Multiplexing and transmitting cancelled uplink control information

Abstract

A method including canceling a first physical uplink shared channel including a first set of uplink control information is disclosed. The first set of uplink control information is stored. At least a portion of the first set of uplink control information is multiplexed to a second physical uplink shared channel. The second physical uplink shared channel is transmitted to a base station.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The following example embodiments relate to wireless communications. BACKGROUND

[0002] Due to limited resources, it is desirable to optimize the use of network resources, which can be achieved by utilizing terminal devices to enable better use of network resources and enhanced user experience for users of terminal devices. SUMMARY

[0003] The scope of protection sought for various example embodiments is defined by the appended independent claims. Example embodiments described in the specification, if any, and features specified in the claims are intended to be examples of implementations of various example embodiments. The claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations described in the specification.

[0004] According to one aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor, at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: cancel a first physical uplink shared channel comprising a first set of uplink control information; store the first set of uplink control information; multiplex at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel; and transmit the second physical uplink shared channel to a base station.

[0005] According to another aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for: canceling a first physical uplink shared channel comprising a first set of uplink control information; storing the first set of uplink control information; multiplexing at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel; and transmitting the second physical uplink shared channel to a base station.

[0006] According to another aspect, there is provided a method comprising: canceling a first physical uplink shared channel comprising a first set of uplink control information; storing the first set of uplink control information; multiplexing at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel; and transmitting the second physical uplink shared channel to a base station.

[0007] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions to cause an apparatus to perform at least: canceling a first physical uplink shared channel comprising a first set of uplink control information; storing the first set of uplink control information; multiplexing at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel; and transmitting the second physical uplink shared channel to a base station.

[0008] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: cancel a first physical uplink shared channel comprising a first set of uplink control information; store the first set of uplink control information; multiplex at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel; and transmit the second physical uplink shared channel to a base station.

[0009] According to another aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: cancel a first physical uplink shared channel comprising a first set of uplink control information; store the first set of uplink control information; multiplex at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel; and transmit the second physical uplink shared channel to a base station.

[0010] According to another aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: transmit, to a terminal device, an indication to transmit a first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel, wherein the first set of uplink control information is associated with a first physical uplink shared channel that is cancelled; and receive, from the terminal device, the second physical uplink shared channel comprising at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information.

[0011] According to another aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for: transmitting, to a terminal device, an indication to transmit a first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel, wherein the first set of uplink control information is associated with a first physical uplink shared channel that is cancelled; and receiving, from the terminal device, the second physical uplink shared channel comprising at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information.

[0012] According to another aspect, there is provided a method comprising: transmitting, to a terminal device, an indication to transmit a first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel, wherein the first set of uplink control information is associated with a first physical uplink shared channel that is cancelled; and receiving, from the terminal device, the second physical uplink shared channel comprising at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information.

[0013] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions for causing a device to perform at least the following: transmitting, to a terminal device, an indication to transmit a first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel, wherein the first set of uplink control information is associated with a first physical uplink shared channel that is cancelled; and receiving, from the terminal device, the second physical uplink shared channel comprising at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information.

[0014] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: transmitting, to a terminal device, an indication to transmit a first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel, wherein the first set of uplink control information is associated with a first physical uplink shared channel that is cancelled; and receiving, from the terminal device, the second physical uplink shared channel comprising at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information.

[0015] According to another aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: transmitting, to a terminal device, an indication to transmit a first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel, wherein the first set of uplink control information is associated with a first physical uplink shared channel that is cancelled; and receiving, from the terminal device, the second physical uplink shared channel comprising at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information.

[0016] According to another aspect, there is provided a system comprising at least a terminal device and a base station. The terminal device is configured to: cancel a first physical uplink shared channel comprising a first set of uplink control information; store the first set of uplink control information; receive, from the base station, an indication to transmit the first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel; multiplex at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information on the second physical link shared channel; and transmit, to the base station, the second physical uplink shared channel comprising at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information. The base station is configured to: transmit, to the terminal device, an indication to transmit the first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel; and receive, from the terminal device, the second physical uplink shared channel comprising at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information.

[0017] According to another aspect, a system is provided that includes at least a terminal device and a base station. The terminal device includes components for: canceling a first physical uplink shared channel including a first set of uplink control information; storing the first set of uplink control information; receiving from the base station an instruction to transmit the first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel; multiplexing at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information on the second physical uplink shared channel; and transmitting a second physical uplink shared channel including at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information to the base station. The base station includes components for: transmitting to the terminal device an instruction to transmit the first set of uplink control information on the second physical uplink shared channel; and receiving from the terminal device a second physical uplink shared channel including at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information. Attached Figure Description

[0018] In the following description, various exemplary embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein

[0019] Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment of a cellular communication network is illustrated;

[0020] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates a signaling diagram according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0021] Figures 3-6 The illustrations depict exemplary schemes according to some exemplary embodiments;

[0022] Figures 7-12 The diagram illustrates a flowchart according to some exemplary embodiments;

[0023] Figures 13-14 The illustration shows an apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The following embodiments are exemplary. Although this specification refers to "an," "one," or "some" (or more) embodiments in several places, it does not necessarily mean that the same embodiment is mentioned each time, or that a particular feature is used only in a single embodiment. Individual features of different embodiments may be combined to provide other embodiments.

[0025] In the following, different exemplary embodiments will be described using, as an applicable example, an access architecture example, which is a Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A) or New Radio (NR, 5G) based radio access architecture, without restricting the exemplary embodiments to such a structure. It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, by adjusting parameters and procedures appropriately, the exemplary embodiments are applicable also in other types of communication networks having suitable components. Some examples of other options for suitable systems can be a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) radio access network (UTRAN or E-UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE, essentially the same as E-UTRA), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN or Wi-Fi), Worldwide Personal Communications Services (PCS), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), systems using Ultra- Wideband (UWB) technology, sensor networks, mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) or any combination thereof.

[0026] Figure 1 An example showing a simplified system architecture is depicted, showing some elements and functional entities, which are logical groups of functions, realized in Figure 1 The shown connections are logical connections, the actual physical connections can differ from those shown. It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that the system can also include other functions and structures than those shown. Figure 1 The shown connections are logical connections, the actual physical connections can differ from those shown. It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that the system can also include other functions and structures than those shown.

[0027] However, the exemplary embodiments are not restricted to the given examples, but a person skilled in the art can apply the solution to other communication systems provided with necessary properties.

[0028] Figure 1 An example shows a part of an exemplary radio access network.

[0029] Figure 1 The devices 100 and 102 are configured to be in wireless connection with an access node (e.g. (e / g)Node B) providing a cell on one or more communication channels of the cell. The physical link from a user equipment to the (e / g)Node B can be called uplink or reverse link, and the physical link from the (e / g)Node B to the user equipment can be called downlink or forward link. It should be noted that the (e / g)Node Bs or their functionalities can be implemented by using any node, host, server or access point etc. entity suitable for such a use.

[0030] A communication system can comprise more than one (e / g)node B, in which case the (e / g)node Bs can be configured to communicate with one another over links designed for the purpose, which can be wired or wireless. These links can be used for signalling purposes. The (e / g)node Bs can be configured as computing devices that control the radio resources of the communication system to which they are coupled. A node B can also be referred to as a base station, an access point, or other types of interfacing devices including relaying stations that are capable of operating in wireless environments. The (e / g)node B can comprise or be coupled to a transceiver. From the transceiver of the (e / g)node B, a connection can be provided to an antenna unit that establishes bi-directional radio links to user devices. The antenna unit can comprise multiple antennas or antenna elements. The (e / g)node B can also be connected to a core network 110 (CN or Next Generation Core NGC). Depending on the system, the counterpart on the CN side can be a serving gateway (S-GW, routing or forwarding packets), a packet data network gateway (P-GW) for providing connectivity of the user device (UE) to external packet data networks, or a mobility management entity (MME), etc.

[0031] A user device (also referred to as UE, user equipment, user terminal, terminal device, etc.) illustrates one type of apparatus to which resources on the air interface can be allocated and assigned, and thus any features described for a user device can be implemented with a corresponding apparatus, such as a relay node. An example of such a relay node can be a layer 3 relay towards a base station (self-backhauled relay).

[0032] A user device can refer to a portable computing device, including wireless mobile communication devices operating with or without a subscriber identification module (SIM) that can include, but are not limited to, the following types of devices: a mobile station (mobile phone), a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handset, a device operating under wireless modem, a security device, a meter, a tag, or other device that can receive and transmit information wirelessly. It should be appreciated that a user device can also be a virtually exclusive uplink only device, an example of which can be a camera or video camera that uploads pictures or video clips to a network. A user device can also be a device with the ability to operate in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, in which case an object can be provided with the ability to communicate data over a network without the need for human interaction. A user device can also use the cloud. In some applications, a user device can include a small portable device with radio parts, such as a watch, earpiece, or glasses, and the computing can be performed in the cloud. A user device (or a layer 3 relay node in some example embodiments) can be configured to perform one or more user device functions. A user device can also be referred to as a subscriber unit, mobile station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, terminal device, or user equipment (UE), to mention just a few names or apparatuses.

[0033] The various techniques described herein can also be applied to cyber physical systems (CPS) (systems of computer elements cooperating with physical elements). CPS can implement and exploit the synergy between networking and computing / Computation, Control, and Communications to enable innovative applications. CPS can involve the transformation of physical systems, control, and communication theories with computer processing — often embedded in geographic locations — to create innovative cyber physical systems. CPS can enable the development of new design principles for intelligent cyber physical systems, which can be used in many areas, such as smart power grids, smart transportation networks, smart agriculture, smart aviation, smart manufacturing, smart service delivery, smart health, smart distribution, smart waste management, smart water management, smart buildings, smart cities, and smart environments.

[0034] In addition, although the apparatus is depicted as a single entity, different units, processors and / or memory units can be implemented (not all shown in FIG. 1). Figure 1 5G can support using multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antennas, much more base stations or nodes than LTE (a so-called small cell concept), including macro sites operating in co-operation with smaller stations and according to the services needs, use cases and / or available frequency spectrum, employing a variety of radio access technologies. 5G mobile communications can support a wide range of use cases and related applications including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of sharing

[0035]

[0036] ​The current architecture in LTE networks can be fully distributed in the radio and fully centralized in the core network. Low latency applications and services in 5G can require bringing content close to the radio, which can lead to local breakout and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G can enable analytics and knowledge generation at the source of the data. This approach can require leveraging resources that can not be continuously connected to the network, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and sensors. MEC can provide a distributed computing

[0037] The communication system is also able to communicate with other networks, such as a public switched telephone network or the Internet 112, or utilize services provided by them. The communication system can be able to support the usage of cloud services. For example, at least a part of core network operations can be carried out as a cloud service (this is depicted in Figure 1 by a "cloud" 114). The communication system can also include a central control entity or a similar mechanism, providing facilities for networks of different operators to cooperate, e.g., in spectrum sharing. Edge cloud can be brought close to the radio access network (RAN) by utilizing network

[0038] It should also be understood that the division of labor between the core network operations and the base station operations is different from that of the LTE and even non-existent. Some other possible technology advancements that can be used are big data and all-IP, which can change the way the network is built and managed. A 5G (or New Radio, NR) network can be designed to support multiple tiers, where MEC servers can be placed between the core and the base station or NodeB (gNB). It should be appreciated that MEC can also be applied to 4G networks.

[0039] 5G networks can also leverage satellite communication to enhance and complement the coverage of 5G services, for example by providing backhauling. Possible use cases are providing service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices or for passengers on board of vehicles, or ensuring service availability for critical communications, and future railway / maritime / aeronautical communications. Satellite communication can leverage both geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite systems, but also low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, particularly mega-constellations (systems that deploy hundreds of (nano)satellites). At least one satellite 106 in a mega-constellation can cover several satellite supported network entities creating a terrestrial cell. The terrestrial cell can be created through a terrestrial relay node 104 or by a gNB located on the ground or in a satellite.

[0040] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the depicted system is merely an example of a part of a radio access system, and in practice the system can comprise a plurality of (e / g)NodeBs, the user equipment can have access to a plurality of radio cells, the system can also comprise other apparatuses, such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements. The at least one (e / g)NodeB can be a master (e / g)NodeB. Furthermore, in the geographical area of the radio communication system, a plurality of different kinds of radio cells can be provided and a plurality of radio cells can be provided. The radio cells can be macro cells (or umbrella cells), can be small cells of tens of kilometers in diameter, or be smaller cells such as micro cells, femto cells or pico cells. Figure 1 The (e / g)NodeBs can provide any type of these cells. The cellular radio system can be implemented as a multi-tier network comprising a plurality of cells. In a multi-tier network, one access node can provide one or more cells, and thus a plurality of (e / g)NodeBs can be needed to provide such a network structure.

[0041] To meet the demand for improved communication system deployment and performance, a concept of (e / g)NodeB auto-configuration can be introduced. A network capable of using auto- configured (e / g)NodeBs comprises, in addition to a master (e / g)NodeB (H(e / g)NodeB), a master node B gateway, or HNB-GW (not shown in Figure 1 The HNB gateway (HNB-GW), which is installed in the operator's network, can aggregate traffic from a large number of HNBs to the core network.

[0042] Uplink inter-UE prioritization and / or multiplexing can be used to provide better support for Industrial Internet of Things, IIoT, and / or Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication, URLLC, use cases. For uplink inter-UE prioritization and / or multiplexing, the network can send an uplink cancellation indication, UL CI, via a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, instructing a UE to cancel an ongoing transmission, such as an enhanced mobile broadband, eMBB, transmission. As a result, resources can be released to a higher priority transmission of another UE, such as a URLLC transmission.

[0043] Intra-UE prioritization and / or multiplexing can be used for IIoT and / or URLLC use cases to address control data, control-control and data-data prioritization and / or multiplexing for a single UE. To effectively support intra-UE prioritization and / or multiplexing, two priority levels at the physical layer, PHY, are introduced in Rel-16 NR for uplink channels and uplink control channels. The two priority levels can be, for example, priority 1 indicating high priority and priority 0 indicating low priority. Prioritization between channels of different priority levels is currently supported. However, multiplexing between channels associated with different priority levels is not currently supported. For intra-UE collision handling at the PHY layer, to prevent a high priority uplink transmission from overlapping with a low priority uplink transmission, the low priority uplink transmission can be dropped under certain constraints.

[0044] Furthermore, to resolve collisions between uplink transmissions, when there are more than two overlapping uplink channels, the UE can perform the following operations: 1) resolve collisions between uplink transmissions with substantially the same priority, and 2) resolve collisions between uplink transmissions with different priorities.

[0045] Physical uplink shared channel, PUSCH, transmissions can be dynamically scheduled in a downlink control information, DCI, message by dynamic grant, DG, or the transmissions can correspond to configured grant, CG, Type 1 or Type 2. PHY prioritization of DG PUSCH and CG PUSCH with substantially the same cell of different priority levels at the PHY layer is not currently supported, i.e., the medium access control, MAC, is to deliver a single MAC protocol data unit, PDU, for the DG PUSCH or the CG PUSCH. In other words, high priority DG PUSCH cancelling a transmission of a low priority CG PUSCH at the PHY layer is not currently supported, nor is high priority CG PUSCH cancelling a transmission of a low priority DG PUSCH at the PHY layer. Although not supported in Rel-16 NR, this feature can be specified in future Rel-17 NR. On the other hand, overlapping CG PUSCH and CG PUSCH with different priority levels at the PHY layer are supported. Multiplexing of channels with different priority levels can prevent performance degradation at least in terms of spectral efficiency.

[0046] If a PUSCH or physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, transmission including hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, HARQ-ACK, feedback is de-prioritized or dropped and thus the HARQ-ACK feedback information is lost, this can result in performance degradation at least in terms of spectral efficiency. When HARQ-ACK or more generally uplink control information, UCI, is to be multiplexed on PUSCH, then the PUSCH including HARQ-AC can be cancelled for at least one of the following reasons: 1) overlapping or colliding with a high priority PUSCH or PUCCH; 2) overlapping with a downlink symbol; and / or 3) inter-UE prioritization operation using uplink cancellation indication.

[0047] An example where HARQ-ACK feedback can be lost is given below. In this example, a low priority PUCCH carrying HARQ-ACK overlaps with a low priority DG PUSCH, which in turn overlaps with a high priority uplink channel / transmission, which can be (CG / DG)PUSCH or PUCCH. The UE can first process channels with substantially the same priority, which can result in multiplexing, i.e. piggybacking, low priority HARQ-ACK on the low priority DG PUSCH. However, the low priority DG PUSCH including HARQ-ACK can be dropped because it overlaps with the high priority uplink channel / transmission, which has priority over the low priority DG PUSCH. The network can issue a retransmission grant in order to retransmit the data of the dropped DG PUSCH. However, there can currently be no procedure for retransmitting the dropped HARQ-ACK feedback information or more generally retransmitting UCI. Thus, the low priority HARQ-ACK multiplexed on the low priority PUSCH can be lost, which can result in increased downlink control overhead and reduced downlink efficiency due to unnecessary physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, retransmission, i.e. retransmission of the PDSCH(s) associated with the dropped HARQ-ACK feedback information, because the gNB does not know whether the associated PDSCH(s) has been received correctly.

[0048] In the above example and other similar scenarios, data of the low priority DG PUSC can be retransmitted because in case of DG PUSCH and in some cases of CG PUSCH, the network can issue a retransmission grant. Alternatively, the UE can rely on autonomous retransmission in some other cases of CG PUSCH. However, in this case, the dropped HARQ-ACK can be lost anyway, which can result in performance degradation.

[0049] Some exemplary embodiments can provide technical solutions to avoid the loss or discarding of UCIs, such as HARQ-ACK feedback, for example, in scenarios where a UCI is discarded due to de-prioritization, discarding, or cancellation of a PUSCH that includes the UCI, i.e., a PUSCH that the UCI is reused or piggybacked on.

[0050] Figure 2 A signaling diagram according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. In this exemplary embodiment, discarded UCIs are retransmitted and multiplexed in the uplink grant for retransmission of discarded PUSCH data or transmission of new data. A PUSCH including multiplexed HARQ-ACK information may be discarded for the following reasons: 1) overlap with a higher priority channel; 2) overlap with a downlink or flexible symbol; or 3) inter-UE prioritization operation using an uplink cancellation indication.

[0051] Reference Figure 2 Base station 220, such as gNB, configures UE 201 to store or buffer UCIs to prevent UCIs from being discarded due to the cancellation of PUSCHs containing those UCIs. The base station may also configure UE 202 with one or more multiplexing and / or prioritization rules, where the PUSCHs to be multiplexed on the discarded UCIs include one or more other UCIs to be multiplexed. Configurations 201 and 202 can be performed, for example, via MAC CE, DCI, or Radio Resource Control (RRC).

[0052] For example, due to overlap with a higher priority channel, the UE cancels 203 of the PUSCH including the piggybacked UCI. This cancellation can also be referred to as discarding or deprioritization. The UE stores 204 or buffers the PUSCH included in the cancellation. The base station sends 205 uplink for the PUSCH, where the uplink grant includes an indication that the UE should retransmit the discarded UCI by multiplexing the PUSCH associated with the uplink grant. The UE receives 206 uplink grant based on the indication in the uplink grant, multiplexing 207 in the PUSCH associated with the uplink grant, or piggybacking the discarded UCI. The UE sends 208 of the PUSCH associated with the uplink grant, where the PUSCH including the previously discarded UCI is sent. Typically, the uplink grant here usually refers to the downlink control information (DCI) that schedules the PUSCH, which is sent on the physical downlink control channel PDCCH.

[0053] The above has been approved. Figure 2 The functions and / or boxes described in the components do not have an absolute temporal order; some of them may be executed simultaneously or in a different order than described. Other functions and / or boxes may also be executed between or within them.

[0054] Figure 3 An exemplary scheme for retransmission of dropped HARQ-ACK is illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. In this exemplary embodiment, a (DG / CG)PUSCH piggybacking HARQ-ACK is de-prioritized due to overlap with a high priority uplink channel / transport, which can be a (CG / DG)PUSCH or PUCCH (or even a sounding reference signal SRS), so that the HARQ-ACK is dropped. The dropped HARQ-ACK can then be retransmitted by being scheduled on another low priority PUSCH by an uplink grant.

[0055] Reference Figure 3 A low priority PUCCH 301 including HARQ-ACK overlaps with a first low priority PUSCH 302, which overlaps with a high priority uplink channel 303. The UE can process channels with substantially the same priority first, which can result in the UE deciding to multiplex 310, i.e. piggyback, the low priority HARQ-ACK on the first low priority (DG / CG)PUSCH 302. The first low priority PUSCH 302 including HARQ-ACK overlaps with the high priority uplink channel 303, so the high priority uplink channel 303 is prioritized and the first low priority PUSCH 302 including HARQ-ACK is dropped.

[0056] However, the network, e.g. a base station, can instruct the UE to buffer the dropped HARQ-ACK, or more generally, to buffer the UCI included in the dropped first low priority PUSCH. Alternatively, in this case, the UE can be configured by default to buffer the dropped HARQ-ACK without an explicit instruction by the network to do so.

[0057] The network, e.g., the base station, can further indicate whether the UE is to retransmit the dropped HARQ-ACK on the upcoming uplink grant of the second DG PUSCH 305. The retransmission indication of the dropped HARQ-ACK can be received, e.g., by the DCI 304 of the uplink grant of the second DG PUSCH 305. In an alternative, a 1-bit field in the uplink grant can be used to carry the indication, where a value of 1 indicates that the UE is to multiplex and retransmit the dropped HARQ-ACK on the scheduled second PUSCH 305, and a value of 0 indicates that the UE is not to retransmit the dropped HARQ-ACK on the second PUSCH 305. The absence of the field can be interpreted as, e.g., not multiplexing the dropped HARQ-ACK. Alternatively, the indication can be received via a separate DCI or via a MAC CE or RRC. As a further alternative, a dedicated RNTI, i.e., radio network temporary identifier, can be used to signal the indication of retransmitting the dropped HARQ-ACK by scrambling the DCI used for the scheduling of the uplink grant. As a further alternative, a special DMRS, demodulation reference signal, sequence can be used as a way to signal the indication of retransmitting the dropped HARQ-ACK, where the DMRS sequence is indicated in the DCI.

[0058] If the indication indicates to retransmit the dropped HARQ-ACK, the UE multiplexes 311 the dropped HARQ-ACK on the second DG PUSCH 305 of the upcoming uplink grant. The UE then transmits the second DG PUSCH 305 including the dropped HARQ-ACK feedback. The second DG PUSCH 305 can have a low priority or a high priority.

[0059] The network can also configure the UE, e.g., via RRC or MAC CE, to transmit one or more last or first dropped UCI, such as HARQ-ACK codebook.

[0060] Figure 4 Another exemplary scheme for retransmitting dropped HARQ-ACK is illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. The exemplary scheme is otherwise similar to the scheme depicted in Figure 3 but in the exemplary scheme, the dropped HARQ-ACK is to be multiplexed on the second PUSCH, which overlaps with the second PUSCH carrying another HARQ-ACK. Whether both HARQ-ACK codebooks can be fully multiplexed on the second PUSCH, or if one HARQ-ACK codebook needs to be partially or fully dropped, can depend on the defined processing rule(s) and the available resources on the second PUSCH.

[0061] Reference is made to Figure 4, the first low priority PUCCH 401 including the first HARQ-ACK overlaps with the first low priority (DG / CG) PUSCH 402, which overlaps with the high priority uplink channel / transmission 403, which can be a (CG / DG) PUSCH or PUCCH (or even SRS). The UE can first process channels with substantially the same priority, which can result in the UE deciding to multiplex 410 (i.e., piggyback) the first HARQ-ACK on the first low priority PUSCH 402. The first low priority PUSCH 402 including the first HARQ-ACK overlaps with the high priority uplink channel 403, so the high priority uplink channel 403 is prioritized and the first low priority PUSCH 402 including the first HARQ-ACK is dropped.

[0062] The network, e.g., base station, can instruct the UE to buffer the dropped first HARQ-ACK, or more generally, the UCI contained in the dropped first low priority PUSCH 402. Alternatively, in this case, the UE can be configured by default to buffer the dropped first HARQ-ACK without an explicit instruction by the network to do so. The network, e.g., base station, can further instruct the UE to retransmit the dropped first HARQ-ACK on an upcoming uplink grant for a second PUSCH 405, where this second PUSCH can have a low or high PHY priority. In the example here, it is assumed that the second PUSCH 405 has a low priority. The instruction to retransmit the dropped first HARQ-ACK can be received, for example, via the DCI 404 of the uplink grant for the second PUSCH 405.

[0063] However, the dropped first HARQ-ACK is to be multiplexed on the second PUSCH 405, which overlaps with a second low priority PUCCH 406 carrying a second HARQ-ACK. The following processing rules can be configured to handle this scenario for substantially the same UCI type and substantially the same PHY priority of the UCI involved.

[0064] The dropped first HARQ-ACK can be considered less important than the second PUCCH 406, the second PUSCH 406 with the second HARQ-ACK overlapping the second PUSCH 405, the dropped first HARQ-ACK is to be multiplexed on the second PUSCH 405. Thus, if there are not enough resources on the second PUSCH 405 to multiplex any bits of the dropped first HARQ-ACK in addition to the second HARQ-ACK, the dropped first HARQ-ACK can again be completely dropped, and the second HARQ-ACK is multiplexed 412 on the second PUSCH 405. On the other hand, if there are enough resources on the second PUSCH 405 for at least a portion of the dropped first HARQ-ACK in addition to the second HARQ-ACK, the first HARQ-ACK can be at least partially multiplexed 411 on the second PUSCH 405 with the second HARQ-ACK, and the second HARQ-ACK can be completely multiplexed 412 on the second PUSCH 405.

[0065] Alternatively, the first HARQ-ACK can be considered more important, and if there are enough resources on the second PUSCH 405 for at least a portion of the second HARQ-ACK in addition to the first HARQ-ACK, the second HARQ-ACK can be at least partially multiplexed 412 on the second PUSCH 405 with the first HARQ-ACK, and the first HARQ-ACK can be completely multiplexed 411 on the second PUSCH 405.

[0066] The processing rules can also depend on the PHY priority of the relevant UCI and the UCI type. For example, a relative rule can define as follows: high priority UCI is considered more important than low priority UCI. In this case, the rule can indicate to completely drop the lower importance UCI. In other words, partial dropping or multiplexing is not allowed in this case.

[0067] Figure 5 Another exemplary scheme for retransmission of dropped HARQ-ACK is illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. In this exemplary scheme, the PUSCH piggybacking the HARQ-ACK is cancelled due to overlap with a high priority uplink channel, and the dropped HARQ-ACK is transmitted in the upcoming CG PUSCH.

[0068] Reference Figure 5The low priority PUCCH 501 including the HARQ-ACK comprises an overlap with the first CG PUSCH 502. Therefore, the UE decides to multiplex 510 the HARQ-ACK on the first CG PUSCH 502. For example, the HARQ-ACK should be multiplexed on the CG PUSCH 502 associated with the first CG configuration, which is dropped at the PHY due to the overlap with the high priority uplink channel 503. Assuming that the UE is allowed to attempt to transmit the dropped HARQ-ACK on the upcoming CG PUSCH occasion(s), e.g. by RRC configuration or by the activating DCI of the first CG configuration, the UE multiplexes 511 the dropped HARQ-ACK on the second CG PUSCH 504. The second CG PUSCH 504 can be associated with the first CG configuration or the second CG configuration.

[0069] If the next available PUSCH occasion is the occasion belonging to the first CG configuration, i.e. the CG configuration for which the first CG PUSCH has been dropped, and the UE is performing autonomous retransmission on the dropped transport block, and the UE can also be configured to transmit the dropped HARQ-ACK by multiplexing it on the PUSCH for the autonomous retransmission of the transport block.

[0070] The network can control, e.g. by the PPC or as part of the activating DCI, if the UE can transmit the dropped HARQ-ACK on the next PUSCH occasion(s) of the same configuration on a per CG configuration basis. Alternatively, the network can control the operation for some or all CG configurations at once by having an indication to switch the operation on or off for some or all CG configurations.

[0071] Figure 6 Another exemplary scheme for retransmitting a dropped HARQ-ACK is illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. In this exemplary scheme, the PUSCH piggybacking the HARQ-ACK is cancelled due to an overlap with a high priority uplink channel 603, thus the HARQ-ACK is dropped. As mentioned before, other events can also cause the PUSCH piggybacking the HARQ-ACK to be dropped, such as receiving an uplink cancellation indication.

[0072] Reference Figure 6The low priority PUCCH 601 including the first HARQ-ACK overlaps with the first CG PUSCH 602. Therefore, the UE decides to multiplex 610 the first HARQ-ACK on the first CG PUSCH 602. The first HARQ-ACK should be multiplexed on the first CG PUSCH 602 associated with the first CG configuration, the CG PUSCH 602 is dropped on the PHY due to overlapping with the high priority uplink channel 603. Assuming that the UE is allowed to attempt to transmit the dropped first HARQ-ACK on the upcoming CG PUSCH occasion(s), e.g. by RRC configuration or by the activating DCI of the first CG configuration, the UE can decide to multiplex 611 the dropped first HARQ-ACK on the second CG PUSCH 604. Similarly to the exemplary embodiments of Figure 5 the second CG PUSCH 604 can be associated with the first CG configuration or the second CG configuration.

[0073] If the next available PUSCH occasion is belonging to the first CG configuration, i.e. the CG configuration for which the first CG PUSCH has been dropped, and the UE is performing autonomous retransmission on the dropped transport block, the UE can also be configured to decide to multiplex the dropped first HARQ-ACK to the PUSCH transmission for the autonomous retransmission of the transport block.

[0074] On a per CG configuration basis, the network can control whether the UE can decide to multiplex the dropped first HARQ-ACK on the next PUSCH transmission occasion(s) of the same configuration or not, e.g. via RRC or as part of the activating DCI, if any. Alternatively, the network can control the operation for some or all CG configurations at once by having an indication to switch the operation on or off for some or all CG configurations.

[0075] However, the dropped first HARQ-ACK should be multiplexed on the second CG PUSCH 604, which overlaps with the second low priority PUCCH 606 carrying the second HARQ-ACK. The UE can then determine which HARQ-ACK has higher importance. In a similar way as the exemplary embodiments of Figure 4 the determination can be based on some pre-defined rules or based on some processing rules configured by the network.

[0076] If the first HARQ-ACK is considered less important than the second PUCCH 606 with the second HARQ-ACK, and if there are not enough resources on the second CG PUSCH 604 to multiplex any bits of the first HARQ-ACK in addition to the second HARQ-ACK, then the first HARQ-ACK can again be completely dropped, and the second HARQ-ACK is multiplexed 612 on the second CG PUSCH 604. On the other hand, if there are enough resources on the second CG PUSCH 604 for at least a portion of the first HARQ-ACK in addition to the second HARQ-ACK, then the first HARQ-ACK can be at least partially multiplexed 611 on the second CG PUSCH 604 with the second HARQ-ACK, and the second HARQ-ACK can be completely multiplexed 612 on the second CG PUSCH 604.

[0077] Alternatively, if the first HARQ-ACK is considered more important than the second HARQ-ACK, then the first HARQ-ACK can be completely multiplexed 611 on the second CG PUSCH 604. If there are enough resources on the second CG PUSCH 604 for at least a portion of the second HARQ-ACK in addition to the first HARQ-ACK, then the second HARQ-ACK can be at least partially multiplexed 612 on the second CG PUSCH 604 with the first HARQ-ACK. However, if there are not enough resources on the second CG PUSCH 604 to multiplex any bits of the second HARQ-ACK in addition to the first HARQ-ACK, then the second HARQ-ACK can be completely dropped from the second CG PUSCH 604.

[0078] Instead of or in addition to HARQ-ACK retransmission, the above exemplary embodiments can also apply to other UCI types, such as channel state information, CSI, and / or scheduling request, SR. In other words, the UCI can include, for example, HARQ-ACK, SR, and / or CSI.

[0079] Figure 7 A flowchart is illustrated in accordance with exemplary embodiments. Figure 7The illustrated functions can be performed by a device such as a UE. The transmission of the first physical uplink shared channel, including the first set of uplink control information, is cancelled 701. Here, cancellation can also refer to discarding the first physical uplink shared channel or deprioritizing the first physical uplink shared channel. The first set of uplink control information is stored 702 in, for example, the internal memory of the device. Here, storage can also refer to buffering the first set of uplink control information. At least a portion of the first set of uplink control information is multiplexed 703 on the second physical uplink shared channel. The second physical uplink shared channel, including at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information, is transmitted 704 to the base station. After transmitting the first set of uplink control information, it is deleted from the UE's internal memory 705.

[0080] Figure 8 The illustration shows a flowchart according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 8 The functions shown can be performed by a device such as a UE. To prevent the PUSCH from being cancelled at the PHY layer, the base station receives a configuration at 801 for storing instructions for the UCI included in the PUSCH. This configuration can be received via RRC configuration, MACCE, and / or DCI. This configuration is then applied at 802.

[0081] The first PUSCH containing the UCI is cancelled 803. Here, cancellation can also mean discarding the first PUSCH or deprioritizing the first PUSCH. The UCI is stored 804, for example, in the device's internal memory. Here, storage can also mean buffering the UCI.

[0082] The 805 receives an indication that at least a portion of the UCIs will be transmitted on any uplink grant for PUSCH (e.g., a second PUSCH). This indication can be received via RRC configuration, MAC CE, and / or DCI. For example, the base station can configure the UE to transmit one or more of the last or first discarded UCIs, for example via RRC or MAC CE. Alternatively, the number of the last or first discarded UCIs to be transmitted can be dynamically indicated via DCI. For example, in the case of dynamically scheduled PUSCHs and / or when grant type 2 is configured by activating DCI, the indication can be received via DCI. Alternatively or additionally, this indication can be received via, for example, RRC or MAC CE used for configured grant PUSCH transmissions, where the indication can be a grant configuration for each configuration, or common to some or all of the configured grant configurations.

[0083] At least a portion of the UCI is multiplexed on the second PUSCH 806. The second PUSCH, including at least a portion of the UCI, is transmitted to the base station 807. The UCI is deleted from the UE's internal memory 808 after being transmitted.

[0084] In some example embodiments, the uplink grant (i.e. indication) can be used for a retransmission grant of substantially the same transport block (i.e. data of a certain uplink HARQ process) of the first PUSCH that was retransmitted cancelled. If the indication is to send the dropped UCI, the UE retransmits the dropped UCI multiplexed on the second PUSCH scheduled by the retransmission grant. For example, in case of a dynamic retransmission grant, a retransmission indication with substantially the same transport block can be received by a DCI. Alternatively or additionally, for example in case of a self-configured grant PUSCH retransmission, the indication / configuration can be via RRC. It can be indicated for each configured grant configuration or be common for some or all of the configured grant configurations.

[0085] Figure 9 A flowchart is shown according to example embodiments, wherein the UE is configured with handling rule(s), i.e. multiplexing and / or prioritization rule(s), for the dropped UCI should be multiplexed on a second PUSCH, the second PUSCH has another UCI multiplexed.

[0086] Referring to Figure 9 A first PUSCH comprising a first UCI is cancelled 901. The first UCI is stored 902, e.g. in an internal memory of the UE. Here, storing can also mean buffering the UCI. An indication to transmit the first UCI on a second PUSCH is received 903 from the base station.

[0087] The importance of the first UCI is compared 904 with the importance of a second UCI, the second UCI should also be multiplexed on the second PUSCH. The rule(s) for determining the importance of the UCI can depend on the type of the UCI and / or the PHY priority.

[0088] If the first UCI and the second UCI have substantially the same UCI type and substantially the same PHY priority, the dropped first UCI can be considered to have a higher or lower importance than the second UCI according to a configuration. This can be useful for cases where there are not enough resources for multiplexing both UCI on the second PUSCH and thus one UCI, i.e. the less important one, can be partially or completely dropped from the second PUSCH.

[0089] The importance of the first UCI and the second UCI can depend on the UCI type. For example, newer CSI can have a higher priority than older CSI or the older CSI can not be retransmitted if the newer CSI is to be mapped, while different procedures can be applied for example for HARQ-ACK.

[0090] If the first UCI and the second UCI have different PHY priorities, the UCI with the higher PHY priority can be considered as having higher importance. For example, if the dropped first UCI has a higher PHY priority than the second UCI, the dropped first UCI can be more important.

[0091] If the first UCI is determined to have lower importance than the second UCI (905: YES), the second UCI is (fully) multiplexed 906 on the second PUSCH. If there is enough resource on the second PUSCH, then at least a part of the UCI is multiplexed 807 on the second PUSCH in addition to the second UCI. Here, the resource can refer to, for example, a resource element (RE). In other words, after the second UCI has been (fully) multiplexed on the second PUSCH, the UE can multiplex a part of the first UCI that is identical to the RE available on the second PUSCH. The second PUSCH is transmitted 908.

[0092] If the first UCI is determined to have higher importance than the second UCI (905: NO), the first UCI is (fully) multiplexed 909 on the second PUSCH. If there is enough resource on the second PUSCH in addition to the first UCI, at least a part of the second UCI can also be multiplexed 910 on the second PUSCH. Here, the resource can refer to, for example, a RE.

[0093] In other words, after the first UCI has been (fully) multiplexed on the second PUSCH, the UE can multiplex a part of the second UCI that is identical to the RE available on the second PUSCH. The second PUSCH is transmitted 911. After the first UCI is transmitted, it is deleted 912 from the internal memory of the UE.

[0094] When multiplexing multiple UCIs (i.e., the second UCI and the first UCI) of more than one PUCCH occasion on the second PUSCH, some example embodiments can provide a mechanism that enables to reduce the UCI payload size. For example, when multiplexing a UCI of lower importance with a UCI of higher importance on the second PUSCH, HARQ-ACK bundling can be applied to the UCI of lower importance. Wherein the first UCI and the second UCI can be multiplexed on the second PUSCH, and the payload size of the UCI of lower importance is reduced.

[0095] Referring to Figure 10 The first PUSCH including the first UCI is cancelled 1001. The first UCI is stored 1002, for example, in the internal memory of the UE. Here, the storing can also refer to buffering the UCI. An indication to transmit the first UCI on the second PUSCH is received 1003 from the base station.

[0096] The importance of the first UCI is compared 1004 to the importance of the second UCI, which also should be multiplexed on the second PUSCH. The rule(s) for determining the importance of the UCI can depend on the type of UCI and / or the PHY priority.

[0097] If the first UCI is determined to have a lower importance than the second UCI (1005: Yes), the payload size of the first UCI is reduced 1006. The first UCI with the reduced payload size and the second UCI are multiplexed 1007 on the second PUSCH and transmitted 1008 on the second PUSCH to the base station. After transmitting the first UCI, it is deleted 1009 from the UE's internal memory.

[0098] If the first UCI is determined to have a higher importance than the second UCI (1005: No), the payload size of the second UCI is reduced 1010. The second UCI with the reduced payload size and the first UCI are multiplexed 1011 on the second PUSCH and transmitted 1012 on the second PUSCH to the base station. After transmitting the first UCI, it is deleted 1013 from the UE's internal memory.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the network can configure the UE with a maximum number of attempts to transmit the dropped UCI, e.g. in case the indication to transmit the dropped UCI is received by RRC. Alternatively, the network can configure the UE with a timer for transmitting the dropped UCI, wherein the UE stops trying to transmit the dropped UCI as soon as the timer expires. Figure 11 A flow chart is illustrated, wherein the UE checks whether attempts remain before multiplexing and transmitting the dropped UCI on the second PUSCH, according to example embodiments.

[0100] Referring to Figure 11 The first PUSCH including the UCI is cancelled 1101. The UCI is stored 1102, e.g. in the UE's internal memory. Here, storing can also mean buffering the UCI.

[0101] An indication to transmit the dropped UCI on the second PUSCH is received 1103 from the base station. Then, the UE checks 1104 whether there are remaining attempts to transmit the dropped UCI, e.g. based on a predefined maximum limit of attempts or a predetermined timer. In other words, the UE checks whether a predefined timer has expired or whether a predefined maximum number of attempts to transmit the UCI has been reached.

[0102] If there are remaining attempts (1104: Yes), at least a portion of the discarded UCI is reused on the second PUSCH (1105). The second PUSCH, including at least a portion of the discarded UCI, is sent to the base station (1106). After the UCI is sent on the second PUSCH, the UCI is deleted from the UE's memory (1107).

[0103] If no attempt is made to recover (1104: No), the discarded UCI is not reused on the second PUSCH, and the discarded UCI is removed from the UE's internal memory.

[0104] Figure 11 The exemplary embodiments shown can also be combined with Figure 9 The exemplary embodiments shown or related Figure 10 The exemplary embodiments shown are combined. For example, if there is a remaining attempt (1104: Yes), and there is a second UCI that overlaps with the first UCI, the UE can, according to Figure 9 Box 904 or Figure 10 Box 1004 is used to compare the importance of the first UCI and the second UCI, and from there we continue, as follows: Figure 9 or Figure 10 As shown.

[0105] Figure 12 A flowchart according to an exemplary embodiment is illustrated. Figure 12 The functions shown can be performed by devices such as base stations or devices included in base stations.

[0106] Reference Figure 12 The terminal device is instructed to send instruction 1201 to transmit a first set of uplink control information on a second physical uplink shared channel, wherein the first set of uplink control information is associated with a cancelled first physical uplink shared channel. The second physical uplink shared channel, including at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information, is received from the terminal device via instruction 1202.

[0107] In another exemplary embodiment, when the first physical uplink shared channel is cancelled, the base station or a device included in the base station sends a configuration to the terminal device including instructions for storing a first set of uplink control information. This configuration may be sent to the terminal device before sending an instruction to transmit the first set of uplink control information on the second physical uplink shared channel.

[0108] The above has been approved. Figures 7-12 The described functions and / or boxes are not in an absolute temporal order; some of them may be executed simultaneously or in a different order than described. Other functions and / or boxes may also be executed between or within them.

[0109] The technical advantages provided by some example embodiments can be that they can provide technical solutions to avoid missing discarded UCI (such as HARQ-ACK feedback, SR, and / or CSI), which can result in a reduction in the number of PDSCH retransmissions and corresponding PDCCH transmissions. Thus, network performance can be improved in terms of latency and downlink efficiency, at least. In addition, some example embodiments can also apply using legacy HARQ codebook operation (Type 1 and Type 2) as it can provide flexibility by gNB configuration or indication to enable UCI retransmission as needed from the network perspective.

[0110] Figure 13 Fig. illustrates an apparatus 1300 according to an example embodiment, which can be a device such as a terminal device or comprised in a terminal device. The terminal device can also be referred to as a UE herein. The apparatus 1300 comprises a processor 1310. The processor 1310 interprets computer program instructions and processes data. The processor 1310 can comprise one or more programmable processors. The processor 1310 can comprise programmable hardware with embedded firmware, and, optionally or additionally, one or more application-specific integrated circuits ASICs.

[0111] The processor 1310 is coupled to a memory 1320. The processor is configured to read data from and write data to the memory 1320. The memory 1320 can comprise one or more memory units. The memory units can be volatile or non-volatile. It should be noted that in some example embodiments there can be one or more non-volatile memory units and one or more volatile memory units, or alternatively, one or more non-volatile memory units, or alternatively, one or more volatile memory units. The volatile memory can be, for example, RAM, DRAM, or SDRAM. The non-volatile memory can be, for example, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, flash memory, optical storage, or magnetic storage. In general, the memory can be referred to as a non-transitory computer readable medium. The memory 1320 stores computer readable instructions for execution by the processor 1310. For example, the non-volatile memory stores the computer readable instructions, and the processor 1310 executes the instructions using the volatile memory for temporarily storing data and / or instructions.

[0112] The computer readable instructions can be pre-stored in the memory 1320, or alternatively or additionally, they can be received by the apparatus through an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or can be copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer readable instructions causes the apparatus 1300 to perform one or more of the functions described above.

[0113] In the context herein, a "memory" or "computer-readable medium" or "computer- readable media" can be any non-transitory medium or means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport instructions to be used or implemented by (or associated with) an instruction execution system, apparatus or device, such as a computer.

[0114] The device 1300 can also comprise or be connected to an input unit 1330. The input unit 1330 can comprise one or more interfaces for receiving input. The one or more interfaces can comprise, for example, one or more temperature, motion and / or orientation sensors, one or more cameras, one or more accelerometers, one or more microphones, one or more buttons and / or one or more touch detection units. Additionally, the input unit 1330 can comprise an interface to which an external device can be connected.

[0115] The device 1300 can also comprise an output unit 1340. The output unit can comprise or be connected to one or more displays capable of rendering visual content, such as light emitting diodes, LEDs, displays, liquid crystal displays, LCDs and liquid crystal on silicon, LCoS, displays. The output unit 1340 also comprises one or more audio outputs. The one or more audio outputs can be, for example, loudspeakers.

[0116] The device 1300 also comprises a connection unit 1350. The connection unit 1350 enables wireless connections with one or more external devices. The connection unit 1350 comprises at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, which can be integrated to the device 1300 or can be connected to the device 1300. The at least one transmitter comprises at least one transmit antenna and the at least one receiver comprises at least one receive antenna. The connection unit 1350 can comprise an integrated circuit or a set of integrated circuits that provide the device 1300 with wireless communication capabilities. Alternatively, the wireless connections can be hardwired Application-Specific Integrated Circuits, ASICs. The connection unit 1350 can comprise one or more components, such as power amplifiers, digital front-ends, DFEs, analog-to-digital converters, ADCs, digital-to-analog converters, DACs, frequency converters, (de-) modulators and / or encoder / decoder circuits, which are controlled by a respective control unit.

[0117] It should be noted that the device 1300 can also comprise various components not shown in FIG. 13. The various components can be hardware components and / or software components. Figure 13

[0118] Figure 14 ​The apparatus 1400 shows an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus, such as or included in a base station, such as a gNB. The apparatus can comprise circuitry or a chipset applicable to a base station to implement some of the exemplary embodiments described. The apparatus 1400 can be an electronic device comprising one or more electronic circuits. The apparatus 1400 can comprise a communication control circuitry 1410, such as at least one processor, and at least one memory 1420 including a computer program code (software) 1422, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code (software) 1422 are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus 1400 to perform some of the exemplary embodiments described above.

[0119] The memory 1420 can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and / or removable memory. The memory can comprise a configuration database for storing configuration data. For example, the configuration database can store a current list of neighboring cells, and in some exemplary embodiments, a structure of frames used in detected neighboring cells.

[0120] The apparatus 1400 can further comprise a communication interface 1430 comprising hardware and / or software for realizing communication connectivity according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 1430 can provide the apparatus with wireless communication capabilities to communicate in a cellular communications system. The communication interface may, for example, provide a radio interface to terminal devices. The apparatus 1400 can further comprise another interface towards a core network, such as a network coordinator device, and / or an access node of a cellular communications system. The apparatus 1400 can further comprise a scheduler 1440 configured to allocate resources.

[0121] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" can refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0122] a. hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry) and

[0123] b. combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable):

[0124] i. combinations of analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware and

[0125] ii. any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processors) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone, to perform various functions and

[0126] c. hardware circuitry and / or a processor(s) such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but that does not require such software when it is not present.

[0127] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application the term circuitry also covers an implementation that is a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0128] The techniques and methods described herein can be implemented by various means. For example, these techniques can be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or combinations thereof. For a hardware implementation, the apparatus of exemplary embodiments can be implemented within one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. For firmware or software, the implementation can be carried out through modules of at least one chip set (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The software codes can be stored in memory units and executed by processors. The memory unit can be implemented within the processor or external to the processor, in which case it can be communicatively coupled to the processor via various means as is known in the art. Additionally, the components of the systems described herein can be rearranged and / or complemented by additional components in order to facilitate the achievements of the various aspects, etc., described with regard thereto, and they are not limited to the precise configurations set forth in the given figures, as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art.

[0129] As will be apparent to those of skill in the art, the concepts described herein can be implemented in a variety of ways. Embodiments are not limited by the exemplary methods for implementing the concepts described herein and one of skill in the art will recognize many variations that fall within the scope of the present inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the claims should not be limited to the precise examples presented herein, and all changes and variations that fall within the scope of the present inventive subject matter are claimed by the inventors.

[0130] List of Abbreviations

[0131] 4G: fourth generation

[0132] 5G: fifth generation

[0133] CG: Configured Grant

[0134] CN: Core Network

[0135] CPS: Computer-Physical System

[0136] CSI: Channel State Information

[0137] CU: Central Control Unit

[0138] DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0139] DG: Dynamic Grant

[0140] DMRS: Demodulation Reference Signal

[0141] DU: Distributed Unit

[0142] eMBB: Enhanced Mobile Broadband

[0143] GEO: Geostationary Earth Orbit

[0144] gNB: Next Generation Node B

[0145] HARQ-ACK: Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgement

[0146] HNB-GW: Home Node B Gateway

[0147] IIoT: Industrial Internet of Things

[0148] IMS: Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem

[0149] IoT: Internet of Things

[0150] LEO: Low Earth Orbit

[0151] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0152] LTE-A: Long Term Evolution Advanced

[0153] M2M: Machine-to-Machine

[0154] MAC CE: Medium Access Control Control Element

[0155] MAC: Medium Access Control

[0156] MANET: Mobile Ad-Hoc Network

[0157] MEC: Multi-Access Edge Computing

[0158] MIMO: Multiple Input Multiple Output

[0159] MME: Mobility Management Entity

[0160] mMTC: Massive Machine Type Communications

[0161] NGC: Next Generation Core

[0162] NR: New Radio

[0163] NFV: Network Function Virtualization

[0164] PCS: Personal Communications Service

[0165] PDA: Personal Digital Assistant

[0166] PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0167] PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0168] PDU: Protocol Data Unit

[0169] P-GW: Packet Data Network Gateway

[0170] PHY: Physical

[0171] PRB: Physical Resource Block

[0172] PUCCH: Physical Uplink Control Channel

[0173] PUSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel

[0174] RAN: Radio Access Network

[0175] RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0176] RE: Resource Element

[0177] RI: Radio Interface

[0178] RNTI: Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0179] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0180] SDN: Software Defined Networking

[0181] S-GW: Serving Gateway

[0182] SIM: Subscriber Identity Module

[0183] SR: Scheduling Request

[0184] SRS: Sounding Reference Signal

[0185] UCI: Uplink Control Information

[0186] UE: User Equipment

[0187] UL CI: Uplink cancellation indication

[0188] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0189] URLLC: Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication

[0190] UTRAN: UMTS Radio Access Network

[0191] UWB: Ultra-Wide Band

[0192] WCDMA: Wideband Code Division Multiple Access

[0193] WiMAX: Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access

[0194] WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising components for: Cancel the first physical uplink shared channel, which includes the first set of uplink control information; The first set of uplink control information is stored in the internal memory of the device; At least a portion of the first set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel via retransmission authorization scheduling; Send the second physical uplink shared channel to the base station; as well as The first set of uplink control information is deleted from the internal memory of the device; The device also includes components for comparing the importance of the first set of uplink control information with the importance of the second set of uplink control information. If the importance of the first set of uplink control information is the same as the importance of the second set of uplink control information, and if there are no sufficient resources on the second physical uplink shared channel for at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information other than the second set of uplink control information, then the second set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel, and the first set of uplink control information is discarded.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising components for: Receive configuration from the base station, the configuration including an instruction to store the first set of uplink control information if the first physical uplink shared channel is cancelled; and Apply the configuration described.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: receiving from the base station an instruction to transmit the first set of uplink control information on the second physical uplink shared channel.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the indication is received via radio resource control configuration, media access control control element, and / or downlink control information.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the second physical uplink shared channel comprises a transport block of the first physical uplink shared channel.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein if sufficient resources exist on the second physical uplink shared channel for at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information, then the at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4, further comprising a component for multiplexing at least a portion of the second set of uplink control information on the second physical uplink shared channel.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprises a component for reducing the payload size of the first set of uplink control information or the second set of uplink control information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, The device further includes components for at least one of the following: If the importance of the first set of uplink control information is higher than the importance of the second set of uplink control information, and if there are sufficient resources on the second physical uplink shared channel for at least a portion of the second set of uplink control information in addition to the first set of uplink control information, then the first set of uplink control information and at least a portion of the second set of uplink control information are multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel. If the importance of the first set of uplink control information is higher than the importance of the second set of uplink control information, and if there are no sufficient resources on the second physical uplink shared channel for at least a portion of the second set of uplink control information other than the first set of uplink control information, then the first set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel. If the importance of the second set of uplink control information is higher than the importance of the first set of uplink control information, and if there are sufficient resources on the second physical uplink shared channel for at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information in addition to the second set of uplink control information, then the second set of uplink control information and at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information are multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel. and / or If the importance of the second set of uplink control information is higher than the importance of the first set of uplink control information, and if there are no sufficient resources on the second physical uplink shared channel for at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information other than the second set of uplink control information, then the second set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the importance of the first set of uplink control information is based at least in part on the type and / or priority of the first set of uplink control information, and wherein the importance of the second set of uplink control information is based at least in part on the type and / or priority of the second set of uplink control information.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4, further comprising a component for checking whether a predefined timer has expired or a predefined maximum number of attempts has been reached before multiplexing at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information on the second physical uplink shared channel.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first set of uplink control information includes a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment, scheduling request, and / or channel state information.

13. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the apparatus is included in a terminal device.

14. A communication system, comprising at least terminal equipment and a base station; The terminal device includes components for the following: Cancel the first physical uplink shared channel, which includes the first set of uplink control information; The first set of uplink control information is stored in the internal memory of the terminal device; Receive from the base station an instruction to transmit the first set of uplink control information on the second physical uplink shared channel via retransmission authorization scheduling; At least a portion of the first set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel; Send the second physical uplink shared channel, which includes at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information, to the base station; as well as The first set of uplink control information is deleted from the internal memory of the terminal device; The terminal device also includes a component for comparing the importance of the first set of uplink control information with the importance of the second set of uplink control information. If the importance of the first set of uplink control information is the same as the importance of the second set of uplink control information, and if there are no sufficient resources on the second physical uplink shared channel for at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information other than the second set of uplink control information, then the second set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel, and the first set of uplink control information is discarded. The base station includes components for the following: Send the instruction to the terminal device to transmit the first set of uplink control information on the second physical uplink shared channel; The terminal device receives the second physical uplink shared channel, which includes at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information.

15. A method for communication, comprising: Cancel the first physical uplink shared channel, which includes the first set of uplink control information; The first set of uplink control information is stored in the internal memory of the terminal device; At least a portion of the first set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel via retransmission authorization scheduling; Send the second physical uplink shared channel to the base station; as well as The first set of uplink control information is deleted from the internal memory of the terminal device; The method further includes comparing the importance of the first set of uplink control information with the importance of the second set of uplink control information. If the importance of the first set of uplink control information is the same as the importance of the second set of uplink control information, and if there are no sufficient resources on the second physical uplink shared channel for at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information other than the second set of uplink control information, then the second set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel, and the first set of uplink control information is discarded.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program including instructions for causing a device to perform at least the following: Cancel the first physical uplink shared channel, which includes the first set of uplink control information; The first set of uplink control information is stored in the internal memory of the device; At least a portion of the first set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel via retransmission authorization scheduling; Send the second physical uplink shared channel to the base station; as well as The first set of uplink control information is deleted from the internal memory of the device; The device shall further execute at least the following instructions: Compare the importance of the first set of uplink control information with the importance of the second set of uplink control information. If the importance of the first set of uplink control information is the same as the importance of the second set of uplink control information, and if there are no sufficient resources on the second physical uplink shared channel for at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information other than the second set of uplink control information, then the second set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel, and the first set of uplink control information is discarded.

17. An apparatus for communication, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to: Cancel the first physical uplink shared channel, which includes the first set of uplink control information; The first set of uplink control information is stored in the internal memory of the device; At least a portion of the first set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel via retransmission authorization scheduling; Send the second physical uplink shared channel to the base station; as well as The first set of uplink control information is deleted from the internal memory of the device; The device further compares the importance of the first set of uplink control information with the importance of the second set of uplink control information. If the importance of the first set of uplink control information is the same as the importance of the second set of uplink control information, and if there are no sufficient resources on the second physical uplink shared channel for at least a portion of the first set of uplink control information other than the second set of uplink control information, then the second set of uplink control information is multiplexed on the second physical uplink shared channel, and the first set of uplink control information is discarded.

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