WO2022147705A1

WO2022147705A1 - Physical downlink control channel repetition by candidate aggregation

Info

Publication number: WO2022147705A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/070592
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jing Dai; Chao Wei; Huilin Xu; Qiaoyu Li; Min Huang
Original assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Current assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Priority date: 2021-01-07
Filing date: 2021-01-07
Publication date: 2022-07-14
Anticipated expiration: 2023-07-07

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) may receive an aggregated physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate within a control resource set (CORESET), wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates. The UE may identify a downlink control information payload repeated in two or more sub- candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates. Numerous other aspects are described.

Description

PHYSICAL DOWNLINK CONTROL CHANNEL REPETITION BY CANDIDATE AGGREGATION

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication and to techniques and apparatuses for physical downlink control channel repetition by candidate aggregation.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, or the like) . Examples of such multiple-access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and Long Term Evolution (LTE) . LTE/LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) .

A wireless network may include a number of base stations (BSs) that can support communication for a number of user equipment (UEs) . A UE may communicate with a BS via the downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the BS to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the BS. As will be described in more detail herein, a BS may be referred to as a Node B, a gNB, an access point (AP) , a radio head, a transmit receive point (TRP) , a New Radio (NR) BS, a 5G Node B, or the like.

The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different user equipment to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. NR, which may also be referred to as 5G, is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by the 3GPP. NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) (CP-OFDM) on the downlink (DL) , using CP-OFDM and/or SC-FDM (e.g., also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) ) on the uplink (UL) , as well as supporting beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation. As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, further improvements in LTE, NR, and other radio access technologies remain useful.

SUMMARY

In some aspects, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes receiving an aggregated physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate within a control resource set (CORESET) , wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates; and identifying a downlink control information (DCI) payload repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates.

In some aspects, a method of wireless communication performed by a base station includes generating an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates, wherein a DCI payload is repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates; and transmitting the aggregated PDCCH candidate to convey the DCI payload.

In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication includes a memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors configured to: receive an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates; and identify a DCI payload repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates.

In some aspects, a base station for wireless communication includes a memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors configured to: generate an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates, wherein a DCI payload is repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates; and transmit the aggregated PDCCH candidate to convey the DCI payload.

In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication includes one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, cause the UE to: receive an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates; and identify a DCI payload repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates.

In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication includes one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a base station, cause the base station to: generate an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates, wherein a DCI payload is repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates; and transmit the aggregated PDCCH candidate to convey the DCI payload.

In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication includes means for receiving an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates; and means for identifying a DCI payload repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates.

In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication includes means for generating an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates, wherein a DCI payload is repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates; and means for transmitting the aggregated PDCCH candidate to convey the DCI payload.

Aspects generally include a method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment, base station, wireless communication device, and/or processing system as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the drawings and specification.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conception and specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purposes of illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limits of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the above-recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to aspects, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the description may admit to other equally effective aspects. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station in communication with a UE in a wireless network, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating examples of a control resource set, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

Figs. 5A-5C are diagrams illustrating examples associated with physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) repetition by candidate aggregation, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

Figs. 6-7 are diagrams illustrating example processes associated with PDCCH repetition by candidate aggregation, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

Figs. 8-9 are block diagrams of example apparatuses for wireless communication, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein, one skilled in the art should appreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or combined with any other aspect of the disclosure. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatuses and techniques. These apparatuses and techniques will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, or the like (collectively referred to as “elements” ) . These elements may be implemented using hardware, software, or combinations thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

It should be noted that while aspects may be described herein using terminology commonly associated with a 5G or NR radio access technology (RAT) , aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other RATs, such as a 3G RAT, a 4G RAT, and/or a RAT subsequent to 5G (e.g., 6G) .

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network 100, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless network 100 may be or may include elements of a 5G (NR) network and/or an LTE network, among other examples. The wireless network 100 may include a number of base stations 110 (shown as BS 110a, BS 110b, BS 110c, and BS 110d) and other network entities. A base station (BS) is an entity that communicates with user equipment (UEs) and may also be referred to as an NR BS, a Node B, a gNB, a 5G node B (NB) , an access point, a transmit receive point (TRP) , or the like. Each BS may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to a coverage area of a BS and/or a BS subsystem serving this coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

A BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and/or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access by UEs having association with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG) ) . A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. In the example shown in Fig. 1, a BS 110a may be a macro BS for a macro cell 102a, a BS 110b may be a pico BS for a pico cell 102b, and a BS 110c may be a femto BS for a femto cell 102c. A BS may support one or multiple (e.g., three) cells. The terms “eNB” , “base station” , “NR BS” , “gNB” , “TRP” , “AP” , “node B” , “5G NB” , and “cell” may be used interchangeably herein.

In some aspects, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of the cell may move according to the location of a mobile BS. In some aspects, the BSs may be interconnected to one another and/or to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 through various types of backhaul interfaces, such as a direct physical connection or a virtual network, using any suitable transport network.

Wireless network 100 may also include relay stations. A relay station is an entity that can receive a transmission of data from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or a UE) and send a transmission of the data to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS) . A relay station may also be a UE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. In the example shown in Fig. 1, a relay BS 110d may communicate with macro BS 110a and a UE 120d in order to facilitate communication between BS 110a and UE 120d. A relay BS may also be referred to as a relay station, a relay base station, a relay, or the like.

Wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includes BSs of different types, such as macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relay BSs, or the like. These different types of BSs may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different impacts on interference in wireless network 100. For example, macro BSs may have a high transmit power level (e.g., 5 to 40 watts) whereas pico BSs, femto BSs, and relay BSs may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts) .

A network controller 130 may couple to a set of BSs and may provide coordination and control for these BSs. Network controller 130 may communicate with the BSs via a backhaul. The BSs may also communicate with one another, e.g., directly or indirectly via a wireless or wireline backhaul.

UEs 120 (e.g., 120a, 120b, 120c) may be dispersed throughout wireless network 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. A UE may also be referred to as an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, or the like. A UE may be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone) , a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device or equipment, biometric sensors/devices, wearable devices (smart watches, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wrist bands, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet) ) , an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio) , a vehicular component or sensor, smart meters/sensors, industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device that is configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium.

Some UEs may be considered machine-type communication (MTC) or evolved or enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, and/or location tags, that may communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., remote device) , or some other entity. A wireless node may provide, for example, connectivity for or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs may be considered Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and/or may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband internet of things) devices. Some UEs may be considered a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) . UE 120 may be included inside a housing that houses components of UE 120, such as processor components and/or memory components. In some aspects, the processor components and the memory components may be coupled together. For example, the processor components (e.g., one or more processors) and the memory components (e.g., a memory) may be operatively coupled, communicatively coupled, electronically coupled, and/or electrically coupled.

In general, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network may support a particular RAT and may operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT may also be referred to as a radio technology, an air interface, or the like. A frequency may also be referred to as a carrier, a frequency channel, or the like. Each frequency may support a single RAT in a given geographic area in order to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g., without using a base station 110 as an intermediary to communicate with one another) . For example, the UEs 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communications, device-to-device (D2D) communications, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocol (e.g., which may include a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocol or a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocol) , and/or a mesh network. In this case, the UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and/or other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by the base station 110.

Devices of wireless network 100 may communicate using the electromagnetic spectrum, which may be subdivided based on frequency or wavelength into various classes, bands, channels, or the like. For example, devices of wireless network 100 may communicate using an operating band having a first frequency range (FR1) , which may span from 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz, and/or may communicate using an operating band having a second frequency range (FR2) , which may span from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are sometimes referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to as a “sub-6 GHz” band. Similarly, FR2 is often referred to as a “millimeter wave” band despite being different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz –300 GHz) which is identified by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a “millimeter wave” band. Thus, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that the term “sub-6 GHz” or the like, if used herein, may broadly represent frequencies less than 6 GHz, frequencies within FR1, and/or mid-band frequencies (e.g., greater than 7.125 GHz) . Similarly, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that the term “millimeter wave” or the like, if used herein, may broadly represent frequencies within the EHF band, frequencies within FR2, and/or mid-band frequencies (e.g., less than 24.25 GHz) . It is contemplated that the frequencies included in FR1 and FR2 may be modified, and techniques described herein are applicable to those modified frequency ranges.

As indicated above, Fig. 1 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example 200 of a base station 110 in communication with a UE 120 in a wireless network 100, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Base station 110 may be equipped with T antennas 234a through 234t, and UE 120 may be equipped with R antennas 252a through 252r, where in general T ≥ 1 and R ≥ 1.

At base station 110, a transmit processor 220 may receive data from a data source 212 for one or more UEs, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based at least in part on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE based at least in part on the MCS (s) selected for the UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Transmit processor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI) ) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, and/or upper layer signaling) and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. Transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ) and synchronization signals (e.g., a primary synchronization signal (PSS) or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) ) . A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and/or the reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 232a through 232t. Each modulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. T downlink signals from modulators 232a through 232t may be transmitted via T antennas 234a through 234t, respectively.

At UE 120, antennas 252a through 252r may receive the downlink signals from base station 110 and/or other base stations and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a through 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 254a through 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 120 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280. The term “controller/processor” may refer to one or more controllers, one or more processors, or a combination thereof. A channel processor may determine a reference signal received power (RSRP) parameter, a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) parameter, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) parameter, and/or a channel quality indicator (CQI) parameter, among other examples. In some aspects, one or more components of UE 120 may be included in a housing 284.

Network controller 130 may include communication unit 294, controller/processor 290, and memory 292. Network controller 130 may include, for example, one or more devices in a core network. Network controller 130 may communicate with base station 110 via communication unit 294.

Antennas (e.g., antennas 234a through 234t and/or antennas 252a through 252r) may include, or may be included within, one or more antenna panels, antenna groups, sets of antenna elements, and/or antenna arrays, among other examples. An antenna panel, an antenna group, a set of antenna elements, and/or an antenna array may include one or more antenna elements. An antenna panel, an antenna group, a set of antenna elements, and/or an antenna array may include a set of coplanar antenna elements and/or a set of non-coplanar antenna elements. An antenna panel, an antenna group, a set of antenna elements, and/or an antenna array may include antenna elements within a single housing and/or antenna elements within multiple housings. An antenna panel, an antenna group, a set of antenna elements, and/or an antenna array may include one or more antenna elements coupled to one or more transmission and/or reception components, such as one or more components of Fig. 2.

On the uplink, at UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 and control information (e.g., for reports that include RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, and/or CQI) from controller/processor 280. Transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 if applicable, further processed by modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM or CP-OFDM) , and transmitted to base station 110. In some aspects, a modulator and a demodulator (e.g., MOD/DEMOD 254) of the UE 120 may be included in a modem of the UE 120. In some aspects, the UE 120 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of antenna (s) 252, modulators and/or demodulators 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, and/or TX MIMO processor 266. The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., controller/processor 280) and memory 282 to perform aspects of any of the methods described herein, for example, as described with reference to Figs. 5A-7.

At base station 110, the uplink signals from UE 120 and other UEs may be received by antennas 234, processed by demodulators 232, detected by a MIMO detector 236 if applicable, and further processed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by UE 120. Receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded control information to controller/processor 240. Base station 110 may include communication unit 244 and communicate to network controller 130 via communication unit 244. Base station 110 may include a scheduler 246 to schedule UEs 120 for downlink and/or uplink communications. In some aspects, a modulator and a demodulator (e.g., MOD/DEMOD 232) of the base station 110 may be included in a modem of the base station 110. In some aspects, the base station 110 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of antenna (s) 234, modulators and/or demodulators 232, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, transmit processor 220, and/or TX MIMO processor 230. The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., controller/processor 240) and memory 242 to perform aspects of any of the methods described herein, for example, as described with reference to Figs. 5A-7.

Controller/processor 240 of base station 110, controller/processor 280 of UE 120, and/or any other component (s) of Fig. 2 may perform one or more techniques associated with physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) repetition by candidate aggregation, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, controller/processor 240 of base station 110, controller/processor 280 of UE 120, and/or any other component (s) of Fig. 2 may perform or direct operations of, for example, process 600 of Fig. 6, process 700 of Fig. 7, and/or other processes as described herein.

Memories

242 and 282 may store data and program codes for base station 110 and UE 120, respectively. In some aspects, memory 242 and/or memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions (e.g., code and/or program code) for wireless communication. For example, the one or more instructions, when executed (e.g., directly, or after compiling, converting, and/or interpreting) by one or more processors of the base station 110 and/or the UE 120, may cause the one or more processors, the UE 120, and/or the base station 110 to perform or direct operations of, for example, process 600 of Fig. 6, process 700 of Fig. 7, and/or other processes as described herein. In some aspects, executing instructions may include running the instructions, converting the instructions, compiling the instructions, and/or interpreting the instructions, among other examples.

In some aspects, a UE includes means for receiving an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a control resource set (CORESET) , wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates; and/or means for identifying a downlink control information (DCI) payload repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates. The means for the UE to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of antenna 252, demodulator 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, modulator 254, controller/processor 280, or memory 282.

In some aspects, the UE includes means for decoding a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, with a largest aggregation level; means for puncturing a scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on a result of decoding the first sub-candidate; and/or means for monitoring for the scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on the result of decoding the first sub-candidate.

In some aspects, a base station includes means for generating an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates, wherein a DCI payload is repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates; and/or means for transmitting the aggregated PDCCH candidate to convey the DCI payload. The means for the base station to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of transmit processor 220, TX MIMO processor 230, modulator 232, antenna 234, demodulator 232, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, controller/processor 240, memory 242, or scheduler 246.

In some aspects, the base station includes means for decoding a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, with a largest aggregation level; means for puncturing a scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on a result of decoding the first sub-candidate; and/or means for monitoring for the scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on the result of decoding the first sub-candidate.

While blocks in Fig. 2 are illustrated as distinct components, the functions described above with respect to the blocks may be implemented in a single hardware, software, or combination component or in various combinations of components. For example, the functions described with respect to the transmit processor 264, the receive processor 258, and/or the TX MIMO processor 266 may be performed by or under the control of controller/processor 280.

As indicated above, Fig. 2 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 2.

Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating examples 300 and 400 of CORESETs, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4,

example CORESETs

300 and 400 may each include 2 symbols and 12 CCEs. “PDCCH candidate” may refer to a potential PDCCH that a UE is to monitor within a CORESET and may be defined by a starting CCE index and a quantity of CCEs with consecutive CCE indices. “Aggregation level (AL) ” of the PDCCH candidate may refer to a quantity of CCEs of a CORESET that are included in a PDCCH candidate. Different AL values may be supported, such as AL values of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or other quantities. As shown, CORESET 410 includes a PDCCH candidate that spans 8 CCEs (CCEs 0 through 7) , which may be termed an AL 8 PDCCH candidate. In contrast, CORESET 420 includes two discrete AL 4 PDCCH candidates (a first PDCCH candidate spanning CCEs 0 through 3 and a second PDCCH candidate spanning CCEs 8 through 11) .

As indicated above, Figs. 3 and 4 are provided as examples. Other examples may differ from what is described with respect to Figs. 3 and 4.

A UE may determine a starting CCE of a PDCCH candidate to enable receipt of the PDCCH candidate. For each AL L _AL configured in a search space (s) associated with a CORESET p, there may be a quantity

of PDCCH candidates. In this case, the UE may determine a starting CCE index of a PDCCH candidate

based at least in part on an equation:

where i is the starting CCE index, N _CCE, p is a total quantity of CCEs in p, and Y is a configurable quantity that may be randomized or configured based at least in part on a slot index, cell-specific radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) value, or a type of search space, among other examples.

In connection with a search space, the UE may determine time-domain resources of a PDCCH to monitor. For example, the UE may configure a monitoring periodicity, an offset within a monitoring period, or a duration of monitoring within one or more successive slots, among other examples. The search space may be based at least in part on the CORESET that is configured for the UE and the UE may determine a type of the search space (e.g., a common search space (CSS) or UE-specific search space (USS) based at least in part on received DCI.

To increase a reliability of PDCCH communications, a base station may configure time-domain repetition of a PDCCH. For example, the base station may repeat the PDCCH across a plurality of CORESETs (e.g., within a single slot or across a plurality of slots) and the UE may monitor the plurality of CORESETs to attempt to receive the PDCCH. In this way, a likelihood that interference or other disruptions cause the PDCCH to be dropped is reduced. However, monitoring for the PDCCH across a plurality of CORESETs may result in an excessive use of UE power resources while the UE remains in an awake state for monitoring (rather than transferring into an idle or sleep state) .

Some aspects described herein enable PDCCH repetition by candidate aggregation. For example, a base station may transmit a plurality of repetitions of DCI of a PDCCH candidate across a plurality of sub-candidates within a CORESET. In this case, a UE may monitor the CORESET for the plurality of sub-candidates to receive the DCI. In this way, the base station and the UE may achieve the improved reliability of PDCCH repetition within a single CORESET, thereby reducing a utilization power resources by reducing an amount of time that the UE remains in an awake state.

Figs. 5A-5C are diagrams illustrating examples 500 associated with PDCCH repetition by candidate aggregation, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 5A, example 500 includes aggregated

PDCCH candidates

510, 520, and 530 conveying a DCI to enable communication between a BS 110 and a UE 120. In some aspects, BS 110 and UE 120 may be included in a wireless network, such as wireless network 100. BS 110 and UE 120 may communicate via a wireless access link, which may include an uplink and a downlink.

As further shown in Fig. 5A, and by

reference numbers

550 and 552, BS 110 may transmit, in a common search space, an aggregated PDCCH candidate to UE 120 and UE 120 may identify a DCI conveyed by the aggregated PDCCH candidate. An aggregated PDCCH candidate may refer to a PDCCH candidate that is comprised of a plurality of sub-candidates for use in PDCCH repetition. For example, BS 110 may transmit an aggregated PDCCH candidate that is configured as an AL L _AL candidate with consecutive L' _A L CCEs. In other words, UE 120 may receive an aggregated PDCCH candidate that includes a first sub-candidate with a first set of CCE indices and a second sub-candidate with a second set of CCE indices, such that the second set of CCE indices are consecutive to the first set of CCE indices, as shown in aggregated PDCCH candidate 530. In this case, PDCCH candidate 530 includes a first AL 8 sub-candidate spanning CCEs 0 through 7 and a second AL 4 sub-candidate spanning CCEs 8 through 11. In this way, BS 110 and UE 120 may achieve, for example, a 1.76 decibel (dB) gain relative to a single AL 8 sub-candidate.

Additionally, or alternatively, BS 110 may transmit an aggregated PDCCH candidate that is configured as a combination of two monitored candidates

that may (or may not) have consecutive CCE indices. For example, aggregated PDCCH candidate 510 includes a first AL 16 sub-candidate spanning a first set of CCEs and a second AL 16 sub-candidate spanning a second set of CCEs, such that one or more CCEs are between the first set of CCEs and the second set of CCEs. In this way, BS 110 and UE 120 may achieve, for example, a 3 dB gain of a single AL 16 sub-candidate. Similarly, aggregated PDCCH candidate 520 includes a first AL 16 sub-candidate that is non-consecutive with a second AL 8 sub-candidate. In this way, BS 110 and UE 120 may achieve, for example, a 1.76 dB gain over a single AL 16 sub-candidate. Moreover, by using a combination of two monitored candidates, BS 110 may reduce a quantity of CCEs that UE 120 is to process relative to transmitting an aggregated candidate that is extended with consecutive L' _A L CCEs.

In some aspects, BS 110 may transmit an aggregated PDCCH candidate that is configured with a plurality of sub-candidates of the same aggregation level. For example, aggregated PDCCH candidate 510 includes two AL 16 sub-candidates. Additionally, or alternatively, BS 110 may transmit an aggregated PDCCH candidate that is configured with different aggregation levels. For example, aggregated PDCCH candidate 520 includes an AL 16 sub-candidate and an AL 8 sub-candidate, and aggregated PDCCH candidate 530 includes an AL 8 sub-candidate and an AL 4 sub-candidate. In this way, BS 110 and UE 120 may account for scenarios where a bandwidth restriction, such as for reduced capability (RedCap) UEs, does not include enough bandwidth to support a candidate with AL 16 (but able to support an aggregated candidate with an AL 8 sub-candidate and an AL 4 sub-candidate) .

In some aspects, BS 110 and UE 120 may select a particular coding for DCI encoding and decoding. For example, BS 110 may select mother code for polar code-based encoding. In this case, BS 110 may select the mother code based at least in part on an encoded length associated with a largest sub-candidate aggregation level among sub-candidates that comprise an aggregated PDCCH candidate. In this way, BS 110 selects the mother code in a manner that ensures backwards compatibility with UEs that are not configured for detecting a plurality of sub-candidates in a CORESET (but rather configured for detecting a single set of CCEs as a PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, as described above) .

In some aspects, BS 110 and UE 120 may perform rate mapping in connection with encoding of a DCI. For example, as shown by reference number 560 in Fig. 5B, UE 120 may perform rate matching with a circular buffer of an encoded DCI such that UE 120 starts from a particular encoded bit (e.g., bit 0) for each sub-candidate of the plurality of sub-candidates of the aggregated PDCCH candidate. In this case, UE 120 performs bit-to-RE mapping and associated processing and soft-combining for the first and second sub-candidates in parallel. In contrast, as shown by reference number 562, UE 120 may sequentially map each candidate such that rate-mapping for a sequentially second sub-candidate starts from an end of a sequentially first sub-candidate. In this case, UE 120 performs bit-to-RE mapping sequentially, such that UE 120 processes each symbol of the first sub-candidate before processing each symbol of the second sub-candidate, as shown.

In some aspects, UE 120 may decode sub-candidates of the aggregated PDCCH candidate to identify the DCI. For example, when UE 120 monitors an aggregated PDCCH candidate, UE 120 may decode a sub-candidate with a largest aggregation level before decoding other sub-candidates of the aggregated PDCCH candidate (a sub-candidate that is decodable by UEs not configured for decoding a plurality of sub-candidates, as described above) . In this case, if UE 120 successfully decodes the first sub-candidate (with the largest aggregation level) , UE 120 may forgo decoding other sub-candidates of the aggregated PDCCH candidate. In some aspects, UE 120 may puncture a scheduled PDSCH based at least in part on determining to forgo decoding the other sub-candidates of the aggregated PDCCH candidate. For example, as shown by reference number 570 in Fig. 5C, when the PDCCH and a PDSCH overlap, UE 120 may monitor for the PDSCH in a resource of a second sub-candidate based at least in part on successfully decoding the first sub-candidate. In contrast, when the PDCCH and PDSCH do not overlap, as shown by reference number 572, UE 120 may not puncture the PDSCH, but may switch to monitoring the PDSCH at a subsequent resource allocation of the PDSCH.

In some aspects, UE 120 may decode the aggregated PDCCH using blind decoding. For example, UE 120 may blind decode one or more sub-candidates of the aggregated PDCCH. In this case, the aggregated PDCCH candidate may be a separate PDCCH candidate from the sub-candidates of the aggregated PDCCH with respect to a limitation on a maximum quantity of monitored PDCCH candidates per slot per serving cell (which may be based at least in part on a UE capability) .

As indicated above, Figs. 5A-5C are provided as examples. Other examples may differ from what is described with respect to Figs. 5A-5C.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example process 600 performed, for example, by a UE, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Example process 600 is an example where the UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with PDCCH repetition by candidate aggregation.

As shown in Fig. 6, in some aspects, process 600 may include receiving an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates (block 610) . For example, the UE (e.g., using reception component 802, depicted in Fig. 8) may receive an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates, as described above.

As further shown in Fig. 6, in some aspects, process 600 may include identifying a DCI payload repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates (block 620) . For example, the UE (e.g., using identification component 808, depicted in Fig. 8) may identify a DCI payload repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates, as described above.

Process 600 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and/or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

In a first aspect, the two or more sub-candidates with respective consecutive control channel elements form an aggregated candidate.

In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, the two or more sub-candidates include a first monitored candidate with a first control channel element (CCE) index and a second monitored candidate with a second CCE index, and wherein an aggregated candidate comprises the first monitored candidate and the second monitored candidate.

In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, the first CCE index is non-consecutive with the second CCE index.

In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, the aggregated PDCCH candidate is associated with a common search space.

In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a first aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a second aggregation level that is different than the first aggregation level.

In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a particular aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with the particular aggregation level.

In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixth aspects, a mother code selection for the DCI payload is based at least in part on a size of a largest sub-candidate of the plurality of sub-candidates.

In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventh aspects, a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes from an initial encoded bit for each sub-candidate.

In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighth aspects, a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes sequentially for each sub-candidate.

In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through ninth aspects, process 600 includes decoding a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, with a largest aggregation level, and puncturing a scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on a result of decoding the first sub-candidate, or monitoring for the scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on the result of decoding the first sub-candidate.

In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through tenth aspects, a combination of a plurality of aggregated PDCCH candidates are separate from the plurality of sub-candidates with respect to a maximum quantity of PDCCH candidates within a particular time interval.

Although Fig. 6 shows example blocks of process 600, in some aspects, process 600 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Fig. 6. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 600 may be performed in parallel.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example process 700 performed, for example, by a base station, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Example process 700 is an example where the base station (e.g., base station 110) performs operations associated with PDCCH repetition by candidate aggregation.

As shown in Fig. 7, in some aspects, process 700 may include generating an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates, wherein a DCI payload is repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates (block 710) . For example, the base station (e.g., using generation component 908, depicted in Fig. 9) may generate an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates, wherein a DCI payload is repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates, as described above.

As further shown in Fig. 7, in some aspects, process 700 may include transmitting the aggregated PDCCH candidate to convey the DCI payload (block 720) . For example, the base station (e.g., using transmission component 904, depicted in Fig. 9) may transmit the aggregated PDCCH candidate to convey the DCI payload, as described above.

Process 700 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and/or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, the two or more sub-candidates include a first monitored candidate with a first CCE index and a second monitored candidate with a second CCE index, and wherein an aggregated candidate comprises the first monitored candidate and the second monitored candidate.

In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through ninth aspects, process 700 includes decoding a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, with a largest aggregation level, and puncturing a scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on a result of decoding the first sub-candidate, or monitoring for the scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on the result of decoding the first sub-candidate.

Although Fig. 7 shows example blocks of process 700, in some aspects, process 700 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Fig. 7. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 700 may be performed in parallel.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram of an example apparatus 800 for wireless communication. The apparatus 800 may be a UE, or a UE may include the apparatus 800. In some aspects, the apparatus 800 includes a reception component 802 and a transmission component 804, which may be in communication with one another (for example, via one or more buses and/or one or more other components) . As shown, the apparatus 800 may communicate with another apparatus 806 (such as a UE, a base station, or another wireless communication device) using the reception component 802 and the transmission component 804. As further shown, the apparatus 800 may include one or more of an identification component 808, a candidate processing component 810, or a monitoring component 812, among other examples.

In some aspects, the apparatus 800 may be configured to perform one or more operations described herein in connection with Figs. 5A-5C. Additionally, or alternatively, the apparatus 800 may be configured to perform one or more processes described herein, such as process 600 of Fig. 6. In some aspects, the apparatus 800 and/or one or more components shown in Fig. 8 may include one or more components of the UE described above in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components shown in Fig. 8 may be implemented within one or more components described above in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the set of components may be implemented at least in part as software stored in a memory. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by a controller or a processor to perform the functions or operations of the component.

The reception component 802 may receive communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, from the apparatus 806. The reception component 802 may provide received communications to one or more other components of the apparatus 800. In some aspects, the reception component 802 may perform signal processing on the received communications (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, de-mapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, among other examples) , and may provide the processed signals to the one or more other components of the apparatus 806. In some aspects, the reception component 802 may include one or more antennas, a demodulator, a MIMO detector, a receive processor, a controller/processor, a memory, or a combination thereof, of the UE described above in connection with Fig. 2.

The transmission component 804 may transmit communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, to the apparatus 806. In some aspects, one or more other components of the apparatus 806 may generate communications and may provide the generated communications to the transmission component 804 for transmission to the apparatus 806. In some aspects, the transmission component 804 may perform signal processing on the generated communications (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, among other examples) , and may transmit the processed signals to the apparatus 806. In some aspects, the transmission component 804 may include one or more antennas, a modulator, a transmit MIMO processor, a transmit processor, a controller/processor, a memory, or a combination thereof, of the UE described above in connection with Fig. 2. In some aspects, the transmission component 804 may be co-located with the reception component 802 in a transceiver.

The reception component 802 may receive an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates. The identification component 808 may identify a DCI payload repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates.

The candidate processing component 810 may decode a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, with a largest aggregation level. The candidate processing component 810 may puncture a scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on a result of decoding the first sub-candidate. The monitoring component 812 may monitor for the scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on the result of decoding the first sub-candidate.

The number and arrangement of components shown in Fig. 8 are provided as an example. In practice, there may be additional components, fewer components, different components, or differently arranged components than those shown in Fig. 8. Furthermore, two or more components shown in Fig. 8 may be implemented within a single component, or a single component shown in Fig. 8 may be implemented as multiple, distributed components. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of (one or more) components shown in Fig. 8 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an example apparatus 900 for wireless communication. The apparatus 900 may be a BS, or a BS may include the apparatus 900. In some aspects, the apparatus 900 includes a reception component 902 and a transmission component 904, which may be in communication with one another (for example, via one or more buses and/or one or more other components) . As shown, the apparatus 900 may communicate with another apparatus 906 (such as a UE, a base station, or another wireless communication device) using the reception component 902 and the transmission component 904. As further shown, the apparatus 900 may include a generation component 908, among other examples.

In some aspects, the apparatus 900 may be configured to perform one or more operations described herein in connection with Figs. 5A-5C. Additionally, or alternatively, the apparatus 900 may be configured to perform one or more processes described herein, such as process 700 of Fig. 7. In some aspects, the apparatus 900 and/or one or more components shown in Fig. 9 may include one or more components of the BS described above in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components shown in Fig. 9 may be implemented within one or more components described above in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the set of components may be implemented at least in part as software stored in a memory. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by a controller or a processor to perform the functions or operations of the component.

The reception component 902 may receive communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, from the apparatus 906. The reception component 902 may provide received communications to one or more other components of the apparatus 900. In some aspects, the reception component 902 may perform signal processing on the received communications (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, de-mapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, among other examples) , and may provide the processed signals to the one or more other components of the apparatus 906. In some aspects, the reception component 902 may include one or more antennas, a demodulator, a MIMO detector, a receive processor, a controller/processor, a memory, or a combination thereof, of the BS described above in connection with Fig. 2.

The transmission component 904 may transmit communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, to the apparatus 906. In some aspects, one or more other components of the apparatus 906 may generate communications and may provide the generated communications to the transmission component 904 for transmission to the apparatus 906. In some aspects, the transmission component 904 may perform signal processing on the generated communications (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, among other examples) , and may transmit the processed signals to the apparatus 906. In some aspects, the transmission component 904 may include one or more antennas, a modulator, a transmit MIMO processor, a transmit processor, a controller/processor, a memory, or a combination thereof, of the BS described above in connection with Fig. 2. In some aspects, the transmission component 904 may be co-located with the reception component 902 in a transceiver.

The generation component 908 may generate an aggregated PDCCH candidate within a CORESET, wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates, wherein a DCI payload is repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates. The transmission component 904 may transmit the aggregated PDCCH candidate to convey the DCI payload.

The number and arrangement of components shown in Fig. 9 are provided as an example. In practice, there may be additional components, fewer components, different components, or differently arranged components than those shown in Fig. 9. Furthermore, two or more components shown in Fig. 9 may be implemented within a single component, or a single component shown in Fig. 9 may be implemented as multiple, distributed components. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of (one or more) components shown in Fig. 9 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components shown in Fig. 9.

The following provides an overview of some aspects of the present disclosure:

Aspect 1: A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) , comprising: receiving an aggregated physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate within a control resource set (CORESET) , wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates; and identifying a downlink control information (DCI) payload repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates.

Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, wherein the two or more sub-candidates with respective consecutive control channel elements form an aggregated candidate.

Aspect 3: The method of any of aspects 1 to 2, wherein the two or more sub-candidates include a first monitored candidate with a first control channel element (CCE) index and a second monitored candidate with a second CCE index, and wherein an aggregated candidate comprises the first monitored candidate and the second monitored candidate.

Aspect 4: The method of aspect 3, wherein the first CCE index is non-consecutive with the second CCE index.

Aspect 5: The method of any of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the aggregated PDCCH candidate is associated with a common search space.

Aspect 6: The method of any of aspects 1 to 5, wherein a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a first aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a second aggregation level that is different than the first aggregation level.

Aspect 7: The method of any of aspects 1 to 5, wherein a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a particular aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with the particular aggregation level.

Aspect 8: The method of any of aspects 1 to 7, wherein a mother code selection for the DCI payload is based at least in part on a size of a largest sub-candidate of the plurality of sub-candidates.

Aspect 9: The method of any of aspects 1 to 8, wherein a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes from an initial encoded bit for each sub-candidate.

Aspect 10: The method of any of aspects 1 to 8, wherein a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes sequentially for each sub-candidate.

Aspect 11: The method of any of aspects 1 to 10, further comprising: decoding a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, with a largest aggregation level; and puncturing a scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on a result of decoding the first sub-candidate, or monitoring for the scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on the result of decoding the first sub-candidate.

Aspect 12: The method of any of aspects 1 to 11, wherein a combination of a plurality of aggregated PDCCH candidates are separate from the plurality of sub-candidates with respect to a maximum quantity of PDCCH candidates within a particular time interval.

Aspect 13: A method of wireless communication performed by a base station, comprising: generating an aggregated physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate within a control resource set (CORESET) , wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates, wherein a downlink control information (DCI) payload is repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates; and transmitting the aggregated PDCCH candidate to convey the DCI payload.

Aspect 14: The method of aspect 13, wherein the two or more sub-candidates with respective consecutive control channel elements form an aggregated candidate.

Aspect 15: The method of any of aspects 13, wherein the two or more sub-candidates include a first monitored candidate with a first control channel element (CCE) index and a second monitored candidate with a second CCE index, and wherein an aggregated candidate comprises the first monitored candidate and the second monitored candidate.

Aspect 16: The method of aspect 15, wherein the first CCE index is non-consecutive with the second CCE index.

Aspect 17: The method of any of aspects 13 to 16, wherein the aggregated PDCCH candidate is associated with a common search space.

Aspect 18: The method of any of aspects 13 to 17, wherein a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a first aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a second aggregation level that is different than the first aggregation level.

Aspect 19: The method of any of aspects 13 to 17, wherein a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a particular aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with the particular aggregation level.

Aspect 20: The method of any of aspects 13 to 19, wherein a mother code selection for the DCI payload is based at least in part on a size of a largest sub-candidate of the plurality of sub-candidates.

Aspect 21: The method of any of aspects 13 to 20, wherein a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes from an initial encoded bit for each sub-candidate.

Aspect 22: The method of any of aspects 13 to 20, wherein a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes sequentially for each sub-candidate.

Aspect 23: The method of any of aspects 13 to 21, wherein a combination of a plurality of aggregated PDCCH candidates are separate from the plurality of sub-candidates with respect to a maximum quantity of PDCCH candidates within a particular time interval.

Aspect 24: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, comprising a processor; memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-12.

Aspect 25: A device for wireless communication, comprising a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors configured to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-12.

Aspect 26: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one means for performing the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-12.

Aspect 27: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-12.

Aspect 28: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-12.

Aspect 24: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, comprising a processor; memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 13-23.

Aspect 25: A device for wireless communication, comprising a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors configured to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 13-23.

Aspect 26: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one means for performing the method of one or more aspects of aspects 13-23.

Aspect 27: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 13-23.

Aspect 28: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 13-23.

The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the aspects.

As used herein, the term “component” is intended to be broadly construed as hardware and/or a combination of hardware and software. “Software” shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, and/or functions, among other examples, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. As used herein, a processor is implemented in hardware and/or a combination of hardware and software. It will be apparent that systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware and/or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and/or methods is not limiting of the aspects. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and/or methods were described herein without reference to specific software code-it being understood that software and hardware can be designed to implement the systems and/or methods based, at least in part, on the description herein.

As used herein, satisfying a threshold may, depending on the context, refer to a value being greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, or the like.

Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of various aspects includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set. As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination with multiples of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c, a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering of a, b, and c) .

No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with “one or more. ” Further, as used herein, the article “the” is intended to include one or more items referenced in connection with the article “the” and may be used interchangeably with “the one or more. ” Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “set” and “group” are intended to include one or more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, or a combination of related and unrelated items) , and may be used interchangeably with “one or more. ” Where only one item is intended, the phrase “only one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has, ” “have, ” “having, ” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be inclusive when used in a series and may be used interchangeably with “and/or, ” unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g., if used in combination with “either” or “only one of” ) .

Claims

A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors configured to:

receive an aggregated physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate within a control resource set (CORESET) , wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates; and

identify a downlink control information (DCI) payload repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates.
The UE of claim 1, wherein the two or more sub-candidates with respective consecutive control channel elements form an aggregated candidate.
The UE of claim 1, wherein the two or more sub-candidates include a first monitored candidate with a first control channel element (CCE) index and a second monitored candidate with a second CCE index, and

wherein an aggregated candidate comprises the first monitored candidate and the second monitored candidate.
The UE of claim 3, wherein the first CCE index is non-consecutive with the second CCE index.
The UE of claim 1, wherein the aggregated PDCCH candidate is associated with a common search space.
The UE of claim 1, wherein a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a first aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a second aggregation level that is different than the first aggregation level.
The UE of claim 1, wherein a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a particular aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with the particular aggregation level.
The UE of claim 1, wherein a mother code selection for the DCI payload is based at least in part on a size of a largest sub-candidate of the plurality of sub-candidates.
The UE of claim 1, wherein a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes from an initial encoded bit for each sub-candidate.
The UE of claim 1, wherein a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes sequentially for each sub-candidate.
The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

decode a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, with a largest aggregation level.
The UE of claim 11, wherein a physical downlink shared channel overlaps with a PDCCH that includes the plurality of sub-candidates; and

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

puncture a scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on the physical downlink shared channel overlapping with the PDCCH.
The UE of claim 11, wherein a physical downlink shared channel overlaps with a PDCCH that includes the plurality of sub-candidates; and

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

monitor for the scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on the physical downlink shared channel overlapping with the PDCCH.
The UE of claim 1, wherein a combination of a plurality of aggregated PDCCH candidates are separate from the plurality of sub-candidates with respect to a maximum quantity of PDCCH candidates within a particular time interval.
A base station for wireless communication, comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors configured to:

generate an aggregated physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate within a control resource set (CORESET) , wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates, wherein a downlink control information (DCI) payload is repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates; and

transmit the aggregated PDCCH candidate to convey the DCI payload.
The base station of claim 15, wherein the two or more sub-candidates with respective consecutive control channel elements form an aggregated candidate.
The base station of claim 15, wherein the two or more sub-candidates include a first monitored candidate with a first control channel element (CCE) index and a second monitored candidate with a second CCE index, and

wherein an aggregated candidate comprises the first monitored candidate and the second monitored candidate.
The base station of claim 17, wherein the first CCE index is non-consecutive with the second CCE index.
The base station of claim 15, wherein the aggregated PDCCH candidate is associated with a common search space.
The base station of claim 15, wherein a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a first aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a second aggregation level that is different than the first aggregation level.
The base station of claim 15, wherein a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a particular aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with the particular aggregation level.
The base station of claim 15, wherein a mother code selection for the DCI payload is based at least in part on a size of a largest sub-candidate of the plurality of sub-candidates.
The base station of claim 15, wherein a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes from an initial encoded bit for each sub-candidate.
The base station of claim 15, wherein a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes sequentially for each sub-candidate.
The base station of claim 15, wherein a combination of a plurality of aggregated PDCCH candidates are separate from the plurality of sub-candidates with respect to a maximum quantity of PDCCH candidates within a particular time interval.
A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) , comprising:

receiving an aggregated physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate within a control resource set (CORESET) , wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates; and

identifying a downlink control information (DCI) payload repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates.
The method of claim 26, wherein the two or more sub-candidates with respective consecutive control channel elements form an aggregated candidate.
The method of claim 26, wherein the two or more sub-candidates include a first monitored candidate with a first control channel element (CCE) index and a second monitored candidate with a second CCE index, and

wherein an aggregated candidate comprises the first monitored candidate and the second monitored candidate.
The method of claim 28, wherein the first CCE index is non-consecutive with the second CCE index.
The method of claim 26, wherein the aggregated PDCCH candidate is associated with a common search space.
The method of claim 26, wherein a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a first aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a second aggregation level that is different than the first aggregation level.
The method of claim 26, wherein a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a particular aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with the particular aggregation level.
The method of claim 26, wherein a mother code selection for the DCI payload is based at least in part on a size of a largest sub-candidate of the plurality of sub-candidates.
The method of claim 26, wherein a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes from an initial encoded bit for each sub-candidate.
The method of claim 26, wherein a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes sequentially for each sub-candidate.
The method of claim 26, further comprising:

decoding a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, with a largest aggregation level.
The method of claim 36, wherein a physical downlink shared channel overlaps with a PDCCH that includes the plurality of sub-candidates; and

further comprising:

puncturing a scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on the physical downlink shared channel overlapping with the PDCCH.
The method of claim 36, wherein a physical downlink shared channel overlaps with a PDCCH that includes the plurality of sub-candidates; and

further comprising:

monitoring for the scheduled physical downlink shared channel based at least in part on the physical downlink shared channel overlapping with the PDCCH.
The method of claim 26, wherein a combination of a plurality of aggregated PDCCH candidates are separate from the plurality of sub-candidates with respect to a maximum quantity of PDCCH candidates within a particular time interval.
A method of wireless communication performed by a base station, comprising:

generating an aggregated physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate within a control resource set (CORESET) , wherein the CORESET includes a plurality of sub-candidates, wherein a downlink control information (DCI) payload is repeated in two or more sub-candidates of the plurality of sub-candidates; and

transmitting the aggregated PDCCH candidate to convey the DCI payload.
The method of claim 40, wherein the two or more sub-candidates with respective consecutive control channel elements form an aggregated candidate.
The method of claim 40, wherein the two or more sub-candidates include a first monitored candidate with a first control channel element (CCE) index and a second monitored candidate with a second CCE index, and

wherein an aggregated candidate comprises the first monitored candidate and the second monitored candidate.
The method of claim 42, wherein the first CCE index is non-consecutive with the second CCE index.
The method of claim 40, wherein the aggregated PDCCH candidate is associated with a common search space.
The method of claim 40, wherein a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a first aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a second aggregation level that is different than the first aggregation level.
The method of claim 40, wherein a first sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with a particular aggregation level, and a second sub-candidate, of the plurality of sub-candidates, is associated with the particular aggregation level.
The method of claim 40, wherein a mother code selection for the DCI payload is based at least in part on a size of a largest sub-candidate of the plurality of sub-candidates.
The method of claim 40, wherein a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes from an initial encoded bit for each sub-candidate.
The method of claim 40, wherein a mapping of encoded bits to resource elements for the plurality of sub-candidates initializes sequentially for each sub-candidate.
A method, device, apparatus, computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment, base station, node, wireless communication device, and/or processing system as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings and specification.