User equipment and base stations involved in monitoring the control channel

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a user equipment UE comprising: a processor determines a capability of the UE for operating a monitor function, including a capability condition related to a minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans in a grouping window having a length of one or more slots; a transmitter transmits a capability indication to a base station indicating the capability condition of the UE; and a receiver receives information for setting the monitor function from the base station, including one or more monitor opportunities for the UE to monitor a downlink control channel.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure covers methods, apparatus, and articles in communication systems, such as 3GPP® communication systems. [Background technology]

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

[0003] One objective is to provide a single technical framework to address all usage scenarios, requirements, and deployment scenarios (e.g., see section 6 of 3GPP TR 38.913 version 16.0.0) including at least enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC). For example, eMBB deployment scenarios may include indoor hotspots, dense urban areas, rural, urban macro, and high-speed; URLLC deployment scenarios may include industrial control systems, mobile healthcare (remote monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment), real-time vehicle control, wide-area monitoring, and control systems for smart grids; and mMTC deployment scenarios may include scenarios with a large number of devices involving non-time-critical data transfer, such as smart wearables and sensor networks. While eMBB and URLLC services are similar in that both require very wide bandwidth, URLLC services differ in that they may preferably require ultra-low latency.

[0004] The second objective is to achieve backward compatibility. Since backward compatibility with Long Term Evolution (LTE, LTE-A) cellular systems is not required, this facilitates entirely new system designs and / or the introduction of novel characteristics. [Overview of the project]

[0005] One non-limiting and exemplary embodiment contributes to providing a procedure that facilitates the implementation of an improved downlink control channel monitor by the UE.

[0006] In one embodiment, the technology disclosed herein features a user device UE including: The UE's processor determines the UE's capability to operate a monitoring function, which is operated by the UE to monitor a downlink control channel in one or more monitoring opportunities for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. The determined capability of the UE is based on the following two capability conditions of the UE to operate the monitoring function, namely: - A first capability condition relating to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, - A second capability condition relating to the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, Includes. The UE's transmitter transmits a capability indication to the base station, which includes information about the UE's determined capability to operate the monitoring function. The capability indication indicates a first capability requirement for the UE and optionally includes a second capability requirement for the UE. The UE's receiver receives configuration information from the base station to set up the monitoring function in the UE, which sets up one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor the downlink control channel.

[0007] It should be noted that general or specific embodiments may be implemented as systems, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs, storage media, or any selective combination thereof. For example, an integrated circuit may control processing at a UE or base station.

[0008] Further benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments and various embodiments will become apparent from this specification and the drawings. These benefits and / or advantages can be obtained individually by the various embodiments and features of this specification and the drawings, and it is not necessary to provide all embodiments and features for the purpose of obtaining one or more such benefits and / or advantages. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] The following embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary architecture of a 3GPP NR system. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the functional separation between NG-RAN and 5GC. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram of the RRC connection setup / reconfiguration procedure. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram illustrating usage scenarios for Extended Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), and Ultra-High Reliability Low Latency Communications (URLLC). [Figure 5] This block diagram shows an exemplary 5G system architecture for a non-roaming scenario. [Figure 6] This diagram shows the relationships between the bandwidth portion, the Control Resource Set (CORESET), the search space, the search space set, and the PDCCH candidate. [Figure 7] This figure shows an exemplary configuration of the PDCCH monitor slot and the PDCCH monitor pattern within the PDCCH monitor slot. [Figure 8]A diagram showing various exemplary interpretations of various capability indications reported by a UE related to the minimum time interval between two consecutive PDCCH transmissions. [Figure 9] A diagram showing an exemplary capability indication and an example of the resulting monitoring opportunity setting by the gNB. [Figure 10] A diagram showing an exemplary time domain structure in a communication system such as 5G NR, including radio frames, subframes, slots, and OFDM symbols with different subcarrier intervals. [Figure 11] A diagram showing the resulting slot length and OFDM symbols for a high subcarrier interval used in the new frequency range of 52.6 - 72 GHz. [Figure 12] A diagram showing various settings of the monitoring opportunities for the UE - specific search space and the common search space of two UEs, and the resulting drawbacks. [Figure 13] A diagram showing various settings of the monitoring opportunities for the UE - specific search space and the common search space of two UEs, and the resulting drawbacks. [Figure 14] A diagram showing an exemplary simplified structure of a UE and a gNB. [Figure 15] A diagram showing the structure of a UE by an exemplary implementation of an improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure. [Figure 16] A flowchart showing the operation of a UE by an exemplary implementation of an improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure. [Figure 17] A diagram showing the structure of a base station by an exemplary implementation of an improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure. [Figure 18] A flowchart showing the operation of a base station participating in an exemplary implementation of an improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure. [Figure 19] A signaling diagram showing an exemplary exchange between a UE and a gNB in an exemplary implementation of an improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure. [Figure 20]This figure illustrates exemplary decisions regarding various monitoring opportunities for different UEs in the first solution. [Figure 21] This figure illustrates exemplary decisions regarding various monitoring opportunities for different UEs in the second solution. [Figure 22] This figure illustrates exemplary decisions regarding various monitoring opportunities for different UEs in the third solution. [Figure 23] This figure shows an example of how an overbooking mechanism can be applied. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] <5G NR System Architecture and Protocol Stack> 3GPP is continuing work on the next release of fifth-generation cellular technology (also simply called "5G"), which includes the development of a new radio access technology (NR) that operates in the frequency range up to 100 GHz. The initial version of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, which has made it possible to move on to prototyping and commercial deployment of smartphones compliant with the 5G NR standard.

[0011] In particular, the overall system architecture assumes an NG-RAN (Next Generation-Radio Access Network) with gNBs. The gNBs provide the UE-side termination for the user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocols of NG radio access. The gNBs are interconnected by Xn interfaces. Furthermore, the gNBs are connected to the Next Generation Core (NGC) via Next Generation (NG) interfaces, more specifically to the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF, e.g., a specific core entity that performs AMF) via the NG-C interface, and to the User Plane Function (UPF, e.g., a specific core entity that performs UPF) via the NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is shown in Figure 1 (see, for example, Section 4 of 3GPP TS 38.300 v16.46.0).

[0012] The NR user plane protocol stack (see, for example, section 4.4.1 of 3GPP TS 38.300) includes the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol; see section 6.4 of TS 38.300) sublayer, the RLC (Radio Link Control; see section 6.3 of TS 38.300) sublayer, and the MAC (Medium Access Control; see section 6.2 of TS 38.300) sublayer, all of which are terminated on the network side in gNB. Furthermore, a new Access Stratum (AS) sublayer (SDAP: Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced above PDCP (see, for example, sub-clause 6.5 of TS 38.300). The NR also defines a control plane protocol stack (see, for example, section 4.4.2 of TS 38.300). An overview of Layer 2 functionality is provided in sub-clause 6 of TS 38.300. The functions of the RRC layer are listed in sub-clause 7 of TS 38.300.

[0013] For example, the MAC layer is responsible for scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including logical channel multiplexing and processing of various numerologies.

[0014] The physical layer (PHY) is responsible for tasks such as encoding, PHY HARQ processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and the placement of signals to appropriate physical time-frequency resources. It also places transport channels to physical channels. The physical layer provides services to the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources used for transmitting a particular transport channel, and each transport channel is placed on its corresponding physical channel. For example, physical channels on the uplink are PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), and on the downlink are PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), and PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel).

[0015] Use cases / deployment scenarios for NR include eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband), URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications), and mMTC (massive Machine Type Communication), which have diverse requirements regarding data rate, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB requires support for peak data rates (20Gbps downlink, 10Gbps uplink) and effective (user-experienced) data rates about three times that of IMT-Advanced. On the other hand, URLLC has even stricter requirements: ultra-low latency (user plane latency of 0.5ms for both UL and DL) and high reliability (1-10ms within 1ms). -5) is required. Finally, mMTCs preferably require high connectivity density (1 million units per square kilometer in urban environments), wide coverage in harsh environments, and ultra-long-life batteries (15 years) for low-cost equipment.

[0016] Therefore, OFDM numerology suitable for one use case (e.g., subcarrier interval, OFDM symbol length, cyclic prefix (CP) length, number of symbols per scheduling interval) may not be effective for other use cases. For example, low-latency services may preferably require shorter symbol lengths (and thus larger subcarrier intervals) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (in other words, fewer TTIs) than mMTC services. Furthermore, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spreads may preferably require longer CP lengths than scenarios with smaller delay spreads. To maintain similar CP overhead, the subcarrier interval needs to be optimized accordingly. NR may support multiple subcarrier interval values. Accordingly, subcarrier intervals of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, ... are currently being considered. Symbol length T u The subcarrier spacing Δf is given by the equation Δf = 1 / T u It is directly related by the following: Similar to the LTE system, the term “resource element” can be used to refer to the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier for the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0017] In the new 5G-NR wireless system, resource grids for subcarriers and OFDM symbols are defined for each numerology and carrier, for both uplink and downlink transmissions. Each element of the resource grid is called a resource element and is identified based on its frequency index in the frequency domain and its symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS 38.211 v16.46.0, example, section 4). For example, downlink and uplink transmissions are organized into frames with a duration of 10 ms, and each frame consists of 10 subframes, each with a duration of 1 ms. In a 5G NR implementation, the number of consecutive OFDM symbols per subframe depends on the subcarrier spacing setting. For example, with a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing, a subframe has 14 OFDM symbols (similar to an LTE-compliant implementation assuming a typical cyclic prefix). On the other hand, with a 30 kHz subcarrier spacing, a subframe has two slots, each slot containing 14 OFDM symbols.

[0018] <Functional separation between NG-RAN and 5GC in 5G NR> Figure 2 shows the functional separation between NG-RAN and 5GC. The logical nodes of NG-RAN are gNB or ng-eNB. 5GC has logical nodes AMF, UPF, and SMF.

[0019] In particular, gNB and ng-eNB host the following main functions: - Radio resource management functions such as radio bearer control, radio admission control, connection mobility control, and dynamic allocation (scheduling) of resources to UEs on both uplink and downlink; - Compression, encryption, and integrity protection of the IP header of the data; - Selection of the AMF when the UE attaches if routing to the AMF cannot be determined from the information provided by the UE; - Routing user plane data toward UPF; - Routing of control plane information to AMF; - Setting up and disconnecting connections; - Scheduling and sending paging messages; - Scheduling and transmission of system notification information (originating from AMF or Operation, Admission, Maintenance functions (OAM)); - Setting up measurements and reporting for mobility and scheduling; - Transport-level packet marking on the uplink; - Session management; - Support for network slicing; - Mapping for QoS flow management and data radio bearers; - Support for UEs in the RRC_INACTIVE state; - Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message delivery function; - Sharing of wireless access network; - Dual connectivity; - Close cooperation between NR and E-UTRA.

[0020] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) hosts the following main functions: - A function to terminate signaling in the Non-Access Stratum (NAS); - Security of NAS signaling; - Security control at the access layer (AS); - Core Network (CN) node-to-node signaling for mobility between 3GPP access networks; - Reachability of the UE in idle mode (including control and execution of paging retransmissions); - Management of registration areas; - Support for intra-system and inter-system mobility; - Access authentication; - Access authorization including roaming permission checks; - Mobility management and control (enrollment and policies); - Support for network slicing; - Selection of Session Management Function (SMF).

[0021] Furthermore, the User Plane Function (UPF) hosts the following main functions: - Anchor points for mobility within RATs / inter-RATs (where applicable); - External PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session points for interconnection with data networks; - Routing and forwarding of packets; - Packet inspection and enforcement of policy rules in the user plane. - Reporting traffic usage; - Uplink classifier that supports routing of traffic flow to data networks; - Branching point for supporting multi-homed PDU sessions; - QoS processing for the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement); - Verification of upstream link traffic (mapping to SDF QoS flow); - Buffering of downlink packets and triggering of downlink data notifications.

[0022] Finally, the Session Management Function (SMF) hosts the following main functions: - Session management; - IP address allocation and management for the UE; - Selection and control of the UPF; - Traffic steering setting function in the User Plane Function (UPF) for routing traffic to the appropriate destination; - Policy enforcement and QoS for the control plane; - Notification of downlink data.

[0023] <Procedures for RRC connection setup and reconfiguration> Figure 3 shows some of the interactions between the UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entity) in the NAS part when the UE moves from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED (see TS 38.300).

[0024] RRC is a higher-layer signaling protocol used for configuring UEs and gNBs. Specifically, this transition requires AMF to prepare UE context data (which includes, for example, PDU session context, security key, UE radio capability, UE security capability, etc.) and send it to the gNB along with an Initial Context Setup Request. The gNB then activates AS security together with the UE. This is done by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE, and the UE responding to the gNB with a SecurityModeComplete message. Subsequently, the gNB sends an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE, and upon receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete from the UE, the gNB reconfigures to set up the Signaling Radio Bearer 2 (SRB2) and Data Radio Bearer (DRB). For signaling-only connections, the RRCReconfiguration step is omitted because SRB2 and DRB are not set up. Finally, gNB notifies AMF that the setup procedure is complete with an Initial Context Setup Response.

[0025] Accordingly, this disclosure provides a 5th Generation Core (5GC) entity (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) comprising a control circuit that establishes a Next Generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB during operation, and a transmission unit that sends an initial context setup message to the gNodeB via the NG connection during operation so that a signaling radio bearer between the gNodeB and the user equipment (UE) is set up. Specifically, the gNodeB transmits radio resource control (RRC) signaling, including an Information Element (IE), to the UE via the signaling radio bearer. The UE then transmits on the uplink or receives on the downlink based on the resource allocation setting.

[0026] <IMT Usage Scenarios from 2020 Onward> Figure 4 shows some of the use cases for 5G NR. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project NR (3GPP NR) is considering three use cases where IMT-2020 is expected to support a wide variety of services and applications. The first phase of specification development for high-speed, high-capacity (eMBB) has been completed. In addition to further expanding eMBB support, research into standardization for ultra-high reliability, low latency (URLLC) and massive simultaneous connections is currently underway and will continue in the future. Figure 4 shows examples of usage scenarios expected for IMT from 2020 onwards (see, for example, Figure 2 of ITU-R M.20183).

[0027] URLLC use cases have stringent performance requirements for throughput, latency, and availability, and are envisioned as one of the future vertical applications enabling wireless control of industrial production and manufacturing processes, telemedicine surgery, smart grid power distribution automation, and traffic safety. The ultra-high reliability of URLLC is supported by identifying technologies that meet the requirements set by TR 38.913v16.0.0. For NR URLLC in Release 15, a primary requirement is to target user plane latency of 0.5 ms for UL (uplink) and 0.5 ms for DL ​​(downlink). A typical URLLC requirement for a single packet transmission is a block error rate (BLER) of 1E-5 for a 32-byte packet size with a user plane latency of 1 ms.

[0028] From a physical layer perspective, reliability can be improved in many ways. Current room for reliability improvement includes defining a separate CQI table for URLLC, a more compact DCI format, and repeated transmission of PDCCH. However, this room for improvement could expand towards achieving ultra-high reliability as NR becomes more stable and developed (in terms of the critical requirements of NR URLLC). Specific use cases for NR URLLC in Release 15 include augmented reality / virtual reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications.

[0029] Furthermore, the technical enhancements targeted by NR URLLC aim to improve latency and reliability. Technical enhancements for latency improvement include configurable numerology, non-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, grant-free (configurable grant) uplink, slot-level repeat transmission on data channels, and preemption on downlink. Preemption means that a transmission for which a resource has already been allocated is stopped, and that allocated resource is used for other transmissions with lower latency / higher priority requirements that are requested later. Thus, transmissions that were already permitted are replaced by later transmissions. Preemption is applicable regardless of the specific service type. For example, a transmission of service type A (URLLC) may be replaced by a transmission of service type B (eMBB, etc.). Technical enhancements for reliability improvement include a dedicated CQI / MCS table for the 1E-5 target BLER.

[0030] A key characteristic of mMTC (Major Machine Type Communications) use cases is the extremely large number of connected devices that typically transmit relatively small amounts of data that are less susceptible to latency. These devices require low cost and very long battery life. From a noise reduction (NR) perspective, utilizing a very narrow bandwidth is one solution that saves power from the UE (User Interface) and extends battery life.

[0031] As mentioned above, the scope of reliability improvements in NR is expected to broaden. High or very high reliability is a critical requirement in all cases, and especially for URLLC and mMTC. Several mechanisms can be considered to improve reliability from both a radio and network perspective. Generally, there are two to three key areas that can help improve reliability. These areas include compact control channel information, repeated transmission of data channel / control channel, and diversity in the frequency, time, and / or spatial domains. These areas are generally applicable to reliability improvements regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0032] Regarding NR URLLC, further use cases with more stringent requirements are envisioned, such as factory automation, transportation, and power distribution. These stringent requirements include high reliability (10 6 Features include reliability up to a certain level, high availability, packet size up to 256 bytes, and time synchronization down to a few microseconds (depending on the use case, the value can be set to 1 microsecond or a few microseconds depending on the frequency range and short latency of approximately 0.5 ms to 1 ms (especially 0.5 ms latency on the target user plane)).

[0033] Furthermore, for NR URLLC, several technical extensions may be possible from the perspective of the physical layer. These technical extensions include the extension of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) related to compact DCI, the repeated transmission of PDCCH, and the increase in the monitoring of PDCCH. Also, the extension of UCI (Uplink Control Information) is related to the extension of enhanced HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) and CSI feedback. Additionally, extensions of PUSCH related to mini-slot level hopping and retransmission / repeated transmission may be possible. The term "mini-slot" refers to a transmission time interval (TTI) that contains fewer symbols than a slot (a slot contains 14 symbols).

[0034] <QoS Control> The QoS (Quality of Service) model of 5G is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR (Granteed Bit Rate) QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Therefore, at the NAS level, a QoS flow is the finest granularity QoS classification in a PDU session. A QoS flow is identified within a PDU session by a QoS flow ID (QFI: QoS Flow ID) that is carried in an encapsulation header via the NG-U interface.

[0035] For each UE, the 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes at least one data radio bearer (DRB) in accordance with the PDU session, as shown above, for example, referring to Figure 3. Additional DRBs for the QoS flow of that PDU session can be configured later (when this is done is up to the NG-RAN). The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to various PDU sessions to various DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, while AS-level mapping rules in the UE and NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0036] Figure 5 shows the non-roaming reference architecture for 5G NR (see, for example, 3GPP TS 23.501 v16.7.0 or v16.7.1.1, section 4.2.3). Application functions (AFs), such as external application servers hosting 5G services as illustrated in Figure 4, interact with the 3GPP core network to provide services. Examples include accessing Network Exposure Functions (NEFs) to support applications that affect traffic routing, and interacting with policy frameworks for policy controls such as QoS control (see Policy Control Functions (PCFs)). Application functions that are considered trusted by the operator based on operator deployment can interact directly with the relevant network functions. Application functions that are not permitted direct access to network functions by the operator interact with the relevant network functions using an open framework to the outside via the NEF.

[0037] Figure 5 further illustrates the functional units of the 5G architecture, namely the Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Network Repository Function (NRF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), and Data Network (DN, e.g., Operator Services, Internet Access, or Third-Party Services). All or part of the core network functions and application services may be deployed and operate in a cloud computing environment.

[0038] Accordingly, the disclosure provides an application server (e.g., AF in a 5G architecture) comprising: a transmitter that, in operation, transmits a request to at least one of the 5GC functions (e.g., NEF, AMF, SMF, PCF, UPF, etc.) that includes QoS requirements for at least one of the URLLC service, eMBB service, and mMTC service in order to establish a PDU session including a radio bearer between a gNodeB and a UE in accordance with QoS requirements; and a control circuit that, in operation, performs the service using the established PDU session.

[0039] Bandwidth portion (partial bandwidth (width)) NR systems support a much wider maximum channel bandwidth (e.g., several hundred MHz) than LTE's 20 MHz bandwidth. LTE also supports broadband communication via carrier aggregation (CA) of component carriers up to 20 MHz. By defining a wider channel bandwidth in NR, it becomes possible to dynamically allocate frequency resources via scheduling, which can be more efficient and flexible than LTE's carrier aggregation operation, where activation / deactivation is based on MAC control elements. Having a single broadband carrier also has the advantage of lower control overhead, as it requires only one control signaling (carrier aggregation requires separate control signaling for each aggregated carrier).

[0040] Furthermore, similar to LTE, NR may also support carrier aggregation or aggregation of multiple carriers via dual connectivity.

[0041] Since UEs don't always require high data rates, using a wide bandwidth can lead to high idling power consumption from both RF and baseband signal processing perspectives. In this regard, the newly developed bandwidth segment concept for NR provides an energy-efficient solution that supports wideband operation by offering a means to operate the UE with a narrower bandwidth than the configured channel bandwidth. Low-end terminals that cannot access the full bandwidth of NR can benefit from this.

[0042] A bandwidth part (BWP) is a subset of a cell's total cell bandwidth and is defined, for example, by the location and number of consecutive physical resource blocks (PRBs). This can be defined separately for uplinks and downlinks. Furthermore, each bandwidth part can be associated with a specific OFDM neurology, such as subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefixes. Bandwidth adaptation can be achieved, for example, by configuring one or more BWPs in a UE and informing the UE which of the configured BWPs is currently active.

[0043] For example, in 5G NR, specific BWPs are configured only for UEs in the RRC_Connected state. For instance, aside from the initial BWPs (e.g., one each for UL and DL), BWPs exist only for connected UEs. Initial DL BWPs and initial UL BWPs are configured with minimal system information to support initial data exchange between the UE and the network, such as during the transition of the UE from the RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0044] A UE can have two or more BWPs configured (for example, up to four BWPs per serving cell, as currently defined in NR), but a UE can only have one active DL BWP at a time. Switching between configured BWPs can be achieved, for example, using downlink control information (DCI).

[0045] For a primary cell (PCell), the initial BWP is the BWP used for initial access, and unless another initial BWP is explicitly set, the default BWP is the initial BWP. For a secondary cell (SCell), the initial BWP is always explicitly set, and a default BWP may also be set. If a serving cell has a default BWP set, when the inactivity timer associated with that cell expires, the active BWP is switched to the default BWP.

[0046] Some DCI formats do not include a BWP ID (for example, formats 0_0 and 1_0), but in other DCI formats, the number of bits for the BWP ID can be set in the RRC and can be 0, 1, or 2 bits (for example, in formats 0_1, 0_2, 1_1, and 1_2).

[0047] Figure 6 shows a scenario in which three different BWPs are set: BWP1 with a frequency bandwidth of 40 MHz and a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, BWP2 with a bandwidth of 10 MHz and a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, and BWP3 with a bandwidth of 20 MHz and a subcarrier spacing of 60 kHz.

[0048] Control Information - Search Space Set The UE performs PDCCH monitoring to identify and receive information for the UE, such as control information and user traffic (e.g., DCI on the PDCCH and user data on the PDSCH indicated by the PDCCH).

[0049] Downlink control information (for example, which may be called Downlink Control Information DCI) serves essentially the same purpose in 5G NR as DCI does in LTE: it is a set of special control information used to schedule downlink data channels (such as PDSCH) or uplink data channels (such as PUSCH). In 5G NR, there are several different predefined DCI formats (see TS38.212v16.6.0 section 7.3.1). An overview is shown in the table below. [Table 1]

[0050] In 5G NR, PDCCHs are transmitted within a radio resource area called the control resource set (CORESET). In LTE, the concept of CORESET does not explicitly exist. Instead, LTE PDCCHs use the entire carrier bandwidth in the first 1-3 OFDM symbols (4 in the narrowest bandwidth case). In contrast, NR CORESETs can exist at any position within a slot and at any position within the carrier's frequency range, except that it is not expected that a UE will handle CORESETs outside of its active bandwidth portion (BWP).

[0051] Therefore, the UE performs PDCCH monitoring operations as defined, for example, in 3GPP TS38.213 version 16.6.0, sections 10 and 11. As exemplified therein, the UE monitors a set of PDCCH candidates, defined in units of PDCCH search space sets. A search space set can be a common search space set (CSS) or a UE-specific search space set (USS). As exemplified in 3GPP TS38.213v16.6.0, section 10.1, the UE monitors PDCCH candidates in one or more of the following CSS and USS sets: - For DCI formats with CRC scrambled by SI-RNTI on the primary cell of the MCG, the Type0-PDCCH CSS set is configured by pdcch-ConfigSIB1 in the MIB, or searchSpaceSIB1 in PDCCH-ConfigCommon, or searchSpaceZero in PDCCH-ConfigCommon. - For DCI formats with CRC scrambled by SI-RNTI on the primary cell of the MCG, the Type0A-PDCCH CSS set is configured by searchSpaceOtherSystemInformation in PDCCH-ConfigCommon. - For DCI formats with CRCs scrambled by RA-RNTI, MsgB-RNTI, or TC-RNTI on the primary cell, the Type1-PDCCH CSS set is configured by ra-SearchSpace in PDCCH-ConfigCommon. - For DCI formats with CRC scrambled by P-RNTI on the primary cell of the MCG, the Type2-PDCCH CSS set is configured by pagingSearchSpace in PDCCH-ConfigCommon. - For DCI formats with CRCs scrambled by INT-RNTI, SFI-RNTI, TPC-PUSCH-RNTI, TPC-PUCCH-RNTI, TPC-SRS-RNTI, or CI-RNTI, and only for primary cells, by C-RNTI, MCS-C-RNTI, CS-RNTI(multiple), or PS-RNTI, the Type3-PDCCH CSS set is configured by SearchSpace in PDCCH-Config with SearchSpaceType=common. - For DCI formats with CRCs scrambled by C-RNTI, MCS-C-RNTI, SP-CSI-RNTI, CS-RNTI (multiple possible), SL-RNTI, SL-CS-RNTI, or SL semi-persistent scheduling V-RNTI, the USS set is configured by SearchSpace in PDCCH-Config with SearchSpaceType=ue-Specific.

[0052] A PDCCH monitor using the corresponding search space set is configured to monitor one or more search space sets within a CORESET on the active DL BWP in each activated serving cell. Monitoring means decoding each PDCCH candidate according to the DCI format being monitored.

[0053] The first CORESET, CORESET0, is provided as part of the initial bandwidth configuration by the Master Information Block (MIB), enabling it to receive the remaining system information and additional configuration information from the network. After the connection is set up, multiple CORESETs can be configured in the UE using RRC signaling.

[0054] In an exemplary 5G NR implementation, a search space may contain multiple PDCCH candidates associated with the same aggregation level (for example, the PDCCH candidates differ in terms of the DCI format being monitored). A search space set, then, may contain multiple search spaces associated with the same CORESET, but with different aggregation levels. Unlike LTE, where the control channel spans the entire carrier bandwidth, the bandwidth of a CORESET can be set, for example, within the active DL frequency bandwidth portion (BWP). In other words, the CORESET setting defines the frequency resources of the search space set, and by extension, the PDCCH candidates contained within the search spaces within that set. The CORESET setting also defines the duration of the search space set, which can be the length of 1 to 3 OFDM symbols. The start time, on the other hand, is set by the search space set setting itself, for example, from its OFDM symbols, the UE begins monitoring the PDCCHs in the search space of that set. The combination of SearchSpaceSet and CORESET settings provides clear definitions in the frequency and time domains regarding the UE's PDCCH monitoring requirements (see, for example, 3GPP TS38.213v16.6.0, Section 10.1).

[0055] Conceptually, Figure 6 provides an illustrative diagram of the relationships between bandwidth portions that a UE can monitor, CORESETs, search spaces, search space sets, and PDCCH candidates. As is evident from Figure 6, one CORESET is shown per BWP, but more than one is possible. Each CORESET can have several search spaces of one or more PDCCH candidates at a specific aggregation level (e.g., AL2, 4, or 8), which can be grouped into search space sets, such as a common SS set and a UE-specific SS set.

[0056] Both CORESET and SearchSpace set configurations can be performed quasi-statically via RRC signaling, with the corresponding RRC information elements being, for example, ControlResourceSet and SearchSpace, provided below according to the definitions in Section 6.3.2 of 3GPP TS38.331v16.5.0.

[0057] ControlResourceSet The IE ControlResourceSet is used to configure the time / frequency control resource set (CORESET) for searching for downlink control information (see TS38.213

[13] , section 10.1).

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[0058] ContentSpace IE SearchSpace defines how and where to search for PDCCH candidates. Each search space is associated with one ControlResourceSet. For scheduled cells in the case of cross-carrier scheduling, all optional fields (regardless of their existence conditions) are absent, except for nrofCandidates. [Number]

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[0059] The UE performs a process to determine a search space or set of search spaces from some of the parameters described above. An exemplary operation by the UE in this regard is provided below, according to the definition provided in 3GPP TS38.213v16.6.0 Section 10.1, “UE procedure for determining physical downlink control channel assignment”.

[0060] For each DL BWP set in the UE within the serving cell, the upper layer provides the UE with S ≤ 10 search space sets, and for each of the S search space sets, SearchSpace provides the following to the UE: - Search space set index s by searchSpaceId, 0 <s<40 - Association between search space sets s and CORESET p by controlResourceSetId or controlResourceSetId-v1610 - k by monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset s Slot PDCCH monitor period and o s Slot PDCCH monitor offset - PDCCH monitoring pattern in slots that shows the first one or more CORESET symbols in the PDCCH-monitored slots, as indicated by monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot. - T indicates the number of slots in which the search space set s exists, based on duration. s <k s Slot duration - PDCCH candidates for each CCE aggregation level L, based on aggregationLevel1, aggregationLevel2, aggregationLevel4, aggregationLevel8, and aggregationLevel16, respectively.

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[0061] Furthermore, according to an example compliant with 5G (referring again to section 10.1 of 3GPP TS38.213 v16.6.0), the UE determines the PDCCH monitoring opportunity as follows:

[0062] The UE determines the PDCCH monitoring opportunity on the active DL BWP from the PDCCH monitoring period, the PDCCH monitoring offset, and the PDCCH monitoring pattern within the slot. For a search space set s, the UE

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[0063] As is evident from the above exemplary UE procedure for determining one or more search space sets, search space sets can also be distinguished between common search space sets and user-specific search space sets.

[0064] Figure 7 shows the parameters o provided by the RRC information element. s , k s , T s , n f This shows an exemplary definition of a PDCCH monitoring opportunity, in line with the exemplary definition provided above for the 5G standard, with particular use of monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot. In the exemplary scenario in Figure 7, the following assumptions are made: • 6-slot PDCCH Monitor cycle k s • 2-slot PDCCH monitor offset s • Duration of 2 slots T s • The number of slots per frame is 10 (0-9), n f This is the wireless frame number.

[0065] The expression defined above

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[0066] In summary, the UE determines that there are PDCCH monitoring opportunities in slots 2, 3, 8, and 9 of wireless frame 0, and monitors the PDCCH in these slots. PDCCH slot monitoring is performed according to the PDCCH monitoring pattern within each slot, which is also shown in Figure 7 and will be explained below.

[0067] A slot set to PDCCH Monitored may have one or more PDCCH Monitor Opportunities. The PDCCH Monitor Pattern within a slot is set using the parameter MonitoringSymbolsWithinSlot, which is a 14-bit sequence, each bit associated with the corresponding symbol in the slot. This parameter indicates the first one or more PDCCH Monitored symbols within a slot set to PDCCH Monitored, where the most significant (leftmost) bit represents the first OFDM symbol in the slot, the second most significant (leftmost) bit represents the second OFDM symbol in the slot, and so on. In other words, one or more bits set to 1 identify the first OFDM symbol in the control resource set within the slot, respectively. Furthermore, the duration of a Monitor Opportunity is defined by the duration of the CORESET associated with the search space sets s of the PDCCH Monitor Opportunity. The first one or more symbols and the duration, combined, define the PDCCH Monitor Pattern within the slot.

[0068] As illustrated in Figure 7, each PDCCH monitor slot has two monitoring opportunities, located on consecutive OFDM symbols 0, 1, 2 and 7, 8, 9 respectively, and here we exemplify the assumption of a CORESET duration for three OFDM symbols.

[0069] While the above illustrative explanation related to Figure 7 only referred to a single search space set s, the definition can be similarly applied to further search space sets, including common SS sets and UE-specific SS sets.

[0070] Furthermore, please note that the PDCCH monitoring opportunities in one SS set may or may not overlap (partially or completely) with the PDCCH monitoring opportunities in other SS sets.

[0071] In the context of Figures 6 and 7 above, particularly with respect to the current version of the 5G NR standard Rel.16, a gNB provides very specific examples of how a search space, search space set, and PDCCH monitoring opportunity can be configured and how they are presented to the UE. However, it should be noted that the above are merely examples, and other methods for configuring and presenting search spaces, search space sets, and PDCCH monitoring opportunities are also possible and can be used in conjunction with the improved solutions, UEs, and base stations, as well as the corresponding methods, described below.

[0072] UE ability indication In the context of PDCCH monitoring, a UE can assist a gNB in ​​setting up the search space set by providing information about its capabilities. Different UEs may have different PDCCH monitoring capabilities. For example, a UE that supports URLLC (Ultra-High Reliability Low Latency Communication) will have higher PDCCH monitoring capabilities than a UE that supports only mMTC (Major Machine Type Communication), for example.

[0073] One possibility is that the UE vendor provides the UE with appropriate information regarding its capabilities, such as its ability to monitor PDCCH and process possible DCI messages. UE capabilities depend on the UE's hardware and / or software and may vary from UE to UE. In any case, it can be assumed that such capability information is pre-stored in the UE by the vendor, for example. Thus, the UE can determine its capabilities relevant to its operation according to its operating system and 3GPP standards.

[0074] A UE can provide information about its capabilities regarding PDCCH monitoring, which a gNB can then consider when determining search space and monitoring opportunities. 5G NR has already reached several agreements, for example in 3GPP TS38.306v16.5.0, which should be understood below as an example of how a UE can inform a gNB of its capabilities. In particular, a UE can indicate the minimum time interval between PDCCH search space monitoring opportunities it supports. For example, 3GPP TS38.306 defines the instruction pdcch-Monitoring-r16 as part of the FeatureSetDownlink. [Table 6]

[0075] As defined by this capability parameter, the UE can indicate its support to the gNB, such as that a PDCCH search space monitor opportunity (spanning Y symbols) should be separated by at least X symbols. Therefore, the supported span Y of a PDCCH search space monitor opportunity (abbreviated as PDCCH monitor opportunity) is at most two or three consecutive OFDM symbols. On the other hand, the minimum interval between two spans is 2, 4, or 7 OFDM symbols and also applies across boundaries to the next consecutive PDCCH monitor slot. A PDCCH monitor span is within a single slot, i.e., it does not cross the boundaries of a PDCCH monitor slot. The minimum PDCCH time interval for X symbols is between the first symbols of two consecutive spans, including those that cross a slot. The number of symbols in a span is at most Y.

[0076] The parameter pdcch-Monitoring-r16 is typically used for URLLC UEs where the UE needs to monitor and receive the PDCCH more frequently (more than twice per slot) to reduce scheduling latency. As specified in Section 10 of 3GPP TS38.213, this parameter is only applicable to 15kHz and 30kHz subcarrier intervals.

[0077] Figure 8 illustrates exemplary interpretations of various combinations of (X,Y) for PDCCH monitor indications within a slot. For example, in the combination (2,2), the UE can essentially monitor the slot continuously. For illustrative purposes, Figure 8 includes spans, each having the length of a 2OFDM symbol, that meet the minimum spacing requirement for 2OFDM symbols between the first symbols of two consecutive spans.

[0078] Figure 8 also shows an example of a possible span (X,Y)=(4,3) starting from OFDM symbol 1. The resulting span could occupy, for example, OFDM symbols 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, and theoretically OFDM symbol 13 as well, and since the PDCCH monitor span should be contained within a single slot, the last span occupies only OFDM symbol 13.

[0079] Considering that the minimum spacing also applies across slots, the next three subsequent spans in the next slot could each have the length of 3 OFDM symbols and occupy OFDM symbols 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13, thus meeting the minimum spacing requirement of 4 OFDM symbols. In the example of (4,3), for illustrative purposes, we assumed that the first span in the first slot could start with OFDM symbol 1. However, although not shown in Figure 8, the span in (4,3) could also start with another OFDM symbol, such as OFDM symbol 0.

[0080] Figure 8 also shows possible spans of (X,Y)=(7,3), specifically two spans occupying OFDM symbols 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, and 12, each having the length of 3 OFDM symbols and meeting the minimum spacing requirement of 7 OFDM symbols between the first symbols of two consecutive spans. The same span is possible in the next slot. Again, other examples of spans are possible with respect to the combination (7,3), for example, those starting with other OFDM symbols.

[0081] For all combinations, the span actually set by gNB may be shorter (for example, having only one OFDM symbol) or even further apart.

[0082] Next, based on this PDCCH monitoring capability instruction, the gNB can, for example, set up a PDCCH monitoring opportunity for the UE that satisfies the UE's indicated PDCCH monitoring capability. The gNB can take into account the PDCCH monitoring capabilities of many UEs when setting up each PDCCH monitoring opportunity.

[0083] Figure 9 illustrates the reporting of a specific PDCCH monitoring capability by the UE and the resulting PDCCH monitoring opportunities set up by the gNB that satisfy the reported capability. It is illustrative to assume that the UE reports (X,Y)=(4,3) to the gNB as its PDCCH monitoring capability. Based on this information, the gNB sets up, for example, three PDCCH monitoring opportunities in the first slot: namely, a first MO for OFDM symbols 2 and 3, a second MO for OFDM symbol 8, and a third MO for OFDM symbol 12. For example, the first MO is associated with a duration CORESET of 2 OFDM symbols, and the second and third MOs are associated with a duration CORESET of 1 OFDM symbol. In the second slot, it is illustrative to assume that the gNB sets up at least a first MO occupying OFDM symbols 2 and 3, with a gap of 4 OFDM symbols from the third MO of the previous slot. The three MOs in the first slot are separated by 6 OFDM symbols between the first and second MOs, and by 4 OFDM symbols between the second and third MOs. Accordingly, all configured MOs conform to the UE capability indicated with respect to the minimum spacing and length of the PDCCH monitor.

[0084] Time domain in 5G NR In the time domain, 5G NR transmissions are organized into 10ms frames, each divided into 10 equally sized subframes of 1ms length. Each subframe is further divided into one or more slots, each consisting of 14 OFDM symbols. The duration of a slot, in milliseconds, varies depending on the neurology. Therefore, for example, with a 15kHz subcarrier interval, an NR slot has the same structure as an LTE subframe with a typical cyclic prefix. 5G NR subframes function as a neurology-independent time reference, which is particularly useful when multiple neurologies are mixed on the same carrier, whereas slots are typical units of dynamic scheduling. Figure 10 illustrates this frame structure that underlies 3GPP 5G NR communication.

[0085] New frequency spectrum beyond 52 GHz 5G NR currently operates in two frequency ranges: FR1 and FR2. Frequency range 1 (FR1) is from 450MHz to 6GHz and includes LTE. Frequency range 2 (FR2) is from 24.25GHz to 52.6GHz. The sub-6GHz range is designated as FR1, and the mmWave spectrum is designated as FR2.

[0086] The relatively underutilized millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum offers an excellent opportunity to provide high data rates, low latency, and large capacity due to the enormous amount of continuous bandwidth available. However, operation in the frequency band above 52.6 GHz is limited by device performance, such as poor power amplifier (PA) efficiency, greater phase noise interference, increased front-end insertion loss, and noise in low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Furthermore, there are challenges in the frequency band above 52.6 GHz, including high propagation and transmission losses. Nevertheless, various use cases are envisioned for noise reduction (NR) operating in the 52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz frequency range.

[0087] 3GPP is currently discussing the use of higher subcarrier spacings, such as 480kHz and 960kHz, for frequencies above 52.6GHz, including the 52.6GHz–71GHz frequency range.

[0088] However, as the SCS increases, the symbol duration decreases, and consequently, the slot duration also decreases. For example, at 120kHz SCS, one slot is 125us, at 480kHz SCS it is 31.25us, and at 960kHz SCS it is 15.625us.

[0089] Figure 11 shows a comparison of the slot length for 120kHz SCS with the corresponding slot lengths for 480kHz and 960kHz SCS. Furthermore, the radio frame has 32 slots for 480kHz SCS and 64 slots for 960kHz SCS, each with 14 OFDM symbols per slot and correspondingly shorter OFDM symbol durations.

[0090] These shortened OFDM symbols and slot durations may require high processing power on the UE side. UEs conforming to Rel. 15 or Rel. 16 should be able to process PDCCH per slot (single-slot monitoring capability). However, in the high-frequency range of 52.6–71 GHz, not all UEs may be able to process each slot within such a short time. Furthermore, even if it were actually possible, requiring such a processing timeline would significantly increase the complexity and power consumption of the UE.

[0091] Therefore, for Rel.17, 3GPP is discussing the feasibility of multi-slot monitoring, meaning that the UE should be able to monitor PDCCH only per slot when using 480 / 960kHz SCS, in other words, the UE does not need to monitor each individual slot.

[0092] Further improvements As mentioned above, one of the developments currently being discussed at 3GPP relates to a multi-slot monitor with high SCS and a high frequency range of 52.6–71 GHz, which would allow for a reduction in UE complexity and power consumption. However, such a multi-slot monitor has a potential drawback: fewer scheduling opportunities are set and used by the gNB, reducing the scheduling flexibility of the gNB.

[0093] Figures 12 and 13 illustrate PDCCH monitoring opportunities for two UEs, including monitoring opportunities for common SS (CSS) and UE-specific SS (USS). Figure 12 exemplifies the assumption that both UEs monitor only one PDCCH monitoring opportunity every four slots for both USS and CSS. Therefore, the gNB must assign the USS MOs for both UEs to the same location as the CSS MOs. Figure 12 exemplifies the assumption that the PDCCH monitors are at the beginning of the slots, e.g., the first two or three OFDM symbols. The complexity of PDCCH monitoring for a UE is relatively low, as the UE only needs to monitor one PDCCH monitoring opportunity every four slots. However, the gNB may need to set both CSS and the USS for multiple UEs to the same monitoring opportunity. This significantly limits the number of UEs that can be scheduled by the gNB due to this resource constraint.

[0094] Figure 13 assumes that both UE1 and UE2 monitor two PDCCH monitor opportunities every four slots, thus eliminating the need to use a common PDCCH monitor opportunity as in Figure 12, and allowing CSS and USS to be set to different PDCCH monitor opportunities. Correspondingly, the scheduling flexibility of gNB is improved compared to the scenario in Figure 12. However, the UE requirements regarding PDCCH monitoring increase. Furthermore, if the two monitor opportunities are placed close to each other, as exemplarily assumed for UE2, the PDCCH monitoring requirements increase significantly.

[0095] Having identified the potential drawbacks and challenges discussed above, the inventors have identified the possibility of providing an improved monitoring procedure for a PDCCH (downlink control channel) that can avoid or mitigate one or more of the problems identified above. The present invention relates to various solutions and modifications for such an improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure.

[0096] For example, the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure allows for a balance between the scheduling flexibility of the gNB and the complexity of the UE's PDCCH monitoring.

[0097] <Embodiment> The following describes UEs, base stations, and procedures for meeting these needs for novel radio access technologies envisioned for 5G mobile communication systems, but which can also be used for LTE mobile communication systems. Various implementations and modifications are also described. The following disclosures are facilitated by, and can be based on, at least in part on, the above discussions and findings.

[0098] In general, many assumptions have been made in this specification to enable a clear, concise, and understandable explanation of the principles underlying this disclosure, and it should be noted that many assumptions will also be made below. However, these assumptions should be understood as merely examples made herein for illustrative purposes and should not limit the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will notice that the principles of the following disclosure and the principles described in the claims can be applied to different scenarios and in ways not expressly described herein.

[0099] Furthermore, some of the terms used below, such as procedures, entities, and layers, are closely related to the terminology used in LTE / LTE-A systems or current 3GPP 5G standardization, but certain terms used in the context of new radio access technologies for the next 3GPP 5G communication systems are not yet fully determined or may ultimately change. Thus, terminology may change in the future without affecting the functionality of the embodiments. As a result, those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments and their scope of protection should not be limited to specific terms used exemplary in this specification in the absence of newer or ultimately agreed-upon terms, but should be understood more broadly by the functions and concepts that form the basis of the functionality and principles of this disclosure.

[0100] For example, a mobile station or mobile node or a user terminal or user equipment (UE) is a physical entity (physical node) in a communication network. A single node may have several functional entities. A functional entity refers to a software or hardware module that implements and / or provides a predetermined set of functions to the same or another node or other functional entities in the network. A node may have one or more interfaces that attach it to communication equipment or a medium that enables the node to communicate. Similarly, a network entity may have logical interfaces that attach functional entities to communication equipment or a medium that enables communication between itself and other functional entities or corresponding nodes.

[0101] In this specification, the terms “base station” or “radio base station” refer to a physical entity within a communication network. Similar to a mobile station, a base station may have several functional entities. A functional entity refers to a software or hardware module that implements and / or provides a predetermined set of functions to the same or another node or other functional entities in the network. A physical entity performs several control tasks related to a communication device, including one or more of scheduling and configuration. Note that the functions of a base station and a communication device may be integrated within a single device. For example, a mobile terminal may also implement base station functions for other terminals. The term used in LTE is eNB (or eNodeB), while the term currently used for 5G NR is gNB.

[0102] Communication between the UE and the base station is typically standardized and may be defined by different layers such as PHY, MAC, and RRC (see the background technology explanation above).

[0103] The terms “monitoring opportunity,” “downlink control channel monitoring opportunity,” “PDCCH monitoring opportunity,” and similar expressions should be broadly understood as, for example, the duration of a slot (e.g., one or more consecutive sets of symbols) in which the UE is configured to monitor the PDCCH (e.g., according to the PDCCH candidate). For example, the UE determines a monitoring opportunity for each set of search spaces configured for it.

[0104] The terms “span,” “time span,” “MO time span,” and similar expressions should be broadly understood as several consecutive symbols containing, for example, one or more monitoring opportunities. Furthermore, in one optional implementation, each monitoring opportunity lies within a span, and the span begins with the first symbol that the monitoring opportunity starts with and ends with the last symbol that the monitoring opportunity (possibly a different MO from the first MO) ends with.

[0105] The term "search space set" can be broadly understood as a set of search spaces that have multiple search spaces, each containing one or more possible candidates for receiving DCI messages. For example, a search space is a grouping of various candidates that have the same aggregation level but different DCI message formats. By extension, a set of search spaces may include search spaces that have different aggregation levels but are associated with the same set of monitored time-frequency resources (e.g., the same CORESET). Specific exemplary implementations of search space sets are given by the 3GPP 5G NR standard, as described above.

[0106] The term "monitoring" can be broadly understood as the process of attempting to decode possible candidates for receiving DCI messages based on a specific format, etc. Such decoding attempts may also be called blind decoding.

[0107] The term "monitor candidate" can be broadly understood as a specific candidate to be monitored by the UE within a monitoring opportunity. In certain exemplary implementations compliant with the 3GPP 5G NR standard, a "monitor candidate" may be considered a "PDCCH candidate."

[0108] The following solution exemplifies the assumption that the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure can conceptually be based on the PDCCH monitor already defined according to the 3GPP 4G or 5G standard, as described above.

[0109] Figure 14 shows a general, simplified, illustrative block diagram of user equipment (also referred to as communication devices) and scheduling devices (here, illustratively assumed to be located at base stations such as eLTE eNB (also known as ng-eNB) or 5G NR gNB). The UE and eNB / gNB communicate with each other via (wireless) physical channels using transceivers.

[0110] The communication device may include a transceiver and a processing circuit. The transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, and / or function as both. The processing circuit may be one or more pieces of hardware, such as one or more processors or any LSI. An input / output point (or node) exists between the transceiver and the processing circuit, and the processing circuit can control the transceiver through this input / output point during operation, i.e., control the receiver and / or transmitter to exchange received / transmitted data. The transceiver may include an RF (radio frequency) front, such as one or more antennas, amplifiers, and RF modulators / demodulators, as both transmitter and receiver. The processing circuit may perform control tasks, such as controlling the transceiver to transmit user data and control data provided by the processing circuit, and / or receiving user data and control data that is further processed by the processing circuit. In addition, the processing circuit may be responsible for performing other processes, such as judgment, determination, calculation, and measurement. The transmitter may be responsible for performing the transmission process and other processes related thereto. The receiver may be responsible for performing the receiving process and other related processes, such as monitoring the channel.

[0111] Various solutions for the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure are described below. In connection with this, improved UEs and improved base stations participating in the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure are presented. Methods corresponding to UE operation and base station operation are also provided.

[0112] Figure 15 shows a simplified exemplary UE structure with one exemplary implementation of an improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure, which can be implemented based on the general UE structure described in relation to Figure 14. The various structural elements of the UE shown in Figure 15 can be interconnected with one another, for example, by corresponding input / output nodes (not shown) to exchange control and user data and other signals. Although not illustrated for illustrative purposes, the UE may include further structural elements.

[0113] As is clear from Figure 15, the UE may include a circuit for determining the UE's capability with respect to monitoring functions, a capability instruction transmitter, a monitor opportunity setting receiver, and a downlink control channel monitor circuit.

[0114] Therefore, in the present case, as will become apparent from the following disclosure, the receiver of the UE may be exemplary configured to perform at least partially one or more of the following: receiving configuration messages for setting up monitoring functions in the UE, receiving downlink control information messages on the downlink control channel, etc.

[0115] Therefore, in the present case, as will become apparent from the following disclosure, the processing circuit of the UE may be exemplary configured to perform at least partially one or more of the following: determining one or more capabilities of the UE, such as first and / or second capability conditions; determining opportunities to monitor downlink control channels; etc.

[0116] Therefore, in the present case, as will become apparent from the following disclosures, the UE's transmitter may be exemplary configured to perform at least partially one or more of the following: transmitting capability instructions to a base station.

[0117] One exemplary procedure, disclosed in more detail below, is implemented by a UE, which includes: The UE's processor determines the UE's capability to operate a monitoring function, which is operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring occasions for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. The determined capability of the UE is based on the following two capability conditions of the UE to operate the monitoring function, namely: - A first capability condition relating to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, - A second capability condition relating to the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, Includes. The UE's transmitter transmits capability instructions to the base station, which include information about the UE's determined capability to operate the monitoring function. The capability instructions indicate a first capability requirement for the UE and optionally include a second capability requirement for the UE. The UE's receiver receives configuration information from the base station to set up the monitoring function in the UE, which sets up one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor the downlink control channel.

[0118] The corresponding exemplary method is performed by the UE. A step of determining the ability of the UE to operate a monitoring function, wherein the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring occasions for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages, The determined capabilities of the UE are the following two capability requirements for the UE to operate the monitoring function, namely: - A first capability condition relating to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, - A second capability condition relating to the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, The decision-making steps include, A step of transmitting capability instructions to a base station, wherein the capability instructions include information relating to the determined capability of the UE to operate the monitoring function, the capability instructions indicate a first capability condition of the UE, and optionally include a second capability condition of the UE, A step of receiving configuration information from a base station for setting up monitoring functions in a UE, wherein the configuration information sets up one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor a downlink control channel. Includes.

[0119] Figure 16 shows a sequence diagram corresponding to exemplary UE operation in line with the UE and UE methods discussed above. As is clear from Figure 16, the UE determines its ability to operate the monitoring function for monitoring the downlink control channel and then transmits the indicated ability to the base station. The UE's ability may include two distinct ability conditions (see below for details). Both ability conditions are determined by the UE, but the first ability condition is always transmitted to the base station, and the second ability condition may be transmitted at the discretion of the base station. Accordingly, the UE receives configuration information from the base station to set up the monitoring function, including the opportunity to monitor the downlink control channel. Although not shown in Figure 16, the determined and indicated UE monitoring ability is: - A minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more downlink control channel monitoring opportunities, - The minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, It indicates one or both of the above.

[0120] Some exemplary implementations of the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure also involve the base station to which the UE is currently connected (for example, called the serving base station). Correspondingly, the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure also provides the improved base station that participates in it.

[0121] Figure 17 shows a simplified exemplary base station structure with one exemplary implementation of an improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure, which can be implemented based on the general base station structure described in relation to Figure 14. The various structural elements of the base station shown in Figure 17 can be interconnected with one another, for example, by corresponding input / output nodes (not shown) to exchange control and user data and other signals. Although not illustrated for illustrative purposes, the base station may include further structural elements.

[0122] As is clear from Figure 17, the base station comprises a capability instruction receiving unit, a capability determination circuit, a circuit for determining monitoring opportunities, and a monitoring opportunity setting transmission unit.

[0123] One exemplary procedure, disclosed in more detail below, is implemented by a base station, which includes: The base station's receiver receives capability instructions from each of one or more user equipment UEs, the capability instructions indicating the UE's capability to operate a monitoring function, the monitoring function being operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring opportunities for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. The capability instructions from each UE indicate a first capability condition as the UE's capability, - The first capability condition is with respect to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel. The base station processor determines a second capability requirement for one or more UEs regarding the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having one or more slot lengths, based on the information indicated by the received capability instruction, or from stored information and the subcarrier interval used by each UE for the downlink control channel. Based on the first and second capability requirements determined for all of the one or more UEs, the processor determines one or more monitoring opportunities to be monitored on the downlink control channel for each of the one or more UEs. The base station transmitter transmits configuration information to each of the one or more UEs to configure the monitoring capabilities in the UEs, including setting up one or more monitoring opportunities for each UE to monitor the downlink control channel.

[0124] The corresponding method is performed by the base station. A receiving step of receiving capability instructions from one or more user equipment UEs, wherein the capability instructions indicate the UE's ability to operate a monitoring function, and the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring opportunities for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. Includes. Each UE's capability instruction indicates the first capability condition as the UE's capability, - The first capability condition is a minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel. A step of determining a second capability condition for one or more UEs with respect to the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, based on information indicated by the received capability instruction, or stored information and the subcarrier interval used by each UE for the downlink control channel, The steps include determining, for each of the one or more UEs, one or more monitoring opportunities to be monitored on the downlink control channel, based on the first and second capability conditions determined for all of the one or more UEs, A step of sending configuration information to each of the one or more UEs for configuring monitoring capabilities in the UE, including setting up one or more monitoring opportunities for each UE to monitor the downlink control channel.

[0125] Figure 18 shows a sequence diagram corresponding to exemplary base station operation in line with the base station and corresponding method discussed above. This sequence diagram shows an exemplary simplified implementation of the base station method presented above. As is evident from Figure 18, the base station receives capability instructions from one or more UEs regarding the UE monitoring function of the downlink control channel, and the capability instructions may indicate a first capability condition of the UE in advance. The base station then determines the UE capability from the received capability instructions and, as a further option, determines a second capability condition from a combination of stored information and the subcarrier spacing used for the downlink control channel. Based on these determined UE monitoring capabilities, the base station determines appropriate monitoring opportunities for the downlink control channel, in particular, that are suitable for the UE monitoring capabilities. The base station can then transmit configuration information to one or more UEs to set up monitoring opportunities for the monitoring function to monitor the downlink control channel.

[0126] Figure 19 shows a simple and exemplary interaction between the improved UE and the improved base station in the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure discussed above. In this solution shown in Figure 19, the interaction begins with the UE determining its capabilities, including its ability to monitor the downlink control channel. Details of the UE monitoring capabilities are shown below and include one or more of the first and second UE capability conditions. The UE then transmits information about the determined capabilities to the base station, for example, in the form of a capability instruction. Depending on the solution, the capability instruction includes information about one or both of the first and second UE capability conditions. The base station determines the UE capability from, for example, the received capability instruction, and optionally from stored information and the SCS, and then determines monitoring opportunities for the UE monitoring function based on the previously determined UE monitoring capabilities. The base station then notifies the UE of the determined downlink control channel monitoring opportunities. Conversely, the UE determines downlink control channel monitoring opportunities based on the received configuration. Therefore, the UE can operate the monitoring function as configured and monitor the downlink control channel according to the configured monitoring opportunities. Thus, the UE can receive downlink control information transmitted by the base station during the downlink control channel monitoring period.

[0127] The improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure described above, and the associated UE and base station, are based on the use of the UE's capabilities, which are determined by the base station and UE and can be transmitted from the UE to the base station.

[0128] The following presents various solutions where UE monitoring capabilities should be used for improved downlink control channel monitoring procedures.

[0129] Solution 1 In the first solution of the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure, these capabilities of the UE are: - A minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, and - Minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having a length of one or more slots. It can be done this way.

[0130] Therefore, the first solution relies at least on a combination of two capability conditions (which may also be called capability requirements, UE capabilities, UE capability constraints, or UE capability limits) that both of the downlink control channel monitoring opportunities must satisfy.

[0131] The first UE capability condition of this first solution concerns ensuring a minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a specific span length of one or more consecutive OFDM symbols. For example, the minimum (and actual) span time gap is defined to lie between the end of one time span and the beginning of the subsequent time span. A time span should be understood as containing one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor the downlink control channel. In other words, two time spans are separated by at least the minimum span time gap, and the time spans can be set by the base station to contain one or more downlink control channel monitoring opportunities, but the base station should set the minimum span time gap so as not to contain any downlink control channel monitoring opportunities. The gNB should not expect the UE to monitor downlink control channel monitoring opportunities within the minimum span time gap. Exceptions to this first UE capability condition will be discussed later in relation to overbooking mechanisms that can be implemented by the base station.

[0132] This minimum time span gap can be, for example, one or more OFDM symbols and at most one or more slots.

[0133] Therefore, the first UE capability condition described above ensures that the UE has some processing time after one or more monitoring opportunities in a time span for processing downlink control information that may be received from the base station during a time span downlink control channel monitoring opportunity, before the same processing must be performed in the next time span.

[0134] The following provides information regarding the second UE capability requirement.

[0135] The second UE capability condition of this first solution concerns ensuring a minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots. In other words, each time span in a group (containing one or more time spans) lies within a grouping window of one or more slots, in which case two consecutive groups, or two consecutive grouping windows, should be separated by at least a minimum time gap (for example, called the minimum group time gap). For example, the minimum group time gap is defined as being located between the end of one grouping window and the beginning of a subsequent grouping window.

[0136] An alternative second UE capability condition for the first solution can be defined as ensuring a minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of downlink control channel monitoring opportunities within a grouping window having a length of one or more slots. Given that both grouping by time span (having one or more monitoring opportunities) and grouping by monitoring opportunities result in grouping within the same grouping window, this alternative second UE capability condition is very similar to, or essentially equivalent to, the aforementioned second UE capability condition. Furthermore, the minimum group time gap is the same for both the alternative to the first solution and the aforementioned second UE capability condition.

[0137] Furthermore, the combination of the minimum group time gap and the length of the grouping window can always be defined as another window larger than the grouping window (i.e., at least by the minimum group time gap). According to the above definition of the second UE capability condition, monitoring opportunities should only be set by the base station within the grouping window, but not within the minimum group time gap. The gNB should expect the UE to monitor monitoring opportunities within the grouping window, but not within the minimum group time gap. Exceptions to this second UE capability condition will be discussed later in relation to overbooking mechanisms that can be implemented by the base station.

[0138] Therefore, this larger window, which includes the grouping window and the minimum group time gap, can be called a multi-slot monitor window, because the UE does not need to monitor all the slots in this multi-slot monitor window, but at most it only needs to monitor the slots in the time span grouping window (see the above discussion on multi-slot monitors in Rel. 17). Multi-slot monitor windows can be repeated in time so that consecutive multi-slot monitor windows exist without any additional gaps between them.

[0139] Independent of the first UE capability condition, this second UE capability condition ensures that after a monitoring opportunity for a grouping window, the UE has some processing time (e.g., at least one slot) before it has to begin processing the next monitoring opportunity for a grouping window (see also the next multi-slot monitoring window).

[0140] By using the second UE capability condition in addition to the first solution to ensure some additional processing time for the UE, the first UE capability condition does not need to be as stringent compared to the second solution (see below), which relies primarily on only the first UE capability condition but has the stricter condition that the minimum span time gap is at least one slot.

[0141] According to further variations of the second UE capability condition, there are several possibilities regarding where to position the grouping window within a larger multi-slot monitor window. For example, the grouping window can be placed at the beginning of the multi-slot monitor window, i.e., the grouping window and the multi-slot monitor window start from the same OFDM symbol. As a further example, the grouping window can be shifted from the beginning of a larger multi-slot monitor window (e.g., to the middle) until the beginning of the next grouping window, while still fitting the minimum group time gap. As a further example, the grouping window can be placed at the end of a larger multi-slot monitor window. As long as the position of the grouping window relative to the multi-slot monitor window does not change over time (in other words, does not fluctuate), the minimum group time gap can be maintained.

[0142] The first UE capability requirement can be expressed to the base station in various different ways. Generally, the first UE capability requirement is expressed through information about two parameters: the minimum span time gap (may be called parameter QP) and the length of the time span (may be called parameter P).

[0143] According to a first exemplary implementation of a method for indicating a first UE capability condition to a base station, the minimum span time gap and the span length of the time span can be directly indicated as corresponding values ​​such as the number of OFDM symbols. Thus, the capability indication of this first UE capability condition includes two values ​​indicating the minimum span time gap (QP) and the span length of the time span (P), respectively.

[0144] According to a second exemplary implementation of the method for indicating the first UE capability condition to a base station, instead of signaling the minimum span time gap as in the first exemplary implementation, it is also possible to indicate the minimum span time interval (which may be called parameter Q) between the beginning of one time span and the beginning of a subsequent time span. The minimum span time gap (QP) can be derived directly from the minimum span time interval and the time span length, for example, by subtracting the time span length (P) from the minimum span time interval (Q), i.e., by QP. Thus, the capability indication for the first UE capability condition includes two values, representing the minimum span time interval (Q) and the span length (P) of the time span, respectively.

[0145] A third exemplary implementation of the method for indicating the first UE capability requirements to a base station is based on indirectly indicating the relevant parameters already presented above in the first and second exemplary implementations, namely, the minimum span time gap (QP) and the span length (P) of the time span in the first implementation, or the minimum span time interval (Q) and the span length (P) of the time span in the second implementation.

[0146] More specifically, capability specifications indicate a combination of minimum span time gap (or minimum span time interval) and span time length. Correspondingly, several different combinations of minimum span time gap (or minimum span time interval) and span time length are predefined at the UE and base station. For example, the minimum span time gap for a 10 OFDM symbol, along with the span length for a 3 OFDM symbol, can be indicated as (QP,P)=(10,3). The UE then determines its own first UE capability condition and selects one or more combinations corresponding to that capability.

[0147] The selected one or more combinations can then be indicated in the capability instruction transmitted to the base station. For example, the capability instruction may include a bitmap, where each bit represents one possible combination (e.g., (Q,P)) relating to a first UE capability condition, where a bit value of 1 means the UE exhibits the corresponding combination, and a bit value of 0 means the UE does not exhibit the corresponding combination. In other modifications, each combination can be explicitly associated with an index so that the capability instruction includes one or more indices for the selected one or more combinations.

[0148] Independent of the first to third implementations described above, the minimum span time gap (QP) (and also the minimum span time interval (Q)) can be represented as one or more OFDM symbols, thereby allowing for finer granularity in how the first UE capability condition can be determined and represented. Alternatively, the minimum span time gap (QP) (and also the minimum span time interval (Q)) can be represented as one or more slots, thereby saving bits for representing the first UE capability compared to the OFDM symbol-based indication described above. For example, for high subcarrier spacing, it is expected that a large minimum span time gap (QP) needs to be represented. Therefore, using slots instead of OFDM symbols can reduce the number of bits required to represent the minimum span time gap.

[0149] On the other hand, the span duration (P) can be represented as one or more OFDM symbols, taking into account that the span duration may be short (e.g., the same as the CORESET duration) in order to reduce the monitoring effort of the UE to monitor the downlink control channel during the time span monitoring opportunity.

[0150] Similar to how the first UE capability condition was described above, the second UE capability condition can also be expressed to the base station in various different ways. Generally, the second UE capability condition is expressed through information about two parameters: the minimum group time gap (may be called parameter NM) and the length of the grouping window (may be called parameter M).

[0151] According to a first exemplary implementation of a method for indicating a second UE capability condition to a base station, the minimum group time gap (NM) and grouping window length (M) can be directly expressed as corresponding values ​​such as the number of slots. Thus, the capability indication for this second UE capability condition includes two values ​​that represent the minimum group time gap (NM) and grouping window length (M), respectively.

[0152] According to a second exemplary implementation of a method for indicating a second UE capability condition to a base station, instead of signaling the minimum group time gap as in the first exemplary implementation, it is also possible to indicate the minimum group time interval (which may be called N) between the start of one grouping window and the start of a subsequent grouping window. In this case, the minimum group time gap (NM) can be directly derived from the minimum group time interval (N) and the grouping window length (M) by, for example, subtracting the grouping window length (M) from the minimum group time interval (N), i.e., by NM, etc. Thus, the capability indication for the second UE capability condition includes two values, representing the minimum group time interval (N) and the grouping window length (M), respectively.

[0153] The minimum group time interval and the length of the grouping window can each be expressed as one or more slots.

[0154] A third exemplary implementation of the method for indicating the second UE capability requirement to a base station is based on indirectly indicating the relevant parameters already presented above in the first and second exemplary implementations, namely, the minimum group time gap (NM) and grouping window length (M) in the first exemplary implementation, or the minimum group time interval (N) and grouping window length (M) in the second exemplary implementation.

[0155] More specifically, capability specifications indicate a combination of minimum group time gap (or minimum group time interval) and grouping window length. Correspondingly, several different combinations of minimum group time gap (or minimum group time interval) and grouping window length are predefined at the UE and base station. For example, a minimum group time gap of 2 slots, along with a grouping window length of 2 slots, can be indicated as (NM,M)=(2,2). The UE then determines a second UE capability condition and selects one or more combinations corresponding to that capability.

[0156] The selected one or more combinations can then be indicated in the capability instruction transmitted to the base station. For example, the capability instruction may include a bitmap, where each bit represents one possible combination (e.g., (N,M)) relating to a second UE capability condition, where a bit value of 1 means the UE exhibits the corresponding combination, and a bit value of 0 means the UE does not exhibit the corresponding combination. In other modifications, each combination can be explicitly associated with an index so that the capability instruction includes one or more indices for the selected one or more combinations.

[0157] Further implementation of the second UE capability requirement would require an additional maximum number of time spans within each group of time spans. Alternatively, the second UE capability would require an additional maximum number of monitor opportunities within a group. In other words, the second UE capability not only defines the length of the grouping window and the minimum group time gap, but also sets an upper limit on the number of time spans / monitoring opportunities that the UE can process / support within the grouping window.

[0158] Therefore, the UE only needs to process downlink control information received from the maximum number of time spans / monitoring opportunities, thus further reducing its processing requirements.

[0159] In addition to, or instead of, the above instructions for the second UE capability condition, other implementations of the first solution of the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure do not rely on such transmission of the second UE capability from the UE to the base station. Instead, the second UE capability condition is determined individually by the UE and gNB, for example, based on stored information and the subcarrier interval of the downlink control channel, respectively. Specifically, the UE and gNB have pre-stored information including associations between different subcarrier intervals and different second UE capability conditions, where the associated second UE capability can be one of the implementations described above, for example, a combination of minimum group time gap and grouping window length, or a combination of minimum group time interval and grouping window length, or it can additionally include the maximum number of time spans / monitoring opportunities within each group of time spans / monitoring opportunities.

[0160] For example, a combination of a 2-slot grouping window length and a 2-slot minimum group time gap (2,2) can be associated with a 480kHz subcarrier spacing. As another example, a combination of a 3-slot grouping window length and a 5-slot minimum group time gap (3,5) can be associated with a 960kHz subcarrier spacing. Thus, both the UE and the base station determine the same second UE capability requirement for downlink control channels using 480kHz or 960kHz SCS.

[0161] For example, stored information, including the association between subcarrier intervals and second UE capabilities, can be predetermined by the base station and provided to the UE, for example, in system information or UE-specific messages (e.g., RRC protocol messages). Thus, the same stored information can apply to all UEs within a radio cell. Alternatively, the stored information can be defined in a 3GPP standard and become, for example, part of the UE and base station operating systems. In yet another alternative, the stored information can be defined by the UE operator and provided, for example, as subscriber information on the UE's SIM card (or e-SIM information).

[0162] According to one exemplary implementation of this first solution of the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure, the capability instruction pdcch-monitoring-r16, described above as already defined in 3GPP TS38.306, can be used as the basis for the first UE capability condition. Specifically, the pdcch-monitoring-r16 instruction defines various combinations of parameters X (the interval between two consecutive time spans) and Y (the length of the time span). Since the exact same pdcch-monitoring-16 instruction can be reused, three different combinations (X,Y)=(2,2), (4,5), or (7,3) are possible as the first UE capability condition of the first solution. The parameter X of the pdcch-monitoring-16 instruction corresponds to the minimum time span interval (Q), and the parameter Y of the pdcch-monitoring-16 instruction corresponds to the span time length (P). Alternatively, the pdcch-monitoring-r16 directive can be extended to show further combinations of the first UE capability conditions (Q,P) for the first solution, such as (10,2), (14,2), (10,3), (14,3), etc.

[0163] According to one exemplary implementation of this first solution of the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure described above and below, the first and second UE capabilities are specific to certain scenarios, such as high SCS and new frequency ranges, as discussed in the background section. For example, the first and second UE capabilities may apply primarily only to subcarrier spacings of downlink control channels higher than 120 kHz, e.g., 480 kHz and / or 960 kHz subcarrier spacings. In addition, or instead, the first and second UE capability conditions may apply primarily only to new frequency ranges above 52.6 GHz, e.g., the 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz frequency range.

[0164] As explained in relation to the background section, the higher subcarrier spacing used in relation to the new high-frequency range results in shorter durations for slots and OFDM symbols, which in turn increases the requirements for downlink control channel monitoring processing by the UE.

[0165] Figure 20 illustrates exemplary determination of various monitoring opportunities for four different UEs: UE1, UE2, UE3, and UE4. It is illustratively assumed that the monitoring conditions should meet the capability conditions for both UEs. It is illustratively assumed that the common search space (common to each of the UEs: UE1, UE2, UE3, and UE4) has a period of four slots. The monitoring opportunities in slots 0, 4, and 8 of the common search space CSS are shown at the bottom of Figure 20.

[0166] Let us exemplify the assumption that all four UEs must satisfy a second UE capability condition in which there exists a minimum group time gap of 2 slots (NM=2 slots) between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window of length 2 slots (M=2 slots).

[0167] Furthermore, UE1 must meet the first UE capability requirement, which is based on a minimum span time gap (QP) of 11 symbols and a span length of 3 symbols, i.e., (Q,P) = (14,3). UE2 must meet the first UE capability requirement, which is based on a minimum span time gap (QP) of 4 symbols and a span length of 3 symbols, i.e., (Q,P) = (7,3). UE3 must meet the first UE capability requirement, which is based on a minimum span time gap (QP) of 7 symbols and a span length of 3 symbols, i.e., (Q,P) = (10,3).

[0168] Furthermore, we illustratively assume that UE4 has a limitation as its first UE capability: it can monitor PDCCH monitoring opportunities that satisfy the minimum span time interval of 4 slots, i.e., Q=4 slots. Thus, since CSS has a period of 4 slots, gNB sets up monitoring opportunities in UE4's UE-specific search space, which has a period of 4 slots * X (where X is an integer greater than or equal to 1) and is located in the same position as CSS MO. In Figure 20, we also assume that UE4's USS has a period of 4 slots. To show that CSS MO and UE4's USS MO are in the same position, CSS MO is shown above USS MO. Furthermore, we illustratively assume that UE1, UE2, and UE4 each have one UE-specific search space, and UE3 has two UE-specific search spaces.

[0169] In this example, to further limit monitoring, UE2 can show a maximum of two MOs per grouped window. This is particularly useful in scenarios where the minimum span time gap is small, for example, when the grouped window is long.

[0170] Figure 20 shows exemplary results of possible configurations for the monitoring opportunities of the four UEs. As is clear from Figure 20, the USS and CSS monitoring opportunities of UE1 are grouped within a grouping window having a length of two slots, and the CSS MO and USS MO are separated by a minimum span time gap of 11 symbols. In practice, the CSS MO and USS MO are at the beginning of two slots in the grouping window, respectively.

[0171] Similarly, the USS and CSS monitor opportunities in UE2 are grouped within a grouping window with a length of two slots. The CSS MO and USS MO are separated by a minimum span time gap of four symbols. The three USS and CSS monitor opportunities in UE3 are also grouped within a grouping window of two slots. Both gaps, namely between the CSS MO and the first USS, and between the first USS and the second USS, are sufficiently separated by a minimum span time gap of at least seven symbols.

[0172] The third and fourth slots of every UE's N-slot window do not contain monitoring opportunities and can therefore be used by the UE to complete processing related to the monitoring opportunities in the first two slots, or to save power.

[0173] The primary UE capabilities of UE1, UE2, and UE3 are more advanced compared to UE4, allowing for staggered monitoring opportunities in different search spaces, thus eliminating the need to be located in the same position. Correspondingly, gNBs offer greater flexibility in scheduling downlink control channels. This is particularly useful in higher frequency ranges and when using analog beamforming.

[0174] Furthermore, UE3 has greater capabilities because it allows for three monitoring opportunities within a grouped window (instead of just two monitoring opportunities for UE1, UE2, and UE4), and therefore gNB has even greater flexibility in scheduling downlink control channels.

[0175] Second solution In another second solution of the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure, the UE's capabilities are: - Minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, and the minimum span time gap is represented as one or more slots. It can be done this way.

[0176] Therefore, this second solution relies primarily on one capability condition, which is similar to the first UE capability condition of the first solution, but is stricter in that the minimum span time gap is at least one slot. Thus, the first UE capability condition of this second solution is to give the UE at least some processing time (at least one slot) to monitor and process one or more monitoring opportunities in a time span, for example, to process downlink control information that may be received from a base station, before the same processing must be performed in the next time span.

[0177] Except for the additional, more stringent aspect of the minimum span time gap being at least one slot, the first UE capability condition for this second solution can be the same as that described in detail for the first solution. While the first UE capability condition for the first solution allowed for shorter minimum span time gaps of only a few OFDM symbols, the first UE capability condition for the second solution always ensures a minimum span time gap of one slot. Therefore, the implementation of the first UE capability condition, already described in detail in relation to the first solution, applies equally to this second solution.

[0178] For example, various methods of indicating the first UE capability requirements from the UE to the base station can be exactly the same as those described with respect to the first solution, for example, following the first exemplary implementation which directly indicates the values ​​of parameters QP and P, following the second exemplary implementation which directly indicates the parameters Q and P, and following the third exemplary implementation which indirectly indicates the parameters through combinations of parameters such as the combination (QP,P) or (Q,P).

[0179] Furthermore, the second solution can also utilize the capability instruction pdcch-monitoring-r16 described above, which is already defined in 3GPP TS38.306. This pdcch-monitoring-r16 can be extended to allow for more stringent combinations (Q,P) of the first capability conditions for the second solution, such as (28,2), (28,3), (42,3), etc.

[0180] In this case as well, as detailed in the first solution, the first UE capability condition of this second solution can also be defined as being specific to a particular scenario, applying only to subcarrier spacings of downlink control channels higher than 120 kHz, such as 480 kHz and 960 kHz, including high SCS and / or new frequency ranges. Furthermore, the first UE capability condition of this second solution can be defined to apply only to new frequency ranges above 52.6 GHz, for example, the 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz frequency range.

[0181] Figure 21 illustrates exemplary determinations of various monitoring opportunities for three different UEs: UE1, UE2, and UE3. It is illustrative to assume that the common search space (common to each of the UEs: UE1, UE2, and UE3) has a 4-slot cycle. The monitoring opportunities in slots 0, 4, and 8 of the common search space CSS are shown at the bottom of Figure 21.

[0182] Let us exemplify the case where UE1 must meet a first UE capability condition that follows a minimum span time interval Q of 2 slots, which similarly could mean a minimum span time gap QP = 1 slot (not shown in Figure 21). Correspondingly, for UE2, the first UE capability condition is a minimum span time interval Q of 3 slots (e.g., QP = 2 slots), and for UE3, the first UE capability condition is a minimum span time interval Q of 4 slots (e.g., QP = 3 slots).

[0183] Figure 21 shows exemplary results of possible configurations for monitoring opportunities in three UEs. In Figure 21, it is assumed that the USS for UE3 also has a 4-slot period. Since the CSS has a 4-slot period, the gNB sets up a monitoring opportunity for the UE3's UE-specific search space, which has a period of 4 slots * X (where X is an integer greater than or equal to 1) and is located in the same position as the CSS MO. The USS MO is shown above the CSS MO to show that the CSS MO and the USS MO for UE3 are in the same position.

[0184] Similar to UE3, the USS for CSS and UE2 are located in the same position, allowing them to fit a minimum span time interval of at least 3 slots. As is evident from this, the USS for CSS and UE1 are far enough apart to fit a minimum span time interval of 2 slots, respectively.

[0185] Third solution In another third solution of the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure, the UE's capabilities are: - Minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having a length of one or more slots. It can be done this way.

[0186] Therefore, in other words, the third solution is based solely on the second UE capability condition of the first solution. In one example, the exact same second UE capability condition as in the first solution can be used. Except for not necessarily using the first UE capability condition of the first solution, the rest of the first solution can remain the same in this third solution.

[0187] Therefore, the implementation of the second UE capability requirement, which has already been described in detail in relation to the first solution, also applies equally to this third solution.

[0188] For example, the grouped window can be arranged in various different ways, such as at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end, within a larger multi-slot monitor window while conforming to the minimum group time gap.

[0189] For example, the various ways to indicate the second UE capability condition from the UE to the base station can be exactly the same as those described for the first solution. For example, following the first exemplary implementation that directly indicates the values of parameters N-M and M, following the second exemplary implementation that directly indicates parameters N and M, and following the third exemplary implementation that indirectly indicates the parameters through combinations of parameters such as (N-M,M) or (N,M).

[0190] Furthermore, in the third solution as well, similar to what was detailed in the first solution, the second UE capability can be extended to also require the maximum number of time spans within each group of time spans, or the maximum number of monitoring opportunities within a group of monitoring opportunities.

[0191] Furthermore, the third solution can also not require the transmission of the second UE capability from the UE to the base station, similar to what was detailed in the first solution. Instead, the second UE capability can be individually determined by the UE and the gNB based on the stored information and the subcarrier spacing used for the downlink control channel.

[0192] Also in this case, similar to what was detailed in the first solution, the second UE capability condition of this third solution can be defined as specific to a particular scenario that applies only to subcarrier spacings of the downlink control channel higher than 120 kHz, such as high SCS and / or new frequency ranges, for example 480 kHz and 960 kHz. Furthermore, the second UE capability condition of this third solution can be defined to apply only to a new frequency range above 52.6 GHz, for example a frequency range of 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz.

[0193] FIG. 22 shows an exemplary determination of various monitoring opportunities for four different UEs, UE1, UE2, UE3, and UE4. Exemplarily assume that a common search space (common to each of the UEs UE1, UE2, UE3, UE4) has a period of 4 slots. The monitoring opportunities for the common search space CSS are shown at the bottom of FIG. 22.

[0194] Exemplarily assume that all four UEs need to meet a second UE capability condition that there is a minimum group time gap of 2 slots (N - M = 2 slots) between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window of length 2 slots (M = 2 slots).

[0195] Furthermore, compared to the example of FIG. 20 of the first solution, since it is not necessary to meet the first UE capability condition, each time span / MO within the grouping window (of 2 slots) can be, although not mandatory, not completely separated from each other. The monitoring opportunities for CSS and USS1 of UE2 are not separated within the grouping window, but rather are directly consecutive to each other with no gap between them. Similarly, the two USS1 and USS2 of UE3 are not separated within the grouping window, but rather are directly consecutive to each other with no gap between them. On the other hand, although not required by the first UE capability condition, CSS and the USS of UE1 are separated, and CSS and the first USS of UE3 are also separated.

[0196] Some implementations of the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedures related to the first, second, and third solutions, described above and below, are based on the definition of a time span. An exemplary definition of a time span is that it is several consecutive symbols including one or more monitoring opportunities of the downlink control channel. The time span starts from the first symbol of a certain monitoring opportunity and ends at the last symbol of a certain monitoring opportunity, and the latter monitoring opportunity, although not mandatory, can be the same as the monitoring opportunity from which the time span starts. Furthermore, each monitoring opportunity can be completely within one time span.

[0197] Various implementations of the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedures described above and below, relating to the first, second, and third solutions, include the UE and base station determining the monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor the downlink control channel.

[0198] As described above, the determination of downlink control channel monitoring opportunities can take into account the UE capabilities discussed above. In a more detailed exemplary implementation, the UE and base station can apply mapping rules based on the search space and search space set configured in the UE, specifically mapping PDCCH candidates to monitoring opportunities in the search space set according to the mapping rules.

[0199] One of the mapping rules is that PDCCH candidates in monitoring opportunities associated with a common search space are mapped first. Then, PDCCH candidates in monitoring opportunities associated with a set of UE-specific search spaces are determined, for example, in ascending order of the index assigned to the set of UE-specific search spaces.

[0200] Limitations on this mapping process are provided by the maximum number of blind decoding attempts (e.g., the number of PDCCH candidates) and the CCE limit that can be set for the UE. Consequently, when the UE reaches the maximum number of blind decoding attempts or the maximum CCE, the UE stops and does not map any further PDCCH candidates to monitoring opportunities in the UE-specific search space set.

[0201] Further constraints on the mapping process are provided by the UE capability conditions discussed above. For example, if the UE and gNB determine that a particular monitor opportunity in a set of search spaces (e.g., the USS set) does not meet one of the UE capability conditions discussed above (see Solutions 1, 2, or 3), the UE and gNB are permitted to either skip mapping the entire set of search spaces containing the non-compliant monitor opportunity (i.e., all monitor opportunities in that set of search spaces) or skip mapping only the non-compliant monitor opportunity (as a result, the UE and gNB can still map other monitor opportunities in that set of search spaces to the UE). In cases where one or more monitor opportunities are skipped rather than the entire set of search spaces, the skip may be performed on a per-grouping window basis if the second condition is met. For example, all monitor opportunities within the grouping window associated with that set of search spaces may be skipped.

[0202] The skipping (or drop) mechanism discussed above can be applied similarly by both the UE and the gNB, with the added benefit that the UE can receive downlink control information transmitted from the gNB, since both entities have the same common understanding of available monitoring opportunities for the downlink control channel.

[0203] In addition to the skipping mechanisms performed by both the UE and gNB described above, or independently thereof, the gNB may apply an overbooking mechanism when determining monitoring opportunities for downlink control channels. Specifically, if a situation is identified where a monitoring opportunity mapped according to the search space set does not meet one or more of the UE capability conditions discussed above, that non-compliant monitoring opportunity will still be set, despite not meeting the UE capability. Thus, the gNB is permitted to set more monitoring opportunities for the UE than the UE capability allows.

[0204] The skipping and overbooking mechanisms allow for deviations from UE capabilities, making it easier for the gNB to determine monitoring opportunities. Furthermore, since monitoring opportunities in different search spaces may have different cycles, the overbooking and skipping mechanisms facilitate the gNB's maximum utilization of UE capabilities.

[0205] Figure 23 shows an example of how the overbooking mechanism discussed above can be applied. It is assumed that the monitoring opportunities for the downlink control channel must satisfy the following first and second UE capability conditions. According to the first UE capability condition, the UE supports the minimum span time interval Q of a 7 OFDM symbol for a time span P of a 3 OFDM symbol, i.e., the minimum span time gap (QP) of a 4 OFDM symbol. Furthermore, according to the second UE capability condition, the UE supports a maximum of two monitoring opportunities within a grouping window of length M = 2 slots, with a minimum group time interval N of 4 slots (resulting in a minimum group time gap NM of 2 slots).

[0206] There are two UE-specific and common search spaces for which monitoring opportunities need to be set. The gNB and UE can, for example, follow the mapping rules discussed above, and the monitoring opportunity for CSS (and PDCCH candidates, etc.) with an 8-slot period is set first. The resulting CSS MO setting is shown in the bottom row of Figure 23.

[0207] Next, the first USS1 monitoring opportunity (and PDCCH candidates, etc.) is determined, assuming that USS1 has a period of 4 slots. The USS1 MO is determined such that the first UE capability condition for the Q=7OFDM symbol is satisfied. Correspondingly, the top row of Figure 23 shows the USS1 monitoring opportunity.

[0208] Next, the monitoring opportunity for USS2 with the following index is determined, where USS2 also has a period of 4 slots. Therefore, there is a problem in that at least some grouping windows (for example, N-slot windows 1, 3, and 5 in Figure 23) have three MOs, namely CSS, USS1, and USS2, and thus cannot meet the requirement that there can be a maximum of two MOs in a grouping window.

[0209] One way to address this situation would be to completely skip the entire USS2 and have only the CSS MO and USS1 MO (and corresponding PDCCH candidates, etc.) be determined for this UE. This is a worst-case scenario that strictly adheres to the first and second UE capability requirements and does not allow for overbooking or skipping.

[0210] Another way to address this situation would be to apply overbooking and skip only the monitoring opportunities that do not meet the second UE capability requirement, i.e., skip the USS2 MOs in N-slot windows 1, 3, and 5 (i.e., OFDM symbols 1, 9, and 17) while determining the USS2 MOs in N-slot windows 2 and 4 (slots 5 and 13). Such a solution would be impossible without the overbooking and skipping mechanisms described above.

[0211] Further illustrative improvements to how monitoring opportunities can be determined according to the UE capability conditions discussed above are described below, centering on the idea that these UE capability conditions do not apply to all search spaces, but only to some search spaces where monitoring opportunities are determined. In other words, the UE capability conditions (see the first, second, or third solutions above) do not need to apply when determining monitoring opportunities in some search spaces, but should apply when determining monitoring opportunities in the remaining search spaces.

[0212] According to one exemplary implementation, a set of first search spaces to which UE capability conditions should not be applied includes a common search space that is set for all UEs within a cell. Further, the UE should apply UE capability conditions when determining monitor opportunities for UE-specific search spaces, common search spaces set in dedicated messages to the UE, and common search spaces commonly set for a group of UEs.

[0213] In a 5G NR compliant implementation of an improved downlink control channel monitoring procedure, the 5G NR Type1-PDCCH common search space (see the background section above) can be set in a dedicated message (RRC) to the UE and is a common search space to which UE capability conditions can be applied by the UE and the base station. Further, the Type3-PDCCH common search space is a group-common search space (i.e., a common search space assigned to a group of UEs, for example, not necessarily to all UEs) to which UE capability conditions can be applied by the UE and the base station. Conversely, the UE thus does not need to apply UE capability conditions to the Type1-PDCCH common search space, Type0, Type0A, and Type2 common search spaces that were not set in a dedicated RRC message.

[0214] In one example, the UE can be required to monitor the Type1-PDCCH common search space, Type0, Type0A, and Type2 common search spaces that were not set in a dedicated RRC message for a given duration in any symbol.

[0215] According to the above exception, the base station does not need to align the monitor opportunities of some search spaces (e.g., USS) with the monitor opportunities of a specific common search space (e.g., common to all UEs within a cell), so the scheduling flexibility of the base station is further increased.

[0216] Various implementations of the improved downlink control channel monitoring procedures described above and below, relating to the first, second, and third solutions, include the base station transmitting configuration information to the UE to set up monitoring functions in the UE. According to one example compliant with the 5G NR standard, this process can be carried out based on the information elements ControlResourceSet and SearchSpace discussed above, for example, according to the definitions in Section 6.3.2 of 3GPP TS38.331v16.5.0.

[0217] Further aspects According to the first embodiment, user equipment is provided, which includes: The UE's processor determines the UE's capability to operate a monitoring function, which is operated by the UE to monitor a downlink control channel on one or more monitoring occasions for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. The determined capability of the UE is the following two capability conditions of the UE to operate the monitoring function, namely, - A first capability condition relating to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, - A second capability condition relating to the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, Includes. The UE's transmitter transmits capability instructions to the base station, which include information about the UE's determined capability to operate the monitoring function. The capability instructions indicate a first capability requirement for the UE and optionally include a second capability requirement for the UE. The UE's receiver receives configuration information from the base station to set up the monitoring function in the UE, which sets up one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor the downlink control channel.

[0218] According to a second aspect provided in addition to the first aspect, the time span is a series of symbols including one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel. Each monitoring opportunity is entirely within one time span, and the time span begins with the first symbol of the monitoring opportunity and ends with the last symbol of the monitoring opportunity.

[0219] According to a third embodiment provided in addition to the first or second embodiment, the minimum span time gap is the interval between the end of one time span and the beginning of a subsequent time span. In an optional implementation, the capability indicator indicates the value of the minimum span time gap and the span length of the time span, or the capability indicator indicates the span length of the time span and the minimum span time interval between the beginning of one time span and the beginning of a subsequent time span. In an optional implementation, the minimum span time gap and the minimum span time interval are indicated as one or more symbols. In an optional implementation, the minimum span time gap or the minimum span time interval is indicated as one or more slots, and optionally, the span length is indicated in symbols. In an optional implementation, during operation, the processor determines one or more combinations of minimum span time gap and span length from a plurality of different combinations corresponding to the capability of the UE, and during operation, the transmitter indicates the determined one or more combinations of minimum span time gap and span length in the capability indicator. In an optional implementation, the processor determines, during operation, one or more combinations of minimum span time interval and span length that correspond to the capabilities of the UE, and the transmitter indicates the determined one or more combinations of minimum span time interval and span length in the capability indication during operation.

[0220] According to a fourth aspect provided in addition to any of the first to third aspects, the minimum group time gap is the interval between the end of one grouping window and the beginning of a subsequent grouping window. In an optional implementation, the capability indicator indicates the value of the minimum group time gap and the length of the grouping window, or the capability indicator indicates the length of the grouping window and the minimum group time interval between the beginning of one grouping window and the beginning of a subsequent grouping window. In an optional implementation, the processor, during operation, determines one or more combinations of the minimum group time gap and the length of the grouping window that correspond to the capability of the UE from among several different combinations, and the transmitter, during operation, indicates the determined one or more combinations of the minimum group time gap and the length of the grouping window in the capability indicator. In an optional implementation, the processor, during operation, determines one or more combinations of the minimum group time interval and the length of the grouping window that correspond to the capability of the UE, and the transmitter, during operation, indicates the determined one or more combinations of the minimum group time interval and the length of the grouping window in the capability indicator. In the optional implementation, the capability condition further requires the maximum number of time spans within each group of time spans, and the second capability instruction of the capability condition further indicates the maximum number of time spans within each group of time spans. In the optional implementation, the length of the grouping window is indicated in slots, the minimum group time gap is indicated in slots, and the minimum group time interval is indicated in slots.

[0221] According to a fifth embodiment provided in addition to any of the first to fourth embodiments, when determining a second capability condition, the processor determines one or more of the minimum group time gap and grouping window length from stored information based on the subcarrier interval used for the downlink control channel. In an optional implementation, the stored information includes associations between different subcarrier intervals and one or more of the minimum group time gap values ​​and different grouping window lengths.

[0222] According to a sixth aspect provided in addition to any of the first to fifth aspects, the time spans grouped within the grouping window are repeated every N slots, and the grouping window containing the grouped time spans starts from the beginning of the N slots.

[0223] According to the seventh aspect provided in addition to any of the first to sixth aspects, the determined capability of the UE, which includes one or more of the first and second capability conditions, • Subcarrier spacing used for downlink control channels exceeding 120kHz, optionally selectable to 480kHz and 960kHz or higher, and • Frequency range in which downlink control channels exceeding 52.6GHz are transmitted; optionally, the frequency range is 52.6GHz to 71GHz. This applies to one or more of the following.

[0224] According to the eighth aspect provided in addition to any of the first to seventh aspects, the determined capabilities of a UE including one or more of the first and second capability conditions do not apply to the first common search space set, and optionally, the first common search space set is set for all UEs in a cell. In the optional implementation, the determined capabilities of a UE including one or more of the first and second capability conditions are, ·UE-specific search space, and • A second set of common search spaces This applies to one or more of the following.

[0225] In an optional implementation, the second set of common search spaces includes one or more of the common search spaces configured in a dedicated message to the UE, and the common search spaces configured in common for a group of UEs.

[0226] According to a ninth aspect provided in addition to any of the first to eighth aspects, the processor, during operation, determines one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor the downlink control channel based on received configuration information. In an optional implementation, the processor further maps downlink control channel monitoring candidates to one or more monitoring opportunities based on mapping rules, the mapping rules are: - First, monitor candidates for monitor opportunities associated with the common search space are mapped, - Next, the monitor candidates for monitor opportunities associated with the UE-specific search space are determined in ascending order of the index assigned to the UE-specific search space. Includes. The implementation of optional selection is further as follows: - The processor determines one or more of the maximum number of blind decoding attempts and / or control channel elements for a UE, and if the processor determines that the maximum number of blind decoding attempts or control channel elements for a UE has been reached, the processor does not map any further monitor candidates to monitoring opportunities for the UE. Includes.

[0227] According to a tenth aspect provided in addition to any of the first to ninth aspects, if the processor determines that a monitoring opportunity in a search space does not meet one or more of the first and second capability requirements of the UE, the processor decides to skip the non-compliant monitoring opportunity, or to skip all monitoring opportunities in the search space to which the non-compliant monitoring opportunity is associated.

[0228] According to an eleventh aspect provided in addition to any of the first to tenth aspects, the processor determines the capabilities of the UE from the information stored in the UE.

[0229] According to the 12th aspect, the user device UE performs the following: A step of determining the ability of the UE to operate a monitoring function, wherein the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring occasions for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. A method including the following is provided. The determined capability of the UE is the following two capability requirements of the UE for operating the monitoring function, namely, - A first capability condition relating to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, - A second capability condition relating to the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, Includes. This method includes the step of transmitting a capability instruction to a base station, wherein the capability instruction includes information relating to the determined capability of the UE to operate the monitoring function, the capability instruction indicates a first capability condition of the UE, and optionally includes a second capability condition of the UE, A step of receiving configuration information from a base station for setting up monitoring functions in a UE, wherein the configuration information sets up one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor a downlink control channel. It also includes.

[0230] According to a thirteenth aspect, a UE is provided comprising a processor that determines the UE's ability to operate a monitoring function during operation, the monitoring function being operated by the UE to monitor a downlink control channel in one or more monitoring opportunities for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. The determined ability of the UE includes the following first capability condition for the UE to operate the monitoring function: The first capability condition is with respect to a minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, where each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, and the minimum span time gap is represented as one or more slots. The transmitter transmits capability instructions to the base station, which include information about the determined capability of the UE to operate the monitoring function, and the capability instructions indicate the UE's first capability requirement. The receiver receives configuration information from the base station to set up the monitoring function in the UE, which sets up one or more monitoring opportunities in which the UE monitors the downlink control channel.

[0231] According to a 14th aspect provided in addition to the 13th aspect, the minimum span time gap is the interval between the end of one time span and the beginning of a subsequent time span. In an optional implementation, the capability indicator indicates the value of the minimum span time gap and the span length of the time span, or the capability indicator indicates the span length of the time span and the minimum span time interval between the beginning of one time span and the beginning of a subsequent time span. In an optional implementation, the processor, during operation, determines one or more combinations of minimum span time gap and span length that correspond to the capability of the UE from among several different combinations, and the transmitter, during operation, indicates the determined one or more combinations of minimum span time gap and span length in the capability indicator. In an optional implementation, the processor determines, during operation, one or more combinations of minimum span time interval and span length that correspond to the capabilities of the UE, and the transmitter indicates the determined one or more combinations of minimum span time interval and span length in the capability indication during operation.

[0232] According to a 15th aspect provided in addition to the 13th or 14th aspect, the processor, while operating, - A second capability condition regarding the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots. This further determines the capabilities of the UE, including the following. When determining the second capability condition, the processor determines one or more of the minimum group time gap and grouping window length from stored information, based on the subcarrier interval used for the downlink control channel. In an optional implementation, the stored information includes associations between different subcarrier intervals used for the downlink control channel and one or more of the different minimum group time gap values ​​and different grouping window lengths.

[0233] According to the 16th aspect provided in addition to any of the 13th to 15th aspects, the determined capability of the UE, including one or more of the first and second capability conditions, • Subcarrier spacing used for downlink control channels exceeding 120kHz, optionally selectable to 480kHz and 960kHz or higher, and • Frequency range in which downlink control channels exceeding 52.6GHz are transmitted; optionally, the frequency range is 52.6GHz to 71GHz. This applies to one or more of the following.

[0234] According to a 17th aspect provided in addition to any of the 13th to 16th aspects, the determined capabilities of a UE including one or more of the first and second capability conditions do not apply to the first common search space set, and optionally, the first common search space set is set for all UEs in a cell. In the optional implementation, the determined capabilities of a UE including one or more of the first and second capability conditions are, ·UE-specific search space, and • A second set of common search spaces This applies to one or more of the following. In an optional implementation, the second set of common search spaces includes one or more of the common search spaces configured in a dedicated message to the UE, and the common search spaces configured in common for a group of UEs.

[0235] According to the 18th aspect, performed by the user device UE, A step of determining the ability of the UE to operate a monitoring function, wherein the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring occasions for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages, The determined capabilities of the UE include the following first capability requirement for the UE to operate the monitoring function: - The first capability condition relates to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, and the minimum span time gap is represented as one or more slots. The decision-making steps, A step of transmitting capability instructions to a base station, wherein the capability instructions include information regarding the determined capability of the UE to operate the monitoring function, and the capability instructions indicate a first capability condition of the UE, A step of receiving configuration information from a base station for setting up monitoring functions in a UE, wherein the configuration information sets up one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor a downlink control channel. A method is provided that includes this.

[0236] According to the 19th aspect, a base station is a receiver that, while operating, receives capability instructions from each of one or more user equipment UEs, wherein the capability instructions indicate the UE's ability to operate a monitoring function, and the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor a downlink control channel on one or more monitoring occasions for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. Each UE's capability instruction indicates the first capability condition as the UE's capability, - The first capability condition is a minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, where each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel. Equipped with a receiver, During operation, the processor determines a second capability condition for one or more UEs regarding the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having a length of one or more slots, based on information indicated by received capability instructions, or from stored information and the subcarrier interval used by each UE for the downlink control channel. The base station further, A processor that, during operation, determines for each of the one or more UEs one or more monitoring opportunities to be monitored on the downlink control channel, based on first and second capability conditions determined for all of the one or more UEs, A transmitter that sends configuration information to each of the one or more UEs to configure the monitoring function in the UE, including setting up one or more monitoring opportunities for each UE to monitor the downlink control channel during operation, A base station equipped with the above features will be provided.

[0237] According to a 20th aspect provided in addition to the 19th aspect, the stored information for determining a second capability condition includes an association between different subcarrier intervals used for the downlink control channel and one or more of different minimum group time gap values ​​and different grouping window lengths.

[0238] According to a 21st aspect provided in addition to the 19th or 20th aspect, when the processor determines one or more monitoring opportunities, it considers that the determined capabilities of a UE including one or more of the first and second capability conditions do not apply to one or more of the first common search space sets, and optionally, the first common search space sets are set for all UEs in the cell. In an optional implementation, when the processor determines one or more monitoring opportunities, it considers that the determined capabilities of a UE including one or more of the first and second capability conditions, ·UE-specific search space, and • A second set of common search spaces Consider that it applies to one or more of the following. In an optional implementation, the second set of common search spaces includes one or more of the common search spaces configured in a dedicated message to the UE, and the common search spaces configured in common for a group of UEs.

[0239] According to a 22nd aspect provided in addition to any of the 19th to 21st aspects, the processor maps downlink control channel monitor candidates to one or more monitor opportunities based on a mapping rule, the mapping rule is - First, candidates for monitoring opportunities associated with the common search space are determined. - Next, the monitor candidates for monitor opportunities associated with the UE-specific search space are determined in ascending order of the index assigned to the UE-specific search space. Includes. In the optional implementation, the mapping rule is: - The processor determines one or more of the maximum number of blind decoding attempts and / or control channel elements for a UE, and if the processor determines that the maximum number of blind decoding attempts or control channel elements for a UE has been reached, the processor does not map any further monitor candidates to monitoring opportunities for the UE. Includes.

[0240] According to a 23rd aspect provided in addition to any of the 19th to 22nd aspects, if the processor determines that a monitoring opportunity in a search space does not meet one or more of the first and second capability requirements of the UE, the processor decides to skip the non-compliant monitoring opportunity, or to skip all monitoring opportunities in the search space to which the non-compliant monitoring opportunity is associated.

[0241] According to a 24th aspect provided in addition to any of the 19th to 23rd aspects, if the processor determines that a search space monitoring opportunity does not meet one or more of the first and second capability requirements of each UE, the processor sets the UE to a monitoring opportunity that does not meet one or more of the capabilities of each UE.

[0242] According to the 25th aspect, the following is performed by the base station: A step of receiving capability instructions from one or more user equipment UEs, wherein the capability instructions indicate the UE's ability to operate a monitoring function, and the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring opportunities for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. Each UE's capability instruction indicates the first capability condition as the UE's capability, - The first capability condition is a minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, where each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel. The receiving step, The steps of determining a second capability condition for one or more UEs with respect to the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, based on information indicated by the received capability instruction, or from stored information and the subcarrier interval used by each UE for the downlink control channel, The steps include determining, for each of the one or more UEs, one or more monitoring opportunities to be monitored on the downlink control channel, based on the first and second capability conditions determined for all of the one or more UEs, The steps include sending configuration information to each of the one or more UEs to configure monitoring capabilities in the UE, including setting up one or more monitoring opportunities for each UE to monitor the downlink control channel, A method is provided that includes this.

[0243] According to the 26th aspect, a base station, A receiver that, during operation, receives capability instructions from one or more user equipment UEs, the capability instructions indicating the UE's ability to operate a monitoring function, the monitoring function being operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring opportunities for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. Each UE's capability instruction indicates the first capability condition as the UE's capability, - The first capability condition relates to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, and the minimum span time gap is represented as one or more slots. Receiver and A processor that, during operation, determines for each of the one or more UEs one or more monitoring opportunities to be monitored on the downlink control channel, based on a first capability condition determined for all of the one or more UEs, A transmitter that sends configuration information to each of the one or more UEs to configure the monitoring function in the UE, including setting up one or more monitoring opportunities for each UE to monitor the downlink control channel during operation, A base station equipped with the above features will be provided.

[0244] According to the 27th aspect, the following is performed by the base station: A step of receiving capability instructions from one or more user equipment UEs, wherein the capability instructions indicate the UE's ability to operate a monitoring function, and the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring opportunities for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. Each UE's capability instruction indicates the first capability condition as the UE's capability, - The first capability condition relates to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, and the minimum span time gap is represented as one or more slots. The receiving step, The steps include determining, for each of the one or more UEs, one or more monitoring opportunities to be monitored on the downlink control channel, based on a first capability condition determined for all of the one or more UEs, The steps include sending configuration information to each of the one or more UEs to configure monitoring capabilities in the UE, including setting up one or more monitoring opportunities for each UE to monitor the downlink control channel, A method is provided that includes this.

[0245] According to the 28th aspect, an integrated circuit that controls the processing of user equipment during operation, wherein the processing is performed by the user equipment. A step of determining the ability of the UE to operate a monitoring function, wherein the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring occasions for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages, The determined capabilities of the UE are the following two capability requirements for the UE to operate the monitoring function, namely: - A first capability condition relating to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, - A second capability condition relating to the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, The decision-making steps include, A step of transmitting capability instructions to a base station, wherein the capability instructions include information relating to the determined capability of the UE to operate the monitoring function, the capability instructions indicate a first capability condition of the UE, and optionally include a second capability condition of the UE, A step of receiving configuration information from a base station for setting up monitoring functions in a UE, wherein the configuration information sets up one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor a downlink control channel. An integrated circuit is provided that includes the following.

[0246] According to the 29th aspect, an integrated circuit that controls the processing of user equipment during operation, wherein the processing is performed by the user equipment. A step of determining the ability of the UE to operate a monitoring function, wherein the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring occasions for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages, The determined capabilities of the UE include the following first capability requirement for the UE to operate the monitoring function: - The first capability condition relates to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, and the minimum span time gap is represented as one or more slots. The decision-making steps, A step of transmitting capability instructions to a base station, wherein the capability instructions include information about the determined capability of the UE to operate the monitoring function, and the capability instructions indicate a first capability condition of the UE, A step of receiving configuration information from a base station for setting up monitoring functions in a UE, wherein the configuration information sets up one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor a downlink control channel. An integrated circuit is provided that includes the following.

[0247] According to the 30th aspect, an integrated circuit that controls the processing of a base station during operation, wherein the processing is performed by the base station. A step of receiving capability instructions from one or more user equipment UEs, wherein the capability instructions indicate the UE's ability to operate a monitoring function, and the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring opportunities for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. Each UE's capability instruction indicates the first capability condition as the UE's capability, - The first capability condition is a minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, where each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel. The receiving step, The steps of determining a second capability condition for one or more UEs with respect to the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, based on information indicated by the received capability instruction, or from stored information and the subcarrier interval used by each UE for the downlink control channel, The steps include determining, for each of the one or more UEs, one or more monitoring opportunities to be monitored on the downlink control channel, based on the first and second capability conditions determined for all of the one or more UEs, The steps include sending configuration information to each of the one or more UEs to configure monitoring capabilities in the UE, including setting up one or more monitoring opportunities for each UE to monitor the downlink control channel, An integrated circuit is provided that includes the following.

[0248] According to the 31st aspect, an integrated circuit that controls the processing of a base station during operation, wherein the processing is performed by the base station. A step of receiving capability instructions from one or more user equipment UEs, wherein the capability instructions indicate the UE's ability to operate a monitoring function, and the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor the downlink control channel on one or more monitoring opportunities for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. Each UE's capability instruction indicates the first capability condition as the UE's capability, - The first capability condition relates to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span may include one or more monitoring opportunities of a downlink control channel, and the minimum span time gap is represented as one or more slots. The receiving step, The steps include determining, for each of the one or more UEs, one or more monitoring opportunities to be monitored on the downlink control channel, based on a first capability condition determined for all of the one or more UEs, The steps include sending configuration information to each of the one or more UEs to configure monitoring capabilities in the UE, including setting up one or more monitoring opportunities for each UE to monitor the downlink control channel, An integrated circuit is provided that includes the following.

[0249] Further variations, including implementations of the hardware and software described herein, are possible. This disclosure can be implemented by software, hardware, or software that interacts with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each embodiment described above can be partially or entirely implemented by an LSI such as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment may be partially or entirely controlled by the same LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be formed as individual chips, or a single chip may be formed to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may include data inputs and outputs coupled thereto. Here, LSIs can be called ICs (integrated circuits), system LSIs, super LSIs, or ultra LSIs depending on the degree of integration. However, the technology for realizing integrated circuits is not limited to LSIs and may be implemented using dedicated circuits, general-purpose processors, or application-specific processors. Furthermore, FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) that can be programmed after manufacturing, or LSIs or reconfigurable processors in which the connections and settings of circuit cells arranged inside the LSI can be reconfigured, may be used. This disclosure can be implemented as digital or analog processing. As a result of advancements in semiconductor technology and other derivative technologies, if future integrated circuit technology replaces LSIs, functional blocks can be integrated using future integrated circuit technology. Biotechnology can also be applied.

[0250] This disclosure can be implemented by any type of device, apparatus, or system having communication capabilities, referred to as a communication apparatus.

[0251] The communication device may have a transceiver and a processing / control circuit. The transceiver may have and / or function as a receiver and a transmitter. The transceiver as a transmitter and receiver may include an RF (Radio Frequency) module including an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, and one or more antennas.

[0252] Some non-exclusive examples of such communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, netbooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine (remote health and telemedicine) devices, and vehicles providing communication capabilities (e.g., automobiles, airplanes, ships), as well as various combinations thereof.

[0253] Communication devices are not limited to being portable or mobile, and may include any type of device, system, or apparatus that is non-portable or fixed, such as smart home devices (e.g., appliances, lighting, smart meters, control panels), vending machines, and any other “thing” in the “Internet of Things (IoT)” network.

[0254] Communication may include, for example, exchanging data via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, satellite systems, and various combinations thereof.

[0255] The communication device may include devices such as controllers or sensors coupled to a communication device that performs the communication functions described in this disclosure. For example, the communication device may include controllers or sensors that generate control signals or data signals used by the communication device that performs the communication functions of the communication device.

[0256] In addition, the communication equipment may include infrastructure facilities such as base stations, access points, and any other equipment, devices, or systems that communicate with or control equipment such as those in the non-limiting examples above.

[0257] (Control signal) In this disclosure, the downlink control signals (information) relating to this disclosure may be signals (information) transmitted via the PDCCH of the physical layer, or signals (information) transmitted via the MAC control element (CE) or RRC of the upper layer. The downlink control signals may be predefined signals (information).

[0258] The uplink control signals (information) relating to this disclosure may be signals (information) transmitted via PUCCH at the physical layer, or signals (information) transmitted via MAC CE or RRC at the upper layer. The uplink control signals may also be predefined signals (information). The uplink control signals may be replaced by uplink control information (UCI), first-stage sidelink control information (SCI), or second-stage SCI.

[0259] (base station) In this disclosure, a base station may be, for example, a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a cluster head, an access point, a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a Base Station (BS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a base unit, or a gateway. In sidelink communications, a terminal may be used instead of a base station. A base station may be a relay device that relays communications between a higher-level node and a terminal. A base station may be a roadside unit.

[0260] (Uplink / Downlink / Sidelink) This disclosure may apply to uplinks, downlinks, and sidelinks.

[0261] This disclosure may apply, for example, to uplink channels such as PUSCH, PUCCH, and PRACH, downlink channels such as PDSCH, PDCCH, and PBCH, and sidelink channels such as Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), and Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0262] PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of downlink control channels, downlink data channels, updater channels, and uplink control channels, respectively. PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of sidelink control channels and sidelink data channels, respectively. PBCH and PSBCH are examples of broadcast channels, respectively, and PRACH is an example of a random access channel.

[0263] (Data channel / Control channel) This disclosure may apply to either data channels or control channels. The channels in this disclosure may be replaced with data channels including PDSCH, PUSCH, and PSSCH, and / or control channels including PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, and PSBCH.

[0264] (reference signal) In this disclosure, a reference signal is a signal known to both the base station and the mobile station, and each reference signal may be called a reference signal (RS) or, in some cases, a pilot signal. A reference signal may be any of the following: DMRS, Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS), and Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).

[0265] (Time interval) In this disclosure, a time resource unit is not limited to one or a combination of slots and symbols, but may be a time resource unit such as a frame, superframe, subframe, slot, time slot subslot, or minislot, or a time resource unit such as a symbol, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, or single carrier frequency division multiplexing access (SC-FDMA) symbol, or any other time resource unit. The number of symbols contained in a slot is not limited to any number of symbols exemplified in the one or more embodiments described above, but may be any other number of symbols.

[0266] (Frequency band) This disclosure may apply to both licensed and unlicensed bands.

[0267] (communication) This disclosure may apply to any of the following: communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu-link communication), communication between terminals (side-link communication), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. The channels in this disclosure may be replaced with PSCCH, PSSCH, Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PBCH.

[0268] Furthermore, this disclosure may apply to terrestrial networks or non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) that use satellites or high-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS). This disclosure may also apply to terrestrial networks with large cell sizes or large latency relative to symbol length or slot length, such as ultra-wideband transmission networks.

[0269] (Antenna port) An antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) formed by one or more physical antennas. That is, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to a single physical antenna, but may also refer to an array antenna formed by multiple antennas. For example, the number of physical antennas forming an antenna port is not defined; instead, an antenna port is defined as the smallest unit on which a terminal can transmit a reference signal. Alternatively, an antenna port can be defined as the smallest unit for multiplying the weights of a precoding vector.

[0270] Furthermore, various embodiments may be implemented by a processor or by software modules that are executed directly in hardware. Combinations of software modules and hardware implementations are also possible. Software modules may be stored in any type of computer-readable storage medium, such as RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, registers, hard disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc. It should also be noted that individual features of different embodiments may become the subject of other embodiments, individually or in any combination.

[0271] Those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous changes and / or modifications may be made to the present disclosure as shown in particular embodiments. Therefore, these embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not limiting.

Claims

1. User equipment (UE), A processor that determines the capability of the UE to operate a monitoring function, wherein the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor a downlink control channel in one or more monitoring opportunities for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. The determined capability of the UE includes the following first and second capability requirements of the UE for operating the monitoring function: The first capability condition relates to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span includes one or more monitoring opportunities of the downlink control channel, and the minimum span time gap is defined on a symbol basis. The second capability condition relates to the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, wherein the minimum group time gap is defined on a slot-by-slot basis. Processor and A transmitter that transmits capability instructions to a base station, wherein the capability instructions include information relating to the determined capability of the UE for operating the monitoring function, and the capability instructions indicate the first capability condition and the second capability condition, A receiver that receives setting information from the base station for setting the monitoring function in the UE, wherein the setting information sets one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor the downlink control channel, UE, equipped with [unclear / etc.].

2. The time span of the first capability condition is a series of consecutive symbols including one or more monitoring opportunities of the downlink control channel, each monitoring opportunity being entirely within one time span, the time span starting from the first symbol of the monitoring opportunity and ending with the last symbol of the monitoring opportunity. The UE according to claim 1.

3. The minimum group time gap is the time between the end of one grouping window and the beginning of the subsequent grouping window. The capability indication indicates the value of the minimum group time gap and the length of the grouping window, or the capability indication indicates the length of the grouping window and the minimum group time interval between the start of one grouping window and the start of a subsequent grouping window. The UE according to claim 1.

4. When determining the first and second capability conditions, the processor determines one or more of the minimum group time gap and the length of the grouping window from defined information based on the subcarrier interval used in the downlink control channel. The aforementioned defined information includes the association of different subcarrier intervals with one or more of the following: different minimum group time gap values ​​and different grouping window lengths. The UE according to claim 1.

5. The time spans grouped within the grouping window are repeated every N slots, and the grouping window containing the grouped time spans starts from the beginning of the N slots. The UE according to claim 1.

6. The determined capabilities of the UE, including the first and second capability conditions, Subcarrier spacing used for the downlink control channel exceeding 120 kHz, subcarrier spacing of 480 kHz and 960 kHz or higher, Applies to one or more of the following: The UE according to claim 1.

7. The determined capabilities of the UE, including the first and second capability conditions, do not apply to the first set of common search spaces, which are set for all UEs in a cell. The determined capabilities of the UE, including the first and second capability conditions, UE-specific search space, and The second set of common search spaces Applies to one or more of the following: The second set of common search spaces includes one or more of the common search spaces configured in a dedicated message to the UE, and the common search spaces configured in common for a group of UEs. The UE according to claim 1.

8. The processor determines, based on the received configuration information, one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor the downlink control channel. The processor further maps the monitor candidates for the downlink control channel to one or more monitor opportunities based on a mapping rule, and the mapping rule is First, potential monitors for monitor opportunities associated with the common search space are mapped. Next, the monitor candidates for monitor opportunities associated with the UE-specific search space are the U The results are determined in ascending order of the index assigned to the E-specific search space. including, The UE according to claim 1.

9. If the processor determines that a monitoring opportunity in a search space does not meet the capability requirements of the UE, the processor decides to skip the non-compliant monitoring opportunity, or decides to skip all monitoring opportunities in the search space associated with the non-compliant monitoring opportunity. The UE according to claim 1.

10. The processor determines the capabilities of the UE from the information stored in the UE. The UE according to claim 1.

11. Executed by the user device (UE), A step of determining the ability of the UE to operate a monitoring function, wherein the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor a downlink control channel on one or more monitoring opportunities for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. The determined capability of the UE includes the following first and second capability requirements of the UE for operating the monitoring function: The first capability condition relates to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span includes one or more monitoring opportunities of the downlink control channel, and the minimum span time gap is defined on a symbol basis. The second capability condition relates to the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, wherein the minimum group time gap is defined on a slot-by-slot basis. Steps and A step of transmitting capability instructions to a base station, wherein the capability instructions include information relating to the determined capability of the UE to operate the monitoring function, and the capability instructions indicate the first and second capability conditions, A step of receiving configuration information from the base station for setting the monitoring function in the UE, wherein the configuration information sets one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor the downlink control channel. Methods that include...

12. An integrated circuit that controls the processing of a user device (UE), wherein the processing is performed by the UE. A step of determining the ability of the UE to operate a monitoring function, wherein the monitoring function is operated by the UE to monitor a downlink control channel on one or more monitoring opportunities for the purpose of receiving downlink control information messages. The determined capability of the UE includes the following first and second capability requirements of the UE for operating the monitoring function: The first capability condition relates to the minimum span time gap between two consecutive time spans having a span length of one or more consecutive symbols, wherein each time span includes one or more monitoring opportunities of the downlink control channel, and the minimum span time gap is defined on a symbol basis. The second capability condition relates to the minimum group time gap between two consecutive groups of time spans within a grouping window having the length of one or more slots, wherein the minimum group time gap is defined on a slot-by-slot basis. Steps and A step of transmitting capability instructions to a base station, wherein the capability instructions include information relating to the determined capability of the UE to operate the monitoring function, and the capability instructions indicate the first and second capability conditions, A step of receiving configuration information from the base station for setting the monitoring function in the UE, wherein the configuration information sets one or more monitoring opportunities for the UE to monitor the downlink control channel. including, Integrated circuit.

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