Method executed by user equipment and user equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a method executed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving an RRC reconfiguration message, the RRC reconfiguration message comprising PUCCH resource configuration information for at least one or one group of PUCCH resources, the PUCCH resource configuration information comprising related information of a TCI state, representing an association of the at least one or one set of PUCCH resources with at least one or one set of TCI states; the method comprises the following steps: for a scheduling request triggered at a UE side, judging whether the scheduling request is configured with effective PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) resources or not according to a judgment criterion; and sending the scheduling request on the valid PUCCH resource used for the scheduling request under the condition that the scheduling request is configured with the valid PUCCH resource and the transmission time of the scheduling request exists.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and more particularly, to a method performed by a user equipment and a corresponding user equipment. Background Art

[0002] In order to further enhance the performance of uplink transmission and reception in NR technologies, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) intends to study uplink transmission under multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs). In a serving cell, more than one transmission and reception point TRP may be arranged, and each TRP provides services to the same UE. A serving cell may be configured with one or more such TRPs.

[0003] In practical applications, as Figure 1 shown, due to the different physical distances between different TRPs and the UE, the propagation delays are different, resulting in different values of the timing advance (TA) adopted by the UE when transmitting to different TRPs. Such a serving cell may be configured with more than one TA group (TAG), and each TAG has a corresponding TA timer. During the operation of the TA timer, the UE may use the transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with the TAG for uplink transmission.

[0004] In the scheduling request configured for the UE, each scheduling request may be associated with at least one or a group of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources, and such PUCCH resources are further associated with at least one or a group of TCI states. When a scheduling request is triggered, if the scheduling request is not associated with valid PUCCH resources, the UE may initiate a random access procedure to report the buffer status report (BSR) to the network side, so that the network side can know that there is a scheduling request on the UE side, and then schedule the UE to achieve uplink transmission. If the scheduling request is associated with valid PUCCH resources, the UE may send an uplink signal on the PUCCH resources, so that the network side can know that there is a scheduling request on the UE side, and then schedule the UE to achieve uplink transmission.

[0005] In the prior art, the definition of valid PUCCH resources is the PUCCH resources on the activated bandwidth part (BWP) at the timing of transmitting the scheduling request. On a serving cell configured with multiple TRPs, how to determine the validity of PUCCH resources is a problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To solve at least some of the above problems, the present invention provides a method performed by a user equipment and a user equipment, which can realize the effective transmission of scheduling requests on a serving cell configured with multiple TRPs.

[0007] According to the present invention, a method performed by a user equipment UE includes: receiving an RRC reconfiguration message, the RRC reconfiguration message including PUCCH resource configuration information for at least one or a group of PUCCH resources, the PUCCH resource configuration information including information related to TCI states, indicating the association between the at least one or group of PUCCH resources and at least one or group of TCI states; for a scheduling request triggered on the UE side, judging whether the scheduling request is configured with a valid PUCCH resource according to a judgment criterion; and in the case that the scheduling request is configured with a valid PUCCH resource and there is a transmission time for the scheduling request, sending the scheduling request on the valid PUCCH resource for the scheduling request, the judgment criterion including: judging whether the PUCCH resource is associated with the scheduling request triggered by a certain triggering cause according to the PUCCH resource configuration information included in the scheduling request configuration information corresponding to the scheduling request triggered by the triggering cause; judging whether the PUCCH resource is located on the currently activated BWP; judging whether the PUCCH resource is in the time of the sending opportunity of the scheduling request; and for the TAG associated with the TCI state corresponding to the PUCCH resource, judging whether the TA timer corresponding to the TAG is running.

[0008] Preferably, the method further includes: in the case that the scheduling request is not configured with a valid PUCCH resource, the UE initiates a random access procedure or cancels the scheduling request.

[0009] Preferably, the method further includes: in the case that the triggered scheduling request is simultaneously associated with a first PUCCH resource and a second PUCCH resource, and it is judged that both the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource are valid PUCCH resources, then selecting the first PUCCH resource or the second PUCCH resource to transmit the scheduling request.

[0010] Preferably, the method further includes: in the case that the triggered scheduling request is simultaneously associated with a first PUCCH resource and a second PUCCH resource, and it is judged that one of the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource is a valid PUCCH resource, then using the valid one of the PUCCH resources to transmit the scheduling request.

[0011] Preferably, the first PUCCH resource is associated with a first TCI state, and the second PUCCH resource is associated with a second TCI state different from the first TCI state.

[0012] In addition, according to the present invention, a method performed by a user equipment UE is provided, including: receiving an RRC reconfiguration message, where the RRC reconfiguration message includes PUCCH resource configuration information for at least one or a group of PUCCH resources, and the PUCCH resource configuration information does not include information related to TCI states; for a scheduling request triggered on the UE side, determining whether the scheduling request is configured with a valid PUCCH resource according to a determination criterion; and in a case where the scheduling request is configured with a valid PUCCH resource and there is a transmission time for the scheduling request, sending the scheduling request on the valid PUCCH resource for the scheduling request, where the determination criterion includes: determining whether the PUCCH resource is associated with the scheduling request triggered by a certain trigger cause according to the PUCCH resource configuration information included in the scheduling request configuration information corresponding to the scheduling request triggered by the trigger cause; determining whether the PUCCH resource is located on the currently activated BWP; and determining whether the PUCCH resource is in the time at the sending opportunity of the scheduling request.

[0013] Preferably, the method further includes: in a case where the scheduling request is not configured with a valid PUCCH resource, the UE initiates a random access procedure or cancels the scheduling request.

[0014] In addition, according to the present invention, a user equipment is provided, including: a processor; and a memory storing instructions, where the above instructions, when run by the above processor, execute the above method.

[0015] Technical effects

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve effective transmission of a scheduling request on a serving cell configured with multiple TRPs. Description of the drawings

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram for explaining a case where a user equipment is configured with multiple transmit-receive nodes.

[0018] Figure 2 It is a diagram for explaining a timing advance.

[0019] Figure 3 It is a flowchart showing a method performed by a user equipment according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 It is a block diagram schematically showing a user equipment involved in the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0021] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the present invention should not be limited to the specific embodiments described below. In addition, for the sake of simplicity, the detailed description of the known technologies that have no direct relation to the present invention is omitted to prevent confusion in the understanding of the present invention.

[0022] Before the specific description, several terms mentioned in the present invention are explained as follows. Unless otherwise specified, the terms involved in the present invention have the following meanings.

[0023] UE: User Equipment, user equipment;

[0024] NR: New Radio, new generation wireless technology;

[0025] LTE: Long Term Evolution, long term evolution technology;

[0026] eLTE: Enhanced Long Term Evolution, enhanced long term evolution technology;

[0027] RRC: Radio Resource Control, radio resource control (layer);

[0028] MAC: Medium Access Control, medium access control (layer);

[0029] MAC CE: MAC Control Element, MAC control element;

[0030] PHY: physical layer, physical layer;

[0031] RB: radio bearer, radio bearer;

[0032] DRB: Data Radio Bearer, data radio bearer;

[0033] SRB: Signalling Radio Bearer, signalling radio bearer;

[0034] TCI: Transmission Configuration Indicator, transmission configuration indicator;

[0035] RSRP: Reference Signal Received Power, reference signal received power;

[0036] PRACH: Physical Random Access Channel, the physical random access channel;

[0037] RA: Random Access, random access;

[0038] RAR: Random Access Response, random access response;

[0039] TRP: Transmit / Receive Point, transmit and receive node;

[0040] SS: Synchronization Signal, synchronization signal;

[0041] PBCH: Physical Broadcast Channel, the physical broadcast channel;

[0042] SSB: SS / PBCH block, synchronization broadcast block;

[0043] CSI-RS: Channel State Information-Reference Signal, channel state information reference signal;

[0044] HARQ: Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, hybrid automatic repeat request;

[0045] PUCCH: Physical Uplink Control Channel, the physical uplink control channel;

[0046] SRS: Sounding Reference Signal, sounding reference signal;

[0047] CSI: Channel-State Information, channel state information;

[0048] PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel, the physical downlink control channel.

[0049] PUSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel, the physical uplink shared channel.

[0050] BWP: Bandwidth Part, bandwidth part

[0051] The related technologies of the present invention are described below.

[0052] Timing Advance N TA

[0053] Timing Advance N TA can be used to calculate the timing advance value between downlink and uplink.

[0054] As Figure 2 shown, to maintain uplink synchronization, the UE needs to start transmitting the i-th uplink frame before the start position of the i-th downlink frame, as shown in the following figure. This period of time can be characterized by the timing advance value T TA , where T TA =(N TA +N IA，offset )*T c , where T c is a time parameter related to the carrier frequency.

[0055] The timing advance command contains an index value, which is denoted as TA and is used to calculate N TA . When receiving the timing advance command included in the random access response, the UE can calculate the value of N A according to the T TA among them. Or it can be said that T A indirectly indicates the value of N TA . The specific calculation method can refer to the prior art.

[0056] Timing Advance Group (TAG)

[0057] In the prior art, to maintain UL time alignment, each serving cell is assigned to a TAG, and serving cells with the same timing advance belong to the same TAG. TAGs are identified and distinguished by TAG IDs. To manage the validity of TA values, each TAG can have its own timer, timeAlignmentTimer (abbreviated as TA timer), which is used to control the effective time of uplink synchronization of the serving cells belonging to that TAG. During the operation of the timer timeAlignmentTimer, it can be considered that the T A value corresponding to that TAG is valid, so that the timing advance value T A calculated using this T TA value is valid. When T AWhen the value is updated, for example, when the UE receives a Timing Advance Command containing T A , then the timeAlignmentTimer of the corresponding TAG will be started or restarted. When the timeAlignmentTimer of a TAG runs out, it indicates that the uplink of the serving cell belonging to that TAG is no longer synchronized. Usually, the UE will release the PUSCH and PUCCH of the serving cell and clear the HARQ buffer (HARQ buffer).

[0058] In the scenario of multiple TRPs, a serving cell can contain more than one TRP, and each TRP has its own corresponding timing advance. Then, one implementation can be that a serving cell can belong to more than one TAG. For example, there can be two TAGs associated with the serving cell, each TAG corresponding to a TRP, or rather, each TRP has its own associated TAG or TAGID. Similarly, each TAG can have its own timeAlignmentTimer timer.

[0059] In addition, the TAG to which the Primary serving Cell (PCell) belongs is called the Primary TAG (PTAG).

[0060] Synchronization Signal Block SSB

[0061] When the NR system operates in the high-frequency band, the base station often cannot simultaneously transmit multiple beams covering the entire cell. Therefore, beam scanning technology is introduced in the NR system to solve the cell coverage problem.

[0062] The so-called beam scanning means that the base station only transmits one or several beam directions at a certain moment, and covers all directions required for the entire cell by transmitting different beams at multiple moments. The Synchronization Signal Block Set is designed for beam scanning and is used to transmit the Primary Synchronization Signal, Secondary Synchronization Signal, and Physical Broadcast Channel required for the UE to search for the cell in each beam direction, and these signals form a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB). The Synchronization Signal Block Set is a set of multiple Synchronization Signal Blocks within a certain time period. Within the same period, each Synchronization Signal Block corresponds to a beam direction, and the beam directions of the Synchronization Signal Blocks in a Synchronization Signal Block Set cover the entire cell.

[0063] In the scenario of multiple TRPs, it can be considered that one TRP corresponds to a part of the SSBs in the Synchronization Signal Block Set, and another TRP corresponds to a part of the SSBs in the set. The SSBs corresponding to the two form the complete set of the Synchronization Signal Block Set, that is, they cover the entire cell. Therefore, during the random access process, when the UE selects random access resources, it needs to first determine the beam direction of random access, that is, determine the SSB.

[0064] In multiple TRP scenarios, it can also be that a primary TRP corresponds to all the SSBs of the synchronized broadcast block set, achieving the coverage of the entire cell. Meanwhile, there is one or more secondary TRPs, and the beam directions they correspond to can be partial SSBs, or more refined, which can be characterized by CSI-RS, that is, the beam directions corresponding to CSI-RS.

[0065] Therefore, it can be considered that there is a corresponding relationship, or they are mutually related, between the TRP and the SSB or CSI-RS.

[0066] This corresponding relationship can be directly reflected in the RRC configuration information. For example, if a group of SSB serial numbers is configured for a TRP, then these SSBs are associated with that TRP. Another example is that if a group of CSI-RS is configured for a TRP, then these CSI-RS are associated with that TRP.

[0067] Such a corresponding relationship can also be characterized in an indirect way, such as through the TCI state (TCI state).

[0068] The UE detects the PDCCH on the configured search space. The configuration information of each search space contains the information of the control resource set (ControlResourceSet, CORESET) used by this search space. The control resource set provides resource blocks in the frequency domain and time domain. Each control resource set is associated with one or a group of TCI states. Each TCI state contains at least the information of one SSB or CSI-RS. The control resource set used for the same search space can be identified by its number coresetPoolIndex, where the number with a value of 0 can correspond to the first TRP, the number with a value of 1 corresponds to the second TRP, and so on. Therefore, one or more TCI states associated with the control resource set (or the control resource set number coresetPoolIndex) can correspond to the TRP corresponding to this control resource set (or the control resource set number coresetPoolIndex), thereby enabling the corresponding relationship formed by the TRP and the SSB or CSI-RS. Therefore, the configured value of the TCI state can be the first TRP, or the second TRP, thus corresponding to one or more SSBs or CSI-RS associated with this TRP.

[0069] In the present invention, the network, base station, and RAN can be used interchangeably. The network can be a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, a New Radio Access Technology (New RAT, NR) network, an enhanced Long-Term Evolution (eLTE) network, or other networks defined in subsequent evolved versions of 3GPP.

[0070] In addition, in this document, "associated with" and "corresponding to" can be used interchangeably.

[0071] Specific embodiments will be listed below to illustrate the processing method of the present invention.

[0072] Embodiment 1

[0073] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the method performed by a user equipment according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0074] As Figure 3 shown, in step 301, the UE receives an RRC reconfiguration message, which contains PUCCH resource configuration information for PUCCH resources, and the PUCCH resource configuration information also contains relevant information about the TCI state, thereby indicating that there is an associated TCI state for the PUCCH resource. Thus, the UE is configured with at least one or a group of PUCCH resources, and the at least one or a group of PUCCH is associated with at least one or a group of TCI states.

[0075] In step 302, for a scheduling request triggered on the UE side, it is determined whether the scheduling request is configured with a valid PUCCH resource according to a judgment criterion, and operation 1 or operation 2 is performed accordingly.

[0076] Operation 1: If the scheduling request is not configured with a valid PUCCH resource, then the UE can initiate a random access procedure, and preferably, cancel the scheduling request;

[0077] Operation 2: If the scheduling request is configured with a valid PUCCH resource and there is a transmission time for the SR, then the MAC entity of the UE instructs the physical layer to signal the SR on one valid PUCCH resource for SR.

[0078] In the above operations, the UE can use the following judgment criterion to determine whether there is a valid PUCCH resource:

[0079] 1) The scheduling request is associated with the configuration information of one or a group of PUCCH resources: According to the triggering reason of the scheduling request, for example, there is uplink data arriving on a certain logical channel, and this logical channel corresponds to a scheduling request configuration. Then, the scheduling request triggered by the arrival of this logical information data can determine the PUCCH resources associated with this scheduling request according to the PUCCH resource configuration information included in the scheduling request configuration information corresponding to this logical channel. Only when the PUCCH resources are associated with the activated scheduling request, then this or these PUCCH resources may be valid.

[0080] 2) The PUCCH resources are located on the currently activated BWP. The UE needs to be on the activated BWP to perform uplink transmission. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether the PUCCH resources are located on the activated BWP, mainly based on the frequency domain information of the PUCCH resources. If the frequency to which the PUCCH resources belong is located on the currently activated BWP, then this or these PUCCH resources may be valid.

[0081] 3) The PUCCH resources are in the transmission timing of the scheduling request in terms of time. This is mainly determined according to the triggering timing of the scheduling request. If the PUCCH resources appear when the scheduling request is triggered or within a very short period of time after being triggered, then it can be considered that the PUCCH resources are in the transmission timing of the scheduling request, and then this or these PUCCH resources may be valid.

[0082] 4) According to the configuration information received in step 1, the corresponding TCI state needs to be adopted to send the PUCCH resources. If the TA timer corresponding to the TAG associated with this TCI state is running, then this or these PUCCH resources may be valid. If the TA timer corresponding to the TAG associated with this TCI state has stopped, for example, stopped due to running timeout, then this or these PUCCH resources are no longer regarded as valid PUCCH resources.

[0083] Only when the PUCCH resources meet the above 1)-4) criteria, the PUCCH resources are regarded as valid PUCCH resources (consider as valid PUCCH resources), and then operation two can be executed. Otherwise, that is, when any one of the above criteria is not met, the PUCCH resources will not be regarded as valid PUCCH resources, or are regarded as invalid PUCCH resources, and then operation one can be executed.

[0084] As a supplement, for the RRC reconfiguration message containing PUCCH resource configuration received by the UE in step 1, if the relevant information of the TCI state is not included in the PUCCH configuration information, it means that there is no associated TCI state for this PUCCH resource. Then when performing step 2, when judging the validity of the PUCCH resource, criterion 4) does not need to be considered, and operation 2 can be executed only when criteria 1)-3) are all satisfied.

[0085] Embodiment 2

[0086] Based on Embodiment 1, the scheduling request configured for the UE can be associated with more than one or a group of PUCCH resources, and the TCI states associated with these PUCCH resources are different.

[0087] For example, the configuration information of a scheduling request can include the indexes or identities (IDs) of more than one PUCCH resource. Among them, for PUCCH resources with different identities, the associated TCI states are different. For example, one or a group of PUCCH resources can be associated with the first TCI state, while another or a group of PUCCH resources can be associated with the second TCI state.

[0088] Embodiment 3

[0089] Based on Embodiment 2, if the triggered scheduling request is associated with more than one or a group of PUCCH resources, for example, it is associated with the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource at the same time. Then when transmitting the scheduling request, if there are valid PUCCH resources and both the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource are valid PUCCH resources, the UE can always select the first (or second) PUCCH resource to transmit the scheduling request. The specific operation can be the following:

[0090] The UE receives an RRC message from the network side containing scheduling request configuration information (such as SchedulingRequestConfig). In the scheduling request configuration information, each scheduling request identifier can be associated with at least two PUCCH resources. Such an association operation can be to include a scheduling request identifier in the configuration related to the scheduling request resource, and at the same time include at least two PUCCH resources. Among them, each PUCCH resource is associated with one or a group of TCI states. Specifically, it can be configured that the first PUCCH resource is associated with the TCI state with the value of the first TCI state, and the second PUCCH resource is associated with the TCI state with the value of the second TCI state.

[0091] Therefore, it can be determined that the first uplink TCI state is applied when transmitting PUCCH on the first PUCCH resource, and the second uplink TCI state is applied when transmitting PUCCH on the second PUCCH resource. The first or second uplink TCI state can be a TCI state, or a TCI state group including more than one TCI state.

[0092] When a scheduling request is triggered, it can be considered that the scheduling request is pending. For each pending scheduling request, the MAC layer of the UE can instruct the lower layer to transmit a scheduling request (Signal SchedulingRequest, Signal SR) on the PUCCH resource. Since there is a corresponding scheduling request configuration or scheduling request resource configuration for the pending SR, and it includes at least two PUCCH resources, the problem is which PUCCH resource the UE should use to transmit the scheduling request.

[0093] In the first case, for the TCI state corresponding to the first PUCCH resource, the TA timer corresponding to the associated TAG is running, while for the TCI state corresponding to the second PUCCH resource, the TA timer corresponding to the associated TAG is not running, or has stopped or timed out. Then the UE transmits the PUCCH for the scheduling request on the first PUCCH resource.

[0094] Specifically, the MAC layer of the UE can determine that in this case, the first PUCCH resource is a valid PUCCH resource and instruct the lower layer, such as the physical layer, to transmit the scheduling request on this valid PUCCH resource.

[0095] In the second case, for the TCI state corresponding to the first PUCCH resource, the TA timer corresponding to the associated TAG is not running, or has stopped or timed out, while for the TCI state corresponding to the second PUCCH resource, the TA timer corresponding to the associated TAG is running. Then the UE transmits the PUCCH for the scheduling request on the second PUCCH resource.

[0096] Specifically, the MAC layer of the UE can determine that in this case, the second PUCCH resource is a valid PUCCH resource and instruct the lower layer, such as the physical layer, to transmit the scheduling request on this valid PUCCH resource.

[0097] In the third case, for the TCI states corresponding to the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH, the TA timers corresponding to the associated TAGs are both running

[0098] In this case, the UE can arbitrarily select (or randomly select) one of the PUCCH resources and send a scheduling request on this resource.

[0099] Specifically, it can be that the MAC layer of the UE determines that in this case, the first and second PUCCH resources are valid PUCCH resources, arbitrarily selects (or randomly selects) one of the PUCCH resources, and indicates to the lower layer, such as the physical layer, to send a scheduling request on the selected PUCCH resource.

[0100] It can also be that the MAC layer of the UE indicates both the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource to the physical layer for sending a scheduling request. Correspondingly, at the physical layer, the UE randomly selects a PUCCH resource according to the TCI states corresponding to these two resources, and then sends a PUCCH for the scheduling request on the selected resource.

[0101] In this case, it can also be specified by network configuration or presetting to send a scheduling request on the first PUCCH resource, or to send a scheduling request on the second PUCCH resource. It can also be to determine the specified PUCCH resource according to the specified configuration information. For example, it is to send a scheduling request on the PUCCH resource associated with the first TCI state, or to send a scheduling request on the PUCCH resource associated with the second TCI state.

[0102] Taking "specifying to send a scheduling request on the first PUCCH resource" as an example:

[0103] Specifically, it can be that the MAC layer of the UE determines that in this case, the first PUCCH resource is a valid PUCCH resource, and indicates to the lower layer, such as the physical layer, to send a scheduling request on this PUCCH resource.

[0104] It can also be that the MAC layer of the UE indicates both the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource to the physical layer for sending a scheduling request. Correspondingly, at the physical layer, the UE sends a PUCCH for the scheduling request on the first PUCCH resource.

[0105] Taking "sending a scheduling request on the PUCCH resource associated with the first TCI state" as an example again.

[0106] Specifically, it can be that the MAC layer of the UE determines that in this case, the PUCCH resource associated with the first TCI state, that is, the first PUCCH resource, is a valid PUCCH resource, and indicates to the lower layer, such as the physical layer, to send a scheduling request on this PUCCH resource.

[0107] It is also possible that the MAC layer of the UE indicates both the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource to the physical layer for sending a scheduling request. Correspondingly, at the physical layer, the UE selects the PUCCH resource associated with the first TCI state, i.e., the first PUCCH resource, and then sends a PUCCH for the scheduling request on this PUCCH resource.

[0108] In the fourth case, neither of the TA timers corresponding to the TAGs associated with the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource is running:

[0109] In this case, the MAC layer of the UE can determine that there is no valid PUCCH resource, thereby triggering and executing a random access procedure.

[0110] Embodiment 4

[0111] Based on Embodiment 3, a first counting variable COUNT-1 can be set for the first PUCCH resource, and a second counting variable COUNT-2 can be set for the second PUCCH resource. When it is determined that there is a valid PUCCH resource, the UE determines whether the corresponding counting variable is less than a pre-configured threshold.

[0112] For example: The UE can determine that the first PUCCH resource is a valid PUCCH resource according to Embodiment 3, and then the UE determines whether the first counting variable COUNT-1 is less than or does not exceed the pre-configured threshold.

[0113] In one case, the value of COUNT-1 is less than the pre-configured threshold. Then, the MAC layer of the UE can indicate to the lower layer, such as the physical layer, to transmit a scheduling request on the first PUCCH resource, and then increment the value of COUNT-1 by one;

[0114] In another case, when the UE determines that the value of COUNT-1 exceeds the pre-configured threshold, the UE can further determine the value of COUNT-2 and whether the second PUCCH resource is valid:

[0115] - If the value of COUNT-2 is also not less than the pre-configured threshold, then the UE triggers and executes a random access procedure, and optionally, notifies the upper layer of the UE, such as the RRC layer above the MAC layer, to release the PUCCH resource;

[0116] - If the value of COUNT-2 is less than the pre-configured threshold, but there is no valid PUCCH resource, then the UE can trigger and execute a random access procedure. Preferably, there is no need to notify the RRC layer to release the PUCCH resource here;

[0117] - If the value of COUNT-2 is less than a pre-configured threshold and if there is a valid second PUCCH resource, then the UE may send a scheduling request on the second PUCCH resource. The determination of validity is as described above. Preferably, the TA timer of the TAG corresponding to the TCI state associated with the second PUCCH resource is still running.

[0118] A possible implementation of this embodiment may also be when determining the validity of the PUCCH, adding a criterion 5), that is, whether the value of the counting variable corresponding to the PUCCH resource is less than a pre-configured threshold. If it is less, the resource is valid; if it is not less, the resource is invalid. This can be operated in combination with Embodiment 1.

[0119] [Variant Example]

[0120] Figure 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a user equipment involved in the present invention.

[0121] As Figure 4 shown, the user equipment 400 at least includes a processor 401 and a memory 402. The processor 401 may include, for example, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an embedded processor, etc. The memory 402 may include, for example, a volatile memory (such as a random access memory RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a non-volatile memory (such as a flash memory), or other memory systems, etc. Program instructions are stored on the memory 402. When run by the processor 401, these instructions may execute one or several steps in the processing method of the UE of the present disclosure.

[0122] The methods and the devices involved in the present disclosure have been described above in combination with preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art can understand that the methods shown above are only exemplary, and the above-described embodiments can be combined with each other without contradiction. The method of the present invention is not limited to the steps and sequences shown above.

[0123] The user equipment shown above may include more modules. For example, it may also include modules that can be developed or will be developed and can be used for base stations, MMEs, or UEs, etc. The various identifiers shown above are only exemplary and not restrictive. The present disclosure is not limited to the specific cells that are examples of these identifiers. Those skilled in the art can make many changes and modifications according to the teachings of the shown embodiments.

[0124] It should be understood that the above embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both software and hardware. For example, various components inside the base station and user equipment in the above embodiments can be implemented by a variety of devices, including but not limited to: analog circuit devices, digital circuit devices, digital signal processing (DSP) circuits, programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and so on.

[0125] In addition, the program running on the device according to the present invention can be a program that enables a computer to implement the functions of the embodiments of the present invention by controlling a central processing unit (CPU). The program or the information processed by the program can be temporarily stored in a volatile memory (such as a random access memory RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a non-volatile memory (such as a flash memory), or other memory systems.

[0126] The program for implementing the functions of the embodiments of the present invention can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The corresponding functions can be implemented by causing a computer system to read the program recorded on the recording medium and execute these programs. Here, the so-called "computer system" can be a computer system embedded in the device, and can include an operating system or hardware (such as peripheral devices). The "computer-readable recording medium" can be a semiconductor recording medium, an optical recording medium, a magnetic recording medium, a recording medium for storing a program dynamically for a short time, or any other recording medium readable by a computer.

[0127] The various features or functional modules of the device used in the above embodiments can be implemented or executed by a circuit (for example, a single-chip or multi-chip integrated circuit). The circuit designed to execute the functions described in this specification can include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of the above devices. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or any existing processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The above circuit can be a digital circuit or an analog circuit. In the case where new integrated circuit technologies replace existing integrated circuits due to the progress of semiconductor technology, one or more embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented using these new integrated circuit technologies.

[0128] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Although various examples of the embodiments have been described, the present invention is not limited thereto. Fixed or non-mobile electronic devices installed indoors or outdoors can be used as terminal devices or communication devices, such as AV devices, kitchen devices, cleaning devices, air conditioners, office equipment, vending machines, and other household appliances.

[0129] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the specific structure is not limited to the above embodiments, and the present invention also includes any design modifications that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. In addition, various modifications can be made to the present invention within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components having the same effects described in the above embodiments can be substituted for each other.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment UE, comprising: receiving an RRC reconfiguration message, the RRC reconfiguration message including PUCCH resource configuration information for at least one or a group of PUCCH resources, the PUCCH resource configuration information including information related to a TCI state, indicating the association of the at least one or a group of PUCCH resources with at least one or a group of TCI states; for a scheduling request triggered on the UE side, judging whether the scheduling request is configured with a valid PUCCH resource according to a judgment criterion; and when the scheduling request is configured with a valid PUCCH resource and there is a transmission time for the scheduling request, sending the scheduling request on the valid PUCCH resource for the scheduling request, wherein the judgment criterion includes: judging whether the PUCCH resource is associated with the scheduling request triggered by a certain trigger reason according to the PUCCH resource configuration information included in the scheduling request configuration information corresponding to the scheduling request triggered by the trigger reason; judging whether the PUCCH resource is located on the currently activated BWP; judging whether the PUCCH resource is in the transmission opportunity of the scheduling request in terms of time; and for a TAG associated with the TCI state corresponding to the PUCCH resource, judging whether the TA timer corresponding to the TAG is running.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: when the scheduling request is not configured with a valid PUCCH resource, the UE starts a random access procedure or cancels the scheduling request.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: when the triggered scheduling request is simultaneously associated with a first PUCCH resource and a second PUCCH resource, and it is judged that both the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource are valid PUCCH resources, then selecting the first PUCCH resource or the second PUCCH resource to transmit the scheduling request.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: when the triggered scheduling request is simultaneously associated with a first PUCCH resource and a second PUCCH resource, and it is judged that one of the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource is a valid PUCCH resource, then using the valid one of the PUCCH resources to transmit the scheduling request.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein, the first PUCCH resource is associated with a first TCI state, and the second PUCCH resource is associated with a second TCI state different from the first TCI state.

6. A method performed by a user equipment UE, comprising: receiving an RRC reconfiguration message, the RRC reconfiguration message including PUCCH resource configuration information for at least one or a group of PUCCH resources, the PUCCH resource configuration information not including information related to a TCI state; for a scheduling request triggered on the UE side, judging whether the scheduling request is configured with a valid PUCCH resource according to a judgment criterion; and When the scheduling request is configured with a valid PUCCH resource and there is a transmission time for the scheduling request, the scheduling request is sent on the valid PUCCH resource for the scheduling request. The determination criteria include: Based on the PUCCH resource configuration information included in the scheduling request configuration information corresponding to the scheduling request triggered by a certain triggering cause, determining whether the PUCCH resource is associated with the scheduling request triggered by the triggering cause; Determining whether the PUCCH resource is located on the currently activated BWP; and Determining whether the PUCCH resource is in the time of the sending opportunity of the scheduling request.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: When the scheduling request is not configured with a valid PUCCH resource, the UE initiates a random access procedure or cancels the scheduling request.

8. A user equipment, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions, wherein the above instructions, when run by the above processor, execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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