Multicast PDCCH Monitoring via Cell Indication

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Solution Overview

Problem

In a carrier aggregation scenario, terminal devices experience excessively high power consumption while monitoring physical downlink control channels (PDCCH) across multiple cells to receive multicast services, as they are unaware of the specific cell used by the network device for PDCCH transmission.

Innovation Solution

The network device indicates the specific cell for PDCCH transmission to the terminal device, allowing it to monitor and receive the multicast service only in that specified cell, reducing unnecessary power consumption by eliminating the need to monitor all cells.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the terminal device monitors PDCCH on all aggregated CCs to receive multicast service, then the multicast service reception reliability is improved, but the power consumption of the terminal device increases excessively

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemulticast service reception reliabilityVSAvoidterminal device power consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the monitoring task by dividing the set of aggregated CCs into a specific subset where the PDCCH is actually transmitted. The network device indicates the specific CC (or set of CCs) to the terminal device through higher layer signaling, allowing the terminal to monitor only on indicated CCs rather than all CCs, thus reducing power consumption while maintaining reliable reception.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by making the monitoring behavior adaptive to local conditions - the terminal device monitors PDCCH on specific CCs based on network indication rather than uniformly on all CCs. This localized monitoring approach reduces energy consumption in non-essential CCs while maintaining reliability on the actual transmission CC.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If the terminal device monitors PDCCH on all CCs using G-RNTI, then the multicast service can be received without missing any transmissions, but the device complexity and processing load increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemulticast service reception completenessVSAvoidterminal device monitoring complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the monitoring scope by indicating specific CCs to the terminal device through higher layer signaling. Instead of requiring the terminal to monitor all aggregated CCs, the network specifies which CCs carry the PDCCH for the multicast service, reducing the terminal's monitoring complexity and processing load while ensuring complete service reception.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary action by having the network device pre-indicate the specific CC(s) where PDCCH will be transmitted before the terminal begins monitoring. This advance information allows the terminal to configure its monitoring behavior appropriately, reducing complexity while ensuring no service transmissions are missed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4072169B1Multicast service transmission method and apparatus
Publication Date: 2024.08.21 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4072169B1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1b
  • EP4072169B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4072169B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

Embodiments of this application disclose a multicast service transmission method and an apparatus, relate to the field of communication technologies, and are particularly applicable to scenarios of carrier aggregation and dual connectivity. The method includes: A first network device sends first configuration information to a terminal device, where the first configuration information includes a cell identifier of a serving cell corresponding to a first multicast service, and an identifier of the first multicast service and/or an RNTI corresponding to the first multicast service. The terminal device receives the first configuration information, and receives the first multicast service in a first area corresponding to the first configuration information. This reduces power consumption caused when the terminal device receives the multicast service.