Control channel monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12069628-B2
Application number	US-202318244993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2023
Priority date	Aug 10, 2017
Publication date	Aug 20, 2024
Grant date	Aug 20, 2024

Abstract

A method for use in a User Equipment configured to operate according to the New Radio (5G) standard, said method comprising: monitoring a control region for mini-slots for a transmission; detecting a start of the transmission; monitoring a control region of said transmission for regular slots; detecting that the transmission has ended; and in response thereto monitoring the control region for mini-slots again.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for use in a User Equipment, said method comprising:
monitoring a control region of mini-slots before detecting a transmission;
detecting a start of the transmission by performing a physical downlink control channel decoding operation;
in response thereto, monitoring a control region of regular slots;
determining that the transmission has ended; and in response thereto,
monitoring the control region of mini-slots again.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the transmission has ended comprises determining a transmission length.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising postponing the switch from monitoring the control region of mini-slots to monitoring the control region of regular slots until a slot border.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving information regarding whether a particular regular slot or mini-slot is allocated for downlink or uplink, and in case of uplink allocation, stopping monitoring of the control region of said regular slot or mini-slot and resuming monitoring in time intervals allocated to downlink transmissions.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adaptation of a bandwidth that is monitored.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the User Equipment is configured to operate according to the New Radio (5G) standard.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed on a processor, perform a method for use in a User Equipment, said method comprising:
monitoring a control region of mini-slots before detecting a transmission;
detecting a start of the transmission by performing a physical downlink control channel decoding operation;
in response thereto, monitoring a control region of regular slots;
determining that the transmission has ended; and in response thereto,
monitoring the control region of mini-slots again.

8. A User Equipment comprising a controller configured to:
monitor a control region of mini-slots before detecting a transmission;
detect a start of the transmission by performing a physical downlink control channel decoding operation;
monitor a control region of regular slots;
determine that the transmission has ended; and in response thereto,
monitor the control region of mini-slots again.

9. The User Equipment of claim 8 , being further configured to operate according to the New Radio (5G) standard.

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein determining the transmission length comprises reading the length of the transmission in a common physical downlink control channel.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein determining the transmission length comprises performing repeated transmission detection.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the transmission has ended further comprises reading the length of the transmission in a common physical downlink control channel.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the transmission has ended further comprises performing repeated transmission detection.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first physical downlink control channel decoding operation and the second physical downlink control channel decoding operation are a same physical downlink control channel decoding operation.

15. A method for use in a User Equipment, said method comprising:
monitoring a control region of mini-slots before detecting a transmission;
detecting a start of the transmission by performing a first physical downlink control channel decoding operation;
monitoring a control region of regular slots;
determining that the transmission has ended by performing a second a physical downlink control channel decoding operation, and in response thereto:
monitoring the control region of mini-slots again,

further comprising receiving information regarding whether a particular regular slot or mini-slot is allocated for downlink or uplink, and in case of uplink allocation, stopping monitoring of the control region of said particular regular slot or mini-slot and resuming monitoring in time intervals allocated to downlink transmissions.

16. A User Equipment comprising a controller configured to:
monitor a control region of mini-slots before detecting a transmission;
detect a start of the transmission by performing a first physical downlink control channel decoding operation;
monitor a control region of said transmission of regular slots;
determine that the transmission has ended performing a second physical downlink control channel decoding operation, and in response thereto:
monitor the control region of mini-slots again;

wherein the User Equipment is further configured to receive information regarding whether a particular regular slot or mini-slot is allocated for downlink or uplink, and in case of uplink allocation, to stop monitoring of the control region of said particular regular slot or mini-slot and to resume monitoring in time intervals allocated to downlink transmissions.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first physical downlink control channel decoding operation and the second physical downlink control channel decoding operation are a same physical downlink control channel decoding operation.

18. A method for use in a User Equipment, said method comprising:
switching between monitoring a control region of mini-slots and monitoring a control region of regular slots, wherein each of the mini-slots has a shorter duration than each of the regular slots, wherein said switching comprises:
monitoring the control region of mini-slots;
detecting a start of a transmission by a network node or another device, where said detecting is by performing a physical control channel decoding operation;
during a time when said transmission is ongoing, switching from monitoring the control region of mini-slots to monitoring the control region of regular slots;
determining that the transmission has ended and in response thereto,
switching from monitoring the control region of regular slots to monitoring the control region of mini-slots again;

further comprising receiving information regarding whether a particular regular slot or mini-slot is allocated for downlink or uplink, and in case of uplink allocation, stopping monitoring of the control region of said particular regular slot or mini-slot and resuming monitoring in time intervals allocated to downlink transmissions.

19. A User Equipment comprising a controller configured to:
switch between monitoring a control region of mini-slots and monitoring a control region of regular slots, wherein each of the mini-slots has a shorter duration than each of the regular slots, wherein said switching comprises:
monitoring the control region of mini-slots;
detecting a start of a transmission by a network node or another device, where said detecting is by performing a physical downlink control channel decoding operation;
during a time when said transmission is ongoing, switching from monitoring the control region of mini-slots to monitoring the control region of regular slots;
determining that the transmission has ended and in response thereto,
switching from monitoring the control region of regular slots to monitoring the control region of mini-slots again,

wherein the User Equipment is further configured with an offset indicating when the switching from monitoring the control region of mini-slots to monitoring the control region of regular slots occurs relative to the start of the transmission.

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Alriksson Peter
• Do Tai
• Karaki Reem
• Li Gen
• Mukherjee Amitav
• Yang Yu

Classifications

• H04L5/0053

  Allocation of signalling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals · CPC title

• H04L5/0007

  the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A) or DMT · CPC title

• H04W72/23

  in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title

• H04L5/005

  of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals · CPC title