Efficient multi-cell scheduling mechanism
This disclosure is directed to resource scheduling/signaling in a wireless cellular access network and is specifically directed to a mechanism for resource scheduling in a multi-cell and carrier aggregation environment for a User Equipment (UE) by a wireless base station with enhanced scheduling efficiency. The various example embodiments are particularly directed to multi-cell downlink resource scheduling/signaling by the base station and blind monitoring of the corresponding scheduling/signaling messages by a wireless terminal device. The general mechanism includes using a single Downlink Control Information (DCI) message to schedule resources for multiple cells for the UE. In addition, the mechanism includes using any one of the multiple cells as a scheduling cell to carry the single DCI message by the base station. Various schemes are implemented such that a maximum number of blind decoding by the UE to monitor the scheduling DCI is not increased over a normal single-cell scheduling scheme.
1 . A method performed by a wireless terminal device in communication with a base station via a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), comprising:
supporting reception of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) candidate in symbols with wireless resources of a second RAT; and
receiving the PDCCH candidate under a rule that Resource Elements (REs) of the PDCCH candidate overlap with only one of two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists configurable to the wireless terminal device, wherein wireless resources indicated by any one of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists are used by the second RAT.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists comprises a first wireless resource rate-matching pattern list and a second wireless resource rate-mating pattern list.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first wireless resource rate-matching pattern list and the second wireless resource rate-matching pattern list overlap in frequency.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the only one of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists corresponds to the first wireless resource rate-matching pattern list.
5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the only one of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists corresponds to the second wireless resource rate-matching pattern list.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing rate matching according to one of or both of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists.
7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the only one of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists is indicated by a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message or a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC CE) signaled from the base station.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing rate matching according to one or both of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists when receiving a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) scheduled by a DCI of the first RAT.
9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing rate matching dynamically, when receiving a PDSCH scheduled by a DCI of the first RAT, according to one of or both of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists as indicated by the DCI of the first RAT.
10 . A wireless terminal device, in communication with a base station via a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), comprising a memory for storing instructions and a processor for executing the instructions to:
support reception of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) candidate in symbols with wireless resources of a second RAT; and
receive the PDCCH candidate under a rule that Resource Elements (REs) overlap with only one of two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists configurable to the wireless terminal device, wherein wireless resources indicated by any one of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists are used by the second RAT.
11 . The wireless terminal device of claim 10 , wherein the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists comprises a first wireless resource rate-matching pattern list and a second wireless resource rate-mating pattern list.
12 . The wireless terminal device of claim 11 , wherein the first wireless resource rate-matching pattern list and the second wireless resource rate-matching pattern list overlap in frequency.
13 . The wireless terminal device of claim 12 , wherein the only one of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists corresponds to the first wireless resource rate-matching pattern list.
14 . The wireless terminal device of claim 12 , wherein the only one of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists corresponds to the second wireless resource rate-matching pattern list.
15 . The wireless terminal device of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to perform rate matching according to one of or both of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists.
16 . The wireless terminal device of claim 11 , wherein the only one of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists is indicated by a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message or a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC CE) signaled from the base station.
17 . The wireless terminal device of claim 10 , the processor further configured to execute the instructions to perform rate matching according to one or both of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists when receiving a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) scheduled by a DCI of the first RAT.
18 . The wireless terminal device of claim 10 , the processor further configured to execute the instructions to perform rate matching dynamically, when receiving a PDSCH scheduled by a DCI of the first RAT, according to the one of or both of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists as indicated by the DCI of the first RAT.
19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions, when being executed by a processor of a wireless terminal device in communication with a base station via a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), are configured to cause the wireless terminal device to:
support reception of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) candidate in symbols with wireless resources of a second RAT; and
receive the PDCCH candidate under a rule that Resource Elements (REs) overlap with only one of two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists configurable to the wireless terminal device, wherein wireless resources indicated by any one of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists are used by the second RAT.
20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 ,
wherein the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists comprise a first wireless resource rate-matching pattern list and a second wireless resource rate-mating pattern list, or
wherein the instructions, when being executed by the processor, are further configured to cause the wireless terminal device to perform rate matching dynamically according to the one of or both of the two wireless resource rate-matching pattern lists as indicated by Downlink Control Information of the first RAT.