Patent Description:
In the Time Division Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE) communication system in the related art, a frame structure is semi-statically configured through system information. By reading the system information, a user equipment (UE) can obtain a specific uplink and downlink subframe (or slot) ratio in a radio frame, a subframe structure and retransmission timing relationship corresponding to the ratio.

The UE monitors in real time a control channel in a corresponding downlink subframe to determine whether there is scheduling information for the UE. The UE transmits uplink data or control information according to a specific timing relationship in a corresponding uplink subframe.

The <NUM> New Radio defines a new downlink control channel, i.e., UE group common control channel. The UE group common control channel can transmit control information to a group of UEs. The specific control information includes slot format indicator (SFI). This information may dynamically indicate structure types (including downlink slot, uplink slot, downlink self-contained slot, or an uplink self-contained slot) of multiple slots, where n is an integer greater than or equal to <NUM>.

Meanwhile, the <NUM> New Radio (NR) has adopted a semi-static frame structure configuration, which semi-statically indicates a radio frame cycle by system information or other means.

Some slots in the cycle are fixed downlink slot structures, and some slots are fixed uplink slot structures. There are also some slots, although their specific slot structures have been configured semi-statically, their specific slot structures may be configured or changed by the UE group common control information.

For example, one slot is semi-statically configured as a flexible slot structure, but the UE group common control channel can dynamically indicate that the slot is an uplink self-contained slot structure through SFI.

Based on the above description, if the UE group common control channel cannot be correctly detected, there is no solution in the related art about how the UE should operate. "Discussion on UE behavior for group-common PDCCH for NR" (R1-<NUM>) discusses UE procedure in case that the slot format related information in the group common PDCCH is missed. "UE behavior related to dynamic and semi-static configured resources" (R1-<NUM>) discusses UE behavior or what signaling takes precedence in case of a conflict in the indicated symbol type received from SFI in group-common PDCCH, other broadcast DCI, UE-specific DCI and/or semi-static signaling/configuration. "Group-common PDCCH: Contents" (R1-<NUM>) discusses potential contents of G-C PDCCH and discusses how to indicate the slot format information and what other information may be indicated.

The present disclosure provides a slot monitoring method, an information transmission method, a user equipment (UE) and a network device. When the UE group common control channel is not detected, for fixed slots and dynamical configurable slots, a method is provided for the UE to monitor slots, thereby avoiding the problem that the UE can not receive scheduling of a base station to the UE in subsequent slots due to waiting behavior of the UE.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in details with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in <FIG>, one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a slot monitoring method, including:.

Step <NUM>: obtaining a slot format indicator (SFI) in UE group common control information. The SFI indicates the UE slot formats of a number of consecutive N slots including the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, where N is positive integer.

The method further includes: Step <NUM>, if the slot format indicator is not detected, monitoring in a predefined behavior, a number of slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted.

Specifically, a base station semi-statically configures a radio frame cycle by system information or other manners. One cycle includes N consecutive slots. Among the N slots, the number of slots which are fixed downlink structure, is a; the number of slots which are fixed uplink structure, is b; structure types of (N-a-b) slots can be configured through a UE group common control channel; where a, b and n are integers greater than or equal to <NUM>, and (a+b) is less than or equal to N.

As shown in <FIG>, an UL-DL subframe configuration is specifically DDDDDSUUUU, where D represents a downlink slot structure, U represents an uplink slot structure, and S represents a self-contained or special slot structure.

Specifically, in one frame cycle, first two slots may be configured as fixed downlink slots, last two slots may be configured as fixed uplink slots. The UE group common control channel occupies, but not limited to, one or two orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in the first fixed downlink slot.

The consecutive N slots include: a downlink slot, an uplink slot, a downlink self-contained slot, or an uplink self-contained slot.

In the above embodiment of the present disclosure, by monitoring the slot where the UE group common control channel transmitted, the slot format indicator of the control information transmitted on the UE group common control channel is obtained. If the control information is not demodulated, a number of slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, are monitored in the predefined behavior. Thus, when the UE group common control channel is not detected, the UE can still perform monitoring in the predefined behavior, thereby avoiding the problem that the UE can not receive scheduling of the base station to the UE in subsequent slots due to waiting behavior of the UE.

Specifically, according to configuration of high layer signaling (such as RRC signaling or other manner), at least one slot from multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted may be monitored, or the multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted may be not monitored.

As shown in <FIG>, the UE group common control channel is transmitted in the fixed downlink slot #<NUM>, and indicates frame structures of consecutive <NUM> slots (indicating structures of the fixed slots being the same as the semi-static configuration).

However, in this embodiment, the network side configures the UE to not monitor the dynamical configurable slots, and the specific process includes the following steps:.

In addition, in this embodiment, the uplink slot for transmitting uplink data is not monitored.

The UE group common control information refers to control information transmitted on the UE group common control channel. Monitoring multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted includes: monitoring dynamical configurable downlink slots and dynamical configurable uplink slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted.

Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the UE group common control channel occupies first two OFDM symbols of the first slot, and indicates frame structures of consecutive <NUM> slots (indicating structure of the fixed slots being the same as the semi-static configuration). The specific process is as follows:.

As shown in <FIG>, one embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a slot monitoring method, including:.

In this embodiment, the uplink slot for transmitting uplink data is not monitored.

Monitoring multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control channel transmitted includes: monitoring dynamical configurable downlink slots and dynamical configurable uplink slots right after the slot where the UE group common control channel transmitted.

As shown in <FIG>, a base station semi-statically configures a <NUM> period by system information or other methods, subcarrier spacing is <NUM>, one slot contains <NUM> OFDM symbols, and the <NUM> period has <NUM> slots. Specifically, no OFDM symbol is a fixed downlink slot or a fixed uplink slot, and all slots are dynamically configured through UE group common control channel.

The UE group common control information is in the first slot, and indicates frame structures of consecutive <NUM> slots. In this embodiment, the network side configures the UE to monitor the dynamical configurable slots.

As shown in <FIG>, the specific process is as follows.

In the foregoing embodiment of the present disclosure, when the slot format indicator (SFI) in the UE group common control channel is not demodulated, the operations of the UE include:.

Then, when the UE group common control channel is not demodulated, the UE can still operate according to predefined rules, thereby avoiding the problem that the UE can not receive scheduling of the base station to the UE in subsequent slots due to simple waiting behavior of the UE.

One embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a user equipment (UE), including:
a transceiver, used to obtain a slot format indicator (SFI) in UE group common control information. The SFI indicates slot formats of a number of consecutive N slots including the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, where N is positive integer.

Optionally, the transceiver is further used to, when the slot format indicator is not detected, monitor in a predefined behavior, a number of slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted.

Optionally, the transceiver is specifically configured to,.

Optionally, the transceiver is specifically configured to, when downlink control information in one fixed downlink slot is detected, transmit uplink data in a corresponding uplink slot according to UL-DL timing relationship indicated by the control information.

Optionally, the transceiver is specifically configured to, not monitor multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control channel transmitted.

Optionally, the transceiver is specifically configured to, when no downlink control information in the multiple fixed downlink slots is detected, continue to monitor multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot in which the UE group common control channel is transmitted;
when downlink control information in one dynamical configurable slot is detected, transmit uplink data in a corresponding uplink slot according to UL-DL timing relationship indicated by the control information.

Optionally, monitoring multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control channel transmitted includes: monitoring dynamical configurable downlink slots and dynamical configurable uplink slots right after the slot where the UE group common control channel transmitted.

Optionally, the transceiver is specifically configured to, according to configuration of high layer signaling, monitor at least one slot from multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control channel transmitted, or not monitor the multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control channel transmitted.

Optionally, when the transceiver monitors at least one slot from multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control channel transmitted, the transceiver is further configured to, when downlink control information in one dynamical configurable downlink slot is detected, transmit uplink data in a corresponding uplink slot according to UL-DL timing relationship indicated by the control information.

Optionally, the transceiver is further configured to, not monitor the uplink slot for transmitting uplink data.

It should be noted that this UE embodiment refers to a UE corresponding to the foregoing method embodiment, and all the implementation manners in the foregoing method embodiment are applicable to the UE embodiment, and the same technical effects can be achieved.

One embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a UE, including: a transceiver module used to obtain a slot format indicator (SFI) in UE group common control information, where the SFI indicates slot formats of a number of consecutive N slots including the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, N is positive integer.

This UE embodiment refers to a UE corresponding to the foregoing method embodiment, and all the implementation manners in the foregoing method embodiment are applicable to the UE embodiment, and the same technical effects can be achieved.

One embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an information transmission method, including:
transmitting UE group common control information to a UE; where the UE group common control information includes a slot format indicator (SFI) and the SFI indicates to UE slot formats of a number of consecutive N slots including the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, N is positive integer.

Optionally, the information transmission method further includes:
transmitting configuration information to the UE by high layer signaling, where the configuration information is used to enable the UE to monitor at least one slot of multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, or not monitor multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, where the dynamical configurable slots are semi-statically configured flexible slots.

Optionally, the information transmission method further includes:
receiving uplink data, which is transmitted by the UE in an uplink slot, where the uplink slot is corresponding to the dynamical configurable downlink slot according to UL-DL timing relationship indicated by the control information.

One embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a network device, including:
a transceiver used to transmit UE group common control information to a UE; where the UE group common control information includes a slot format indicator (SFI) and the SFI indicates slot formats of a number of consecutive N slots including the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, N is positive integer.

Optionally, the transceiver is further configured to transmit configuration information to the UE by high layer signaling, where the configuration information is used to enable the UE to monitor at least one slot from multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, or not monitor multiple dynamical configurable slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, where the dynamical configurable slots are semi-statically configured flexible slots.

Optionally, the transceiver is further used to receive uplink data, which is transmitted by the UE in an uplink slot which is corresponding to the dynamical configurable downlink slot according to UL-DL timing relationship indicated by the control information.

One embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a network device, including:
a transceiver module used to transmit UE group common control information to a UE; where the UE group common control information includes a slot format indicator (SFI) and the SFI indicates slot formats of a number of consecutive N slots including the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, N is positive integer.

One embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device including: a processor, and a memory storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor performs the method as described above. The communication device may be a UE for the above method shown in <FIG>, or may be a network device that performs the above information transmission method.

One embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer readable storage medium including instructions. The instructions are executed by a computer to enable the computer to perform the method as described above.

Claim 1:
A slot monitoring method, performed by a user equipment, UE, comprising:
monitoring UE group common downlink control channel for a slot format indicator, SFI, and getting control information transmitted on the UE group common downlink control channel;
wherein the SFI indicates to a UE slot formats of a number of consecutive N slots including a slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, where N is positive integer;
characterized by, if the slot format indicator is not detected, monitoring (<NUM>) physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, of, in a predefined behavior, a number of slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted;
wherein the step of monitoring PDCCH of, in a predefined behavior, a number of slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted, comprises:
monitoring (<NUM>) the PDCCH of multiple semi-statically configured downlink slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted; and/or,
monitoring the PDCCH of at least one slot from multiple semi-statically configured flexible slots right after the slot where the UE group common control information transmitted.