Indication of uplink control channel repetition in wireless communication

Abstract

Various aspects of this disclosure relate to techniques for configuring and enhancing coverage of the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) in wireless communication networks. A base station can dynamically indicate the repetition factor of the uplink control channel to improve its coverage. The base station can use various signaling techniques to explicitly or implicitly indicate the repetition factor. The interpretation of the repetition factor indication can depend on one or more parameters, such as the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) format, the uplink control information size, the code rate, and / or the PUCCH resource set used for the PUCCH.

Description

[0001] Priority requirements

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit to Patent Application No. 17 / 513,669, filed October 28, 2021, Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 138,241, filed January 15, 2021, Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 138,145, filed January 15, 2021, and Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 138,265, filed January 15, 2021, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as fully set forth below for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The techniques discussed below generally relate to wireless communication systems, and more specifically, to techniques for indicating repetition of the physical uplink control channel in wireless communication. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, and broadcasting. These systems can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth-generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems can employ technologies such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), or Discrete Fourier Transform Extended Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each of which simultaneously supports communication from multiple communication devices, which may also be referred to as User Equipment (UE).

[0005] In wireless networks, such as 5G NR networks, User Equipment (UE) can communicate with network entities (e.g., base stations) using various uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) channels. An exemplary UL channel is the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). The UE can send various information to the network via the PUCCH. In one aspect, the PUCCH can carry uplink control information (UCI), which may include Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback, Channel State Information (CSI), and Scheduling Request (SR). Therefore, the PUCCH is important for maintaining communication between the UE and the network. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following provides an overview of one or more aspects of this disclosure in order to offer a basic understanding of such aspects. This overview is not a comprehensive summary of all intended features of this disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or essential elements of all aspects of this disclosure, nor to depict 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 some form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

[0007] One aspect of this disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication. The UE includes a communication interface for wireless communication, a memory, and a processor coupled to the communication interface and the memory. The processor and memory are configured to receive control information from a base station via the communication interface. The processor and memory are also configured to determine a repetition factor based on the control information, the repetition factor indicating a repetition count for transmitting uplink control messages. The processor and memory are further configured to transmit repetitions of uplink control messages based on the repetition count to the base station via the communication interface.

[0008] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE). The method includes receiving control information from a base station. The method further includes determining a repetition factor based on the control information, the repetition factor indicating a repetition count for transmitting uplink control messages. The method also includes transmitting the repetition of the uplink control messages to the base station based on the repetition count.

[0009] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a base station for wireless communication. The base station includes a communication interface for wireless communication, a memory, and a processor coupled to the communication interface and the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to transmit control information to a UE via the communication interface, the control information including an indication of a repetition factor corresponding to a repetition count of uplink control messages. The processor and the memory are also configured to receive uplink control messages repeated according to the repetition count from the UE via the communication interface.

[0010] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a method for conducting wireless communication at a base station. The method includes sending control information to a UE, the control information including an indication of a repetition factor corresponding to a repetition count of uplink control messages. The method also includes receiving uplink control messages repeated according to the repetition count from the UE.

[0011] These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description. Other aspects, features, and implementations will become clear to those skilled in the art after reviewing the following description of specific exemplary implementations in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. While features may be discussed with respect to certain examples and drawings below, all implementations may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more examples may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used according to the various implementations discussed herein. Similarly, while exemplary implementations may be discussed below as devices, systems, or methods, it should be understood that such exemplary implementations may be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system based on some aspects.

[0013] Figure 2 This is an illustration of an example of a radio access network based on some aspects.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the organization of radio resources in an air interface utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based on certain aspects.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communication system that supports multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication.

[0016] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates the use of beamforming signals for communication between a base station and a UE, based on several aspects.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the process of explicitly indicating the repetition factor of the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) based on several aspects.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating exemplary bit string values ​​and corresponding PUCCH repeat factors based on some aspects.

[0019] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of sending a request for a PUCCH repeat factor based on several aspects.

[0020] Figure 9 It is a diagram illustrating the process of implicitly indicating the PUCCH repeat factor according to some aspects.

[0021] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary process for implicitly indicating the PUCCH repeat factor according to some aspects.

[0022] Figure 11 It is a diagram illustrating the process of dynamically indicating the PUCCH repeat factor based on several aspects.

[0023] Figure 12 It is a block diagram that conceptually illustrates an example of a hardware implementation of a scheduling entity based on some aspects.

[0024] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating a repetitive exemplary process for receiving uplink control messages according to some aspects.

[0025] Figure 14 It is a conceptual block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a scheduled entity based on some aspects.

[0026] Figure 15 This is a flowchart illustrating a repetitive exemplary process for sending uplink control messages according to some aspects. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The detailed descriptions following, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, are intended to describe various configurations and are not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. The detailed descriptions include specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0028] Various aspects of this disclosure relate to techniques for configuring and enhancing coverage of physical uplink control channels in wireless communication networks. In some aspects, a base station can dynamically indicate the repetition factor of the uplink control channel to improve its coverage. In some aspects, the base station can use various signaling techniques to explicitly or implicitly indicate the repetition factor. In some aspects, the interpretation of the repetition factor indication can depend on one or more parameters, such as the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) format, the uplink control information size, the code rate, and / or the PUCCH resource set used for the PUCCH.

[0029] While aspects and implementations have been described in this application through the illustration of a few examples, those skilled in the art will understand that additional implementations and use cases may arise in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovations described herein can be implemented on many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, implementations and / or uses may arise via integrated chip examples and / or other non-modular component-based devices (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 be specific to a use case or application, a broad classification of the applicability of the described innovations is possible. The scope of implementations can range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations, and further to aggregated, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems that incorporate one or more aspects of the described innovations. In some practical settings, devices incorporating the described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described implementations. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals must involve multiple components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, one or more processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.). The innovations described herein are intended to be implemented in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, end-user devices, etc., of various sizes, shapes, and constructions.

[0030] The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure can be implemented across multiple telecommunications systems, network architectures, and communication standards. Reference is now made to... Figure 1 As a non-limiting illustrative example, reference is made to wireless communication system 100 to illustrate various aspects of this disclosure. Wireless communication system 100 includes three interaction domains: core network 102, radio access network (RAN) 104, and user equipment (UE) 106. With the aid of wireless communication system 100, UE 106 can be enabled to communicate data with external data network 110 (such as, but not limited to, the Internet).

[0031] RAN 104 can implement any suitable wireless communication technology or technology to provide radio access to UE 106. As an example, RAN 104 can operate according to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specification (commonly referred to as 5G). As another example, RAN 104 can operate with a hybrid of 5G NR and the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) standard (commonly referred to as LTE). 3GPP refers to this hybrid RAN as Next Generation RAN or NG-RAN. Of course, many other examples can be utilized within the scope of this disclosure.

[0032] As shown in the figure, RAN 104 includes multiple base stations 108. Broadly speaking, a base station is a network element in a radio access network responsible for transmitting radio signals to or receiving radio signals from a UE in one or more cells. In different technologies, standards, or contexts, a base station may be referred to by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), access point (AP), node B (NB), eNode B (eNB), gNode B (gNB), transmit and receive point (TRP), or some other suitable terminology. In some examples, a base station may include two or more TRPs that may be co-located or non-co-located. Each TRP may communicate on the same or different carrier frequencies within the same or different frequency bands.

[0033] The radio access network 104 is also illustrated as supporting wireless communication for multiple mobile devices. Mobile devices may be referred to as User Equipment (UE) in the 3GPP standard, but those skilled in the art may also refer to such devices as mobile station (MS), subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, radio unit, remote unit, mobile device, radio device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal (AT), mobile terminal, radio terminal, remote terminal, handphone, terminal, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable term. The UE may be a device (e.g., a mobile device) that provides users with access to network services.

[0034] In this document, a “mobile” device need not be mobile and can be stationary. The term mobile device or mobile equipment broadly refers to a wide array of devices and technologies. A UE may include multiple hardware structural components that are sized, shaped, and arranged to facilitate communication; such components may include antennas, antenna arrays, radio frequency (RF) chains, amplifiers, one or more processors, etc., electrically coupled to each other. For example, some non-limiting examples of mobile devices include a wide array of mobile devices, cellular phones, smartphones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal computers (PCs), notebooks, netbooks, smartbooks, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and, for example, embedded systems corresponding to the “Internet of Things” (IoT). Mobile devices may also be automobiles or other transportation vehicles, remote sensors or actuators, robots or robotic devices, satellite radios, Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, object tracking devices, drones, multi-helicopters, quadcopters, remote control devices, consumer and / or wearable devices such as glasses, wearable cameras, virtual reality devices, smartwatches, health or fitness trackers, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, etc. Mobile devices can also be digital home or smart home devices, such as home audio, video and / or multimedia equipment, appliances, vending machines, smart lighting, home security systems, smart meters, etc. Additionally, mobile devices can be smart energy devices, security devices, solar panels or solar arrays, municipal infrastructure equipment for controlling electricity (e.g., smart grids), lighting, water, etc.; industrial automation and enterprise equipment; logistics controllers; agricultural equipment, etc. Furthermore, mobile devices can provide long-distance connected medical or telemedicine support, such as telemedicine. Telemedicine devices can include telemedicine monitoring equipment and telemedicine management equipment, whose communications can be given priority processing or access over other types of information, for example, in terms of priority access for the transmission of critical service data, and / or in terms of relevant QoS aspects for the transmission of critical service data.

[0035] Wireless communication between RAN 104 and UE 106 can be described as utilizing an air interface. Transmissions over the air interface from a base station (e.g., base station 108) to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 106) can be referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions. According to certain aspects of this disclosure, the term downlink can refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions initiated by a scheduling entity (further described below; e.g., base station 108). Another way to describe this scheme is to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 106) to a base station (e.g., base station 108) can be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. According to other aspects of this disclosure, the term uplink can refer to point-to-point transmissions initiated at the scheduled entity (further described below; e.g., UE 106).

[0036] In some examples, access to the air interface can be scheduled, where a scheduling entity (e.g., base station 108) allocates resources for communication between some or all of the devices and equipment within its service area or cell. Within this disclosure, as further discussed below, the scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduled entities. That is, for scheduled communication, a UE 106, which may be a scheduled entity, can utilize the resources allocated by the scheduling entity 108.

[0037] Base station 108 is not the only entity that can be used as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE can be used as a scheduling entity to schedule resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more other UEs).

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, scheduling entity 108 can broadcast downlink service 112 to one or more scheduled entities 106. Broadly speaking, scheduling entity 108 is a node or device responsible for scheduling services in a wireless communication network, including downlink service 112, and in some examples, uplink service 116 from one or more scheduled entities 106 to scheduling entity 108. On the other hand, scheduled entity 106 is a node or device that receives downlink control information 114, which includes, but is not limited to, scheduling information (e.g., authorization), synchronization or timing information, or other control information from another entity in the wireless communication network (such as scheduling entity 108). Scheduled entity 106 can also send uplink control information 118 to scheduling entity 108, including but not limited to scheduling requests or feedback information, or other control information.

[0039] Additionally, uplink and / or downlink control information 114 and / or 118 and / or service information 112 and / or 116 can be transmitted on a waveform that can be time-divided into frames, subframes, time slots, and / or symbols. As used herein, a symbol can refer to a time unit in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) waveform where each subcarrier carries a resource element (RE). A time slot can carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A subframe can refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple subframes or time slots can be grouped together to form a single frame or radio frame. Within this disclosure, a frame can refer to a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 ms) for wireless transmission, where each frame consists, for example, of 10 subframes, each 1 ms long. Of course, these definitions are not mandatory, and any suitable scheme for organizing the waveform can be utilized, and the various time divisions of the waveform can have any suitable duration.

[0040] Typically, base station 108 may include a backhaul interface for communicating with the backhaul section 120 of a wireless communication system. Backhaul 120 provides a link between base station 108 and core network 102. Furthermore, in some examples, the backhaul network can provide interconnection between the individual base stations 108. Various types of backhaul interfaces can be employed, such as direct physical connections, virtual networks, or the like using any suitable transport network.

[0041] Core network 102 may be part of wireless communication system 100 and may be independent of the radio access technology used in RAN 104. In some examples, core network 102 may be configured according to 5G standards (e.g., 5GC). In other examples, core network 102 may be configured according to 4G Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or any other suitable standard or configuration.

[0042] Now for reference Figure 2 The schematic diagram of RAN 200 is provided as an example and not a limitation. In some examples, RAN 200 can be used in conjunction with the above-described and Figure 1 The same applies to RAN 104 shown in the diagram. The geographical area covered by RAN 200 can be divided into cellular areas (cells), and user equipment (UE) can uniquely identify the cellular area based on an identifier broadcast from an access point or base station. Figure 2 The illustrations depict macro cells 202, 204, and 206, and small cell 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of ​​a cell. All sectors within a cell are served by the same base station. Radio links within a sector can be identified by a single logical identifier belonging to that sector. In a cell divided into sectors, multiple sectors within the cell can be formed by antenna groups, each antenna responsible for communicating with UEs within a portion of the cell.

[0043] Various base stations can be used for deployment. For example, in Figure 2 In the illustration, two base stations, base station 210 and base station 212, are shown in cells 202 and 204. A third base station, base station 214, is shown as a remote radio headend (RRH) 216 controlling cell 206. That is, the base station may have an integrated antenna or may be connected to an antenna or RRH 216 via a feed cable. In the illustrated example, cells 202, 204, and 206 can be referred to as macro cells because base stations 210, 212, and 214 support cells with large sizes. Furthermore, a base station 218, which may overlap with one or more macro cells, is shown in cell 208. In this example, cell 208 can be referred to as a small cell (e.g., microcell, picocell, femtocell, home base station, home node B, home eNode B, etc.) because base station 218 supports cells with relatively small sizes. The cell size can be determined based on system design and component constraints.

[0044] It should be understood that the radio access network 200 may include any number of radio base stations and cells. Furthermore, relay nodes may be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of ​​a given cell. Base stations 210, 212, 214, and 218 provide radio access points to the core network for any number of mobile devices. In some examples, base stations 210, 212, 214, and / or 218 may be used in conjunction with those described above and... Figure 1 The base station / scheduling entity 108 shown is the same.

[0045] Figure 2 It also includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 220, which can be a quadcopter or a drone. The UAV 220 can be configured to be used as a base station. That is, in some examples, the cell does not have to be stationary, and the geographical area of ​​the cell can move depending on the location of the mobile base station (such as the quadcopter 220).

[0046] Within RAN 200, a cell may include UEs capable of communicating with one or more sectors of each cell. Furthermore, each base station 210, 212, 214, 218, and 220 may be configured to provide access to the core network 102 (see [link to core network]) to all UEs within the corresponding cell. Figure 1 Access points. For example, UEs 222 and 224 can communicate with base station 210; UEs 226 and 228 can communicate with base station 212; UEs 230 and 232 can communicate with base station 214 via RRH 216; UE 234 can communicate with base station 218; and UE 236 can communicate with mobile base station 220. In some examples, UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240 and / or 242 can communicate with the access points described above and Figure 1The UE / scheduled entity 106 shown is the same.

[0047] In some examples, UAV 220 (e.g., a quadcopter) can be configured to function as a UE. For example, UAV 220 can operate within cell 202 by communicating with base station 210.

[0048] In another aspect of RAN 200, sidelink signals can be used between UEs without relying on scheduling or control information from the base station. For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 238, 240, and 242) can communicate with each other using peer-to-peer (P2P) or sidelink signals 237 without relaying the communication through the base station. In some examples, UEs 238, UE 240, and UE 242 can each act as a scheduling entity or transmitting sidelink device and / or a scheduled entity or receiving sidelink device to schedule resources and transmit sidelink signals 237 among themselves without relying on scheduling or control information from the base station. In other examples, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 226 and UE 228) within the coverage area of ​​a base station (e.g., base station 212) can also transmit sidelink signals 227 on a direct link (sidelink) without relaying the communication through base station 212. In this example, base station 212 can allocate resources to UE 226 and UE 228 for sidelink communication. In either case, such sidelink signaling 227 and 237 can be implemented in a P2P network, a device-to-device (D2D) network, a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network, a mesh network, or other suitable direct link network.

[0049] In the radio access network 200, the ability of a UE to communicate independently of its location while on the move is referred to as mobility. Various physical channels between the UE and the radio access network are typically used in the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF, not shown). Figure 1 The AMF (As part of the core network 102) is established, maintained, and released under its control. This AMF may include a Security Context Management (SCMF) function that performs authentication and a Security Anchor (SEAF) function. The SCMF can manage the security context for both control plane and user plane functionalities, either wholly or partially.

[0050] In various aspects of this disclosure, radio access network 200 can utilize DL-based mobility or UL-based mobility to achieve mobility and handover (i.e., the transfer of UE connection from one radio channel to another). In a network configured for DL-based mobility, during calls with a scheduling entity, or at any other time, the UE can monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell and various parameters of neighboring cells. Based on the quality of these parameters, the UE can maintain communication with one or more neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if the signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds the signal quality from the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE can perform a handover or transfer from the serving cell to a neighboring (target) cell. For example, UE 224 (illustrated as a vehicle, but any suitable form of UE can be used) can move from a geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 206 to a geographic area corresponding to a neighboring cell 202. When the signal strength or quality from neighboring cell 202 exceeds the signal strength or quality from its serving cell 206 for a given amount of time, UE 224 can send a report message indicating this condition to its serving base station 216. In response, UE 224 can receive a handover command and the UE can undergo handover in cell 202.

[0051] In a network configured for UL-based mobility, the UL reference signal from each UE can be used by the network to select a serving cell for each UE. In some examples, base stations 210, 212, and 214 / 216 can broadcast uniform synchronization signals (e.g., a uniform primary synchronization signal (PSS), a uniform secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a uniform physical broadcast channel (PBCH)). UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, and 232 can receive the uniform synchronization signal, derive the carrier frequency and time slot timing from the synchronization signal, and transmit uplink pilot or reference signals in response to the derived timing. The uplink pilot signal transmitted by a UE (e.g., UE 224) can be simultaneously received by two or more cells (e.g., base stations 210 and 214 / 216) within the radio access network 200. Each cell can measure the strength of the pilot signal, and the radio access network (e.g., one or more of base stations 210 and 214 / 216 and / or a central node within the core network) can determine the serving cell of UE 224. When UE 224 moves through radio access network 200, the network can continue to monitor the uplink pilot signal transmitted by UE 224. When the signal strength or quality of the pilot signal measured by a neighboring cell exceeds the signal strength or quality measured by the serving cell, network 200 can switch UE 224 from the serving cell to a neighboring cell, with or without notifying UE 224.

[0052] Although the synchronization signals transmitted by base stations 210, 212, and 214 / 216 can be uniform, the synchronization signals do not need to identify a specific cell. Instead, they can identify an area of ​​multiple cells at the same frequency and / or with the same timing. Using areas in 5G networks or other next-generation communication networks enables an uplink-based mobility framework and improves the efficiency of both the UE and the network because it reduces the number of mobility messages that need to be exchanged between the UE and the network.

[0053] In various implementations, the air interface in the radio access network 200 can utilize licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum. Licensed spectrum provides exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum, typically due to mobile network operators purchasing licenses from government regulatory agencies. Unlicensed spectrum provides shared use of a portion of the spectrum without requiring a government-authorized license. While some technical rules are generally still required to access unlicensed spectrum, access is usually available to any operator or device. Shared spectrum can fall between licensed and unlicensed spectrum, where technical rules or restrictions may be required to access the spectrum, but the spectrum can still be shared by multiple operators and / or multiple RATs. For example, a licensee of a portion of licensed spectrum can provide a Licensed Shared Access (LSA) to share the spectrum with other parties, for example, by utilizing conditions determined by the appropriate licensee.

[0054] The air interface in the radio access network 200 can utilize one or more duplex algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link where two endpoints can communicate with each other in both directions. Full-duplex means that two endpoints can communicate with each other simultaneously. Half-duplex means that only one endpoint can transmit information to the other endpoint at a time. Half-duplex simulations are often implemented for wireless links using Time Division Duplex (TDD). In TDD, time division multiplexing is used to separate transmissions in different directions on a given channel. That is, at certain times, the channel is dedicated to transmissions in one direction, and at other times, the channel is dedicated to transmissions in the other direction, where the direction can change very rapidly, for example, several times per time slot. In wireless links, full-duplex channels typically rely on physical isolation between the transmitter and receiver, as well as appropriate interference cancellation techniques. Full-duplex simulations are often implemented for wireless links using Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) or Space Division Duplex (SDD). In FDD, transmissions in different directions can operate on different carrier frequencies (e.g., within paired spectrum). In SDD, spatial division multiplexing (SDM) is used to separate transmissions in different directions on a given channel from each other. In other examples, full-duplex communication can be implemented within unpaired spectrum (e.g., within a single carrier bandwidth), where transmissions occur in different directions within different subbands of the carrier bandwidth. This type of full-duplex communication may be referred to herein as subband full-duplex (SBFD), also known as flexible duplex.

[0055] Furthermore, the air interface in the radio access network 200 can utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of various devices. For example, the 5G NR specification utilizes Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with a Cyclic Prefix (CP) to provide multiple access for UL transmissions from UEs 222 and 224 to base station 210, and multiplexing for DL ​​transmissions from base station 210 to one or more UEs 222 and 224. Additionally, for UL transmissions, the 5G NR specification provides support for Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with CP (also known as Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)). However, within the scope of this disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes, but can be provided using Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA), Resource Extended Multiple Access (RSMA), or other suitable multiple access schemes. In addition, time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), sparse code multiplexing (SCM) or other suitable multiplexing schemes can be used to provide multiplexing for DL ​​transmission from base station 210 to UEs 222 and 224.

[0056] Reference Figure 3The OFDM waveforms illustrated herein are used to describe various aspects of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that various aspects of this disclosure can be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms in essentially the same manner as described below. That is, although some examples of this disclosure may focus on OFDM links for clarity, it should be understood that the same principles can also be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms.

[0057] Now for reference Figure 3 The illustration shows an unfolded view of exemplary subframe 302, illustrating the OFDM resource grid. However, as those skilled in the art will readily understand, the physical layer (PHY) transmission structure for any particular application can differ from the example described herein, depending on any number of factors. Here, time is in the horizontal direction and in OFDM symbols; and frequency is in the vertical direction and in subcarriers or carriers.

[0058] Resource grid 304 can be used to schematically represent time-frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) implementation with multiple available antenna ports, corresponding multiple resource grids 304 can be used for communication. Resource grid 304 is divided into multiple resource elements (REs) 306. An RE of 1 subcarrier × 1 symbol is the smallest discrete part of the time-frequency grid and contains a single complex value representing data from a physical channel or signal. Depending on the modulation used in a particular implementation, each RE can represent one or more bits of information. In some examples, a block of REs may be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB) or more simply as a resource block (RB) 308, which contains any suitable number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB may include 12 subcarriers, the number of which is independent of the mathematics used. In some examples, depending on the parameter set, an RB may include any suitable number of consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain. In this disclosure, it is assumed that a single RB such as RB 308 corresponds exactly to a single direction of communication (transmission or reception for a given device).

[0059] A collection of contiguous or non-contiguous resource blocks may be referred to herein as a resource block group (RBG), subband, or bandwidth portion (BWP). A collection of subbands or BWPs can span the entire bandwidth. Scheduling a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) for downlink, uplink, or sidelink transmission typically involves scheduling one or more resource elements 306 within one or more subbands or bandwidth portions (BWPs). Therefore, a UE typically utilizes only a subset of the resource grid 304. In some examples, an RB may be the smallest unit of resource that can be allocated to a UE. Therefore, the more RBs scheduled for a UE and the higher the modulation scheme selected for the air interface, the higher the UE's data rate. RBs can be scheduled by a scheduling entity (such as a base station (e.g., gNB, eNB, etc.)) or can be scheduled by the UE itself implementing D2D sidelink communication.

[0060] In this illustration, RB 308 is shown occupying less than the entire bandwidth of subframe 302, with some subcarriers illustrated above and below RB 308. In a given implementation, subframe 302 can have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of one or more RB 308s. Furthermore, in this illustration, RB 308 is shown occupying less than the entire duration of subframe 302, although this is only one possible example.

[0061] Each 1ms subframe 302 can consist of one or more adjacent time slots. Figure 3 In the example shown, as an illustrative example, a subframe 302 includes four time slots 310. In some examples, time slots can be defined based on a specified number of OFDM symbols with a given cyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, a time slot may include 7 or 14 OFDM symbols with a nominal CP. Other examples may include micro-slots with shorter durations (e.g., one to three OFDM symbols), sometimes referred to as shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs). In some cases, these micro-slots or shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs) may be transmitted while occupying resources scheduled for ongoing time slot transmissions for the same or different UEs. Any number of resource blocks can be used within a subframe or time slot.

[0062] An expanded diagram of one of the time slots 310 illustrates a time slot 310 including a control region 312 and a data region 314. Typically, the control region 312 may carry a control channel, and the data region 314 may carry a data channel. Of course, a time slot may contain all DLs, all ULs, or at least one DL portion and at least one UL portion. Figure 3 The structure shown is merely exemplary and different time slot structures can be used, and may include one or more of each of the control region and the data region.

[0063] Although Figure 3 Although not shown, each RE 306 within RB 308 can be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, including control channels, shared channels, data channels, etc. Other REs 306 within RB 308 can also carry pilot or reference signals. These pilot or reference signals can be provided to the receiving equipment to perform channel estimation for the corresponding channel, which enables coherent demodulation / detection of the control and / or data channels within RB 308.

[0064] In some examples, time slot 310 can be used for broadcast, multicast, groupcast, or unicast communication. For example, broadcast, multicast, or groupcast communication can refer to point-to-multipoint transmission from one device (e.g., a base station, UE, or other similar device) to other devices. Here, broadcast communication is delivered to all devices, while multicast or groupcast communication is delivered to multiple intended receiving devices. Unicast communication can refer to point-to-point transmission from one device to a single other device.

[0065] In an example of cellular communication over a cellular carrier via the Uu interface, for DL ​​transmission, a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) may allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., within control area 312) to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UEs) to carry DL control information, including one or more DL control channels such as the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI), which includes, but is not limited to, power control commands (e.g., one or more open-loop power control parameters and / or one or more closed-loop power control parameters), scheduling information, grants, and / or assignment of REs for DL ​​and UL transmissions. The PDCCH may also carry HARQ feedback transmissions, such as acknowledgment (ACK) or negative acknowledgment (NACK). HARQ is a technique well known to those skilled in the art, where the integrity of packet transmissions can be checked for accuracy at the receiving side using any suitable integrity checking mechanism (such as checksums or cyclic redundancy check (CRC)). If the integrity of the transmission is acknowledged, an ACK can be sent; otherwise, a NACK can be sent. In response to NACK, the transmitting device can send HARQ retransmission, which can achieve catch-up merging, incremental redundancy, etc.

[0066] The base station can also allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., in control area 312 or data area 314) to carry other DL signals, such as demodulation reference signals (DMRS); phase tracking reference signals (PT-RS); channel state information (CSI) reference signals (CSI-RS); and synchronization signal blocks (SSBs). SSBs can be broadcast at regular intervals based on periodicity (e.g., 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160 ms). SSBs include the primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and physical broadcast control channel (PBCH). The UE can utilize the PSS and SSS to achieve radio frame, subframe, time slot, and symbol synchronization in the time domain, to identify the center of the channel (system) bandwidth in the frequency domain, and to identify the physical cell identifier (PCI) of the cell.

[0067] The PBCH in the SSB may also include a Master Information Block (MIB), which includes various system information and parameters for decoding the System Information Block (SIB). The SIB may be, for example, SystemInformationType 1 (SIB1) that may include various additional system information. Together, the MIB and SIB1 provide the minimum system information (SI) for initial access. Examples of system information transmitted in the MIB may include, but are not limited to, subcarrier spacing (e.g., default downlink parameter set), system frame number, configuration of the PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), cell prohibition indicator, cell reselection indicator, raster offset, and search space for SIB1. Examples of residual minimum system information (RMSI) transmitted in SIB1 may include, but are not limited to, random access search space, paging search space, downlink configuration information, and uplink configuration information. The base station may also transmit other system information (OSI).

[0068] In UL transmissions, the scheduled entity (e.g., the UE) may use one or more RE 306s to carry UL control information (UCI) to the scheduling entity. This UCL includes one or more UL control channels, such as the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). The UCL may include various packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. Examples of uplink reference signals may include Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) and Uplink DMRS. In some examples, the UCI may include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., a request to the scheduling entity to schedule uplink transmissions. Here, in response to an SR transmitted on the UCI, the scheduling entity may send Downlink Control Information (DCI), which may schedule resources for uplink packet transmissions. The UCI may also include HARQ feedback, Channel State Feedback (CSF) (such as CSI reports), or any other suitable UCI. In some aspects, the UE may use various enhancement techniques described herein for PUCCH transmissions to increase PUCCH coverage.

[0069] In addition to control information, one or more REs 306 (e.g., within data area 314) can be allocated for service data. Such services can be carried on one or more service channels, such as the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) for DL ​​transmissions, or the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) for UL transmissions. In some examples, one or more REs 306 within data area 314 can be configured to carry other signals, such as one or more SIBs and DMRS. In some examples, the PDSCH can carry multiple SIBs, not limited to SIB1 discussed above. For example, OSIs, such as SIB2 and above, can be provided in these SIBs.

[0070] In an example of sidelink communication on a sidelink carrier via the ProSe PC5 interface, the control area 312 of time slot 310 may include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) comprising sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted by an initiating (transmitting) sidelink device (e.g., a Tx V2X device or other Tx UE) to a set of one or more other receiving sidelink devices (e.g., Rx V2X devices or other Rx UEs). The data area 314 of time slot 310 may include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) comprising sidelink data traffic transmitted by the initiating (transmitting) sidelink device via the SCI within resources reserved on the sidelink carrier by the transmitting sidelink device. Other information may also be transmitted via the various REs 306 within time slot 310. For example, HARQ feedback information may be transmitted from the receiving sidelink device to the transmitting sidelink device via the physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) within time slot 310. Additionally, one or more reference signals, such as lateral link SSB, lateral link CSI-RS, lateral link SRS, and / or lateral link positioning reference signal (PRS), can be transmitted within time slot 310.

[0071] These physical channels are typically multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for processing at the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The transport channel carries blocks of information called transport blocks (TBs). The transport block size (TBS) can be a controlled parameter based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of redundancies (RBs) in a given transmission, where the TBS can correspond to the number of bits of information.

[0072] Figures 1-3 The channels or carriers illustrated herein may not be all channels or carriers that can be used between devices, and those skilled in the art will recognize that other channels or carriers, such as other traffic, control, and feedback channels, may be used in addition to the channels or carriers illustrated herein.

[0073] These physical channels are typically multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for processing at the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The transport channel carries blocks of information called transport blocks (TBs). The transport block size (TBS) can be a controlled parameter based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of redundancies (RBs) in a given transmission, where the TBS can correspond to the number of bits of information.

[0074] In some aspects of this disclosure, the scheduling entity and / or the scheduled entity can be configured for beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques. Figure 4An example of a MIMO-enabled wireless communication system 400 is illustrated. In the MIMO system, transmitter 402 includes multiple transmit antennas 404 (e.g., N transmit antennas), and receiver 406 includes multiple receive antennas 408 (e.g., M receive antennas). Therefore, there are N×M signal paths 410 from transmit antennas 404 to receive antennas 408. Each of transmitter 402 and receiver 406 can be implemented, for example, in scheduling entity 108, scheduled entity 106, or any other suitable wireless communication device.

[0075] Using this type of multi-antenna technology enables wireless communication systems to leverage the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity. Spatial multiplexing can be used to simultaneously transmit different data streams on the same time-frequency resources, also known as layers. Data streams can be sent to a single UE to increase the data rate, or to multiple UEs to increase the overall system capacity, the latter being known as multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). This is achieved by spatially pre-decoding each data stream (i.e., multiplying the data stream by different weights and phase shifts) and then transmitting each spatially pre-decoded stream on the downlink via multiple transmit antennas. The spatially pre-decoded data streams arrive at one or more UEs with distinct spatial signatures, allowing each of the UEs to recover one or more data streams destined for that UE. On the uplink, each UE transmits the spatially pre-decoded data stream, enabling the base station to identify the source of each spatially pre-decoded data stream.

[0076] The number of data streams or layers corresponds to the transmission rank. Typically, the rank of a MIMO system 400 is limited by the number of transmit or receive antennas 404 or 408 (whichever is lower). Additionally, channel conditions at the UE and other considerations such as available resources at the base station can also affect the transmission rank. For example, the rank allocated to a particular UE on the downlink (and thus the number of data streams) can be determined based on a rank indicator (RI) sent from the UE to the base station. The RI can be determined based on antenna configuration (e.g., the number of transmit and receive antennas) and the signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) measured on each receive antenna. The RI can indicate, for example, the number of layers that can be supported under the current channel conditions. The base station can use the RI, along with resource information (e.g., available resources and the amount of data to be scheduled for the UE), to allocate transmission ranks to the UE.

[0077] In a Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, UL and DL are inverses because each uses different time slots of the same frequency bandwidth. Therefore, in a TDD system, the base station can assign ranks to DL MIMO transmissions based on UL SINR measurements (e.g., based on sounding reference signals (SRS) or other pilot signals transmitted from the UE). Based on the assigned ranks, the base station can then transmit CSI-RS with separate C-RS sequences for each layer to provide multi-layer channel estimation. The UE can measure channel quality across multiple layers and resource blocks from the CSI-RS and feed back RI and Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), which instructs the base station on the modulation and decoding scheme (MCS) for transmissions to the UE, for updating ranks, and for allocating REs for future downlink transmissions.

[0078] In the simplest case, such as Figure 4 As shown, a rank-2 spatially multiplexed transmission on a 2×2 MIMO antenna configuration will send a data stream from each transmit antenna 404. Each data stream arrives at each receive antenna 408 along a different signal path 410. The receiver 406 can then reconstruct the data stream using the signals received from each receive antenna 408.

[0079] Beamforming is a signal processing technique that can be used at transmitter 402 or receiver 406 to shape or manipulate an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) along a spatial path between transmitter 402 and receiver 406. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals transmitted via antennas 404 or 408 (e.g., antenna elements of an antenna array module) such that some signals experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. To generate the desired constructive / destructive interference, transmitter 402 or receiver 406 can apply amplitude and / or phase shifts to signals transmitted or received from each of the antennas 404 or 408 associated with transmitter 402 or receiver 406.

[0080] In 5G New Radio (NR) systems, particularly for FR2 (millimeter wave) systems, beamforming signals can be used on most downlink channels, including PDCCH and PDSCH. Additionally, broadcast control information, such as SSB, Slot Format Indicator (SFI), and paging information, can be transmitted in a beam-scanning manner to enable all scheduled entities (UEs) within the coverage area of ​​the Transmitter and Receiver Point (TRP) (e.g., gNB) to receive the broadcast control information. Furthermore, for UEs equipped with beamforming antenna arrays, beamforming signals can also be used on uplink channels, including PUCCH and PUSCH. Additionally, beamforming signals can also be used in D2D systems using FR2 (such as NR sidelink (SL) or V2X).

[0081] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates communication between base station 504 and UE 502 using beamforming signals, based on various aspects. Base station 504 can be... Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 The base station (e.g., gNB) or scheduling entity shown, and UE 502 may be Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 The UE or any of the scheduled entities shown.

[0082] Base station 504 is typically able to communicate with UE 502 using one or more transmit beams, and UE 502 is also able to communicate with base station 504 using one or more receive beams. As used herein, the term transmit beam refers to a beam on base station 504 that can be used for downlink or uplink communication with UE 502. Similarly, the term receive beam refers to a beam on UE 502 that can be used for downlink or uplink communication with base station 504.

[0083] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, base station 504 is configured to generate multiple transmit beams 506a-506h, each associated with a different spatial direction. Furthermore, UE 502 is configured to generate multiple receive beams 508a-508e, each associated with a different spatial direction. It should be noted that although some beams are illustrated as adjacent to each other, such arrangement can vary in different ways. For example, transmit beams 506a-506h transmitted during the same symbol period may not be adjacent to each other. In some examples, base station 504 and UE 502 may each transmit more or fewer beams distributed in all directions (e.g., 360 degrees) and in three dimensions. Furthermore, transmit beams 506a-506h may include beams with varying beamwidths. For example, base station 504 may transmit certain signals (e.g., SSB) on a wider beam and other signals (e.g., CSI-RS) on a narrower beam.

[0084] Base station 504 and UE 502 can use beam management procedures to select one or more transmit beams 506a-506h on base station 504 and one or more receive beams 508a-508e on UE 502 for transmitting uplink and downlink signals between them. In one example, during initial cell acquisition, UE 502 can perform a P1 beam management procedure to scan multiple transmit beams 506a-506h over multiple receive beams 508a-508e to select a beam pair link (e.g., one of the transmit beams 506a-506h and one of the receive beams 508a-508e) for the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) procedure for initial access to the cell. For example, periodic SSB beam scanning can be implemented on base station 504 at specific intervals (e.g., based on the SSB period). Therefore, base station 504 can be configured to scan or transmit SSBs on each of the multiple wider transmit beams 506a-506h during the beam scanning interval. The UE can measure the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) of each SSB transmit beam on each receive beam of the UE and select transmit and receive beams based on the measured RSRP. In the example, the selected receive beam could be the receive beam on which the highest RSRP is measured, and the selected transmit beam could have the highest RSRP measured on the selected receive beam.

[0085] After completing the PRACH procedure, base station 504 and UE 502 can perform a P2 beam management procedure for beam refinement at base station 504. For example, base station 504 can be configured to scan or transmit CSI-RS on each of a plurality of narrower transmit beams 506a-506h. Each of the narrower CSI-RS beams can be a sub-beam of a selected SSB transmit beam (e.g., in the spatial direction of the SSB transmit beam). Transmission of the CSI-RS transmit beam can occur periodically (e.g., as configured by gNB via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling), semi-persistently (e.g., as configured by gNB via RRC signaling and activated / deactivated via Media Access Control Element (MAC-CE) signaling), or aperiodically (e.g., as triggered by gNB via Downlink Control Information (DCI)). UE 502 is configured to scan multiple CSI-RS transmit beams 506a-506h over multiple receive beams 508a-508e. UE 502 then performs beam measurements (e.g., RSRP, SINR, etc.) on each of the receive beams 508a-508e to determine the corresponding beam quality of each of the CSI-RS transmit beams 506a-506h measured on each of the receive beams 508a-508e.

[0086] UE 502 can then generate and send a Layer 1 (L1) measurement report to base station 504, including the corresponding beam index (e.g., CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI)) and beam measurements (e.g., RSRP or SINR) of one or more of the CSI-RS transmission beams 506a-506h on one or more of the receive beams 508a-508e. Base station 504 can then select one or more CSI-RS transmission beams to transmit downlink and / or uplink control and / or data with UE 502 on those beams. In some examples, the selected CSI-RS transmission beam(s) has the highest RSRP from the L1 measurement report. The transmission of the L1 measurement report can occur periodically (e.g., as configured by gNB via RRC signaling), semi-persistently (e.g., as configured by gNB via RRC signaling and activated / deactivated via MAC-CE signaling), or aperiodically (e.g., as triggered by gNB via DCI).

[0087] UE 502 can also select a corresponding receive beam on UE 502 for each selected serving CSI-RS transmit beam to form a corresponding beampair link (BPL). For example, UE 502 can utilize beam measurements obtained during the P2 procedure, or perform the P3 beam management procedure to obtain new beam measurements for the selected CSI-RS transmit beam, thereby selecting a corresponding receive beam for each selected transmit beam. In some examples, the selected receive beam paired with a particular CSI-RS transmit beam may be the receive beam on which the highest RSRP of the particular CSI-RS transmit beam is measured.

[0088] In some examples, in addition to performing CSI-RS beam measurements, base station 504 may configure UE 502 to perform SSB beam measurements and provide an L1 measurement report containing beam measurements of SSB transmit beams 506a-506h. For example, base station 504 may configure UE 502 to perform SSB beam measurements and / or CSI-RS beam measurements for beam fault detection (BRD), beam fault recovery (BFR), cell reselection, beam tracking (e.g., for mobile UE 502 and / or base station 504), or other beam optimization purposes.

[0089] Additionally, when the channels are reciprocal, an uplink beam management scheme can be used to select the transmit and receive beams. In one example, UE 502 can be configured to scan or transmit on each of the multiple receive beams 508a-508e. For example, UE 502 can transmit SRS on each beam in different beam directions. Furthermore, base station 504 can be configured to receive uplink beam reference signals on multiple transmit beams 506a-506h. Base station 504 then performs beam measurements (e.g., RSRP, SINR, etc.) of the beam reference signals for each transmit beam 506a-506h to determine the corresponding beam quality of each receive beam 508a-508e measured on each transmit beam 506a-506h.

[0090] Base station 504 can then select one or more transmit beams on which it transmits downlink and / or uplink control and / or data with UE 502. In some examples, one or more of the selected transmit beams have the highest RSRP. UE 502 can then use, for example, a P3 beam management procedure to select a corresponding receive beam for each selected service transmit beam, so as to form a corresponding beampair link (BPL) for each selected service transmit beam, as described above.

[0091] In one example, a single CSI-RS transmit beam (e.g., beam 506d) on base station 504 and a single receive beam (e.g., beam 508c) on UE can form a single BPL for communication between base station 504 and UE 502. In another example, multiple CSI-RS transmit beams (e.g., beams 506c, 506d, and 506e) on base station 504 and a single receive beam (e.g., beam 508c) on UE 502 can form corresponding BPLs for communication between base station 504 and UE 502. In yet another example, multiple CSI-RS transmit beams (e.g., beams 506c, 506d, and 506e) on base station 504 and multiple receive beams (e.g., beams 508c and 508d) on UE 502 can form multiple BPLs for communication between base station 504 and UE 502. In this example, the first BPL may include a transmit beam 506c and a receive beam 508c, the second BPL may include a transmit beam 508d and a receive beam 508c, and the third BPL may include a transmit beam 508e and a receive beam 508d.

[0092] In some cases, wireless communications may suffer from signal attenuation (e.g., path loss), which can be affected by various factors such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, diffraction, etc. As a result, signal processing techniques such as beamforming can be used to overcome path loss at these frequencies. Therefore, transmissions from a base station (e.g., a gNB) and / or a UE can be beamformed, and receiving devices can use beamforming techniques to configure one or more antennas and / or one or more antenna arrays such that the transmission is received in a directional manner. In some cases, a UE (e.g., UE 502) can select the active beam for communicating with the network (e.g., base station 504) by choosing the strongest beam from a plurality of candidate beams. In some cases, multiple UEs (such as UEs within a group) can use the same beam configuration.

[0093] In some cases, wireless communication systems, such as those operating in millimeter-wave frequency ranges (e.g., FR2), may experience communication loss due to beam weakening or partial blockage. If the beam weakens, the base station may perform a beam-switching procedure to determine a strong beam for communication. However, in some examples, the beam may be weak for short periods, making the beam-switching procedure potentially inefficient in its use of processing resources or potentially taking longer than the period during which the beam is temporarily weakened. Furthermore, even when the active beam is weak, the base station may need to maintain communication with the UE to determine a new beam to choose from when needed. For example, receiving Channel State Information (CSI) feedback from the UE to determine the beam to choose from may be important for the base station. In some cases, maintaining communication with the UE may include maintaining performance thresholds or coverage on a unicast channel (e.g., PUCCH). To maintain communication when the beam becomes unreliable or weak, it may be beneficial to provide methods for enhancing coverage on uplink channels (e.g., PUCCH), which can be dynamically enabled and, in some cases, replace beam-switching or other beam management procedures.

[0094] Explicit repeat factor indication for PUCCH

[0095] In some respects, the base station can explicitly signal to the UE to use repetitions for the uplink control channel for coverage enhancement. For example, one or more repetitions of the PUCCH transmission can be sent within a time slot and / or across multiple time slots. Figure 6This diagram illustrates the process for explicitly indicating a PUCCH repetition factor, according to several aspects. If necessary, using a PUCCH repetition factor (e.g., repetition count), base station 602 (e.g., gNB) can cause UE 604 to repeat PUCCH transmissions. In some aspects, repeating PUCCH transmissions can enhance PUCCH coverage and / or reliability. In some aspects, the UE can use the same or different communication resources (e.g., PUCCH resource sets) to repeat PUCCH transmissions.

[0096] At box 606, UE 604 may determine one or more sets of PUCCH resources for PUCCH transmission 608. The base station may configure communication resources (e.g., sets of PUCCH resources) for PUCCH transmission in various formats and / or code rates. In one example, the base station may send PUCCH resource configuration 607 to the UE using RRC signaling (e.g., a PUCCH_Config RRC message). In one aspect, PUCCH resource configuration may define one or more sets of PUCCH resources (e.g., time-domain and frequency-domain resources) that the UE can use for PUCCH transmission. The UE may store the PUCCH resource configuration (e.g., enhanced configuration 1415) in memory 1405 or computer-readable medium 1406 (see [link to documentation]). Figure 14 Each PUCCH resource set can define the PUCCH format, first symbol, number of symbols, PRB offset, etc., of communication resources (e.g., one or more RB 308s) that can be used for PUCCH transmission. In some respects, PUCCH resource sets can be predefined or predetermined in applicable communication standards (e.g., 3GPP NR standards), or preconfigured by the equipment manufacturer of the UE or base station. In one example, if a predefined PUCCH resource set is used, the base station can indicate the PUCCH resource set to be used by sending a PUCCH resource indicator in DCI or SIB1.

[0097] In some scenarios, base station 602 can dynamically configure UE 604 to repeat PUCCH transmissions (i.e., PUCCH repetition), for example, to enhance PUCCH coverage if needed. Dynamic configuration or signaling of PUCCH repetition allows the UE to start, stop, or change PUCCH repetition without using RRC or semi-static signaling. When using PUCCH repetition, UE 604 can repeat PUCCH transmissions in a predetermined number of time slots or micro-time slots. To this end, base station 602 can send a first PUCCH repetition indication 610 to UE 604 to explicitly indicate the PUCCH repetition factor. Base station 602 can use dynamic signaling to send the first PUCCH repetition indication 610. For example, base station 602 can send the first PUCCH repetition indication 610 via a DCI destined for UE 604. In one example, base station 602 can send the first PUCCH repetition indication 610 via a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE). In response to the first PUCCH repeat indication 610, UE 604 can repeat PUCCH transmission 612 (i.e., repeat of PUCCH transmission) according to the first PUCCH repeat indication 610.

[0098] In some aspects, the first PUCCH repeat indicator 610 may explicitly indicate the PUCCH repeat factor (PRF) controlling PUCCH repeating, such that the UE 604 can directly determine the PRF based on the repeat indicator 610. In another aspect, the first PUCCH repeat indicator 610 may indicate a value represented, for example, by a bit string (e.g., one or more bits) corresponding to the value of the PRF (e.g., a binary value). For example, if the PRF has a value of 2, the bit string may be '10'; if the PRF has a value of 3, the bit string may be '11'; and if the PRF has a value of 4, the bit string may be '100'. Figure 7 Table 700 illustrates exemplary bit string values ​​and corresponding PUCCH repeat factor values ​​according to one aspect. In this example, bit string '000' is not used or reserved. Bit string values ​​001-111 represent PRF values ​​1 to 7, respectively.

[0099] In some respects, the first PUCCH repeat indicator 610 can indicate a value, for example, a bit string indicating an index value used to identify the PRF among a plurality of predefined PUCCH repeat factors. For example, it can be stored in a table, database, or list at the UE (e.g., Figure 14 Multiple predefined PUCCH repeat factors are defined in (1417), and the PUCCH repeat indicator can indicate the index used to identify the desired PRF among the predefined PUCCH repeat factors (e.g., see [reference]). Figure 7 Table 700).

[0100] In some aspects, the UE can send a PUCCH repeat request 620 to base station 602 with a UE-specific PUCCH repeat factor. In one aspect, the UE can send the repeat request 620 in the UCI. In another aspect, the UE can send the repeat request 620 in the MAC CE. In one aspect, the repeat request 620 can indicate the number of PUCCH repeats the UE desires. In another aspect, the repeat request 620 can indicate that the UE requests PUCCH repeats, but does not indicate the number of PUCCH repeats requested or desired. In one example, the repeat request 620 can indicate the need for PUCCH repeats, and base station 602 can determine the value of the PUCCH repeat factor or PUCCH repeat count. In one example, if the UE has been configured to repeat PUCCH, the request 620 can indicate that the PUCCH repeat factor or repeat count needs to be increased or decreased.

[0101] In one aspect, in response to request 620, base station 602 may send a second PUCCH repeat indication 622 to the UE. In one aspect, the second PUCCH repeat indication 622 may explicitly indicate a PUCCH repeat factor, for example, using a bit string as described above. In one aspect, if request 620 explicitly indicates a desired PUCCH repeat factor, the second PUCCH repeat indication 622 may indicate acknowledgment (e.g., approval or disapproval) without explicitly indicating a PUCCH repeat factor. In response to the second PUCCH repeat indication 622, the UE may repeat PUCCH transmission 624 according to the second PUCCH repeat indication 622.

[0102] In some respects, base station 602 may refer to a previous PUCCH repetition factor to indicate the PUCCH repetition factor. For example, a second PUCCH repetition indication 622 may indicate that the UE may refer to, for example, a previous PUCCH repetition factor indicated by a first PUCCH repetition indication 610 to increase (e.g., double) or decrease the PUCCH repetition factor.

[0103] In one aspect, the PUCCH repetition indicator can indicate that the PUCCH repetition factor is valid for a predetermined time interval (valid time interval). In another aspect, the base station can configure the UE to use a timer (e.g., Figure 14 The timer 1430 in the UE tracks the validity period of the PUCCH repeat factor. The PUCCH repeat factor is valid during its validity period. After this time interval has elapsed, the UE can stop repeating the PUCCH. For example, the predetermined time interval may include a predetermined number of time slots or micro-time slots. In one aspect, the PRF may remain valid until the UE receives another or the next PUCCH repeat indication that can change (e.g., increase, decrease, or stop) or eliminate the PUCCH repeat factor.

[0104] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating a process 800 for sending a request for a PUCCH repeat factor, based on several aspects. In one example, a UE (e.g., UE 604) may use process 800 to determine whether to send a repeat request (e.g., PUCCH repeat request 620) to a base station (e.g., base station 602).

[0105] At box 802, the UE may check one or more PUCCH repetition criteria to determine whether to send a PUCCH repetition request. In one aspect, the PUCCH repetition criteria may include the UL and / or DL ​​channel quality between the UE and the base station. For example, channel quality may include the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), and / or signal-to-noise-plus-distortion rate (SNDR) of the communication channel between the UE and the base station. In another aspect, the PUCCH repetition criteria may include historical data regarding communication between the UE and the base station. For example, historical data may indicate communication failures (if any) that occurred between the UE and the base station during a predetermined time interval. A high rate of communication failures may indicate poor, unstable, or undesirable channel quality, and vice versa. In some aspects, the base station may provide the PUCCH repetition criteria to the UE, for example, using RRC signaling, DCI, and / or MAC CE.

[0106] At decision box 804, the UE can determine whether one or more of the PUCCH repetition criteria are met. In one example, the PUCCH repetition criterion is met when the channel quality (e.g., SNR, SINR, and / or SNDR) is below a predetermined threshold. In another example, the PUCCH repetition criterion is met when historical data indicates a high-rate communication failure between the UE and the base station. For example, the PUCCH repetition criterion can be met if the UE fails to send HARQ feedback to the base station.

[0107] In block 806, when one or more PUCCH repetition criteria are met (i.e., the "yes" path from decision block 804), the UE may send a PUCCH repetition request to the base station (e.g., request 620). The PUCCH repetition request can cause the base station to send a PUCCH repetition indication to the UE, as described above regarding... Figure 6 The description states that, in some aspects, the PUCCH repetition criterion may include the communication status between the UE and the base station. For example, this status may include the SNR, SINR, and / or SNDR of the communication channel between the UE and the base station. In this case, the PUCCH repetition criterion is satisfied when any of the SNR, SINR, and / or SNDR is below a predetermined threshold.

[0108] Implicit Repeat Factor Indicator for PUCCH

[0109] Figure 9 An example of an implicit indication of the repetition factor for an uplink control channel is illustrated, based on several aspects. Wireless network 900 may implement various aspects of RAN 200. Wireless network 900 may include base station 905 and / or UE 910, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described herein.

[0110] Wireless network 900 can support various PUCCH enhancement techniques for coverage enhancement. In some aspects, wireless network 900 can use DMRS bindings that support PUCCH repetition as well as certain signaling mechanisms for coverage enhancement. Some wireless networks can use group common DCI to indicate PUCCH coverage enhancements, such as pre-configured PUCCH repetition. However, such mechanisms cannot dynamically indicate the repetition factor of PUCCH transmissions with repetition. The repetition factor can indicate the number, count, or quantity of repetitions of PUCCH transmissions, where the same PUCCH transmission (e.g., an instance or occurrence of a single PUCCH message) can be sent once or multiple times based on the repetition factor (e.g., repetition count).

[0111] The described aspects of the technology can provide a mechanism for implicitly indicating a correspondence or mapping between each of the available transmit beams of base station 905 and a repetition factor (e.g., repetition count) of an uplink control channel (e.g., PUCCH). That is, base station 905 can use one or more transmit beams (e.g., Figure 5 The transmit beam (described in the text) is used to perform wireless communication with UE 910. In this context, the transmit beam can generally refer to any beam / transmission performed in a directional manner, which may correspond to a specific transmit beam (e.g., based on a beam index or other identifier), antenna configuration, antenna port, antenna array, etc. In some aspects, each transmit beam of base station 905 can be uniquely identified or otherwise associated with identifiable characteristics and / or parameters (e.g., Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) configuration, part of resource configuration, etc.).

[0112] Base station 905 may transmit or otherwise provide (and UE 910 may receive or otherwise obtain) a configuration signal that identifies or otherwise indicates the correspondence between the transmit beams of base station 905 and certain PUCCH repetition factors. For example, base station 905 may use RRC signaling, upper-layer signaling (e.g., L3 signaling), MAC CE signaling, etc., to transmit a configuration (e.g., Tx beam-PUCCH repetition configuration 912) to indicate the correspondence or mapping to UE 910. For example, this configuration typically maps each transmit beam of base station 905 to a corresponding repetition factor for PUCCH transmissions. For example, each transmit beam of base station 905 may be mapped to a unique or distinct repetition factor for PUCCH transmissions with repetition (e.g., uplink control messages). In another example, a subset or group of transmit beams of base station 905 may each be mapped to a unique repetition factor for PUCCH repetition. Configuration 912 can be initially indicated (e.g., when UE 910 establishes a connection with base station 905 during a connection establishment / reconstruction / update process) and / or can be updated by base station 905 (e.g., according to periodic scheduling, aperiodic scheduling, and / or as needed). Therefore, the association or correspondence between transmit beams (or TCI states) and PUCCH repetition factors can be dynamically changed using downlink MAC CE, DCI, etc. UE 910 can store or otherwise maintain the correspondence between transmit beams of base station 905 and PUCCH repetition factors (e.g., stored in memory, stored in lookup table 914, etc.). The configuration indicating the correspondence can map one or more of the transmit beams of base station 905 to two or more repetition counts, and in some cases, map one or more of the transmit beams of base station 905 to a single repetition factor (e.g., map one or more transmit beams of base station 905 to no repetition).

[0113] Therefore, UE 910 can identify or otherwise determine that it has a first uplink control message (e.g., a PUCCH message) for repeated transmission. For example, UE 910 can determine that it has a transmission of uplink control messages with repetition based on receiving downlink shared channel transmission (e.g., a PDSCH message), where the first uplink control message can be used to provide HARQ-ACK feedback (e.g., a feedback message). In another example, UE 910 can determine that it has a transmission of uplink control messages with repetition based on UE 910's buffer state (e.g., based on buffer state reports (BSRs), scheduling requests (SRs), etc., for transmission). In yet another example, UE 910 can determine that it has a transmission of uplink control messages with repetition based on channel state information (CSI) feedback to be provided to base station 905. Other examples of uplink control information / data can also serve as the basis for a transmission of a first uplink control message with repetition.

[0114] Based on the first uplink control message, base station 905 and / or UE 910 may identify, select, or otherwise implicitly determine a first repetition factor for the first uplink control message based on the active transmit beam or transmission configuration indicator state (e.g., TCI state) of base station 905. For example, the active transmit beam of base station 905 may include the transmit beams of one or more transmit beams of base station 905. Base station 905 and / or UE 910 may use configuration 914 (e.g., a lookup table) to identify the first repetition factor of the first uplink control message, which indicates the correspondence between the transmit beam of base station 905 and the repetition factor for transmission of uplink control channels with repetition. That is, base station 905 and / or UE 910 may use this correspondence or mapping to determine the corresponding first repetition factor based on the active transmit beam of base station 905, and thus determine the corresponding first repetition count for the repetition used to transmit the first uplink control message. Therefore, UE 910 may send or otherwise provide (and base station 905 may receive or otherwise obtain) a repetition of the first uplink control message, as indicated by the first repetition factor. For example, UE 910 may send three repetitions 920 of the first uplink control message corresponding to the first repetition count. In other examples, the repetition count may be one, two, four, or more.

[0115] Therefore, the described aspects of the technology enable base station 905 and / or UE 910 to know, identify, or otherwise determine the active transmit beams of base station 905 in order to implicitly identify associated repetition factors. As described above, each transmit beam of base station 905 may correspond to a beam index, antenna configuration, antenna port, transmission direction, etc. The transmit beams may be based on various configurations / parameters, such as TCI status, resource configuration, etc.

[0116] In one example, the active transmit beam of base station 905 can be the currently (active) control beam of base station 905. For example, the active control beam of base station 905 can be considered as the active transmit beam used for repetition factor determination. In one example, the active control beam of base station 905 can correspond to the transmit beam used for control message transmission (e.g., PDCCH transmission) from base station 905. Therefore, in one example, the PDCCH repetition factor can be associated with the current control beam of base station 905.

[0117] In another example, the active transmit beam of base station 950 can be based on PDSCH transmission. For example, base station 905 can allocate or otherwise schedule downlink shared channel (e.g., PDSCH) transmission to UE 910. Downlink shared channel transmission can be configured with an acknowledgment mode (e.g., with HARQ-ACK feedback), such that UE 910 is expected to provide a feedback message (e.g., ACK or NACK) indicating whether UE 910 is able to receive and decode the downlink shared channel transmission. In this example, the transmit beam used for downlink shared channel transmission can be the active transmit beam of base station 905 used to determine the repetition factor. That is, base station 905 and / or UE 910 can determine which transmit beam base station 905 uses to perform downlink shared channel transmission, access a configuration indicating the correspondence between that transmit beam and the corresponding repetition factor, and use that correspondence to determine the repetition count used to transmit feedback messages with repetition. Therefore, the repetition factor of a PUCCH transmission carrying ACK / NACK information can be associated with the beam or TCI state (e.g., beam configuration) of the associated PDSCH or downlink message.

[0118] As described above, in some instances, the active transmit beam of base station 950 can be identified based on TCI status, resource configuration, etc., or using TCI status, resource configuration, etc. For example, base station 905 can configure various TCI status configurations within higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling), which UE 910 can use to decode PDSCH transmissions. The active transmit beam of base station 905 can be determined based on the TCI status configured for UE 910 or otherwise identified.

[0119] In some examples, the active transmit beam of base station 905 can be identified or otherwise determined based on a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship. For example, base station 905 can send a DCI message to UE 910 that configures various parameters, such as the QCL relationship between a downlink reference signal in a CSI-RS set and a PDSCH DMRS port. A QCL relationship can identify two antenna ports considered quasi-co-located if the properties of the channel through which a symbol on an antenna port is transmitted can be inferred from the channel through which the symbol on that antenna port is transmitted. Therefore, base station 905 and / or UE 910 can identify a second transmit beam of base station 905. The second transmit beam can be used for various signals transmitted by base station 905. For example, the second transmit beam of base station 905 can be used for the transmission of broadcast transmissions (e.g., SSB transmissions), synchronization signal transmissions (e.g., PSS / SSS, such as PSS / SSS of SSB), reference signal transmissions (e.g., CSI-RS), tracking signal transmissions (position tracking signals, position tracking signals, etc.), etc. Base station 905 and / or UE 910 may identify or otherwise determine the active transmit beam of base station 905 based on the QCL relationship between the second transmit beam and the active transmit beam.

[0120] In some examples, base station 905 can dynamically override the correspondence between one or more transmit beams of base station 905 and their corresponding repetition factors. That is, base station 905 can transmit or otherwise provide (and UE 910 can receive or otherwise obtain) an indication to override the correspondence between the active transmit beams of base station 905 from a first repetition factor to an updated repetition factor associated with an updated repetition count. Therefore, UE 910 can transmit repetitions of the first uplink control message based on the coverage indication and using the updated repetition count. In some examples, dynamic coverage indications can be signaled using DCI signaling, MAC CE signaling, etc.

[0121] Therefore, UE 910 can receive or otherwise provide (and base station 905 can receive or otherwise obtain) the repetition of the first uplink control message based on a first (or updated) repetition factor / count. PUCCH repetition can be transmitted using inter-slot repetition and / or intra-slot repetition. The above techniques enable base station 905 to implicitly indicate the PUCCH repetition factor to UE 910 via beam selection (e.g., by associating a beam with the PUCCH repetition factor).

[0122] Figure 10An exemplary process 1000 supporting implicit indication of a repetition factor for an uplink control channel according to aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Process 1000 may be implemented at or by a wireless network 200. Aspects of process 1000 may be implemented by a base station 1002 and / or a UE 1004, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described herein.

[0123] At 1010, base station 1002 may transmit or otherwise provide (and UE 1004 may receive or otherwise obtain) a configuration indicating the correspondence between one or more transmit beams of base station 1002 and repetition factors used for uplink control channel (e.g., PUCCH) transmission. In some aspects, the repetition factor may identify or otherwise indicate the repetition count used for transmitting uplink control messages on the uplink control channel (e.g., PUCCH). In some aspects, base station 1002 may transmit the configuration 1010 indicating the correspondence via upper-layer signaling, RRC signaling, etc. In some aspects, the configuration may indicate the correspondence between one or more transmit beams of base station 1002 and a repetition count (e.g., no repetition). In some aspects, the configuration may indicate the correspondence between one or more transmit beams of base station 1002 and two or more repetition counts. In one example, base station 1002 may be configured with a first subset of transmit beams having two or more repeat counts and a second subset of transmit beams having one repeat count (in some examples, this may be referred to as no repeat). Thus, the configured correspondence can map one or more transmit beams(s) of base station 1002 to one or more repeat counts for PUCCH transmissions with repeats.

[0124] At 1015, base station 1002 may identify or otherwise determine the first repetition factor of the first uplink control message from UE 1004 based on the correspondence with the active transmit beam of base station 1002 from one or more transmit beams. For example, base station 1002 may identify the active transmit beam based on the QCL relationship between the TCI state configuration, broadcast beam, synchronization signal beam, tracking signal beam, reference signal beam, etc., provided to UE 1004 and the active transmit beam. In some aspects, base station 1002 may identify or otherwise determine the active transmit beam based on the currently used control beam of base station 1002.

[0125] At 1020, UE 1004 can identify or otherwise determine the first repetition factor for the first uplink control message destined for base station 1002 based on the correspondence, according to the active transmit beam of base station 1002. For example, UE 1004 can identify the active transmit beam at base station 1002 based on the QCL relationship between the TCI state configuration, broadcast beam, synchronization signal beam, reference signal beam, tracking signal beam, etc., provided by base station 1002 and the active transmit beam. In some examples, this may include UE 1004 identifying or otherwise determining the active transmit beam based on the currently used control beam of base station 1002.

[0126] At 1025, UE 1004 may transmit or otherwise provide (and base station 1002 may receive or otherwise obtain) a repetition of the first uplink control message (e.g., UCI / PUCCH) as indicated by the first repetition factor, where three repetitions 1026 are shown only by way of example. For example, UE 1004 may transmit a repetition of the first uplink control message (e.g., PUCCH) where the number of repetitions transmitted corresponds to a first repetition factor (e.g., a first repetition count) based on the active transmit beam of base station 1002. In some aspects, the repetition of the first uplink control message may be transmitted using intra-slot repetition and / or inter-slot repetition.

[0127] At 1030, base station 1002 may optionally transmit or otherwise provide (and UE 1004 may receive or otherwise obtain) an indication to cover the correspondence between the active transmit beam of base station 1002 and the first repetition factor to the updated repetition factor. Typically, the updated repetition factor (e.g., a second repetition factor) may have a different repetition count than the first repetition factor. That is, the updated repetition factor may indicate or otherwise be associated with an updated repetition count that is different from the first repetition count associated with the first repetition factor.

[0128] Therefore, at 1035, UE 1004 may optionally send or otherwise provide (and base station 1002 may receive or otherwise obtain) repetitions of the first uplink control message and / or the second uplink control message to base station 1002 according to the updated repetition factor, wherein two exemplary repetitions 1036 are shown only by way of example. That is, coverage indication 1030 may provide a mechanism in which base station 1002 may dynamically (e.g., using indications in DCI signaling, MAC CE, etc.) change or update the correspondence between the transmit beam of base station 1002 and the repetition factor for uplink control messages with repetition transmitted via the uplink control channel.

[0129] Explanation of repeatability factors based on PUCCH parameters

[0130] In some respects, depending on the PUCCH repeat parameter, the PUCCH repeat factor or indication can be applied or interpreted differently. The PUCCH repeat factor can, for example, be used as described above. Figures 6-10 The methods described herein can be explicitly or implicitly indicated. In some aspects, PUCCH parameters may include PUCCH format, UCI size, PUCCH resource set, and / or PUCCH transmission rate. By dynamically indicating the PUCCH repetition factor, the configuration of PUCCH repetition can be adjusted to improve the chance of receiving PUCCH repetitions. Therefore, some aspects of the techniques and apparatus described herein can positively influence network performance.

[0131] In some respects, the UE can determine or select a PUCCH resource set from one or more (e.g., up to four) configured PUCCH resource sets based on the UCI payload size (e.g., excluding Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)). Each PUCCH resource set includes certain communication resources (e.g., time and frequency resources or RB308) that can be used for PUCCH transmission. In some cases, the selection of the PUCCH resource set can be based on the UCI payload size (O UCI The comparison is between the PUCCH resource set and the threshold associated with each PUCCH resource set. PUCCH resource sets can have different thresholds. For example, the threshold for PUCCH resource set 0 can be 2 bits, meaning the UE can choose to use PUCCH resource set 0 for either 1 bit or 2 bits. UCI For O UCI >2, the UE can select a set of PUCCH resources with a higher threshold (e.g., greater than 2 bits).

[0132] In one example, PUCCH resource sets 1, 2, and 3 can each be configured with a threshold (e.g., up to 1706 bits, a limit chosen for the encoding chain to ensure good performance). If no threshold parameter is configured for PUCCH resource sets (1, 2, or 3), it can be assumed that the threshold is 1706, meaning that the PUCCH resource sets can support up to 1706 bits. UCI UEs with a capacity of >2 can sequentially assign O to each UE. UCI The thresholds of PUCCH format sets 1, 2, and 3 are compared to determine the appropriate set of PUCCH resources for PUCCH transmission.

[0133] Figure 11This is a diagram illustrating a process 1100 associated with a dynamic indication of a PUCCH repetition factor according to some aspects of this disclosure. For example, process 1100 can be used between a base station and a UE to interpret the PUCCH repetition factor or indication, which can be as described above regarding... Figures 6-10 As described, it may be explicitly or implicitly indicated.

[0134] In box 1102, the UE can receive from the base station a configuration including one or more rules associated with one or more PUCCH parameters for dynamically determining or interpreting the PUCCH repeat factor indication. For example, the UE can receive a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message that provides configuration (e.g., control information) for the dynamic interpretation of the PUCCH repeat factor or indication, as described below. In some aspects, the configuration can provide one or more rules (e.g., restrictions) associated with the PUCCH format, UCI size, PUCCH resource set, or code rate, among other examples, for interpreting the PUCCH repeat factor indication. In some aspects, one or more rules can be specified in a wireless communication standard (e.g., 5G NR) that manages communication between the UE and the base station. In some aspects, the UE can use one or more rules to dynamically determine the value of the PUCCH repeat factor, which can be explicitly indicated by the base station (e.g., as...). Figure 6 Explicit indications as described in the text) or implicit indications (e.g., such as...) Figure 10 (Implicit indications described in [the document]). For example, one or more rules can define the interpretation of values ​​associated with one or more PUCCH parameters relative to the value of the repetition factor. In some aspects, PUCCH parameters may include at least one of the following: PUCCH format, UCI size, PUCCH resource set, or PUCCH bitrate.

[0135] In box 1104, the UE can determine one or more PUCCH parameters currently configured at the UE. For example, one or more PUCCH parameters may include PUCCH format, UCI size, PUCCH resource set, and / or PUCCH transmission rate. In box 1106, the UE can determine the PUCCH repetition factor based on one or more PUCCH parameters and one or more rules for interpreting the indication of the PUCCH repetition factor, wherein the indication of the PUCCH repetition factor may be explicitly indicated or implicitly indicated by the base station.

[0136] In one aspect, the UE can determine the PUCCH format and, at least in part, the PUCCH repetition factor based on rules associated with the PUCCH format (e.g., PUCCH formats 0-4). If the UE has received an explicit or implicit indication of the PUCCH repetition factor from the base station, the UE can interpret the indication (e.g., a first value) based on the associated rules to achieve a second value, which becomes the actual or valid value of the PUCCH repetition factor (e.g., a count) for controlling the repetition of PUCCH transmissions. In another aspect, the PUCCH repetition factor can be limited to one or more PUCCH formats. For example, the indication of the PUCCH repetition factor can be valid only for (or limited to) one or more PUCCH formats according to configured rules. If the UE determines that the PUCCH repetition factor is invalid, the UE does not repeat the PUCCH.

[0137] On the other hand, the UE can determine the UCI size and / or code rate for PUCCH transmission, and determine the PUCCH repetition factor based at least in part on rules associated with the UCI size and / or code rate. For example, the UE can interpret explicit or implicit PUCCH repetition factor indications (e.g., a first value) based on rules associated with the UCI size and / or code rate to achieve an actual or valid value of the PUCCH repetition factor (e.g., a second value) for controlling the repetition of PUCCH transmissions. In one example, the PUCCH repetition factor indication may be valid only for (or limited to) one or more UCI sizes and / or code rates, depending on the configured rules. If the UE determines that the PUCCH repetition factor is invalid, the UE does not repeat the PUCCH.

[0138] On the other hand, the UE can determine the set of PUCCH resources used for PUCCH transmission and determine the PUCCH repetition factor based at least in part on rules associated with the PUCCH resource set. For example, the UE can interpret explicit or implicit PUCCH repetition factor indications (e.g., a first value) based on rules associated with the PUCCH resource set to achieve an actual or effective value (e.g., a second value) of the PUCCH repetition factor used to control the repetition of PUCCH transmission. In one example, the indication of the PUCCH repetition factor may be valid only for (or limited to) one or more PUCCH resource sets, depending on the configured rules.

[0139] After determining the PUCCH repetition factor, if at least one PUCCH repetition (e.g., repeated PUCCH transmissions in one or more time slots) is valid, the UE may transmit that at least one PUCCH repetition at least partially based on the dynamically determined PUCCH repetition factor. As described above, Figure 11An example is provided in which the UE can dynamically determine and apply an explicitly indicated or implicitly indicated PUCCH repetition factor, which can be interpreted differently based on one or more PUCCH parameters and one or more rules used to interpret the repetition factor. The rules can be pre-configured or configured by the base station.

[0140] Figure 12 This is a block diagram illustrating an example hardware implementation of a scheduling entity 1200 employing a processing system 1214. For example, the scheduling entity 1200 may be as follows: Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 9 and / or Figure 10 Any one or more of the base stations, gNBs, or RRHs shown.

[0141] The scheduling entity 1200 may be implemented using a processing system 1214 that includes one or more processors 1204. Examples of processors 1204 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuitry, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, the scheduling entity 1200 may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 1204 used in the scheduling entity 1200 may be used to implement the functions described below and Figure 13 Any one or more processes and procedures shown in the document.

[0142] In some instances, processor 1204 may be implemented via a baseband or modem chip, and in other implementations, processor 1204 may include multiple devices that are different from and distinct from the baseband or modem chip (e.g., in such scenarios where they can work together to implement the examples discussed herein). As described above, various hardware arrangements and components other than the baseband modem processor can be used in the implementation (including RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.).

[0143] In this example, the processing system 1214 can be implemented using a bus architecture, typically represented by bus 1202. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system 1214, bus 1202 may include any number of interconnect buses and bridges. Bus 1202 communicatively couples together various circuits including one or more processors (typically represented by processor 1204), memory 1205, and computer-readable media (typically represented by computer-readable media 1206). Bus 1202 may also link various other circuits known in the art (such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits), and therefore will not be described further. Bus interface 1208 provides an interface between bus 1202 and transceiver 1210. Transceiver 1210 and antenna array 1220 may provide communication interfaces or modules for communicating with various other devices via transmission media. Depending on the nature of the device, a user interface 1212 (e.g., keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick, touchscreen) may also be provided. Of course, this type of user interface 1212 is optional and can be omitted in some examples, such as base stations.

[0144] Processor 1204 is responsible for managing bus 1202 and general-purpose processing, including the execution of software stored on computer-readable medium 1206. When executed by processor 1204, this software causes processing system 1214 to perform various functions for any particular device. Computer-readable medium 1206 and memory 1205 can also be used to store data manipulated by processor 1204 during software execution. For example, a scheduling entity may store uplink control enhancement configuration information 1215 at memory 1205.

[0145] One or more processors 1204 in the processing system can execute software. Whether it involves software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or others, software should be broadly interpreted as representing instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc. Software may reside on computer-readable medium 1206. Computer-readable medium 1206 can be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. As an example, non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic stripes), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, or key drives), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. Computer-readable medium 1206 may reside within processing system 1214, be external to processing system 1214, or be distributed across multiple entities including processing system 1214. Computer-readable medium 1206 may be included in a computer program product. For example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium within encapsulation material. Those skilled in the art will recognize that how best to implement the functionality described throughout this disclosure depends on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

[0146] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 1204 may include circuitry configured for various functions, including, for example, indicating a repetition factor for uplink control information. For example, the circuitry may be configured to implement the following regarding... Figure 13 One or more of the functions described.

[0147] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 1204 may include communication and processing circuitry 1240 configured for various functions, including, for example, communicating with a network core (e.g., a 5G core network), a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE), or any other entity (e.g., local infrastructure or an entity communicating with scheduling entity 1200 via the Internet, such as a network provider). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may include one or more hardware components providing a physical structure for performing processing related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) and signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission). For example, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may include one or more transmit / receive chains. Furthermore, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may be configured to receive and process uplink traffic and uplink control messages (e.g., similar to...). Figure 1 The communication and processing circuitry 1240 can also be configured to execute communication and processing software 1250 stored on a computer-readable medium 1206 to perform one or more of the functions described herein. This includes sending and processing downlink service and downlink control messages (e.g., similar to downlink service 112 and downlink control 114).

[0148] In some implementations of communication involving the reception of information, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may obtain information from components of scheduling entity 1200 (e.g., transceiver 1210 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium), process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may output information to another component of processor 1204, memory 1205, or bus interface 1208. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may receive one or more of signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may include the functionality of receiving components. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may include the functionality of processing components, including demodulation components, decoding components, etc.

[0149] In some implementations where communication involves sending (e.g., transmitting) information, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may acquire information (e.g., from another component of processor 1204, memory 1205, or bus interface 1208), process (e.g., modulate, encode, etc.) that information, and output the processed information. For example, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may output information to transceiver 1210 (e.g., which transmits information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may transmit one or more of signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may transmit information via one or more channels. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may include the functionality of components for transmission (e.g., components for sending). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1240 may include the functionality of components for generation, including components for modulation, components for encoding, etc.

[0150] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 1204 may include uplink control enhancement circuitry 1242 configured for various functions, such as uplink control channel coverage enhancement as described herein. Uplink control enhancement circuitry 1242 may be configured to manage and provide repetitive configuration or control information for uplink control information transmission (e.g., UCI / PUCCH transmission). In one aspect, uplink control enhancement circuitry 1242, together with communication and processing circuitry 1240, may be configured to explicitly indicate the repetition factor of uplink control information (e.g., PUCCH), for example, as described above regarding... Figures 6-8 Described. In one aspect, the uplink control enhancement circuit 1242, together with the communication and processing circuit 1240, can be configured to implicitly indicate the repetition factor of uplink control information (e.g., PUCCH), for example, as described above regarding Figures 9-10 Described. In one aspect, the uplink control enhancement circuit 1242, together with the communication and processing circuit 1240, can be configured to dynamically indicate a repetition factor for uplink control information (e.g., PUCCH), which can be interpreted differently based on one or more PUCCH parameters, for example, as described above regarding Figure 11 The uplink control enhancement circuit 1242, as described herein, can also be configured to execute uplink control enhancement software 1252 stored on a computer-readable medium 1206 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0151] In one configuration, the wireless communication apparatus 1200 includes repetitive components for configuring, controlling, and receiving uplink control information. In one aspect, the aforementioned components may be a processor 1204, as shown in FIG. 1200, configured to perform the functions listed therein. In another aspect, the aforementioned components may be circuitry or any device configured to perform the functions listed therein.

[0152] Of course, in the above example, the circuitry included in processor 1204 is provided merely as an example, and other components for performing the described functions may be included within various aspects of this disclosure, including but not limited to instructions stored in computer-readable storage medium 1206, or... Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figures 4-6 , Figure 9 and / or Figure 10 Any other suitable device or component described in any of them, and utilizing, for example, the present article concerning Figures 6-8 , Figure 10 and / or Figure 11 The described process and / or algorithm.

[0153] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating a recurring exemplary process 1300 for receiving uplink control messages according to some aspects of this disclosure. As described below, in certain implementations within the scope of this disclosure, some or all of the features shown may be omitted, and some of the shown features may not be necessary for all example implementations. In some examples, process 1300 may be... Figure 12 The process is performed by the base station 1200 shown. In some examples, process 1300 may be performed by any suitable means or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0154] At block 1302, the base station (e.g., gNB or scheduling entity) can send control information to the UE. For example, the control information may include an indication of a repetition factor (e.g., PUCCH repetition factor) corresponding to the repetition count of uplink control messages (e.g., PUCCH repetition 612 or 920) from the UE. In one aspect, uplink control enhancement circuitry 1242 may provide components for determining and providing control information. The control information enables the base station to explicitly or implicitly indicate the repetition factor to the UE. In one aspect, communication and processing circuitry 1240 (see...) Figure 12 It can provide components for transmitting control information to the UE via transceiver 1210 and antenna array 1220.

[0155] In one aspect, the control information may include an explicit indication of a repetition factor for repeating uplink control messages. This explicit indication may indicate the actual number of repetitions or a repetition count. For example, the indication may include a bit string indicating the value of the PUCCH repetition factor or an index value used to identify the PUCCH repetition factor among multiple predefined PUCCH repetition factors (e.g., Table 700). In one example, the explicit indication of the PUCCH repetition factor may be carried in the DCI or MAC CE. In response to the control information, the UE can transmit repetitions of PUCCH transmissions based on the PUCCH repetition factor to enhance PUCCH coverage and / or quality.

[0156] In one aspect, for example, with PUCCH, control information can enable implicit indication of repetition factors. For instance, the control information can provide a configuration indicating the correspondence between each of one or more transmit beams of the base station and one or more repetition factors of the uplink control message. In one example, the UE can determine or select the repetition factor at least in part based on the currently or active transmit beam, TCI state, control beam, or another beam associated with the active transmit beam of the base station. In one example, the base station can transmit the configuration indicating the correspondence via upper-layer signaling, RRC signaling, semi-persistent signaling, etc.

[0157] In some aspects, control information may include configurations indicating one or more rules (e.g., restrictions) associated with one or more PUCCH parameters used to dynamically determine the repetition factor. For example, among other examples, the configuration may indicate one or more rules associated with the PUCCH format, UCI size, PUCCH resource set, or code rate. The UE can use the rules to dynamically determine the PUCCH repetition factor based on the rules and one or more PUCCH parameters, according to an interpretation of the repetition indication.

[0158] In block 1304, the base station can receive uplink control messages repeated according to a repetition count. For example, the base station can receive multiple PUCCH transmissions (uplink control messages) repeated according to a PUCCH repetition factor. In one aspect, communication and processing circuitry 1240 can provide components for receiving uplink control messages from the UE. In some aspects, the base station can use the same communication resources to receive repetitions of uplink control messages (e.g., two or more repetitions of PUCCH transmissions). In some aspects, the base station can use different communication resources to receive different transmissions of repeated PUCCH transmissions.

[0159] Figure 14This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example hardware implementation of an exemplary scheduled entity or UE 1400 employing processing system 1414. According to various aspects of the invention, elements, any portion of elements, or any combination of elements can be implemented using processing system 1414 including one or more processors 1404. For example, scheduled entity 1400 may be as follows: Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figures 4-6 , Figure 9 and / or Figure 10 User equipment (UE) illustrated in any one or more of them.

[0160] Processing system 1414 can be basically with Figure 12 The processing system 1214 shown is identical, including a bus interface 1408, a bus 1402, a memory 1405, a processor 1404, and a computer-readable medium 1406. Furthermore, the scheduled entity 1400 may include components substantially similar to those described above. Figure 12 The user interface 1412, transceiver 1410, and antenna array 1420 described herein. That is, the processor 1404, as utilized in the scheduled entity 1400, can be used to implement the following and Figure 15 Any one or more of the processes shown.

[0161] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 1404 may include communication and processing circuitry 1440 configured for various functions, including, for example, communicating with a base station (e.g., scheduling entity 1200). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may include one or more hardware components providing a physical structure for performing processing related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) and signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission). For example, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may include one or more transmit / receive chains. Furthermore, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may be configured to transmit and process uplink traffic and uplink control messages (e.g., similar to...). Figure 1 The communication and processing circuitry 1440 receives and processes downlink service and downlink control messages (e.g., similar to downlink service 112 and downlink control 114). The communication and processing circuitry 1440 may also be configured to execute communication and processing software 1450 stored on a computer-readable medium 1406 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0162] In some implementations of communication involving the reception of information, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may obtain information from a component of scheduled entity 1400 (e.g., a transceiver 1410 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium), process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may output information to another component of processor 1404, memory 1405, or bus interface 1408. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may receive one or more of signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may include the functionality of receiving components. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may include the functionality of processing components, including demodulation components, decoding components, etc.

[0163] In some implementations where communication involves sending (e.g., transmitting) information, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may acquire information (e.g., from another component of processor 1404, memory 1405, or bus interface 1408), process (e.g., modulate, encode, etc.) that information, and output the processed information. For example, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may use antenna array 1420 to output information to transceiver 1410 (e.g., it transmits information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may transmit one or more of signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may transmit information via one or more channels. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may include the functionality of components for transmission (e.g., components for sending). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may include the functionality of components for generation, including components for modulation, components for encoding, etc.

[0164] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 1404 may include uplink control enhancement circuitry 1442 configured for various functions, such as uplink control channel coverage enhancement as described herein. Uplink control enhancement circuitry 1442 may be configured to receive and process repetitive configuration or control information for uplink control information transmission (e.g., UCI / PUCCH transmission). In one aspect, uplink control enhancement circuitry 1442, together with communication and processing circuitry 1440, may be configured to determine, for example, a repetition factor for an explicit indication of uplink control information (e.g., PUCCH), as described above. Figures 6-8Described. In one aspect, the uplink control enhancement circuit 1442, together with the communication and processing circuit 1440, can be configured to determine a repetition factor for an implicit indication of uplink control information (e.g., PUCCH), for example, as described above regarding Figures 9-10 Described. In one aspect, the uplink control enhancement circuit 1442, together with the communication and processing circuit 1440, can be configured to dynamically determine the repetition factor of uplink control information (e.g., PUCCH), for example, as described above regarding Figure 11 As described herein. For example, uplink control enhancement circuitry 1442 can interpret a repetition factor indicator to determine the value of the repetition factor based on one or more rules associated with one or more PUCCH parameters. Uplink control enhancement circuitry 1442 can also be configured to execute uplink control enhancement software 1452 stored on computer-readable medium 1406 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0165] In one configuration, the apparatus 1400 for wireless communication includes repetitive components for providing and transmitting uplink control information. In one aspect, the aforementioned components may be a processor 1404, as shown in FIG. 1400, configured to perform the functions listed therein. In another aspect, the aforementioned components may be circuitry or any apparatus configured to perform the functions listed therein.

[0166] Of course, in the above example, the circuitry included in processor 1404 is provided merely as an example, and other components for performing the described functions may be included in various aspects of this disclosure, including but not limited to instructions stored in computer-readable storage medium 1406, or in Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 9 and / or Figure 10 Any other suitable device or apparatus described in any of them, and utilizing, for example, the present invention relating to Figures 6-11 The described process and / or algorithm.

[0167] Figure 15 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1500 for sending repetitive uplink control messages for overlay enhancement, according to some aspects of this disclosure. As described below, in specific implementations within the scope of this disclosure, some or all of the shown features may be omitted, and some shown features may not be necessary for all example implementations. In some examples, process 1500 may be... Figure 14The scheduled entity 1400 shown is responsible for execution. In some examples, process 1500 may be executed by any suitable means or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0168] In box 1502, the UE can receive control information from the base station. The control information can be used to determine a repetition factor (e.g., a PUCCH repetition factor), which indicates the repetition count of uplink control messages (e.g., PUCCH repetition 612 or 920). In some aspects, the control information can explicitly indicate the repetition factor to the UE, as described above regarding... Figures 6-8 The description states that, in some respects, control information can enable the UE to implicitly determine the repetition factor, as described above regarding... Figures 9-10 Described. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuitry 1440 (see...) Figure 14 It can provide components for receiving control information from the base station. In some aspects, the UE can receive control information via DCI, MAC CE, and / or RRC signaling.

[0169] In box 1504, the UE can determine the repetition factor based on control information. The repetition factor may indicate the repetition count used to transmit uplink control messages (e.g., PUCCH). In one aspect, uplink control enhancement circuitry 1442 may provide components for determining the repetition factor based on control information received from the base station. In one example, the control information may include an explicit indication of the repetition factor used to repeat uplink control messages. The explicit indication may directly indicate the actual number of repetitions (e.g., a count). For example, the indication may be a bit string indicating the value of the PUCCH repetition factor or an index value used to identify the PUCCH repetition factor among a plurality of predefined PUCCH repetition factors (e.g., ...). Figure 7 (See Table 700 in the table). In one example, an explicit indication of the PUCCH repeat factor can be carried in the DCI or MAC CE.

[0170] In one aspect, for example, for PUCCH transmissions, control information can enable implicit indication of repetition factors. For instance, the control information can provide a configuration indicating the correspondence between each of one or more transmit beams of the base station and one or more repetition factors of the uplink control message. In this case, the UE can determine or select the repetition factor at least in part based on the currently or active transmit beam, the TCI state, the active control beam, or the beam associated with the active beam of the base station. In one example, the UE can receive the configuration indicating the correspondence via upper-layer signaling, RRC signaling, semi-persistent signaling, etc.

[0171] In some aspects, control information may include configurations indicating one or more rules (e.g., restrictions) associated with one or more PUCCH parameters used to dynamically determine the repetition factor. For example, among other examples, the configuration may indicate one or more rules associated with the PUCCH format, UCI size, PUCCH resource set, or code rate. The UE can use these rules to dynamically determine or interpret the PUCCH repetition factor indication, which, as described herein, can be explicitly or implicitly indicated by the base station. For example, the UE may interpret a specific value of the PUCCH repetition factor indication as a different repetition factor based on the PUCCH format, UCI size, PUCCH resource set, or the code rate used.

[0172] In block 1506, the UE may transmit repetitions of uplink control messages based on a repetition count or repetition factor. For example, the UE may transmit multiple PUCCH transmissions that are repeated according to the PUCCH repetition factor determined in block 1504. In one example, communication and processing circuitry 1440 may provide components for transmitting repetitions of uplink control messages (e.g., PUCCH transmissions) to a base station. In some aspects, the UE may use the same communication resources to transmit repetitions of uplink control messages (e.g., two or more repetitions of PUCCH transmissions). In some aspects, the UE may use different communication resources to transmit different transmissions of repeated PUCCH transmissions.

[0173] A first aspect of this disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, the UE comprising: a communication interface for wireless communication; a memory; and a processor operatively coupled to the communication interface and the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: receive control information from a base station via the communication interface; determine a repetition factor based on the control information, the repetition factor indicating a repetition count for transmitting uplink control messages; and transmit, via the communication interface, the repetition of uplink control messages based on the repetition count to the base station.

[0174] In a second aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, the control information includes a value indicating at least one of the following: a repeating factor among a plurality of predetermined repeating factors; or the relationship between a repeating factor and a previous repeating factor.

[0175] In the third aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the first to second aspects, the control information indicates the effective time interval of the repetition factor.

[0176] In the fourth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the first to second aspects, the processor and the memory are further configured to: send a request to the base station for the repetition factor, wherein the request is configured to indicate the number of repetitions of the uplink control message.

[0177] In the fifth aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, the control information indicates a correspondence between each of one or more transmit beams of the base station and one or more repetition factors, and the processor and the memory are further configured to: determine, based at least in part on the active transmit beams of the one or more transmit beams, a repetition factor for transmitting the uplink control message according to the correspondence.

[0178] In the sixth aspect, either alone or in combination with the fifth aspect, the processor and the memory are further configured to determine the active transmission beam based on at least one of: downlink shared channel transmission associated with a feedback message included in the uplink control message; the active control beam of the base station; or the transmission configuration indicator status of the downlink message.

[0179] In the seventh aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the fifth to sixth aspects, the processor and the memory are further configured to: receive from the base station an indication for covering the correspondence between the repetition factor and the active transmission beam of the base station; and, based at least in part on the indication, transmit the repetition of the uplink control message using the updated repetition factor.

[0180] In the eighth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the first, second, fifth, and sixth aspects, the processor and the memory are further configured to: determine physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) parameters; and determine the repetition factor based on the PUCCH parameters and one or more rules associated with the PUCCH parameters, wherein the PUCCH parameters include at least one of the PUCCH format used by the base station, uplink control information (UCI) size, PUCCH resource set, or code rate.

[0181] A ninth aspect of this disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving control information from a base station; determining a repetition factor based on the control information, the repetition factor indicating a repetition count for transmitting uplink control messages; and transmitting the repetition of the uplink control messages based on the repetition count to the base station via a communication interface.

[0182] In the tenth aspect, either alone or in combination with the ninth aspect, the control information includes a value indicating at least one of the following: a repeating factor among a plurality of predetermined repeating factors; or the relationship between a repeating factor and a previous repeating factor.

[0183] In the eleventh aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the ninth to tenth aspects, the control information indicates the effective time interval of the repetition factor.

[0184] In the twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with any of the ninth to tenth aspects, the method further includes: sending a request to the base station for the repetition factor, wherein the request is configured to indicate the number of repetitions of the uplink control message.

[0185] In the thirteenth aspect, either alone or in combination with the ninth aspect, the control information indicates a correspondence between each of one or more transmission beams of the base station and one or more repetition factors, and further includes: determining a repetition factor for transmitting the uplink control message based at least in part on the active transmission beams of the one or more transmission beams according to the correspondence.

[0186] In the fourteenth aspect, either alone or in combination with the ninth aspect, the method further includes: determining the active transmission beam based on at least one of: downlink shared channel transmission associated with a feedback message included in the uplink control message; the active control beam of the base station; or the transmission configuration indicator state for the downlink message.

[0187] In the fifteenth aspect, alone or in combination with any of the thirteenth to fourteenth aspects, the method further includes: receiving from the base station an indication for covering the correspondence between the repetition factor and the active transmission beam of the base station; and transmitting the repetition of the uplink control message using the updated repetition factor, at least in part based on the indication.

[0188] In the sixteenth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the ninth, tenth, thirteenth, and fourteenth aspects, the method further includes: determining physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) parameters; and determining the repetition factor based on the PUCCH parameters and one or more rules associated with the PUCCH parameters, wherein the PUCCH parameters include at least one of the PUCCH format used by the base station, uplink control information (UCI) size, PUCCH resource set, or code rate.

[0189] The seventeenth aspect of this disclosure provides a base station for wireless communication, the base station comprising: a communication interface for wireless communication; a memory; and a processor operatively coupled to the communication interface and the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: transmit control information to a user equipment (UE) via the communication interface, the control information including an indication of a repetition factor corresponding to a repetition count of an uplink control message; and receive uplink control messages repeated according to the repetition count from the UE via the communication interface.

[0190] In the eighteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the seventeenth aspect, the control information includes a value indicating at least one of the following: a repeating factor among a plurality of predetermined repeating factors; or the relationship between a repeating factor and a previous repeating factor.

[0191] In the nineteenth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the seventeenth to eighteenth aspects, the control information indicates the effective time interval of the repetition factor.

[0192] In the twentieth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the seventeenth to eighteenth aspects, the processor and the memory are further configured to: receive from the UE a request for the repetition factor, wherein the request is configured to indicate the number of repetitions of the uplink control message.

[0193] In the twenty-first aspect, either alone or in combination with the seventeenth aspect, the control information indicates a correspondence between each of one or more transmit beams of the base station and one or more repetition factors, and the processor and the memory are further configured to receive the repetition of the update control message based on a repetition factor determined at least in part based on the active transmit beam of the one or more transmit beams.

[0194] In the twenty-second aspect, either alone or in combination with the twenty-first aspect, the processor and the memory are further configured to: send to the UE an indication for covering the correspondence between the repetition factor and the active transmit beam of the base station; and, at least in part based on the indication, receive repetition of uplink control messages using the updated repetition factor.

[0195] In the twenty-third aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the seventeenth, eighteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-second aspects, the control information includes one or more rules for determining the repetition factor based at least in part on physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) parameters, wherein the PUCCH parameters include at least one of the PUCCH format used by the base station, uplink control information (UCI) size, PUCCH resource set, or code rate.

[0196] The twenty-fourth aspect of this disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a base station, the method comprising: sending control information to a user equipment (UE), the control information including an indication of a repetition factor corresponding to a repetition count of an uplink control message; and receiving from the UE an uplink control message repeated according to the repetition count.

[0197] In the twenty-fifth aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-fourth aspect, the control information includes a value indicating at least one of the following: a repeating factor among a plurality of predetermined repeating factors; or the relationship between a repeating factor and a previous repeating factor.

[0198] In the twenty-sixth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the twenty-fourth to twenty-fifth aspects, the control information indicates the effective time interval of the repetition factor.

[0199] In the twentieth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the twentieth to twentieth-fifth aspects, the method further includes: receiving from the UE a request for the repetition factor, wherein the request is configured to indicate the number of repetitions of the uplink control message.

[0200] In the twentieth aspect, either alone or in combination with the twentieth aspect, the control information indicates a correspondence between each of one or more transmission beams of the base station and one or more repetition factors, and further includes receiving a repetition of the update control message based on a repetition factor determined at least in part based on an active transmission beam among the one or more transmission beams.

[0201] In the twenty-ninth aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-eighth aspect, the method further includes: sending to the UE an indication for covering the correspondence between the repetition factor and the active transmit beam of the base station; and receiving repetition of uplink control messages using the updated repetition factor, at least in part based on the indication.

[0202] In the thirtieth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, twenty-eighth, and twenty-ninth aspects, the control information includes one or more rules for determining the repetition factor based at least in part on physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) parameters, wherein the PUCCH parameters include at least one of the PUCCH format used by the base station, uplink control information (UCI) size, PUCCH resource set, or code rate.

[0203] Several aspects of wireless communication networks have been given with reference to exemplary implementations. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the various aspects described herein can be extended to other telecommunications systems, network architectures, and communication standards.

[0204] As an example, various aspects can be implemented in other systems defined by 3GPP, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Packet System (EPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and / or Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). These aspects can also be extended to systems defined by 3GPP2, such as CDMA2000 and / or Evolved Data Optimized (EV-DO). Other examples can be implemented within systems employing IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Ultra Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth, and / or other suitable standards. The actual telecommunications standards, network architecture, and / or communication standards adopted will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

[0205] Within this disclosure, the term “exemplary” is used to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation or aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects of the invention. Similarly, the term “aspect” does not require that all aspects of this disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed. The term “coupled” is used herein to refer to direct or indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if object A physically contacts object B, and object B contacts object C, objects A and C can still be considered coupled to each other—even if they are not in direct physical contact with each other. For instance, even if the first object never directly physically contacts the second object, the first object can be coupled to the second object. The terms “circuit” and “circuit system” are used broadly and are intended to include, but are not limited to, hardware implementations of electrical devices and conductors that, when connected and configured, enable the performance of the functions described in this disclosure, as well as software implementations that, when executed by a processor, enable the execution of information and instructions to achieve the performance of the functions described in this disclosure.

[0206] Figures 1-15 One or more components, steps, features, and / or functions shown may be rearranged and / or combined into a single component, step, feature, or function, or included in several components, steps, or functions. Additional elements, components, steps, and / or functions may be added without departing from the novel features disclosed herein. Figures 1-15The apparatus, devices, and / or components shown may be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features, or steps described herein. The novel algorithms described herein can also be efficiently implemented in software and / or embedded in hardware.

[0207] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed method is an illustrative representation of the process. Based on design preferences, it should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the method may be rearranged. The appended method claims present elements of various steps in an exemplary order and are not intended to limit one to the presented specific order or hierarchy, unless specifically stated herein.

[0208] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects. Therefore, these claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to be consistent with the full scope of the language of the claims, wherein, unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to an element in the singular does not mean "one and only one," but rather "one or more." Unless expressly stated otherwise, the term "some" means one or more. The phrase “at least one of” refers to any combination of these items, including a single member. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; all structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or will be known by one of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be offered to the public, whether or not such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims. Unless an element is expressly recited using the phrase “for a component of”, or, in the case of a method claim, using the phrase “for a step of”, a claim element shall not be construed pursuant to section 112(f) of 35 U.S.SC.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: Communication interface used for wireless communication; One or more memory units; and One or more processors are operatively coupled to the communication interface and the one or more memories. The one or more processors mentioned above are configured to: Control information is received from the base station via the communication interface, wherein the control information indicates the correspondence between each of one or more transmit beams of the base station and one or more repetition factors; Based on the correspondence, at least in part based on the active transmit beam in the one or more transmit beams, a repetition factor in one or more repetition factors for transmitting uplink control messages is determined, the repetition factor indicating the repetition count for repetitions of transmitting uplink control messages; as well as The uplink control message is repeated and counted according to the repetition count sent to the base station via the communication interface.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the control information includes a value indicating at least one of the following: The repeating factor among a plurality of predetermined repeating factors; or The repeating factor that is related to the previous repeating factor.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the control information indicates the effective time interval of the repetition factor.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: A request for the repetition factor is sent to the base station, wherein the request is configured to indicate the number of repetitions of the uplink control message.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine the active transmit beam based on at least one of the following: Downlink shared channel transmission associated with feedback messages included in the uplink control messages; The activated control beam of the base station; or The state of the transport configuration indicator used for downlink messages.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Receive from the base station an indication for covering the correspondence between the repetition factor and the active transmit beam of the base station; and The uplink control message repetition is sent using an updated repetition factor, at least in part, based on the instruction.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) parameters; and The repetition factor is determined based on the PUCCH parameters and one or more rules associated with the PUCCH parameters, wherein the PUCCH parameters include at least one of the PUCCH format used by the base station, uplink control information (UCI) size, PUCCH resource set, or code rate.

8. A method for conducting wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: Receive control information from a base station, wherein the control information indicates a correspondence between each of one or more transmit beams of the base station and one or more repetition factors; Based on the correspondence, at least in part based on the active transmit beam in the one or more transmit beams, a repetition factor in one or more repetition factors for transmitting uplink control messages is determined, the repetition factor indicating the repetition count for repetitions of transmitting uplink control messages; as well as Send a repetition of the uplink control message to the base station based on the repetition count.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the control information includes a value indicating at least one of the following: The repeating factor among a plurality of predetermined repeating factors; or The repeating factor that is related to the previous repeating factor.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the control information indicates the effective time interval of the repetition factor.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising: A request for the repetition factor is sent to the base station, wherein the request is configured to indicate the number of repetitions of the uplink control message.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: The activated transmission beam is determined based on at least one of the following: Downlink shared channel transmission associated with feedback messages included in the uplink control messages; The activated control beam of the base station; or The state of the transport configuration indicator used for downlink messages.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising: Receive from the base station an indication for covering the correspondence between the repetition factor and the active transmit beam of the base station; as well as The uplink control message repetition is sent using an updated repetition factor, at least in part, based on the instruction.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising: Determine the parameters of the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH); as well as The repetition factor is determined based on the PUCCH parameters and one or more rules associated with the PUCCH parameters, wherein the PUCCH parameters include at least one of the PUCCH format used by the base station, uplink control information (UCI) size, PUCCH resource set, or code rate.

15. A base station for wireless communication, comprising: Communication interface used for wireless communication; One or more memory units; and One or more processors are operatively coupled to the communication interface and the one or more memories. The one or more processors mentioned above are configured to: Control information is sent to the user equipment (UE) via the communication interface, wherein the control information indicates the correspondence between each of one or more transmit beams of the base station and one or more repetition factors, and the control information includes an indication of the repetition factor corresponding to the repetition count of the uplink control message; as well as The repetition of the uplink control message received from the UE via the communication interface, based on the repetition factor determined at least in part based on the active transmit beam in one or more transmit beams.

16. The base station of claim 15, wherein the control information includes a value indicating at least one of the following: The repeating factor among a plurality of predetermined repeating factors; or The repeating factor that is related to the previous repeating factor.

17. The base station of claim 15, wherein the control information indicates the effective time interval of the repetition factor.

18. The base station of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: The UE receives a request for the repetition factor, wherein the request is configured to indicate the number of repetitions of the uplink control message.

19. The base station of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Sending an indication to the UE to cover the correspondence between the repetition factor and the active transmit beam of the base station; and The repetition of the uplink control message is received using an updated repetition factor, at least in part based on the instruction.

20. The base station of claim 15, wherein the control information includes one or more rules for determining the repetition factor based at least in part on physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) parameters, wherein the PUCCH parameters include at least one of PUCCH format, uplink control information (UCI) size, PUCCH resource set, or code rate used by the base station.

21. A method for conducting wireless communication at a base station, the method comprising: Send control information to user equipment (UE), wherein the control information indicates a correspondence between each of one or more transmit beams of the base station and one or more repetition factors, the control information including an indication of the repetition factor corresponding to the repetition count of the uplink control message; as well as Repetition of the uplink control message received from the UE based on the repetition factor determined at least in part based on the active transmit beam in one or more transmit beams.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the control information includes a value indicating at least one of the following: The repeating factor among a plurality of predetermined repeating factors; or The repeating factor that is related to the previous repeating factor.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the control information indicates the effective time interval of the repetition factor.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising: The UE receives a request for the repetition factor, wherein the request is configured to indicate the number of repetitions of the uplink control message.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising: Send an indication to the UE to cover the correspondence between the repetition factor and the active transmit beam of the base station; as well as The repetition of the uplink control message is received using an updated repetition factor, at least in part based on the instruction.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the control information includes one or more rules for determining the repetition factor based at least in part on physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) parameters, wherein the PUCCH parameters include at least one of PUCCH format, uplink control information (UCI) size, PUCCH resource set, or code rate used by the base station.

27. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: A component for receiving control information from a base station, wherein the control information indicates a correspondence between each of one or more transmit beams of the base station and one or more repetition factors; A component for determining, based at least in part on the active transmit beam among the one or more transmit beams, a repetition factor for transmitting uplink control messages, according to the correspondence, wherein the repetition factor indicates a repetition count for repetitions of transmitting uplink control messages. as well as A component for sending the uplink control message to the base station based on the repetition count.

28. A base station for wireless communication, comprising: A component for sending control information to a user equipment (UE), wherein the control information indicates a correspondence between each of one or more transmit beams of the base station and one or more repetition factors, the control information including an indication of a repetition factor corresponding to a repetition count of an uplink control message; as well as A component for receiving from the UE a repeat of the uplink control message based on the repeat factor determined at least in part based on the active transmit beam in one or more transmit beams.

29. A computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code is executable by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE) to cause the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 8 to 14.

30. A computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, wherein the program code is executable by one or more processors of a base station to cause the processors to perform the method of any one of claims 21 to 26.

31. A computer program product comprising computer-readable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to perform the method of any one of claims 8 to 14 and 21 to 26.

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