Devices and methods for adapting cross-slot scheduling.

Abstract

To provide a circuit for generating scheduling information including a minimum scheduling gap.SOLUTION: In a communication system, a base station 200 transmits a scheduling gap indicator that includes a minimum scheduling gap that indicates the gap between scheduling information and scheduled resources including multiple entries specifying time domain resource allocations, which is used to determine whether to apply restrictions to the Time Domain Resource Allocation (TDRA) table, which is used for determining whether or not a limit should be applied to a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) table, which includes multiple entries for specifying time domain resource allocation including a scheduling gap indicator that shows the gap between scheduling information and scheduled resources to an UE100. When a common TDRA table is configured, the minimum scheduling gap is compared with the scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, and when a common TDRA table is not configured, a determination is made not to apply restrictions to the TDRA table. When the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table are equal to each other, a determination is made that the restriction should not be applied to the TDRA table.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

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

[0003] One objective is to provide a single technical framework that addresses all usage scenarios, requirements, and deployment scenarios (see, for example, Section 6 of Non-Patent Document 1), including at least enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine type communication (mMTC). For example, deployment scenarios for eMBB may include indoor hotspots, dense urban areas, suburban areas, urban areas, and high-speed scenarios. Deployment scenarios for URLLC may include industrial control systems, mobile healthcare management (remote monitoring, remote diagnosis, and remote treatment), real-time control of vehicles, and wide-area monitoring and control systems for smart grids. Deployment scenarios for mMTC may include scenarios that use a large number of devices that perform data transmission with low latency impact, such as smart wearables and sensor networks. eMBB services and URLLC services are similar in that both require extremely wide bandwidth, but differ in that URLLC services preferably require extremely low latency.

[0004] The second objective is to achieve forward compatibility. Backward compatibility with Long-Term Evolution (LTE, LTE-A) cellular systems is not required, which facilitates the design of entirely new systems and / or the introduction of new features. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] TR 38.913 version 15.0.0 [Non-Patent Document 2] 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0 [Non-Patent Document 3] 3GPP TR 38.801 v14.0.0 [Non-Patent Document 4] 3GPP TS 38.211 v15.6.0 [Non-Patent Document 5] TS 23.501 v16.1.0 [Non-Patent Document 6] TS 38.212 v15.6.0 [Non-Patent Document 7] TS 38.211 V15.0.0 (2017-12) [Overview of the Initiative]

[0006] One non-limiting and exemplary embodiment facilitates the provision of an improved procedure that facilitates UE power savings, including a procedure involving cross-slot scheduling.

[0007] One main aspect of the present invention is a base station comprising: a circuit that generates scheduling information including a minimum scheduling gap, the minimum scheduling gap being used to determine whether to apply restrictions to a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) table, the determination including whether a common TDRA table is configured; and a transceiver that transmits the scheduling information, the TDRA table comprising a plurality of entries, each entry specifying a time-domain resource allocation including a scheduling gap indicator showing the gap between the reception of the scheduling information and the scheduled resource, the determination further comprising, if it is determined that a common TDRA table is configured, comparing the minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table, if it is determined that a common TDRA table is not configured, determining that the restrictions are not applied to the TDRA table, and if the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table are equal to each other, determining that the restrictions are not applied to the TDRA table.

[0008] In one embodiment, the technology disclosed herein features a transceiver device comprising: a transceiver that, in operation, receives data after receiving a scheduling grant; and a circuit that, in operation, determines whether to apply restrictions to a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) table according to a minimum scheduling gap, wherein the determination includes determining whether a common TDRA table is configured.

[0009] In one embodiment, the technology disclosed herein features a transceiver device comprising: a transceiver that, in operation, transmits data after receiving a scheduling grant; and a circuit that, in operation, determines whether to apply a restriction to a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) table according to a minimum scheduling gap, wherein the TDRA table includes a plurality of entries, each entry specifying a time-domain resource allocation that includes a scheduling gap indicator indicating the gap between the receipt of the scheduling grant and the scheduled resource, and the determination includes comparing the minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table.

[0010] 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.

[0011] Further benefits and advantages of the disclosed 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; however, it is not necessary to provide all of them in order to obtain one or more such benefits and / or advantages. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] The following describes exemplary embodiments in more detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0013] [Figure 1] Diagram showing a schematic architecture of the 3GPP NR system. [Figure 2] Schematic diagram showing the functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC [Figure 3] Sequence diagram of RRC connection setup / reconfiguration procedure [Figure 4]Schematic diagram illustrating usage scenarios of enhanced mobile broadband, massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) [Figure 5] Block diagram illustrating an exemplary 5G system architecture for non-roaming scenarios [Figure 6] Schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary TDRA table [Figure 7] Schematic diagram illustrating cross-slot scheduling [Figure 8] Block diagram illustrating a transceiver device and a scheduling device [Figure 9] Schematic diagram illustrating exemplary limitations of an exemplary TDRA table with a minimum scheduling gap DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] 5G NR system architecture and protocol stack

[0015] 3GPP is working on the next release of the 5th generation cellular technology (simply referred to as 5G), including the development of a new radio access technology (NR) operating at frequencies up to 100 GHz. The first version of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, which allows proceeding to testing and commercial deployment of smartphones compliant with the 5G NR standard.

[0016] In particular, the overall system architecture envisions an NG-RAN (Next Generation Radio Access Network) with gNBs, which terminate the NG Radio Access User Plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) protocols and the Control Plane (RRC) protocol. The gNBs are interconnected with each other via the Xn interface. Furthermore, the gNBs are connected to the NGC (Next Generation Core) via the Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically to the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) (e.g., a specific core entity that performs the AMF) via the NG-C interface, and to the UPF (User Plane Function) (e.g., a specific core entity that performs the UPF) via the NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is shown in Figure 1 (see, for example, Section 4 of Non-Patent Document 2).

[0017] It can support a variety of different deployment scenarios (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 3). This document presents, for example, decentralized deployment scenarios (see, for example, Section 5.2 of Non-Patent Document 3; centralized deployments are shown in Section 5.4) in which base stations supporting 5G NR can be deployed. The new eNB for NR 5G may be exemplary called a gNB. The eLTE eNB is an evolution of the eNB and supports connectivity to the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0018] The user plane protocol stack in NR (see, for example, section 4.4.1 of Non-Patent Document 2) includes the PDCP (Paper Data Convergence Protocol, see section 6.4 of Non-Patent Document 2) sublayer, the RLC (Radio Link Control, see section 6.3 of Non-Patent Document 2) sublayer, and the MAC (Medium Access Control, see section 6.2 of Non-Patent Document 2) sublayer, which are terminated at the gNB on the network side. In addition, a new access layer (AS) sublayer (SDAP, Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced on top of PDCP (see, for example, section 6.5 of Non-Patent Document 2). A control plane protocol stack is also defined in NR (see, for example, section 4.4.2 of Non-Patent Document 2). An overview of the Layer 2 functions is described in section 6 of Non-Patent Document 2. The functions of the PDCP sublayer, RLC sublayer, and MAC sublayer are described in sections 6.4, 6.3, and 6.2 of Non-Patent Document 2, respectively. The function of the RRC layer is described in section 7 of Non-Patent Document 2.

[0019] For example, the media access control layer handles scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including logical channel multiplexing and processing of various neurology.

[0020] The Physical Layer (PHY) is responsible for tasks such as coding, PHY HARQ processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping signals to appropriate physical time-frequency resources. The Physical Layer also handles the mapping of transport channels to physical channels. It serves the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources used for transmitting a particular transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. One physical channel is the PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel) used for random access.

[0021] NR use cases / deployment scenarios include Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), and Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), and these services have diverse requirements regarding data rate, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates of the order of three times that provided by IMT-Advanced (20 Gbps downlink and 10 Gbps uplink) and user-perceived data rates. In contrast, URLLC has more stringent requirements, including extremely low latency (user plane latency of 0.5 ms for both UL and DL) and high reliability (1-10 ms within 1 ms). -5 ) and are imposed. Furthermore, in mMTC, a high connection density (1km in urban environments) is required. 2 Preferably, a capacity of 1,000,000 devices per unit, wide coverage in harsh environments, and extremely long-life batteries (15 years) to reduce device costs may be required.

[0022] Therefore, OFDM neurology suitable for one use case (e.g., subcarrier interval, OFDM symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) duration, number of symbols per scheduling interval) may not work well for another use case. For example, low-latency services may prefer shorter symbol durations (and thus larger subcarrier intervals) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (also known as TTI) than mMTC services. Furthermore, in configuration scenarios with large channel delay spreads, longer CP durations may be preferred than in scenarios with smaller delay spreads. To maintain a similar level of CP overhead, the subcarrier interval should be optimized according to the delay spread. NR may support two or more values ​​for the subcarrier interval. Therefore, currently, subcarrier intervals of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, ... are being considered. Symbol duration T u The subcarrier spacing Δf is given by the equation (Δf = 1 / T u This is directly related. As with LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to represent the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier for the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0023] In the new 5G-NR wireless system, resource grids for subcarriers and OFDM symbols are defined for each neurology and carrier, both in the uplink and downlink. Each element within 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 Non-Patent Literature 4).

[0024] Splitting of 5G NR functionality between NG-RAN and 5GC

[0025] Figure 2 shows the functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC. The logical nodes of NG-RAN are gNB or ng-eNB. The logical nodes of 5GC are AMF, UPF, and SMF.

[0026] In particular, gNB and ng-eNB handle the following main functions: - Radio Resource Management functions such as Radio Bearer Control, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, and dynamic resource allocation (scheduling) to UEs in both uplink and downlink directions. - IP header compression, encryption, and data integrity protection - Selection of AMF when UE attaches if routing to AMF cannot be determined from the information provided by the UE. - Routing user plane data to UPF - Routing of control plane information to AMF - Establishing and releasing connections - Scheduling and sending paging messages - Scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (sent from AMF or OAM) - Setting up measurements and measurement reporting for mobility and scheduling. - Transport-level packet marking in uplink - Session management - Support for network slicing - QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers - Support for UEs in RRC_INACTIVE state - NAS message delivery function - Wireless access network sharing - Dual connectivity - Close interworking between NR and E-UTRA

[0027] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) handles the following key functions: - Termination of Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling - NAS signaling security - Security control at the Access Layer (AS) - Core Network (CN) node-to-node signaling for mobility between 3GPP access networks - Reachability of idle mode UE (including control and execution of paging retransmissions) - Registration Area Management - Support for intra-system and inter-system mobility - Access Authentication - Access authentication including roaming rights check - Mobility management and control (subscriptions and policies) - Support for network slicing - Selection of Session Management Function (SMF)

[0028] Furthermore, the User Plane Function (UPF) handles the following key functions: - Anchor points for mobility within / between RATs (when applicable) - External PDU session points for interconnection with the data network - Packet routing and forwarding - User plane portion of packet inspection and policy rule enforcement - Traffic usage report - Uplink classifier to support routing of traffic flow to data networks - Branching points to support multi-homed PDU sessions - User plane QoS processing (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement) - Uplink traffic verification (mapping from SDF to QoS flow) - Downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering

[0029] Finally, the Session Management Function (SMF) handles the following main functions: - Session management - Assignment and management of UE IP addresses - Selection and control of UP function - Configuring traffic steering in User Plane Functions (UPF) to route traffic to the correct destination. - Policy enforcement and QoS control section - Downlink data notification

[0030] RRC connection setup and reconfiguration procedures

[0031] Figure 3 shows the interaction between the UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entity) in the NAS portion when the UE transitions from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED (see Non-Patent Document 2).

[0032] RRC is a higher-layer signaling protocol used for configuring UEs and gNBs. Specifically, in this transition, the AMF prepares UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security key, UE radio capability, and UE security capability) and sends it to the gNB via an Initial Context Setup Request. The gNB then activates AS security with the UE, which is done by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE, and the UE responding to the gNB with a SecurityModeComplete message. Subsequently, the gNB performs reconfiguration to establish the Signaling Radio Bearer 2 (SRB2) and Data Radio Bearer (DRB), which is done by the gNB sending an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE, and the gNB receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete from the UE in response. In the case of a signaling-only connection, SRB2 and DRB are not established, so these steps related to RRCReconfiguration are skipped. Finally, the gNB notifies the AMF that the establishment procedure is complete by sending an Initial Context Setup Response.

[0033] Accordingly, this disclosure provides a fifth-generation core (5GC) entity (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) having a control circuit that establishes a next-generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB during operation so that a signaling radio bearer is established between the gNodeB and the user equipment (UE), and a transmitter that sends an initial context setup message to the gNodeB via the NG connection during operation. In particular, the gNodeB transmits radio resource control (RRC) signaling, including resource allocation setting information elements, to the UE via the signaling radio bearer. The UE then performs uplink transmission or downlink reception based on this resource allocation setting.

[0034] Usage scenarios for IMT-2020 and later

[0035] Figure 4 illustrates some use cases for 5G NR. The 3rd generation partnership project new radio (3GPP NR) considers three use cases where IMT-2020 is expected to support a wide variety of services and applications. Phase 1 specifications for Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) have been finalized. Current and future work will include further expanding eMBB support, as well as standardization for ultra-high reliability, low latency communications (URLLC) and large-scale machine-type communications. Figure 4 shows some examples of anticipated use scenarios for IMT beyond 2020.

[0036] URLLC use cases have stringent requirements regarding capabilities such as throughput, latency, and availability, and are envisioned as one means of realizing future vertical applications such as wireless control of industrial manufacturing or production processes, telemedicine surgery, power distribution automation in smart grids, and transportation safety. The ultra-high reliability of URLLC is supported by identifying the technology to meet the requirements set out in Non-Patent Document 1. For NR URLLC in Release 15, key requirements include a target user plane latency of 0.5 ms for UL (uplink) and 0.5 ms for DL ​​(downlink). Typical URLLC requirements for a single packet transmission are a BLER (block error rate) of 1E-5 with a user plane latency of 1 ms and a packet size of 32 bytes.

[0037] From a RAN1 perspective, reliability can be improved in many possible ways. The current range of ways to improve reliability includes defining separate CQI tables for URLLC, a more compact DCI format, and PDCCH iterations. However, as NR becomes more stable and development progresses (regarding key requirements for NR URLLC), the range for achieving ultra-high reliability may expand. Specific use cases for NR URLLC in Release 15 include augmented reality / virtual reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications.

[0038] Furthermore, the technical enhancements targeted by NR URLLC aim to improve latency and reliability. Technical enhancements for improving latency include configurable neurology, non-slot-based scheduling using flexible mapping, grant-free (configured grant) uplinks, slot-level iteration on data channels, and downlink preemption. Preemption means that a transmission for which resources have already been allocated is aborted, and the allocated resources are used for another transmission requested later with lower latency / higher priority requirements. Thus, a transmission that has already been permitted is preempted by a later transmission. Preemption applies regardless of the specific service type. For example, a transmission of service type A (URLLC) may be preempted by a transmission of service type B (e.g., eMBB). Technical enhancements for improving reliability include a dedicated CQI / MCS table for the 1E-5 target BLER.

[0039] The use case for mMTC (Massive Machine Type Communication) is characterized by a very large number of connected devices transmitting relatively small amounts of data, which are generally less affected by latency. These devices need to be low-cost and have extremely long battery life. From a noise reduction (NR) perspective, utilizing a very narrow bandwidth segment is one possible solution to achieve power savings from a UE perspective and enable long battery life.

[0040] As described above, the range of reliability in NR is expected to broaden. One important requirement in all cases, especially for URLLC and mMTC, is high or very high reliability. Several mechanisms can be considered to improve reliability from both a radio and network perspective. In general, there are several important areas that can help improve reliability. These areas include compact control channel information, data channel / control channel repetition, and diversity related to the frequency domain, time domain, and / or spatial domain. These areas are generally applicable to reliability regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0041] For NR URLLC, further use cases with more stringent requirements have been identified, such as factory automation, the transportation industry, and power supply. These stringent requirements, depending on the use case, include higher reliability (up to 10⁻⁶ levels), higher availability, a packet size of up to 256 bytes, time synchronization on the order of a few microseconds (values ​​can range from 1 to several microseconds depending on the frequency range), and low latency on the order of 0.5 to 1 ms (specifically, a target latency of 0.5 ms for the user plane).

[0042] Furthermore, in the case of NR URLLC, several technical enhancements have been recognized from a RAN1 perspective. In particular, enhancements to the PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) are mentioned, related to a more compact DCI, PDCCH repetition, and increased PDCCH monitoring. In addition, enhancements to the UCI (Uplink Control Information) are related to enhancements to HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) and CSI feedback. Enhancements to PUSCH related to minislot level hopping and retransmission / repetition have also been recognized. The term "minislot" refers to a Transmission Time Interval (TTI) containing fewer symbols than a slot (a slot containing 14 symbols).

[0043] QoS control

[0044] The 5G QoS (Quality of Service) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bitrate (GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bitrate (non-GBR QoS flows). Therefore, at the NAS level, QoS flows are the finest granularity of QoS differentiation within a PDU session. Within a PDU session, QoS flows are identified by a QoS flow ID (QFI) transmitted in the encapsulation header via the NG-U interface.

[0045] The 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions for each UE. The NG-RAN establishes at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) with each PDU session for each UE, and can then configure additional DRBs for the QoS flow of that PDU session, as described above, for example with reference to Figure 3 (the NG-RAN decides when to configure them). The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, and AS-level mapping rules in the UE and NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0046] Figure 5 shows the 5G NR non-roaming standard architecture (see Section 4.23 of Non-Patent Literature 5). Application Functions (AFs) (e.g., external application servers handling 5G services as illustrated in Figure 4) interact with the 3GPP Core Network for the purpose of providing services. For example, they support the application's influence on traffic routing, access Network Exposure Functions (NEFs), or interact with policy frameworks for policy control (e.g., QoS control) (see Policy Control Function PCF). Based on the operator's deployment, application functions (AFs) that are considered trusted by the operator may be allowed to interact directly with the relevant Network Functions. Application functions (AFs) that are not permitted by the operator to directly access Network Functions interact with the relevant Network Functions using external exposure frameworks via NEFs.

[0047] Figure 5 shows further functional units of the 5G architecture, including 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).

[0048] In LTE and NR, the terminal is called the user device (UE). This may be, for example, a wireless telephone, smartphone, tablet computer, or a mobile device such as a USB (universal serial bus) stick with the functionality of a user device. However, the term mobile device is not limited to this, and generally, a relay may also have the functionality of such a mobile device, and a mobile device may also function as a relay.

[0049] Downlink control channel monitoring, PDCCH, DCI

[0050] Many of the functions operated by the UE include, for example, monitoring downlink control channels (e.g., PDCCH, see Section 5.2.3 of Non-Patent Document 2) to receive specific control information or data destined for the UE.

[0051] A non-exhaustive list of these features is shown below. • Paging message monitoring function • System information acquisition function, • Signaling monitoring operation for the Discontinued Reception (DRX) function • Inactive monitoring operation for the Discontinued Reception (DRX) function • Receiving random access responses for random access functionality • Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer sorting function

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

[0053] Downlink control information (which can be called Downlink Control Information (DCI)) in 5G NR serves the same purpose as DCI in LTE, namely, it is a special set of control information used to schedule, for example, downlink data channels (e.g., PDSCH) or uplink data channels (e.g., PUSCH). In 5G NR, there are already defined different DCI formats (see Section 7.3.1 of Non-Patent Literature 6).

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

[0055] Strengthen power saving

[0056] Studying UE power consumption is crucial to ensure that UE power efficiency for 5G NR can be better than that of LTE, and to identify and adopt technologies and designs for improvement. 3GPP is currently studying UE power saving methods that take latency and performance into account in NR systems. For example, power saving signals / channels / procedures are used to induce adaptations of UE power consumption characteristics. This may include reducing UE power consumption related to UE paging procedures.

[0057] Cross-slot scheduling

[0058] Cross-slot scheduling has been envisioned within 3GPP RAN1 research items (SIs) and work items (WIs) due to its potential to facilitate power saving. One of the main objectives is to define the procedures for cross-slot scheduling so that communication devices can effectively utilize power saving technologies. This disclosure provides a more efficient cross-slot scheduling framework that facilitates power saving options for certain communication devices.

[0059] For scheduling purposes, communication devices such as user equipment (UEs) may be notified in Downlink Control Information (DCI), received by the UE on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), about the resources on which they (i.e., the UE itself) transmit / receive data. For example, when the UE receives data, the DCI may include a corresponding instruction for a resource on a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), and / or when the UE transmits data, the DCI may include a corresponding instruction for a resource on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). Such instructions may indicate the location of the resource in the frequency domain and / or the time domain, and / or indicate its length in symbols, as will be described in more detail below. In addition, the DCI may provide further transmission parameters, such as modulation and coding scheme (MCS), beamforming / precoding, or other multiple-output multiple-input (MIMO) parameters. PDCCH is transmitted from a transmitter at a network (access) node, such as a base station, to a communication device. To receive PDCCH, the communication device must generally monitor a specific resource called a search space or CORESET (control resource set). Monitoring means blind decoding to determine whether control information destined for the monitoring communication device exists. This is achieved, for example, by providing a cyclic redundancy check (by the scheduling node) on the control information scrambled with the identity of the communication device to which the control information is destined.

[0060] In LTE, the concept of CORESET does not explicitly exist. Instead, downlink control signaling in LTE uses the entire carrier bandwidth, which is known as the control domain in LTE. NR uses a more flexible structure.

[0061] CORESET is a set of physical resources (i.e., a specific area on the NR Downlink Resource Grid) and a set of parameters used to transport PDCCH / DCI. This is equivalent to the LTE PDCCH region (the first 1, 2, 3, and 4 OFDM symbols in a subframe). However, while the LTE PDCCH region always extends across the entire channel bandwidth, the NR CORESET region is localized to a specific region of the frequency domain.

[0062] A coreset can occur at any position within the slot and anywhere within the carrier frequency range. However, the device is not expected to handle coresets outside of its own active BWP.

[0063] The initial CORESET (CORESET0) is provided by the master information block (MIB) as part of the initial BWP configuration to enable it to receive system information and additional configuration information from the network. After connection setup, in addition to using RRC signaling, the device can be configured with multiple, potentially overlapping CORESETs.

[0064] The network can define a common control region and an UE-specific control region. In NR, the number of CORESETs is limited to three per BWP, including both the common CORESET and the UE-specific CORESET. The common CORESET is shared by multiple UEs within a cell, and therefore the network handles alignment with all UEs in this configuration.

[0065] Each search space is a set of control channel elements with varying aggregation levels, and there is a mapping between the CORESET and the search spaces. The CORESET can have multiple search spaces on which the UE attempts blind decoding.

[0066] For instances specified in Release 15 (NR), scheduling timing (for example, for the scheduling of the resources described above) may be directed within the DCI by using a Time Domain Resource Allocation (TDRA) table. In particular, a UE may be notified of an allocated resource by signaling an entry (row) index, for example, by pointing to one entry (usually a row) in the TDRA table within the DCI. The term "table" is used herein as a logical term because TDRA entries may be summarized as a table in the standard specification. However, it should be noted that this disclosure is not limited to any particular physical storage organization, and a TDRA table may be implemented in any way as a set of entries associated with each entry index.

[0067] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary TDRA table. The TDRA table has a column that specifies a row index that labels the entries (rows in the table) containing the values ​​of each column. This exemplary TDRA table has a column that specifies the dmrs-TypeA-Position, a column that specifies the PDSCH mapping type, a column that specifies the K0 value (i.e., scheduling gap), a column that specifies the S value, and / or the L value. Thus, the DCI indication (one value in the row index) of a row in the TDRA table corresponds to an indication of a specific combination of values ​​for the dmrs-TypeA-Position, PDSCH mapping type, K0 value, S value, and / or L value.

[0068] In this example, dmrs-TypeA-Position is a parameter relating to the position of the demodulation reference signal. This parameter is specified by another signaling parameter. Based on whether the parameter value is 2 or 3, the row index refers to a slightly different time-domain resource allocation. The dmrs-TypeA-Position and PDSCH mapping type parameters are no further important to this disclosure, and further details can be found in the NR standard specification. In general, a TDRA table may contain more or less parameters as shown with reference to Figure 6. In the case of this exemplary downlink TDRA table, the actual resource allocation is provided by parameters K0, S, and L. The NR has a set of TDRA tables for downlink resource allocation, and the TDRA table in Figure 6 is one of them. In addition, there is a set of TDRA tables for uplink resource allocation, which differs from the downlink table set. In the case of an uplink TDRA table, the three parameters that specify the resource allocation (resource grant) are K2, S, and L. This disclosure may be readily adopted in NRs including, but not limited to, currently defined tables. This disclosure may also apply to sidelinks, and even to resource allocations organized (signaled) in different tables or in different ways.

[0069] In DCI, K0, indicated by the row index of the TDRA table, indicates a slot-level gap between a slot in PDCCH and a slot in PDSCH. Here, the slot in PDCCH is the slot where the DCI indicating each K0 is received, and is hereafter referred to as the scheduling slot, slot-carry scheduling information, or slot-carry scheduling grant. Furthermore, the slot in PDSCH may be the slot where the scheduled resource is located (or the first / starting slot), for example, the slot where data is sent and received. In other words, K0 may indicate the relative position (in the time domain) of the slot containing the resource scheduled for sending and receiving with respect to the reference slot. This reference slot may be the slot in the DCI indicating K0. More specifically, K0 may indicate the size or relative position of the gap in slot units. Note that a specific value of K0, for example, a value of 0 in the table shown in Figure 6, may indicate that there is no gap and that the resource from which data is sent and received is located in the same slot as the DCI indicating K0. Furthermore, this is just one example, and generally, the scheduling gap may or may not include the first slot (PDCCH slot) and / or the slot in which the allocated resource starts (the first PDSCH slot, also called the resource slot or scheduled slot). Generally, the scheduling gap (denoted as K0 for downlinks and K2 for uplinks in NR) specifies the gap (time interval) between the scheduled resource and the scheduled resource.

[0070] In this disclosure, the terms “slot” and “time slot” are generally used interchangeably. Generally, in this disclosure, a slot refers to a time-domain resource. In the case of NR, the time interval corresponding to a slot depends on a neurology, which is a combination of symbol duration, subcarrier interval, and cyclic prefix. A slot consists of one or more specified numbers of symbols. A specified number of slots may form a subframe, and multiple subframes may form a radio frame. The term “specified” refers to the fact that both the UE and gNB have knowledge of it. This can be achieved by signaling such a configuration in advance, i.e., before initiating the scheduling procedure or concurrently with the scheduling procedure, and some parameters of the resources provided by the system may be fixed and specified by the standard.

[0071] It should be further noted that the case of a UL grant in DCI is similar to the case of a DL grant described above. However, the scheduled resource is in PUSCH (not PDSCH), and the number indicating the gap is typically denoted as K2 (not K0). In this disclosure, K is used to refer to any one of K0, K2, or K for other types of links (e.g., sidelinks).

[0072] Furthermore, the S value indicated by DCI may indicate the position of the start symbol of the scheduled resource in that slot (the slot through which the scheduled resource is sent and received, and which is given by K0 / K2).

[0073] Finally, the L value indicated in DCI may represent the length of the PDSCH / PUSCH per symbol, and / or the length of the scheduled resource per symbol. In Figure 6, all entries specify a K0 value of 0, but generally, a TDRA table contains entries with different (integer) values ​​for K0. For example, one entry in the TDRA table may correspond to a K0 value of 1, and another entry in the same TDRA table may correspond to a K0 value of 2. The possibility of non-zero K values ​​enables cross-slot scheduling, which refers to the case where a DCI scheduled resource and the corresponding resource scheduled in the DCI are located in different slots. Generally, cross-slot scheduling can easily provide several advantages in terms of energy saving.

[0074] For example, cross-slot scheduling can achieve power savings by relaxing the PDCCH processing timeline, for instance, because the UE may not need to decode the PDCCH at the same speed as in the same-slot scheduling case (in which case the DCI-scheduled resource and the corresponding resource scheduled in the DCI are located in the same slot). Furthermore, cross-slot scheduling can enable slower PDCCH buffering. Unlike in the same-slot scheduling case, in the case of cross-slot scheduling, the UE may not need to buffer all symbols after receiving the PDCCH until it has decoded the PDCCH and knows where the scheduled resource is actually located.

[0075] In particular, if the UE knows the minimum (scheduling) gap between the PDCCH and the scheduled PDSCH, that is, the minimum K that can be indicated by the DCI / PDCCH, the UE may skip PDSCH buffering in at least the current slot (e.g., the slot in which the PDCCH was received) and the next K-1 slot. Furthermore, the possibility of cross-slot scheduling may allow for more microsleep periods in that time interval, especially when the PDCCH is not scheduled until the scheduled resource is received.

[0076] This is illustrated in Figure 7, a schematic diagram showing cross-slot scheduling. Figure 7 shows the case where the minimum K value is 2 (more precisely, K0=2 in the figure). If the UE has knowledge of the minimum K, it does not need to monitor the PDCCH during the remainder of slot #n+2 and slot #n+3, nor do it need to perform measurements during these slots, nor does it need to buffer the received data (PDSCH). The UE can choose to enter a microsleep during the remainder of slot #n+2 and / or slot #n+3 to save power. However, it should be noted that not all UEs are required to implement and / or adopt power saving. Providing K increases flexibility and opportunities for power saving, but it does not prescribe it.

[0077] Figure 7 is an example based on the current NR specification. This shows a specific case where the PDCCH is transmitted across the entire initial BWP, but resources are scheduled only within a subset of the physical resource blocks (PRBs) of the bandwidth portion (BWP). Note that Figure 7 can also be applied to cases where the BWP concept is not used, i.e., where the entire bandwidth is always available for allocation. A PRB refers to a resource unit having a predetermined number of subcarriers and a predetermined number of symbols of a particular neural network.

[0078] In the current release 15NR, each configured TDRA table is signaled within a configuration related to the PDSCH on the RRC layer (PDSCH-Config) and may reside in a specific container related to the Bandwidth Part ((BWP)-DownlinkDedicated). Therefore, if a TDRA table is configured in a higher layer, the TDRA table may be BWP-specific. A communication device (e.g., UE) may use a default table or apply a pdsch-TimeDomainAllocationList configured in a higher layer to either pdsch-ConfigCommon or pdsch-Config. However, this is merely one possible detailed example of the interaction between the NR's TDRA configuration and the BWP concept. This invention does not presuppose the use of BWP and is not limited to resource allocation using TDRA tables.

[0079] Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling is used by gNBs (gNodeBs, an exemplary name for NR base stations corresponding to eNodeBs (enhanced NodeBs) in LTE (Long Term Evolution)) to semi-statically or statically configure the parameters of radio access bearers and other parameters of communication devices (UEs). As defined in Section 4.4.5 of Non-Patent Literature 7, a bandwidth portion (or carrier bandwidth portion) is a contiguous set of physical resource blocks as defined in Section 4.4.4.3, selected from a contiguous subset of common resource blocks as defined in Section 4.4.4.2 for a given neurology on a given carrier. The specification in Non-Patent Literature 7 defines that an UE can be configured with up to four carrier bandwidth portions in the downlink, and that a single downlink carrier bandwidth portion is active for a given time. The UE is not expected to receive PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), CSI-RS (Downlink Reference Signals for Estimation of Channel State Information), or TRS (Tracking Reference Signals for fine time and frequency tracking of channel) outside of the active bandwidth portion.

[0080] The specification further defines that a UE can consist of up to four carrier bandwidth portions in the uplink, with a single uplink carrier bandwidth portion being active for a given time. If the UE consists of a supplementary uplink, the UE can further consist of up to four carrier bandwidth portions in the supplementary uplink, with a single supplementary uplink carrier bandwidth portion being active for a given time. The UE does not transmit PUSCH or PUCCH outside of the active bandwidth portion. The neurology is defined by the subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP). A resource block is generally defined as 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. Physical resource blocks (PRBs) are numbered within the BWP, and PRB numbering in the BWP starts from 0.

[0081] The size of the BWP can vary from a minimum of 1PRB to the maximum size of the system bandwidth. Currently, for both DL (downlink) and UL (uplink), up to four BWPs can be configured by high-level layer parameters, each having a single active downlink and uplink BWP at a given TTI (transmission time interval). However, this disclosure is not limited to the case defined in Non-Patent Literature 7, in which the UE consists of up to four bandwidth segments. The number of bandwidth segments may be five or more in the uplink and / or downlink. For example, the UE may consist of eight BWPs.

[0082] The Transmission Time Interval (TTI) determines the timing granularity of scheduling assignments. One TTI is the time interval at which a given signal is mapped to the physical layer. The TTI length can vary from 14 symbols (slot-based scheduling) to 2 symbols (non-slot-based scheduling). Downlink and uplink transmissions are specified to be organized into frames (10ms duration) consisting of 10 subframes (1ms duration). In slot-based transmissions, subframes are instead divided into slots, and the number of slots is defined by the neuralylogy / subcarrier interval, ranging from 10 slots for a 15kHz subcarrier interval to 320 slots for a 240kHz subcarrier interval. The number of OFDM symbols per slot is 14 for normal cyclic prefixes and 12 for extended cyclic prefixes (see Sections 4.1 (General Frame Structure), 4.2 (Numerology), 4.3.1 (Frames and Subframes), and 4.3.2 (Slots) of Non-Patent Literature 7). However, transmission may be non-slot-based. In non-slot-based communication, the minimum length of TTI may be 2 OFDM symbols. The BWP concept in NR allows for the dynamic configuration of relatively small active bandwidth for small data packets, which enables power saving for the UE because, with small active BWP, the UE needs to monitor less frequently or transmit less frequently.

[0083] The active bandwidth portion for user equipment (e.g., the bandwidth portion used by the UE for sending and receiving signals in TTI) can be switched between configured BWPs. For example, the active BWP may be switched to a larger BWP as needed, or to a smaller BWP to conserve the UE's battery power. This is made possible by dynamic instruction in the DCI of the active BWP to be used in the next TTI. The DCI carries downlink and uplink scheduling information (e.g., resource allocation and / or grants), requests for aperiodic CQI reporting, or uplink power control commands for one cell and one RNTI. DCI coding includes information element multiplexing, CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) attachment, channel coding, and rate matching. The DCI carries transmission parameters such as MCS, redundant versions, or HARQ process numbers. The DCI consists of several fields (e.g., bit fields / bitmaps) that carry different types of control information or control parameters. The position of specific parameters and the number of bits used to encode each parameter are known to both the base station transmitting the DCI and the UE receiving the DCI. However, such switching of the active BWP increases latency because the UE needs to decode the DCI and then begin hardware tuning to the new active BWP.

[0084] In current NR discussions, in order to enable the benefits of energy saving, a minimum scheduling gap, i.e., the minimum applicable value of K0 (or K2) for the active downlink (DL) (or uplink (UL)) bandwidth portion, can be instructed from the gNB to the UE.

[0085] The minimum applicable value can be directly assigned. One value from one or more pre-set or predetermined values ​​may be explicitly or implicitly indicated.

[0086] When selecting entries for a DL or UL TDRA table, the indicated minimum applicable value can be applied by excluding invalid TDRA entries or by reinterpreting the selected K0 (K2) value.

[0087] If a minimum applicable value for K0(K2) is specified for an active DL(UL)BWP, the UE may not expect entries in the TDRA table where the K0(K2) value is smaller than the specified minimum applicable value, or it may consider TDRA entries where the K0(K2) value is smaller than the specified minimum applicable value to be invalid.

[0088] According to current 3GPP discussions, DCI format 0_1 / 1_1 supports an additional field with 1 bit to support cross-slot scheduling adaptations that enable power saving in BRs. Specifically, one or two minimum K0 / K2 values ​​for limiting the TDRA table are set by the RRC. If one value is set, the 1-bit representation of the DCI indicates whether or not the TDRA table limit by the set minimum K0 / K2 value is applied. If two values ​​are set, the 1-bit representation indicates which of the two set values ​​is used for limiting the TDRA table.

[0089] In UE-specific search spaces and any search spaces not associated with CORESET0, and where the UE is configured with a UE-specific TDRA table, valid entries are selected and used according to the specified minimum K0 / K2 value (i.e., the specified scheduling gap).

[0090] However, applying the minimum K0 / K2 values ​​to cross-slot scheduling for a common search space not associated with CORESET0 can present several challenges. Some of these potential issues are described below.

[0091] In particular, in a common search space, if a UE is scheduled by a UE-specific DCI, or if a UE-specific TDRA table is not configured, it remains unresolved whether the UE should apply restrictions according to the specified minimum K0 / K2 value.

[0092] In a trivial approach to handling the above cases, the UE does not restrict any entries in the TDRA table to the common search space using the configured common TDRA table. However, not applying restrictions reduces power saving capabilities. Furthermore, always applying restrictions according to the specified minimum scheduling gap can lead to scheduling losses.

[0093] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides various embodiments described below that facilitate the determination of whether cross-slot adaptation is applicable depending on information regarding specific conditions. These conditions may include whether a common TDRA table is configured, the result of comparing the indicated minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table, and / or whether an entry in the TDRA table is selected for uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) transmission of data.

[0094] Since this disclosure relates to scheduling, both entities, namely the device being scheduled (typically a communication device / transceiver device) and the scheduling device (typically a network node), are involved. The invention further provides a system including the device being scheduled and the scheduling device, as well as corresponding methods and programs.

[0095] The following describes UEs, base stations, and procedures for new radio access technologies envisioned for 5G mobile communication systems, but which may also be used in LTE mobile communication systems. Various implementations and modifications are also described. The following disclosures are facilitated by, and may, for example, be based on, at least some of, the above discussions and findings.

[0096] It should be noted that this specification makes many assumptions in order to clearly and easily explain the principles underlying this disclosure. However, these assumptions should be understood as merely illustrative examples made herein for illustrative purposes and not limiting the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the principles of the following disclosure and the principles described in the claims can be applied to various scenarios in ways not expressly described herein.

[0097] Furthermore, some of the terms used below, such as procedures, entities, and layers, are closely related to those used in LTE / LTE-A systems or in current 3GPP 5G standardization, even though specific terms to be used in the context of new radio access technologies for upcoming 3GPP 5G communication systems have not yet been fully determined or may ultimately change. Therefore, the terminology may change in the future without affecting the functionality of the embodiments. Those skilled in the art will therefore recognize that embodiments and their scope of protection should not be limited to specific terms used exemplary herein because there are no other newer or ultimately agreed-upon terms, but should be understood more broadly in terms of the underlying functionalities and concepts of the functionality and principles of this disclosure.

[0098] For example, a mobile station, mobile node, user terminal, or user equipment (UE) is a physical entity (physical node) within 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 other nodes or other functional entities in the network. A node may have one or more interfaces connecting it to communication equipment or media that enable it to communicate. Similarly, a network entity may have logical interfaces connecting its functional entities to communication equipment or media that enable it to communicate with other functional entities or corresponding nodes.

[0099] 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 other nodes or other functional entities in the network. The physical entity performs several control tasks related to communication devices, including one or more scheduling and configuration tasks. It should also be noted that base station functions and communication device functions 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 in 5G NR is gNB.

[0100] Figure 8 shows a general, simplified, exemplary block diagram of user equipment (also called communication devices or transceiver devices) 100 and scheduling device 200 (here, illustratively, assumed to be located within a base station, e.g., within an eLTE eNB (alternatively called an ng-eNB) or within a 5G NR gNB). The UE100 and eNB / gNB200 communicate with each other via a (radio) physical channel using transceivers 110 and 210, respectively.

[0101] The communication device 100 may have a transceiver 110 and a processing circuit 120. The transceiver 110 may have a receiver and a transmitter, and / or may function as both. The processing circuit 120 may be one or more pieces of hardware, such as one or more processors or any LSI. Between the transceiver 110 and the processing circuit 120 there are input / output points (or nodes, not shown) through which the processing circuit 120 can control the transceiver 110 during operation, i.e., control the receiver and / or transmitter, and exchange received / transmitted data. The transceiver 110 may include an RF (radio frequency) front, including one or more antennas, amplifiers, RF modulators / demodulators, etc., as both a transmitter and receiver. The processing circuit 120 may implement control tasks such as controlling the transceiver 110 to transmit user data and control data provided by the processing circuit 120, and / or to receive user data and control data that is further processed by the processing circuit 120. Furthermore, the processing circuit 120 may be responsible for performing other processes, such as judgment, decision-making, calculation, and measurement. The transmitter may be responsible for performing the transmission process and other related processes. The receiver may be responsible for performing the reception process and other related processes (such as monitoring the channel).

[0102] The scheduling device 200 may have a transceiver 210 and a processing circuit 220. The transceiver 210 may have a receiver and a transmitter, and / or function as both. The processing circuit 220 may be one or more pieces of hardware, such as one or more processors or any LSI. Between the transceiver 210 and the processing circuit 220 there are input / output points (or nodes, not shown) through which the processing circuit 220 can control the transceiver 210 during operation, i.e., control the receiver and / or transmitter, and exchange received / transmitted data. The transceiver 210 may include an RF (radio frequency) front, including one or more antennas, amplifiers, RF modulators / demodulators, etc., as both a transmitter and receiver. The processing circuit 220 may implement control tasks, such as controlling the transceiver 210 to transmit user data and control data provided by the processing circuit 220, and / or to receive user data that is further processed by the processing circuit 220. Furthermore, the processing circuit 220 may be responsible for performing other processes, such as judgment, decision-making, calculation, and measurement. The transmitter may be responsible for performing the transmission process and other related processes. The receiver may be responsible for performing the reception process and other related processes.

[0103] Embodiment

[0104] Regarding scheduling, there are four possible scenarios, depending on whether a UE-specific TDRA table is configured and whether a common TDRA table is configured.

[0105] The above case will be explained below in relation to downlink scheduling. However, we can also consider a case that corresponds to uplink scheduling. In this case, each TDRA table is configured for UL scheduling.

[0106] If a UE-specific TDRA table is configured, i.e., if pdsch-Config includes pdsch-TimeDomainAllocationList, the UE-specific TDRA table is used for DL ​​scheduling in user-specific search spaces (USS) and any common search spaces (CSS) not associated with CORESET0.

[0107] If a UE-specific TDRA table is not configured, the TDRA table used for DL ​​scheduling in user-specific search spaces (USS) and common search spaces (CSS) not associated with CORESET0 depends on whether a common TDRA table is configured. If a common TDRA table is configured, i.e., if pdsch-ConfigCommon includes pdsch-TimeDomainAllocationList, the configured common TDRA table is used for DL ​​scheduling in user-specific search spaces (USS) and any common search spaces (CSS) not associated with CORESET0. On the other hand, if a common TDRA table is not configured, the default TDRA table (default table A) is used for DL ​​scheduling in user-specific search spaces (USS) and any common search spaces (CSS) not associated with CORESET0.

[0108] If a common TDRA table is configured, it is used for DL ​​scheduling of the CSS associated with CORESET0. On the other hand, if a common TDRA table is not configured, the default TDRA table is used for DL ​​scheduling.

[0109] The cases described above are summarized in Table 1.

[0110] [Table 1]

[0111] This disclosure provides an apparatus and method for determining whether restrictions on TDRA tables used for CSS not associated with CORESET0, or on any TDRA tables used for CSS associated with CORESET0 other than USS and UE-specific TDRA tables, are applied according to the minimum scheduling gap.

[0112] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary limitations of an exemplary TDRA table due to the minimum scheduling gap. The TDRA table corresponds to the TDRA table shown in Figure 6 and is described in detail above. The solid and dashed boxes indicate the valid entries in the TDRA table due to the TDRA table limitations of 2 and 3 minimum scheduling gaps, respectively.

[0113] For example, if a minimum scheduling gap of 2 is specified, rows (entries) 1-5 are considered invalid because their corresponding scheduling gaps are smaller than the specified minimum scheduling gap. Rows (entries) 6-16 are considered valid because their corresponding scheduling gaps are greater than or equal to the specified minimum scheduling gap. This is illustrated by the solid lines in Figure 9.

[0114] As another example, if a minimum scheduling gap of 3 is specified, rows (entries) 1-8 are considered invalid because their corresponding scheduling gaps are smaller than the specified minimum scheduling gap. Rows (entries) 9-16 are considered valid because their corresponding scheduling gaps are greater than or equal to the specified minimum scheduling gap. This is illustrated by the dashed box in Figure 9.

[0115] If a row (entry) in the configured TDRA table is deemed invalid, the UE is not required to buffer all symbols after receiving the PDCCH corresponding to the invalid entry in the TDRA table. Also, for example, the UE may conserve power by relaxing the PDCCH processing timeline, because it may not be necessary to decode the PDCCH at the same speed as in the same-slot scheduling case.

[0116] If the TDRA table is restricted according to the minimum scheduling gap specified by DCI, certain entries in the TDRA table are considered invalid. In particular, entries with a scheduling gap smaller than the specified minimum scheduling gap are invalidated. This allows the UE to skip PDSCH buffering, for example, at least in the current slot (e.g., the slot where the PDCCH is received) and in the next slot due to the minimum scheduling gap. Furthermore, the possibility of cross-slot scheduling can allow for microsleep periods in that time interval, especially when the PDCCH is not monitored until the scheduled resource is received.

[0117] It should be noted that the limitations provided by this disclosure are not limited to those described with reference to Figure 9 above. In particular, a minimum scheduling gap other than 2 or 3 may be indicated. Also, applying a restriction to a TDRA table may mean that the TDRA table skips all monitoring occasions in the search space used for the slot corresponding to the minimum scheduling gap, or switches to another TDRA table used for the search space, etc. This will be explained in the framework of the following embodiments.

[0118] Embodiment 1 - Downlink

[0119] In an embodiment for scheduling downlink data transmission, the transceiver device determines whether to apply restrictions to the TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap, and this determination includes determining whether a common TDRA table is configured.

[0120] (A) Common TDRA is not configured

[0121] As described above, default table A is used when the common TDRA table is not configured for CSS associated with CORESET0 in cases 1.2 and 2.2 shown in Table 1, and for any CSS not associated with USS and CORESET0 in case 2.2. By standard, the default TDRA table for DL ​​has only entries indicating a scheduling gap with a value of zero. Therefore, applying restrictions to the default TDRA table according to a minimum scheduling gap greater than zero would result in all entries in the default TDRA table being invalidated by the UE, potentially leading to a loss of scheduling information.

[0122] Therefore, if it is determined that a common TDRA table is not configured, the minimum scheduling gap constraint of the TDRA table used for the CSS associated with CORESET0, i.e., the default TDRA table, does not apply.

[0123] Furthermore, the minimum scheduling gap limitation does not apply when the default TDRA table is used for scheduling in any CSS not associated with USS and CORESET0 (Case 2.2 shown in Table 1).

[0124] In other words, if a common TDRA table is not configured and a standard TDRA table is used for scheduling in CSS associated with CORESET0 and / or in USS and any CSS not associated with CORESET0, the minimum scheduling gap limitation on the default TDRA table does not apply.

[0125] In one variation, the default TDRA table is used for scheduling in CSS associated with CORESET0 (as in Cases 1.2 and 2.2 in Table 1) or in USS and any CSS not associated with CORESET0 (as in Case 2.2 in Table 1), and if the minimum scheduling gap indicated by the previous DCI is greater than zero, the UE may not monitor the occasion of a physical control channel (e.g., a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)) in each search space. By not monitoring the occasion, paging and system information are not monitored by the UE. In this approach, the gNB may cause the UE to skip the occasion by indicating a minimum scheduling gap greater than zero if no changed system information is indicated within the occasion.

[0126] (B) Common TDRA is configured

[0127] However, if the common TDRA table is configured as described above and as shown in Cases 1.1 and 2.1 in Table 1, the common TDRA table is used for scheduling CSS associated with CORESET0 in Cases 1.1 and 2.1, as well as USS and any CSS not associated with CORESET0 in Case 2.1, but such restrictions on the common TDRA table may not apply because, in the case of CSS, the UE does not apply cross-slot scheduling to group common PDCCHs that have SI-RNTI, RA-RNTI, TC-RNTI, and P-RNTI. However, if restrictions are not applied to the common TDRA table, the UE will use a high-speed PDCCH processing timeline and buffer all PDCCHs, which will result in higher power consumption than necessary.

[0128] Therefore, since gc-PDCCH does not appear in all slots, the UE does not need to monitor the group-common PDCCH in all possible monitoring occasions, and thus power savings can be achieved through cross-slot scheduling adaptation under certain conditions.

[0129] According to this embodiment, the UE determines whether to apply a restriction to the common TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap, based on a comparison of the specified minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gaps included in the common TDRA table. The common TDRA table includes multiple entries, each entry specifying a time-domain resource allocation that includes a scheduling gap indicator showing the gap between the receipt of a scheduling grant and the scheduled resource.

[0130] If the minimum scheduling gap is within the range of scheduling gaps included in the common TDRA table, the UE decides to impose restrictions on the common TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap by invalidating entries in the TDRA table that have scheduling gaps smaller than the specified minimum scheduling gap.

[0131] In other words, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than or equal to the minimum scheduling gap in the common TDRA table, and less than or equal to the maximum scheduling gap in the common TDRA table, the UE decides to apply a restriction to the common TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap.

[0132] If the minimum scheduling gap indicated by the previous DCI is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the common TDRA table, the transceiver is controlled not to monitor the PDCCH monitoring occasion in the search space using the common TDRA table. Therefore, if the minimum gap indicated by the DCI is not greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the common TDRA, the transceiver may be controlled to monitor the PDCCH monitoring occasion in the search space using the common TDRA table. For example, the transceiver may be controlled to start monitoring the monitoring occasion again if the minimum scheduling gap indicated by the DCI is less than or equal to the maximum scheduling gap value included in the TDRA table.

[0133] Specifically, in case 1.1 described above, the PDCCH monitoring occasion in the CSS associated with CORESET0 is skipped. Similarly, in case 2.1 described above, the PDCCH monitoring occasion in the CSS associated with CORESET0, as well as the PDCCH monitoring occasion in any CSS not associated with USS or CORESET0, are skipped. This approach allows the gNB to skip monitoring of paging and system information if it determines that such monitoring is not necessary for the UE. In other words, by specifying a minimum scheduling gap greater than the maximum scheduling gap in the common TDRA table, the gNB may prevent the UE from monitoring paging and system information.

[0134] Alternatively, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the common TDRA table, the UE does not impose any restrictions on the common TDRA table. For example, the UE may determine a second TDRA table different from the common TDRA table and use that second TDRA table for scheduling. In other words, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap value included in the common TDRA table, the UE does not impose any restrictions on the common TDRA table and instead may use a different TDRA table for scheduling. For example, the second TDRA table could be the default TDRA table described above. This approach prevents the loss of scheduling information because no restrictions are applied to the common TDRA table and all entries are considered invalid by the UE.

[0135] Furthermore, the UE may not expect that a minimum scheduling gap greater than the maximum scheduling gap contained in the common TDRA table will be indicated. That is, if the DCI indicates a minimum scheduling gap greater than the maximum scheduling gap contained in the common TDRA, the minimum scheduling gap will be ignored when determining whether to apply a restriction to the configured common TDRA table. This approach prevents scheduling losses resulting from incorrectly applied restrictions on the common TDRA table due to the minimum scheduling gap value, which would not lead to a meaningful distinction as valid or invalid for TDRA table entries.

[0136] In one variation, if the scheduling gaps of entries in the common TDRA table are equal to each other, the UE decides not to apply restrictions to the common TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap indicated by the previous DCI. For example, if all scheduling gaps in the common TDRA table are zero, the UE does not apply restrictions according to the minimum scheduling gap. In particular, if all scheduling gaps in the common TDRA table are equal, it is impossible to make a meaningful distinction between valid and invalid entries using the minimum scheduling gap, because either all entries are considered valid or all entries are not considered valid. This variation of the approach makes it possible to prevent such a situation.

[0137] In a further variation, the UE may determine whether the CSS associated with CORESET0 is configured to monitor the group common physical control channel (i.e., the group common physical downlink control channel (gc-PDCCH)), and depending on the result of this determination, may decide whether to apply a restriction to the common TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap. Specifically, if the UE is not configured to monitor the gc-PDCCH in the CSS associated with CORESET0, a restriction will be applied to the common TDRA table. In other words, if the UE is not configured to monitor the gc-PDCCH, a restriction will be applied, which enables the power saving measures described above. The UE may also be pre-configured to monitor the gc-PDCCH by broadcast, for example.

[0138] In the embodiments and variations described above, the transceiver of the UE receives data after receiving the corresponding scheduling grant. Specifically, the data is received via a PDSCH on a resource specified in the scheduling grant, the resource is located in a slot, and the time distance to the receipt of the scheduling grant is greater than the specified minimum scheduling gap.

[0139] Embodiment 2 - Uplink Case

[0140] As described above, according to current 3GPP discussions, the minimum scheduling gap for downlink and uplink can be set together by RRC signaling and indicated by DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1.

[0141] Similar to the case of downlinks, if a common TDRA table is not configured, the default TDRA table may be used for scheduling in CSS associated with CORESET0. Furthermore, if a UE-specific TDRA table is not configured, the default table may also be used for scheduling in any CSS not associated with USS or CORESET0.

[0142] However, the default uplink TDRA table, in contrast to the default downlink TDRA table, includes by default entries with scheduling gaps greater than zero.

[0143] Therefore, applying restrictions to downlinks but not to uplinks by not applying restrictions to the default table would hinder the power savings achievable through cross-slot scheduling adaptation. Consequently, in uplink scheduling, restrictions may be applied to the TDRA table used for scheduling in CSS associated with CORESET0, even if a common TDRA table is not configured. Furthermore, if a UE-specific TDRA table is not configured, restrictions may be applied to the TDRA table used for scheduling in any CSS not associated with USS and CORESET0 (i.e., the default UL TDRA table).

[0144] Alternatively, in embodiments for scheduling uplink transmissions, the transceiver device determines whether to impose restrictions on a Time-Domain Resource Allocation (TDRA) table according to a minimum scheduling gap, the TDRA table containing multiple entries, each entry specifying a time-domain resource allocation that includes a scheduling gap indicator showing the gap between the reception of a scheduling grant and the scheduled resource, and the determination includes comparing the minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gaps contained in the TDRA table.

[0145] In other words, as with the downlink case, the decision of whether or not to apply restrictions to the TDRA table does not necessarily involve the decision of whether or not a common TDRA table is configured, because it is uncertain whether the restrictions on the TDRA table used for scheduling apply in either case. Instead, the decision of whether or not to apply restrictions is made by comparing the minimum scheduling gap indicated by DCI with the scheduling gap contained in the entries of the TDRA table used.

[0146] Specifically, the above variations for downlink cases 1.1 and 2.1 shown in Table 1 correspond to the corresponding cases for uplink scheduling.

[0147] Note that the common TDRA table for uplink scheduling may differ from the common TDRA table for downlink scheduling. Therefore, when applying the above procedure to uplink scheduling, each common TDRA table for uplink scheduling is used.

[0148] Furthermore, the above variations for downlink cases 1.1 and 2.1 shown in Table 1 can also be applied to downlink cases 1.2 and 2.2, respectively.

[0149] In other words, the determination of whether restrictions apply to the common DL TDRA table can be equivalently applied to determining whether restrictions apply to the default UL table. Specifically, the comparison of the minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gap included in the TDRA refers to the comparison of the minimum scheduling gap of the uplink with the scheduling gap included in the uplink's default TDRA table.

[0150] In other words, the explanations for the decisions in cases 1.1 and 2.1 for downlink apply to cases 1.1 and 2.1 for uplink, and the downlink TDRA tables are replaced with their respective UL TDRA tables. Similarly, the explanations for the decisions in cases 1.1 and 2.1 for downlink apply to cases 1.2 and 2.2 for uplink, and the common DL TDRA table is replaced with the default UL TDRA table.

[0151] For details: According to this embodiment, the UE determines whether to apply restrictions to the default UL TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap, based on a comparison of the specified minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gap included in the default UL TDRA table. The default UL TDRA table includes multiple entries, each entry specifying a time-domain resource allocation that includes a scheduling gap indicator showing the gap between the receipt of a scheduling grant and the scheduled resource.

[0152] If the minimum scheduling gap is within the range of scheduling gaps included in the default UL TDRA table, the UE decides to impose restrictions on the default UL TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap by invalidating entries in the TDRA table that have scheduling gaps smaller than the specified minimum scheduling gap.

[0153] In other words, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than or equal to the minimum scheduling gap in the default UL TDRA table, and less than or equal to the maximum scheduling gap in the default UL TDRA table, the UE decides to apply the restriction to the default UL TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap.

[0154] If the minimum scheduling gap specified by the previous DCI is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the default UL TDRA table, the transceiver is controlled not to monitor PDCCH monitoring occasions in the search space using the default UL TDRA table. Therefore, if the minimum scheduling gap specified by the DCI is not greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the default UL TDRA, the transceiver may be controlled to monitor PDCCH monitoring occasions in the search space using the default UL TDRA table. For example, the transceiver may be controlled to start monitoring the monitoring occasion again if the minimum scheduling gap specified by the DCI is less than or equal to the maximum scheduling gap value included in the TDRA table.

[0155] Specifically, corresponding to case 1.1 above, PDCCH monitoring occasions in CSS associated with CORESET0 are skipped. Also, corresponding to case 2.1 above, PDCCH monitoring occasions in CSS associated with CORESET0, as well as PDCCH monitoring occasions in any CSS not associated with USS or CORESET0, are skipped. This approach allows gNB to skip monitoring of paging and system information if it determines that such monitoring is not necessary for the UE. In other words, gNB can prevent the UE from monitoring paging and system information by specifying a minimum scheduling gap that is larger than the maximum scheduling gap in the default UL TDRA table.

[0156] Alternatively, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the default UL TDRA table, the UE does not impose any restrictions on the default UL TDRA table. This approach prevents the loss of scheduling information because no restrictions are applied to the default TDRA table and all entries are considered invalid by the UE.

[0157] Furthermore, the UE may not expect a minimum scheduling gap greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the default UL TDRA table to be indicated. That is, if the DCI indicates a minimum scheduling gap greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the default UL TDRA, the minimum scheduling gap will be ignored when determining whether to apply a restriction to the configured default UL TDRA table. This approach prevents scheduling losses resulting from incorrectly applied restrictions on the default UL TDRA table due to the minimum scheduling gap value, which would not lead to a meaningful distinction as valid or invalid for TDRA table entries.

[0158] In one variation, if the scheduling gaps of the entries in the default UL TDRA table are equal, the UE decides not to apply any restrictions to the default UL TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap indicated by the previous DCI. In particular, if all scheduling gaps in the default UL TDRA table are equal, it is impossible to make a meaningful distinction between valid and invalid entries using the minimum scheduling gap, because either all entries are considered valid or none are considered valid. This variation of the approach makes it possible to prevent such a situation.

[0159] In a further variation, the UE may determine whether the CSS associated with CORESET0 is configured to monitor the group common physical control channel (i.e., the group common physical downlink control channel (gc-PDCCH)), and depending on the result of this determination, may decide whether to apply a limit to the default ULTDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap. Specifically, if the UE is not configured to monitor gc-PDCCH in the CSS associated with CORESET0, a limit is applied to the default ULTDRA table. In other words, if the UE is not configured to monitor gc-PDCCH, a limit is applied, which enables the power saving measures described above. The UE may also be pre-configured to monitor gc-PDCCH by broadcast, for example.

[0160] In the embodiments and variations described above, the transceiver of the UE transmits data after receiving the corresponding scheduling grant. Specifically, the data is transmitted via a PUSCH on the resource specified in the scheduling grant, wherein the time distance to the resource until the receipt of the scheduling grant is greater than the specified minimum scheduling gap.

[0161] Hardware and software implementations of this disclosure

[0162] This disclosure can be implemented as software, hardware, or software in conjunction with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each embodiment above can be implemented partially or entirely by an LSI such as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment may be controlled partially or entirely by the same LSI or combination of LSIs. The LSI may be formed individually as chips, or a single chip may be formed to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may include data inputs and data outputs connected thereto. Here, LSIs may be referred to as ICs, 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 dedicated processors. Alternatively, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor that allows for the reconfiguration of the connections and settings of circuit cells located inside the LSI, may be used. This disclosure can be implemented as digital or analog processing. If future integrated circuit technologies replace LSIs as a result of advances in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, functional blocks can be integrated using those future integrated circuit technologies. Biotechnology is also applicable.

[0163] This disclosure can be implemented by any kind of device, apparatus, or system having communication capabilities, which is referred to as a communication apparatus.

[0164] Some non-exclusive examples of such communication devices include telephones (e.g., mobile phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, notebooks), 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 devices, vehicles providing communication capabilities (e.g., automobiles, airplanes, ships), and various combinations thereof.

[0165] Communication devices are not limited to portable or mobile devices, but may include all kinds of non-portable or fixed devices, devices, or systems, such as smart home devices (e.g., appliances, lighting, smart meters, control panels), vending machines, and any other "things" in the "Internet of Things (IoT)" network.

[0166] Communication can include, for example, the exchange of data via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, and communication satellite systems, as well as the exchange of data through various combinations thereof.

[0167] A communication device may have devices such as controllers and sensors that are connected to a communication device that performs the communication functions described in this disclosure. For example, a communication device may have a controller or sensor that generates control signals or data signals used by the communication device that performs the communication functions of the communication device.

[0168] Furthermore, communication equipment may include infrastructure facilities, such as base stations, access points, and any other devices, equipment, or systems, that communicate with or control the equipment in the non-limiting examples described above.

[0169] Furthermore, various embodiments may be implemented by software modules, which are executed by a processor or directly in hardware. Combinations of software modules and hardware implementations are also possible. Software modules can 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 multiple different embodiments, individually or in any combination, can be the subject of other embodiments.

[0170] Those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and / or modifications can be made to the embodiments of this disclosure shown herein. Accordingly, the embodiments shown herein are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting to the invention.

[0171] Further aspects

[0172] As described above, devices and methods are provided that facilitate saving UE power, including procedures involving cross-slot scheduling. In particular, devices and methods are provided that determine whether to apply restrictions to a Time-Domain Resource Allocation (TDRA) table using information about specific conditions. Such conditions may include information about whether a common TDRA table is configured, the result of comparing a specified minimum scheduling gap with a scheduling gap in the TDRA table, and / or whether resources are scheduled for uplink or downlink transmissions of data. Aspects of this disclosure are summarized below.

[0173] According to a first embodiment, a transceiver device is provided, comprising: a transceiver that, in operation, receives data after receiving a scheduling grant; and a circuit that, in operation, determines whether to apply restrictions to a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) table according to a minimum scheduling gap, wherein the determination includes determining whether a common TDRA table is configured.

[0174] For example, the TDRA table to which the restrictions apply according to the result of the decision may be the common TDRA table itself, if configured, or it may be a TDRA table different from the common TDRA table and different from the transceiver device-specific TDRA table.

[0175] For example, the TDRA table may be a TDRA table used for downlink scheduling in a common search space associated with CORESET0. Alternatively, for example, the TDRA table may be a TDRA table used for downlink scheduling in a common search space associated with CORESET0, as well as for downlink scheduling in user-specific search spaces and any common search spaces not associated with CORESET0.

[0176] For example, the TDRA table could be a common TDRA table or a default TDRA table.

[0177] For example, the TDRA table may be a TDRA table that is not configured to be specific to the transceiver device.

[0178] For example, the TDRA table is a TDRA table used for scheduling data receiving resources.

[0179] For example, during operation, the transceiver receives the data using the resources specified by the scheduling grant.

[0180] For example, the scheduling grant directs a scheduled resource for receiving data, and the resource is scheduled after a scheduling gap of at least the minimum scheduling gap following the receipt of the scheduling grant.

[0181] The decision to apply restrictions to the TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap allows, under certain conditions, the transceiver device not to buffer symbols after receiving the scheduling grant, thereby enabling, for example, power savings.

[0182] In one embodiment, if the circuit determines during operation that the common TDRA table is not configured, it decides not to apply the restrictions to the TDRA table.

[0183] In other words, for example, if a common TDRA table is configured and used for downlink scheduling, the circuit may decide to apply the restrictions to the common TDRA table. Conversely, if a common TDRA table is not configured and a different TDRA table is used for downlink scheduling, the circuit may decide not to apply the restrictions.

[0184] For example, if the other TDRA table is not the common TDRA table and is not a TDRA table configured specifically for the transceiver device, the circuit may decide not to apply the restrictions.

[0185] Under the defined conditions, namely that a common TDRA table is not configured, the restrictions do not apply, thus preventing potential scheduling losses.

[0186] In one embodiment, the circuit controls the transceiver not to monitor the occasions of the physical control channel in the search space associated with the TDRA table if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than zero during operation.

[0187] For example, the circuit controls the transceiver so as not to monitor the occasion of the physical control channel when the minimum scheduling gap is greater than zero and a common TDRA table is not configured during operation.

[0188] Furthermore, for example, the circuit controls the transceiver not to monitor the occasion of the physical control channel when, during operation, the minimum scheduling gap is greater than zero, a common TDRA table is not configured, and the default TDRA table is used for scheduling.

[0189] For example, the physical control channel may be a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0190] In one embodiment, the TDRA table includes a plurality of entries, each entry specifying a time-domain resource allocation that includes a scheduling gap indicator showing the gap between the receipt of the scheduling grant and the scheduled resource, and the determination further includes comparing the minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table, if it is determined that the common TDRA table is configured.

[0191] In other words, the decision of whether or not to apply restrictions to the TDRA table may include a decision of whether or not a common TDRA table is configured and a comparison of the minimum scheduling gap value with the scheduling gap value included in the TDRA table.

[0192] For example, if it is determined that a common TDRA table is not configured, the circuit may compare the minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gap included in the common TDRA table and use the result of this comparison to determine whether to apply restrictions to the common TDRA table.

[0193] In one embodiment, the circuit decides to apply the restriction to the TDRA table if, during operation, the minimum scheduling gap is within the range of scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table.

[0194] For example, the circuit determines that the minimum scheduling gap is within the range of scheduling gaps in the TDRA table if, during operation, the minimum scheduling gap is greater than or equal to the smallest scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, and greater than or equal to the largest scheduling gap included in the TDRA table.

[0195] In one embodiment, the circuit controls the transceiver not to monitor the occasion of a physical control channel in the search space associated with the TDRA table if, during operation, the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table.

[0196] For example, the physical control channel may be a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0197] In one embodiment, the circuit decides not to apply the restriction to the TDRA table if, during operation, the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table.

[0198] In one embodiment, the circuit further determines a second TDRA table different from the first TDRA table for resource allocation if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the first TDRA table during operation, and uses the second TDRA table for scheduling.

[0199] In other words, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, the circuit will determine and use a second TDRA table, different from the first TDRA table, for resource scheduling during operation. The restriction does not apply to the second TDRA table.

[0200] For example, the second TDRA table mentioned above is the default TDRA table.

[0201] In one embodiment, the circuit decides not to apply the restriction to the TDRA table if the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table are equal to each other during operation.

[0202] In other words, if the TDRA table contains only scheduling gap values ​​that are all equal to each other, then the restriction does not apply to the TDRA table.

[0203] In one embodiment, the determination includes determining whether the transceiver device is configured to monitor a group common physical control channel, and the circuit determines that if the transceiver device is not configured to monitor the group common physical control channel during operation, it applies the restriction to the TDRA table.

[0204] In one embodiment, the transceiver receives a minimum scheduling gap indicator that indicates the minimum scheduling gap during operation.

[0205] For example, the transceiver receives the minimum scheduling gap indicator by downlink control information (DCI) signaling.

[0206] For example, one or more minimum scheduling gap values ​​are set by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0207] In one embodiment, the minimum scheduling gap indicates the minimum value in time slots of the gap between the receipt of the scheduling grant and the scheduled resource.

[0208] In other words, the minimum scheduling gap represents the minimum time period between the receipt of a scheduling grant and the resource scheduled for receiving the data indicated by the scheduling grant. The time period is expressed in time slots, the duration of which can be, for example, pre-set or configured.

[0209] A transceiver device is provided, comprising: a transceiver that transmits data after receiving a scheduling grant during operation; and a circuit that determines whether to apply a restriction to a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) table according to a minimum scheduling gap during operation, wherein the TDRA table includes a plurality of entries, each entry specifying a time-domain resource allocation that includes a scheduling gap indicator indicating the gap between the receipt of the scheduling grant and the scheduled resource, and the determination includes comparing the minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table.

[0210] For example, the TDRA table to which the restrictions apply in accordance with the result of the decision may be the common TDRA table itself, if configured, or it may be a TDRA table different from the common TDRA table and different from the transceiver device-specific TDRA table.

[0211] For example, the TDRA table may be a TDRA table used for uplink scheduling in a common search space associated with CORESET0. Alternatively, for example, the TDRA table may be a TDRA table used for uplink scheduling in a common search space associated with CORESET0, as well as for uplink scheduling in user-specific search spaces and any common search spaces not associated with CORESET0.

[0212] For example, the TDRA table could be a common TDRA table or a default TDRA table.

[0213] For example, the TDRA table may be a TDRA table that is not configured to be specific to the transceiver device.

[0214] For example, the TDRA table is a TDRA table used for scheduling data transmission resources.

[0215] For example, during operation, the transceiver transmits data using the resources indicated by the scheduling grant.

[0216] For example, the scheduling grant directs a scheduled resource for data transmission, and the resource is scheduled after a scheduling gap of at least the minimum scheduling gap after the scheduling grant is received.

[0217] The decision to apply restrictions to the TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap allows, under certain conditions, the transceiver device not to buffer symbols after receiving the scheduling grant, thereby enabling, for example, power savings.

[0218] In one embodiment, the circuit decides to apply the restriction to the TDRA table if, during operation, the minimum scheduling gap is within the range of scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table.

[0219] For example, the circuit determines that the minimum scheduling gap is within the range of scheduling gaps in the TDRA table if, during operation, the minimum scheduling gap is greater than or equal to the smallest scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, and greater than or equal to the largest scheduling gap included in the TDRA table.

[0220] In one embodiment, the circuit controls the transceiver not to monitor the occasion of a physical control channel in the search space associated with the TDRA table if, during operation, the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table.

[0221] For example, the physical control channel may be a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0222] In one embodiment, the circuit decides not to apply the restriction to the TDRA table if, during operation, the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table.

[0223] In one embodiment, the circuit further determines a second TDRA table different from the first TDRA table for resource allocation if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the first TDRA table during operation, and uses the second TDRA table for scheduling.

[0224] In other words, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, the circuit will determine and use a second TDRA table, different from the first TDRA table, for resource scheduling during operation. The restriction does not apply to the second TDRA table.

[0225] For example, the second TDRA table mentioned above is the default TDRA table.

[0226] In one embodiment, the circuit decides not to apply the restriction to the TDRA table if the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table are equal to each other during operation.

[0227] In other words, if the TDRA table contains only scheduling gap values ​​that are all equal to each other, then the restriction does not apply to the TDRA table.

[0228] In one embodiment, the determination includes determining whether the transceiver device is configured to monitor a group common physical control channel, and the circuit determines that if the transceiver device is not configured to monitor the group common physical control channel during operation, it applies the restriction to the TDRA table.

[0229] In one embodiment, the transceiver receives a minimum scheduling gap indicator that indicates the minimum scheduling gap during operation.

[0230] For example, the transceiver receives the minimum scheduling gap indicator by downlink control information (DCI) signaling.

[0231] For example, one or more minimum scheduling gap values ​​are set by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0232] In one embodiment, the minimum scheduling gap indicates the minimum value in time slots of the gap between the receipt of the scheduling grant and the scheduled resource.

[0233] In other words, the minimum scheduling gap represents the minimum time period between the receipt of a scheduling grant and the resource scheduled for the data transmission instructed by the scheduling grant. The time period is expressed in time slots, the duration of which can be, for example, pre-set or configured.

[0234] A third embodiment provides a data reception method comprising: determining whether to apply restrictions to a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) table according to a minimum scheduling gap, wherein the determination includes determining whether a common TDRA table is configured; and receiving data after receiving a scheduling grant.

[0235] For example, the TDRA table to which the restrictions apply according to the result of the decision may be the common TDRA table itself, if configured, or it may be a TDRA table different from the common TDRA table and different from the transceiver device-specific TDRA table.

[0236] For example, the TDRA table may be a TDRA table used for downlink scheduling in a common search space associated with CORESET0. Alternatively, for example, the TDRA table may be a TDRA table used for downlink scheduling in a common search space associated with CORESET0, as well as for downlink scheduling in user-specific search spaces and any common search spaces not associated with CORESET0.

[0237] For example, the TDRA table could be a common TDRA table or a default TDRA table.

[0238] For example, the TDRA table may be a TDRA table that is not configured to be specific to the transceiver device.

[0239] For example, the TDRA table is a TDRA table used for scheduling data receiving resources.

[0240] For example, the data is received by the resource designated by the scheduling grant.

[0241] For example, the scheduling grant directs a scheduled resource for receiving data, and the resource is scheduled after a scheduling gap of at least the minimum scheduling gap following the receipt of the scheduling grant.

[0242] The decision to apply restrictions to the TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap allows, under certain conditions, the transceiver device not to buffer symbols after receiving the scheduling grant, thereby enabling, for example, power savings.

[0243] In one embodiment, if it is determined that the common TDRA table is not configured, it is determined that the restrictions will not apply to the TDRA table.

[0244] In other words, for example, if a common TDRA table is configured and used for downlink scheduling, it may be decided to apply the restrictions to the common TDRA table. Conversely, if a common TDRA table is not configured and a separate TDRA table is used for downlink scheduling, the restrictions may not be applied.

[0245] For example, if the other TDRA table is not the common TDRA table and is not a TDRA table configured specifically for the transceiver device, it may be decided that the restriction does not apply.

[0246] Under the defined conditions, namely that a common TDRA table is not configured, the restrictions do not apply, thus preventing potential scheduling losses.

[0247] In one embodiment, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than zero, the occasions of the physical control channel in the search space associated with the TDRA table are not monitored.

[0248] For example, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than zero and a common TDRA table is not configured, the occasions of the physical control channel are not monitored.

[0249] Furthermore, for example, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than zero, a common TDRA table is not configured, and the default TDRA table is used for scheduling, the occasions of the physical control channel are not monitored.

[0250] For example, the physical control channel may be a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0251] In one embodiment, the TDRA table includes a plurality of entries, each entry specifying a time-domain resource allocation that includes a scheduling gap indicator showing the gap between the receipt of the scheduling grant and the scheduled resource, and the determination further includes comparing the minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table, if it is determined that the common TDRA table is configured.

[0252] In other words, the decision of whether or not to apply restrictions to the TDRA table may include a decision of whether or not a common TDRA table is configured and a comparison of the minimum scheduling gap value with the scheduling gap value included in the TDRA table.

[0253] For example, if it is determined that a common TDRA table is not configured, a comparison is made between the minimum scheduling gap and the scheduling gap included in the common TDRA table, and the result of this comparison is used to determine whether to apply restrictions to the common TDRA table.

[0254] In one embodiment, if the minimum scheduling gap is within the range of scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table, it is determined to apply the restriction to the TDRA table.

[0255] For example, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than or equal to the smallest scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, and greater than or equal to the largest scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, then it is determined that the minimum scheduling gap is within the range of scheduling gaps in the TDRA table.

[0256] In one embodiment, when the minimum scheduling gap is larger than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, occasions of a physical control channel in the search space associated with the TDRA table are not monitored.

[0257] For example, the physical control channel may be a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0258] In one embodiment, when the minimum scheduling gap is larger than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, it is determined that the restriction is not applied to the TDRA table.

[0259] In one embodiment, the method further comprises the step of determining a second TDRA table different from the TDRA table for resource allocation when the minimum scheduling gap is larger than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table.

[0260] In other words, when the minimum scheduling gap is larger than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, a second TDRA table different from the TDRA table is determined and used for resource scheduling. The restriction is not applied to the second TDRA table.

[0261] For example, the second TDRA table is a default TDRA table.

[0262] In one embodiment, when the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table are equal to each other, it is determined that the restriction is not applied to the TDRA table.

[0263] In other words, when the TDRA table includes only scheduling gap values that are all equal to each other, the restriction is not applied to the TDRA table.

[0264] In one embodiment, the decision includes determining whether it is configured to monitor a group-common physical control channel, and if it is not configured to monitor the group-common physical control channel, it is determined to apply the restrictions to the TDRA table.

[0265] In one embodiment, the method further includes the step of receiving a minimum scheduling gap indicator that indicates the minimum scheduling gap.

[0266] For example, the minimum scheduling gap indicator is received by downlink control information (DCI) signaling.

[0267] For example, one or more minimum scheduling gap values ​​are set by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0268] In one embodiment, the minimum scheduling gap indicates the minimum value in time slots of the gap between the receipt of the scheduling grant and the scheduled resource.

[0269] In other words, the minimum scheduling gap represents the minimum time period between the receipt of a scheduling grant and the resource scheduled for receiving the data indicated by the scheduling grant. The time period is expressed in time slots, the duration of which can be, for example, pre-set or configured.

[0270] A data transmission method is provided, comprising the steps of determining whether to apply a restriction to a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) table according to a minimum scheduling gap, wherein the TDRA table includes a plurality of entries, each entry specifying a time-domain resource allocation that includes a scheduling gap indicator indicating the gap between the receipt of a scheduling grant and the scheduled resource, and the determination includes comparing the minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table; and transmitting data after the scheduling grant has been received.

[0271] For example, the TDRA table to which the restrictions apply in accordance with the result of the decision may be the common TDRA table itself, if configured, or it may be a TDRA table different from the common TDRA table and different from the transceiver device-specific TDRA table.

[0272] For example, the TDRA table may be a TDRA table used for uplink scheduling in a common search space associated with CORESET0. Alternatively, for example, the TDRA table may be a TDRA table used for uplink scheduling in a common search space associated with CORESET0, as well as for uplink scheduling in user-specific search spaces and any common search spaces not associated with CORESET0.

[0273] For example, the TDRA table could be a common TDRA table or a default TDRA table.

[0274] For example, the TDRA table may be a TDRA table that is not configured to be specific to the transceiver device.

[0275] For example, the TDRA table is a TDRA table used for scheduling data transmission resources.

[0276] For example, the data is transmitted by the resource specified by the scheduling grant.

[0277] For example, the scheduling grant directs a scheduled resource for data transmission, and the resource is scheduled after a scheduling gap of at least the minimum scheduling gap after the scheduling grant is received.

[0278] The decision to apply restrictions to the TDRA table according to the minimum scheduling gap allows, under certain conditions, the transceiver device not to buffer symbols after receiving the scheduling grant, thereby enabling, for example, power savings.

[0279] In one embodiment, if the minimum scheduling gap is within the range of scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table, it is determined to apply the restriction to the TDRA table.

[0280] For example, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than or equal to the smallest scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, and greater than or equal to the largest scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, then it is determined that the minimum scheduling gap is within the range of scheduling gaps in the TDRA table.

[0281] In one embodiment, if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, the occasions of the physical control channels in the search space associated with the TDRA table are not monitored.

[0282] For example, the physical control channel may be a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).

[0283] In one embodiment, when the minimum scheduling gap is larger than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, it is determined that the restriction is not applied to the TDRA table.

[0284] In one embodiment, the method further comprises the step of determining a second TDRA table different from the TDRA table for resource allocation when the minimum scheduling gap is larger than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table.

[0285] In other words, when the minimum scheduling gap is larger than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, a second TDRA table different from the TDRA table is determined and used for resource scheduling. The restriction is not applied to the second TDRA table.

[0286] For example, the second TDRA table is a default TDRA table.

[0287] In one embodiment, when the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table are equal to each other, it is determined that the restriction is not applied to the TDRA table.

[0288] In other words, when the TDRA table contains only scheduling gap values that are all equal to each other, the restriction is not applied to the TDRA table.

[0289] In one embodiment, the determination comprises determining whether monitoring of a group common physical control channel is configured, and if monitoring of the group common physical control channel is not configured, it is determined that the restriction is applied to the TDRA table.

[0290] In one embodiment, the method further includes the step of receiving a minimum scheduling gap indicator that indicates the minimum scheduling gap.

[0291] For example, the minimum scheduling gap indicator is received by downlink control information (DCI) signaling.

[0292] For example, one or more minimum scheduling gap values ​​are set by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0293] In one embodiment, the minimum scheduling gap indicates the minimum value in time slots of the gap between the receipt of the scheduling grant and the scheduled resource.

[0294] In other words, the minimum scheduling gap represents the minimum time period between the receipt of a scheduling grant and the resource scheduled for the data transmission instructed by the scheduling grant. The time period is expressed in time slots, the duration of which can be, for example, pre-set or configured.

[0295] A scheduling device is provided, comprising: a circuit that determines a minimum scheduling gap indicating the minimum gap between the transmission of a scheduling grant and a scheduled resource during operation; and a transceiver that transmits a scheduling grant to a transceiver device during operation, indicating a scheduled resource for data transmission, wherein the resource is scheduled after a scheduling gap greater than or equal to the minimum scheduling gap after the transmission of the scheduling grant, and the transceiver transmits data to or receives data from the transceiver device on the scheduled resource.

[0296] In one embodiment, the transceiver transmits a minimum scheduling gap indicator indicating the minimum scheduling gap to the transceiver device during operation.

[0297] For example, the circuit does not schedule resources for sending to or receiving from the transceiver device during operation, after the transmission of the scheduling grant, and the period has a duration based on the minimum scheduling gap.

[0298] For example, the minimum scheduling gap indicator is instructed to the transceiver device by downlink control information (DCI).

[0299] In one embodiment, the circuit determines during operation that the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in a configured time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) table, the TDRA table including a plurality of entries, each entry specifying a time-domain resource allocation that includes a scheduling gap indicator showing the gap between the reception of the scheduling grant and the scheduled resource.

[0300] Based on the above decision, the scheduling device may cause the transceiver device to skip monitoring occasions for the physical control channel.

[0301] In one embodiment, the minimum scheduling gap indicates the minimum value in time slots of the gap between the receipt of the scheduling grant and the scheduled resource.

Claims

1. A transceiver that receives scheduling information from a base station and then receives data from the base station, A circuit that determines whether to apply restrictions to a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) table according to the minimum scheduling gap, wherein the determination includes determining whether a common TDRA table is configured. It has, The TDRA table includes multiple entries, each entry specifying a time-domain resource allocation that includes a scheduling gap indicator showing the gap between the reception of the scheduling information and the scheduled resource. If it is determined that the common TDRA table is configured, the determination further includes comparing the minimum scheduling gap with the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table. If the circuit determines that the common TDRA table is not configured, it decides not to apply the restrictions to the TDRA table. The circuit determines that if the scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table are equal to each other, the restriction is not applied to the TDRA table. Transceiver device and The base station side transceiver has a transceiver that transmits the scheduling information to the transceiver device and then transmits the data to the transceiver device. The aforementioned base station, A communication system, including

2. The circuit controls the transceiver so as not to monitor the occasion of a physical control channel in the search space associated with the TDRA table when the minimum scheduling gap is greater than zero. The communication system according to claim 1.

3. The circuit decides to apply the restriction to the TDRA table if the minimum scheduling gap is within the range of scheduling gaps included in the TDRA table. The communication system according to claim 1.

4. The circuit controls the transceiver so as not to monitor the occasion of a physical control channel in the search space associated with the TDRA table when the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table. The communication system according to claim 1.

5. The circuit determines not to apply the restriction to the TDRA table if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table. The communication system according to claim 1.

6. The circuit further determines a second TDRA table different from the TDRA table for resource allocation if the minimum scheduling gap is greater than the maximum scheduling gap included in the TDRA table, and uses the second TDRA table for scheduling. The communication system according to claim 5.

7. The transceiver receives a minimum scheduling gap indicator that indicates the minimum scheduling gap. The communication system according to claim 1.

8. The minimum scheduling gap indicates the minimum value of the gap between the reception of the scheduling information and the scheduled resource, in units of time slots. The communication system according to claim 1.

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