for other terminals. The term used in LTE is eNB (or eNodeB), while the term currently used for 5G NR is gNB.

[0050] Downlink control channel monitoring, PDCCH, DCI Many of the functions operated by the UE include, for example, monitoring downlink control channels (e.g., PDCCH, see 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0, Section 5.2.3) to receive specific control information or data for the UE.

[0051] A non-exclusive list of these features is shown below. • Paging message monitoring function • System information acquisition function • Signaling monitoring operation for DRX function, which is intermittent reception. • Inactive monitoring operation for DRX function, which is intermittent reception. • Receive random access responses for random access functionality. • Reordering function of the PDCP layer, which is a packet data convergence protocol.

[0052] As described above, PDCCH monitoring is performed by the UE to identify and receive information for the UE, such as control information and user traffic (e.g., DCI on the PDCCH and user data on the PDSCH indicated by the PDCCH).

[0053] Downlink control information (which can be called downlink control information, or DCI) serves the same purpose in 5G NR as DCI in LTE, namely, a special set of control information that schedules, for example, downlink data channels (e.g., PDSCH) or uplink data channels (e.g., PUSCH). In 5G NR, there are several different DCI formats that have already been defined (see TS 38.212 v15.6.0 section 7.3.1).

[0054] The DCI formats described above represent predetermined formats in which each piece of information is formed and transmitted. In particular, DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1 are used to schedule PUSCH and PDSCH, respectively, within a single cell.

[0055] Each of these PDCCH monitoring functions serves a specific purpose and is therefore initiated up to the end described above. PDCCH monitoring is typically controlled based on a timer operated by at least the UE. The timer serves the purpose of controlling PDCCH monitoring, for example, by limiting the maximum amount of time the UE should monitor the PDCCH. For example, the UE does not need to monitor the PDCCH indefinitely, but can stop monitoring after a certain period of time to conserve power.

[0056] As mentioned above, one of the purposes of DCI on PDCCH is the dynamic scheduling of resources in downlink, uplink, or sidelink. In particular, several formats of DCI are provided to carry instructions for resource allocation (RA) of resources assigned to data channels for a specific user. Resource allocation can include specification of resources in the frequency domain and / or time domain.

[0057] Physical resource blocks Generally, the term "physical resource block" (PRB) refers to the smallest allocatable resource unit available for (user) data transmission. In LTE and NR, a PRB has a predetermined number (e.g., 12) consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and a predetermined number (e.g., 14 OFDM symbols in LTE) symbols in the time domain.

[0058] Cell types: Primary cell, Secondary cell, Serving cell The term "cell" refers to a component carrier (CC) where allocatable resources (such as time, frequency, and spatial resources) are placed. For example, there may be more carriers used by a terminal to increase the number of available resources. These CCs are sometimes referred to as cells.

[0059] The primary cell (Pcell) operates at the primary frequency, which is the frequency at which the UE performs the initial connection establishment procedure and / or initiates the connection re-establishment procedure. The Pcell may also be the cell explicitly designated in the handover procedure.

[0060] A secondary cell (Scell) operating on a secondary frequency may be configured once an RRC connection is established and may be used to provide additional radio resources.

[0061] For UEs within RRC_CONNECTED that are not configured with carrier aggregation (CA), there is only one serving cell, which is the primary cell. For UEs within RRC_CONNECTED configured with CA, the term "serving cell" refers to the primary cell and all secondary cells. In other words, a serving cell is the cell in which a UE is configured to send and / or receive data.

[0062] Bandwidth parts (BWPs) In general, multiple BWPs may be set for each cell (for example, a serving cell) (for example, by RRC signaling).

[0063] In NR, a BWP consists of a group of consecutive PRBs. The bandwidth (BW) of a BWP cannot exceed the component carrier (CC) BW set for the UE and must be the same size as at least one synchronization signal (SS) block BW, although a BWP may or may not include an SS block. Each BWP is associated with a specific neurology, namely subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type. Thus, a BWP is also a means of reconfiguring the UE using a certain neurology. For each cell, multiple BWPs may be set for the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and the RRC signaling may overlap in frequency. The granularity of BW setting is one PRB. For each serving cell, DL and UL BWPs are set separately and independently for the paired spectrum, and up to four BWPs may be set for DL ​​and UL respectively. For unpaired spectra, DL BWPs and UL BWPs are set together as a pair, and up to four pairs can be set. Similarly, up to four UL BWPs can exist that are set up for supplemental ULs (SULs). Each set up DL BWP contains at least one control resource set (CORESET) with a UE-specific search space (USS). The USS is a UE-specific search space for monitoring possible reception of control information for the UE (e.g., a UE-specific PDCCH carrying DCI(or more)).

[0064] The search space, similar to LTE, is a set of candidate resources for which the UE monitors PDCCHs. Monitoring includes, for example, blind detection and decoding of PDCCHs in candidate resources. PDCCHs destined for the UE are provided, for example, by a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) mask that depends on the UE identifier. For example, in LTE or NR, the UE identifier may be a temporary identifier assigned to the UE by the network, such as an RNTI (Radio Network Temporary Identifier). The RNTI may be used to scramble the CRC. If a candidate resource carries a PDCCH addressed to the UE, the UE can identify this UE-addressed PDCCH and successfully decode the DCI, which means the CRC will not fail.

[0065] On a primary carrier, at least one of the configured DL BWPs includes one CORESET with a common search space (CSS). The CSS is a search space for UEs to monitor possible reception of control information common to all UEs or for specific UEs. If the CORESET of an active DL BWP is not configured with a CSS, the UE does not need to monitor it. It should be noted that UEs are expected to receive and transmit only within the frequency range configured for the active BWP with the associated numerical value. However, there are exceptions, and UEs may perform Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements or transmit a sounding reference signal (SRS) outside of that active BWP through the measurement gap. BWPs are also tools for switching the UE's operating numerical values. Numerical logic for DL ​​BWP configuration is used for at least the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), and the corresponding Demodulation RS (DMRS). Similarly, the neurology for UL BWP configurations is used for at least the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and the corresponding DMRS. On the other hand, it should be noted that, at least in earlier versions of NR, there are constraints on neurology configuration; namely, the same neurology is used within the same PUCCH group, which includes both DL and UL.

[0066] This specification further defines that a UE may be configured using bandwidth portions of up to four carriers in an uplink, provided that a bandwidth portion of a single uplink carrier is active at a given time. If a UE is configured using an auxiliary uplink, the UE may further be configured using bandwidth portions of up to four carriers in an auxiliary uplink, provided that a bandwidth portion of a single auxiliary uplink carrier is active at a given time. The UE does not transmit PUSCH or PUCCH outside of the active bandwidth portion. Numerical logic is defined by subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP). A resource block (RB) is generally defined as 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. Physical resource blocks (PRBs) are numbered within a BWP, and PRB numbering in a BWP starts from 0.

[0067] The size of the BWP can vary from a minimum of one PRB to the maximum size of the system bandwidth. Currently, up to four BWPs can be configured with a single active downlink and uplink BWP in a given TTI (transmission time interval), with higher examples and parameters for each DL (downlink) and UL (uplink). However, this disclosure is not limited to the case defined in TS 38.211 for UEs configured with up to four bandwidth segments. The number of bandwidth segments may be greater than four in the uplink and / or downlink. For example, a UE can be configured with eight BWPs.

[0068] The Transmission Time Interval (TTI) determines the timing granularity of scheduling assignments. One TTI is the time interval at which a given signal is mapped to the physical layer. The TTI length can vary from 14 symbols (slot-based scheduling) to 2 symbols (non-slot-based scheduling). Downlink and uplink transmissions are specified to be organized into frames (10ms duration) consisting of 10 subframes (1ms duration). In slot-based transmissions, the subframes are then divided into slots, the number of which is defined by the neurology / subcarrier interval, with a specified range of values ​​from 10 slots at a 15kHz subcarrier interval to 320 slots at a 240kHz subcarrier interval. The number of OFDM symbols per slot is 14 for normal cyclic prefixes and 12 for extended cyclic prefixes (see sections 4.1 (General Frame Structure), 4.2 (Numerology), 4.3.1 (Frames and Subframes), and 4.3.2 (Slots) of 3GPP TS 38.211 V15.0.0 (2017-12)). However, transmission may be non-slot-based. In non-slot-based communication, the minimum length of TTI may be two OFDM symbols. The BWP concept in NR allows for the dynamic setting of a relatively small active bandwidth for smaller data packets, which enables power savings for the UE because, for a small active BWP, the UE needs to monitor fewer frequencies or use fewer frequencies for transmission.

[0069] Activating / Deactivating BWP At a given time, only one of the cell's configured BWPs may be active, which is also called the cell's (current) active BWP. Note that in this disclosure, the term “currently active” BWP refers to the BWP that is active when a DCI is received, including a pause switch instruction (described below). In other words, the currently active BWP may also be the BWP that is active when the target BWP is determined and / or when the BWP priority is determined (also described below).

[0070] When a cell has an active BWP, the cell is also called an active / activated cell. Generally, one or more cells may be active at the same time. For example, a UE may have an active Pcell and one or more active Scells. Generally, a UE is not expected to receive PDSCH, PDCCH, CSI-RS, or TRS outside of an active BWP. Therefore, a UE will not report a CSI for an inactive BWP.

[0071] More specifically, for each cell, the active bandwidth portion of the user equipment (e.g., the bandwidth portion used by the UE for transmitting and receiving signals in the TTI) can be switched between configured BWPs. For example, depending on current needs, the active BWP can be switched to a larger BWP, or to a smaller BWP to conserve battery power for the UE. This is made possible by dynamic instruction in the DCI of the active BWP to be used in the next TTI. The DCI transports downlink and uplink scheduling information (e.g., resource allocation and / or permission), requests for aperiodic CQI reports, or uplink power control commands for one cell and one RNTI. DCI coding includes information element multiplexing, CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) attachment, channel coding, and rate matching. The DCI carries transmit parameters such as MCS, redundant versions, or HARQ process numbers. The DCI consists of several fields (e.g., bit fields / bitmaps) that carry different types of control information or control parameters. The position of certain parameters and the number of bits used to encode each parameter are known to the base station transmitting the DCI and the UE receiving the DCI. However, such switching of the active BWP increases latency because the UE must decode the DCI and then initiate hardware tuning to the new active BWP.

[0072] In NR, BWPs can be activated / deactivated via dedicated RRC signaling or DCI signaling. While faster than activation / deactivation based on MAC control elements (CEs), the DCI-based mechanism requires additional consideration for error case handling, i.e., cases where the UE fails to decode the DCI containing the BWP activation / deactivation command. To aid in recovery from such DCI loss cases, timer-based activation / deactivation of DL BWPs (or DL / UL BWP pairs in the case of unpaired spectra) is also supported. Using this mechanism, if the UE is not scheduled for a certain amount of time, i.e., during the timer's expiration, the UE switches its active DL BWP (or DL / UL BWP pair) to the default BWP. During initial access, there is an initial active BWP for the UE until the UE explicitly sets the BWP during or after the establishment of the RRC connection. Unless otherwise specified, the initial active BWP is the default BWP. In Release 15, each UE has at most one active DL BWP and at most one active UL BWP (for each cell). When the UE's active BWP switches, HARQ retransmission between different BWPs is supported. However, this disclosure is not limited to this. In general, each cell may have multiple active BWPs.

[0073] Pause / Non-pause behavior Hibernation-like behavior and non-hibernation-like behavior are defined in 3GPP RAN1 to support UE power saving and efficient, low-latency serving cell configuration / activation / setup. Note that in this disclosure, the terms “hibernation behavior” and “hibernation-like behavior” are used interchangeably. Similarly, the terms “non-hibernation behavior” and “non-hibernation-like behavior” are used interchangeably.

[0074] More specifically, hibernation-like behavior means that in an activated Scell, the UE does not monitor PDCCH and only reports periodic CSI as configured. Non-hibernation-like behavior means that in an activated Scell, the UE must monitor PDCCH and also report periodic CSI. Generally, a UE can perform hibernation-like behavior in one (activated) Scell ​​and non-hibernation-like behavior in another (activated) Scell. The UE can then report periodic CSI for both Scells (for any of the BWPs configured for the Scells), but can only monitor PDCCH for the activated BWPs of the Scell ​​where non-hibernation behavior is being performed.

[0075] A cell's configured BWP can contain one or more normal BWPs, and a normal BWP can be one or more dormant BWPs, as well as any configured BWPs other than the aforementioned dormant BWPs. In other words, generally, one or more of the configured BWPs may be dormant BWPs, and one or more of the BWPs may be normal BWPs. Here, a dormant BWP is a BWP that allows the UE to behave like a dormant state.

[0076] More specifically, when the UE performs a hibernation-like behavior on a cell, only the hibernation BWP of the BWP set for that cell can be active, and the normal BWP cannot be active. Therefore, the UE performs the hibernation-like behavior on the active hibernation BWP and does not monitor the PDCCH of the hibernation BWP. Since the other set BWPs are not active, the UE also does not monitor the PDCCH of the other BWPs mentioned above. In other words, it does not monitor the PDCCH in the cell performing the hibernation-like behavior. However, the UE may still report a CSI for the active hibernation BWP of the hibernation cell.

[0077] On the other hand, when the UE performs non-hibernation-like behavior on an (activated) cell, any of the BWPs set for that cell may be activated, and non-hibernation-like behavior is performed on the active BWP. In other words, when non-hibernation-like behavior is performed on a cell, the UE can monitor the PDCCH on the active BWP, the active BWP can be any of the set BWPs (hibernation or normal), and can also report the CSI on the active BWP.

[0078] Generally, a single paused BWP may be set for each cell. However, this disclosure is not limited to this. Generally, one or more paused BWPs may be set for each cell. In particular, one cell may have only one (single) set paused BWP, while another cell may have two or more set paused BWPs. At the same time, there may also be cells with zero paused BWPs.

[0079] Switching between hibernation and non-hibernation states L1 (Physical Layer) based Scell ​​hiatus instructions (e.g., via DCI) can be sent in the primary cell during active time. More specifically, explicit information fields in the DCI indicate switching to / from a hiatus BWP configured for the Scell. For example, a PDCCH can schedule data for a primary cell (Pcell) and indicate hiatus for one or more Scells. However, a PDCCH can also indicate hiatus for one or more Scells without scheduling data. Whether a PDCCH with a hiatus instruction schedules data for a Pcell can also be indicated to the UE (e.g., by the DCI). In general, BWP frameworks can be used for behavioral instructions.

[0080] For a given Scell, the quiescent BWP can be a relatively narrow BWP compared to other configured BWPs for which the UE performs quiescent behavior. This allows the UE to save more power. When traffic arrives, the UE can switch to other BWPs as needed for small packet traffic or larger packet traffic for higher throughput. On the other hand, the quiescent BWP can also be a relatively wide BWP compared to other configured BWPs. This can be a trade-off for the UE to save power and prepare for high-throughput traffic by measuring / reporting CSI without monitoring PDCCH. When traffic arrives with large data packets and high throughput and latency requirements, the UE can quickly switch to another broadband BWP to begin transmitting data by using historical broadband CSI reports.

[0081] For example, for each Scell ​​or group of Scells, the hibernation instruction may be a single bit field in the DCI (e.g., a flag). The network node can then set the flag to "0" and "1" (or vice versa) to indicate hibernation and non-hibernation behavior, respectively. In other words, each value in the bit field can be associated with and thus indicate one of the two distinct behaviors: hibernation and non-hibernation. Alternatively, for example, the flag may be used as a toggle flag. One of its values, e.g., "1", may indicate switching the hibernation behavior, while the other value, e.g., "0", may be used to indicate not switching the hibernation behavior.

[0082] Generally, a UE can receive instructions related to hiatus and / or non-hiatus behavior, for example via DCI, which are referred to here as “hiatus instructions,” “Scell ​​hiatus instructions,” etc. The above hiatus instructions, which can relate to / associate the hiatus behavior of one or more (active) cells (e.g., a single cell or a group of corresponding cells), can indicate a switch / transition from hiatus behavior to non-hiatus behavior, or a switch from non-hiatus behavior to hiatus behavior, in the related cells. Generally, a hiatus instruction can also indicate no switch / change in hiatus behavior in an activated cell. A hiatus instruction indicating a change / switch in the hiatus behavior of one or more cells is also referred to herein as a “hiatus switch instruction.”

[0083] As mentioned above, a hibernation instruction relates to the hibernation behavior of one or more cells. This cell or group of cells may be set / instructed, for example, by the RRC. In other words, before receiving a DCI containing a hibernation instruction, the UE may receive instructions via the RRC indicating the cell or group of cells to which one or more hibernation instructions apply. For example, there may be a group of one or more cells that can be set and reset by the RRC, and each hibernation instruction may relate to a group of cells that is set when the DCI with the respective hibernation instruction is received. Alternatively, a hibernation instruction can be defined or set to apply to all SCells that are set to switch between hibernation and non-hibernation states.

[0084] In general, a Scell ​​suspend instruction may be received in the DCI of a Pcell. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and a suspend instruction may also be received in the DCI of a Scell, for example. In other words, in general, a suspend instruction may be received in the DCI of any cell in a UE's serving cell.

[0085] Generally, when a UE receives an instruction to switch its hibernation behavior within a cell, it can change the active BWP of that cell, which is also referred to herein as the target BWP. In other words, the target BWP is the BWP of the cell that is active after the UE performs the transition indicated by the hibernation instruction. In other words, after receiving an instruction to change its hibernation behavior, the UE performs the hibernation behavior instructed in the target BWP. In other words, when performing the transition of hibernation behavior indicated by the hibernation instruction, the target BWP becomes the active BWP. Generally, the target BWP may be different from the current active BWP (e.g., the BWP that was active when the hibernation instruction was received), or it may be the current active BWP. It should be further noted that if the hibernation instruction relates to two or more cells, there may be a separate target BWP for each of the above cells. Specifically, if the UE receives an instruction to switch from hibernation to non-hibernation after the UE has switched to the target BWP, the UE performs non-hibernation-like behavior (PDCCH monitoring and CSI reporting) in the above target BWP.

[0086] For example, suppose one dormant BWP and several normal BWPs are configured for a Scell. Then, when an L1 signaling (dormant instruction) indicates a transition from non-dormant to dormant state to a cell or cell group, the UE's behavior is clear: the active BWP switches to the dormant BWP. In other words, the dormant BWP becomes the target BWP, the dormant BWP becomes the active BWP, and the UE behaves as if it were in a dormant state in the dormant BWP.

[0087] However, if L1 signaling indicates a transition from hibernation to non-hibernation, then either the hibernation BWP or one of several normal BWPs may be the target BWP for performing non-hibernation-like behavior. In other words, it may be necessary to define the UE's behavior when switching to any target BWP.

[0088] However, the number of bits for L1 pause instructions may be limited, especially if the DCI, which includes the L1 signaling described above, also schedules data. For example, in NR, the upper limit (also indicated as X2) for the number of bits for pause instructions during active time may be 5 (X2=5).

[0089] To address these issues, the present disclosure provides various embodiments that facilitate the determination of the target BWP without requiring explicit signaling via DCI.

[0090] An exemplary user device according to one embodiment, a UE, is shown on the right side of Figure 6. According to this embodiment, a UE660 is provided. The UE comprises a transceiver 670 that, during operation, receives downlink control information (DCI) signaling (for example, on a primary cell (Pcell)). The UE further comprises a circuit 680 that, during operation, obtains instructions from the DCI signaling regarding the dormant behavior of a secondary cell (Scell), the Scell ​​being composed of multiple bandwidth portions (for example, composed of four BWPs), BWPs, which include a dormant BWP and one or more normal BWPs. If the instructions indicate a transition from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior, the circuit 680 determines a target BWP for performing the non-dormant behavior, depending on the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or pre-configured BWP, a legacy BWP indicator field in the DCI signaling, the immediately preceding active normal BWP, and at least one of the dormant BWP.

[0091] Circuit 680 can implement more functions than the acquisition of the pause instruction and determination of the target BWP described above. Therefore, circuit 680 is thought to include a PDCCH monitoring circuit 685, which is configured to perform the acquisition and determination described above. The configuration may be provided by hardware adaptation and / or software.

[0092] Figure 8 shows an exemplary functional structure of the PDCCH monitoring circuit 685. In particular, the PDCCH monitoring circuit 685 may include a pause monitoring circuit 836 and a target BWP determination circuit 837. The pause monitoring circuit 836 can acquire pause instructions from DCI / PDCCH and set the pause behavior within the cell accordingly. Therefore, the pause monitoring circuit 836 can activate / deactivate the PDCCH monitoring of the PDCCH monitoring circuit 685 in cells where non-pause / pause behavior is indicated in the DCI. The BWP determination circuit 837 is configured to determine the target BWP (multiple BWPs) for one or more Scells when the pause instruction obtained by the pause monitoring circuit 836 indicates a transition from pause behavior to non-pause behavior.

[0093] It should be noted that the PDCCH monitoring circuit 685 can implement more functions, for example, by determining resources for data transmission / reception. The processing circuit 680 can, for example, receive the PDCCH / DCI and further control the transceiver 670 to receive or transmit data on the resources indicated in the PDCCH / DCI.

[0094] In particular, circuit 680 (especially the hiatus monitoring circuit 836) can, during operation, transition from hiatus behavior to non-hiatus behavior for the Scell ​​if a hiatus instruction indicates a transition from hiatus behavior to non-hiatus behavior, and execute non-hiatus behavior at the determined target BWP. Specifically, if an instruction to switch from hiatus behavior to non-hiatus behavior is received for the Scell, the circuit can control the transceiver 670 to monitor the PDCCH within the Scell.

[0095] According to another exemplary embodiment, a network node 610 is provided (left side of Figure 7). The network node includes a transceiver 620 that, in operation, transmits downlink control information (DCI) signaling to user equipment. The DCI signaling includes instructions regarding the dormant behavior of a secondary cell (Scell) of the UE. The Scell ​​is configured with multiple bandwidth portions, including a dormant BWP and one or more normal BWPs. The network further includes a circuit 630. If the instructions indicate a transition from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior, the circuit 630, in operation, determines a target BWP for performing the non-dormant behavior. The circuit 630 may determine the target BWP depending on the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or pre-configured BWP, the legacy BWP indicator field of the DCI signaling, the most immediately active normal BWP, and at least one of the dormant BWP.

[0096] The scheduling device 610 may further include, as part of the circuit 630, an allocation circuit that performs scheduling for one or more UEs. As a result of scheduling, the circuit 630 can generate a time-domain resource allocation and corresponding DCI signaling indicating the resource allocation. The processing circuit 630 can then transmit the DCI and control the transceiver 620 to receive or transmit data on the resources indicated in the generated PDCCH / DCI.

[0097] An exemplary functional structure of the PDCCH generation circuit 635 is shown in Figure 9. In particular, the PDCCH generation circuit 685 may include a pause decision circuit 736 and a target BWP decision circuit 737. The PDCCH generation circuit 635 can further perform scheduling, for example, by collecting measurements from one or more UEs and, based on those, and / or based on requests from the UEs and / or based on the availability of those resources, assigning resources to each UE. The PDCCH generation circuit 635 can then generate a DCI including resource assignments and associations according to the scheduling results for each of the one or more UEs.

[0098] The pause decision circuit 736 can determine the pause behavior that the UE should perform for one or more cells within its cell. The PDCCH generation circuit 685 may then include a corresponding pause instruction in the DCI addressed to the UE, indicating the result of the pause decision performed by the pause decision circuit 736.

[0099] The target BWP determination circuit 737 is configured to make a determination when the pause determination circuit 736 determines that the UE is transitioning from pause behavior to non-pause behavior for one or more Scells, each with respect to its respective target BWP(s). Note that the target BWP determination circuit 737 can determine the target BWP of a cell before the pause determination circuit 736 determines the pause behavior of the cell as described above. In practice, the pause determination circuit 736 can take the target BWP of a cell or cell group into consideration when determining the pause behavior of a cell or cell group.

[0100] As can be seen further in Figure 6, the UE660 and the scheduling node 610 can form a communication system, that is, they can communicate via channel 650.

[0101] Generally, a UE instructed to transition an activated Scell ​​from a dormant state to a non-dormant state can determine a target BWP based on the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or preconfigured BWP, a legacy BWP indicator field in DCI signaling, the most recently active normal BWP, and one or a combination of dormant BWPs.

[0102] It should be noted that for a UE and a network node from a communication system to use an activated BWP in which the UE will perform non-hibernation behavior, the UE and the network node must know / determine the (same) target BWP. Thus, generally, the UE and the network node can individually determine the target BWP using a method that yields at least the same result (for example, target BWP determination circuits 737 and 837 may operate substantially similarly or be identical). In other words, the determination method according to this disclosure can generally be performed on the side of the UE and / or the base station (network node). Alternatively, one of the two communication entities can determine the target BWP and send a corresponding instruction to the other. For example, a network node (e.g., target BWP determination circuit 737) can determine the target BWP for a Scell ​​and send a corresponding instruction to the UE, which can then determine the target BWP for the Scell ​​based on / according to the above instruction (e.g., BWP determination circuit 837). In other words, if the UE determines the target BWP using a particular method, the base station may determine the target BWP in the same or a similar method. Of course, this may not apply if the UE determines the target BWP based on DCI and / or RRC instructions received from the base station. In this case, the base station may determine the target BWP and generate a corresponding instruction, taking into account other UEs, available resources, quality of service, requests from UEs, received channel state information, traffic load, UE battery status, etc.

[0103] Generally, the target BWP can be a predefined or preconfigured BWP. Therefore, generally, a UE instructed to transition / switch to a non-hibernating-like behavior for an active Scell ​​can switch to a predefined / configured BWP to perform the non-hibernating-like behavior, and / or select a predefined / configured BWP as the target BWP to support the non-hibernating-like behavior.

[0104] In some embodiments, this predefined / configured BWP is a normal BWP, i.e., in some embodiments, the target BWP is a normal BWP, or, if there are two or more normal BWPs configured for a Scell, the target is one of the normal BWPs. For example, a given BWP (i.e., the target BWP) may be given by a criterion. The criterion can directly define the target BWP (e.g., the index of the target BWP). Alternatively, the criterion can define the approach / method by which the BWP is determined. For example, each BWP may be associated with its respective index, and the BWP with the lowest or highest index may be defined as the target BWP (the lowest or highest index among the configured BWPs).

[0105] A pre-configured BWP may be set by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, which is semi-static signaling. Alternatively, to increase configurability, the target BWP may be explicitly indicated or set by the base station, for example, via DCI.

[0106] Advantageously, in this embodiment, the UE does not need to perform calculations to determine the target BWP, and the base station (gNB) can set the target normal BWP by implementation.

[0107] However, this disclosure is not limited thereto. Generally, a predefined or preconfigured BWP may be the default BWP. Generally, the default can be set as a hibernation or normal BWP. However, in some embodiments, the hibernation BWP can only be set and selected from BWPs other than the default BWP. That is, the default BWP in the current NR specification can only be set as a normal BWP and not a hibernation BWP. Thus, a UE instructed to transition to non-hibernation-like behavior for an active Scell ​​can switch to the default BWP, which is the target BWP, in order to perform non-hibernation-like behavior.

[0108] Advantageously, the UE's behavior is clearly defined with only minor specification influences, and there are no additional RRC parameters, thereby preventing additional overhead.

[0109] Generally, the target BWP can be determined in response to (or based on) the legacy BWP indicator field of the DCI. In other words, a UE can determine the target BWP for a Scell ​​by using the legacy BWP indicator field of the DCI, which carries a dormancy behavior instruction indicating a transition to non-dormant behavior for the Scell ​​described above. Correspondingly, a base station can configure the legacy BWP indicator field of the DCI to indicate the determined target BWP when determining the target BWP and generating a DCI indicating a transition to non-dormant behavior. For example, the target BWP may be determined based on the index indicated by the legacy BWP indicator field.

[0110] Note that the legacy BWP indicator field is a field in the cell's DCI used by the base station to indicate the BWP of the cell to the UE. The legacy BWP indicator field may be used, for example, to indicate the BWP where the scheduled resources are located in the DCI (or subsequent DCI of the cell). The legacy BWP indicator field can be used to activate the indicated BWP and consequently deactivate the currently active BWP. The legacy BWP indicator field may indicate or correspond to an index. More specifically, the legacy BWP indicator field is a field present in DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1 in the NR for BWP switching operation, as defined, for example, in 3GPP TS 38.212.

[0111] It should be noted that the legacy BWP indicator was not used in NR Rel. 15 for suspending commands or to indicate the target BWP when switching to non-suspending behavior. It was used to change the active BWP in a scheduled serving cell with data. More specifically, in NR Rel. 15, the legacy BWP indicator was included in the DCI (format 0_1 / 1_1) of the Pcell or Scell ​​and was used to indicate the BWP. The data for the aforementioned Pcell / Scell ​​was also scheduled and activated in the aforementioned Pcell / Scell, and was the field where scheduled data was received / sent.

[0112] However, in some embodiments of the present invention, for each active Scell ​​configured to support a hibernation behavior switch for a hibernation instruction during active time, the determination of the target BWP index for non-hibernation behavior is based on the BWP indicator for the Pcell. More specifically, the hibernation switch instruction may be received in the DCI of a cell that also schedules data and includes a legacy BWP indicator field (this may be a Pcell or Scell ​​in which the UE performs non-hibernation-like behavior). The legacy BWP indicator field can then be used to determine the target BWP of one or more Scells in which the above hibernation switch instruction is related.

[0113] However, this disclosure is not limited to the fact that a hibernation transition instruction may be received in the DCI of a non-hibernating Scell ​​(meaning a Scell ​​in which the UE does not perform hibernation-like behavior when receiving the DCI). In this case, for example, the target BWP can be determined using the legacy BWP indicator field in the Scell's DCI.

[0114] Generally, each configured BWP in Scell ​​can be associated with an index or correspond to an index (for example, in a one-to-one correspondence). This association can be used to determine the target BWP using the index indicated by the legacy BWP indicator field.

[0115] For example, in an exemplary implementation, the target BWP is always determined to be the BWP among the configured BWPs that corresponds to the index indicated by the legacy BWP indicator field.

[0116] In another exemplary embodiment, if the above index corresponds to a normal BWP, the target BWP may be determined to be a BWP among the configured BWPs that corresponds to the index indicated by the legacy BWP indicator field; if the above index corresponds to a dormant BWP, the target BWP may be determined according to a predetermined or predefined method. In other words, the UE determines the target BWP based on the legacy BWP indicator only if the index in the received legacy BWP indicator does not refer to Scell's current dormant BWP. On the other hand, if the index in the received legacy BWP indicator refers to Scell's current dormant BWP, the UE determines the target BWP based on a predefined or preconfigured BWP, the most recent active normal BWP, the priority of the configured BWP, the priority of the normal BWP, and at least one of the dormant BWP, as described in other parts of this disclosure.

[0117] Using legacy BWP indicator fields (or the index indicated by legacy BWP indicator fields to indicate target BWPs) minimizes the impact on the specification and prevents increased overhead when signaling target BWPs to UEs.

[0118] Generally, the target BWP can be determined by considering the activity of the configured normal BWP and / or dormant BWP. For example, according to another embodiment, the target BWP is the normal BWP that was most immediately active among the normal BWPs configured for each cell of the UE. In other words, the UE (and base station) can determine the target BWP as the most immediately active BWP, i.e., a dormant / non-dormant BWP. More specifically, a UE instructed to transition an active Scell ​​to non-dormant-like behavior can determine the target BWP as the most immediately active BWP from which the UE performed the non-dormant-like behavior. Determining the target BWP based on the most recent activity has the advantage of having little impact on the specifications. Furthermore, no additional signaling from the base station to the UE indicating the target BWP is required. This reduces overhead and thereby increases communication efficiency.

[0119] In some embodiments, the target BWP is determined to be a dormant BWP. In other words, the UE (and base station) determines the target BWP from among the dormant BWPs. If there are two or more dormant BWPs configured for the Scell, the target BWP may be determined from all of the dormant BWPs, or it may be determined from the BWP that is the currently active dormant BWP in which the UE performs dormant-like behavior when a DCI is received with a dormant switching instruction in which the target BWP should be determined. For example, the target BWP may be a dormant BWP in which case the UE does not switch to a different BWP but performs non-dormant-like behavior in the currently active dormant BWP.

[0120] As described above, in some embodiments, the target BWP is determined according to (or based on) priority. For a UE indicated to transition to a non-hibernating state-like behavior for an active Scell, the UE (e.g., processing circuit 680) determines the target BWP, for example, by calculating the priority of the normal BWP. Based on this priority calculated by the UE, the UE selects a target BWP to support the non-hibernating state-like behavior.

[0121] Generally, such priorities could be the priorities of all configured BWPs, or the priorities of one or more regular BWPs, or, for example, the priorities of configured BWPs excluding currently active dormant BWPs. For clarity without compromising this, only the priorities of regular BWPs are explicitly mentioned.

[0122] Generally, the priority of BWPs can be the ordering of BWPs, the ranking of BWPs, or the sequence of BWPs, where each related BWP appears exactly once. In the priority, each BWP may have a priority, either explicitly or implicitly, or be associated with one. The priority may be a value, and in the priority, BWPs may be ordered according to the size of the priority value described above. Thus, the priority can be constructed from rules that assign / associate each BWP with a (priority) value. Then, for each BWP, the corresponding priority can be determined / calculated by calculating the priority of each BWP and ordering the BWPs according to the calculated priority.

[0123] In general, when two BWPs are associated with the same priority, the two BWPs may be ordered arbitrarily, or one or more additional criteria may be defined to distinguish which BWP has a higher priority.

[0124] Furthermore, in order to determine the target BWP according to priority, it may not be necessary to explicitly determine the priority level. For example, only the priority level of the BWPs may be determined, and the BWP with the highest priority may be selected.

[0125] Generally, the BWP with the highest priority (value) may be determined to be the target BWP. However, in some embodiments, other criteria are considered, and the BWP with the highest priority that satisfies these criteria is selected as the target BWP.

[0126] For example, in some implementations where the target BWP is determined according to priority, for each normal BWP, the priority of the normal BWP increases as the overlap with the bandwidth of the normal BWP and the dormant BWP increases. More specifically, a BWP has a higher priority (than the other BWPs mentioned above) if it has more overlapping bandwidth (than the other BWPs) with the currently active dormant BWP. Therefore, the target BWP is the normal BWP that has the highest overlap (among the normal BWPs) with the currently active dormant BWP in terms of bandwidth.

[0127] For example, if BWP#1 has a 10MHz overlap bandwidth with the current dormant BWP and BWP#2 has a 5MHz overlap bandwidth with the current dormant BWP, the UE can determine, for example, that BWP#1 has a priority of 10 and BWP#2 has a priority of 5. Therefore, the UE selects BWP#1 as the target BWP to behave like a non-dormant state. In general, the UE can therefore determine / calculate the overlap between each normal BWP and the currently active dormant BWP, and select the normal BWP with the highest calculated overlap as the target BWP.

[0128] Advantageously, this embodiment allows the gNB to utilize historical CSI reports for the currently active hibernation BWP received from the UE (when the UE performs hibernation-like behavior in the BWP described above).

[0129] In other embodiments where the target BWP is determined according to priority, for each normal BWP, the priority of the normal BWP increases as the difference between the center frequency of the normal BWP and the center frequency of the dormant BWP decreases. More specifically, a BWP has a higher priority if its center frequency is closer to the center frequency of the current dormant BWP. Generally, the UE can therefore determine / calculate the difference between the center frequency of the normal BWP and the center frequency of the currently active dormant BWP for each normal BWP, and select the normal BWP for which the UE calculated the smallest difference as the target BWP.

[0130] Advantageously, this implementation allows gNB to utilize historical CSI reports for currently active idle BWPs received from the UE (when the UE performs idle-like behavior in the BWP described above).

[0131] According to another embodiment, a method for a UE is provided. This method includes the steps of receiving DCI signaling and obtaining instructions regarding the dormant behavior of a Scell. A Scell ​​is configured with multiple BWPs, the multiple BWPs including a dormant BWP and one or more normal BWPs. If the instructions indicate a transition from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior, the method further includes the step of determining a target BWP for performing the non-dormant behavior. The target BWP is determined according to the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or pre-configured BWP, the legacy BWP indicator field of the DCI signaling, the most immediately active normal BWP, and at least one of the dormant BWP.

[0132] According to another embodiment, a method for a network node is provided. This method includes the step of sending a DCI signaling, which is addressed to a UE and includes instructions regarding the dormant behavior of a Scell ​​in the UE. A Scell ​​is configured with multiple BWPs, including a dormant BWP and one or more normal BWPs. If the instructions indicate a transition from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior, the method further includes the step of determining a target BWP for performing the non-dormant behavior, depending on the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or preconfigured BWP, the legacy BWP indicator field of the DCI signaling, the most immediately active normal BWP, and at least one of the dormant BWP.

[0133] The left and right sides of Figure 9 show exemplary methods according to this disclosure for a base station and a UE, respectively.

[0134] In step S910, the base station determines the dormant behavior of the UE's Scell ​​(S910). This decision may take into account other UEs, available resources, quality of service, requests from UEs, received channel state information, traffic load, and the UE's battery state. If the UE is currently performing a dormant-like behavior for its Scell, this decision may further take into account available target BWPs (e.g., in an implementation, the base station may select a target BWP and indicate the selected target BWP to the UE in DCI along with the dormant switchover instruction) or BWPs that will become the target BWP (e.g., in an embodiment, the base station may not indicate the target BWP to the UE in DCI along with the dormant switchover instruction).

[0135] In other words, if the UE is currently performing a dormant-like behavior with respect to the Scell, the base station decides whether the UE should i) continue performing the dormant behavior with respect to the Scell, or ii) switch to non-dormant behavior with respect to the Scell. The base station can also determine the target BWP as part of this step. On the other hand, if the UE is currently performing a non-dormant-like behavior with respect to the Scell, the base station decides whether the UE should i) continue performing the non-dormant-like behavior with respect to the Scell, or ii) switch to dormant behavior with respect to the Scell. In other words, the base station decides whether the UE should be instructed to switch to dormant behavior with respect to the Scell.

[0136] Note that if two or more cells in the UE support a hibernation-like behavior, the hibernation behavior of those two or more cells may be determined in this step. Particularly advantageous, this determination is performed jointly for the two or more cells.

[0137] As shown in Figure 9, the base station can re-evaluate the dormancy behavior of the Scell. For example, the base station can periodically / periodically (re)decide whether a switch in dormancy behavior should be indicated to the UE. Alternatively or additionally, the (re)decision on the Scell's dormancy behavior may be triggered by some event, such as a request from a UE sending data or an increase / decrease in traffic associated with the UE.

[0138] Specifically, in step S920, the base station generates a PDCCH / DCI that includes a hibernation instruction indicating whether to switch or maintain the hibernation behavior of the Scell, in accordance with the hibernation behavior decision in step S910 (S920). This DCI may include further control information and may or may not schedule data. The DCI may be generated for the PDCCH of a UE's Pcell, or for another Scell ​​of a UE that is not currently performing hibernation-like behavior.

[0139] In step S930, the base station transmits the DCI generated in step S920 to the UE (S930). As previously mentioned, the DCI may be transmitted in a Scell ​​or Pcell.

[0140] In step S980, the base station transmits data DCI on the PDCCH of the Pcell or Scell. This step may be omitted if no data is to be sent or received to the UE. If the Scell ​​switches from a dormant state to a non-dormant state, the UE will now also monitor the PDCCH of the Scell, and therefore the base station may now transmit DCI scheduling data on the PDCCH of the Scell.

[0141] In step S1010, the UE monitors the PDCCH of the Pcell (S1010). Note that on the right side of Figure 9, it is assumed that the UE is currently performing a hibernation-like behavior for the Scell(s).

[0142] In step S1030, the UE receives a DCI, which includes a pause instruction related to the Pcell(s) in the PDCCH of the Pcell, while monitoring the PDCCH of the Pcell.

[0143] In step S1040, the UE obtains a hibernation instruction from the DCI of the PDCCH of the Pcell (S1040). The UE can then determine whether the hibernation instruction indicates a transition from hibernation-like behavior to non-hibernation-like behavior for one or more cells. If the hibernation instruction does not indicate a transition, the UE continues to monitor only the PDCCH of the Pcell. On the other hand, if the hibernation instruction indicates a switch to non-hibernation-like behavior, the UE determines a target BWP for each Scell ​​to which the hibernation instruction relates to perform non-hibernation-like behavior, as described in other parts of this disclosure (S1060).

[0144] If there is one or more Scells that the UE is currently behaving in a non-hibernating state, the UE may decide for each of these one or more cells whether a hibernation instruction indicates a transition from non-hibernating state to hibernating state. In such an instruction, the hibernating BWP(multiple) of these Scells becomes an active BWP(multiple), and the UE begins to perform hibernating state-like behavior for these Scells.

[0145] In step S1080, the UE monitors the PDCCH within the Pcell and Scell. More specifically, for each Scell, the UE monitors the PDCCH within the target BWP determined in step S1060.

[0146] It should be noted that all embodiments and implementations described herein apply not only to the active time (C-DRX on period) but also to the external active time included in DCI format 3_0, known as WUS (Wake-up Signal) or PoSS (Power Saving Signal / Channel).

[0147] In other words, in some of the embodiments described above, the pause instruction is carried by the DCI during the active time. For example, a DCI format that similarly schedules data may be used for that purpose. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the pause instruction may be included in a DCI that does not schedule data. For example, the pause instruction may be included in a DCI that is a wake-up signal from some power-saving operation, such as from the intermittent reception (DRX) described above. The DRX is a cycle of an on period in which the UE monitors the PDCCH to schedule assignments and an off period in which the UE does not monitor the PDCCH to schedule assignments (for power-saving purposes).

[0148] For example, during the ON period, when waking up from DRX OFF, the UE can determine the target BWP according to one or more of the following: the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or pre-configured BWP, a legacy BWP indicator field in DCI signaling, and a dormant BWP, as described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above determination example, and generally, the target BWP may be determined to be the most recently active normal BWP, although the effectiveness of this determination will decrease if the DRX OFF period is long.

[0149] In other cases, namely non-DRX operation or transitions within active time, the target BWP may be determined as the immediately preceding active normal BWP. In this scenario (active time), determining the target BWP as the immediately preceding active normal BWP can provide an efficient means of initiating non-pause behavior. For example, it can reduce the probability that a change to the active BWP needs to be performed immediately.

[0150] As already mentioned above, any of the BWP decision approaches described above can be used individually or in combination for instructing pauses during active hours.

[0151] According to another embodiment, a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium is provided. The recording medium stores a program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes one or more processors to perform steps of the method according to the present disclosure.

[0152] For example, embodiments of the UE660 and base station 610, and the functions described herein with reference to, for example, the UE660 and base station 610, may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes over a communication medium and executed by a hardware-based processing unit. The computer-readable medium may include a computer-readable storage medium corresponding to a tangible medium such as a data storage medium, or a communication medium including any medium that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one location to another, for example, according to a communication protocol. Thus, the computer-readable medium can generally correspond to (1) a non-transient, tangible computer-readable storage medium, or (2) a communication medium such as a signal or carrier wave. The data storage medium may be any available medium accessible by one or more computers or one or more processors for retrieving instructions, codes and / or data structures for implementing the technology described herein. A computer program product may include a computer-readable medium.

[0153] For example, and not limited to, such computer-readable storage media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or any other media that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is appropriately called a computer-readable medium. For example, if instructions are transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of a medium. However, it should be understood that computer-readable storage media and data storage media do not include connections, carriers, signals, or other temporary media, but instead refer to non-temporary, tangible storage media. The discs used herein include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital multipurpose discs (DVDs), floppy disks (registered trademark), and Blu-ray discs, where discs typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically using a laser. The above combinations should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0154] Instructions may be executed by one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general-purpose microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuits. Thus, the term “processor” as used herein may refer to any of the aforementioned structures, or any other structure suitable for implementing the techniques described herein. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the functionality described herein may be provided within dedicated hardware and / or software modules configured for encoding and decoding, or incorporated into a combined codec. Additionally, the techniques can be fully implemented using one or more circuits or logic elements.

[0155] The techniques of this disclosure can be implemented in a wide variety of devices or apparatus, including wireless handsets, integrated circuits (ICs), or sets of ICs (e.g., chipsets). Various components, modules, or units are described in this disclosure to highlight the functional aspects of devices configured to perform the disclosed techniques, but implementation by different hardware units is not necessarily required. Rather, as described above, the various units may be combined with a codec hardware unit, or they may be provided by a set of interoperable hardware units, including one or more processors as described above, along with appropriate software and / or firmware.

[0156] According to the first embodiment, a device (e.g., a user device, UE) is provided. The device comprises a transceiver that receives downlink control information (DCI) signaling during operation. The device further comprises a circuit that, during operation, obtains instructions from the DCI signaling regarding the dormant behavior of a secondary cell (Scell), the Scell ​​being configured with multiple bandwidth portions (BWPs) including a dormant BWP and one or more normal BWPs, and the circuit, during operation, determines a target BWP for performing the non-dormant behavior if the instructions indicate a transition from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior. The determination of the target BWP is performed in accordance with the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or pre-configured BWP, a legacy BWP indicator field in the DCI signaling, the most immediately active normal BWP, and at least one of the dormant BWP.

[0157] According to the second embodiment, in the apparatus of the first embodiment, the predefined or pre-configured BWP is set by radio resource control (RRC) signaling, is the lowest BWP, is the highest index BWP, and is explicitly indicated by the base station.

[0158] According to the third embodiment, in the apparatus of the first or second embodiment, the predefined or pre-configured BWP is the default BWP that is normally set as the BWP.

[0159] According to the fourth embodiment, in the apparatus of the first embodiment, the circuit determines a target BWP based on an index indicated by the legacy BWP indicator field (during operation).

[0160] According to the fifth embodiment, in the apparatus of the fourth embodiment, if the index corresponds to the index of one or more normal BWPs, the circuit determines (during operation) that the target BWP is the normal BWP, and if the index corresponds to the index of a idle BWP, the circuit determines that the target BWP is an idle BWP, or a target BWP according to a predetermined or predefined method.

[0161] According to the sixth embodiment, in the apparatus of the first embodiment, the circuit determines (during operation) that the target BWP is the normal BWP that was most active immediately before, among one or more normal BWPs.

[0162] According to the seventh embodiment, in the apparatus of the first embodiment, the circuit determines (during operation) that the target BWP is a dormant BWP.

[0163] According to the eighth embodiment, in the apparatus of the first embodiment, in the priority of each normal BWP, the priority of the normal BWP increases as the bandwidth overlap between the normal BWP and the idle BWP increases.

[0164] According to the ninth embodiment, in the apparatus of the first embodiment, in the priority order of each normal BWP, the priority of the normal BWP increases as the difference between the center frequency of the normal BWP and the center frequency of the rest BWP decreases.

[0165] According to the tenth embodiment, in the apparatus of any of the first to ninth embodiments, if the circuit, during operation, receives an instruction to transition from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior, it transitions from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior for Scell ​​and performs non-dormant behavior at the determined target BWP.

[0166] According to an eleventh embodiment, a method (for example, a method for a user device (UE)) is provided. This method comprises the steps of receiving downlink control information (DCI) signaling and obtaining instructions from the DCI signaling regarding the dormant behavior of a secondary cell (Scell), wherein the Scell ​​is configured with a plurality of bandwidth portions (BWPs), including a dormant BWP and one or more normal BWPs. If the instructions indicate a transition from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior, the method further comprises the step of determining a target BWP for performing the non-dormant behavior. In particular, the determining step is performed in accordance with the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or pre-configured BWP, a legacy BWP indicator field of the DCI signaling, the most immediately active normal BWP, and at least one of the dormant BWP.

[0167] According to a twelfth embodiment, a network node is provided. The network node includes a transceiver that, during operation, transmits downlink control information (DCI) signaling to a user device (UE), the DCI signaling including instructions regarding the dormant behavior of a secondary cell (Scell) at the UE, the Scell ​​being configured with multiple bandwidth portions (BWPs), including a dormant BWP and one or more normal BWPs. During operation, if the instructions indicate a transition from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior, the network node includes a circuit that determines a target BWP for performing non-dormant behavior, depending on the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or pre-configured BWP, a legacy BWP indicator field in the DCI signaling, the most immediately active normal BWP, and at least one of the dormant BWP.

[0168] A thirteenth embodiment provides a method for a network node. The method includes the step of transmitting downlink control information (DCI) signaling to a user device (UE), the DCI signaling including instructions regarding the dormant behavior of a secondary cell (Scell) at the UE, the Scell ​​being configured with multiple bandwidth portions (BWPs), including a dormant BWP and one or more normal BWPs. If the instructions indicate a transition from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior, the method includes the step of determining a target BWP for performing the non-dormant behavior, depending on the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or preconfigured BWP, a legacy BWP indicator field in the DCI signaling, the most immediately active normal BWP, and at least one of the dormant BWP.

[0169] According to the 14th embodiment, a computer-readable recording medium is provided, which, when executed by one or more processors, stores a program that causes one or more processors to perform the steps of the method according to either the 11th or 13th embodiment described above.

[0170] It should be noted that the steps performed by the circuit described above during operation also constitute the steps of their respective corresponding methods. These may be performed by computer programs, which may be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium.

[0171] This disclosure relates to communication equipment, base stations, and methods for communication equipment and base stations, respectively. Specifically, a base station transmits downlink control information (DCI) signaling, and a communication equipment receives DCI signaling. The DCI signaling includes instructions related to the dormant behavior of a secondary cell (Scell). A Scell ​​is configured with multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs), and the multiple BWPs include a dormant BWP and one or more normal BWPs. If the instructions indicate a transition from dormant behavior to non-dormant behavior, a target BWP for performing the non-dormant behavior is determined. The determination of the target BWP is performed, in particular, according to the priority of one or more normal BWPs, a predefined or pre-configured BWP, a legacy BWP indicator field in the DCI signaling, the most immediately active normal BWP, and at least one of the dormant BWPs.

Claims

1. A communication device, A transceiver that receives downlink control information (DCI) signaling, including instructions regarding the dormant behavior of a secondary cell (Scell), If the instruction indicates non-dormant behavior, a circuit determines a target BWP for executing the non-dormant behavior in accordance with one or more non-dormant BWPs set by radio resource control (RRC) signaling and a dormant BWP that becomes active when the communication device receives the DCI. Equipped with, Communication device.

2. The one or more non-hibernating BWPs include the default BWP. The communication device according to claim 1.

3. In the first case relating to the suspended BWP, the first BWP is determined for the target BWP and is determined according to one of the three schemes, In a second case unrelated to the suspended BWP, the second BWP is determined for the target BWP and determined according to one of the three schemes, Equipped with, The communication device according to claim 1.

4. If the instruction indicates a pause behavior, the pause behavior is performed by using the pause BWP. The communication device according to claim 1.

5. The DCI signaling is used for power-saving operation outside of DRX active time. The communication device according to claim 1.

6. The DCI includes at least one of a first DCI and a second DCI, The first DCI is received within the active time, The second DCI is received outside of the active time. The communication device according to claim 1.

7. A method of communication, Receiving downlink control information (DCI) signaling that includes instructions regarding the dormant behavior of secondary cells (Scell), If the instruction indicates non-dormant behavior, the target BWP for executing the non-dormant behavior is determined according to one or more non-dormant BWPs set by radio resource control (RRC) signaling and dormant BWPs that become active when the communication device receives the DCI. including, Communication method.

8. Network node, A transceiver that transmits downlink control information (DCI) signaling, including instructions regarding the dormant behavior of a secondary cell (Scell), If the instruction indicates non-dormant behavior, a circuit determines a target BWP for executing the non-dormant behavior in accordance with one or more non-dormant BWPs set by radio resource control (RRC) signaling and a dormant BWP that becomes active when the communication device receives the DCI. Equipped with, Network node.

9. A method of communication, Transmitting downlink control information (DCI) signaling that includes instructions regarding the dormant behavior of secondary cells (Scell), If the instruction indicates non-dormant behavior, the target BWP for executing the non-dormant behavior is determined according to one or more non-dormant BWPs set by radio resource control (RRC) signaling and dormant BWPs that become active when the communication device receives the DCI. including, Communication method.

10. It is an integrated circuit, Upon receiving downlink control information (DCI) signaling, which includes instructions regarding the dormant behavior of secondary cells (Scell), If the instruction indicates non-dormant behavior, the target BWP for executing the non-dormant behavior is determined according to one or more non-dormant BWPs set by radio resource control (RRC) signaling and dormant BWPs that become active when the communication device receives the DCI. Includes a circuit configured as follows: Integrated circuit.

11. It is an integrated circuit, It transmits downlink control information (DCI) signaling that includes instructions regarding the dormant behavior of the secondary cell (Scell), If the instruction indicates non-dormant behavior, the target BWP for executing the non-dormant behavior is determined according to one or more non-dormant BWPs set by radio resource control (RRC) signaling and dormant BWPs that become active when the communication device receives the DCI. Includes a circuit configured as follows: Integrated circuit.

Images