Method and apparatus for group scheduling for PDCCH overhead reduction

1. A user equipment (UE) comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive:

first configuration information for reception of first physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs), wherein a PDCCH from the first PDCCHs provides a first downlink control information (DCI) format that includes a first number of information bits,

second configuration information for a location of a second number of information bits in the first DCI format, the second number of information bits being smaller than the first number of information bits, and

at least one of the first PDCCHs; and

a processor operably connected to the transceiver, the processor configured to determine, from the second number of information bits, values of one or more fields associated with reception of a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or with transmission of a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

2. The UE of claim 1 , wherein:

the processor is further configured to determine that the one or more fields include at least one of:

a time domain resource allocation,

a frequency domain resource allocation,

an indication whether the second number of information bits correspond to a PDSCH reception or to a PUSCH transmission,

a modulation coding scheme,

a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number, and

a redundancy version; and

the transceiver is further configured to receive the first PDSCH or transmit the first PUSCH.

3. The UE of claim 1 , wherein:

the first number of information bits include a third number of information bits,

a location for the third number of information bits is predetermined in the first DCI format, and

the processor is further configured to determine, from the third number of information bits, values of one or more fields associated with reception of the first PDSCH or with transmission of the first PUSCH.

4. The UE of claim 1 , wherein:

the transceiver is further configured to receive third configuration information for a number of semi-persistently scheduled (SPS) PDSCHs or for a number of configured-grant (CG) PUSCHs;

the processor is further configured to determine, from the values of the one or more fields, activation or release for respective one or more:

SPS PDSCHs from the number of SPS PDSCHs, or

CG PUSCHs from the number of CG PUSCHs; and

the transceiver is further configured to:

receive an SPS PDSCH from the one or more SPS PDSCHs if a respective determination is for activation,

suspend reception of an SPS PDSCH from the one or more SPS PDSCHs if a respective determination is for release,

transmit a CG PUSCH from the one or more CG PUSCHs if a respective determination is for activation, and

suspend transmission of a CG PUSCH from the one or more CG PUSCHs if a respective determination is for release.

5. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

receive third configuration information for a number of semi-persistently scheduled (SPS) PDSCHs or for a number of configured-grant (CG) PUSCHs,

receive the first PDSCH, wherein the first PDSCH includes a field with a value indicating activation or release of at least one SPS PDSCH from the number of SPS PDSCHs or of at least one CG PUSCH from the number of CG PUSCHs,

receive the at least one SPS PDSCH if the value indicates activation,

suspend reception of the at least one SPS PDSCH if the value indicates release,

transmit the at least one CG PUSCH if the value indicates activation, and

suspend transmission of the at least one CG PUSCH if the value indicates release.

6. The UE of claim 1 , wherein:

the transceiver is further configured to receive third configuration information for reception of second PDCCHs,

a PDCCH from the second PDCCHs provides a second DCI format having a third number of information bits,

the third number of information bits is equal to the first number of information bits, and

the processor is further configured to determine, from the third number of information bits, values of one or more fields for reception of a second PDSCH or for transmission of a second PUSCH.

7. The UE of claim 6 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

receive the first PDSCH or transmit the first PUSCH, wherein the first PDSCH or the first PUSCH includes a transport block; and

receive the second PDSCH or transmit the second PUSCH, wherein the second PDSCH or the second PUSCH includes the transport block.

8. A base station (BS) comprising:

a processor configured to determine a second number of information bits to indicate values of one or more fields associated with reception of a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or with transmission of a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); and

a transceiver operably connected to the processor, the transceiver configured to transmit:

first configuration information associated with reception of first physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs), wherein a PDCCH from the first PDCCHs provides a first downlink control information (DCI) format that includes a first number of information bits,

second configuration information for a location of a second number of information bits in the first DCI format, the second number of information bits being smaller than the first number of information bits,

at least one of the first PDCCHs.

9. The BS of claim 8 , wherein:

the processor is further configured to determine the one or more fields to indicate at least one of:

a time domain resource allocation,

a frequency domain resource allocation,

an indication whether the second number of information bits correspond to a PDSCH transmission or to a PUSCH reception,

a modulation coding scheme,

a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number, and

a redundancy version; and

the transceiver is further configured to transmit the first PDSCH or receive the first PUSCH.

10. The BS of claim 8 , wherein:

the first number of information bits include a third number of information bits,

a location for the third number of information bits is predetermined in the first DCI format, and

the processor is further configured to determine the third number of information bits to indicate values of one or more fields associated with reception of the first PDSCH or with transmission of the first PUSCH.

11. The BS of claim 8 , wherein:

the transceiver is further configured to transmit third configuration information for a number of semi-persistently scheduled (SPS) PDSCHs or for a number of configured-grant (CG) PUSCHs;

the processor is further configured to determine the values of the one or more fields to indicate activation or release for respective one or more:

SPS PDSCHs from the number of SPS PDSCHs, or

CG PUSCHs from the number of CG PUSCHs; and

the transceiver is further configured to:

transmit an SPS PDSCH from the one or more SPS PDSCHs if a respective indication is for activation,

suspend transmission of an SPS PDSCH from the one or more SPS PDSCHs if a respective indication is for release,

receive a CG PUSCH from the one or more CG PUSCHs if a respective indication is for activation, and

suspend reception of a CG PUSCH from the one or more CG PUSCHs if a respective indication is for release.

12. The BS of claim 8 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

transmit third configuration information for a number of semi-persistently scheduled (SPS) PDSCHs or for a number of configured-grant (CG) PUSCHs,

transmit the first PDSCH, wherein the first PDSCH includes a field with a value indicating activation or release of at least one SPS PDSCH from the number of SPS PDSCHs or of at least one CG PUSCH from the number of CG PUSCHs,

transmit the at least one SPS PDSCH if the value indicates activation,

suspend transmission of the at least one SPS PDSCH if the value indicates release,

receive the at least one CG PUSCH if the value indicates activation, and

suspend reception of the at least one CG PUSCH if the value indicates release.

13. The BS of claim 8 , wherein:

the transceiver is further configured to transmit third configuration information for transmission of second PDCCHs,

a PDCCH from the second PDCCHs provides a second DCI format having a third number of information bits,

the third number of information bits is equal to the first number of information bits, and

the processor is further configured to determine the third number of information bits to indicate values of one or more fields for reception of a second PDSCH or for transmission of a second PUSCH.

14. The BS of claim 13 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

transmit the first PDSCH or receive a first PUSCH, wherein the first PDSCH or the first PUSCH include a transport block; and

transmit the second PDSCH or receive the second PUSCH, wherein the second PDSCH or the second PUSCH include the transport block.

15. A method comprising:

receiving first configuration information for reception of first physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs), wherein a PDCCH from the first PDCCHs provides a first downlink control information (DCI) format that includes a first number of information bits;

receiving second configuration information for a location of a second number of information bits in the first DCI format, the second number of information bits being smaller than the first number of information bits;

receiving at least one of the first PDCCHs; and

determining, from the second number of information bits, values of one or more fields associated with reception of a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or with transmission of a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

determining the one or more fields include at least one of:

a time domain resource allocation,

a frequency domain resource allocation,

an indication whether the second number of information bits correspond to a PDSCH reception or to a PUSCH transmission,

a modulation coding scheme,

a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number, and

a redundancy version; and

receiving the first PDSCH or transmitting the first PUSCH.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

receiving third configuration information for a number of semi-persistently scheduled (SPS) PDSCHs or for a number of configured-grant (CG) PUSCHs;

determining, from the values of the one or more fields, activation or release for respective one or more:

SPS PDSCHs from the number of SPS PDSCHs, or

CG PUSCHs from the number of CG PUSCHs;

receiving an SPS PDSCH from the one or more SPS PDSCHs when the determination is for activation for the respective one or more SPS PDSCHs;

suspending reception of an SPS PDSCH from the one or more SPS PDSCH when the determination is for release for the respective one or more SPS PDSCHs;

transmitting a CG PUSCH from the one or more CG PUSCHs when the determination is for activation for the respective one or more CG PUSCHs; and

suspending transmission of a CG PUSCH from the one or more CG PUSCH when the determination is for release for the respective one or more CG PUSCHs.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

receiving third configuration information for a number of semi-persistently scheduled (SPS) PDSCHs or for a number of configured-grant (CG) PUSCHs;

receiving the first PDSCH, wherein the first PDSCH includes a field with a value indicating activation or release of at least one SPS PDSCH from the number of SPS PDSCHs or of at least one CG PUSCH from the number of CG PUSCH;

receiving the at least one SPS PDSCH when the value indicates activation of the at least one SPS PDSCH;

suspending reception of the at least one SPS PDSCH when the value indicates release of the at least one SPS PDSCH;

transmitting the at least one CG PUSCH when the value indicates activation of the at least one CG PUSCH; and

suspending transmission of the at least one CG PUSCH when the value indicates release of the at least one CG PUSCH.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

receiving third configuration information for reception of second PDCCHs, wherein a PDCCH from the second PDCCHs provides a second DCI format having a third number of information bits, wherein the third number of information bits is equal to the first number of information bits; and

determining, from the third number of information bits, values of one or more fields for reception of a second PDSCH or for transmission of a second PUSCH.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

receiving the first PDSCH or transmitting the first PUSCH, wherein the first PDSCH or the first PUSCH include a transport block; and

receiving the second PDSCH or transmitting the second PUSCH, wherein the second PDSCH or the second PUSCH include the transport block.