Managing physical uplink control channel resource groups

Abstract

In an embodiment, a base station determines a spatial relationship of PUCCH resource groups and sends a control message indicating the spatial relationship to a UE. The UE receives the control message and stores the indication of the spatial relationship. In some designs, the control message conveying the spatial relationship identifies the PUCCH resource group via a PUCCH group index, while in other designs, a different identification mechanism may be used. In another embodiment, a base station determines an association between a PUCCH resource group and a PUCCH group index and sends a control message indicating the association to a UE. The UE receives the control message and stores the indication of the association.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 888,074, filed on August 16, 2019, entitled “MANAGING A GROUP OF PHYSICAL UPLINK CONTROL CHANNEL RESOURCES,” and U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 16 / 880,774, filed on May 21, 2020, entitled “MANAGING A GROUP OF PHYSICAL UPLINK CONTROL CHANNEL RESOURCES,” both of which are assigned to the assignee of this application and the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003]

[0013] Various aspects described herein generally relate to managing physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource groups. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved over several generations, including first generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including interim 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third generation (3G) high speed data, Internet enabled wireless services, and fourth generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). There are many different types of wireless communication systems in use today, including cellular and Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Access (GSM) variants of TDMA, and the like.

[0005] The fifth generation (5G) mobile standard calls for higher data transfer speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of thousands of users and 1 gigabit per second to dozens of workers on an office floor. To support large sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Therefore, the spectrum efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly improved compared to the current 4G standard. In addition, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency should be significantly reduced compared to the current standard.

[0006] Some wireless communication networks (such as 5G) support operation at very high or even extremely high frequency (EHF) bands, such as millimeter wave (mmW) frequency bands (typically, wavelengths of 1 mm to 10 mm, or 30 to 300 GHz). These extremely high frequencies can support very high throughputs, such as up to 6 gigabits per second (Gbps). However, one of the challenges of wireless communication at very high or extremely high frequencies is that significant propagation losses due to high frequencies may occur. As the frequency increases, the wavelength can decrease, and the propagation loss can also increase. In the mmW frequency band, the propagation loss can be severe. For example, relative to the propagation loss observed in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands, the propagation loss can be about 22 to 27 dB. Summary of the invention

[0007] Embodiments are directed to a method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising receiving a control message indicating a spatial relationship of a group of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources, and updating an indication of the spatial relationship.

[0008]

[0013] Another embodiment is directed to a method of operating a base station, comprising determining a spatial relationship of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource groups, and sending a control message indicating the spatial relationship.

[0009] Another embodiment is directed to a method of operating a user equipment (UE) comprising receiving a control message indicating an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index, and storing an indication of the association.

[0010]

[0013] Another embodiment is directed to a method of operating a base station, comprising determining an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index, and sending a control message indicating the association.

[0011]

[0013] Another embodiment is directed to a user equipment (UE) comprising means for receiving a control message indicating an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index; and means for storing an indication of the association.

[0012]

[0013] Another embodiment is directed to a base station comprising means for determining an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index; and means for sending a control message indicating the association.

[0013]

[0013] Another embodiment is directed to a user equipment (UE) comprising means for receiving a control message indicating a spatial relationship of a group of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources; and means for updating the indication of the spatial relationship.

[0014]

[0013] Another embodiment is directed to a base station comprising means for determining a spatial relationship of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource groups; and means for sending a control message indicating the spatial relationship.

[0015] Another embodiment is directed to a user equipment (UE) comprising a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the processor and the at least one transceiver and configured to receive a control message indicating an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index, and to store an indication of the association.

[0016] Another embodiment is directed to a base station comprising a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the processor and the at least one transceiver and configured to determine an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index, and to send a control message indicating the association.

[0017] Another embodiment is directed to a user equipment (UE) comprising a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the processor and the at least one transceiver and configured to receive a control message indicating a spatial relationship of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group, and an indication to update the spatial relationship.

[0018] Another embodiment is directed to a base station comprising a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the processor and the at least one transceiver and configured to determine a spatial relationship of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and to send a control message indicating the spatial relationship.

[0019] Another embodiment is directed to a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which instructions, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to perform operations, including at least one instruction causing the UE to receive a control message indicating an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index, and at least one instruction causing the UE to store an indication of the association.

[0020] Another embodiment is directed to a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to perform operations, including at least one instruction that causes the base station to determine an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index, and at least one instruction that causes the base station to send a control message indicating the association.

[0021] Another embodiment is directed to a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to perform operations, including at least one instruction causing the UE to receive a control message indicating a spatial relationship of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group, and at least one instruction causing the UE to update the indication of the spatial relationship.

[0022] Another embodiment is directed to a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to perform operations, including at least one instruction that causes the base station to determine a spatial relationship of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group, and at least one instruction that causes the base station to send a control message indicating the spatial relationship. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] A more complete appreciation of the various aspects described herein and their many attendant advantages will be readily obtained as the various aspects described herein are better understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are presented for purposes of illustration only and not limitation, and in which:

[0024] Figure 1

[0013] An example wireless communication system in accordance with various aspects is shown.

[0025] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Example wireless network structures in accordance with various aspects are shown.

[0026] Figure 3A An exemplary base station and an exemplary user equipment (UE) in an access network according to various aspects are shown.

[0027] Figure 3B Exemplary servers according to various aspects are shown.

[0028] Figure 4 An exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0029] Figure 5 An exemplary process of obtaining PUCCH information according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0030] Figure 6 An exemplary process of delivering PUCCH information according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0031] Figure 7 An exemplary process of obtaining spatial information of PUCCH resources according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0032] Figure 8An exemplary process of conveying spatial information of PUCCH resources according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0033] Fig.9A An example MAC CE format with a PUCCH resource ID for a single PUCCH resource is shown.

[0034] Fig. 9B An enhanced PUCCH spatial relationship activation / deactivation MAC CE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0035] Fig.10 The embodiment according to the present disclosure is shown Figure 5-Figure 8 An example implementation of the process.

[0036] Fig.11 The embodiment according to the present disclosure is shown Figure 7-Figure 8 An example implementation of the process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037]

[0013] Various aspects described herein generally relate to managing physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource groups.

[0038] These and other aspects are disclosed in the following description and related drawings to illustrate specific examples related to exemplary aspects. After reading this disclosure, alternative aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art, and can be constructed and practiced without departing from the scope or spirit of this disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements will not be described in detail or may be omitted to avoid obscuring the relevant details of the aspects disclosed herein.

[0039] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects" does not require that all aspects include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.

[0040] The terms used herein describe specific aspects only and should not be construed as limiting any aspect disclosed herein. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", and / or "including" used herein specify the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components described, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0041] Further, various aspects can be described in terms of a sequence of actions to be performed by, for example, an element of a computing device. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various actions described herein can be performed by a specific circuit (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by a program instruction executed by one or more processors, or a combination of the two. Additionally, these action sequences described herein can be considered to be fully embodied in any form of a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a corresponding computer instruction set stored thereon, which, when executed, will cause the associated processor to perform the functions described herein. Therefore, various aspects described herein can be embodied in a variety of different forms, all of which have been considered to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect can be described herein as, for example, "logically configured to" and / or other structural components configured to perform the described actions.

[0042] As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (or "UE"), "user device", "user terminal", "client device", "communication device", "wireless device", "wireless communication device", "handheld device", "mobile device", "mobile terminal", "mobile station", "handset", "access terminal", "subscriber device", "subscriber terminal", "subscriber station", "terminal" and variations thereof may interchangeably refer to any suitable mobile or fixed device capable of receiving wireless communications and / or navigation signals. These terms are also intended to include devices that communicate with another device that is capable of receiving wireless communications and / or navigation signals, such as via short-range wireless, infrared, wired connections or other connections, regardless of whether satellite signal reception, assistance data reception and / or location-related processing occurs at the device or at the other device. In addition, these terms are intended to include all devices, including wireless and wired communication devices, that are capable of communicating with a core network via a radio access network (RAN), and through the core network, the UE is capable of connecting to external networks such as the Internet, as well as to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), etc. The UE can be embodied by any of a variety of types of devices, including but not limited to a printed circuit (PC) card, a compact flash device, an external or internal modem, a wireless or wired phone, a smart phone, a tablet, a tracking device, an asset tag, etc. The communication link through which the UE can send a signal to the RAN is called an uplink channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link through which the RAN can send a signal to the UE is called a downlink or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). The term "traffic channel (TCH)" used herein can refer to an uplink / reverse or downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0043] According to various aspects, Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system 100 is shown. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macro cells (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cells (low-power cellular base stations), wherein the macro cells may include evolved Node Bs (eNBs), wherein the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or gNode Bs (gNBs), wherein the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to a 5G network, or a combination of both, and the small cells may include femto cells, pico cells, micro cells, and the like.

[0044] The base stations 102 may collectively form a radio access network (RAN) and interface with an evolved packet core (EPC) or a next generation core (NGC) via a backhaul link. Among other functions, the base stations 102 may perform one or more functions related to the transmission of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, non-access stratum (NAS) message distribution, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC / NGC) via a backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0045] Base stations 102 may communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each base station 102 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. Figure 1 1, but the geographic coverage area 110 may be subdivided into multiple cells (e.g., three) or sectors, each cell corresponding to a single antenna or antenna array of the base station 102. As used herein, the term "cell" or "sector" may correspond to one of the multiple cells of the base station 102, or to the base station 102 itself, depending on the context.

[0046] Although adjacent macrocell geographic coverage areas 110 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover region), some geographic coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' may have a geographic coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage area 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network including both small cells and macrocells may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home eNB (HeNB), which may provide services to a restricted group referred to as a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include an uplink (UL) (also referred to as a reverse link) uplink (UL) transmission from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmission from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link may be through one or more carriers. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (eg, more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​than for UL).

[0047] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a WLAN access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA) 152 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz) via a communication link 154. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) prior to communication to determine whether a channel is available.

[0048] The small cell base station 102' can operate in a licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell base station 102' can adopt LTE or 5G technology and use the same 5GHz unlicensed spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base station 102' adopting LTE / 5G in the unlicensed spectrum can improve the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as unlicensed LTE (LTE-U), licensed assisted access (LAA) or multi-definition (MulteFire).

[0049] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a mmW base station 180 that can operate in and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near mmW can extend to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and a relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 can utilize beamforming 184 with UE 182 to compensate for extremely high path loss and short range. Further, it will be understood that in an alternative configuration, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near mmW and beamforming. Therefore, it will be understood that the foregoing description is merely an example and should not be interpreted as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0050] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs (such as UE 190) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) or peer-to-peer (P2P) links. Figure 1In an embodiment of the present invention, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain a cellular connection), and has a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain a WLAN-based Internet connection). In an example, the D2D P2P links 192-194 can be supported by any well-known D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, etc.

[0051] According to various aspects, Figure 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 is shown. For example, the NGC 210 can be functionally viewed as a control plane function 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.), and a user plane function 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access data network, Internet Protocol (IP) routing, etc.), which operate in conjunction to form a core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to the NGC 210, and in particular to the control plane function 214 and the user plane function 212. In an additional configuration, the eNB 224 may also be connected to the NGC 210 via the NG-C 215 to the control plane function 214 and the NG-U 213 to the user plane function 212. Further, the eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via the backhaul connection 223. Thus, in some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. The gNB 222 or the eNB 224 may communicate with a UE 240 (e.g., Figure 1 2, such as UE 104, UE 152, UE 182, UE 190, etc.). Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that can communicate with the NGC 210 to provide location assistance for the UE 240. The location server 230 can be implemented as a plurality of structurally separate servers, or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 240, which can be connected to the location server 230 via the core network, the NGC 210, and / or via the Internet (not shown). Further, the location server 230 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively can be external to the core network.

[0052] According to various aspects, Figure 2B Another example wireless network structure 250 is shown. For example, the NGC 260 can be functionally viewed as a control plane function, an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function, and a session management function (SMF) 262, which operate in conjunction to form a core network. The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the eNB 224 to the NGC 260, and in particular to the AMF 264 and the SMF 262. In an additional configuration, the gNB 222 may also be connected to the NGC 260 via a control plane interface 265 to the AMF 264 and a user plane interface 263 to the SMF 262. Further, in the case where the gNB is directly connected to the NGC 260 or the gNB is not directly connected to the NGC 260, the eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. Thus, in some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. The gNB 222 or the eNB 224 may communicate with a UE 240 (e.g., Figure 1 240, such as UE 104, UE 182, UE 190, etc.). Another optional aspect may include a location management function (LMF) 270, which can communicate with NGC 260 to provide location assistance for UE 240. LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed on multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for UE 240, which can be connected to LMF 270 via the core network, NGC 260 and / or via the Internet (not shown).

[0053] According to various aspects, Figure 3A An exemplary base station (BS) 310 (eg, eNB, gNB, small cell AP, WLAN AP, etc.) and an exemplary UE 350 (eg, Figure 1104, UE 152, UE 182, UE 190, etc.). In the DL, IP packets from the core network (NGC 210 / EPC 260) may be provided to the controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements functions for a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0054] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and the receive (RX) processor 370 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transmission channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transmission channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be divided into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time domain and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 374 may be used to determine coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. Channel estimates may be derived from reference signals and / or channel condition feedback sent by the UE 350. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 320 via a separate transmitter 318a. Each transmitter 318a may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0055] At the UE 350, each receiver 354a receives a signal through its corresponding antenna 352. Each receiver 354a recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the RX processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream to the UE 350. If multiple spatial streams are assigned to the UE 350, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the RX processor 356. The RX processor 356 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal contains a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols and reference signals on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point sent by the base station 310. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by the channel estimator 358. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally sent on the physical channel by base station 310. The data and control signals are then provided to processing system 359, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.

[0056] The processing system 359 can be associated with a memory 360 that stores program codes and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a non-transitory computer readable medium. In the UL, the processing system 359 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The processing system 359 is also responsible for error detection.

[0057] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with the DL transmission of the base station 310, the processing system 359 provides RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs into transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority processing, and logical channel prioritization.

[0058] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator 358 from a reference signal or feedback sent by the base station 310 may be used by the TX processor 368 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme, as well as to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 368 may be provided to different antennas 352 via separate transmitters 354 b. Each transmitter 354 b may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission. In aspects, the transmitter 354 b and the receiver 354 a may be one or more transceivers, one or more discrete transmitters, one or more discrete receivers, or any combination thereof.

[0059] UL transmissions are processed at the base station 310 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at the UE 350. Each receiver 318b receives a signal through its respective antenna 320. Each receiver 318b recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the RX processor 370. In aspects, the transmitter 318a and the receiver 318b may be one or more transceivers, one or more separate transmitters, one or more separate receivers, or any combination thereof.

[0060] The processing system 375 can be associated with a memory 376 that stores program codes and data. The memory 376 may be referred to as a non-transitory computer readable medium. In the UL, the processing system 375 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 350. The IP packets from the processing system 375 may be provided to the core network. The processing system 375 is also responsible for error detection.

[0061] Figure 3B An exemplary server 300B is shown. In an example, server 300B may correspond to an example configuration of location server 230 described above. Figure 3B In the embodiment of the present invention, the server 300B includes a processor 301B coupled to a volatile memory 302B and a large capacity non-volatile memory such as a disk drive 303B. The server 300B may also include a floppy disk drive, a compact disk (CD) drive, or a DVD disk drive 306B coupled to the processor 301B. The server 300B may also include a network access port 304B coupled to the processor 301B for establishing a data connection with a network 307B, such as a local area network coupled to other broadcast system computers and servers or coupled to the Internet.

[0062] Figure 4 An exemplary wireless communication system 400 is shown in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 4 In the example, it can correspond to the above Figure 1 A UE 404 of any of the described UEs (e.g., UE 104, UE 182, UE 190, etc.) is attempting to compute an estimate of its location, or assisting another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third party application, etc.) in computing an estimate of its location. The UE 404 may wirelessly communicate with a plurality of base stations 402a-d (collectively, base stations 402) using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulation of the RF signals and exchange of information packets, which may correspond to Figure 1 102 or 180 and / or WLAN AP 150 in any combination. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals, and utilizing the layout of the wireless communication system 400 (i.e., base station locations, geometry, etc.), the UE 404 can determine its position in a predefined reference coordinate system, or help determine its position. In one aspect, the UE 404 can use a two-dimensional coordinate system to specify its position; however, the aspects disclosed herein are not limited thereto and may also be applied to determine position using a three-dimensional coordinate system if additional dimensions are desired. Additionally, although Figure 4One UE 404 and four base stations 402 are shown, but it will be understood that there may be more UEs 404 and more or fewer base stations 402.

[0063] In NR 5G and certain legacy communication systems (e.g., LTE, etc.), the UE uses the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) to send uplink control information. In 3GPP Rel.16, in order to reduce signaling overhead, a PUCCH grouping (or PUCCH resource group) and a single spatial relationship can be signaled for each PUCCH resource group via a single medium access control (MAC) command element (CE). In some designs, the PUCCH resource group for which a single spatial relationship is being updated corresponds to all PUCCH resources in a specific bandwidth part (BWP). In other designs, two or more PUCCH resource groups per BWP may be allowed. In some designs, each PUCCH resource group may correspond to a different transmit receive point (TRP) (e.g., UE TRP or gNB TRP) or to a different panel (e.g., UE panel or gNB panel).

[0064] Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to establishing a PUCCH group index that can be used to identify a specific PUCCH resource group. Other embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to updating the spatial relationship of a specific PUCCH resource group via an implicit or explicit identification of the PUCCH resource group in a single control message. These respective embodiments may be implemented in conjunction with each other or separately, as will be described in more detail below.

[0065] Figure 5 An example process 500 for obtaining PUCCH information according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 5 The process 500 is performed by a UE 505, which may correspond to any of the above-described UEs (e.g., UEs 240, 350, etc.). At 502, the UE 505 (e.g., antenna 352, receiver 354, RX processor 356, etc.) receives a control message indicating an association between a PUCCH resource group and a PUCCH group index. At 504, the UE 505 (e.g., controller / processor 359, etc.) stores an indication of the association (e.g., in a table maintained on the UE to allow the UE to associate subsequent control messages that reference the PUCCH group index as an explicit identification of the PUCCH resource group).

[0066] Figure 6 An example process 600 for communicating PUCCH information according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6The process 600 is performed by BS 605, which may correspond to any of the above-described BSs (e.g., gNBs 222-224, BS 310, etc.). At 602, BS 605 (e.g., controller / processor 375, etc.) determines an association between a PUCCH resource group and a PUCCH group index. At 604, BS 605 (e.g., antenna 320, transmitter 318, TX processor 316, etc.) sends a control message indicating the association.

[0067] refer to Figure 5-Figure 6 In some designs, processes 500-600 may be performed in parallel with a control message sent by base station 605 at 604, which corresponds to a control message received by UE 505 at 502. In some designs, the control message may correspond to a MAC message, and the associated indication may be conveyed via a MAC CE.

[0068] refer to Figure 5-Figure 6 , in some designs, the control message further indicates an association between a PUCCH resource group and a TRP. In an example, the TRP may correspond to a TRP of a base station 605 that sends the control message at 604, or alternatively, to a TRP of a UE 505 that receives the control message at 502. In other designs, the control message further indicates an association between a PUCCH resource group and a panel. For example, a particular TRP may have a single panel antenna array (or a single panel configuration) or a multi-panel antenna array (or a multi-panel configuration), and the association of the PUCCH resource group may be TRP-specific or panel-specific. In an example, a panel or TRP may be indicated in the control message via a corresponding index. In the case of a UE TRP / panel or a BS TRP / panel, different corresponding indices may be used.

[0069] refer to Figure 5-Figure 6 In some designs, another control message may be sent by the base station 605 and received at the UE 505, the control message indicating the spatial relationship of the PUCCH resource groups. For example, the spatial relationship of the PUCCH resource groups may specify a transmit beam or a receive beam used to transmit the PUCCH resource groups. In some designs, the another control message may explicitly identify the PUCCH resource groups by referencing the PUCCH group index. However, in other designs, the another control message may instead implement an implicit identification of the PUCCH resource groups, as will be described below with reference to Figure 7-Figure 8 Described in more detail.

[0070] Figure 7 An example process 700 of obtaining spatial information for PUCCH resources according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7The process 700 is performed by a UE 705, which may correspond to any of the above-described UEs (e.g., UEs 240, 350, etc.). At 702, the UE 705 (e.g., antenna 352, receiver 354, RX processor 356, etc.) receives a control message indicating a spatial relationship of PUCCH resource groups. At 704, the UE 705 (e.g., controller / processor 359, etc.) stores the indication of the spatial relationship.

[0071] Figure 8 An example process 800 of conveying spatial information for PUCCH resources according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 8 The process 800 is performed by BS 805, which may correspond to any of the above-described BSs (e.g., gNBs 222-224, BS 310, etc.). At 802, BS 805 (e.g., controller / processor 375, etc.) determines a spatial relationship of PUCCH resource groups. At 804, BS 805 (e.g., antenna 320, transmitter 318, TX processor 316, etc.) sends a control message indicating the spatial relationship.

[0072] refer to Figure 7-Figure 8 In some designs, processes 700-800 may be performed in parallel with a control message sent by base station 805 at 804, which corresponds to a control message received by UE 705 at 702. In some designs, the control message may correspond to a MAC message, and the indication of the spatial relationship may be conveyed via a MAC CE. In some designs, the spatial relationship may be indicated by all PUCCH resources in a PUCCH resource group being shared or common.

[0073] refer to Figure 7-Figure 8 In some designs, control messages may be indexed via a PUCCH group index (such as that shown above with reference to Figure 5-Figure 6 The PUCCH group index described in the specification explicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group. In this case, Figure 5-Figure 6 The control message may first deliver the PUCCH group index to the UE, and then, Figure 7-Figure 8 The control message may be used to provide an updated spatial relationship for a PUCCH resource group identified by an earlier communicated PUCCH group index.

[0074] refer to Figure 7-Figure 8In some designs, the control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of the PUCCH resource identifier belonging to the PUCCH resource group. For example, assume that the PUCCH resource group includes PUCCH resources 1...N. In this example, a single reference to any one of PUCCH resources 1...N may be used as an implicit indication of the PUCCH group to which the single resource belongs. Thus, a reference to PUCCH resource 3 (or a PUCCH resource identifier) ​​may be interpreted by the UE 705 as an implicit identification of PUCCH resources 1...N.

[0075] In a further example, some control messages may be configured to include a single PUCCH resource identifier to be used as an identifier of a single PUCCH resource or as an implicit identification of a PUCCH resource group. Fig.9A An example MAC CE format 900A is shown, whereby a PUCCH resource ID for a single PUCCH resource. MAC CE format 900A is defined in 6.1.3.18 of 3GPP TS 38.321 Rel.15. In some designs, one of the reserved bits R may be configured to indicate a single association or a group association of a PUCCH resource ID. For example, if the designated reserved bit R is set to "0", the PUCCH resource ID is configured to identify a single PUCCH resource, and if the designated reserved bit R is set to "1", the PUCCH resource ID is configured to identify the entire PUCCH resource group to which the PUCCH resource ID belongs. In some designs, signaling (or information) indicating whether the identification of the PUCCH resource identifier is a reference to a PUCCH resource group (in the above example, the designated reserved bit R) may be included in the control message of 702 or 804, or alternatively included in a separate control message. In some designs, MAC CE format 900A may be part of an RRC message, MAC CE, or DCI message from a base station (or gNB), or alternatively may be part of a MAC CE or capability message from a UE.

[0076] Fig. 9B FIG. 9 shows an enhanced PUCCH spatial relationship activation / deactivation MAC CE 900B according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, the enhanced PUCCH spatial relationship activation / deactivation MAC CE 900B is from Figure 5-Figure 8 A representation of another example of any control message in .

[0077] In some designs, Fig. 9BThe enhanced PUCCH spatial relation activation / deactivation MAC CE 900B may be identified by a MAC subheader with a logical channel identifier (LCID), as specified in Table 6.2.1-1 of TS 38.321. In a specific example, the enhanced PUCCH spatial relation activation / deactivation MAC CE 900B may have a variable size with the following fields:

[0078] · Serving cell ID: This field indicates the identity of the serving cell, to which the MAC CE applies. The field length is 5 bits;

[0079] BWP ID: This field indicates the UL BWP, where the MAC CE applied to this UL BWP is the code point of the DCI bandwidth part indicator field specified in TS 38.212 [9]. The BWP ID field length is 2 bits;

[0080] PUCCH Resource ID: This field contains the identifier of the PUCCH resource ID identified by PUCCH-ResourceId as specified in TS 38.331 [5]. The field length is 7 bits. If the indicated PUCCH resource is configured as part of a PUCCH group as specified in TS 38.331 [5], this MAC CE applies to all PUCCH resources in the PUCCH group;

[0081] Spatial Relation Information ID: This field contains the identifier of the PUCCH spatial relation information ID identified by PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfoId as specified in TS 38.331 [5]. The field length is 6 bits;

[0082] R: Reserved bit, set to 0.

[0083] refer to Figure 7-Figure 8 In some designs, the grouping of PUCCH resources may be quasi-static and, therefore, may change less frequently than the associated spatial relationship of the group. Figure 5-Figure 6 The PUCCH group index in is used to update the grouping of PUCCH resources. Figure 7-Figure 8 In scenarios where the spatial relationship update is combined with Figure 7-Figure 8 The spatial relationship update in can be done as follows Figure 5-Figure 6 PUCCH group updates in occur more frequently.

[0084] Fig.10 The embodiment according to the present disclosure is shown Figure 5-Figure 8 The process 500-800 is implemented as an example. Specifically, Fig.10 This article relates to an example of explicitly identifying a PUCCH resource group via a PUCCH group index.

[0085] refer to Fig.10 , in 1000 (for example, Figure 6 At 602 of ), the BS determines an association between a PUCCH resource group and a PUCCH group index. Figure 6 At 604 of ), the BS sends a control message indicating the association, and at 1004 (e.g., Figure 5 At 502 of ), the UE receives the control message. At 1006 (e.g., Figure 5 At 504), the UE stores the associated indication.

[0086] refer to Fig.10 , at 1008 (for example, Figure 8 At 802 of ), the BS determines the spatial relationship of the PUCCH resource groups. Figure 8 At 804 of ), the BS sends a control message indicating the spatial relationship, and at 1010 (e.g., Figure 7 At 702 of , the UE receives the control message. Since the BS has delivered the PUCCH group index association to the UE, the control messages of 1010-1012 include the PUCCH group index to clearly identify the PUCCH resource group to the UE. Therefore, at 1014, the UE associates the spatial relationship with the PUCCH resource group based on the PUCCH group index in the control message. At 1016 (e.g., as in Figure 7 At 704), the UE stores an indication of the association of the PUCCH resource group.

[0087] Fig.11 The embodiment according to the present disclosure is shown Figure 7-Figure 8 In particular, Fig.11 This example involves implicitly identifying a PUCCH resource group through a PUCCH resource ID of a specific PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group.

[0088] refer to Fig.11 , at 1100 (for example, Figure 8 At 802 of ), the BS determines the spatial relationship of the PUCCH resource groups. Figure 8 At 804 of ), the BS sends a control message indicating the spatial relationship, and at 1104 (e.g., Figure 7 At 702 of FIG. 1 , the UE receives the control message. Fig.10In contrast, the control messages of 1102-1104 include a PUCCH resource ID of a specific PUCCH resource belonging to a PUCCH resource group, as discussed above with reference to FIG. 9 . Moreover, the MAC CE carrying the PUCCH resource ID is configured to convey to the UE a PUCCH resource ID intended for use as a PUCCH resource group identifier rather than a single PUCCH resource identifier (e.g., a designated reserved bit via the MAC CE is set to “1,” etc.). It is assumed here that the UE already knows the PUCCH resource group, so that the UE can compare the PUCCH resource ID in the control message with the PUCCH resource ID of the PUCCH resource group in order to find a PUCCH resource ID match to identify the implicit association. Therefore, at 1106, the UE associates the spatial relationship with the PUCCH resource group based on the implicit indication via the PUCCH resource ID in the control message. At 1108 (e.g., as Figure 7 At 704), the UE stores an indication of the spatial relationship of the PUCCH resource groups.

[0089] refer to Fig.11 , at 1110, the BS determines an updated spatial relationship of a specific PUCCH resource in the PUCCH resource group. At 1112, the BS sends a control message indicating the updated spatial relationship of the specific PUCCH resources, and at 1114, the UE receives the control message. In contrast to 1102-1104, in the control messages of 1112-1114, the MAC CE carrying the PUCCH resource ID is configured to convey to the UE a PUCCH resource ID intended for use as a single PUCCH resource identifier, rather than a PUCCH resource group identifier (e.g., via setting a designated reserved bit of the MAC CE to "0", etc.). Therefore, at 1116, the UE associates the spatial relationship with the specific PUCCH resource (as opposed to the entire PUCCH resource group). At 1118, the UE stores an indication of the spatial relationship of the PUCCH resource group. Therefore, Fig.11 An example is shown where the PUCCH resource ID can be "switched" between a PUCCH resource group indication and a single PUCCH resource indication.

[0090] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of a variety of different technologies and techniques may be used to represent information and signals. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0091] Further, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above according to their functions. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints on the entire system. A skilled person may implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as departing from the scope of the various aspects described herein.

[0092] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a DSP core, or other such configurations).

[0093] The methods, sequences and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be directly embodied in hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. The software module may reside in RAM, flash memory, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of non-transitory computer-readable medium known in the art. An exemplary non-transitory computer-readable medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the non-transitory computer-readable medium and write information to the non-transitory computer-readable medium. Alternatively, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and the non-transitory computer-readable medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user equipment (e.g., UE) or a base station. Alternatively, the processor and the non-transitory computer-readable medium may be discrete components in a user equipment or a base station.

[0094] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the function can be stored on or sent by a non-transitory computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Computer-readable media may include storage media and / or communication media, and the communication media includes any non-transitory media that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. As an example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or can be used to carry or store desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and any other medium that can be accessed by a computer. In addition, any connection is properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is sent from a website, server or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio and microwave), coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio and microwave) are all included in the definition of medium. The terms "disk" and "disc" are used interchangeably herein and include CDs, laser discs, optical discs, DVDs, floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, which typically reproduce data magnetically and / or optically using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0095] Although the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. In addition, based on the various illustrative aspects described herein, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the functions, steps, and / or actions in any method described above and / or in any method claim attached hereto need not be performed in any particular order. Further, to the extent that any element described above or recited in the appended claims is in the singular, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the singular also contemplates the plural unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.

Claims

1. A method for operating a user equipment UE, comprising: receiving a control message indicating a spatial relationship of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group, wherein the control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and wherein the method further comprises identifying the PUCCH resource group based on an association between the PUCCH resource identifier and the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group; and The indication of the spatial relationship is updated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the spatial relationship indicated by the control message is common to each PUCCH resource in the PUCCH resource group.

3. The method according to claim 1, Also includes: Indication information is received, wherein the indication information indicates whether the identification of the PUCCH resource identifier is a reference to the PUCCH resource group. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the indication information is included in the control message or a separate control message.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The PUCCH resource group is implicitly identified based on a single reference to the PUCCH resource identifier belonging to the PUCCH resource group.

6. A method of operating a base station, comprising: Determine the spatial relationship of physical uplink control channel PUCCH resource groups; as well as Send a control message indicating the spatial relationship, wherein the control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on an association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the spatial relationship indicated by the control message is common to each PUCCH resource in the PUCCH resource group.

8. The method according to claim 6, Also includes: Indication information is sent, where the indication information indicates whether the identifier of the PUCCH resource identifier is a reference to the PUCCH resource group.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the indication information is included in the control message or a separate control message.

10. A method for operating a user equipment UE, comprising: receiving a control message, the control message comprising association information indicating an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index; as well as Receive another control message indicating the spatial relationship of the PUCCH resource group, wherein the other control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on the association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and a transmission reception point TRP of the UE, or The control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and the TRP of the base station from which the control message is received.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and the panel of the UE, or The control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and a panel of a base station from which the control message is received.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the control message is a medium access control MAC message, and The association is indicated via a MAC Control Element CE of the MAC message.

14. A method of operating a base station, comprising: determining an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index; as well as sending a control message including association information indicating the association; determining a spatial relationship between the PUCCH resource groups; and Send another control message indicating the spatial relationship, wherein the other control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on the association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and a transmission reception point TRP of a user equipment UE, or The control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and the TRP of the base station from which the control message is received.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and the panel of the UE, or The control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and a panel of a base station from which the control message is received.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the control message is a Medium Access Control (MAC) message. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the association is indicated via a MAC Control Element (CE) of the MAC message.

19. A user equipment UE, comprising: means for receiving a control message, the control message comprising association information indicating an association between a physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, resource group and a PUCCH group index; as well as Used to receive another control message indicating the spatial relationship of the PUCCH resource group, wherein the other control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on the association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group.

20. A base station, comprising: means for determining an association between a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index; means for sending a control message including association information indicative of said association; A means for determining a spatial relationship of the PUCCH resource groups; as well as A component for sending another control message indicating the spatial relationship, wherein the other control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on an association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group.

21. A user equipment UE, comprising: means for receiving a control message indicating a spatial relationship of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group, wherein the control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, the identification of the PUCCH resource group being based on an association between the PUCCH resource group and a PUCCH resource ID of the group; and Means for updating the indication of the spatial relationship.

22. A base station, comprising: means for determining the spatial relationship of a physical uplink control channel PUCCH resource group; as well as A component for sending a control message indicating the spatial relationship, wherein the control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on an association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group.

23. A user equipment UE, comprising: Memory; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and configured to cause the UE to: receiving a control message indicating association information of an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index; and Receive another control message indicating the spatial relationship of the PUCCH resource group, wherein the other control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on the association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group.

24. The UE according to claim 23, wherein the control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and a transmission reception point TRP of the UE, or The control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and the TRP of the base station from which the control message is received.

25. The UE according to claim 23, wherein the control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and the panel of the UE, or The control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and a panel of a base station from which the control message is received.

26. The UE according to claim 23, wherein the control message is a medium access control (MAC) message, and wherein: The association is indicated via a MAC Control Element CE of the MAC message.

27. A base station, comprising: Memory; at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to cause the base station to: determining an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index; sending a control message including association information indicating the association; determining a spatial relationship between the PUCCH resource groups; and Send another control message indicating the spatial relationship, wherein the other control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via the identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on the association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group.

28. The base station according to claim 27, wherein the control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and a transmission reception point TRP of a user equipment UE, or The control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and the TRP of the base station from which the control message is received.

29. The base station according to claim 27, wherein the control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and the panel of the UE, or The control message further indicates an association between the PUCCH resource group and a panel of a base station from which the control message is received.

30. The base station of claim 27, wherein the control message is a Medium Access Control (MAC) message.

31. The base station according to claim 30, wherein the association is indicated via a MAC Control Element (CE) of the MAC message.

32. A user equipment UE, comprising: Memory; at least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the memory and configured to cause the UE to: receiving a control message indicating a spatial relationship of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group, wherein the control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on an association between the PUCCH resource group and a PUCCH resource ID of the group; as well as The indication of the spatial relationship is updated.

33. The UE of claim 32, wherein the spatial relationship indicated by the control message is common to each PUCCH resource in the PUCCH resource group.

34. The UE according to claim 32, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to: Indication information is received, wherein the indication information indicates whether the identification of the PUCCH resource identifier is a reference to the PUCCH resource group.

35. The UE according to claim 34, wherein: The indication information is included in the control message or in a separate control message.

36. The UE according to claim 32, wherein: The PUCCH resource group is implicitly identified based on a single reference to the PUCCH resource identifier belonging to the PUCCH resource group.

37. A base station, comprising: Memory; at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to cause the base station to: Determine the spatial relationship of physical uplink control channel PUCCH resource groups; as well as Send a control message indicating the spatial relationship, wherein the control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on an association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group.

38. The base station of claim 37, wherein the spatial relationship indicated by the control message is common to each PUCCH resource in the PUCCH resource group.

39. The base station according to claim 37, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to cause the base station to: Indication information is sent, where the indication information indicates whether the identification of the PUCCH resource identifier is a reference to the PUCCH resource group.

40. The base station according to claim 39, wherein: The indication information is included in the control message or in a separate control message.

41. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receiving a control message including association information indicating an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index; and receiving another control message indicating a spatial relationship of the PUCCH resource groups, wherein: The another control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on an association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group.

42. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to: determining an association between a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group and a PUCCH group index; sending a control message including association information indicating the association; determining a spatial relationship between the PUCCH resource groups; and sending another control message indicating the spatial relationship, wherein: The another control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on an association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group.

43. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receiving a control message indicating a spatial relationship of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource group, wherein: The control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group via identification of a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on an association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group; as well as The indication of the spatial relationship is updated.

44. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to: Determining the spatial relationship of physical uplink control channel PUCCH resource groups; and sending a control message indicating the spatial relationship, wherein: The control message implicitly identifies the PUCCH resource group by identifying a PUCCH resource identifier of a PUCCH resource belonging to the PUCCH resource group, and the identification of the PUCCH resource group is based on an association between the PUCCH resource group and the PUCCH resource ID of the group.

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