Physical downlink control channel monitoring method and apparatus

A communication apparatus, comprising:

• a memory storing instructions;
• and
• at least one processor in communication with the memory, the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions, wherein upon execution of the instructions, the at least one processor performs a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring method, the method comprising the following:
• determining that a first monitoring capability of the terminal device is used to monitor physical downlink control channels of a cell set comprising at least two cells of the terminal device, wherein each cell in the cell set has a same span pattern and a same subcarrier spacing, wherein the span pattern is represented as (X, Y), wherein X represents a minimum symbol spacing between start symbols of two spans, and wherein Y represents a maximum quantity of consecutive symbols comprised in the span;
• determining N non-overlapping time units of the cell set in one slot, wherein a start location of each of the N non-overlapping time units is based on a span of a cell in the cell set, wherein N is a positive integer, and wherein the time unit is X symbols;
• and
• allocating the first monitoring capability between the cells in the cell set in each of the N non-overlapping X symbols, to separately monitor PDCCHs of cells in the cell set,
• wherein the allocating the first monitoring capability between the cells in the cell set meets the following condition in each of the N non-overlapping X symbols:
• a sum of maximum monitoring times allocated to cells in the cell set is less than or equal to the maximum monitoring times allocated to the first cell set;
• and a sum of the maximum quantity of control channel elements (CCEs) allocated to the cells in the cell set is less than or equal to the maximum quantity of CCEs allocated to the first cell set.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, a computer program comprising at least one code section for distributing data, the at least one code section being executable by a terminal device for causing the terminal device to perform a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring method, the method comprising the following:

• determining that a first monitoring capability of the terminal device is used to monitor physical downlink control channels of a cell set comprising at least two cells of the terminal device, wherein each cell in the cell set has a same span pattern and a same subcarrier spacing, wherein the span pattern is represented as (X, Y), wherein X represents a minimum symbol spacing between start symbols of two spans, and wherein Y represents a maximum quantity of consecutive symbols comprised in the span;
• determining N non-overlapping time units of the cell set in one slot, wherein a start location of each of the N non-overlapping time units is based on a span of a cell in the cell set, wherein N is a positive integer, and wherein the time unit is X symbols;
• and
• allocating the first monitoring capability between the cells in the cell set in each of the N non-overlapping X symbols, to separately monitor PDCCHs of cells in the cell set,
• wherein the allocating the first monitoring capability between the cells in the cell set meets the following condition in each of the N non-overlapping X symbols:
• a sum of maximum monitoring times allocated to cells in the cell set is less than or equal to the maximum monitoring times allocated to the first cell set;
• and a sum of the maximum quantity of control channel elements (CCEs) allocated to the cells in the cell set is less than or equal to the maximum quantity of CCEs allocated to the first cell set.