Designs for multi-DCI based multi-TRP operation

1. A method, comprising:

at a user equipment (UE) in multiple Downlink Control Information (multi-DCI) based multiple transmission and reception point (multi-TRP) configuration having simultaneous connections with a first next generation node B (gNB) and a second gNB over a same carrier:

receiving, from one of the first or second gNBs, one or more cell reference signal (CRS) rate matching patterns, wherein the one or more CRS rate matching patterns comprise an indication of a control resource set (CORESET) pool for each of the one or more CRS rate matching patterns;

applying the one or more CRS rate matching patterns to a CORESET for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) based on the indication of the CORESET pool;

determining whether a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) is scheduled by a DCI;

when the PUCCH is scheduled by the DCI, determining whether a CORESET from which the DCI is decoded has a configured CORESET pool;

when the CORESET from which the DCI is decoded has a configured CORESET pool, setting the default TCI state and pathloss reference signal to a CORESET having a lowest CORESET identification among CORESETs having the same CORESET pool indication as the DCI that triggers the PUCCH transmission in a latest PDCCH monitoring slot; and

when the CORESET from which the DCI is decoded does not have a configured CORESET pool, setting the default TCI state and pathloss reference signal to a CORESET in a predefined CORESET pool having a lowest CORSET identification.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more CRS rate matching patterns are grouped based on the CORESET pool to which each of the one or more CRS rate matching patterns belongs, wherein the indication is based on at least a group to which each of the one or more CRS rate matching patterns belongs.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more CRS rate matching patterns are grouped corresponding to the first gNB or the second gNB.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication is one of an explicit indication or an implicit indication.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein, when the indication is the implicit indication, the method further comprises:

when a first predefined pool has less than a maximum number of CRS rate matching patterns, determining the CORESET pool to be the first predefined pool; and

when the first predefined pool has the maximum number of CRS rate matching patterns, determining the CORESET pool to be a second predefined pool.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the UE is configured to perform a first number of blind decoding operations or a second number of channel estimation operations over non-overlapping Control Channel Elements (CCEs) for a DCI in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) based on a parameter, wherein a value of the parameter is one of (i) reported to one of the first or second gNBs by the UE, or (ii) a predefined value.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining whether the UE supports a separate Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback mode, wherein each of the first and second gNBs provides a separate HARQ-ACK feedback to the UE;

when the UE supports the separate HARQ-ACK feedback mode, setting a default HARQ-ACK feedback mode to the separate HARQ-ACK feedback mode; and

when the UE does not support the separate HARQ-ACK feedback mode, setting the default HARQ-ACK feedback mode to a joint HARQ-ACK feedback mode, wherein the first and second gNBs jointly provide HARQ-ACK feedback to the UE.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining whether a CORESET in a latest monitored PDCCH slot has a configured CORESET pool;

when the CORESET in the latest monitored PDCCH slot has the configured CORESET pool, setting a default Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state for Aperiodic Channel State Indication-Reference Signals (AP-CSI-RS) to a CORESET having a lowest CORSET identification among CORESETs having the same CORESET pool indication as a DCI that triggers the corresponding AP-CSI-RS; and

when the CORESET in the latest monitored PDCCH slot does not have the configured CORESET pool, setting the default TCI state for AP-CSI-RS to a CORESET in a predefined CORESET pool having a lowest CORSET identification.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

when the PUCCH is not scheduled by the DCI, setting a default Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state and pathloss reference signal based on a CORESET having a lowest CORESET identification in an active bandwidth part of one of the first and second gNBs that is designated as a primary cell.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining whether the UE is simultaneously in the multi-DCI based multi-TRP configuration and a single-DCI based multi-TRP) configuration; and

one of (i) placing the UE in an error condition, (ii) omitting monitoring a DCI corresponding to a predefined CORESET pool, (iii) ignoring the single-DCI configuration and operating in the multi-DCI based multi-TRP operation or (iv) ignoring the multi-DCI configuration and operating in single-DCI based multi-TRP operation.

11. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a transceiver configured to connect to a first next generation node B (gNB) and a second gNB over a same carrier in a multiple Downlink Control Information (multi-DCI) based multiple transmission and reception point (multi-TRP) configuration; and

a processor configured to:

receive, from one of the first or second gNBs, one or more cell reference signal (CRS) rate matching patterns, wherein the one or more CRS rate matching patterns comprise an indication of a control resource set (CORESET) pool for each of the one or more CRS rate matching patterns,

apply the one or more CRS rate matching patterns to a CORESET for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) based on the indication of the CORESET pool,

determine whether a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) is scheduled by a DCI,

when the PUCCH is scheduled by the DCI, determine whether a CORESET from which the DCI is decoded has a configured CORESET pool,

when the CORESET from which the DCI is decoded has a configured CORESET pool, set the default TCI state and pathloss reference signal to a CORESET having a lowest CORESET identification among CORESETs having the same CORESET pool indication as the DCI that triggers the PUCCH transmission in a latest PDCCH monitoring slot, and

when the CORESET from which the DCI is decoded does not have a configured CORESET pool, set the default TCI state and pathloss reference signal to a CORESET in a predefined CORESET pool having a lowest CORSET identification.

12. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the one or more CRS rate matching patterns are one of (i) grouped based on the CORESET pool to which each of the one or more CRS rate matching patterns belongs, wherein the indication is based on at least a group to which each of the one or more CRS rate matching patterns belongs, or (ii) grouped corresponding to the first gNB or the second gNB.

13. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the indication is one of an explicit indication or an implicit indication, and wherein when the indication is the implicit indication, the UE is further configured to:

determine the CORESET pool to be a first predefined pool when the first predefined pool has less than a maximum number of CRS rate matching patterns, and

determine the CORESET pool to be a second predefined pool when the first predefined pool has the maximum number of CRS rate matching patterns.

14. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the UE is configured to perform a number of blind decoding operations for a DCI in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) based on a parameter, wherein a value of the parameter is one of (i) reported to one of the first or second gNBs by the UE, or (ii) a predefined value.

15. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the UE supports a separate Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback mode, wherein each of the first and second gNBs provides a separate HARQ-ACK feedback to the UE,

when the UE supports the separate HARQ-ACK feedback mode, set a default HARQ-ACK feedback mode to the separate HARQ-ACK feedback mode; and

when the UE does not support the separate HARQ-ACK feedback mode, set the default HARQ-ACK feedback mode to a joint HARQ-ACK feedback mode, wherein the first and second gNBs jointly provide HARQ-ACK feedback to the UE.

16. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether a CORESET in a latest monitored PDCCH slot has a configured CORESET pool;

when the CORESET in the latest monitored PDCCH slot has the configured CORESET pool, set a default Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state for Aperiodic Channel State Indication-Reference Signals (AP-CSI-RS) to a CORESET having a lowest CORSET identification among CORESETs having the same CORESET pool indication as a DCI that triggers the corresponding AP-CSI-RS; and

when the CORESET in the latest monitored PDCCH slot does not have the configured CORESET pool, set the default TCI state for AP-CSI-RS to a CORESET in a predefined CORESET pool having a lowest CORSET identification.

17. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the UE is simultaneously in the multi-DCI based multi-TRP configuration and a single-DCI based multi-TRP) configuration; and

one of (i) place the UE in an error condition, (ii) omit monitoring a DCI corresponding to a predefined CORESET pool, (iii) ignore the single-DCI configuration and operating in the multi-DCI based multi-TRP operation or (iv) ignore the multi-DCI configuration and operating in single-DCI based multi-TRP operation.

18. An integrated circuit configured for use in a user equipment (UE) in multiple Downlink Control Information (multi-DCI) based multiple transmission and reception point (multi-TRP) configuration having simultaneous connections with a first next generation node B (gNB) and a second gNB over a same carrier, comprising:

circuitry configured to receive, from one of the first or second gNBs, one or more cell reference signal (CRS) rate matching patterns, wherein the one or more CRS rate matching patterns comprise an indication of a control resource set (CORESET) pool for each of the one or more CRS rate matching patterns;

circuitry configured to apply the one or more CRS rate matching patterns to a CORESET for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) based on the indication of the CORESET pool;

circuitry configured to determine whether a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) is scheduled by a DCI;

circuitry configured to determine whether a CORESET from which the DCI is decoded has a configured CORESET pool when the PUCCH is scheduled by the DCI;

circuitry configured to set the default TCI state and pathloss reference signal to a CORESET having a lowest CORESET identification among CORESETs having the same CORESET pool indication as the DCI that triggers the PUCCH transmission in a latest PDCCH monitoring slot when the CORESET from which the DCI is decoded has a configured CORESET pool; and

circuitry configured to set the default TCI state and pathloss reference signal to a CORESET in a predefined CORESET pool having a lowest CORSET identification when the CORESET from which the DCI is decoded does not have a configured CORESET pool.