Method and apparatus for reporting hybrid automatic repetition request-confirmation in non-terrestrial network communications

Description

1 / 20 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REPORTING HYBRID AUTOMATIC REPEAT REQUEST-CONFIRMATION IN NON-NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS TERRESTRIAL CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION(S)

[0001] This disclosure forms part of a non-provisional application claiming the benefit of priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 494,482, filed April 6, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This disclosure relates generally to mobile communications and, more particularly, to an enhanced hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) report for a downlink reception configured in non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications. BACKGROUND

[0003] Unless otherwise indicated in this document, the approaches described in this section are not considered prior art with respect to the claims listed below and are not admitted as prior art because they are included in this section.

[0004] In wireless communications, such as mobile communications under the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards, including 5th Generation (5G) - New Radio (NR) and 4th Generation (4G) - Long Term Evolution (LTE), the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) is a communication protocol that allows the sender to detect and correct errors in the transmitted data. When data is transmitted from the sender to the receiver, the receiver sends an acknowledgment (ACK) message to the sender indicating that the data was successfully received. If the sender does not receive an ACK message within a certain period, the sender may be unable to respond. Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, p. 19 / 47 During the 2 / 20 time period, it assumes that the data was not received correctly and sends the data again.

[0005] In NR, the downlink (DL) configuration for receiving a downlink shared physical channel (PDSCH) via a semi-persistent schedule (SPS) is triggered via Downlink Control Information (DCI). The HARQ-ACK report is indicated in the DCI, which activates the PDSCH SPS reception. For example, for a PDSCH SPS reception that terminates in the DL slot nD, the UE transmits the uplink physical control channel (PUCCH) in the uplink slot (UL) n + k, where k is provided by the PDSCH-to-HARQ feedback time indicator field, if present, in a DCI format that activates the PDSCH SPS reception.

[0006] In NR NTN communications, ^offset is introduced to address long propagation delays in satellite systems. In satellite systems, each UE needs to apply a large time advance (TA) value to compensate for the round-trip time (RTT) between the UE and the 5G Node B (gNB) / satellite. When the TA becomes large, the cardinality of the set of k values ​​that can be used is significantly reduced. To solve this problem, the scaling offset %ffset is introduced to improve transmission time, including the HARQ-ACK transmission time in PUCCH. However, the %ffset value can be dynamically changed / updated via a control signal. The UE may receive a new %ffset value while preparing the HARQ-ACK report for the scaled downlink reception. It is unclear what %ffset value should be applied to transmit the HARQ-ACK report.

[0007] There is ambiguity in determining the transmission time for uplink transmissions when the value of %ffseté is changed. Consequently, resolving this ambiguity becomes an important issue in newly developed wireless communication networks. Therefore, there is a need to Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, p. 20 / 47 3 / 20 provide suitable schemes to enhance HARQ-ACT reporting in NTN communications. SUMMARY

[0008] The following summary is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. Thus, the following summary is provided to introduce concepts, highlights, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Selected implementations are described in more detail below in the detailed description. Therefore, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed object, nor is it intended to be used to determine the scope of the claimed object.

[0009] One objective of this disclosure is to propose solutions or schemes that address the issues mentioned above. More specifically, several schemes proposed in this disclosure relate to an improved HARQACK report for a downlink reception configured in NTN communications.

[0010] In one aspect, a method may involve a UE receiving at least one offset value configuration from a network node. The method may also involve the UE performing a downlink reception configured by the network node. The method may further involve the UE determining an offset value that is applicable in a slot that overlaps with a last symbol of the downlink reception. The method may also involve the UE transmitting HARQ information to the network node according to the offset value.

[0011] In another aspect, a device may comprise a transceiver that, during operation, communicates wirelessly with at least one network node. The device may also comprise a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor, during operation, may perform operations that Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 21 / 47 4 / 20 include receiving, via the transceiver, at least one network node offset value configuration. The processor may also perform operations that include performing a downlink reception configured by the network node. The processor may also perform operations that include determining an offset value that is applicable in a slot that overlaps with a last symbol of the downlink reception. The processor may also perform operations that include transmitting, via the transceiver, HARQ information to the network node according to the offset value.

[0012] It should be noted that, although the description presented here may be in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks and network topologies, such as NTN, the concepts, schemes and any variation(s) / derivative(s) thereof proposed may be implemented in, for and by other types of radio access technologies, networks and network topologies such as, for example and without limitation, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, 5th Generation (5G), New Radio (NR), Internet of Things (IoT), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IloT). Thus, the scope of this document is not limited to the examples described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a more thorough understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated into and form a part of this disclosure. The drawings illustrate implementations of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It is understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, as some components may be shown out of proportion to the size in the actual implementation in order to clearly illustrate the concept of this disclosure. Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 22 / 47 5 / 20

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary network environment in which various schemes proposed according to this disclosure can be implemented.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an illustrative scenario under a proposed scheme in accordance with this disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary communication system according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary process according to an implementation of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED IMPLEMENTATIONS

[0018] Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed matters are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimed matters, which may be implemented in various ways. This disclosure may, however, be implemented in many different ways and should not be interpreted as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations presented herein. Instead, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided so that the description of this disclosure is thorough and complete and fully conveys the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the description below, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments and implementations presented. Overview

[0019] The implementations in accordance with this disclosure relate to various techniques, methods, schemes and / or solutions concerning the HARQ-ACK report for a downlink reception configured in NTN communications. Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 23 / 47 6 / 20 In accordance with this disclosure, a number of possible solutions can be implemented separately or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions may be described separately below, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one combination or another.

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment 100 in which various schemes proposed according to this disclosure can be implemented. The network environment 100 may involve a UE 110 and a wireless network 120 (e.g., an LTE network, a 5G / NR network, an IoT / NB-IoT / IIoT network, a 6G network, and / or an NTN network). The UE 110 may communicate with the wireless network 120 via a network node 125. In some cases, the network node 125 may be an NT network node (e.g., a satellite) of an NTN. In some cases, the network node 125 may be a terrestrial network node (e.g., a base station, such as a gNB, eNB, or transmit / receive point (TRP)). In some cases, the UE 110 may be an IoT device, such as a narrowband (NB)-IoT UE or an enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UE (e.g., a low-complexity reduced-bandwidth (BL) UE or a coverage-enhancing (CE) UE).Each of UE 110 and network nodes 125 can be configured to perform operations related to enhanced HARQ-ACK reporting for a configured downlink reception in NTN communications under various proposed schemes according to this disclosure, as described below.

[0021] In version 17 of NR NTN, agreements were established for SPS PDSCH and the EU-specific Koíísete valid in the associated DCI slot being received applies. For the DCI-scaled shared uplink physical channel (PUSCH), including channel state information (CSI) in the PUSCH and aperiodic probe reference signal (SRS), and for HARQACK in the PUCCH, the EU-specific Koíísete valid in the slot applies. Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 24 / 47 7 / 20 of the associated DCI being received. The agreements for ^offset in version 17 of NR NTN generally apply to DCI with Downlink Assignment Index (DAI) for DL ​​PDSCH and HARQ-ACK reporting for DL ​​PDSCH in PUCCH. There may be ambiguity if the Aolfsets parameter is changed via the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) UE-specific Aolfsets after triggering for SPS PDSCH reception via DCI, since there is no subsequent SPS PDSCH triggering until the SPS PDSCH release trigger is received via DCI.

[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary scenario 200 under schemes according to the implementations of the present disclosure. Scenario 200 involves at least one UE and one network / satellite node, which may be part of a wireless communication network (e.g., an LTE network, a 5G / NR network, an IoT / NB-IoT / IIoT network, a 6G network, and / or an NTN network). Scenario 100 illustrates the HARQ-ACK reporting schedule. The UE may receive a DCI by scheduling a configured downlink reception at T1. The UE may determine the time (e.g., t4) to transmit the HARQ-ACK report to the configured downlink reception according to a pre-scheduled, old UE-specific ^offset value. The UE may also receive a new UE-specific ^offset value via a CE MAC message at T2. The new EU-specific Aolfset value is specified with an application time of T3, which is prior to the transmission time (e.g., T4) of the HARQ-ACK report.In such a scenario, there is ambiguity as to which Aolfset value should be applied to determine the transmission time of the HARQ-ACK report. It is unclear whether the EU should refer to the old EU-specific Aolfset value or the new EU-specific ^offset value to determine the transmission time of the HARQ-ACK report.

[0023] In view of the foregoing, this publication proposes some schemes relating to the determination of time of Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, p. 25 / 47 8 / 20 Transmission of the HARQ-ACK report for a configured downlink reception in relation to the UE and the network device in mobile / NTN communications. According to the schemes of this disclosure, the UE can receive at least one network node offset value configuration (e.g., satellite / base station). The UE can perform a downlink reception configured by the network node. The UE can determine an offset value that is applicable in a slot that overlaps with a last symbol of the downlink reception. Then, the UE can transmit HARQ information to the network node according to the offset value.

[0024] Specifically, the UE may receive a first setting of an initial offset value (e.g., old ^offset value) before downlink reception. The UE may then receive a second setting of a second offset value (e.g., new %ffset value) after downlink reception and before HARQ information transmission. The UE may determine that the first offset value (i.e., old %ffset value) is the offset value applicable to the slot that overlaps the last symbol of downlink reception. The UE may then determine the HARQ information transmission time based on the first offset value (i.e., old %ffset value).

[0025] In some implementations, the second offset value (e.g., new %ffset value) may be provided / received via a CE MAC message. The configured downlink reception may be scaled by a DCI. The configured downlink reception may comprise an SPS PDSCH reception.

[0026] In some implementations, the application / activation time of the second offset value (e.g., new value of %ffset) begins before the transmission of HARQ information. Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 26 / 47 9 / 20

[0027] In some implementations, the offset value comprises a cell-specific K offset value or a UE-specific K offset value. The offset value is a scaling offset for the HARQ-ACK report of the DL SPS PDSCH reception.

[0028] In some implementations, HARQ information can be transmitted in a PUCCH or a PUSCH. HARQ information can comprise a HARQ-ACK or a negative HARQ-ACK (HARQ-NACK).

[0029] In some implementations, the UE can determine a slot to transmit HARQ information according to the offset value.

[0030] In some implementations, the offset value may be provided in a DCI format that enables downlink reception.

[0031] In some implementations, the offset value can be configured for NTN communications.

[0032] In view of the schemes in accordance with the implementations of this disclosure, the EU procedure for reporting control information can be specified as follows. If a UE is provided ^cell,offset by cellSpecificKoffset or ^UE,offset by a MAC CE command, the reference to an n + k slot for a PUCCH transmission or PUSCH transmission corresponds to an n + k + 2μ^K°ffset slot for the PUSCH or PUCCH transmission, and the reference to a ny— / <1k slot corresponds to the ny— ^'1,k— 2μ^°ffset slot, where μ is the SCS setting for the PUCCH transmission or PUSCH transmission, ^offset is defined (for example, ^offset ^cell,offset ^UE,offset, where ^ceii,offset is provided by cellSpecificKoffset and ^UE,offset is provided by a MAC CE command) ^differential offset; otherwise, if provided respectively, ^ceii,offset= 0 or ^UE,offset= 0), and μκ°^,. = 0 in FR1.If cellSpecificKoffset or the MAC CE command is not provided, ^ceii,offset=0 or ^UE,offset=0. Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 27 / 47 10 / 20 respectively. If the PUCCH or PUSCH transmission is scaled by a DCI format, the value of ^ue,offset is that which is applicable in the slot that overlaps the last symbol of the PDCCH reception that provides the DCI format. For PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information for SPS PDSCH reception, the value of ^UE,offset is that which is applicable in the slot that overlaps the last symbol of the SPS PDSCH reception. If the PUCCH transmission or the PUSCH transmission is scaled by a DCI format with CRC scrambled by TC-RNTI, ^UE,offset = 0. If the UE receives a value of ^UE,offset by a MAC CE command, the UE will apply the MAC CE command in the first slot, that is, the one that is s subframe, μ after the slot κ + 3Ws(ot, where κ is the slot in which the UE would transmit a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information to the PDSCH that provides the MAC CE command, μ is the SCS configuration for the PUCCH transmission that is determined in the slot when the MAC CE command is applied.

[0033] Consequently, the offset value for determining the transmission time of HARQ information can be clearly specified. The UE is able to determine a correct offset value for the transmission of HARQ information, even when the offset value is updated / modified. In this way, ambiguity in the UEs can be avoided and the performance of HARQ report transmission can be improved. Illustrative Implementations

[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary communication system 300 having an exemplary communication device 310 and an exemplary network device 320, according to an implementation of the present disclosure. Each of the communication device 310 and the network device 320 can perform various functions to implement schemes, techniques, processes and methods described herein relating to the enhanced HARQ-ACK report for downlink reception. Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 28 / 47 11 / 20 configured in NTN communications, including scenarios / schemes described above, as well as process(es) described below.

[0035] The 310 communication device can be part of an electronic device, which can be a UE such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, the 310 communication device can be implemented in a smartphone, a smartwatch, a personal digital assistant, a digital camera, or a computing device such as a tablet, a laptop, or a notebook. The 310 communication device can also be part of a machine-type device, which can be an IoT, NB-IoT, IIoT, or NTN device, such as a stationary or fixed device, a household appliance, a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, the 310 communication device can be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control hub.Alternatively, the communication device 310 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, for example and without limitation, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced instruction set processors (RISCs) or one or more complex instruction set processors (CISCs). The communication device 310 may include at least some of the components shown in FIG. 3, such as a processor 312, for example. The communication device 310 may also include one or more other components not relevant to the proposed scheme of this disclosure (for example, internal power supply, display device and / or user interface device), and therefore, such component(s) of the communication device 310 is / are not. Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 29 / 47 12 / 20 shown in FIG. 3 nor described below, for reasons of simplicity and brevity.

[0036] The 320 network device may be part of an electronic device / station, which may be a network node, such as a base station, a small cell, a router, a gateway, or a satellite. For example, the 320 network device may be implemented in an eNodeB in an LTE network, in a gNB in ​​a 5G, NR, IoT, NB-IoT, IIoT network, or in a satellite in an NTN network. Alternatively, the 320 network device may be implemented in the form of one or more IC chips, such as, for example and without limitation, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more RISC or CISC processors. The 320 network device may include at least some of the components shown in FIG. 3, such as a 322 processor, for example.The 320 network device may also include one or more other components not relevant to the proposed scheme of this disclosure (for example, internal power supply, display device and / or user interface device), and therefore, such component(s) of the 320 network device are not shown in FIG. 3 nor described below, for reasons of simplicity and brevity.

[0037] In one aspect, each of the 312 processor and the 322 processor may be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more RISC processors, or one or more CISC processors. Thus, even though the singular term "processor" is used herein to refer to the 312 processor and the 322 processor, each of the 312 processor and the 322 processor may include multiple processors in some implementations and a single processor in other implementations according to the present disclosure. In another aspect, each of the 312 processor and the 322 processor may be implemented in the form of hardware (and, Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 30 / 47 13 / 20 (optionally, firmware) with electronic components including, for example and without limitation, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors and / or one or more varactors that are configured and arranged to achieve the specific purposes in accordance with this disclosure. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of the 312 processor and the 322 processor is a special-purpose machine specifically designed, organized and configured to perform specific tasks, including enhanced HARQ-ACK reporting for a downlink reception configured in NTN communications in accordance with various implementations of this disclosure.

[0038] In some implementations, the communication device 310 may also include a transceiver 316 coupled to the processor 312 and capable of transmitting and receiving data wirelessly. In some implementations, the communication device 310 may also include a memory 314 coupled to the processor 312 and capable of being accessed by the processor 312 and storing data therein. In some implementations, the network device 320 may also include a transceiver 326 coupled to the processor 322 and capable of transmitting and receiving data wirelessly. In some implementations, the network device 320 may also include a memory 324 coupled to the processor 322 and capable of being accessed by the processor 322 and storing data therein. Consequently, the communication device 310 and the network device 320 may communicate wirelessly with each other by means of the transceiver 316 and the transceiver 326, respectively.

[0039] Each of the communication apparatus 3410 and the network apparatus 320 can be a communication entity capable of communicating with each other using various schemes proposed in accordance with the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, the following description of operations, Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 31 / 47 The functionalities and capabilities of each of the communication device 310 and the network device 320 are provided in the context of a mobile communication environment in which the communication device 310 is implemented in or as a communication device or a UE (e.g., UE 110) and the network device 320 is implemented in or as a network node or base station (e.g., network node 125) of a communication network (e.g., network 120). It should be noted that although the exemplary implementations described below are provided in the context of the NTN, they can be implemented in other types of networks.

[0040] Under some proposed schemes relating to the enhanced HARQ-ACK report for a downlink reception configured in NTN communications according to this disclosure, with communication device 310 deployed on or as UE 110 and network device 320 deployed on or as network node 125 in network environment 100, processor 312 can receive, via transceiver 316, at least one offset value configuration from network device 320. Processor 312 can perform a downlink reception configured by network device 320. Processor 312 can further determine an offset value that is applicable in a slot that overlaps with a last symbol of the downlink reception. Processor 312 can then transmit, via transceiver 316, HARQ information to network device 320 according to the offset value.

[0041] In some implementations, processor 312 may receive, via transceiver 316, an initial setting of an initial offset value before receiving the downlink. Processor 312 may also receive, via transceiver 316, a second setting of a second offset value after receiving the downlink and before transmitting the HARQ information. Then, the Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, page 32 / 47 Processor 15 / 20 312 can determine that the first offset value is the offset value that is applicable to the slot that overlaps the last downlink reception symbol.

[0042] In some implementations, the second offset value can be received via a CE MAC.

[0043] In some implementations, a time for applying the second offset value may begin before the transmission of HARQ information.

[0044] In some implementations, the offset value may comprise a cell-specific K offset value or a UE-specific K offset value.

[0045] In some implementations, downlink reception may include SPS PDSCH reception.

[0046] In some implementations, processor 312 can transmit HARQ information via transceiver 316 in a PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0047] In some implementations, the 312 processor can determine a slot to transmit HARQ information according to the offset value.

[0048] In some implementations, the offset value may be provided in a DCI format that enables downlink reception.

[0049] In some implementations, the offset value can be configured for NTN communication. Illustrative Processes

[0050] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary 400 process according to an implementation of the present disclosure. The 400 process may be an exemplary implementation of the schemes described above, partially or completely, with respect to the enhanced HARQ-ACK report for a downlink reception configured in NTN communications according to the present disclosure. The 400 process may represent an aspect of the implementation of device features of Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 33 / 47 16 / 20 communication 310 and / or network device 320. Process 400 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 410, 420, 430, and 440. Although illustrated as discrete blocks, several blocks of process 400 may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the blocks of process 400 may be executed in the order shown in FIG. 4 or, alternatively, in a different order. Process 400 may be implemented by communication device 310 or by any suitable UE or machine-type devices. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 400 is described below in the context of communication device 310 implemented in or as UE 110 and network device 320 implemented in or as network node 125. Process 400 may begin in block 410.

[0051] On 410, process 400 may involve processor 312 of appliance 310 receiving at least one offset value configuration from a network node. Process 400 may proceed from 410 to 420.

[0052] On 420, process 400 may involve processor 312 executing a downlink reception configured by the network node. Process 400 may proceed from 420 to 430.

[0053] In 430, process 400 may involve processor 312 determining an offset value that is applicable in a slot that overlaps with a last downlink reception symbol. Process 400 may proceed from 430 to 440.

[0054] In 440, process 400 may involve processor 312 transmitting HARQ information to the network node according to the offset value.

[0055] In some implementations, process 400 may involve processor 312 receiving an initial configuration of an initial offset value before receiving Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 34 / 47 17 / 20 downlink. Process 400 may also involve processor 312 receiving a second offset value configuration after downlink reception and before HARQ information transmission. Process 400 may also further involve processor 312 determining that the first offset value is the offset value applicable to the slot that overlaps the last downlink reception symbol.

[0056] In some implementations, process 400 may involve processor 312 receiving the second offset value via a CE MAC.

[0057] In some implementations, a time for applying the second offset value may begin before the transmission of HARQ information.

[0058] In some implementations, the offset value may comprise a cell-specific K offset value or a UE-specific K offset value.

[0059] In some implementations, downlink reception may include SPS PDSCH reception.

[0060] In some implementations, process 400 may involve processor 312 transmitting HARQ information in a PUCCH or a PUSCH.

[0061] In some implementations, process 400 may involve processor 312 determining a slot to transmit HARQ information according to the offset value.

[0062] In some implementations, process 400 may involve processor 312 obtaining the offset value in a DCI format that enables downlink reception.

[0063] In some implementations, the offset value can be configured for NTN communication. Additional Notes Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 35 / 47 18 / 20

[0064] The material described here illustrates, in some cases, different components contained within or connected to other different components. It should be understood that such represented architectures are merely examples and that, in fact, many other architectures that achieve the same functionality can be implemented. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively associated in such a way that the desired functionality is achieved. Therefore, any two components combined here to achieve a specific functionality can be seen as associated with each other in such a way that the desired functionality is achieved, regardless of the architectures or intermediate components.Similarly, any two components thus associated can also be considered operationally connected or operationally coupled to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being thus associated can also be considered operationally coupled to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operationally coupleable components include, but are not limited to, physically coupleable components and / or physically interactive components and / or wireless interactive components and / or wirelessly interactive components and / or logically interactive components and / or logically interactive components.

[0065] Furthermore, with regard to the use of substantially any plural and / or singular terms contained herein, those skilled in the art may translate from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural as appropriate to the context and / or application. The various singular / plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for the sake of clarity. Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 36 / 47 19 / 20

[0066] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that, in general, the terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., in the body of the appended claims), are generally considered open terms. For example, the term including should be interpreted as including, but not limited to; the term having should be interpreted as having at least; the term includes should be interpreted as includes, but is not limited to, etc. Those skilled in the art will further understand that if a claim intends to specify a particular number, such intention will be explicitly stated in the claim. In the absence of such specification, no such intention is present. For example, to aid understanding, the following appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases at least one and one or more to introduce claim quotations.However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as implying that the introduction of a claim citation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any specific claim containing such an introduced claim citation to implementations containing only one of these citations, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "a or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an," for example, "a" and / or "an" should be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "a or more"; this applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Furthermore, even if a specific number of an introduced claim citation is explicitly cited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a citation should be interpreted as meaning "at least the cited number," for example, the simple citation of "two citations," without other modifiers, means "at least two." Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 37 / 47 20 / 20 citations, or two or more citations. Furthermore, in cases where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, such a construction is generally intended in the sense that a person skilled in the art would understand the convention, for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, and C would include, but not be limited to, systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc."Those skilled in the art will also understand that virtually any disjunctive word and / or phrase that presents two or more alternative terms, whether in the descriptive report, claims, or drawings, should be understood as encompassing the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood as including the possibilities of “A or B” or “A and B.”

[0067] From the foregoing, it is understood that various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described here for illustrative purposes, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Consequently, the various embodiments disclosed here are not intended to be limiting, the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims. Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 38 / 47

Claims

1 / 4 CLAIMS 1. A method characterized in that it comprises: receiving, by a device processor, at least one offset value configuration from a network node; performing, by the processor, a downlink reception configured by the network node; determining, by the processor, an offset value that is applicable in a slot that overlaps with a last symbol of the downlink reception; and transmitting, by the processor, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information according to the offset value.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that receiving at least one offset value configuration comprises: the processor receiving a first configuration of a first offset value before receiving the downlink; and the processor receiving a second configuration of a second offset value after receiving the downlink and before transmitting the HARQ information, wherein the determination of the offset value comprises: the processor determining that the first offset value is the offset value applicable to the slot that overlaps the last symbol of the downlink reception.

3. Method, according to claim 2, characterized in that the second displacement value is received by means of a medium access control (MAC) element.

4. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the application time of the second offset value begins before the transmission of HARQ information. Petition 870250090384, dated 10 / 03 / 2025, p. 39 / 47 2 / 4 5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the displacement value comprises a cell-specific displacement K value or a user equipment (UE)-specific displacement K value.

6. Method, according to claim 1, characterized in that the downlink reception comprises a downlink shared physical channel reception (PDSCH) via semi-persistent scheduling (SPS).

7. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that HARQ information is transmitted over a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or a shared physical uplink channel (PUSCH).

8. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: determining, by the processor, a slot to transmit the HARQ information according to the offset value.

9. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the offset value is provided in a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format that enables downlink reception.

10. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the offset value is configured for non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication.

11. Apparatus characterized in that it comprises: a transceiver that, during operation, communicates wirelessly with at least one network node; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver, such that, during operation, the processor performs operations comprising: receiving, through the transceiver, at least one network node offset value configuration; performing a network node-configured downlink reception; determining an offset value that is applicable in a slot that overlaps with a last symbol of the downlink reception; and transmitting, through the transceiver, Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) information to the network node in accordance with the offset value.

12. Apparatus, according to claim 11, characterized in that, during operation, the processor further performs operations comprising: receiving, via the transceiver, a first configuration of a first offset value before downlink reception; and receiving, via the transceiver, a second configuration of a second offset value after downlink reception and before transmission of HARQ information, and wherein, when determining the offset value, the processor further performs operations comprising: determining that the first offset value is the offset value that is applicable to the slot that overlaps the last symbol of downlink reception.

13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the second displacement value is received by means of a medium access control (MAC) element.

14. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that a time for applying the second shift value begins before the transmission of HARQ information.

15. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the displacement value comprises a cell-specific displacement K value or a user equipment (UE)-specific displacement K value.

16. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the downlink reception comprises a downlink shared physical channel reception (PDSCH) via semi-persistent scaling (SPS).

17. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that HARQ information is transmitted on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or on a shared physical uplink channel (PUSCH).

18. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that, during operation, the processor also performs operations comprising: determining a slot to transmit HARQ information according to the offset value.

19. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the offset value is provided in a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format that enables downlink reception.

20. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the offset value is configured for non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication. Petition 870250090384, dated 03 / 10 / 2025, pp. 42 / 47

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