Dynamic switching between physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) on uplink (UL) and supplementary uplink (SUL)

Abstract

In some aspects, a wireless communication method includes: receiving at a user equipment (UE) from a base station a first message indicating a selected carrier for transmitting an uplink (UL) message. The selected carrier includes a UL carrier or a supplementary uplink (SUL) carrier. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. The method also includes: transmitting the UL message to the base station via the selected carrier. Other aspects and features are also claimed and described.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims benefit from U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 443,363, filed July 26, 2021, entitled “DYNAMIC SWITCHING OF PHYSICAL UPLINK CONTROL CHANNEL (PUCCH) BETWEEN UPLINK (UL) AND SUPPLEMENTARY UPLINK (SUL)”, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 062,368, filed August 6, 2020, entitled “DYNAMIC SWITCHING OF PHYSICAL UPLINK CONTROL CHANNEL (PUCCH) BETWEEN UPLINK (UL) AND SUPPLEMENTARY UPLINK (SUL)”, the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] In summary, aspects of this disclosure relate to wireless communication systems, and more specifically, aspects of this disclosure relate to the dynamic switching of the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) between an uplink (UL) carrier and a Supplemental Uplink (SUL) carrier. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, and broadcasting. These wireless networks can be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing available network resources. Such networks (which are typically multiple-access networks) support communication for multiple users by sharing available network resources.

[0005] A wireless communication network may include multiple base stations or nodes B capable of supporting communication for multiple user equipments (UEs). UEs can communicate with base stations via downlinks and uplinks. A downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the UE, and an uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station.

[0006] A base station can send data and control information to a UE on the downlink and / or receive data and control information from a UE on the uplink. On the downlink, transmissions from the base station may encounter interference from transmissions from neighboring base stations or other radio frequency (RF) transmitters. On the uplink, transmissions from the UE may encounter interference from other UEs communicating with neighboring base stations or from uplink transmissions from other RF transmitters. This interference can degrade performance on both the downlink and uplink.

[0007] As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, the likelihood of network interference and congestion increases with more user devices (UEs) accessing long-range wireless communication networks and the deployment of more short-range wireless systems in communities. Research and development continue to drive the advancement of wireless technologies, not only to meet the ever-growing demand for mobile broadband access but also to enhance and improve the user experience of mobile communications.

[0008] Wireless communication systems typically support uplink (UL) communication from the UE to the base station and downlink (DL) communication from the base station to the UE. Because the UE has a less powerful transmitter compared to the base station, UL communication can be more susceptible to fading and attenuation, and therefore may have a shorter range than DL communication. This difficulty with UL communication may be even more pronounced in higher frequency bands, such as millimeter wave bands. To improve UL communication range, some wireless communication systems support UL communication on both a UL carrier and a supplementary uplink (SUL) carrier within the cell. The SUL carrier can be a carrier within the same cell that is allocated a lower frequency than the UL carrier. In some wireless communication systems that support both UL and SUL carriers, the PUCCH can be configured statically or semi-statically for communication via either the UL carrier or the SUL carrier. However, such wireless communication systems cannot dynamically adapt to changing conditions, which can lead to degraded UL communication quality. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The following summarizes certain aspects of this disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the techniques discussed. This content is not a broad overview of all intended features of this disclosure, nor is it intended to identify key or essential elements of all aspects of this disclosure, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects of this disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of this disclosure in summary form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

[0010] In one aspect of this disclosure, a method of wireless communication includes: receiving at a user equipment (UE) from a base station a first message indicating a selected carrier for transmitting an uplink (UL) message. The selected carrier includes a UL carrier or a supplementary uplink (SUL) carrier. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. The method further includes: transmitting the UL message to the base station via the selected carrier.

[0011] In a further aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes: at least one processor; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to: receive at a UE from a base station a first message indicating a selected carrier for transmitting a UL message. The selected carrier includes a UL carrier or a SUL carrier. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. The at least one processor is further configured to: initiate the transmission of the UL message to the base station via the selected carrier.

[0012] In a further aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes: a unit for receiving, at a UE, a first message from a base station indicating a selected carrier for transmitting a UL message. The selected carrier includes a UL carrier or a SUL carrier. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. The apparatus further includes: a unit for transmitting the UL message to the base station via the selected carrier.

[0013] In a further aspect of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including: receiving at a UE from a base station a first message indicating a selected carrier for transmitting a UL message. The selected carrier includes either a UL carrier or a SUL carrier. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. The operation further includes: initiating the transmission of the UL message to the base station via the selected carrier.

[0014] In an additional aspect of this disclosure, a method of wireless communication includes: at a base station, selecting a carrier from a carrier group including a UL carrier and a SUL carrier. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. The method further includes: sending a first message to a UE, the first message indicating that the selected carrier is used for the transmission of UL messages. The method further includes: receiving the UL messages from the UE via the selected carrier.

[0015] In a further aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes: at least one processor; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to: at a base station, select a carrier from a carrier group including a UL carrier and a SUL carrier. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. The at least one processor is further configured to: initiate the transmission of a first message to a UE, the first message indicating that the selected carrier is used for the transmission of a UL message. The at least one processor is further configured to: receive the UL message from the UE via the selected carrier.

[0016] In a further aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes: a unit for selecting a carrier at a base station from a carrier group including a UL carrier and a SUL carrier. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. The apparatus further includes: a unit for transmitting a first message to a UE, the first message indicating that the selected carrier is used for the transmission of UL messages. The apparatus further includes: a unit for receiving the UL messages from the UE via the selected carrier.

[0017] In a further aspect of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including: at a base station, selecting a carrier from a carrier group including a UL carrier and a SUL carrier. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. The operation further includes: initiating a transmission of a first message to a UE, the first message indicating that the selected carrier is used for the transmission of a UL message. The operation further includes: receiving the UL message from the UE via the selected carrier.

[0018] Other aspects, features, and embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art when they review the following description of specific exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. While features of the invention may be discussed below with respect to certain aspects and drawings, all embodiments may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more aspects may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used according to various aspects of the invention discussed herein. Similarly, while exemplary aspects may be discussed below as aspects of an apparatus, system, or method, exemplary aspects may be implemented in various apparatuses, systems, and methods. Attached Figure Description

[0019] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of this disclosure can be achieved by referring to the accompanying drawings below. In the drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference numerals. Furthermore, components of the same type can be distinguished by a dash and a second reference numeral following the reference numerals to differentiate similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the description, the description applies to any similar component having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the second reference numeral.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating details of an example of a wireless communication system according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example design of a base station and UE configured according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system configured to support uplink (UL) carriers and supplementary uplink (SUL) carriers, based on some aspects of this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of an example wireless communication system configured to support dynamic switching of the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) from a UL carrier to a SUL carrier, based on some aspects of this disclosure.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating examples of UL carriers and SUL carriers based on some aspects of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating an example process for dynamically selecting a carrier for transmitting UL messages, in accordance with some aspects of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating an example process of dynamically instructing a UE to use a carrier for transmitting UL messages, in accordance with some aspects of this disclosure.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of an example UE supporting dynamic selection of a carrier for transmitting UL messages, based on some aspects of this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 9 This is a block diagram of an example base station that dynamically instructs the UE to use a carrier for transmitting UL messages, based on some aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The specific embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are intended as descriptions of various configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Rather, the specific embodiments include particular details in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter of the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these particular details are not required in every case, and in some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form for clarity.

[0030] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, or channels based on frequency (or wavelength). In fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR), two initial operating bands have been designated as frequency range names FR1 (410MHz-7.125GHz) and FR2 (24.25GHz-52.6GHz). Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6GHz, in various documents and articles, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “sub-6 GHz” band. Similar naming issues sometimes arise regarding FR2, although it differs from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30GHz-300GHz) designated as a “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), it is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “millimeter wave” band / spectrum in documents and articles. In light of the foregoing, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that the term "below 6 GHz," when used herein, can broadly refer to frequencies that are less than 6 GHz, within FR1, or may include intermediate frequency bands. Furthermore, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that the term "millimeter wave," when used herein, can broadly refer to frequencies that may include intermediate frequency bands, within FR2, or within the EHF band.

[0031] This disclosure provides systems, apparatus, methods, and computer-readable media for supporting dynamic selection of carriers used when transmitting uplink (UL) messages in a user equipment (UE). The techniques of this disclosure can provide a wireless communication system that supports a UL carrier and a supplementary uplink (SUL) carrier for UL communication from the UE to a base station. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier can be carriers of the same cell (e.g., a primary cell) supported by the base station, wherein the SUL is allocated a frequency resource having a lower frequency than the frequency resource allocated to the UL carrier. The wireless communication system can configure physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources on both the UL and SUL resources, and the base station can dynamically indicate to the UE the carrier selected for performing UL transmissions.

[0032] For example, a base station may select a carrier from a group of UL and SUL carriers for the UE to use when transmitting UL messages. The base station may select the carrier based on measurements performed by the base station, measurements received from the UE, or some other technique, as further described herein. The base station may send a message to the UE indicating the selected carrier. Based on receiving this message, the UE may transmit the UL message to the base station via the selected carrier (e.g., via a PUCCH on the selected carrier). In some implementations, the UL message may include or correspond to a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) message. For example, a message received from the base station may include or correspond to a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message that includes specific bits indicating whether the associated HARQ-ACK message should be transmitted via a UL carrier or a SUL carrier. In some other implementations, the UL message may include or correspond to a Semi-Persistent Channel State Information (SP-CSI) message. For example, a message received from the base station may include or correspond to a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) that includes specific bits indicating whether the activated SP-CSI resource is on a UL carrier or a SUL carrier. At a later time (e.g., based on changed channel conditions), the base station can select a different carrier and send a message to the UE indicating the newly selected carrier. In this way, dynamic handover of the PUCCH from a UL carrier to a SUL carrier or from a SUL carrier to a UL carrier can be supported.

[0033] Specific implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some aspects, this disclosure provides dynamic selection of the UL carrier or SUL carrier used by the UE when transmitting UL messages. Selective use of the SUL carrier can increase the UL transmission range of a wireless communication system, particularly for wireless communication systems supporting communication at higher frequencies, such as millimeter-wave bands. Dynamic carrier selection can provide greater flexibility and frequency diversity within the wireless communication system, which can reduce the impact of dynamic interference or jamming on UL transmission. In some implementations, this dynamic selection can be achieved via a single extra bit in a DCI message or MAC-CE, requiring minimal changes to the legacy wireless communication system to support dynamic handover.

[0034] This disclosure generally relates to providing or participating in licensed shared access between two or more wireless devices in one or more wireless communication systems (also referred to as wireless communication networks). In various implementations, technologies and apparatus can be used in wireless communication networks such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, 5th Generation (5G) or New Radio (NR) networks (sometimes referred to as "5G NR" networks / systems / devices), and other communication networks. As described herein, the terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably.

[0035] For example, CDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) and CDMA2000. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and Low Code Rate (LCR). CDMA2000 covers the IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards.

[0036] For example, TDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defines the standard for the Radio Access Network (RAN) for GSM EDGE (Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution), also referred to as GERAN. GERAN is the radio component of GSM / EDGE along with the network used to combine base stations (e.g., Ater and Abis interfaces) and base station controllers (A interface, etc.). A radio access network represents a component of a GSM network through which telephone calls and packet data are routed from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and the Internet to the user's mobile phone (also called a user terminal or user equipment (UE)) and from the user's mobile phone to the PSTN and the Internet. A mobile phone operator's network may include one or more GERANs; in the case of UMTS / GSM networks, the GERAN may be coupled to the Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). Additionally, an operator's network may include one or more LTE networks and / or one or more other networks. Different network types may use different Radio Access Technologies (RATs) and Radio Access Networks (RANs).

[0037] OFDMA networks can implement wireless technologies such as evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and others. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Specifically, LTE is a version of UMTS that adopts E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS, and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization called 3GPP, and CDMA2000 is described in documents from an organization called 3GPP2. These various wireless technologies and standards are either known or under development. For example, 3GPP is a collaboration between telecommunications alliances aimed at defining globally applicable third-generation (3G) mobile phone specifications. LTE is a 3GPP initiative aimed at improving the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile phone standard. 3GPP can specify requirements for next-generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. This disclosure may describe certain aspects with reference to LTE, 4G, or 5G NR technologies; however, this specification is not intended to be limited to any particular technology or application, and one or more aspects described with reference to one technology may be understood to be applicable to another technology. In fact, one or more aspects of this disclosure relate to sharing access to radio spectrum between networks using different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces.

[0038] 5G networks are expected to be able to utilize a variety of deployments, spectrums, services, and devices using a unified OFDM-based air interface. To achieve these goals, in addition to the development of new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are considered. 5G NR will be able to scale to provide coverage with: (1) coverage with ultra-high density (e.g., ~1M nodes / km). 2 (1) Massive Internet of Things (IoT) with ultra-low complexity (e.g., ~10 bits / second), ultra-low energy (e.g., ~10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage with the ability to reach challenging locations; (2) Mission-critical controls with robust security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or confidential information; ultra-high reliability (e.g., ~99.9999% reliability); ultra-low latency (e.g., ~1 millisecond (ms)); and wide range of users with or without mobility; and (3) Enhanced mobile broadband, including extremely high capacity (e.g., ~10 Tbps / km). 2Extreme data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+Mbps user experience rates), and deep awareness with improved discovery and optimization.

[0039] 5G NR devices, networks, and systems can be implemented using optimized OFDM-based waveform characteristics. These characteristics can include: scalable digital schemes and transmission time intervals (TTIs); a common, flexible framework for efficiently multiplexing services and features using dynamic, low-latency Time Division Duplex (TDD) / Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) designs; and improved radio technologies such as massive MIMO, robust millimeter-wave (mmWave) transmission, improved channel coding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of digital schemes in 5G NR, through scaling subcarrier spacing, can efficiently address the operation of various services across diverse spectrums and deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments using FDD / TDD implementations below 3 GHz, subcarrier spacing can occur at 15 kHz across bandwidths such as 1, 5, 10, and 20 MHz. For other outdoor and small-cell coverage deployments using TDD above 3 GHz, subcarrier spacing can occur at 30 kHz across 80 / 100 MHz bandwidths. For various other indoor broadband implementations using TDD in the unlicensed portion of the 5 GHz band, subcarrier spacing can occur at 60 kHz over a 160 MHz bandwidth. Finally, for various deployments using 28 GHz TDD with mmWave components, subcarrier spacing can occur at 120 kHz over a 500 MHz bandwidth.

[0040] 5G NR's scalable digital schemes facilitate scalable Time Intervals (TTIs) for various latency and Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs allows transmission to begin at symbol boundaries. 5G NR also anticipates self-contained integrated subframe designs with uplink / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgments within the same subframe. These self-contained integrated subframes support communication in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum, and adaptive uplink / downlink (which can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between uplink and downlink to meet current service demands).

[0041] For clarity, the following description may refer to example 5G NR implementations or describe certain aspects of the devices and technologies in a 5G-centric manner, and 5G terminology may be used as illustrative examples in various sections described below; however, these descriptions are not intended to be limited to 5G applications.

[0042] Furthermore, it should be understood that, in operation, wireless communication networks adapted according to the concepts herein can operate with any combination of licensed or unlicensed spectrum, depending on load and availability. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein can be applied to other communication systems and applications besides the specific examples provided.

[0043] While aspects and implementations have been described in this application by way of examples, those skilled in the art will understand that alternative implementations and use cases can occur in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovations described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and package arrangements. For example, embodiments and / or uses can occur via integrated chip embodiments and / or other devices based on non-modular components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / purchasing devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc.). While some examples may or may not specifically relate to use cases or applications, a wide variety of applicability to the described innovations can exist. The range of implementations can extend from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations, and further to aggregated, distributed, or OEM devices or systems incorporating one or more described aspects. In some practical settings, devices incorporating described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementing and carrying out the claimed and described embodiments. The intention is that the innovations described herein can be implemented in a wide variety of ways, including both large and small devices with different sizes, shapes and compositions, chip-level components, multi-component systems (e.g., RF chains, communication interfaces, processors), distributed layouts, end-user devices, etc.

[0044] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating details of an example wireless communication system. The wireless communication system may include a wireless network 100. Wireless network 100 may, for example, include a 5G wireless network. As those skilled in the art will understand, in Figure 1 The components appearing in this network may have corresponding units in other network arrangements (including, for example, cellular network arrangements and non-cellular network arrangements (e.g., device-to-device, peer-to-peer, or self-organizing network arrangements)).

[0045] exist Figure 1The wireless network 100 shown includes several base stations 105 and other network entities. Base stations can be stations communicating with UEs, and can also be referred to as evolved Node Bs (eNBs), next-generation eNBs (gNBs), access points, etc. Each base station 105 can provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to the specific geographic coverage area of ​​a base station and / or the base station subsystem serving that coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. In the implementation of the wireless network 100 herein, base stations 105 can be associated with the same operator or different operators (e.g., the wireless network 100 may include multiple operator wireless networks). Additionally, in the implementation of the wireless network 100 herein, base stations 105 can use one or more frequencies (e.g., one or more bands of licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or combinations thereof) from the same frequencies as neighboring cells to provide wireless communication. In some examples, a single base station 105 or UE 115 can be operated by more than one network operating entity. In other examples, each base station 105 and UE 115 can be operated by a single network operating entity.

[0046] Base stations can provide communication coverage for macro cells or small cells (e.g., pico cells or femto cells) and / or other types of cells. Typically, macro cells cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions to the network provider. Small cells, such as pico cells, typically cover a relatively small geographic area and allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions to the network provider. Small cells, such as femto cells, typically cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, can provide restricted access for UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), UEs for users in a home, etc.). A base station for a macro cell can be called a macro base station. A base station for a small cell can be called a small cell base station, pico base station, femto base station, or home base station. Figure 1 In the examples shown, base stations 105d and 105e are conventional macro base stations, while base stations 105a-105c are macro base stations implementing one of 3D, full-dimensional (FD), or massive MIMO. Base stations 105a-105c fully utilize their higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to increase coverage and capacity using 3D beamforming in elevation and azimuth beamforming. Base station 105f is a small cell base station, which can be a home node or a portable access point. Base stations can support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0047] Wireless Network 100 can support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, base stations can have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations can be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, base stations can have different frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations can be misaligned in time. In some scenarios, the network can be enabled or configured to handle dynamic switching between synchronous and asynchronous operation.

[0048] UE 115 is distributed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE can be stationary or mobile. It should be recognized that although mobile devices are generally referred to as User Equipment (UE) in standards and specifications published by 3GPP, such devices may be otherwise referred to by those skilled in the art as mobile station (MS), user station, mobile unit, user unit, radio unit, remote unit, mobile device, radio device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile user station, access terminal (AT), mobile terminal, radio terminal, remote terminal, handphone, terminal, user agent, mobile client, client, gaming device, augmented reality device, vehicle component device / module, or some other suitable term. Within this document, a “mobile” device or UE does not necessarily need to have the capability for mobility and can be stationary. Some non-limiting examples of mobile devices may include implementations of one or more of those in UE 115, including mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, laptop computers, personal computers (PCs), notebook computers, netbooks, smartbooks, tablet computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Mobile devices can also be “Internet of Things” (IoT) or “Internet of Everything” (IoE) devices, such as automobiles or other vehicles, satellite radio units, Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, logistics controllers, drones, multi-wing aircraft, quadcopters, smart energy or security devices, solar panels or solar arrays, municipal lighting, water supply or other infrastructure; industrial automation and enterprise equipment; consumer and wearable devices, such as glasses, wearable cameras, smartwatches, health or fitness trackers, mammalian implantable devices, posture tracking devices, medical devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, etc.; and digital home or smart home devices, such as home audio, video and multimedia equipment, appliances, sensors, vending machines, smart lighting, home security systems, smart meters, etc. In one aspect, the UE can be a device that includes a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). In another aspect, the UE 115 can be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, a UE that does not include a UICC can also be referred to as an IoE device. Figure 1The UEs 115a-115d shown are examples of mobile smartphone-type devices accessing the wireless network 100. The UE can also be a machine specifically configured for connected communications, including Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Enhanced MTC (eMTC), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), etc. Figure 1 The UE 115e-115k shown is an example of various machines configured for accessing communications of the wireless network 100.

[0049] Mobile devices (such as UE 115) may be able to communicate with any type of base station (whether macro base station, pico base station, femto base station, repeater, etc.). Figure 1 In this context, a communication link (represented by a lightning bolt) indicates a radio transmission between the UE and a serving base station (which is designated to serve the UE on the downlink and / or uplink), or a desired transmission between base stations, and a backhaul transmission between base stations. In some scenarios, the UE may operate as a base station or other network node. Backhaul communication between base stations of the wireless network 100 may occur using wired and / or wireless communication links.

[0050] When operating in wireless network 100, base stations 105a-105c use 3D beamforming and cooperative spatial technologies (e.g., Cooperative Multipoint (CoMP) or Multi-Connection) to serve UEs 115a and UE 115b. Macro base station 105d performs backhaul communication with base stations 105a-105c and small cell base station 105f. Macro base station 105d also transmits multicast services subscribed to and received by UEs 115c and 115d. Such multicast services may include mobile television or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information (such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber Alerts or Gray Alerts).

[0051] The implemented wireless network 100 supports mission-critical communication with ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices (e.g., UE 115e, which is a drone). Redundant communication links with UE 115e include those from macro base stations 105d and 105e, and small cell base station 105f. Other machine-type devices, such as UE 115f (thermometer), UE 115g (smart meter), and UE 115h (wearable device), can communicate via the wireless network 100 either directly with base stations (such as small cell base station 105f and macro base station 105e) or, in a multi-hop configuration, by communicating with another user device that relays its information to the network; for example, UE 115f transmits temperature measurement information to smart meter UE 115g, and then the temperature measurement information is reported to the network via small cell base station 105f. For example, in a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) mesh network between UEs 115i-115k communicating with macro base station 105e, wireless network 100 can also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low-latency TDD / FDD communication.

[0052] Figure 2 The concept shows base station 105 and UE 115 (which can be...) Figure 1 The block diagram illustrates an example design of either a base station or a UE (User Equipment). For constrained association scenarios (as mentioned above), base station 105 can be... Figure 1 The small cell base station 105f and UE 115 can be UE 115c or 115D operating within the service area of ​​base station 105f, and will be included in the list of accessible UEs for small cell base station 105f in order to access it. Base station 105 can also be some other type of base station. Figure 2 As shown, base station 105 may be equipped with antennas 234a to 234t, and UE 115 may be equipped with antennas 252a to 252r for facilitating wireless communication.

[0053] At base station 105, transmitting processor 220 can receive data from data source 212 and control information from controller / processor 240. The control information may be for Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH), Physical Hybrid ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request) Indicator Channel (PHICH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel (EPDCCH), MTC Physical Downlink Control Channel (MPDCCH), etc. The data may be for PDSCH, etc. Transmitting processor 220 can process (e.g., encoding and symbol mapping) the data and control information separately to obtain data symbols and control symbols. Additionally, transmitting processor 220 can generate reference symbols, for example, for primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) and cell-specific reference signals. The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 can perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding, if applicable) on data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, and can provide output symbol streams to modulators (MODs) 232a to 232t. For example, spatial processing performed on data symbols, control symbols, or reference symbols may include precoding. Each modulator 232 can (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) process its corresponding output symbol stream to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 can additionally or alternatively process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signal from modulators 232a to 232t can be transmitted via antennas 234a to 234t, respectively.

[0054] At UE 115, antennas 252a to 252r can receive downlink signals from base station 105 and can respectively provide the received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a to 254r. Each demodulator 254 can adjust (e.g., filter, amplify, down-convert, and digitize) its respective received signal to obtain an input sample. Each demodulator 254 can further process the input sample (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain the received symbols. MIMO detector 256 can obtain the received symbols from demodulators 254a to 254r, perform MIMO detection (if any) on the received symbols, and provide the detected symbols. Receiver processor 258 can process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 115 to data sink 260, and provide decoded control information to controller / processor 280.

[0055] On the uplink, at UE 115, the transmitting processor 264 can receive data from data source 262 (e.g., for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)) and control information from controller / processor 280 (e.g., for the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)), and process the data and control information. Additionally, the transmitting processor 264 can generate reference symbols for reference signals. The symbols from the transmitting processor 264 can be pre-coded (if any) by the TX MIMO processor 266, further processed by modulators 254a to 254r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to base station 105. At base station 105, the uplink signal from UE 115 can be received by antenna 234, processed by demodulator 232, detected (if any) by MIMO detector 236, and further processed by receiving processor 238 to obtain the decoded data and control information transmitted by UE 115. The receiver processor 238 can provide decoded data to the data sink 239 and decoded control information to the controller / processor 240.

[0056] Controllers / processors 240 and 280 can respectively direct operations at base station 105 and UE 115. Controller / processor 240 and / or other processors and modules at base station 105, and / or controller / processor 280 and / or other processors and modules at UE 115, can perform or direct the execution of various processes used in the techniques described herein, such as performing or directing operations at... Figure 6 and Figure 7 The execution and / or other processes used in the techniques described herein are shown in the diagram. Memory 242 and 282 may store data and program code for base station 105 and UE 115, respectively. Scheduler 244 may schedule the UE for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0057] Wireless communication systems operated by different network operating entities (e.g., network operators) can share spectrum. In some cases, a network operating entity can be configured to use the entire designated shared spectrum for at least one time period before another network operating entity uses the entire designated shared spectrum in different time periods. Therefore, in order to allow network operating entities to use the entire designated shared spectrum and to mitigate interference communications between different network operating entities, certain resources (e.g., time) can be allocated and distributed to different network operating entities for certain types of communication.

[0058] For example, certain time resources can be allocated to a network operator, reserved for exclusive communication using the entire shared spectrum. Other time resources can also be allocated to a network operator, giving it priority over other network operators in using the shared spectrum for communication. These time resources, preferentially used by the network operator, can be used opportunistically by other network operators if the prioritized network operator does not utilize them. Additional time resources can be allocated for opportunistic use by any network operator.

[0059] Access to shared spectrum and arbitration of time resources among different network operators can be centrally controlled by the respective entities, autonomously determined through predefined arbitration schemes, or dynamically determined based on interactions between the network operator's wireless nodes.

[0060] In some cases, UE 115 and base station 105 may operate in a shared radio frequency spectrum band, which may include licensed or unlicensed (e.g., contention-based) spectrum. In the unlicensed frequency portion of the shared radio frequency spectrum band, UE 115 or base station 105 may typically perform a medium sensing procedure to compete for spectrum access. For example, UE 115 or base station 105 may perform a Listen-Before-Speak or Listen-Before-Transmit (LBT) procedure (such as Clear Channel Assessment (CCA)) before communication to determine if the shared channel is available. In some implementations, CCA may include an energy detection procedure to determine if any other active transmissions are present. For example, the device may infer that a change in the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of the power meter indicates that the channel is occupied. Specifically, a signal power concentrated in a bandwidth and exceeding a predetermined noise floor may indicate another wireless transmitter. CCA may also include the detection of a specific sequence indicating channel usage. For example, another device may send a specific preamble before transmitting a data sequence. In some cases, the LBT process may include: the wireless node adjusting its own backoff window based on the amount of energy detected on the channel and / or the acknowledgment / negative acknowledgment (ACK / NACK) feedback for packets it sends as a proxy for collisions.

[0061] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system 300 configured to support uplink (UL) carriers and supplementary uplink (SUL) carriers, based on certain aspects. Figure 3 As shown, the wireless communication system 300 includes a UE 115 and a base station 105. Although one UE 115 and one base station 105 are shown, in other implementations, the wireless communication system 300 may include multiple UEs 115 and multiple base stations 105.

[0062] Base station 105 can be configured to support one or more cells, such as a primary cell, a secondary cell, or other cells. Unlike a typical carrier aggregation (CA) system that supports multiple carriers, each for a different corresponding cell, base station 105 can be configured to support multiple carriers for a single cell. For example, base station 105 can be configured to support UL carriers and SUL carriers for a specific cell (such as a primary cell). UL cells and SUL cells can be assigned to different resources (such as different time resources, different frequency resources, or both) while also being associated with the same cell (e.g., associated with the same cell identifier (ID)). Due to differences in frequency resources and power associated with the transmitters of UE 115 and base station 105, different carriers may have different coverage areas. For example, wireless communication system 300 can be associated with DL+UL coverage 302, DL-only coverage 304, and SUL coverage 306. Due to attenuation of the UL signal and reduced transmitter power at UE 115 (compared to base station 105), DL+UL coverage 302 (e.g., coverage associated with the UL carrier) is smaller than SUL coverage 306. Therefore, when UE115 is within SUL coverage 306 but not within DL+UL coverage 302, improved UL transmission quality can be achieved by switching the PUCCH used by UE115 to the SUL carrier.

[0063] Figure 3 Frequency diagram 310, illustrating the frequency resources allocated to UL and SUL carriers, is also shown. Figure 3 As shown, UL carriers (e.g., DL+UL) can be allocated to frequency resources at higher frequencies compared to those allocated to SUL carriers. As 5G NR wireless communication systems begin to support higher frequency communications (such as in millimeter-wave bands), UL carriers are allocated to these higher frequencies. However, communications at these higher frequencies may be more likely to experience attenuation or interference. Therefore, allocating SUL carriers to frequency resources at lower frequencies (such as less than 2 GHz) can provide extended UL transmission coverage in the wireless communication system 300. However, wireless communication systems configured for static or semi-static carrier selection may not be able to quickly switch carriers used for PUCCH, resulting in degraded UL transmission quality in the wireless communication system 300.

[0064] This disclosure provides systems, apparatus, methods, and computer-readable media for supporting dynamic selection of carriers used when a UE transmits UL messages. The technology of this disclosure can provide a wireless communication system that supports UL carriers and SUL carriers for UL communication from a UE to a base station. The UL carrier and SUL carrier can be carriers of the same cell (e.g., a primary cell) supported by the base station, wherein the SUL is allocated to a frequency resource having a lower frequency than the frequency resource allocated to the UL carrier. The wireless communication system can configure PUCCH resources on both UL and SUL resources, and the base station can dynamically indicate to the UE the carrier selected for performing UL transmissions.

[0065] For example, a base station may select a carrier from a group of UL and SUL carriers for the UE to use when transmitting UL messages. The base station may select the carrier based on measurements performed by the base station, measurements received from the UE, or some other technique, as further described herein. The base station may send a message to the UE indicating the selected carrier. Based on receiving this message, the UE may transmit the UL message to the base station via the selected carrier (e.g., via a PUCCH on the selected carrier). In some implementations, the UL message may include or correspond to a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) message. For example, a message received from the base station may include or correspond to a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message that includes specific bits indicating whether the associated HARQ-ACK message is to be transmitted via a UL carrier or a SUL carrier. In some other implementations, the UL message may include or correspond to a Semi-Persistent Channel State Information (SP-CSI) message. For example, a message received from the base station may include or correspond to a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) that includes specific bits indicating whether the active SP-CSI resource is on a UL carrier or a SUL carrier. At a later time (e.g., based on changed channel conditions), the base station can select a different carrier and send a message to the UE indicating the newly selected carrier. In this way, dynamic handover of the PUCCH from a UL carrier to a SUL carrier, or from a SUL carrier to a UL carrier, can be supported.

[0066] Specific implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some aspects, this disclosure provides dynamic selection of the UL carrier or SUL carrier used by the UE when transmitting UL messages. Selective use of the SUL carrier can increase the UL transmission range of a wireless communication system, particularly for wireless communication systems supporting communication at higher frequencies, such as millimeter-wave bands. Dynamic carrier selection can provide greater flexibility and frequency diversity within the wireless communication system, which can reduce the impact of dynamic interference or disturbances on UL transmission. In some implementations, this dynamic selection can be achieved via a single extra bit in a DCI message or MAC-CE, requiring minimal changes to the legacy wireless communication system to support dynamic handover.

[0067] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of an example wireless communication system 400 that supports dynamic handover of PUCCH from a UL carrier to a SUL carrier, based on some aspects. In some examples, the wireless communication system 400 may implement various aspects of the wireless network 100. The wireless communication system 400 includes a UE 115 and a base station 105. Although one UE 115 and one base station 105 are shown, in some other implementations, the wireless communication system 400 may typically include multiple UEs 115 and may include more than one base station 105.

[0068] UE 115 may include various components (such as structural hardware components) for performing one or more of the functions described herein. For example, these components may include one or more processors 402 (hereinafter collectively referred to as “processor 402”), one or more memory devices 404 (hereinafter collectively referred to as “memory 404”), one or more transmitters 410 (hereinafter collectively referred to as “transmitter 410”), and one or more receivers 412 (hereinafter collectively referred to as “receiver 412”). Processor 402 may be configured to execute instructions stored in memory 404 to perform the operations described herein. In some implementations, processor 402 includes or corresponds to one or more of receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, and controller / processor 280, and memory 404 includes or corresponds to memory 282.

[0069] In some implementations, memory 404 may be configured to store power headroom measurement 406 and channel quality measurement 408. Power headroom measurement 406 may indicate the available power headroom (compared to maximum power) associated with one or more channels measured by UE 115. Channel quality measurement 408 may indicate the channel quality of one or more channels measured by UE 115 and may be used by UE 115 to transmit channel state information (CSI) to base station 105.

[0070] Transmitter 410 is configured to transmit reference signals, control information, and data to one or more other devices, and receiver 412 is configured to receive reference signals, synchronization signals, control information, and data from one or more other devices. For example, transmitter 410 may transmit signaling, control information, and data to base station 105, and receiver 412 may receive signaling, control information, and data from base station 105. In some implementations, transmitter 410 and receiver 412 may be integrated into one or more transceivers. Alternatively or additionally, transmitter 410 or receiver 412 may include or correspond to a reference signal. Figure 2 One or more components of the UE 115 described.

[0071] Base station 105 may include various components (such as structural hardware components) for performing one or more of the functions described herein. For example, these components may include one or more processors 452 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "processor 452"), one or more memory devices 454 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "memory 454"), one or more transmitters 456 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "transmitter 456"), and one or more receivers 458 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "receiver 458"). Processor 452 may be configured to execute instructions stored in memory 454 to perform the operations described herein. In some implementations, processor 452 includes or corresponds to one or more of receive processor 238, transmit processor 220, and controller / processor 240, and memory 454 includes or corresponds to memory 242.

[0072] In some implementations, memory 454 may be configured to store power margin measurement 455. Power margin measurement 455 may indicate the available power margin (compared to maximum power) associated with one or more channels measured by base station 105.

[0073] Transmitter 456 is configured to transmit reference signals, synchronization signals, control information, and data to one or more other devices, and receiver 458 is configured to receive reference signals, control information, and data from one or more other devices. For example, transmitter 456 may transmit signaling, control information, and data to UE 115, and receiver 458 may receive signaling, control information, and data from UE 115. In some implementations, transmitter 456 and receiver 458 may be integrated into one or more transceivers. Alternatively or additionally, transmitter 456 or receiver 458 may include or correspond to a reference signal. Figure 2 One or more components of the described base station 105.

[0074] In some implementations, the wireless communication system 400 implements a 5G New Radio (NR) network. For example, the wireless communication system 400 may include multiple 5G-capable UEs 115 and multiple 5G-capable base stations 105, such as UEs and base stations configured to operate according to 5G NR network protocols (such as protocols defined by 3GPP).

[0075] During operation of the wireless communication system 400, to support enhanced flexibility and increased frequency diversity, the wireless communication system 400 can support dynamic carrier switching for carriers used by the UE 115 when transmitting one or more UL messages. To support dynamic switching, the base station 105 can configure PUCCH resources on multiple carriers (such as multiple carriers associated with a single cell (e.g., a primary cell) supported by the base station 105), and the base station 105 can selectively (e.g., activate) specific carriers for the UE 115 to use when transmitting one or more UL messages via the PUCCH.

[0076] In some implementations, multiple carriers may include at least a UL carrier and a SUL carrier. Unlike typical CA systems that support multiple carriers, each for a different corresponding cell, base station 105 can be configured to support multiple carriers for a single cell. For example, base station 105 can be configured to support UL carriers and SUL carriers for a specific cell (such as a primary cell), and therefore the UL carrier and SUL carrier can be associated with the same logical cell index. UE 115 can be scheduled to transmit on either the SUL carrier or the UL carrier, but not simultaneously on both. The UL carrier may correspond to a first set of frequency resources, and the SUL carrier may correspond to a second set of frequency resources. In some implementations, the second set of frequency resources may occupy a lower bandwidth than the first set of frequency resources. For example, the first set of frequency resources corresponding to the UL carrier may be located in a millimeter-wave band or other typical high-frequency bandwidth of a 5G NR wireless communication system. As a non-limiting example, the second set of frequency resources corresponding to the SUL carrier may be located below 2 GHz, such as in NR bands n80, n81, n82, n83, n84, or n86.

[0077] To configure PUCCH resources, base station 105 may determine the allocation of a first PUCCH resource 472 for a UL carrier and a second PUCCH resource 474 for a SUL carrier. PUCCH resources 472-474 may include or correspond to one or more time resources (such as symbols, time slots, etc.), one or more frequency resources (such as resource blocks (RBs)), or combinations thereof, which are designated for use by UE 115 when transmitting messages to base station 105 via PUCCH. PUCCH resources 472-474 may be part or all of the resources designated for the respective carrier. Although the allocation of PUCCH resources to two carriers (e.g., a UL carrier and a SUL carrier) is described, in other implementations, base station 105 may allocate PUCCH resources to more than two carriers (e.g., a UL carrier and multiple SUL carriers or other carriers). After determining the PUCCH resource allocation, base station 105 may generate a configuration message 470 and send it to UE 115. Configuration message 470 may indicate a first PUCCH resource 472 allocated to a UL carrier and a second PUCCH resource 474 allocated to a SUL carrier. In some implementations, configuration message 470 may include or correspond to a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message. In other implementations, configuration message 470 may include or correspond to another type of message.

[0078] After sending configuration message 470, base station 105 can select a carrier to activate for use by UE 115 when sending UL messages. In some implementations, base station 105 can select a carrier from a group of UL carriers and SUL carriers. In other implementations, base station 105 can select a carrier from a group comprising more than two carriers. Base station 105 can select the selected carrier 478 based on measurements performed by base station 105, information received from UE 115, priorities associated with UL carriers and SUL carriers, other information, or a combination thereof. As described herein, the UL carrier can have a higher priority than the SUL carrier, such that the UL carrier is selected if either carrier can provide sufficient performance. In other implementations, the SUL carrier can have a higher priority than the UL carrier, and the operations described herein can be performed to favor the SUL carrier over the UL carrier.

[0079] In some implementations, base station 105 may select the selected carrier 478 based on power margin measurement 455. For example, base station 105 may measure the power margin associated with the UL carrier, and if the power margin meets a threshold, base station 105 may select the UL carrier (e.g., based on higher priority) as the selected carrier 478. If the power margin associated with the UL carrier does not meet the threshold, base station 105 selects the SUL carrier as the selected carrier 478.

[0080] In some other implementations, base station 105 may select carrier 478 based on channel state information (CSI) received from UE 115. For example, UE 115 may measure channel quality measurements 408 associated with the UL carrier and the SUL carrier. UE 115 may send one or more CSI messages to base station 105 based on the channel quality measurements 408, such as a first CSI message associated with the UL carrier and a second CSI message associated with the SUL carrier (or a single CSI message indicating the CSI associated with both carriers). Base station 105 may determine which carrier is associated with higher channel quality based on the CSI messages, and base station 105 may select the carrier associated with higher channel quality as carrier 478.

[0081] In some other implementations, base station 105 may select carrier 478 based on sounding reference signals (SRS) received from UE 115. For example, UE 115 may transmit a first SRS to base station 105 via a first UL carrier, and UE 115 may transmit a second SRS to base station 105 via a second UL carrier. Base station 105 may determine which carrier is associated with higher channel quality based on the SRS, and base station 105 may select the carrier associated with higher channel quality as carrier 478.

[0082] After selecting a carrier 478, base station 105 can generate a first message 476 and send it to UE 115. The first message 476 can indicate the selected carrier 478 (e.g., as a non-limiting example, a UL carrier or a SUL carrier) for UE 115 to transmit one or more UL signals. After receiving the first message 476, UE 115 can transmit one or more UL messages, such as UL message 482, to base station 105 via the selected carrier 478. For example, if the selected carrier 478 is a UL carrier, UE 115 can transmit UL message 482 to base station 105 via PUCCH within a first PUCCH resource 472 (e.g., a resource corresponding to a UL carrier). Alternatively, if the selected carrier 478 is an SUL carrier, UE 115 can transmit UL message 482 to base station 105 via PUCCH within a second PUCCH resource 474 (e.g., a resource corresponding to a SUL carrier).

[0083] UL message 482 may be a message type scheduled or activated for transmission via PUCCH, and the message type of the first message 476 may correspond to the message type of UL message 482. In some implementations, UL message 482 may include or correspond to a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) message, and the first message 476 may include or correspond to a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message. For example, base station 105 may send the first message 476 as a DCI message indicating the selected carrier 478, such as within the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and UE 115 may send a HARQ-ACK to base station 105 in response to UL message 482. UE 115 may send the HARQ-ACK via first PUCCH resource 472 or second PUCCH resource 474 based on whether the selected carrier 478 is a UL carrier or a SUL carrier. In some implementations, the DCI message (e.g., the first message 476) includes specific bits configured to indicate the selected carrier 478. For example, the padding bits, reserved bits, extra bits, or another bit of the DCI message can be configured to have a first value indicating that the UL carrier is the selected carrier 478 or a second value indicating that the SUL is the selected carrier 478. In addition to indicating the selected carrier 478, the DCI message (e.g., first message 476) can also indicate the scheduling of the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) for UE 115, and the HARQ-ACK message can indicate acknowledgment of PDSCH reception at UE 115. For example, the DCI message (e.g., first message 476) can indicate PDSCH resource 480 for UE 115 to use when receiving scheduled PDSCH transmissions from base station 105.

[0084] In some implementations, UE 115 can be scheduled to transmit a corresponding HARQ-ACK message on each of a time-overlapping UL carrier and a SUL carrier. For example, base station 105 can send a second message 484 (e.g., a second DCI message) to UE 115 at a first time and a third message 488 (e.g., a third DCI message) to UE 115 at a second time (e.g., after the first time). The second message 484 may indicate a second selected carrier 486 for the transmission of the second HARQ-ACK message, and the third message 488 may indicate a third selected carrier 490 for the transmission of the third HARQ-ACK message. The second selected carrier 486 may be different from the third selected carrier 490 (e.g., the second selected carrier 486 may be a UL carrier and the third selected carrier 490 may be an SUL carrier, or the second selected carrier 486 may be an SUL carrier and the third selected carrier 490 may be a UL carrier). Because UE 115 is not allowed to transmit UL messages simultaneously via both the UL carrier and the SUL carrier, UE 115 can combine multiple HARQ-ACK messages into a single combined HARQ-ACK message for transmission via either the UL carrier or the SUL carrier, based on the determination that one or more time resources of the first PUCCH resource 472 allocated to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources of the second PUCCH resource 474 allocated to the SUL carrier.

[0085] UE 115 may select the carrier for transmitting the combined HARQ-ACK message based on the following: the reception time of the second message 484 and the third message 488, the carrier priority, the amount of PUCCH resources associated with each carrier, the measurement performed by UE 115, other information, or a combination thereof, as referenced. Figure 5 Further described. In some implementations, UE 115 may select the carrier for transmitting the combined HARQ-ACK message based on the reception times of the second message 484 and the third message 488. For example, if UE 115 receives the third message 488 after receiving the second message 484, UE 115 may generate a combined UL message 492 (e.g., a combined HARQ-ACK message) and transmit it to base station 105 via the third selected carrier 490. By selecting the carrier indicated by the last received message, UE 115 uses a carrier selected by base station 105 based on recent information, such as the recent channel conditions associated with the UL carrier and the SUL carrier, which can improve the quality of the UL communication process.

[0086] In some other implementations, UE 115 may select the carrier for transmitting the combined UL message 492 (e.g., the combined HARQ-ACK message) based on carrier priority. For example, if the UL carrier has a higher priority than the SUL carrier, and UE 115 determines that the second selected carrier 486 or the third selected carrier 490 is a UL carrier, then UE 115 may generate the combined UL message 492 and transmit it to base station 105 via the UL carrier (e.g., via the first PUCCH resource 472). Alternatively, if the SUL carrier has a higher priority than the UL carrier, and UE 115 determines that the second selected carrier 486 or the third selected carrier 490 is an SUL carrier, then UE 115 may generate the combined UL message 492 and transmit it to base station 105 via the SUL carrier (e.g., via the second PUCCH resource 474). Because higher priority carriers can be associated with better average channel conditions, using higher priority carriers generally improves the quality of the UL communication process.

[0087] In some other implementations, UE 115 may select a carrier for transmitting the combined UL message 492 (e.g., a combined HARQ-ACK message) based on the amount of PUCCH resources associated with each carrier in the carrier set. For example, UE 115 may determine whether a second selected carrier 486 or a third selected carrier 490 is associated with a larger PUCCH resource allocation (e.g., by comparing the amount of a first PUCCH resource 472 with the amount of a second PUCCH resource 474), and UE 115 may generate the combined UL message 492 and transmit it to base station 105 via the carrier associated with the larger PUCCH allocation. Selecting a carrier associated with a larger PUCCH resource allocation increases the likelihood that the corresponding PUCCH allocation is sufficient for the transmission of the combined UL message 492, which may be larger than a typical HARQ-ACK message as a result of combining two HARQ-ACK messages.

[0088] In some other implementations, UE 115 may select a carrier for transmitting the combined UL message 492 (e.g., a combined HARQ-ACK message) based on measurements performed by UE 115. Measurements may include power margin measurement 406, channel quality measurement 408, other measurements, or combinations thereof. In some such implementations where UE 115 selects a carrier based on measurements at UE 115, UE 115 may send an indicator of the selected carrier to base station 105 before transmitting the combined UL message 492. In some other implementations, base station 105 may be configured to monitor both the UL carrier and the SUL carrier in response to scheduling HARQ-ACK message transmissions via each of the time-overlapping carriers.

[0089] As an illustrative example, UE 115 may select a carrier based on power margin measurement 406. For instance, if either the second selected carrier 486 or the third selected carrier 490 is a UL carrier (and the UL carrier is a higher priority carrier), UE 115 may measure the power margin associated with the UL carrier. If the power margin associated with the UL carrier meets a threshold, UE 115 may generate a combined UL message 492 (e.g., a combined HARQ-ACK message) and transmit it to base station 105 via the UL carrier (e.g., via the first PUCCH resource 472). If the power margin associated with the UL carrier does not meet the threshold, UE 115 may transmit the combined UL message 492 to the base station via a SUL carrier (e.g., via the second PUCCH resource). Alternatively, if the SUL carrier has a higher priority than the UL carrier, and UE 115 determines that the second selected carrier 486 or the third selected carrier 490 is an SUL carrier, UE 115 may measure the power margin associated with the SUL carrier. If the power margin associated with the SUL carrier meets a threshold, UE 115 can transmit the combined UL message 492 to base station 105 via the SUL carrier (e.g., via the second PUCCH resource 474). If the power margin associated with the SUL carrier does not meet the threshold, UE 115 can transmit the combined UL message 492 to base station 105 via the UL carrier (e.g., via the first PUCCH resource 472). Because higher-priority carriers can be associated with better average channel conditions, using a higher-priority carrier can generally improve the quality of UL communication if the corresponding power margin meets the threshold.

[0090] As another illustrative example, UE 115 can select a carrier based on channel quality measurement 408. For example, UE 115 can measure the channel quality associated with a second selected carrier 486 and the channel quality associated with a third selected carrier 490. UE 115 can also determine a preferred carrier from the second selected carrier 486 and the third selected carrier 490 based on channel quality measurement 408, and UE 115 can generate a combined UL message 492 (e.g., a combined HARQ-ACK message) and transmit it to base station 105 via the preferred carrier. For example, if the preferred carrier is a UL carrier, UE 115 can transmit the combined UL message 492 via a first PUCCH resource 472. Alternatively, if the preferred carrier is a SUL carrier, UE 115 can transmit the combined UL message 492 to the base station via a second PUCCH resource 474. Using a carrier associated with better channel quality can improve the quality of the UL communication process.

[0091] In some other implementations, UL message 482 may include or correspond to a semi-persistent channel state information (SP-CSI) message, and the first message 476 may include or correspond to a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE). For example, base station 105 may send the first message 476 as a MAC-CE indicating the selected carrier 478 to UE 115, and UE 115 may send an SP-CSI message to base station 105 in response to UL message 482. UE 115 may send the SP-CSI message (e.g., UL message 482) via a first PUCCH resource 472 or a second PUCCH resource 474 based on whether the UL carrier or the SUL carrier is the selected carrier 478. In some implementations, the MAC-CE (e.g., the first message 476) includes specific bits configured to indicate the selected carrier 478. For example, padding bits, reserved bits, extra bits, or another bit of the MAC-CE may be configured to have a first value indicating that the UL carrier is the selected carrier 478, or a second value indicating that the SUL carrier is the selected carrier 478. In addition to indicating the selected carrier 478, the MAC-CE (e.g., first message 476) can also indicate the activation of SP-CSI resources for use by UE 115, and UE 115 can periodically send SP-CSI messages (e.g., UL message 482) to base station 105 until base station 105 subsequently deactivates the SP-CSI resources or switches the selected carrier 478.

[0092] For example, after sending at least one SP-CSI message, UE 115 may receive a second MAC-CE indicating a second selected carrier for SP-CSI transmission, and UE may send a second SP-CSI message to the base station via the second selected carrier. For example, instead of indicating a second carrier for HARQ-ACK transmission, second message 484 may include or correspond to a second MAC-CE indicating a second selected carrier 486. Base station 105 may send a second MAC-CE to UE 115 (e.g., second message 484), and UE 115 may send a second UL message 494 (e.g., SP-CSI message) via the second selected carrier 486 (e.g., via first PUCCH resource 472 if the second selected carrier 486 is a UL carrier; or via second PUCCH resource 474 if the second selected carrier 486 is a SUL carrier). Alternatively, a second MAC-CE (e.g., second message 484) may indicate the deactivation of SP-CSI resources, and UE 115 may stop sending SPCSI messages based on the receipt of the second MAC-CE.

[0093] For reference Figure 4As described, this disclosure provides dynamic selection of carriers (e.g., UL carriers or SUL carriers) for use by the UE when transmitting UL messages (such as HARQ-ACK messages or SP-CSI messages). Selective use of SUL carriers can increase the UL transmission range of the UE 115 because SUL carriers occupy less bandwidth compared to UL carriers that can occupy bandwidth in millimeter-wave bands or other high-frequency bands. Dynamic carrier selection can provide greater flexibility and frequency diversity within the wireless communication system 400, which can reduce the impact of dynamic interference or disturbances on UL transmissions performed by the UE 115. In some implementations, this dynamic selection can be achieved via a single extra bit in a DCI message or MAC-CE, requiring minimal changes to the legacy wireless communication system to support dynamic handover between carriers.

[0094] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating examples of UL carrier 500 and SUL carrier 520 based on some aspects. In some implementations, UL carrier 500 and SUL carrier 520 may include or correspond to [the following text is missing from the original] Figure 4 The base station 105 is configured with UL carrier and SUL carrier.

[0095] Each of UL carrier 500 and SUL carrier 520 includes a plurality of corresponding resources designated for wireless communications between the UE and the base station. Resources include time resources (e.g., in...). Figure 5 Multiple time slots shown in the horizontal direction) and frequency resources (e.g., in Figure 5 (Multiple RBs are shown in the vertical direction). UL carrier 500 and SUL carrier 520 can occupy the same time resources and different frequency resources. In some implementations, SUL carrier 520 occupies a lower frequency bandwidth than UL carrier 500 to increase the transmission distance using SUL carrier 520.

[0096] In some implementations, the UL carrier 500 can be time-division duplex (TDD) between DL, UL, and shared reservation. Figure 5In the example shown, the first time slot, the second time slot, and the first portion of the third time slot can be reserved for DL ​​communication; the second portion of the third time slot and the fourth time slot can be reserved for UL communication; the first portion of the fifth, sixth, and seventh time slots can be reserved for DL ​​communication; and the second portion of the seventh time slot and the eighth time slot can be reserved for UL communication. In some implementations, the base station can transmit DCI messages via PDCCH on the UL carrier 500 to allocate resources for DL ​​messages and for HARQ-ACK messages in response to DL messages. For example, the first time slot on the UL carrier 500 may include a first PDCCH 502, which is used to schedule resources for a first PDSCH 504 (e.g., for DL ​​messages) and resources for a first HARQ-ACK resource 510 on the UL carrier 500 (e.g., PUCCH resources for HARQ-ACK messages in response to DL messages). In some implementations, the base station can allocate a second set of resources before the previously allocated HARQ-ACK resources occur. For example, the fifth time slot on the UL carrier 500 may include a second PDCCH 506, which is used to schedule resources for the second PDSCH 508 (e.g., for the second DL message) and resources for the second HARQ-ACK resource 522 on the SUL carrier 520 (e.g., for the PUCCH resource in response to the HARQ-ACK message of the second DL message).

[0097] For reference Figure 4 As described, if the first HARQ-ACK resource 510 and the second HARQ-ACK resource 522 overlap at least partially in time, the UE can combine the HARQ-ACK messages and transmit the combined HARQ-ACK message via either the UL carrier 500 or the SUL carrier 520. This prevents the UE from simultaneously transmitting HARQ-ACK messages via both the UL carrier 500 and the SUL carrier 520, which might be disallowed. The UE can determine which carrier to use to transmit the combined HARQ-ACK message based on various information, such as references... Figure 4As described. In some implementations, the UE can determine the carrier based on carrier priority. For example, if UL 500 has a higher priority than SUL carrier 520, the UE can transmit a combined HARQ-ACK message on UL carrier 500 via first HARQ-ACK resource 510 because at least one of PDCCH 502 and 506 indicates the selection of UL carrier 500 for HARQ-ACK message transmission. In some other implementations, the UE can determine the carrier based on the reception time of the DCI message. For example, if a DCI message indicating the use of second HARQ-ACK resource 522 is received via second PDCCH 506 during a time slot later than first PDCCH 502, the UE can transmit a combined HARQ-ACK message on SUL carrier 520 via second HARQ-ACK resource 522 because the most recently received DCI message indicates the selection of SUL carrier 510 for HARQ-ACK message transmission. In some other implementations, the UE can determine the carrier based on the amount of resources allocated for the transmission of HARQ-ACK messages. For example, if the second HARQ-ACK resource 522 on the SUL carrier 520 includes more resources (such as in...) compared to the first HARQ-ACK resource 510 on the UL carrier 500... Figure 5 As shown in the larger width of the second HARQ-ACK resource 522 (as illustrated in the diagram), the UE can send a combined HARQ-ACK message via the second HARQ-ACK resource 522 on the SUL carrier 520. In some other implementations, the UE can select the carrier based on measurements associated with the UL carrier 500 and the SUL carrier 520, as shown in the reference. Figure 4 As further described, when the HARQ-ACK resources assigned on both UL carrier 500 and SUL carrier 520 overlap at least partially in time, the UE may choose either UL carrier 500 (e.g., first HARQ-ACK resource 510) or SUL carrier 510 (e.g., second HARQ-ACK resource 522) to send a combined HARQ-ACK message.

[0098] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating an example process 600 for the dynamic selection of a carrier used to transmit UL messages based on several supporting aspects. The operation of process 600 can be controlled by the UE (such as the one referenced above). Figure 1 , 2 UE 115 as described in section 4, or as referenced Figure 8 The UE described is used to perform this operation. For example, the example operation of procedure 600 (also referred to as the “box”) enables UE 115 to dynamically select a carrier from a group of UL carriers and SUL carriers for the transmission of UL messages.

[0099] In box 602, UE 115 receives from the base station a first message indicating a selected carrier for transmitting a UL message. The selected carrier includes either a UL carrier or a SUL carrier. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. For example, the first message may include or correspond to first message 476, and the selected carrier may include or correspond to... Figure 4 The selected carrier is 478.

[0100] In box 604, UE 115 transmits a UL message to the base station via a selected carrier. For example, the UL message may include or correspond to Figure 4 UL message 482.

[0101] In some implementations, UL carriers and SUL carriers can be associated with the same logical cell index. Alternatively, the UL carrier can correspond to a first frequency resource set, and the SUL carrier can correspond to a second frequency resource set. In some such implementations, the second frequency resource set can occupy a lower bandwidth than the first frequency resource set.

[0102] In some implementations, process 600 further includes receiving a configuration message from a base station. The configuration message may indicate the allocation of a first PUCCH resource set corresponding to a UL carrier and the allocation of a second PUCCH resource set corresponding to a SUL carrier. In some such implementations, the configuration message may include an RRC message. Alternatively or additionally, the first PUCCH resource set may include a first frequency resource set and a first time resource set corresponding to at least a portion of the UL carrier, and the second PUCCH resource set may include a second frequency resource set and a second time resource set corresponding to at least a portion of the SUL carrier.

[0103] In some implementations, the UL message may include a HARQ-ACK message. In some such implementations, the first message may include a DCI message. In some such implementations, specific bits of the DCI message may be configured to indicate the selected carrier for transmitting the HARQ-ACK message. Alternatively or additionally, the DCI message may also indicate the scheduling of the PDSCH, and the HARQ-ACK message may indicate acknowledgment of PDSCH reception at the UE. Alternatively or additionally, process 600 may also include: receiving from the base station a second message indicating a second selected carrier for transmitting a second HARQ-ACK message; and receiving from the base station a third message indicating a third selected carrier for transmitting a third HARQ-ACK message. In some such implementations, process 600 may also include: transmitting a combined HARQ-ACK message to the base station via the third selected carrier based on determining that one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier. Alternatively, process 600 may further include: determining that one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier, and determining that the second selected carrier or the third selected carrier is a UL carrier, and sending a combined HARQ-ACK message to the base station via the UL carrier. Alternatively, process 600 may further include: determining the carrier among the second and third selected carriers associated with the larger PUCCH resource allocation; and determining that one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier, and sending a combined HARQ-ACK message to the base station via the carrier associated with the larger PUCCH resource allocation. Alternatively, process 600 may also include: measuring the power margin associated with the UL carrier; and, based on determining that one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier, determining that the second or third selected carrier is a UL carrier, and determining that the power margin meets a threshold, sending a combined HARQ-ACK message to the base station via the UL carrier.Alternatively, process 600 may further include: measuring the channel quality associated with the second selected carrier; measuring the channel quality associated with the third selected carrier; determining a preferred carrier from the second and third selected carriers based on the measured channel quality; and sending a combined HARQ-ACK message to the base station via the preferred carrier based on the determination that one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier.

[0104] In some implementations, the UL message may include an SP-CSI message. In some such implementations, the first message may include a MAC-CE indicating activation of SP-CSI resources at the UE. Alternatively, process 600 may also include: after sending the SP-CSI message, receiving from the base station a second MAC-CE indicating a second selected carrier for SP-CSI transmission; and sending a second SP-CSI message to the base station via the second selected carrier.

[0105] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating an example process 700 whereby, based on support from several aspects, the UE is dynamically instructed to use a carrier for transmitting UL messages. The operation of process 700 can be controlled by a base station (such as the one referenced above). Figure 1 , 2 Base station 105 as described in section 4, or as referenced Figure 9 The base station described is used to perform this operation. For example, the example operation of procedure 700 allows base station 105 to dynamically select a carrier from a group of UL carriers and SUL carriers, and indicate to the UE the selected carrier for transmitting UL messages.

[0106] In block 702, base station 105 selects a carrier from a carrier group including UL carriers and SUL carriers. The UL carrier and SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. For example, the selected carrier may include or correspond to... Figure 4 The selected carrier is 478.

[0107] In block 704, base station 105 sends a first message to UE, which indicates that a selected carrier is used for the transmission of UL messages. For example, the first message may include or correspond to Figure 4 The first message 476.

[0108] In block 706, base station 105 receives UL messages from UE via a selected carrier. For example, the UL message may include or correspond to Figure 4 UL message 482.

[0109] In some implementations, UL carriers and SUL carriers can be associated with the same logical cell index. Alternatively, the UL carrier can correspond to a first frequency resource set, and the SUL carrier can correspond to a second frequency resource set. In some such implementations, the second frequency resource set can occupy a lower bandwidth than the first frequency resource set.

[0110] In some implementations, process 700 may further include: measuring the power margin associated with the UL carrier; and selecting the UL carrier as the selected carrier based on the power margin meeting a threshold. In some such implementations, process 700 may further include: selecting the SUL carrier as the selected carrier based on the power margin failing to meet a threshold.

[0111] In some implementations, process 700 may further include: receiving a first CSI message associated with a UL carrier from the UE; receiving a second CSI message associated with a SUL carrier from the UE; determining a carrier associated with higher channel quality from the UL carrier and SUL carrier based on the first CSI message and the second CSI message; and selecting the carrier associated with higher channel quality as the selected carrier. Alternatively, process 700 may further include: receiving a first SRS from the UE via a UL carrier; receiving a second SRS from the UE via a SUL carrier; determining a carrier associated with higher channel quality from the UL carrier and SUL carrier based on the first SRS and the second SRS; and selecting the carrier associated with higher channel quality as the selected carrier.

[0112] In some implementations, process 700 may further include sending a configuration message to the UE. The configuration message may indicate the allocation of a first PUCCH resource set corresponding to a UL carrier and the allocation of a second PUCCH resource set corresponding to a SUL carrier. In some such implementations, the configuration message may include an RRC message. Alternatively or additionally, the first PUCCH resource set may include a first frequency resource set and a first time resource set corresponding to at least a portion of the UL carrier, and the second PUCCH resource set may include a second frequency resource set and a second time resource set corresponding to at least a portion of the SUL carrier.

[0113] In some implementations, the UL message may include a HARQ-ACK message. In some such implementations, the first message may include a DCI message. In some such implementations, specific bits of the DCI message may be configured to indicate the selected carrier for transmitting the HARQ-ACK message. Alternatively or additionally, the DCI message may also indicate the scheduling of the PDSCH, and the HARQ-ACK message may indicate acknowledgment of PDSCH reception at the UE. Alternatively or additionally, process 700 may also include: sending a second message to the UE indicating a second selected carrier for transmitting a second HARQ-ACK message; and sending a third message to the UE indicating a third selected carrier for transmitting a third HARQ-ACK message. One or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the UL carrier may overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier. In some such implementations, process 700 may also include: monitoring the third selected carrier according to the PUCCH resource allocated to the third selected carrier; and receiving a combined HARQ-ACK message from the UE via the third selected carrier. Alternatively, process 700 may further include: monitoring the UL carrier based on the PUCCH resources allocated to the UL carrier, based on determining that the second or third selected carrier is a UL carrier; and receiving a combined HARQ-ACK message from the UE via the UL carrier. Alternatively, process 700 may further include: determining the carrier associated with the larger PUCCH resource allocation from the second and third selected carriers; monitoring the carrier associated with the larger PUCCH resource allocation based on the association of the PUCCH resources allocated to the carrier with the larger PUCCH allocation; and receiving a combined HARQ-ACK message from the UE via the carrier associated with the larger PUCCH allocation.

[0114] In some implementations, the UL message may include an SP-CSI message. In some such implementations, the first message may include a MAC-CE indicating activation of SP-CSI resources at the UE. In some such implementations, specific bits of the MAC-CE may be configured to indicate a selected carrier for transmitting the SP-CSI message. Alternatively or additionally, process 700 may also include: after receiving the SP-CSI message, sending a second MAC-CE to the UE to indicate a second selected carrier for SP-CSI transmission; and receiving a second SP-CSI message from the UE via the second selected carrier.

[0115] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of an example UE 800 that supports dynamic selection of the carrier used to transmit UL messages, based on several aspects. The UE 800 can be configured to perform operations, including referencing... Figure 6The described process is a 600-fold block. In some implementations, UE800 includes a reference. Figure 2 or Figure 4 The UE 115 shows and describes the structure, hardware, and components. For example, UE 800 includes a controller / processor 280 that operates to execute logic units or computer instructions stored in memory 282, as well as components that control UE 800 and provide the features and functions of UE 800. Under the control of the controller / processor 280, UE 800 transmits and receives signals via a wireless radio unit 801a-r and an antenna 252a-r. The wireless radio unit 801a-r includes various components and hardware, such as those shown in… Figure 2 As shown in the figure for UE 115, it includes modulator and demodulator 254a-r, MIMO detector 256, receiver processor 258, transmitter processor 264 and TX MIMO processor 266.

[0116] As shown in the figure, memory 282 may include a receiving logic unit 802, a carrier selection logic unit 803, and a transmitting logic unit 804. The receiving logic unit 802 can be configured to receive data or signals, such as configuration messages and scheduling messages, using a wireless radio unit 801a-r and antenna 252a-r. The carrier selection logic unit 803 can be configured to select a carrier from a group of UL carriers and SUL carriers for transmitting UL messages. The transmitting logic unit 804 can be configured to transmit data or signals, such as UL messages, using a wireless radio unit 801a-r and antenna 252a-r. UE 800 can receive data or signals from one or more network entities (such as...). Figure 1 , 2 and 4 base stations 105 or such Figure 9 The base station shown receives signals or sends signals to it.

[0117] In some implementations, UE 800 can be configured to perform Figure 6 The process 600. For example, under the control of the controller / processor 280, the UE 800 can execute the receive logic unit 802, carrier selection logic unit 803, and transmit logic unit 804 stored in the memory 282. The execution environment of the receive logic unit 802 provides functionality for at least performing the operations in block 602. The execution environments of the carrier selection logic unit 803 and the transmit logic unit 804 provide functionality for at least performing the operations in block 604.

[0118] Figure 9 This is a block diagram of an example base station 900 that dynamically instructs the UE to use a carrier for transmitting UL messages based on support from several aspects. Base station 900 can be configured to perform operations, including referencing... Figure 7The process described is a box 700. In some implementations, base station 900 includes a reference... Figure 1 , 2 The structure, hardware, and components of base station 105 shown and described in section 4 are as follows. For example, base station 900 may include a controller / processor 240 that operates to execute logic units or computer instructions stored in memory 242, as well as components for controlling base station 900 to provide the features and functions of base station 900. Under the control of controller / processor 240, base station 900 transmits and receives signals via wireless radio unit 901a-t and antenna 234a-t. Wireless radio unit 901a-t includes various components and hardware, such as... Figure 2 As shown in the figure, base station 105 includes modulator and demodulator 232a-t, transmitter processor 220, TX MIMO processor 230, MIMO detector 236 and receiver processor 238.

[0119] As shown in the figure, memory 242 may include a carrier selection logic unit 902, a transmission logic unit 903, and a reception logic unit 904. The carrier selection logic unit 902 can be configured to select a carrier from a group of UL carriers and SUL carriers for the UE to transmit UL messages. The transmission logic unit 903 can be configured to transmit data or signals, such as configuration messages and scheduling messages, using a wireless radio unit 901a-t and antenna 234a-t. The reception logic unit 904 can be configured to receive data or signals, such as UL messages, using a wireless radio unit 901a-t and antenna 234a-t. Base station 900 can receive data or signals, such as UL messages, from one or more UEs (such as...). Figure 1 , 2 and UE 115 or 4 Figure 8 The UE 800 receives signals or sends signals to it.

[0120] In some implementations, base station 900 can be configured to perform Figure 7 The process 700. For example, under the control of the controller / processor 240, the base station 900 can execute the carrier selection logic unit 902, the transmission logic unit 903, and the reception logic unit 904 stored in the memory 242. The execution environment of the carrier selection logic unit 902 provides functionality for at least performing the operations in block 702. The execution environment of the transmission logic unit 903 provides functionality for at least performing the operations in block 704. The execution environment of the reception logic 904 provides functionality for at least performing the operations in block 706.

[0121] It should be noted that, for reference Figure 6 and 7One or more boxes (or operations) described can be combined with one or more boxes (or operations) described in another figure referring to these figures. For example, Figure 6 One or more boxes (or operations) can be combined with Figure 7 Combine one or more boxes (or operations). As another example, with Figure 8 and 9 One or more associated boxes can be linked with and Figure 2 and 4 Combine one or more related boxes (or operations).

[0122] In some aspects, techniques for implementing dynamic selection of carriers for transmitting UL messages (e.g., via PUCCH) may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below or in conjunction with one or more other processes or devices described elsewhere herein. In some aspects, implementing dynamic selection of carriers for transmitting UL messages may include an apparatus configured to receive from a base station a first message indicating a selected carrier for transmitting UL messages. The selected carrier includes a UL carrier or a SUL carrier. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. The apparatus may also be configured to transmit UL messages to a base station via the selected carrier. In some implementations, the apparatus includes a radio device, such as a UE. In some implementations, the apparatus may include at least one processor and memory coupled to the processor. The processor may be configured to perform the operations described herein with respect to the radio device. In some other implementations, the apparatus may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, and the program code may be computer-executable to cause a computer to perform the operations described herein with reference to the radio device. In some implementations, the apparatus may include one or more units configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0123] In the first aspect, the UL carrier and the SUL carrier are associated with the same logical cell index.

[0124] In the second aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, the UL carrier corresponds to the first frequency resource set. The SUL carrier corresponds to the second frequency resource set.

[0125] In the third aspect, in conjunction with the second aspect, the second frequency resource set occupies less bandwidth than the first frequency resource set.

[0126] In the fourth aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, the apparatus is configured to receive a configuration message from a base station. The configuration message indicates the allocation of a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource set corresponding to a UL carrier and the allocation of a second PUCCH resource set corresponding to a SUL carrier.

[0127] In the fifth aspect, in conjunction with the fourth aspect, the configuration message includes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0128] In the sixth aspect, in conjunction with one or more of the fourth and fifth aspects, the first PUCCH resource set includes a first frequency resource set and a first time resource set corresponding to at least a portion of the UL carrier. The second PUCCH resource set includes a second frequency resource set and a second time resource set corresponding to at least a portion of the SUL carrier.

[0129] In the seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, UL messages include Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) messages.

[0130] In the eighth aspect, in conjunction with the seventh aspect, the first message includes downlink control information (DCI) messages.

[0131] In the ninth aspect, in conjunction with the eighth aspect, specific bits of the DCI message are configured to indicate the selected carrier for transmitting the HARQ-ACK message.

[0132] In the tenth aspect, in conjunction with one or more aspects of the eighth to ninth aspects, the DCI message also indicates the scheduling of the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). The HARQ-ACK message indicates acknowledgment of the reception of the PDSCH at the device.

[0133] In the eleventh aspect, in conjunction with one or more aspects from the eighth to the tenth aspect, the apparatus is configured to: receive a second message from a base station, the second message indicating a second selected carrier for transmitting a second HARQ-ACK message.

[0134] In the twelfth aspect, in conjunction with the eleventh aspect, the apparatus is configured to receive a third message from a base station, the third message indicating a third selected carrier for transmitting a third HARQ-ACK message.

[0135] In the thirteenth aspect, in conjunction with one or more aspects of the eleventh to twelfth aspects, the apparatus is configured to: transmit a combined HARQ-ACK message to a base station via a third selected carrier based on determining that one or more time resources allocated to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resources corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resources corresponding to the SUL carrier.

[0136] In the fourteenth aspect, in conjunction with one or more aspects of the eleventh to twelfth aspects, the apparatus is configured to: based on determining that one or more time resources allocated to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resources corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resources corresponding to the SUL carrier, and determining that the second selected carrier or the third selected carrier is a UL carrier, transmit a combined HARQ-ACK message to the base station via the UL carrier.

[0137] In the fifteenth aspect, in conjunction with one or more aspects of the eleventh to twelfth aspects, the apparatus is configured to: determine from the second selected carrier and the third selected carrier a carrier associated with a larger physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource allocation.

[0138] In the sixteenth aspect, in conjunction with the fifteenth aspect, the apparatus is configured to: based on the determination that one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier, transmit a combined HARQ-ACK message to the base station via a carrier associated with the larger PUCCH resource allocation.

[0139] In the seventeenth aspect, in conjunction with one or more of the eleventh and twelfth aspects, the device is configured to measure the power margin associated with the UL carrier.

[0140] In the eighteenth aspect, in conjunction with the seventeenth aspect, the apparatus is configured to: based on determining that one or more time resources allocated to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resources corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resources corresponding to the SUL carrier, determining that the second selected carrier or the third selected carrier is a UL carrier, and determining that the power margin meets a threshold, transmit a combined HARQ-ACK message to the base station via the UL carrier.

[0141] In the nineteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more aspects of the eleventh to twelfth aspects, the apparatus is configured to measure the channel quality associated with the second selected carrier.

[0142] In the twentieth aspect, in conjunction with the nineteenth aspect, the device is configured to measure the channel quality associated with the third selected carrier.

[0143] In the twenty-first aspect, in conjunction with the twentieth aspect, the apparatus is configured to determine a preferred carrier from the second and third selected carriers based on the measured channel quality.

[0144] In the twenty-second aspect, in conjunction with the twenty-first aspect, the apparatus is configured to: transmit a combined HARQ-ACK message to a base station via a preferred carrier based on determining that one or more time resources allocated to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resources corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resources corresponding to the SUL carrier.

[0145] In aspect 23, alone or in combination with one or more aspects from aspects 1 to 6, UL messages include semi-persistent channel state information (SP-CSI) messages.

[0146] In the twenty-fourth aspect, in conjunction with the twenty-third aspect, the first message includes a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) for instructing the activation of SP-CSI resources at the UE.

[0147] In aspect 25, in conjunction with aspect 24, a specific bit of MAC-CE is configured to indicate the selected carrier for transmitting SP-CSI messages.

[0148] In the twenty-sixth aspect, in conjunction with one or more aspects of the twenty-fourth to twenty-fifth aspects, the apparatus is configured to: after transmitting an SP-CSI message, receive from the base station a second MAC-CE for indicating a second selected carrier for SP-CSI transmission.

[0149] In the twenty-seventh aspect, in conjunction with the twenty-sixth aspect, the apparatus is configured to transmit a second SP-CSI message to a base station via the second selected carrier.

[0150] In some aspects, an apparatus (such as a base station) configured for wireless communication is configured to select a carrier from a carrier group including a UL carrier and a SUL carrier. The UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell. The apparatus is also configured to send a first message to a UE, the first message indicating that the selected carrier is used for the transmission of UL messages. The apparatus is also configured to receive UL messages from the UE via the selected carrier. In some implementations, the apparatus includes a wireless device, such as a base station. In some implementations, the apparatus may include at least one processor and memory coupled to the processor. The processor may be configured to perform the operations described herein with respect to a wireless device. In some other implementations, the apparatus may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, and the program code may be computer-executable to cause a computer to perform the operations described herein with reference to a wireless device. In some implementations, the apparatus may include one or more units configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0151] In aspect 28, the UL carrier and the SUL carrier are associated with the same logical cell index.

[0152] In the twenty-ninth aspect, either alone or in conjunction with the twenty-eighth aspect, the UL carrier corresponds to the first frequency resource set, and the SUL carrier corresponds to the second frequency resource set.

[0153] In aspect 30, in conjunction with aspect 29, the second frequency resource set occupies less bandwidth than the first frequency resource set.

[0154] In the thirty-first aspect, alone or in combination with one or more aspects of the twenty-eighth to thirtieth aspects, the device is configured to measure the power margin associated with the UL carrier.

[0155] In aspect thirty-two, in conjunction with aspect thirty-one, the device is configured to select a UL carrier as the selected carrier based on a power margin satisfying a threshold.

[0156] In aspect thirty-three, in conjunction with aspect thirty-two, the device is configured to select a SUL carrier as the selected carrier based on the failure of the power margin to meet a threshold.

[0157] In the thirty-fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more aspects of the twenty-eighth to thirtieth aspects, the apparatus is configured to: receive from the UE a first channel state information (CSI) message associated with a UL carrier.

[0158] In aspect thirty-five, in conjunction with aspect thirty-four, the apparatus is configured to receive a second CSI message associated with a SUL carrier from the UE.

[0159] In the thirty-sixth aspect, in conjunction with the thirty-fifth aspect, the apparatus is configured to: determine, based on the first CSI message and the second CSI message, a carrier associated with higher channel quality from the UL carrier and the SUL carrier.

[0160] In the thirty-seventh aspect, in conjunction with the thirty-sixth aspect, the apparatus is configured to select a carrier associated with higher channel quality as the selected carrier.

[0161] In the thirty-eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more aspects of the twenty-eighth to thirtieth aspects, the device is configured to receive a first sounding reference signal (SRS) from the UE via a UL carrier.

[0162] In aspect thirty-nine, in conjunction with aspect thirty-eight, the apparatus is configured to receive a second SRS from the UE via a SUL carrier.

[0163] In the fortieth aspect, in conjunction with the thirty-ninth aspect, the apparatus is configured to: determine, based on the first SRS and the second SRS, a carrier associated with higher channel quality from the UL carrier and the SUL carrier.

[0164] In the forty-first aspect, in conjunction with the forty-first aspect, the apparatus is configured to select a carrier associated with higher channel quality as the selected carrier.

[0165] In aspect 42, either alone or in combination with one or more aspects 28 to 41, the apparatus is configured to send a configuration message to the UE. The configuration message indicates the allocation of a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource set corresponding to the UL carrier and the allocation of a second PUCCH resource set corresponding to the SUL carrier.

[0166] In aspect 43, in conjunction with aspect 42, the configuration message includes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0167] In aspect 44, individually or in combination with one or more aspects 42 to 43, the first PUCCH resource set includes a first frequency resource set and a first time resource set corresponding to at least a portion of the UL carrier. The second PUCCH resource set includes a second frequency resource set and a second time resource set corresponding to at least a portion of the SUL carrier.

[0168] In aspect 45, alone or in combination with one or more aspects from aspects 28 to 44, UL messages include Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) messages.

[0169] In aspect 46, in conjunction with aspect 45, the first message includes a downlink control information (DCI) message.

[0170] In aspect 47, in conjunction with aspect 46, specific bits of the DCI message are configured to indicate the selected carrier for transmitting the HARQ-ACK message.

[0171] In aspect 48, either alone or in combination with one or more aspects 46 and 47, the DCI message also indicates the scheduling of the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). The HARQ-ACK message indicates acknowledgment at the UE of the reception of the PDSCH.

[0172] In aspect 49, in conjunction with one or more aspects 46 to 48, the apparatus is configured to: send a second message to the UE, the second message indicating a second selected carrier for sending a second HARQ-ACK message.

[0173] In the fiftieth aspect, in conjunction with the forty-ninth aspect, the apparatus is configured to: send a third message to the UE, the third message indicating a third selected carrier for sending a third HARQ-ACK message. One or more time resources allocated to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resources corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resources corresponding to the SUL carrier.

[0174] In the fifty-first aspect, in conjunction with the fiftyth aspect, the apparatus is configured to monitor the third selected carrier based on the PUCCH resources allocated to the third selected carrier.

[0175] In aspect 52, in conjunction with aspect 51, the apparatus is configured to receive a combined HARQ-ACK message from the UE via a third selected carrier.

[0176] In aspect 53, in conjunction with aspect 50, the apparatus is configured to: based on determining that the second or third selected carrier is a UL carrier, monitor the UL carrier according to the PUCCH resources allocated to the UL carrier.

[0177] In aspect 54, in conjunction with aspect 53, the apparatus is configured to receive a combined HARQ-ACK message from the UE via a UL carrier.

[0178] In aspect 55, in conjunction with aspect 50, the apparatus is configured to: determine, from the second selected carrier and the third selected carrier, a carrier associated with a larger PUCCH resource allocation.

[0179] In the fifty-sixth aspect, in conjunction with the fifty-fifth aspect, the apparatus is configured to: monitor a carrier associated with a larger PUCCH resource allocation based on the PUCCH resources allocated to the carrier associated with the larger PUCCH allocation.

[0180] In aspect 57, in conjunction with aspect 56, the apparatus is configured to receive a combined HARQ-ACK message from the UE via a carrier associated with a larger PUCCH allocation.

[0181] In aspect 58, alone or in combination with one or more aspects from aspects 28 to 44, UL messages include semi-persistent channel state information (SP-CSI) messages.

[0182] In aspect 59, in conjunction with aspect 58, the first message includes an instruction to activate a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) for SP-CSI resources at the UE.

[0183] In the sixtieth aspect, in conjunction with the fifty-ninth aspect, a specific bit of the MAC-CE is configured to indicate the selected carrier for transmitting the SP-CSI message.

[0184] In the sixty-first aspect, alone or in combination with one or more aspects of the fifty-ninth to sixtieth aspects, the apparatus is configured to: after receiving an SP-CSI message, send a second MAC-CE to the UE, the second MAC-CE indicating a second selected carrier for SP-CSI transmission.

[0185] In aspect sixty-two, in conjunction with aspect sixty-one, the apparatus is configured to receive a second SP-CSI message from the UE via a second selected carrier.

[0186] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the foregoing specification can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0187] The components, functional blocks, and modules described in this document (e.g., Figure 2 The components, functional blocks, and modules (in this context) may include: processors, electronic devices, hardware devices, electronic components, logic circuits, memory, software code, firmware code, etc., or any combination thereof. Furthermore, the components discussed herein are related to... Figure 2 , 4 Features related to 8 and 9 can be implemented via dedicated processor circuitry, via executable instructions and / or combinations thereof.

[0188] Those skilled in the art should also understand that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in conjunction with this disclosure (e.g., Figure 6 and Figure 7 The logic blocks described herein can all be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the system as a whole. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as resulting from a departure from the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will also readily recognize that the order or combination of components, methods, or interactions described herein is merely illustrative, and that components, methods, or interactions of various aspects of this disclosure may be combined or performed in ways other than those described herein.

[0189] Using a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein, various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure herein can be implemented or executed. The 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, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, several microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0190] The steps of the methods or algorithms described herein can be directly embodied in hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software module can reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium can be connected to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium can be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in the user terminal. Alternatively, the processor and storage medium can reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0191] In one or more exemplary designs, the described functionality may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functionality may be stored as one or more instructions or code on or transmitted on a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, wherein the communication medium includes any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. For example, but not limitingly, such a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code units in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Furthermore, a connection may be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL), then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or DSL are included in the definition of the medium. As used herein, disks and optical discs include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), hard disks, solid-state drives (SSDs), and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically copy data magnetically, while optical discs use lasers to copy data optically. Combinations of these should also be included within the scope of protection for computer-readable media.

[0192] As used herein (including the claims), when the term “and / or” is used in a list of two or more items, it means that any one of the listed items may be used alone, or any combination of two or more of the listed items may be used. For example, if a composite is described as containing components A, B, and / or C, the composite may contain A alone; B alone; C alone; a combination of A and B; a combination of A and C; a combination of B and C; or a combination of A, B, and C. Furthermore, as used herein (including the claims), the “or” used in a list item ending with “at least one of” indicates a separate list, such that, for example, the list “at least one of A, B, or C” means: A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or any one of any combinations thereof.

[0193] To enable any person skilled in the art to implement or use this disclosure, a prior description of the disclosure has been provided. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: At the user equipment (UE), a first message is received from a base station indicating a selected carrier for transmitting uplink (UL) messages, the selected carrier including a UL carrier or a supplementary uplink (SUL) carrier, the UL carrier and the SUL carrier corresponding to the same cell; and The method further includes sending the UL message to the base station via the selected carrier, wherein the UL message includes a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) message, and wherein the method further includes sending a combined HARQ-ACK message to the base station based on determining that one or more time resources allocated to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A configuration message is received from the base station, the configuration message indicating the allocation of a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource set corresponding to the UL carrier and the allocation of a second PUCCH resource set corresponding to the SUL carrier, wherein the first PUCCH resource set includes a first frequency resource set and a first time resource set corresponding to at least a portion of the UL carrier, and wherein the second PUCCH resource set includes a second frequency resource set and a second time resource set corresponding to at least a portion of the SUL carrier.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The first message includes a downlink control information (DCI) message for indicating the scheduling of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and wherein the HARQ-ACK message indicates an acknowledgment of reception of the PDSCH at the UE.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A second message is received from the base station, the second message indicating a second selected carrier for sending a second Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) message, wherein the first message includes a downlink control information (DCI) message; and A third message is received from the base station, the third message indicating a third selected carrier for sending a third HARQ-ACK message.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: Based on the determination that one or more time resources allocated to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier, a combined HARQ-ACK message is sent to the base station via the third selected carrier.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: Based on determining that one or more time resources allocated to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier, and determining that the second selected carrier or the third selected carrier is the UL carrier, a combined HARQ-ACK message is sent to the base station via the UL carrier.

7. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: The carrier associated with the allocation of the larger physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource is determined from the second and third selected carriers; as well as Based on the determination that one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier, a combined HARQ-ACK message is sent to the base station via the carrier associated with the larger PUCCH resource allocation.

8. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: Measure the power margin associated with the UL carrier; as well as Based on determining that one or more time resources allocated to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier, determining that the second selected carrier or the third selected carrier is the UL carrier, and determining that the power margin meets a threshold, a combined HARQ-ACK message is sent to the base station via the UL carrier.

9. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: Measure the channel quality associated with the second selected carrier; Measure the channel quality associated with the third selected carrier; The preferred carrier is determined from the second and third selected carriers based on the measured channel quality. as well as Based on the determination that one or more time resources allocated to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier, a combined HARQ-ACK message is sent to the base station via the preferred carrier.

10. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: At least one processor; as well as A memory coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: At the user equipment (UE), a first message is received from a base station indicating a selected carrier for transmitting uplink (UL) messages, the selected carrier including a UL carrier or a supplementary uplink (SUL) carrier, the UL carrier and the SUL carrier corresponding to the same cell; and Initiate the transmission of the UL message to the base station via the selected carrier, wherein the UL message includes a semi-persistent channel state information (SP-CSI) message, and wherein the first message includes a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) for instructing the activation of SP-CSI resources at the UE.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The UL carrier and the SUL carrier are associated with the same logical cell index.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The UL carrier corresponds to a first frequency resource set, and the SUL carrier corresponds to a second frequency resource set.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, The second frequency resource set occupies less bandwidth than the first frequency resource set.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The at least one processor is further configured to: After initiating the transmission of the SP-CSI message, a second MAC-CE for indicating a second selected carrier for SP-CSI transmission is received from the base station; as well as Initiate the transmission of the second SP-CSI message to the base station via the second selected carrier.

15. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: At the base station, a carrier is selected from a carrier group including an uplink (UL) carrier and a supplementary uplink (SUL) carrier, wherein the UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell; Send a first message to the user equipment (UE), the first message indicating that the selected carrier is used for the transmission of UL messages; as well as The method further includes receiving the UL message from the UE via the selected carrier, wherein the UL message includes a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) message, and wherein the method further includes receiving a combined HARQ-ACK message from the UE, wherein one or more time resources allocated to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SUL carrier.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: Measure the power margin associated with the UL carrier; as well as The UL carrier is selected as the selected carrier based on the power margin meeting the threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: The SUL carrier is selected as the chosen carrier based on the fact that the power margin fails to meet the threshold.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising: The UE receives a first channel state information (CSI) message associated with the UL carrier; Receive a second CSI message associated with the SUL carrier from the UE; Based on the first CSI message and the second CSI message, determine the carrier associated with higher channel quality from the UL carrier and the SUL carrier; as well as The carrier associated with the higher channel quality is selected as the selected carrier.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising: The first sounding reference signal (SRS) is received from the UE via the UL carrier. The second SRS is received from the UE via the SUL carrier; Based on the first SRS and the second SRS, determine the carrier associated with higher channel quality from the UL carrier and the SUL carrier; as well as The carrier associated with the higher channel quality is selected as the selected carrier.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising: A configuration message is sent to the UE, the configuration message indicating the allocation of a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource set corresponding to the UL carrier and the allocation of a second PUCCH resource set corresponding to the SUL carrier, wherein the first PUCCH resource set includes a first frequency resource set and a first time resource set corresponding to at least a portion of the UL carrier, and wherein the second PUCCH resource set includes a second frequency resource set and a second time resource set corresponding to at least a portion of the SUL carrier.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The first message includes a downlink control information (DCI) message for indicating the scheduling of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and wherein the HARQ-ACK message indicates an acknowledgment of reception of the PDSCH at the UE.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising: A second message is sent to the UE, the second message indicating a second selected carrier for sending a second Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) message, wherein the first message includes a downlink control information (DCI) message; and A third message is sent to the UE, the third message indicating a third selected carrier for sending a third HARQ-ACK message, wherein one or more time resources allocated to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resources corresponding to the UL carrier overlap with one or more time resources allocated to the PUCCH resources corresponding to the SUL carrier.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising: The third selected carrier is monitored based on the PUCCH resources allocated to it. as well as The combined HARQ-ACK message is received from the UE via the third selected carrier.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising: Based on determining that the second selected carrier or the third selected carrier is the UL carrier, the UL carrier is monitored according to the PUCCH resources allocated to the UL carrier; and The combined HARQ-ACK message is received from the UE via the UL carrier.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising: The carrier associated with the larger PUCCH resource allocation is determined from the second selected carrier and the third selected carrier; Monitor the carrier associated with the larger PUCCH resource allocation based on the PUCCH resources allocated to the carrier associated with the larger PUCCH allocation; and The combined HARQ-ACK message is received from the UE via the carrier associated with the larger PUCCH allocation.

26. An apparatus configured for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: At least one processor; as well as A memory coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: At the base station, a carrier is selected from a carrier group including an uplink (UL) carrier and a supplementary uplink (SUL) carrier, wherein the UL carrier and the SUL carrier correspond to the same cell; Initiate the transmission of a first message to the User Equipment (UE), the first message indicating that a selected carrier is used for the transmission of UL messages; and The UL message is received from the UE via the selected carrier, wherein the UL message includes a semi-persistent channel state information (SP-CSI) message, and wherein the first message includes a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) for instructing the activation of SP-CSI resources at the UE.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein, The UL carrier corresponds to a first frequency resource set, and the SUL carrier corresponds to a second frequency resource set, wherein the second frequency resource set occupies a lower bandwidth than the first frequency resource set.

28. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein, The at least one processor is further configured to: After receiving the SP-CSI message, a transmission to the UE is initiated for the second MAC-CE, wherein the second MAC-CE indicates the second selected carrier for SP-CSI transmission; as well as The second SP-CSI message is received from the UE via the second selected carrier.

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