PDCCH Candidate Thresholds for UE Power Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in efficiently managing overlapping physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates, leading to increased complexity and power consumption at user equipment (UE) due to the need to monitor a large number of candidates.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a threshold number of overlapping PDCCH candidates, which can be defined in the time domain or frequency domain, and indicated to the base station via capability signaling from the UE. This allows the UE to monitor PDCCH candidates based on predefined thresholds, reducing the number of overlapping candidates identified for monitoring.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the UE monitors a large number of PDCCH candidates to ensure reliable control information reception, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity and power consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol information reception reliabilityVSAvoidUE monitoring complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the PDCCH monitoring task by dividing candidates into overlapping and non-overlapping groups. The UE is configured to monitor only a limited number of overlapping PDCCH candidates (e.g., 1 or 2) within a span, while non-overlapping candidates are monitored without strict overlap limits. This segmentation reduces the overall monitoring complexity while maintaining reliability through diversified candidate coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces configurable parameters such as the maximum number of overlapping PDCCH candidates (M) and the span length to control monitoring behavior. By adjusting these parameters, the system can adapt the monitoring complexity and reliability trade-off based on channel conditions and UE capabilities, allowing flexible optimization without fixed rigid monitoring rules.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the UE monitors more PDCCH candidates to improve control information detection, then the reliability is improved, but the power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol information detection reliabilityVSAvoidUE power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The monitoring candidates are segmented into overlapping and non-overlapping categories with different monitoring requirements. By limiting the number of overlapping candidates monitored and allowing more flexible monitoring of non-overlapping candidates, the UE reduces processing intensity and power consumption while maintaining detection reliability through the combined coverage of both candidate types.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by monitoring only a limited number of overlapping PDCCH candidates (partial monitoring) rather than all possible candidates. This selective monitoring approach reduces power consumption while maintaining reliability, as the limited overlapping candidates provide sufficient diversity for reliable detection without requiring exhaustive monitoring of all candidates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Device complexity

If the threshold number of overlapping PDCCH candidates is reduced to lower UE complexity, then the device complexity is reduced, but the coverage of control information monitoring may be limited

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveUE monitoring complexityVSAvoidPDCCH monitoring coverage

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the monitoring space into overlapping and non-overlapping candidate domains. By limiting overlapping candidates to a small threshold (e.g., 1-2 candidates) while allowing extensive monitoring of non-overlapping candidates, the system maintains broad monitoring coverage without requiring high UE complexity. The segmentation enables different monitoring strategies for different candidate types.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extends monitoring coverage by utilizing the time domain dimension through span-based monitoring. By defining monitoring over multiple spans and allowing non-overlapping candidates to be monitored across different time intervals, the system achieves extended coverage without increasing the threshold of overlapping candidates within a single span, thus maintaining low complexity while expanding effective monitoring area.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS20250081204A1Overlapping physical downlink control channel candidate thresholds

Publication Date: 2025.03.06 QUALCOMM INC

AI summary

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described that support overlapping physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate thresholds. In some examples, a user equipment (UE) may determine, for each subcarrier spacing (SCS) configuration of a set of SCS configurations, a threshold number of overlapping PDCCH candidates within a time interval. The UE may receive, from a base station, signaling indicating one or more PDCCH monitoring configurations. In some examples, the UE may monitor the PDCCH for control information according to the one or more PDCCH monitoring configurations and a number of overlapping PDCCH candidates, where the number of overlapping PDCCH candidates may satisfy (e.g., be less than or equal to) the threshold number of overlapping PDCCH candidates.