Device and method for configuring transmission of authorization

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for configuring transmission opportunities in a authorization (CG) period. A terminal device determines indication information indicating a usage state of at least one transmission opportunity (TO) or a group of TOs of a plurality of TOs indicated by a configuration authorization configuration. And the terminal equipment sends indication information to the network equipment through the transceiver. In this manner, a plurality of different TBs may be transmitted over the configured plurality of TOs.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to devices, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for transmission for configured grant (CG). BACKGROUND

[0002] New Radio (NR), also referred to as the fifth generation (5G) mobile networks, is a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. NR enables a new type of network that is designed to connect almost everything (including machines, objects, and devices) with each other and with people. NR wireless technology aims to provide higher multi-Gbps peak data rates, ultra-low latency, higher reliability, huge network capacity, greater availability, and more uniform user experience. Higher performance and higher efficiency empower new user experiences and connect new industries.

[0003] Extended Reality (XR) is a broad term that encompasses Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), Virtual Reality (VR), etc. Like cloud computing, XR applications usually require high throughput and low latency, and have large packet sizes and variable packet sizes. In order to achieve low latency requirements and large packet sizes, it has been decided in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to configure a terminal device such as a user equipment (UE) with multiple configured grant CG (CG) occasions (TOs) for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission within a period of a single CG PUSCH configuration. Then, if a packet arrives at the UE, the packet can be sent immediately in all or part of the configured TOs. Considering that a network device such as a 5G base station (gNB) does not know the actual size of the XR packet and how many TOs the UE will use, the number of TOs occupied by the UE can be less than the number of configured TOs, which means that some TOs will be wasted. Therefore, there is a need to further enhance the transmission of CG. SUMMARY

[0004] Generally, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide devices, methods, and computer-readable media for transmission occasions in a configured grant (CG) period.

[0005] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to: determine indication information, wherein the indication information indicates: a usage state of at least one transmission occasion (TO) or a group of TOs from a plurality of TOs indicated by a configured grant configuration; and send, via the transceiver, the indication information to a network device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to: receive, from a terminal device via the transceiver, indication information, where the indication information indicates a usage status of at least one transmission occasion (TO) or a group of TOs among a plurality of TOs indicated by a configured grant configuration; and determine, based on the indication information, the usage status of the at least one TO or the group of TOs among the plurality of TOs.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method performed by a terminal device is provided. The method includes: determining indication information, where the indication information indicates a usage status of at least one transmission occasion (TO) or a group of TOs among a plurality of TOs indicated by a configured grant configuration; and transmitting, to a network device via a transceiver, the indication information.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method performed by a network device is provided. The method includes: receiving, from a terminal device, indication information, where the indication information indicates a usage status of at least one transmission occasion (TO) or a group of TOs among a plurality of TOs indicated by a configured grant configuration; and determining, based on the indication information, the usage status of the at least one TO or the group of TOs among the plurality of TOs.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes: means for determining indication information, where the indication information indicates a usage status of at least one transmission occasion (TO) or a group of TOs among a plurality of TOs indicated by a configured grant configuration; and means for transmitting, to a network device via a transceiver, the indication information.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes: means for receiving, from a terminal device, indication information, where the indication information indicates a usage status of at least one transmission occasion (TO) or a group of TOs among a plurality of TOs indicated by a configured grant configuration; and means for determining, based on the indication information, the usage status of the at least one TO or the group of TOs among the plurality of TOs.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions, the memory and the instructions being configured to, with the processor, cause the terminal device to perform the method according to the third aspect described above.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a network device is provided, the network device comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions, the memory and the instructions being configured to, with the processor, cause the network device to perform the method according to the fourth aspect described above.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium has program instructions stored thereon. The program instructions, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method according to the third or fourth aspect described above.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product is encoded with instructions for performing the method according to the third or fourth aspect described above.

[0015] It should be understood that the summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the disclosure will be readily apparent from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] Some embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 An example network environment in which some embodiments of the disclosure can be implemented is illustrated;

[0018] Figure 2A An example time domain resource allocation for a PUSCH with PUSCH repetition Type A related to some embodiments of the disclosure is illustrated;

[0019] Figure 2B An example time domain resource allocation for a PUSCH with enhanced PUSCH repetition Type A is illustrated;

[0020] Figure 2C An example time domain resource allocation for a PUSCH with TBOMS is illustrated;

[0021] Figure 2D A simplified block diagram of a UE configured with Type 2 CG activated by an activation DCI reporting aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI) is illustrated;

[0022] Figure 2E A simplified block diagram of TO of two CG configurations overlapping each other is illustrated;

[0023] Figure 3A An example signaling diagram of an example process according to some embodiments of the disclosure is illustrated;

[0024] Figure 3B Another example signaling diagram of an example process according to some embodiments of the disclosure is illustrated;

[0025] Figure 3C Yet another example signaling diagram of an example process according to some embodiments of the disclosure is illustrated;

[0026] Figure 4A FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of transmission of multiple TBs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 4B FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of transmission of multiple TBs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 4C FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of transmission of multiple TBs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 5A FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of transmission of multiple TBs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 5B FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of transmission of multiple TBs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 5C FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of transmission of multiple TBs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 5D FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of transmission of multiple TBs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 6 FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of transmission of multiple TBs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 7 FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of transmission of multiple TBs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 8 FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of transmission of multiple TBs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Throughout the drawings, identical or similar reference numerals can designate identical or similar elements throughout the several views. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that the embodiments are described only for the purpose of explanation and to help the person skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure described herein can be implemented in various other ways than those described below.

[0038] In the following description and claims, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs, unless otherwise defined.

[0039] Reference within this disclosure to “one embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “some embodiments,” and the like means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearance of the phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, these terms are not necessarily used consistently throughout the specification. Also, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of one of ordinary skill in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described or claimed.

[0040] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” and the like can be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could also be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could also be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the examples. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms.

[0041] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and / or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0042] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as 5G NR, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Further, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols that are currently known or that will be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In consideration of the rapid development of communication, there will also be future types of communication technology and systems that can embody the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to only the above-described systems.

[0043] As used herein, the term “network device” generally refers to a node in a communication network via which terminal devices can access a communication network and receive services therefrom. A network device can refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), e.g., a NodeB (NB), a radio access network (RAN) node, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), an infrastructure equipment for V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication, a transmission reception point (TRP), a reception point (RP), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node (such as a femto BS, a pico BS), etc., depending on the terminology used and the technology.

[0044] As used herein, the term “terminal device” generally refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example, but not limitation, a terminal device can also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), an end user device, a subscriber station (SS), an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). A terminal device can include, but is not limited to, a mobile telephone, a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device, such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback appliance, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), a laptop-mounted equipment (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a medical device (e.g., a remote surgery device), an industrial device (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain environments), a consumer electronics, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. In the following description, the terms “terminal device,” “communication device,” “terminal,” “user equipment,” and “UE” can be used interchangeably.

[0045] As used herein, the term “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block,” “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” can refer to any resource used to perform communication between a terminal device and a network device or between terminal devices, such as a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, a spatial domain resource, a code domain resource, or any other resource capable of communication, etc. In the following, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described using resources in both frequency and time domains as examples of transmission resources. It should be noted that embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0046] Figure 1 An example network environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is illustrated. The environment 100, which can be part of a communication network, includes terminal devices and network devices.

[0047] As Figure 1 As shown in the middle, the communication network 100 can include a terminal device 110 (hereinafter also referred to as a user equipment 110 or UE 110). The communication network 100 can also include a network device 120. The network device 120 can manage a cell 101. The terminal device 110 and the network device 120 can communicate data and control information with each other within the coverage of the cell. The link from the network device 120 to the terminal device 110 is called downlink (DL), while the link from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 is called uplink (UL).

[0048] It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent any limitation. The system 100 can include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more terminal devices can be located in the environment 100.

[0049] Communications in the communication network 100 can conform to any suitable standard, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), LTE, LTE Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Machine Type Communication (MTC), etc. In addition, the communications can be performed according to any generation of communication protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include but are not limited to: first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols.

[0050] As mentioned above, XR applications typically require high throughput and low latency, and feature large and variable packet sizes. To achieve these low latency and large packet sizes, efficient resource allocation is necessary. Currently, multiple PUSCH transmissions can be dynamically scheduled by uplink (UL) grants in the downlink control information (DCI), or transmissions can utilize resources configured by configuration grants (CGs), which can be categorized into Type 1 CGs and Type 2 CGs.

[0051] The configuration authorization type 1 PUSCH transmission is semi-statically configured to: receive higher-layer parameters when no UL authorization is detected in the DCI. configuredGrantConfig (include rrc-ConfiguredUplinkGrant When receiving data that does not include... rrc-ConfiguredUplinkGrant high-level configuredGrantConfig Following the parameters, configuration grant type 2 PUSCH transmissions are semi-persistently scheduled by UL grants in a valid active DCI. The UE can be configured with one or more CG configurations, and for each CG configuration, the time period... P CG types are provided.

[0052] To achieve low latency requirements and large packet sizes, 3GPP has agreed to configure multiple CG PUSCH transmission opportunities (TOs) within the time period of a single CG PUSCH configuration.

[0053] There are several schemes for time-domain resource allocation, including PUSCH repetition type A introduced in Rel-15 and PUSCH repetition type B introduced in Rel-16. Enhancements to PUSCH repetition type A are beneficial for PUSCH coverage enhancement for TDD. In Rel-17, TB processing over multiple time slots (TBOMS) is supported, meaning that which scheme to use for a given PUSCH transmission can be configured via higher-level parameters. For illustrative purposes only, example time-domain resource allocations for some of these schemes will be described below.

[0054] For CG configuration, SLIV can be configured for PUSCH repetition type A. The start symbol S relative to the start of the slot, and the number of consecutive symbols L counting from the symbol S assigned to PUSCH, are determined by the start of the index row and the length indicator SLIV. if ,but otherwise in .

[0055] The number of repetitions K can be determined as: - If there is a resource allocation table in numberOfRepetitions , the repetition number K is equal to numberOfRepetitions ; - Otherwise, the repetition number K is provided by the higher layer configured parameter repK .

[0056] For PUSCH repetition Type A, in case of K > 1, the same symbol allocation is applied over K consecutive slots. The UE shall repeat the TB in K consecutive slots to apply the same symbol allocation in each slot.

[0057] For example, assuming for a CG configuration, the starting slot is slot #1, S = 2, L = 8, K = 4, then Figure 2A Example time domain resources for PUSCH with PUSCH repetition Type A can be found in

[0058] For PUSCH repetition Type A, if any symbol of the PUSCH overlaps with a symbol indicated as downlink to the UE, the PUSCH transmission in the slot of the multi-slot PUSCH transmission is omitted. tdd-UL-DL- ConfigurationCommon or tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated If a symbol set of a slot indicated to the UE as downlink overlaps, the PUSCH transmission in the slot of the multi-slot PUSCH transmission is omitted.

[0059] For enhanced PUSCH repetition Type A, the resource allocation in time domain is almost the same as PUSCH repetition Type A, except that the repetition number is calculated based on available slots. In particular, if at least one of the symbols indicated by the TDRA for PUSCH in a slot overlaps with a symbol not intended for UL transmission, and a semi-static flexible symbol configured by tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon or tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated is considered available, the slot can be determined as unavailable.

[0060] For example, assuming for a CG configuration, the starting slot is slot #1, S = 2, L = 8, K = 4, then Figure 2B Time domain resources for PUSCH with enhanced PUSCH repetition Type A can be found in For TBOMS, time domain resource determination can be performed via PUSCH repetition Type A, as time domain resource allocation (TDRA). The number of slots N allocated for TB transmission of TBOMS, or in other words the number of slots N used for TBS calculation, is determined using the row index of the TDRA list configured via radio resource control (RRC) message, and counted based on available slots for UL transmission. In this disclosure, the transmission in each slot can be referred to as one transmission part of the TB. The determination of available slots is as defined in enhanced PUSCH repetition Type A.

[0061] For example, for CG configuration, the starting slot is slot #1, S = 2, L = 8, N = 4, then Figure 2C An example time domain resource with PUSCH for TBOMS can be found in

[0062] However, the gNB does not know the actual size of the XR packet, nor does it know how many TOs the UE will use. The number of occupied TOs can be less than the number of configured TOs. Therefore, it is necessary to further enhance the transmission of CG to improve the resource utilization of CG.

[0063] In addition, a solution is also needed for transmitting multiple different TBs on multiple configured TOs when multiple CG PUSCH transmission occasions (TOs) are configured. In addition, when a Type 2 CG is activated by DCI activation, a UE configured with a Type 2 CG also needs to report an aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI) report, but the TO for reporting A-CSI can be an unused TO (as shown in Figure 2D ). Therefore, it is necessary to solve the transmission problem of A-CSI reporting. In addition, when multiple CG configurations are configured for a UE, the UE also needs to know how to indicate an unused TO when TOs from multiple CG configurations overlap with each other in the time domain (as shown in Figure 2E ).

[0064] In view of the above discussion, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved solution for transmission of configured grant (CG). In one aspect of the solution of the present disclosure, a terminal device determines indication information, wherein the indication information indicates a usage state of at least one TO or a TO group from a plurality of transmission occasions (TOs) indicated by a configured grant configuration. The terminal device sends the indication information to a network device.

[0065] In this way, the resource utilization for CG can be efficiently improved by the indication information. In addition, other embodiments or other aspects of the present disclosure also provide solutions to solve other problems described above. In the following, the principles and implementations of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail. Figures 3A-7 The principles and implementations of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail. Example method

[0066] Figure 3A An example signaling diagram illustrating an example process 200A according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 An example 200A is described.

[0067] In example process 300A, terminal device 110 determines 310 indication information. The indication information can indicate a usage status of at least one TO or a group of TOs in a plurality of transmission occasions (TOs) indicated by a configured grant configuration. For example, terminal device 110 can determine the indication information based on whether the TO or the group of TOs is to be used. If the TO or the group of TOs is used, the usage status can indicate it as “used” or not as unused; otherwise, the usage status can indicate it as unused or not as used.

[0068] In some embodiments, the plurality of TOs for a CG configuration can include at least two groups of TOs that can be used to transmit at least two transport blocks (TBs).

[0069] For example, a UE can determine a plurality of TOs within a time duration for a first configured grant (CG) configuration, where the time duration can be a periodicity of the first CG configuration. The UE can also determine a parameter M, where M represents a number of different TBs that can be transmitted within the time duration. In this case, the UE can determine a usage status of the TOs in at least two groups and transmit indication information (e.g., UCI) to indicate to a network device that some of the plurality of TOs are unused. Alternatively, the UE can determine a usage status of each of the at least two groups and transmit indication information (e.g., UCI) to indicate to the network device that some of the groups of TOs are unused.

[0070] In some embodiments, the plurality of TOs can be divided into at least two groups in many different ways. To facilitate illustration, several options for TO grouping will be described with reference to Figures 4A-C Option-1 (Interaction with, e.g., TBOMS)

[0071] In Option 1, all TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs are configured to transmit a single TB, and the at least two groups of TOs are configured to transmit different TBs. The number of the at least two groups of TOs can be determined based on a number of TBs that can be transmitted within a time duration of a CG configuration.

[0072] For example, if a parameter N is configured, where N represents a number of slots to calculate a transport block size, the UE can determine that M groups of TOs can be used to transmit M PUSCH transmissions and determine a number of TOs in each group as N, where the parameter N indicates a number of TOs to transmit a single TB. In some embodiments, the number of TOs configured to transmit a single TB is determined based on a number of slots corresponding to a transport block size TBS.

[0073] In other words, the UE can determine that M N TOs to transmit M PUSCH transmissions, and the UE will transmit a single TB on N slots in a group. For example, as​Figure 4A As shown, assuming N=2 and M=2, the UE can determine that 4 TOs are grouped into two TO groups to transmit 2 TBs, and each TB is transmitted in 2 time slots in each TO group.

[0074] In this case, the number of bits of the indication information can be determined based on transmission parameters, which include any of the following: the number of at least two TBs; or the number of at least two TBs and the number of TOs configured to send a single TB.

[0075] For example, the indication message or UCI could indicate multiple unused groups, and the number of bits would be determined based on M. Alternatively, the indication message or UCI could indicate unused TOs, and the number of bits could be based on M. N is thus determined. Option 2 (interaction with, for example, repeating type A)

[0076] In option 2, all TOs in each of at least two groups of TOs are configured to send different transport blocks, and at least two groups of TOs are configured to repeatedly transmit the same set of TBs. The number of at least two groups of TOs can be determined based on the number of times at least two TBs are repeatedly transmitted.

[0077] For example, if repetition type A is configured, and if K is configured, where K indicates the number of repetitions for at least two TBs, then the UE can determine K groups of TOs to repeat M TBs, and the number of TOs in each group of TOs is M. In other words, the UE determines M... K TOs are used to send M PUSCH transmissions, and the UE should transmit M PUSCHs. K TOs are repeated on M TBs. For example, such as... Figure 4B As shown in the figure, assuming K=2 and M=4, the UE determines that 8TOs are grouped into two TO groups to send 4TB of duplicates.

[0078] In this case, the number of bits of the indication information can be determined based on the transmission parameters, which include one of the following: at least two TBs; or at least two TBs and the number of repeated transmissions of at least two TBs.

[0079] For example, if the UCI indication(s) do not use groups, and the number of bits is determined based on M. Or alternatively, if the UCI indication does not use TO, and the number of bits is determined based on M. K was thus determined. Option 3 (interaction with, for example, repeating type A and TBOMS)

[0080] In some embodiments, at least two TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs are configured to transmit a single TB, and at least two other TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs are configured to transmit another TB, and wherein the at least two groups of TOs are configured to repeatedly transmit the same set of TBs. The number of the at least two groups of TOs can be determined based on the number of repetitions of the at least two TBs.

[0081] For example, if repetition type A is configured, and if K is configured, where K indicates the number of repetitions of the at least two TBs, and parameter N is configured, where N represents the number of slots corresponding to a transport block (i.e., slots interpreting the transport block size TB), the UE can determine K groups of TOs, and each group has M TOs, and is used to transmit M TBs, and the UE can transmit each TB on N slots. For example, as shown in Figure 4C For example, as shown in

[0082] In this case, the number of bits indicating the information can be determined based on the transmission parameters, where the transmission parameters comprise one of: the number of the at least two TBs; or the number of the at least two TBs, and the number of TOs configured to transmit a single TB.

[0083] For example, if the first UCI indicates the unused TOs in each group, the number of bits can be determined based on M. Or alternatively, the first UCI can indicate the unused TOs, and the number of bits can be determined based on M N.

[0084] Referring again to Figure 3A , the terminal device 110 sends 312 the indication information to the network device 120. Accordingly, the network device 120 receives the indication information from the terminal device 110, where the indication information indicates the usage status of at least one TO or group of TOs in the plurality of TOs indicated by the configured grant configuration. Then, based on the indication information, the network device 120 determines the usage status of at least one TO or group of TOs in the plurality of TOs.

[0085] In this way, the network device can know the unused TOs in the plurality of TOs indicated by the CG configuration, and can re-schedule resources for, for example, other UEs or other traffic, and thereby can improve the resource usage of the CG. In addition, some of the above embodiments can also provide an efficient solution for transmitting a plurality of different TBs on a plurality of configured TOs when a plurality of CG PUSCH transmission occasions (TOs) are configured.

[0086] In addition, when Type 2 CG is activated by DCI, the UE configured with Type 2 CG also needs to report aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI) reports (such as...). Figure 2D As shown in the diagram, the transmission of A-CSI reports needs to be addressed. In particular, the inventors note that currently, when two PUSCH allocations are scheduled in DCI format 0_1, the aperiodic CSI report is carried on the second scheduled PUSCH; when more than two PUSCH allocations are scheduled in DCI format 0_1, the aperiodic CSI report is carried on the penultimate scheduled PUSCH.

[0087] However, for CG type 2, activating DCI can schedule multiple PUSCH allocations, and some of these multiple PUSCH allocations will not be used for XR, for example, as Figure 2D As shown, according to the current specification, CSI should be sent in the penultimate PUSCH. However, TO is unused and therefore may not be able to be used to send A-CSI reports. Therefore, this paper provides a solution for A-CSI transmission and will refer to... Figure 3B Describe it.

[0088] Figure 3B An example signaling diagram of an example process 300B according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Example 300B is described. It should be understood that, as a separate aspect of this disclosure, process 300B may be implemented in conjunction with process 300A, or independently of process 300A.

[0089] like Figure 3B As shown, in example process 300B, network device 320 sends a 320UL authorization to terminal device 110 in DCI to activate the CG resource previously indicated by CG configuration, and terminal device 110 receives a 322 uplink authorization in DCI to activate the CG resource.

[0090] Then, in response to the activation instruction for the CG configuration (i.e., the received UL authorization for activating the CG resource), the terminal device sends a 324 A-CSI report on a predetermined TO among a plurality of TOs.

[0091] In some embodiments, a predetermined TO is a TO that is not indicated as unused, and wherein a predetermined TO for sending an A-CSI report includes one of the following: a second used TO when two of a plurality of TOs are not indicated as unused; a penultimate used TO when more than two of a plurality of TOs are not indicated as unused; a first TO among the TOs that are not indicated as unused; or the last TO among the TOs that are not indicated as unused.

[0092] In other words, if two of the TOs in the TO set are used, the A-CSI report is carried on the PUSCH transmission of the second used TO; if more than two of the TOs in the TO set are used, the A-CSI report is carried on the PUSCH transmission of the second last used TO. Or alternatively, the A-CSI report can be carried on the PUSCH transmission of the first used TO or the last used TO.

[0093] In some embodiments, the sending the A-CSI report comprises: when the predetermined TO is indicated as unused, sending the A-CIS report on the predetermined TO without TB. In other words, if the predefined TO for A-CSI is unused, the CSI can be sent without TB.

[0094] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates the predetermined TO for A-CSI as used or does not indicate it as unused. In this way, it can ensure that the predetermined TO can be used to send A-CSI. For example, it can maintain the current A-CSI transmission defined in the specification, and at the same time, if the second or second last TO used to send A-CSI is not used to send TB, the indication information indicates the second or predetermined TO for A-CSI as used or does not indicate it as unused. Or alternatively, the indication information can indicate all of the multiple TOs configured by the CG configuration as used or does not indicate them as unused to ensure that the predetermined TO can be used.

[0095] In some embodiments, the sending the A-CSI report comprises: sending the A-CSI report on the TO used to send TB; or when the TO is not used to send TB, canceling the transmission of the A-CSI report on the TO. For example, it can maintain the current A-CSI transmission defined in the specification, and at the same time, if the second or second last TO used to send A-CSI is not used, the A-CSI can be canceled. In other words, only when the second or second last TO is used for PUSCH transmission, the A-CSI can be sent.

[0096] In some embodiments, another field can be included in the UCI to indicate whether the TB is carried together with the A-CSI report. For example, the field can be 1 bit.

[0097] Accordingly, in response to the activation indication for the CG configuration, the network device 120 receives 326 the A-CSI report on the predetermined TO of the multiple TOs.

[0098] By the process shown in FIG. 3, even if some of the multiple TOs indicated by the CG configuration are not used, the UE knows how to send A-CSI, thereby ensuring good operation of the terminal device. Figure 3B By the process shown in FIG. 3, even if some of the multiple TOs indicated by the CG configuration are not used, the UE knows how to send A-CSI, thereby ensuring good operation of the terminal device.

[0099] Further, when a UE is configured with multiple CG configurations, the UE also needs to know how to indicate unused TOs when TOs from multiple CG configurations overlap with each other in time domain. In particular, the inventors have noticed that if the unused TO indication is designed for a CG configuration, which means that the UCI can only be used to indicate the unused TOs for one CG, then the unused TOs for other CGs should be indicated by another UCI. Therefore, considering that the TOs for different CGs can overlap in time domain, there can be a situation that the gNB does not know whether a TO can be reused for other purposes. For example, Figure 2E As shown in FIG. 2B, if the UCI for CG 1 indicates that TO#4 is unused, but the gNB cannot use this occasion to perform other transmissions because TO#7 or TO#8 overlaps with TO#4 (in time domain and / or frequency domain), and the UE can still use these resources TO#7 and / or TO#8 to transmit data. Therefore, the gNB needs to further understand the UCI of CG 2. That is, the UCI for CG type 1 can be useless. To solve this problem, another solution for using status indication is provided herein, and will be described with reference to Figure 3C .

[0100] Figure 3C An example signaling diagram illustrating an example process 200C according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 3C. For the purpose of discussion, the example 300C will be described with reference to Figure 1 It should be appreciated that, as a separate aspect of the present disclosure, the process 300C can be implemented in combination with any one of the processes 300A or 300B, or a combination thereof, or alternatively, can be implemented independently of the process 300A.

[0101] In the example process 300C, the terminal device 110 is configured with at least a first CG configuration and a second CG configuration. As shown in Figure 3C , the terminal device 110 sends 330 first indication information for the first CG configuration to the network device 120. The first indication information indicates a usage status of a first TO or TO group as unused. The first indication information can be carried in a first UCI. Therefore, on the network side, the network device 120 receives 332 the first indication information.

[0102] Then, the terminal device 110 also sends 334 second indication information for the second CG configuration to the network device 120. The second indication information indicates a usage status of a second TO or TO group. The second TO or TO group at least partially overlaps with the first TO or TO group in time domain. The second indication information can be carried in a second UCI. Therefore, on the network side, the network device 120 receives 336 the second indication information.

[0103] In some embodiments, the second indication information is configured to indicate usage of the second TO or TO group, or non-usage of the second TO or TO group, where the second indication information is transmitted within a first predetermined time period after the first indication information. The first predetermined time period can be predefined by a specification, standard, or protocol, configured by the network device, or predetermined in any other manner.

[0104] In other words, as long as the second UCI is transmitted within the first predetermined time period after the first UCI, the second UCI can only indicate the at least partially overlapping TO or TO group as used or should not indicate it as non-used, regardless of whether the terminal device actually needs to use the at least partially overlapping TO or TO group.

[0105] For example, as shown in Figure 5A For CG1, the first UCI is transmitted on TO#1, and for CG2, the second UCI is transmitted on TO#3. The second indication information is transmitted within the first predetermined time period after the first indication information, and thus, even if the terminal device does not actually need the two TOs to transmit PUSCH, the second UCI can only indicate TO#7 and TO#8 as used.

[0106] In some embodiments, the second indication information is configured to indicate usage or non-usage of the second TO or TO group, where the second indication information is transmitted together with the first indication information within the same time unit or time window as the first predetermined time period. In other words, as long as the second UCI is transmitted within the same time unit (e.g., the same slot) or the same time window (e.g., lasting Y slots) as the first UCI, the second UCI can indicate the at least partially overlapping TO or TO group as used or non-used, depending on the actual requirement on the TO of CG2.

[0107] For example, as shown in Figure 5B If the second UCI is transmitted within the same time unit as the first UCI, the second UCI can indicate the usage status of TO#7 and TO#8 based on the actual requirement of the terminal device on CG 2.

[0108] In some embodiments, the second indication information is configured to indicate usage or non-usage of the second TO or TO group, where the second indication information is transmitted within a time period no less than a second predetermined time period before the second TO or TO group. The second predetermined time period can be predefined by a specification, standard, or protocol, configured by the network device, or predetermined in any other manner. In other words, if the second UCI is transmitted early enough before the at least partially overlapping TO or TO group, the second UCI can indicate the at least partially overlapping TO or TO group as used or non-used, depending on the actual requirement on the TO of CG2.

[0109] For example, as shown inFigure 5C As shown in FIG. 3C, the second UCI is transmitted at TO#3, which is more than X time units (e.g., slots) before TO#7 and TO#8, and thus the second UCI can indicate the usage status of TO#7 and TO#8 based on the actual requirement of the terminal device on CG 2.

[0110] In some embodiments, the second indication information is configured for indicating non-usage of the second TO or TO group, wherein the second indication information is transmitted at a time period less than the second predetermined time period before the second TO or TO group. In other words, if the second UCI is transmitted too early before the at least partially overlapping TO or TO group, the second UCI can only indicate the at least partially overlapping TO or TO group as non-usage regardless of whether the terminal device actually needs to use the at least partially overlapping TO or TO group or not.

[0111] For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the second UCI is transmitted at TO#5, which is less than X time units (e.g., slots) before TO#7 and TO#8, and thus the second UCI can only indicate TO#7 as non-usage, even though the terminal device actually needs TO to transmit PUSCH, which will not be transmitted in that TO. Figure 5D For example, as shown in FIG. 3C, the second UCI is transmitted at TO#3, which is more than X time units (e.g., slots) before TO#7 and TO#8, and thus the second UCI can indicate the usage status of TO#7 and TO#8 based on the actual requirement of the terminal device on CG 2.

[0112] By the process 300C, the terminal device can know how to efficiently transmit the usage status of TOs, which will help the efficient usage of TOs for CG.

[0113] Figure 6 A flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device 110 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. In some embodiments, the method 600 can be implemented at a communication device, such as the terminal device 110 shown in Figure 1 In some other embodiments, the method 600 can be implemented at a device not shown in Figure 1 In some other embodiments, the method 600 can be implemented at a device not shown in

[0114] In addition, it should be understood that the method 600 can include additional blocks not shown and / or can omit some of the blocks shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard. For discussion purposes, the method 600 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110. Figure 1 The method 600 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110.

[0115] At block 610, the terminal device 110 determines indication information, wherein the indication information indicates a usage status of at least one of a plurality of transmission occasions (TOs) or a TO group indicated by a configured grant configuration. At block 620, the terminal device 110 transmits the indication information to the network device 120.

[0116] In some embodiments, at least two groups of the plurality of TOs can be available for transmitting at least two TBs.

[0117] In some embodiments, the number of the at least two groups of TOs can be determined based on the number of the at least two TBs.

[0118] In some embodiments, all TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs can be configured to transmit a single TB, and the at least two groups of TOs are configured to transmit different TBs.

[0119] In some embodiments, the number of the at least two groups of TOs can be determined based on the number of repetitions of the at least two TBs.

[0120] In some embodiments, all TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs can be configured to transmit a different transport block, and the at least two groups of TOs are configured to repeat transmission of a same set of TBs.

[0121] In some embodiments, at least two TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs can be configured to transmit a single TB, and at least two other TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs can be configured to transmit another TB, and the at least two groups of TOs can be configured to repeat transmission of a same set of TBs.

[0122] In some embodiments, the number of TOs configured to transmit a single TB can be determined based on a number of slots corresponding to a transport block size TBS.

[0123] In some embodiments, the number of bits of the indication information can be determined based on a transmission parameter, wherein the transmission parameter comprises one of: the number of the at least two TBs; the number of the at least two TBs, and the number of TOs configured to transmit a single TB; or the number of the at least two TBs, and the number of repetitions of the at least two TBs.

[0124] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 can be configured with at least a first CG configuration and a second CG configuration, and wherein transmitting the indication information further comprises: transmitting, to the network device 120, first indication information for the first CG configuration; and transmitting, to the network device 120, second indication information for the second CG configuration. The first indication information indicates a usage state of a first TO or group of TOs as unused. The second indication information indicates a usage state of a second TO or group of TOs that at least partially overlaps in time domain with the first TO or group of TOs.

[0125] In some embodiments, the second indication information can be configured for one of: - indicating usage of the second TO or group of TOs, or not indicating non-usage of the second TO or group of TOs, wherein the second indication information is transmitted within a first predetermined time period after the first indication information; - indicating usage or non-usage of a second TO or TO group, wherein the second indication information is transmitted together with the first indication information in a same time unit or a same time window as the first predetermined time period; - indicating usage or non-usage of a second TO or TO group, wherein the second indication information is transmitted within a time period no less than a second predetermined time period before the second TO or TO group, or - indicating non-usage of a second TO or TO group, wherein the second indication information is transmitted within a time period less than a second predetermined time period before the second TO or TO group.

[0126] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 can be further configured to transmit an aperiodic channel state information, A-CSI, report on a predetermined TO of the plurality of TOs in response to an activation indication for the CG configuration.

[0127] In some embodiments, the predetermined TO can be a TO that is not indicated as non-usage, and the predetermined TO for transmitting the A-CSI report comprises one of: a second usage TO when two TOs of the plurality of TOs are not indicated as non-usage; a second last usage TO when more than two TOs of the plurality of TOs are not indicated as non-usage; a first TO of the TOs that are not indicated as non-usage; or a last TO of the TOs that are not indicated as non-usage.

[0128] In some embodiments, transmitting the A-CSI report can comprise transmitting the A-CSI report on the predetermined TO without a TB when the predetermined TO is indicated as non-usage.

[0129] In some embodiments, the indication information can indicate the predetermined TO as usage, or not indicate the predetermined TO as non-usage; or the indication information indicates the plurality of TOs configured by the CG configuration as usage, or not indicates the plurality of TOs configured by the CG configuration as non-usage.

[0130] In some embodiments, transmitting the A-CSI report can comprise transmitting the A-CSI report on a TO used for transmitting a TB; or cancelling transmission of the A-CSI report on a TO when the TO is not used for transmitting a TB.

[0131] In some embodiments, the indication information can comprise a field indicating whether the A-CSI report is transmitted.

[0132] Figure 7 A flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. In some embodiments, the method 700 can be implemented at a communication device, such as Figure 1 the illustrated network device 120. In some other embodiments, the method 700 can be implemented at Figure 1implemented at a device not shown. Moreover, it is to be understood that the method 700 can include additional blocks not shown and / or can omit some of the blocks shown, and the scope of the disclosure is not limited in this regard. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to the method 700 being performed by the network device 120. Figure 1 The method 700 is described from the perspective of the network device 120.

[0133] At block 710, the network device 120 receives indication information from the terminal device 110, where the indication information indicates a usage state of at least one time occasion (TO) or a group of TOs in a plurality of TOs indicated by a configured grant configuration. At block 720, the network device 120 determines the usage state of the at least one TO or the group of TOs in the plurality of TOs based on the indication information.

[0134] In some embodiments, at least two groups of TOs in the plurality of TOs can be available for at least two TBs.

[0135] In some embodiments, a number of the at least two groups of TOs can be determined based on a number of the at least two TBs.

[0136] In some embodiments, all TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs can be configured to receive a single TB, and the at least two groups of TOs are configured to receive different TBs.

[0137] In some embodiments, a number of the at least two groups of TOs can be determined based on a number of repetitions of the at least two TBs.

[0138] In some embodiments, all TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs can be configured to receive different transport blocks, and the at least two groups of TOs can be configured to receive a same set of TBs that are repeatedly transmitted.

[0139] In some embodiments, at least two TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs can be configured to transmit a single TB, and at least two other TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs can be configured to transmit another TB, and the at least two groups of TOs can be configured to receive a same set of TBs that are repeatedly transmitted.

[0140] In some embodiments, a number of TOs configured to receive a single TB can be determined based on a number of slots corresponding to a transport block size (TBS).

[0141] In some embodiments, a number of bits of the indication information can be determined based on a transmission parameter, where the transmission parameter comprises one of: a number of the at least two TBs; the number of the at least two TBs, and a number of TOs configured to transmit one TB; or the number of the at least two TBs, and a number of repetitions of the at least two TBs.

[0142] In some embodiments, the network device 120 can configure the terminal device 110 with at least a first CG configuration and a second CG configuration, wherein receiving the indication information can further comprise: receiving, from the terminal device 110, first indication information for the first CG configuration; and receiving, from the terminal device 110, second indication information for the second CG configuration. The first indication information indicates a usage state of a first TO or a group of TOs as unused. The second indication information indicates a usage state of a second TO or a group of TOs at least partially overlapping in time domain with the first TO or the group of TOs.

[0143] In some embodiments, the second indication information can be configured for one of: - indicating usage of the second TO or the group of TOs, or not indicating non-usage of the second TO or the group of TOs, wherein the second indication information is received within a first predetermined time period after the first indication information; - indicating usage or non-usage of the second TO or the group of TOs, wherein the second indication information is received together with the first indication information within a same time unit or a same time window as the first predetermined time period; - indicating usage or non-usage of the second TO or the group of TOs, wherein the second indication information is received within a time period not less than a second predetermined time period before the second TO or the group of TOs, or - indicating non-usage of the second TO or the group of TOs, wherein the second indication information is received within a time period less than the second predetermined time period before the second TO or the group of TOs.

[0144] In some embodiments, the network device 120 can be further configured to: in response to an activation indication for the CG configuration, receive an aperiodic channel state information, A-CSI, report on a predetermined TO of the plurality of TOs.

[0145] In some embodiments, the predetermined TO can be a TO that is not indicated as unused, and the predetermined TO for transmitting the A-CSI report comprises one of: a second usage TO when two of the plurality of TOs are not indicated as unused; a second last usage TO when more than two of the plurality of TOs are not indicated as unused; a first TO of the TOs that are not indicated as unused; or a last TO of the TOs that are not indicated as unused.

[0146] In some embodiments, receiving the A-CSI report can comprise: when the predetermined TO is indicated as unused, receiving the A-CSI report on the predetermined TO without a TB.

[0147] In some embodiments, the indication information can indicate a predetermined TO as used, or not used; or the indication information indicates a plurality of TOs configured by the CG configuration as used, or not used.

[0148] In some embodiments, receiving the A-CSI report can comprise receiving the A-CSI report on a TO used for transmitting the TB; or cancelling the receiving of the A-CSI report on a TO when the TO is not used for transmitting the TB.

[0149] In some embodiments, the indication information can comprise a field indicating whether the A-CSI report is transmitted or not. Example apparatus

[0150] Figure 8 A simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. The device 800 can be considered as another example implementation of the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 as Figure 1 shown. Thus, the device 800 can be implemented at the network device 120 or as at least part thereof.

[0151] As shown, the device 800 includes a processor 810, a memory 820 coupled to the processor 810, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 840 coupled to the processor 810, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 840. The memory 820 stores at least part of a program 830. The TX / RX 840 is for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although in practice the access node mentioned in the present disclosure can have multiple antennas. The communication interface can represent any interface needed to communicate with other network elements, such as an X2 interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs or gNBs, an S1 interface for communication between a mobility management entity (MME) / serving gateway (S-GW) and eNBs or gNBs, an Un interface for communication between eNBs or gNBs and a relay node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between eNBs or gNBs and terminal devices.

[0152] It is assumed that the program 830 includes program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 810, enable the device 800 to operate in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure, as described herein with reference to the exemplary methods illustrated in FIGS. 2-7. Figures 1-7The embodiments herein can be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 810 of the device 800, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 810 can be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Moreover, a combination of the processor 810 and the memory 820 can form processing means adapted to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0153] The memory 820 can be of any type appropriate for the local technical environment and can be implemented using any appropriate data storage technology, such as nonvolatile computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. Although only one memory 820 is shown in the device 800, there can be several physically distinct memory modules in the device 800. The processor 810 can be of any type appropriate for the local technical environment, and can include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures, as non-limiting examples. The device 800 can have multiple processors such as a special purpose integrated circuit chip(s) that is time-sliced with a clock that is synchronized with a master processor.

[0154] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., the terminal device 110) capable of performing the method 600 can include means for performing the respective steps of the method 600. The means can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, they can be implemented in circuitry or software modules. In some embodiments, the means include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause performance of the method 600.

[0155] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., the network device 120) capable of performing the method 700 can include means for performing the respective steps of the method 700. The means can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, they can be implemented in circuitry or software modules. In some embodiments, the means include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause performance of the method 700.

[0156] In general, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented using hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented using hardware, while other aspects can be implemented using software or firmware that is executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. Although the various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques or methods described herein can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, special- purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0157] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product which is tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, executed by devices on a target real or virtual processor to perform the processes or methods described above. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules can be executed within the local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0158] Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the machine to perform the functions / acts specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program code can be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0159] The above program code can be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which can be any tangible media that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine-readable storage medium will include one or more of an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0160] Moreover, while operations can be described as following a specific sequence, this should not be understood as requiring such a specific sequence unless explicitly stated. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Also, the various steps described in the discussion above can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. In some embodiments, the steps can be implemented in software and stored in a computer-readable medium. In some embodiments, the steps can be implemented in a system-on-a-chip (SoC). In some embodiments, the steps can be implemented in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). In some embodiments, the steps can be implemented in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In some embodiments, the steps can be implemented in a combination of hardware and software. In some embodiments, the steps can be implemented in a combination of a SoC, an FPGA, and an ASIC. In some embodiments, the steps can be implemented in a combination of a SoC, an FPGA, an ASIC, and software. In some embodiments, the steps can be implemented in a combination of a SoC, an FPGA, an ASIC, and a combination of hardware and software.

[0161] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: determine indication information, wherein the indication information indicates a usage status of at least one of a plurality of transmission occasions (TOs) or a group of TOs indicated by a configured grant (CG) configuration; and transmit, via the transceiver, the indication information to the network device. 2.The terminal device of claim 1, wherein at least two groups of the plurality of TOs are available for transmitting at least two transport blocks (TBs). 3.The terminal device of claim 2, wherein a number of the at least two groups of TOs is determined based on a number of the at least two TBs. 4.The terminal device of claim 2 or 3, wherein all TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs are configured to transmit a single TB, and the at least two groups of TOs are configured to transmit different TBs. 5.The terminal device of claim 2, wherein a number of the at least two groups of TOs is determined based on a number of repetitions of the at least two TBs. 6.The terminal device of claim 5, wherein all TOs in each of the at least two groups of TOs are configured to transmit different transport blocks, and wherein the at least two groups of TOs are configured to repeat transmission of a same set of TBs. 7.The terminal device of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a number of bits of the indication information is determined based on a transmission parameter, wherein the transmission parameter comprises one of: the number of the at least two TBs; the number of the at least two TBs, and a number of TOs configured to transmit a single TB; or the number of the at least two TBs, and a number of repetitions of the at least two TBs. 8.The terminal device of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the terminal device is configured with at least a first CG configuration and a second CG configuration, and wherein the transmitting the indication information further comprises: transmitting, to the network device, first indication information for the first CG configuration, and transmitting, to the network device, second indication information for the second CG configuration, wherein the first indication information indicates that the usage status of a first TO or group of TOs is unused, and wherein the second indication information indicates a usage status of a second TO or group of TOs that at least partially overlaps in time domain with the first TO or group of TOs. 9.The terminal device of claim 8, wherein the second indication information is configured for one of: indicating that the second TO or group of TOs is unused, or not indicating that the second TO or group of TOs is used, wherein the second indication information is transmitted within a first predetermined time period after the first indication information; indicating that the second TO or group of TOs is used or unused, wherein the second indication information is transmitted together with the first indication information within a same time unit or a same time window as the first predetermined time period; ​ indicates that the second TO or TO group is unused, wherein the second indication information is transmitted within a time period that is less than the second predetermined time period before the second TO or TO group. indicates that the second TO or TO group is unused, wherein the second indication information is transmitted within a time period that is less than the second predetermined time period before the second TO or TO group.

10. The terminal device of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the processor is further configured to: in response to an activation indication for the CG configuration, transmit, via the transceiver, an aperiodic channel state information, A-CSI, report on a predetermined TO of the plurality of TOs.

11. The terminal device of claim 10, wherein wherein the predetermined TO for transmitting the A-CSI report comprises one of: a second used TO when two of the plurality of TOs are indicated as unused; a penultimate used TO when more than two of the plurality of TOs are indicated as unused; a first TO of the TOs that are not indicated as unused; or a last TO of the TOs that are not indicated as unused.

12. The terminal device of claim 10 or 11, wherein the indication information indicates the predetermined TO as used, or does not indicate the predetermined TO as unused; or wherein the indication information indicates the plurality of TOs configured by the CG configuration as used, or does not indicate the plurality of TOs configured by the CG configuration as unused.

13. A network device comprising: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, via the transceiver, indication information from a terminal device, wherein the indication information indicates a usage status of at least one TO or group of TOs of a plurality of transmission occasions, TOs, indicated by a configured grant configuration; and determine, based on the indication information, the usage status of the at least one TO or group of TOs of the plurality of TOs.

14. A method performed by a terminal device, comprising: determining indication information, wherein the indication information indicates a usage status of at least one TO or group of TOs of a plurality of transmission occasions, TOs, indicated by a configured grant configuration; and transmitting, via a transceiver, the indication information to the network device. ​ ​ ​

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