Method, user equipment, and access network node

Abstract

Various access network nodes and user equipment capable of operating both semi-persistent scheduling and cell DTX / DRX are disclosed. One disclosed method performed by user equipment (UE) includes the steps of: receiving a first downlink transmission from an access network node; determining that the timing of the procedure related to the first downlink transmission overlaps with an inactive period of cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) / discontinuous reception (DRX) on the access network node; and delaying or stopping the start of the procedure related to the first downlink transmission.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a communication system and its components. [Background technology]

[0002] This disclosure relates particularly to wireless communication systems and devices operating in accordance with 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) standards or equivalent standards or derivative standards (including LTE Advanced, Next Generation or 5G networks, Future Generation and beyond). This disclosure relates particularly to, but is not limited to, the effects of using such network energy saving (NES) techniques, including discontinuous reception (DRX) and discontinuous transmission (DTX) to reduce energy consumption within a network, and configured grants (CG) and buffer status reporting (BSR) assigned to user equipment (UE).

[0003] Recent developments in 3GPP standards are referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), commonly known as "4G." The terms "5G" and "new radio" (NR) also refer to evolving communication technologies expected to support a variety of applications and services. Various details of 5G networks are described in the "NGMN 5G White Paper" V1.0 by the Next Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) Alliance, which can be found, for example, at https: / / www.ngmn.org / 5g-white-paper.html. 3GPP intends to support 5G through the so-called 3rd Generation (3GPP Next Generation: NextGen) Radio Access Network (RAN) and 3GPP NextGen core networks.

[0004] Under the 3GPP standard, a NodeB (or eNB in ​​LTE, gNB in ​​5G) is a Radio Access Network (RAN) node (or simply an "access node," "access network node," or "base station") through which communication devices (user equipment, or "UE") connect to the core network and communicate with other communication devices or remote servers. For simplicity, this application uses the terms RAN node or base station to refer to any such access node.

[0005] Improved wireless communication networks with enhanced energy efficiency are needed. Reducing the amount of energy required to operate the communication network will beneficially reduce the environmental impact of system operation and lower operating costs. Furthermore, for battery-powered devices (such as UEs), reduced power consumption will extend the battery life of the device.

[0006] One way to achieve a more efficient communication network is to reduce the energy requirements of the radio access network portion of the system. The energy consumption of a radio access network includes a dynamic portion associated with the transmission and reception of data, and a static portion associated with the operation of radio access devices that occur even when there is no ongoing data transmission or reception. The static portion may include, for example, the power required to operate the UE in a mode in which it can receive and decode a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmitted by a base station. Energy-saving modes may be configured for one or more devices in the system (such as a UE). For example, a UE may be configured to operate in an energy-saving mode (which may also be called sleep mode) in which it performs fewer transmissions or is configured not to attempt to transmit or receive signals during a certain period of time. Such operation is generally referred to as DRX / DTX, representing Discontinuous Reception (DRX) and Discontinuous Transmission (DTX). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] "NGMN 5G White Paper" V1.0 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] Many proposals have been made regarding UE DTX / DRX operation, and currently, attention is focused on such discontinuous operation of one or more base station cells, called "cell DTX / DRX." In cell DTX / DRX, a cell (RAN node) stops transmitting and receiving for a certain period of time, and the UEs served by the cell should know when the RAN node is active (and therefore can communicate with the UE) and when the RAN node is inactive (and therefore cannot communicate with the UE). However, the introduction of such cell DTX / DRX negatively impacts other functions of the communication system, particularly semi-persistently scheduling (SPS) resources allocated to UEs.

[0009] More specifically, if a base station has data to send to a UE, the base station must configure the UE to receive the data. Specifically, the base station must notify the UE that it will send data in the current time slot and inform the UE of the (time and frequency) resources that the base station will use to send the data to the UE. However, this process can be extremely inefficient, especially when there is regular data to be sent to the UE (for example, when the UE is downloading a large file or making a call). To address this, the base station can use semi-permanent scheduling (SPS) to allocate periodic resources to the UE that will be used to carry downlink data. These downlink SPS resources are configured by the base station in an RRC configuration message. Since cells are configured for cell DTX / DRX only during periods when the cell is not busy, base stations do not know when they might transition to a cell DTX / DRX inactive period when configuring UEs with these periodic SPS resources. Therefore, a base station may be in a DTX / DRX inactive period when a particular UE is scheduled to receive downlink data or is expected to send an acknowledgment for received data. Base stations and UEs need to know what to do in this situation.

[0010] Therefore, solutions to these scenarios need to be provided. This disclosure aims to provide apparatus and methods that at least partially address one or more of the above needs and / or problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In one aspect, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) which includes the steps of: receiving first data of a first downlink transmission from an access network node; sending a non-acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received; configuring a first timer indicating how long the UE can expect to wait after sending the NACK to the access network node before receiving a retransmission of the downlink data transmission from the access network node; configuring a second timer which operates after the first timer and indicates the period for which the UE should be awake to receive a retransmission of the first downlink transmission from the access network node; and defining an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, thereby providing a method for discontinuous transmission by an access network node. The process includes: receiving first information indicating a transmission (DTX) configuration; determining whether a second timer for a first downlink transmission overlaps with an inactive period of an access network node; and, if the second timer overlaps with an inactive period, delaying the start of the second timer until the access network node becomes active after the end of the inactive period.

[0012] If the first timer is started after the transmission of the NACK, the method may extend the first timer so that it stops at the end of the inactive period. If the first timer is not started after the transmission of the NACK, the method may skip the execution of the first timer.

[0013] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) which includes the steps of: receiving first data of a first downlink transmission from an access network node; sending a non-acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received; configuring a first timer indicating how long the UE can expect to wait after sending the NACK to the access network node before receiving a retransmission of the downlink data transmission from the access network node; configuring a second timer which operates after the first timer and indicates a period during which the UE should be awake to receive a retransmission of the first downlink transmission from the access network node; and defining an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, thereby performing a discontinuous transmission of the access network node. The process includes receiving a first information indicating a transmission (DTX) configuration; determining whether a first timer for a first downlink transmission is scheduled to end during an inactive period of the access network node; and, if the first timer is scheduled to end during an inactive period, extending the first timer so that it stops at the end of the inactive period.

[0014] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) which includes: receiving a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration from an access network node that defines a number of downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can transmit downlink data to the UE; receiving first information indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of the access network node that defines active periods on which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods on which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE; determining from the SPS configuration and the first information whether the access network node is in an inactive period during any time slot configured for SPS downlink transmission; and skipping monitoring of the downlink channel in a time slot unless the UE receives instructions from the access network node that the UE should monitor the downlink channel in that time slot if the access network node is in an inactive period during that time slot configured for SPS downlink transmission.

[0015] The UE can receive instructions from the access network node via the broadcast channel or via UE-specific downlink control information. The UE can skip monitoring the downlink control channel and / or downlink shared data channel.

[0016] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) which includes receiving a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration from an access network node, which defines a number of downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can transmit downlink data to the UE; and a discontinuous reception (discontinuous reception) of the access network node, which defines an active period on which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period on which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE. The process includes the steps of: receiving first information indicating a reception (DRX) configuration; receiving first data of a first downlink transmission sent by an access network node in a first time slot; determining a second time slot after the first time slot to send a non-acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received, or an acknowledgement (ACK) if the first downlink transmission was successfully received; checking whether the second time slot overlaps with an inactive period; and if the access network node is in an inactive period during the second time slot, delaying the transmission of the ACK / NACK until a third time slot after the second time slot that overlaps with the access network node's active period.

[0017] The second time slot may be determined by adding a predetermined number of slots to the first time slot, and the third time slot may be determined by adding an integer multiple of a predetermined number of slots to the second time slot. A counter may be used to count a predetermined number of slots and is reset once or more times until the determined third time slot no longer overlaps with the inactive period.

[0018] Alternatively, the method may further include the steps of determining the duration of the inactive period in a time slot, determining a second time slot by adding a predetermined number of slots to the first time slot, and determining a third time slot by adding the duration of the inactive period to the second time slot.

[0019] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) which includes receiving a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration from an access network node, which defines a number of downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can transmit downlink data to the UE; and a discontinuous reception (discontinuous reception) of the access network node, which defines an active period on which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period on which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE. The process includes the steps of: receiving first information indicating reception (DRX); receiving first data of a first downlink transmission sent by an access network node in a first time slot; determining a second time slot after the first time slot in which to send a non-acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received, or an acknowledgment (ACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was successfully received; and receiving instructions from the access network node on when the UE should send an ACK / NACK in a time slot that skips the inactivity period if the access network node is inactive during the second time slot. These instructions may be received from the access network node on the downlink control channel.

[0020] The first time slot can correspond to an SPS transmission opportunity, and if the first downlink transmission is not successfully received, the method can retain the first data in the HARQ buffer for use when decrypting a retransmission after the first downlink transmission.

[0021] Alternatively, the first downlink transmission may include an SPS release command, and in that case, the first downlink transmission may be received on a downlink control channel.

[0022] According to another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method performed by an access network node, the method comprising: transmitting first data of a first downlink transmission to a user equipment (UE); receiving a non-acknowledgement (NACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission is not successfully received; transmitting the NACK to the access network node, and then transmitting first configuration data to the UE to configure a first timer indicating how long the UE should wait until the access network node re-transmits the first downlink data transmission to the UE; transmitting second configuration data to the UE to configure a second timer that operates after the first timer and indicates a period during which the UE should be awake to receive a re-transmission of the first downlink transmission from the access network node; transmitting third configuration data indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of the access network node, defining an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE; determining whether the first timer related to the first downlink transmission stops during the inactive period or whether the second timer related to the first downlink transmission overlaps with the inactive period; and delaying re-transmission of the first data transmission until the access network node becomes active after the end of the inactive period if the first downlink transmission stops during the inactive period or the second timer overlaps with the inactive period.

[0023] According to another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method executed by an access network node, the method comprising: transmitting to a UE a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration that defines a plurality of downlink transmission opportunities through which the access network node can transmit downlink data to the UE; transmitting first information indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of the access network node, the DTX configuration defining an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE; determining, based on the SPS configuration and the first information, whether the access network node is in the inactive period during a time slot configured for SPS downlink transmission; and transmitting to the UE an instruction that the UE should monitor the downlink channel of that time slot when the access network node transmits downlink data to the UE during the inactive period.

[0024] This instruction may be transmitted to the UE on a broadcast channel or with UE-specific downlink control information.

[0025] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides a method performed by an access network node, the method comprising the steps of: sending a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration to user equipment (UE) that defines a number of downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can transmit downlink data to the UE; and a discontinuous reception (discontinuous reception) of the access network node that defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE. The process includes the steps of: sending a first information to the UE indicating a reception (DRX) configuration; sending a first downlink transmission to the UE in a first time slot; determining a second time slot after the first time slot in which the access network node expects to receive a non-acknowledgement (NACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received by the UE, or an acknowledgment (ACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was successfully received by the UE; checking whether the second time slot overlaps with an inactive period; and, if the access network node is in an inactive period during the second time slot, maintaining the first downlink transmission in the HARQ buffer until a third time slot after the second time slot that overlaps with the access network node's active period.

[0026] In some embodiments, a second time slot is determined by adding a predetermined number of slots to a first time slot, and a third time slot is determined by adding an integer multiple of a predetermined number of slots to the second time slot. A counter may be used to count a predetermined number of slots and may be reset once or more times until the determined third time slot no longer overlaps with the inactive period.

[0027] In other embodiments, a second time slot is determined by adding a predetermined number of slots to the first time slot, and a third time slot is determined by adding the duration of an inactive period to the second time slot.

[0028] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides a method performed by an access network node, the method comprising the steps of: sending a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration to user equipment (UE) that defines a number of downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can transmit downlink data to the UE; and a discontinuous reception (discontinuous reception) of the access network node that defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE. A method comprising the steps of: sending a first information indicating a reception (DRX) configuration to the UE; sending a first downlink transmission to the UE in a first time slot; determining a second time slot after the first time slot in which the access network node expects to receive a non-acknowledgement (NACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received by the UE, or an acknowledgement (ACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was successfully received by the UE; checking whether the second time slot overlaps with an inactive period; and, if the access network node is in an inactive period during the second time slot, sending instructions to the UE on when the UE should send an ACK / NACK in a time slot that skips the inactive period. These instructions may be sent to the UE on a downlink control channel.

[0029] The first time slot may correspond to an SPS transmission opportunity, in which case the method may further include the step of maintaining the first downlink transmission in the HARQ buffer during the inactive period.

[0030] Alternatively, the first downlink transmission may include an SPS release command, in which case the method may include transmitting the first downlink transmission on the downlink control channel.

[0031] This disclosure also provides user equipment (UE) which includes means for receiving first data of a first downlink transmission from an access network node; means for sending a non-acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission is not successfully received; means for configuring a first timer indicating how long the UE can expect to wait after sending the NACK to the access network node before receiving a retransmission of the downlink data transmission from the access network node; means for configuring a second timer that operates after the first timer and indicates the period during which the UE should be awake to receive a retransmission of the first downlink transmission from the access network node; and an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, thereby defining discontinuous transmissions of the access network node. The system includes means for receiving first information indicating a transmission (DTX) configuration, means for determining whether a second timer for a first downlink transmission overlaps with an inactive period of an access network node, and, if the second timer overlaps with an inactive period, means for delaying the start of the second timer until the access network node enters an active period after the end of the inactive period.

[0032] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides user equipment (UE) comprising: means for receiving first data of a first downlink transmission from an access network node; means for sending a non-acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission is not successfully received; means for configuring a first timer indicating how long the UE can expect to wait after sending the NACK to the access network node before receiving a retransmission of the downlink data transmission from the access network node; means for configuring a second timer that operates after the first timer and indicates a period during which the UE should be awake to receive a retransmission of the first downlink transmission from the access network node; and an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, thereby defining discontinuous transmissions of an access network node. The system includes means for receiving first information indicating a transmission (DTX) configuration, means for determining whether a first timer relating to a first downlink transmission should terminate during an inactive period of an access network node, and means for extending the first timer so that, if the first timer terminates within the inactive period, the first timer stops at the end of the inactive period.

[0033] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides user equipment (UE) comprising: means for receiving a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) from an access network node defining a number of downlink transmission opportunities on which an access network node can transmit downlink data to the UE; means for receiving first information indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of the access network node defining active periods on which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods on which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE; means for determining from the SPS configuration and the first information whether the access network node is in an inactive period during any time slot configured for SPS downlink transmission; and means for skipping monitoring of a downlink channel in a time slot configured for SPS downlink transmission unless the UE receives an instruction from the access network node that the UE should monitor the downlink channel in that time slot if the access network node is in an inactive period during that time slot.

[0034] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides user equipment (UE) which includes means for receiving a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration from an access network node that defines a number of downlink transmission opportunities on which an access network node can transmit downlink data to the UE, and means for receiving discontinuous reception of the access network node, which defines an active period on which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period on which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE. The system includes means for receiving first information indicating a reception (DRX) configuration; means for receiving first data of a first downlink transmission transmitted by an access network node in a first time slot; means for determining a second time slot after the first time slot, to send a non-acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received, or to send an acknowledgment (ACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was successfully received; means for checking whether the second time slot overlaps with an inactive period; and means for delaying the transmission of ACK / NACK until a third time slot after the second time slot that overlaps with the access network node's active period, if the access network node is in an inactive period during the second time slot.

[0035] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides user equipment (UE) which includes means for receiving a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration from an access network node that defines a number of downlink transmission opportunities on which an access network node can transmit downlink data to the UE, and means for receiving discontinuous reception of the access network node, which defines an active period on which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period on which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE. The system includes means for receiving first information indicating a reception (DRX) configuration; means for receiving first data of a first downlink transmission transmitted by an access network node in a first time slot; means for determining a second time slot after the first time slot, in which a non-acknowledgement (NACK) is sent to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received, or an acknowledgment (ACK) is sent to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was successfully received; and means for receiving instructions from the access network node on when the UE should send an ACK / NACK in a time slot that skips the inactive period if the access network node is in an inactive period during the second time slot.

[0036] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides an access network node comprising: means for transmitting first data of a first downlink transmission to user equipment (UE); means for receiving a non-acknowledgement (NACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission is not successfully received; means for transmitting first configuration data to the UE to constitute a first timer indicating how long the UE can expect to wait after transmitting a NACK to the access network node before the access network node retransmits the first downlink data transmission to the UE; means for transmitting second configuration data to the UE to constitute a second timer that operates after the first timer and indicates a period during which the UE should be awake to receive a retransmission of the first downlink transmission from the access network node; and an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE; and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, wherein the configuration of the access network node is discontinuous transmission (discontinuous transmission). The system includes means for transmitting third configuration data instructing a transmission (DTX) configuration; means for determining whether a first timer for a first downlink transmission stops during an inactive period or whether a second timer for a first downlink transmission overlaps with an inactive period; and means for delaying the retransmission of the first data transmission until the access network node enters an active period after the end of the inactive period if the first downlink transmission stops during an inactive period or the second timer overlaps with an inactive period.

[0037] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides an access network node comprising: means for transmitting a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration of the access network node to the UE, which defines a number of downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can transmit downlink data to user equipment (UE); means for transmitting first information indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of the access network node, which defines active periods on which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods on which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE; means for determining from the SPS configuration and the first information whether the access network node is in an inactive period during a time slot configured for SPS downlink transmissions to the UE; and means for transmitting an instruction to the UE that the UE should monitor a downlink channel for that time slot if the access network node transmits a downlink transmission to the UE during an inactive period.

[0038] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides an access network node, the access network node having means for transmitting a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration to user equipment (UE) that defines a number of downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can transmit downlink data to the UE, and an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, with discontinuous reception (SPS) configuration defining these periods. The system includes means for sending a first information indicating a reception (DRX) configuration to the UE; means for sending a first downlink transmission to the UE in a first time slot; means for determining a second time slot after the first time slot in which the access network node expects to receive a non-acknowledgement (NACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received by the UE, or an acknowledgment (ACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was successfully received by the UE; means for checking whether the second time slot overlaps with an inactive period; and if the access network node is in an inactive period during the second time slot, means for maintaining the first downlink transmission in the HARQ buffer until a third time slot after the second time slot that overlaps with the access network node's active period.

[0039] In another aspect, the Disclosure provides an access network node, the access network node having means for transmitting a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration to user equipment (UE) that defines a number of downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network can transmit downlink data to the UE, and an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, with discontinuous reception (SPS) configuration. The system includes means for transmitting first information indicating a reception (DRX) configuration to the UE; means for transmitting a first downlink transmission to the UE in a first time slot; means for determining a second time slot after the first time slot in which the access network node expects to receive a non-acknowledgement (NACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received by the UE, or an acknowledgment (ACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was successfully received by the UE; means for checking whether the second time slot overlaps with an inactive period; and means for transmitting instructions to the UE, if the access network node is in an inactive period during the second time slot, when the UE should send an ACK / NACK in a time slot that skips the inactive period.

[0040] The various functional means defined above, which are part of the UE, may be provided by memory and one or more processors that execute instructions stored in memory. Similarly, the various functional means defined above, which are part of the access network node, may be provided by memory and one or more processors that execute instructions stored in memory.

[0041] The disclosure may also provide a computer program product that includes computer executable instructions for causing a programmable computer to perform any of the methods described above. The computer executable instructions may be provided as signals or on a tangible computer-readable medium.

[0042] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein by reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0043] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mobile ("cellular" or "wireless") communication system. [Figure 2] Figure 2 illustrates a typical frame structure that may be used in the telecommunications system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a typical resource grid that may be used in the telecommunications system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a DRX cycle or pattern. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows the HARQ feedback process for downlink data transmission. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the problem of the HARQ feedback process shown in Figure 5 when the base station is inactive. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows how to address the problem shown in Figure 6. [Figure 8] Figure 8 illustrates a possible period during which a cell may be inactive while the UE is waiting for downlink retransmission. [Figure 9] Figure 9 illustrates the problem that arises when SPS transmission opportunities overlap with periods of cell inactivity. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows a situation where the uplink acknowledgment for SPS downlink transmission overlaps with the cell inactivity period. [Figure 11]Figure 11 shows a situation where the uplink acknowledgment to the SPS release command overlaps with the cell inactivity period. [Figure 12] Figure 12 illustrates a possible scenario where a cell may be inactive while the UE waits for an uplink acknowledgment to send a downlink SPS release command. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the UE (Unified End User) of the telecommunications system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the base station of the telecommunications system shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0044] overview Here, an exemplary telecommunications system will be described in general terms, merely as an example, with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3.

[0045] Figure 1 schematically shows a mobile ("cellular" or "wireless") communication system 1 (such as communication system 1) to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0046] In communication system 1, user equipment (UE) 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 (such as mobile phones and / or other portable or fixed devices) can communicate with each other via radio access network (RAN) nodes 5 operating according to one or more compatible radio access technologies (RATs). In the illustrated example, RAN node 5 comprises an NR / 5G base station or "gNB" 5 operating one or more associated cells 9. Communication via base station 5 is typically routed via a core network 7 (such as a 5G core network or an evolved packet core network (EPC)).

[0047] As those skilled in the art will understand, three UE3s and one base station 5 are shown in Figure 1 for illustrative purposes, but the system, when implemented, typically includes other base stations 5 and UE3s.

[0048] Each base station 5 controls one or more associated cells 9 directly or indirectly through one or more other nodes (e.g., home base stations, repeaters, remote radio heads, distributed units). It will be understood that base stations 5 may be configured to support 4G, 5G, 6G, and / or any other 3GPP or non-3GPP communication protocols.

[0049] The UE3s and their service-providing base stations 5 are connected via appropriate air interfaces (such as the so-called "Uu" interface). Neighboring base stations 5 may be connected to each other via appropriate inter-base station interfaces (such as the so-called "X2" interface, "Xn" interface, etc.).

[0050] The core network 7 includes several logical nodes (or "functions") to support communication in the communication system 1. In this example, the core network 7 includes a control plane function (CPF) 10 and one or more user plane functions (UPFs) 11. The CPF 10 includes one or more Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMFs) 10-1, one or more Session Management Functions (SMFs) 10-2, and several other functions 10-n.

[0051] Base station 5 is connected to the core network nodes via appropriate interfaces (or "reference points"), such as an N2 reference point between base station 5 and AMF10-1 for control signaling communications, and an N3 reference point between base station 5 and each UPF11 for user data communications. Each UE3 is connected to AMF10-1 via a logical non-access stratum (NAS) connection on an N1 reference point (similar to the S1 reference point in LTE). It will be understood that N1 communications are routed transparently through base station 5.

[0052] One or more UPF11s are connected to an external data network 20 (e.g., an IP network such as the Internet) via a reference point N6 for the communication of user data.

[0053] The AMF10-1 performs mobility management functions, maintains NAS signaling connections with each UE3, and manages UE registration. The AMF10-1 also manages paging. The SMF10-2 provides session management functions (which form part of the MME function in LTE) and also incorporates several control plane functions (provided by the service delivery gateway and packet data network gateway in LTE). The SMF10-2 also assigns IP addresses to each UE3.

[0054] The base station 5 of communication system 1 is configured to operate at least one cell 9 on an associated TDD carrier operating in a non-paired spectrum. It will also be understood that base station 5 may operate at least one cell 9 on an associated FDD carrier operating in a paired spectrum.

[0055] Base station 5 is also configured to transmit control information and user data over several downlink (DL) physical channels, and UE3 is configured to receive control information and user data. DL physical channels correspond to resource elements (RE) that carry information transmitted from higher layers. Physical channels may include, for example, physical downlink shared channels (PDSCH), physical broadcast channels (PBCH), and physical downlink control channels (PDCCH). PDSCHs carry data that shares the PDSCH's capacity on a time and frequency basis. PDSCHs can carry various data items, including, for example, user data, UE-specific higher-layer control messages mapped down from higher channels, system information blocks (SIB), and paging. The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI) to support several functions, including scheduling downlink transmissions on the PDSCH and uplink data transmissions on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PBCH provides the Master Information Block (MIB) to the UE3. The PBCH also works in conjunction with the PDCCH to support time and frequency synchronization, which assists in cell acquisition, selection, and re-selection.

[0056] Furthermore, base station 5 transmits physical signals of the DL that do not carry data, such as the Reference Signal (RS) and the Synchronization Signal (SS). The Reference Signal (sometimes known as a pilot signal) is a signal with a predefined special waveform known to both UE3 and base station 5. The Reference Signal may include, for example, a cell-specific reference signal, a UE-specific reference signal (UE-RS), a downlink demodulation signal (DMRS), and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0057] Similarly, UE3 is configured to transmit control information and user data via several uplink (UL) physical channels corresponding to REs that carry information emitted from higher layers, and UL physical signals used in the physical layer that do not carry information emitted from higher layers, and base station 5 is configured to receive control information and user data via several UL physical channels corresponding to REs that carry information emitted from higher layers, and UL physical signals used in the physical layer that do not carry information emitted from higher layers. The physical channels may include, for example, PUSCH, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and / or physical random-access channel (PRACH). The UL physical signals may include, for example, demodulation reference signals (DMRS) for UL control / data signals, and / or sounding reference signals (SRS) used for UL channel measurements.

[0058] Frame structure Referring to Figure 2, which shows a typical frame structure that may be used in communication system 1, the base station 5 and UE3 of communication system 1 communicate with each other in the time domain using resources organized into frames of this length, in this case 10 ms. Each frame consists of 10 equally sized subframes of length 1 ms. Each subframe is divided into one or more slots containing 14 (or possibly 12) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of equal length.

[0059] As shown in Figure 2, communication system 1 supports multiple different numerologies (subcarrier spacing (SCS), slot length, and thus OFDM symbol length). Specifically, each numerology is identified by the parameter μ, where μ=0 represents 15kHz (corresponding to LTE SCS). Currently, SCS for other values ​​of μ can actually be derived from μ=0 by scaling up by a power of 2 (i.e., SCS = 15 × 2). μ (kHz). The relationship between the parameter μ and SCS(Δf) is shown in Table 1. [Table 1]

[0060] Figure 3 shows the resource grid of the subframe shown in Figure 2. As illustrated, the subcarrier spacing and the number of OFDM symbols within the subframe vary depending on the numerology. A single block shown in Figure 3 corresponds to a single resource element, which is the smallest unit of the resource grid and consists of one subcarrier in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. Resource block 25 is defined only for the frequency domain and is defined as 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain within a single OFDM symbol.

[0061] DTX / DRX UE3 may be configured to operate using a discontinuous reception (DRX) method. In the DRX method, UE3 consists of a DRX configuration which includes a DRX pattern and periodicity (DRX cycles), and optionally a number of DRX cycles. The DRX pattern defines an "on duration" in which UE3 is configured to receive signals and an "off duration" in which UE3 is configured not to receive transmissions (e.g., transmissions from base station 5). During the off duration, physical layer processing may be turned off within UE3. Advantageously, the energy consumption of UE3 is reduced during periods when UE3 is not configured to receive signals.

[0062] UE3 is typically provided with its DRX configuration by or via base station 5. The DRX configuration provided to UE3 (e.g., using an information element (IE) included in a transmission from base station 5 to UE3) may include, as described above, instructions for the period during which UE3 should be configured not to receive and decode downlink transmissions (off-duration) and instructions for the period during which UE3 should be configured to receive downlink transmissions (e.g., multicast or unicast transmissions from base station 5) (on-duration). The DRX configuration may also include time offsets, which may be useful for controlling the relative timing of DRX configurations of different UE3s (e.g., to synchronize or offset DRX patterns). The DRX configuration may also include instructions for the period during which UE should remain configured to receive signals after receiving a PDCCH.

[0063] The on-duration is sometimes called the "DRX active time," and the off-duration is sometimes called the "sleep period" or "DRX inactive time." Figure 4 shows an example of a DRX pattern with on-duration t1 and off-duration t2 that repeats according to the DRX cycle.

[0064] DRX may be configured per UE3 by the network (e.g., via any appropriate signaling from base station 5). For example, the timing and / or duration of the on-duration in a DRX cycle may differ for each UE3. During the off-duration, a UE3 may be configured not to monitor the PDCCH, but can initiate uplink transmissions based on configured resources (e.g., using PUCCH, random access channel (RACH), scheduling request (SR), or configured grant PUSCH (CG-PUSCH)). During the off-duration, the system may be configured to have no transmit / receive between the UE3 and base station 5 in the corresponding cell. However, base station 5 may be configured to reduce or limit transmit / receive in a cell during the off-duration of a DRX cycle. For example, base station 5 may be configured to transmit only a subset of periodic signals or channels, such as common channels / signals that would normally be transmitted within the cell or UE-specific channels / signals.

[0065] DRX can be used when UE3 is in RRC idle mode or when UE3 is in RRC connected mode. For example, DRX may be used to control monitoring of paging messages transmitted by base station 5 when UE3 is in RRC idle mode. This advantageously prevents UE3 from monitoring all PDCCH transmission opportunities, thereby reducing UE3's energy consumption. Similarly, DRX can be used to reduce UE3's energy consumption when UE3 is in an RRC connected state (called C-DRX) by configuring periods when UE3 does not need to monitor PDCCH, for example.

[0066] Within a C-DRX cycle, when UE3 is in an RRC connected state, UE3 periodically monitors PDCCH during its on-duration and does not monitor PDCCH outside of its on-duration (i.e., during DRX inactive periods), thus favorably reducing UE3's power consumption. Currently, during C-DRX inactive periods, UE3 can initiate uplink transmissions based on configured resources (e.g., using PUCCH, random access channel (RACH), scheduling request (SR), or configured permission PUSCH (CG-PUSCH)).

[0067] DRX configurations can also include long DRX cycles with relatively long on-duration times (t2 is relatively long as shown in Figure 4) and short DRX cycles with relatively short on-duration times (t2 is relatively short as shown in Figure 4). Long DRX cycles improve the energy efficiency of the system (because the overall proportion of time UE3 is ON is smaller), but communication latency may increase because base station 5 cannot communicate with UE3 via downlink transmission when UE3 is in a sleep state (DRX inactive state). If UE3 is configured to use DRX after an inactive period following data transfer, UE3 may initially be configured to use a short DRX cycle configuration, and after a further period (which may be defined by a short DRX cycle timer), UE3 can operate using a long DRX cycle configuration. For example, short and long DRX configurations can be indicated to UE3 (or pre-configured in UE3) using any appropriate signaling from base station 5.

[0068] While DRX is described above in relation to discontinuous reception performed by UE3, a similar DTX pattern may be defined to control discontinuous transmission of data by UE3. If defined, the UE DTX pattern typically overlaps with the UE DRX pattern, thereby ensuring that UE3 does not transmit data when it is not receiving data.

[0069] As described above, base station 5 can also operate one or more of its cells in DTX / DRX mode in substantially the same way as UE DTX / DRX, that is, to stop base station transmission and reception during periods when base station 5 is inactive or sleeping (off duration) and to resume transmission and reception with UE3 during periods when base station 5 is active (on duration). The cell DTX / DRX configuration can be defined by several parameters such as periodicity (DRX cycle), start slot / offset, on duration (t1), off duration (t2), and number of cycles, as shown in Figure 4.

[0070] Semi-persistent scheduling As described above, typically, when base station 5 wants to send downlink data to UE3, base station 5 must notify UE3 of the downlink resources (resource blocks 25) that base station 5 will use to send downlink data to UE3. Typically, base station 5 notifies UE3 of the downlink data to be sent using downlink control information (DCI) that identifies a specific time-frequency resource block 25 within the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) used to send downlink data to UE3. However, this process is highly intensive for the physical and MAC layers of base station 5, as they must schedule and send such resource allocation data for each UE3 servicing in each time slot carrying downlink data to UE3. To alleviate this burden on the physical and MAC layers of base station 5, the UE may be configured with semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) in the RRC layer, which defines specific resource blocks 25 that are periodically used to carry downlink data to UE3. Once configured, base station 5 only needs to activate those SPS resources whenever it is appropriate to do so. When data is sent to UE3 and these normal SPS resources are no longer needed, base station 5 can deactivate or release these SPS resources.

[0071] When base station 5 transmits downlink data to UE3, UE3 is configured to send an acknowledgment to confirm successful reception or to confirm that the data was not received correctly and effectively, thereby requesting a retransmission of the downlink data. In this case, base station 5 and UE3 are configured for downlink retransmission of the data within a set period after UE3 indicates a failure to receive the downlink data. This gives base station 5 time to arrange the retransmission and allows UE3 to enter its own DRX inactive period until it has time to prepare for downlink retransmission.

[0072] Figure 5 illustrates this downlink retransmission process. If the downlink transport block 50 is incorrectly received (CRC error), UE3 sends a HARQ NACK message 51 to base station 5, which then retransmits the same packet. If UE3 is not active at the time of retransmission, it will miss the retransmission from base station 5. However, remaining awake until it receives the retransmitted packet is not power-efficient for the UE either.

[0073] Technically, base station 5 can retransmit downlink packets at any time, but it is usually done as soon as possible. Depending on the network implementation and HARQ round trip time, the network timing for retransmitting downlink packets may differ from base station to base station. 3GPP defines two timers to ensure that UE3 wakes up during retransmission and not before. The first timer, drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL(symbol count), defines the time after which UE can expect a downlink retransmission from base station 5. UE3 may be in a low-power sleep state while this timer is running.

[0074] The second timer, drx-RetransmissionTimerDL (in terms of slot count), defines the amount of time UE3 must be awake to receive downlink retransmissions. This second timer specifies the maximum number of slots the UE should monitor PDCCH when a retransmission from base station 5 is expected by the UE.

[0075] After sending a NACK 51 in the UL, the UE must start the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL on the first immediate symbol. When the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL timer expires, the UE starts the drx-RetransmissionTimerDL timer on the next symbol, which remains active for the duration of this timer. As soon as UE3 detects a DL transmission for the corresponding HARQ process, the UE stops the drx-RetransmissionTimerDL timer.

[0076] Overlap between downlink retransmission and cell DTX Further problems arise when downlink resources scheduled for downlink data transmission via semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) overlap with cell DTX inactivity period 29. Such a scenario is shown in Figure 9. Specifically, Figure 9 shows three downlink SPS transmissions 53-1, 53-2, and 53-2, where downlink SPS transmission 53-2 overlaps with cell DTX inactivity period 29.

[0077] The inventors propose that, in this situation, since base station 5 does not transmit downlink data during cell DTX inactivity period 29, UE3 does not need to monitor the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) to monitor the activation or deactivation of SPS or Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) for downlink transmission. However, the reverse may also be desired. Therefore, the inventors propose that base station 5 broadcast or configure the behavior of all UEs providing service during cell DTX inactivity period—which may be skipping (or alternatively monitoring) all downlink SPS and PDCCH transmissions during cell DTX inactivity period. Alternatively, base station 5 may separately inform each UE3 (via DCI signaling) of DL SPS opportunities that UE3 should monitor or skip during cell DTX inactivity period 29 before entering its cell DTX inactivity period.

[0078] Cell DRX misalignment In some DL transmissions (e.g., DL SPS and SPS release messages), the UE needs to send an acknowledgment (ACK) message on the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) after a quasi-statically configured number of slots. However, since the DTX and DRX cycles can be configured independently within base station 5, it is possible that a cell DRX inactivity period 29 occurs immediately after a DL transmission requiring acknowledgment by the UE, and that base station 5 is in a cell DRX inactivity period when the UE is supposed to send the ACK message. An example illustrating this scenario is shown in Figure 10.

[0079] Specifically, in slot 0, UE3 receives downlink SPS transmission 53-1 and is scheduled to transmit HARQ ACK / NACK 55 in slot 4. The next SPS transmission 53-2 is scheduled to be transmitted in slot 6, and is expected to be a new downlink transmission if it is confirmed that the transmission in slot 0 was successfully received; otherwise, it will be a retransmission of SPS transmission 53-1 transmitted in slot 0. However, in the illustrated scenario, the base station is in a cell DRX inactive period 29 during slot 4, and base station 5 does not expect a HARQ acknowledgment during that cell DRX inactive period. The inventors propose the following solution to this problem.

[0080] Option 1 UE3 autonomously updates the number of slots (K1) it must wait before sending a HARQ ACK 55. Therefore, before each HARQ ACK transmission 55, UE3 is configured to do the following: 1) check if base station 5 is in a cell DRX inactive period 29, and 2) check if base station 5 has not received a HARQ ACK transmission. If both 1) and 2) are true, UE3 resets the number of waiting slots (K1) and does not flush its HARQ buffer. This behavior of UE3 essentially delays UE3's transmission of UL HARQ ACKs. Subsequently, if a follow-up SPS transmission opportunity also enters a cell DRX inactive period (e.g., slot 6 as shown in Figure 10), that SPS transmission may be canceled by base station 5. However, if the follow-up SPS transmission opportunity enters the cell DRX active period (e.g., slot 7 shown in Figure 10), base station 5 will either retransmit the previous acknowledgment transmission (e.g., transmitted from slot 0 in Figure 10) or schedule resources to UE3 so that UE3 can transmit an acknowledgment of that previous acknowledgment transmission (e.g., from slot 0 in Figure 10). Alternatively, unless the upper layer protocol requests the HARQ layer to drop the transmit block and flush the HARQ buffer, a new K1 value (K1 new ) is K1new =K1+T DRX_inactive (T DRX_inactive can be set as the duration (within a slot) of the cell DRX inactive period 29. If there are multiple UEs waiting to send UL HARQ feedback to base station 5, following the above formula, these UEs may help stagger their uplink HARQ ACK transmissions to base station 5 as base station 5 transitions from its DRX inactive period to its DRX active period. Otherwise, all UEs may send a HARQ ACK in the first available slot of the active period following the DRX inactive period.

[0081] Option 2 Base station 5 signals UE3 with the next HARQ ACK opportunity to skip the cell DRX inactive period. To avoid RRC reconfiguration of UE3, a delayed HARQ ACK opportunity may be provided by base station 5 in DCI signaling at layer L1 / layer L2.

[0082] In addition to performing option 1 or option 2 above, base station 5 may be configured to skip one or more (re)transmissions over the next DL SPS opportunity if it does not receive a HARQ ACK 55 from UE3 (due to overlapping with the cell DRX inactive period 29), and to wait for the UE's HARQ ACK 55 for the previous SPS transmission made before base station 5 entered the cell DRX inactive period.

[0083] Downlink SPS release When the base station 5 determines that it is time to stop the SPS resources being used by the UE3 (for example, when there is no more downlink data to transmit to the UE3), the base station 5 transmits an SPS release message to the UE3. When the UE3 receives the SPS release command, the UE3 is supposed to provide a confirmation response (UL ACK) to the base station 5 in order to confirm its reception within N slots of the reception of the SPS release command. As shown in Fig. 11, the same problem as described above also occurs when there is a cell DRX inactive period 29 during this N slots.

[0084] Specifically, since the base station 5 does not expect the HARQ ACK 55 of the SPS release command 57 during the cell DRX inactive period 29, the UE3 has to delay its HARQ ACK transmission 55 to the base station 5 in order to confirm the reception of the DL SPS release command 57 until after the cell DRX inactive period 29 becomes available at the base station 5. The inventors of the present invention proposed the following solutions to this problem.

[0085] Option 1 The UE3 autonomously updates the number of slots N that the UE3 has to wait before transmitting the HARQ ACK 55. Therefore, before each HARQ ACK transmission, the UE3 is configured to do the following: That is, 1) check whether the base station 5 is within the cell DRX inactive period 29, and if so, 2) check whether the base station 5 has not received a HARQ ACK transmission in this state. If not received, the UE resets the waiting slot number (N) and does not flush its HARQ buffer. Alternatively, the UE3 calculates the next opportunity for HARQ ACK transmission (following the cell DRX inactive period T DRX_inactive ), replaces the legacy value of N with N new = N + T DRX_inactive where T DRX_inactive is the duration of the cell DRX inactive period 29 (within the slot), and the L3 retransmission timer of the UE3 does not expire by N new slots.

[0086] Alternatively, if there are multiple HARQ ACKs / NACKs to be sent to base station 5 at the start of the next cell DRX active period 31-2 (including those from different transmit slots or multiple UEs), the multiple UEs may transmit HARQ ACKs / NACKs in a multiplexed manner on the same transmit opportunity, depending on the network scheduling.

[0087] Option 2 Base station 5 can indicate to UE3 the next HARQ ACK opportunity to acknowledge the SPS release command 57 in order to skip the cell DRX inactive period 29. For example, in the example shown in Figure 11, N=7 can be included in the SPS release command 57 instead of the default N=4. In this way, UE3 calculates when to send a HARQ ACK 55 in response to the SPS release command 57 simply by applying the new value (N=7).

[0088] Option 3 Base station 5 delays (or repeats) sending the SPS release command 57 to UE3 until base station 5 is sufficiently long in the next DRX active period 31-2. In the example in Figure 11, this includes delaying (or retransmitting) the SPS release command 57 in slot 7 for UE3 to acknowledge receipt in slot 11 (not shown).

[0089] However, as shown in Figure 12, if the cell DRX inactivity period 29 has ended by the time the HARQ ACK 55 is scheduled to be sent, the UE can simply send the HARQ ACK 55 at the end of slot 4 in the usual manner.

[0090] User equipment Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of UE3 as shown in Figure 1.

[0091] As shown in the figure, UE3 has a transceiver circuit 310 capable of transmitting signals to and receiving signals from base station 5 via one or more antennas 330 (e.g., having one or more antenna elements). UE3 has a controller 370 that controls the operation of UE3. Controller 370 is associated with memory 390 and connected to transceiver circuit 310. Although not necessarily required for its operation, UE3 can, of course, have all the usual features of a conventional UE3 (e.g., a user interface 350 such as a touchscreen / keypad / microphone / speaker to enable direct user control and interaction with the user), which can be provided, as appropriate, by one or any combination of hardware, software, and firmware. The software may be pre-installed in memory 390 and / or downloaded, for example, via communication system 1 or from a removable data storage device (RMD).

[0092] In this example, the controller 370 is configured to control the overall operation of UE3 by program instructions or software instructions stored in memory 390. As shown in the figure, these software instructions include, among other things, the operating system 410 and the communication control module 430.

[0093] The communication control module 430 is operable to control communication between the UE3 and one or more service base stations 5 (and other communication devices connected to the base station 5, such as additional UEs and / or core network nodes). The communication control module 430 is configured to handle uplink communication in general via associated uplink channels (e.g., via physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), random access channel (RACH), and / or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)), including both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., such as SRS). The communication control module 430 is also configured to handle the reception of downlink communication in general via associated downlink channels (e.g., via physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)), including both dynamic and semi-persistent scheduling (e.g., such as SPS). The communication control module 430 is responsible for, for example, determining where to monitor downlink control information (such as the locations of CSS / USS, CORESET, and associated PDCCH candidates to be monitored); determining which resources should be used by UE3 for transmitting / receiving UL / DL communications (including interleaved resources and resources subject to frequency hopping); managing frequency hopping on the UE side; determining how slots / symbols should be configured (for example, for UL, DL, or SBFD communications); determining which one or more bandwidth portions are configured for UE3; determining how uplink transmissions should be encoded; and appropriately applying any SBFD-specific communication configurations.

[0094] The communication control module 430 is configured to control communications in accordance with any of the proposals and options described to address the overlap of SPS resources and cell DRX / DRX inactive periods. The communication control module 430 includes a cell DRX / DTX configuration 450 provided by the serving base station 5 that identifies cell DRX / DTX inactive periods and cell DRX / DTX active periods. As those skilled in the art will understand, this information is required for the UE to control its operation in accordance with the above proposals. The communication control module 430 also includes an SPS configuration 460 that defines periodic resources allocated to the UE 3 for downlink communications, and a HARQ buffer 470 that the UE 3 uses to track the progress of transmit acknowledgments and base station acknowledgments in order to control retransmission and retransmission requests as part of the HARQ process. The communication control module 430 also includes various timers 480 used to define the timings described above.

[0095] base station Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram showing the main configuration of base station 5 of the communication system 1 shown in Figure 1. As shown, base station 5 has a transceiver circuit 510 for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from communication devices (such as UE3) via one or more antennas 530 (e.g., single or multi-panel antenna arrays / large antennas), and a core network interface 550 (e.g., with N2, N3, and other reference points / interfaces) for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from network nodes in the core network 7. Although not shown, base station 5 may also be connected to other base stations via appropriate interfaces (e.g., the so-called "Xn" interface in NR). Base station 5 has a controller 570 that controls the operation of base station 5. Controller 570 is associated with memory 590. Software may be pre-installed in memory 590 and / or downloaded, for example, via the communication system 1 or from a removable data storage device (RMD). In this example, the controller 570 is configured to control the overall operation of the base station 5 by program instructions or software instructions stored in memory 590.

[0096] As shown in the figure, these software instructions include, among other things, the operating system 610 and the communication control module 630.

[0097] The communication control module 630 is operable to control communication between the base station 5, the UE3, and other network entities connected to the base station 5. The communication control module 630 is configured to generally control the reception and decoding of uplink communications over associated uplink channels (e.g., over the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), random-access channel (RACH), and / or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)), including both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., SRS). The communication control module 630 is also configured to generally control the transmission of downlink communications over associated downlink channels (e.g., over the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)), including both dynamic and semi-persistent scheduling (e.g., SPS). The communication control module 630 is responsible for managing full-duplex communication (such as SBFD), including the separation of UL and DL communications via different physical antenna elements, as needed.The communication control module 630 is responsible for, for example, determining where the UE3 should be configured to monitor downlink control information (such as the locations of CSS / USS, CORESET, and associated PDCCH candidates to be monitored); determining resources to be scheduled for UE transmission / reception of UL / DL communications (including interleaved resources and resources subject to frequency hopping); managing frequency hopping on the base station side; appropriately configuring slots / symbols (for example, UL, DL, or SBFD communications); configuring one or more bandwidth portions for the UE3; and providing relevant configuration signaling to the UE3.

[0098] The communication control module 630 is configured to control communication with UE3 in accordance with any of the above-described suggestions and options for allocating resources to UEs so that UEs can manage their downlink transmissions while the base station transitions between cell DTX / DRX inactive and active periods. The communication control module 630 includes a cell DRX / DTX configuration 650, which is broadcast by the base station 5 to the UEs that the base station is serving and is used by the base station 5 to define the cell DRX / DTX inactive and active periods. The communication control module 630 also includes an SPS configuration 660 for UEs that defines periodic semi-persistent scheduling resources allocated to different UEs that the base station is serving. The communication control module 630 also includes a HARQ buffer 670 that the base station uses to track the progress of transmit acknowledgments and UE acknowledgments in order to control retransmissions and retransmission requests, and a timer 680 used to define the various timings described above. Specifically, the base station 5 also maintains the above-described counters that UE3 performs to know when to expect ACK / NACK messages and when to send retransmissions to the UEs.

[0099] Variations and alternative examples As those skilled in the art will understand, the above embodiments can be modified and substituted in multiple ways, while still benefiting from the present disclosure as embodied therein. As those skilled in the art will understand, the timing of slots / SPS opportunities shown in the diagram with respect to the timing of active and inactive periods of cell DRX is for illustrative purposes only. In reality, the inactive and active periods of cell DRX can span many SPS periods.

[0100] While terminology specific to cellular communication generations (such as 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, and 6G) ​​may be used to refer to specific communication entities for clarity, it should be understood that the technical features described for a given entity are not limited to the device of that particular communication generation. These technical features can be implemented in any functionally equivalent communication entity, regardless of the differences in terminology used to refer to them.

[0101] In the above description, the UE and base station are described as having several separate functional components or modules for the sake of ease of understanding. These modules may thus be provided in certain applications, for example, where an existing system is modified to implement the present disclosure, but in other applications, for example, systems designed from the outset with the features of the present invention in mind, these modules may be incorporated into the overall operating system or code, and therefore these modules may not be identified as separate entities.

[0102] In the exemplary embodiments described above, several software modules have been explained. As those skilled in the art will understand, software modules may be provided in compiled or uncompiled form and may be supplied as signals over a computer network or on a recording medium. Furthermore, some or all of the functions performed by this software may be performed using one or more dedicated hardware circuits. However, the use of software modules is preferred because it facilitates updating the base station or UE to update the functions of the base station or UE.

[0103] Each control unit may include, for example, one or more hardware-implemented computer processors, microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), arithmetic logic units (ALUs), input / output (IO) circuits, internal memory / cache (programs and / or data), processing registers, communication buses (such as control buses, data buses, and / or address buses), direct memory access (DMA) functions, hardware or software-implemented counters, pointers, and / or timers, and any other suitable form of processing circuitry. Various other modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

[0104] A base station may comprise a “distributed” base station having a central unit ("CU") and one or more individual distributed units ("DU").

[0105] In this disclosure, User Equipment (or "UE," "Mobile Station," "Mobile Device," or "Radio Device") is an entity connected to a network via a radio interface.

[0106] Please note that this disclosure is not limited to dedicated communication devices, but can be applied to any device having communication functions as described in the following paragraphs.

[0107] The terms “User Equipment” or “UE” (as used by 3GPP), “Mobile Station,” “Mobile Device,” and “Radio Device” are generally intended to be synonymous with each other and include standalone mobile stations such as terminals, cell phones, smartphones, tablets, cellular IoT devices, IoT devices, and machines. The terms “Mobile Station” and “Mobile Device” will be understood to also include devices that remain stationary for extended periods.

[0108] UE may be items of equipment for production or manufacturing and / or items of energy-related machinery, such as equipment or machinery (for example, boilers, engines, turbines, solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric generators, thermal generators, nuclear generators, batteries, nuclear systems and / or related equipment, heavy electrical machinery, pumps including vacuum pumps, compressors, fans, blowers, hydraulic equipment, pneumatic equipment, metalworking machinery, manipulators, robots and / or their application systems, tools, molds or dies, rolls, conveying equipment, elevators, material handling equipment, textile machinery, sewing machinery, printing and / or related machinery, paper conversion machinery, chemical machinery, mining machinery and / or construction machinery and / or related equipment, machinery and / or equipment for agriculture, forestry and / or fisheries, safety and / or environmental protection equipment, tractors, precision bearings, chains, gears, power transmission equipment, lubrication equipment, valves, pipe fittings and / or application systems for any of the aforementioned equipment or machinery, etc.).

[0109] UE may be an item of transport equipment, for example (such as transport equipment such as railway cars, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, buses, carts, rickshaws, ships and other vessels, aircraft, rockets, satellites, drones, balloons, etc.). UE may also be an item of information and communication equipment, for example (such as information and communication equipment such as electronic computers and related equipment, communication and related equipment, electronic components, etc.).

[0110] UE may include, for example, refrigerators, refrigerator applications, commercial and / or service industry equipment items, vending machines, automated service machines, office machines or equipment, and household appliances and electronic devices (such as audio equipment, video equipment, loudspeakers, radios, televisions, microwave ovens, rice cookers, coffee machines, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, electronic fans or related equipment, vacuum cleaners, etc.).

[0111] The UE may be an electrical application system or device, for example, such as an X-ray system, particle accelerator, radioisotope equipment, sound wave equipment, electromagnetic application equipment, power application equipment, etc.

[0112] UE may include, for example, electronic lamps, lighting fixtures, measuring instruments, analyzers, testers, or measuring or detecting equipment (such as smoke detectors, human alarm sensors, motion sensors, wireless tags, etc.), watches or clocks, laboratory equipment, optical devices, medical equipment and / or systems, weapons, tableware, hand tools, etc.

[0113] The UE may be a wireless-equipped personal digital assistant or related device, such as a wireless card or module designed to be attached to or inserted into another electronic device (for example, a personal computer, electrical measuring instrument, etc.).

[0114] UE may be part of a device or system that uses various wired and / or wireless communication technologies to provide the following uses, services, and solutions related to the Internet of Things (IoT).

[0115] Internet of Things devices (or “things”) may be equipped with appropriate electronics, software, sensors, network connectivity, etc., that enable these devices to collect and exchange data with each other and with other communication devices. IoT devices may include automated devices that follow software instructions stored in internal memory. IoT devices may operate without requiring human supervision or interaction. IoT devices may also remain stationary and / or inactive for extended periods. IoT devices may be implemented as part of (generally) stationary equipment. IoT devices may also be incorporated into non-stationary equipment (such as a vehicle) or attached to animals or people being monitored / tracked.

[0116] It will be understood that IoT technology can be implemented on any communication device that can connect to a communication network to send / receive data, regardless of whether such communication device is controlled by human input or by software instructions stored in memory.

[0117] It will be understood that IoT devices are sometimes called Machine-Type Communication (MTC) devices or Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication devices. It will be understood that a UE may support one or more IoT or MTC applications. Some examples of MTC applications are listed in the table below. This list is not exhaustive and is intended to show some examples of machine-type communication applications. [Table 2]

[0118] Applications, services, and solutions may include MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) services, emergency radio communication systems, PBX (Private Branch eXchange) systems, PHS / digital cordless telecommunications systems, POS (Point of Sale) systems, incoming advertising systems, MBMS (Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service), V2X (Vehicle to Everything) systems, train radio systems, location-related services, disaster / emergency radio communication services, community services, video streaming services, femtocell application services, VoLTE (Voice over LTE) services, billing services, wireless on-demand services, roaming services, activity monitoring services, telecommunications carrier / network selection services, function restriction services, PoC (Proof of Concept) services, personal information management services, ad hoc network / DTN (Delay Tolerant Networking) services, and others.

[0119] Furthermore, the aforementioned UE categories are merely examples of applications of the technical concepts and exemplary embodiments described in this document. Needless to say, these technical concepts and exemplary embodiments are not limited to the UEs described above and can be modified in various ways.

[0120] Various other modifications are obvious to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

[0121] For example, all or part of the exemplary embodiments disclosed above may be described, but are not limited to, as follows: (Note 1) A method performed by user equipment (UE), Receiving the first data of the first downlink transmission from the access network node, If the first downlink transmission is not successfully received, a non-acknowledgement (NACK) is sent to the access network node. Configure a first timer that indicates how long the UE waits after sending a NACK to the access network node before receiving a retransmission of downlink data from the access network node. A second timer is configured to operate after the first timer and indicate the period during which the UE should be awake to receive a retransmission of the first downlink transmission from the access network node. Receiving first information indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, To determine whether the second timer for the first downlink transmission overlaps with the inactivity period of the access network node, If the second timer overlaps with the inactive period, the start of the second timer will be delayed until the access network node enters the active period after the end of the inactive period. A method that includes this. (Note 2) The method as described in Appendix 1, wherein if the first timer starts after the transmission of NACK, the first timer is extended so that it stops at the end of the inactive period. (Note 3) The method described in Appendix 1, which skips starting the first timer if the first timer has not started after the transmission of NACK. (Note 4) A method performed by user equipment (UE), Receiving the first data of the first downlink transmission from the access network node, If the first downlink transmission is not successfully received, a non-acknowledgement (NACK) is sent to the access network node. Configure a first timer that indicates how long the UE waits after sending a NACK to the access network node before receiving a retransmission of downlink data from the access network node. A second timer is configured to operate after the first timer and indicate the period during which the UE should be awake to receive a retransmission of the first downlink transmission from the access network node. Receiving first information indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Determine whether the first timer for the first downlink transmission terminates during the inactivity period of the access network node, If the first timer is scheduled to end within the inactive period, extend the first timer so that it stops at the end of the inactive period, Methods that include... (Note 5) A method performed by user equipment (UE), The access network node receives a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration that defines multiple downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can send downlink data to the UE, Receiving first information indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Determining from the SPS configuration and first information whether an access network node is inactive during any time slot configured for SPS downlink transmission, If an access network node is inactive during a time slot configured for SPS downlink transmission, the UE will skip monitoring the downlink channel for that time slot unless it receives instructions from the access network node that it should monitor the downlink channel for that time slot. Methods that include... (Note 6) The method described in Appendix 5, wherein the UE receives instructions from an access network node on a broadcast channel or in UE-specific downlink control information. (Note 7) The method described in Appendix 5 or 6, wherein the UE skips monitoring of the downlink control channel and / or downlink shared data channel. (Note 8) A method performed by user equipment (UE), The access network node receives a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration that defines multiple downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can send downlink data to the UE, Receiving first information indicating a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Receiving the first data of the first downlink transmission sent by the access network node in the first time slot, After the first time slot, determine a second time slot in which, if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received, send a non-acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network node, or if the first downlink transmission was successfully received, send an acknowledgment (ACK) to the access network node. A step to check whether the second time slot overlaps with the inactive period, If the access network node is inactive during the second time slot, the transmission of ACK / NACK will be delayed until the third time slot, which overlaps with the access network node's active period after the second time slot. Methods that include... (Note 9) The method according to Appendix 8, wherein the second time slot is determined by adding a predetermined number of slots to the first time slot, and the third time slot is determined by adding an integer multiple of a predetermined number of slots to the second time slot. (Note 10) The method according to Appendix 9, wherein a counter is used to count a predetermined number of slots and is reset once or multiple times until the determined third time slot no longer overlaps with the inactive period. (Note 11) The method according to Appendix 8, further comprising the step of determining the duration of the inactive period in a time slot, wherein a second time slot is determined by adding a predetermined number of slots to a first time slot, and a third time slot is determined by adding the duration of the inactive period to the second time slot. (Note 12) A method performed by user equipment (UE), The access network node receives a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration that defines multiple downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can send downlink data to the UE, Receiving first information indicating a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Receiving the first data of the first downlink transmission sent by the access network node in the first time slot, After the first time slot, determine a second time slot in which a non-acknowledgement (NACK) is sent to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received, or an acknowledgment (ACK) is sent to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was successfully received. If an access network node is inactive during a second time slot, the UE receives instructions from the access network node regarding when to send an ACK / NACK in a time slot that skips the inactive period. Methods that further include the above. (Note 13) Instructions are received from an access network node on a downlink control channel, as described in Appendix 12. (Note 14) The first time slot corresponds to an SPS transmission opportunity, in any of the manner described in Appendix 8 to Appendix 13. (Note 15) The method as described in Appendix 14, wherein if the first downlink transmission is not successfully received, the first data is kept in a HARQ buffer for use when decoding a retransmission after the first downlink transmission. (Note 16) The method described in any one of the appendices 8 to 13, wherein the first downlink transmission includes an SPS release command. (Note 17) The first downlink transmission is received on the downlink control channel, as described in Appendix 16. (Note 18) A method performed by an access network node, The first data of the first downlink transmission is sent to the User Equipment (UE), If the first downlink transmission is not successfully received, a non-acknowledgement (NACK) is received from the UE, Configure a first timer that indicates how long the UE waits after sending a NACK to the access network node before receiving a retransmission of downlink data from the access network node. Sending a second configuration data to the UE in order to configure a second timer that operates after the first timer and indicates the period during which the UE should be awake to receive a retransmission of the first downlink transmission from the access network node, Sending third configuration data that indicates a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of the access network node, defining an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, To determine whether the first timer for the first downlink transmission stops during the inactive period, or whether the second timer for the first downlink transmission overlaps with the inactive period, If the first downlink transmission stops during the inactive period, or if the second timer overlaps with the inactive period, the retransmission of the first data transmission will be delayed until the access network node enters an active period after the end of the inactive period. Methods that include... (Note 19) A method performed by an access network node, This involves sending a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration to the user equipment (UE), which defines multiple downlink transmission opportunities that the access network node can use to send downlink data to the UE. Transmitting first information indicating the discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Determining from the SPS configuration and first information whether the access network node is inactive during the time slot configured for SPS downlink transmission to the UE, If an access network node sends a downlink transmission to the UE during an inactive period, it sends an instruction to the UE that the UE should monitor the downlink channel for that time slot. A method that includes this. (Note 20) Instructions are sent to the UE via a broadcast channel or UE-specific downlink control information, as described in Appendix 19. (Note 21) A method performed by an access network node, This involves sending a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration to the UE that defines multiple downlink transmission opportunities on which an access network node can send downlink data to user equipment (UE), Sending first information to the UE indicating a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Sending the first downlink transmission to the UE in the first time slot, After the first time slot, determine a second time slot in which the access network node expects to receive a non-acknowledgement (NACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received by the UE, or an acknowledgment (ACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was successfully received by the UE. A step to check whether the second time slot overlaps with the inactive period, If the access network node is inactive during the second time slot, the first downlink transmission will be maintained in the HARQ buffer until the third time slot, which overlaps with the access network node's active period after the second time slot. Methods that include... (Note 22) The method according to Appendix 21, wherein the second time slot is determined by adding a predetermined number of slots to the first time slot, and the third time slot is determined by adding an integer multiple of a predetermined number of slots to the second time slot. (Note 23) The method as described in Appendix 22, wherein a counter is used to count a predetermined number of slots and is reset once or more times until the determined third time slot no longer overlaps with an inactive period. (Note 24) The method according to Appendix 21, wherein a second time slot is determined by adding a predetermined number of slots to the first time slot, and a third time slot is determined by adding the duration of the inactive period to the second time slot. (Note 25) A method performed by an access network node, This involves sending a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration to the UE that defines multiple downlink transmission opportunities on which an access network node can send downlink data to user equipment (UE), Sending first information to the UE indicating a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Sending the first downlink transmission to the UE in the first time slot, After the first time slot, determine a second time slot in which the access network node expects to receive a non-acknowledgement (NACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received by the UE, or an acknowledgment (ACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was successfully received by the UE. Check whether the second time slot overlaps with the inactive period, If an access network node is inactive during a second time slot, the UE will be instructed to send an ACK / NACK during a time slot in which the inactive period is skipped. Methods that include... (Note 26) Instructions are sent to the UE via the downlink control channel as described in Appendix 25. (Note 27) The first time slot corresponds to an SPS transmission opportunity, in any of the manner described in appendices 21 to 26. (Note 28) The method as described in Appendix 27, further comprising the step of maintaining a first downlink transmission in the HARQ buffer during an inactive period. (Note 29) The method described in any one of the appendices 21 to 26, wherein the first downlink transmission includes an SPS release command. (Note 30) The method according to Appendix 29, comprising transmitting a first downlink transmission on a downlink control channel. (Note 31) User equipment (UE), Means for receiving first data of a first downlink transmission from an access network node, A means for sending a non-acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission is not successfully received, A means for configuring a first timer that indicates how long the UE waits after sending a NACK to an access network node before receiving a retransmission of downlink data from the access network node, Means for configuring a second timer that operates after the first timer and indicates the period during which the UE should be awake to receive a retransmission of the first downlink transmission from the access network node, A means for receiving first information indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, A means for determining whether a second timer for a first downlink transmission overlaps with the inactivity period of an access network node, A means for delaying the start of the second timer when the second timer overlaps with an inactive period, until the access network node enters an active period after the end of the inactive period, User equipment equipped with these features. (Note 32) User equipment (UE), Means for receiving first data of a first downlink transmission from an access network node, A means for sending a non-acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission is not successfully received, A means for configuring a first timer that indicates how long the UE waits after sending a NACK to an access network node before receiving a retransmission of downlink data from the access network node, Means for configuring a second timer that operates after the first timer and indicates the period during which the UE should be awake to receive a retransmission of the first downlink transmission from the access network node, A means for receiving first information indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, A means for determining whether a first timer for a first downlink transmission terminates during an inactive period of the access network node, If the first timer is to expire within the inactive period, means for extending the first timer so that it stops at the end of the inactive period, User equipment equipped with these features. (Note 33) User equipment (UE), A means for receiving a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration from an access network node that defines multiple downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can send downlink data to the UE, A means for receiving first information indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, A means for determining, from the SPS configuration and first information, whether an access network node is inactive during any time slot configured for SPS downlink transmission, Means for skipping monitoring of downlink channels in a time slot configured for SPS downlink transmission when an access network node is inactive during a time slot, unless the UE receives instructions from the access network node that it should monitor the downlink channels for that time slot; User equipment equipped with these features. (Note 34) User equipment (UE), A means for receiving a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration from an access network node, which defines multiple downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can send downlink data to the UE, A means for receiving first information indicating a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Means for receiving first data of a first downlink transmission transmitted by an access network node in a first time slot, A means for determining a second time slot after a first time slot, which involves sending a non-acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received, or sending an acknowledgment (ACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was successfully received. A means to check whether the second time slot overlaps with the inactive period, A means for delaying the transmission of ACK / NACK until a third time slot that overlaps with the active period of the access network node, when the access network node is inactive during the second time slot, User equipment equipped with these features. (Note 35) User equipment (UE), A means for receiving a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration from an access network node that defines multiple downlink transmission opportunities on which the access network node can send downlink data to the UE, A means for receiving first information indicating a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Means for receiving first data of a first downlink transmission transmitted by an access network node in a first time slot, A means for determining a second time slot after a first time slot, which involves sending a non-acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received, or sending an acknowledgment (ACK) to the access network node if the first downlink transmission was successfully received. A means for receiving instructions from an access network node regarding when the UE should send an ACK / NACK in a time slot that skips the inactive period when the access network node is inactive during a second time slot, User equipment equipped with these features. (Note 36) Access network node, A means for transmitting the first data of the first downlink transmission to user equipment (UE), A means for receiving a non-acknowledgement (NACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission is not successfully received, A means for sending first configuration data to the UE in order to configure a first timer that indicates how long the UE should wait after sending a NACK to the access network node before the access network node resends the first downlink data transmission to the UE, Means for sending a second configuration data to the UE in order to configure a second timer that operates after the first timer and indicates the period during which the UE should be awake to receive a retransmission of the first downlink transmission from the access network node, A means for transmitting third configuration data indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Means for determining whether a first timer for a first downlink transmission stops during an inactive period, or whether a second timer for a first downlink transmission overlaps with an inactive period, A means for delaying the retransmission of the first data transmission by an access network node until the active period begins after the end of the inactive period, if the first downlink transmission is stopped during the inactive period or the second timer overlaps with the inactive period. An access network node equipped with this feature. (Note 37) Access network node, A means for sending a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration to a user equipment (UE) that defines multiple downlink transmission opportunities on which an access network node can send downlink data to the UE, A means for transmitting first information indicating a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration of an access network node, defining an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, A means for determining, from the SPS configuration and first information, whether an access network node is in an inactive period during a time slot configured for SPS downlink transmission to the UE, A means for sending an instruction to the UE that the UE should monitor the downlink channel for a time slot when an access network node sends a downlink transmission to the UE during an inactive period, An access network node equipped with this feature. (Note 38) Access network node, A means for sending a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration to a user equipment (UE) that defines multiple downlink transmission opportunities on which an access network node can send downlink data to the UE, A means for sending first information indicating discontinuous reception (DRX) to the UE, defining an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Means for transmitting a first downlink transmission to the UE in the first time slot, A means for determining a second time slot in which the access network node expects to receive a non-acknowledgement (NACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received by the UE, or an acknowledgment (ACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was successfully received by the UE, after the first time slot. A means to check whether the second time slot overlaps with the inactive period, If the access network node is inactive during the second time slot, means for maintaining the first downlink transmission in the HARQ buffer until the third time slot following the second time slot, which overlaps with the access network node's active period, An access network node equipped with this feature. (Note 39) Access network node, A means for sending a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration to a user equipment (UE) that defines multiple downlink transmission opportunities on which an access network node can send downlink data to the UE, A means for sending first information indicating discontinuous reception (DRX) to the UE, defining an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Means for transmitting a first downlink transmission to the UE in the first time slot, A means for determining a second time slot in which the access network node expects to receive a non-acknowledgement (NACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was not successfully received by the UE, or an acknowledgment (ACK) from the UE if the first downlink transmission was successfully received by the UE, after the first time slot. A means to check whether the second time slot overlaps with the inactive period, A means for sending instructions to the UE regarding when the UE should send an ACK / NACK in a time slot that skips the inactive period when the access network node is inactive during the second time slot, An access network node equipped with this feature.

[0122] This application claims priority based on UK Patent Application No. 2305077.6, filed on April 5, 2023, the disclosure thereof, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0123] 1. Communication System 3. User equipment 5 base station 7 Core Network 9 cells 10 Control Plane Functions 11. User Plane Functions 20 External data network 310 Transceiver Circuit 330 Antenna 350 User Interfaces 370 Controller 390 memory 410 Operating Systems 430 Communication control module 450-cell DTX / DRX configuration 460 SPS configuration 470 HARQ buffers 480 timer 510 Transceiver Circuit 530 Antenna 550 Core Network Interfaces 570 Controller 590 memory 610 Operating Systems 630 Communication control module 650-cell DTX / DRX configuration 660 UE SPS configuration 670 HARQ buffers 680 timer

Claims

1. A method performed by user equipment (UE), Receiving the first downlink transmission from the access network node, It is determined that the timing of the procedure related to the first downlink transmission overlaps with the inactive period of cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) / discontinuous reception (DRX) of the access network node, Delaying or stopping the start of the procedure related to the first downlink transmission, Methods that include...

2. Delaying or suspending the initiation of the procedure related to the first downlink transmission is performed until the access network node enters a cell DTX / DRX active period after the end of the cell DTX / DRX inactive period. The method according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned determination is made by determining that the timing of at least one duration of the drx-Retransmission timer or drx-Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ)-Round Trip Time (RTT)-TimerDownlink (DL) overlaps with the cell DTX inactive period of the access network node. If decoding of the data related to the first downlink transmission fails, the delay or halt will start the drx-Retransmission timer. The method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. If the data related to the first downlink transmission is not decoded correctly and the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL has already been started, the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL will be stopped after the end of the cell DTX inactive period. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

5. If the data relating to the first downlink transmission is not decoded correctly and the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL is not started, the access network node delays the start of the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL until the cell DTX active period begins after the end of the cell DTX inactive period. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

6. Stopping the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL after the end of the cell DTX inactivity period, or The drx-RetransmissionTimerDL is started after the start of the cell DTX active period. Receiving information from the access network node indicating at least one of the following: The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, further comprising:

7. The aforementioned information is received by the media access control element. The method according to claim 6.

8. The first downlink transmission is one of the downlink semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) transmissions, The method includes skipping monitoring the downlink channel in the time slot if the duration of the time slot configured for downlink SPS transmission overlaps with the cell DTX inactive period. The method according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The UE receives information from the access network node indicating whether it should skip or monitor downlink SPS transmissions and / or at least one physical downlink control channel during the cell DTX inactive period. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

10. The aforementioned information is received in broadcast channel or downlink control information. The method according to claim 9.

11. The first downlink transmission is one of the downlink semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) transmissions, The method includes delaying or stopping the start of ACK / NACK transmission for the first downlink transmission if the duration of the time slot configured for sending an acknowledgment (ACK) / negative ACK (NACK) for the first downlink transmission overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period. The method according to claim 1 or 2.

12. Delaying or stopping the start of the ACK / NACK transmission is done by updating the number of slots that the UE must wait for before transmitting the ACK / NACK. The method according to claim 11.

13. The first downlink transmission includes information indicating a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) release. The method includes delaying or stopping the start of ACK / NACK transmission for the SPS release if the duration of the time slot configured for sending an acknowledgment (ACK) / negative ACK (NACK) for the SPS release overlaps with the cell DRX inactivity period. The method according to claim 1 or 2.

14. If the data related to the first downlink transmission is not successfully decoded, do not flush the data in the HARQ buffer. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, further comprising:

15. Receiving information from the access network node indicating how long to delay or stop the start of the aforementioned procedure. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising:

16. A method performed by an access network node, To send the first downlink transmission to the user equipment (UE), If the timing of the procedure related to the first downlink transmission overlaps with the inactive period of the access network node's cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) / discontinuous reception (DRX), the start of the procedure related to the first downlink transmission may be delayed or stopped. A method that includes this.

17. User equipment (UE), Means for receiving a first downlink transmission from an access network node, Means for determining that the timing of the procedure related to the first downlink transmission overlaps with the inactive period of cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) / discontinuous reception (DRX) of the access network node, Means for delaying or stopping the start of the procedure related to the first downlink transmission, User equipment equipped with these features.

18. Access network node, A means for transmitting the first downlink transmission to user equipment (UE), If the timing of the procedure related to the first downlink transmission overlaps with the inactive period of cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) / discontinuous reception (DRX) of the access network node, means for delaying or stopping the start of the procedure related to the first downlink transmission, An access network node equipped with this feature.

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