Control channel carrier switching for subslot-based cells - Patents.com

Abstract

The present disclosure provides techniques for facilitating control channel carrier switching for subslot-based cells. A method that may be performed by a UE includes receiving signaling configuring a first cell with PUCCH resources, configuring a second cell with PUCCH resources, and configuring at least one of the first cell or the second cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting, receiving a PDCCH, selecting the first cell or the second cell as a target PUCCH cell for transmitting a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback for a PDSCH scheduled by the PDCCH or PDCCH based on the target PUCCH cell switching information, and transmitting the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback in a subslot or slot on the target PUCCH cell according to the selection.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 278,402, filed November 11, 2021, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 17 / 947,571, filed September 19, 2022, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety herein as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. [Background technology]

[0002] Field of Disclosure Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communications and, more particularly, to techniques for facilitating control channel carrier switching for sub-slot based cells.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art Wireless communication systems have been widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcast, or other similar types of services. These wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available wireless communication system resources with those users.

[0004] Although wireless communication systems have made great technological advances over the years, challenges still exist. For example, complex and dynamic environments can still attenuate or block signals between wireless transmitters and wireless receivers. Thus, there is a continuing desire to improve the technical performance of wireless communication systems, including, for example, improving the speed and data carrying capacity of communication, improving the efficiency of use of the shared communication medium, reducing the power used by the transmitter and receiver while performing communication, improving the reliability of wireless communication, avoiding redundant transmissions and / or receptions and associated processing, improving the coverage area of ​​wireless communication, increasing the number and types of devices that can access the wireless communication system, improving the ability of different types of devices to communicate with each other, increasing the number and types of wireless communication media available for use, and the like. Thus, further improvements in wireless communication systems are needed to overcome the aforementioned technical challenges and others. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One aspect provides a method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), the method including receiving signaling configuring a first cell with physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources, configuring a second cell with PUCCH resources, and configuring at least one of the first cell or the second cell for sub-slot-based hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) reporting, receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), selecting the first cell or the second cell as a target PUCCH cell for transmitting a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback for a PDCCH or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the PDCCH based on target PUCCH cell switching information, and transmitting the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback in a sub-slot or slot on the target PUCCH cell according to the selection.

[0006] Another aspect provides a method of wireless communication by a network entity, the method including: transmitting signaling to a user equipment (UE) configuring a first cell with physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources, configuring a second cell with PUCCH resources, and configuring at least one of the first cell or the second cell for subslot-based hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) reporting, transmitting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to the UE, selecting the first cell or the second cell as a target PUCCH cell for monitoring a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback for a PDCCH or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the PDCCH based on target PUCCH cell switching information, and monitoring the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback in a subslot or slot on the first cell or the second cell according to the selection.

[0007] Other aspects provide an apparatus operable, configured, or otherwise adapted to perform the above-mentioned method as well as methods described elsewhere herein, a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the above-mentioned method as well as methods described elsewhere herein, a computer program product embodied on a computer readable storage medium comprising code for performing the above-mentioned method as well as methods described elsewhere herein, and an apparatus comprising means for performing the above-mentioned method as well as methods described elsewhere herein. By way of example, the apparatus may comprise a processing system, a device having a processing system, or processing systems cooperating over one or more networks.

[0008] The following description and the annexed drawings set forth certain features by way of example only.

[0009] The accompanying drawings illustrate certain features of the various aspects described herein and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication network. [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates an exemplary split base station architecture. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates aspects of an exemplary base station and exemplary user equipment. [Figure 4A] 1 illustrates various example aspects of a data structure for a wireless communication network. [Figure 4B] 1 illustrates various example aspects of a data structure for a wireless communication network. [Figure 4C] 1 illustrates various example aspects of a data structure for a wireless communication network. [Figure 4D] 1 illustrates various example aspects of a data structure for a wireless communication network. [Figure 5A] 1 illustrates a sub-slot-based slot structure for transmitting a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). [Figure 5B] 1 illustrates an example priority-based PUCCH transmission. [Figure 6A] 1 illustrates an example periodic time pattern that may be used by a UE to transmit PUCCH on different carriers associated with different cells. [Figure 6B] 1 illustrates a dynamic indication for PUCCH carrier switching that may be used by a UE to transmit PUCCH on different carriers associated with different cells. [Figure 7A] 1 shows different slot and sub-slot configurations for different cells. [Figure 7B] 1 shows different slot and sub-slot configurations for different cells. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a process flow for communication in a network between network entities and user equipment to facilitate control channel carrier switching for sub-slot based cells. [Figure 9A] 1 illustrates slot / subslot configurations for different numerologies associated with a first cell and a second cell. [Figure 9B] 1 illustrates slot / subslot configurations for different numerologies associated with a first cell and a second cell. [Figure 10] 1 illustrates an embodiment for determining a slot / sub-slot on a second cell for transmitting a PUCCH with hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment feedback. [Figure 11] A method of wireless communication is shown. [Figure 12] A method of wireless communication is shown. [Figure 13] 1 illustrates aspects of an exemplary communications device. [Figure 14] 1 illustrates aspects of an exemplary communications device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for facilitating physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) carrier switching for sub-slot-based cells.

[0012] When communicating in a wireless network, a user equipment (UE) (e.g., UE 104) may transmit hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback (e.g., acknowledgement (ACK) and / or negative acknowledgement (NACK) information) to a network entity within uplink control information (UCI) via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) based on a HARQ-ACK codebook. The HARQ-ACK feedback may be generated in response to information received on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0013] Traditionally, in fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR), only one HARQ-ACK feedback transmission may be allowed per slot. However, more recently, sub-slot-based HARQ-ACK feedback reporting may be supported for low-latency HARQ-ACK feedback. Sub-slot-based HARQ-ACK feedback may involve splitting a regular slot (e.g., containing 14 OFDM symbols) into multiple sub-slots. The UE may then be allowed to send a HARQ-ACK feedback transmission in each sub-slot.

[0014] In some cases, a technique known as PUCCH carrier switching may be used when transmitting PUCCH, thereby allowing the UE to switch between at most two UL cells in a PUCCH group to transmit PUCCH. In some cases, one of the two UL cells may be a primary cell (PCell) or a primary secondary cell (PSCell), and the other cell may be a secondary cell (Scell). In some cases, the PCell and SCell used to transmit PUCCH may be associated with different numerologies (e.g., subcarrier spacing). In general, different numerologies do not have a significant impact on dynamic PUCCH carrier switching when dynamic indication is used, since the UE can simply follow the numerology of the dynamically indicated PUCCH target cell. However, different numerologies in PCell and SCell may cause some problems with semi-static PUCCH carrier switching.

[0015] For example, one problem with PUCCH carrier switching occurs when the numerology or subcarrier spacing of the PCell is smaller than the SCell, resulting in multiple SCell slots overlapping one PCell slot. In this scenario, when the UE is configured to transmit PUCCH on the SCell, the UE may not know in which of the multiple SCell slots the PUCCH should be transmitted. Similarly, the network entity may not know in which slot the UE transmits the PUCCH. As a result, it may be the case that the UE transmits the PUCCH in one SCell slot, but the network entity monitors the PUCCH in another SCell slot, thereby missing reception of the PUCCH. In such a case, the UE may have to retransmit the PUCCH, unnecessarily consuming additional time-frequency resources in the radio network and power resources in the UE and the network entity. In other cases, the network entity may monitor both SCell slots to ensure reception of the PUCCH. However, in this case, the network entity may unnecessarily consume power resources having to monitor both SCell slots.

[0016] Another problem with PUCCH carrier switching occurs when the numerology or subcarrier spacing of the PCell is larger than that of the SCell, resulting in multiple PCell slots overlapping with one SCell slot. In this scenario, it may be the case that a first PUCCH is configured in a first PCell slot overlapping with one SCell slot, and a second PUCCH is configured in a second PCell slot overlapping with one SCell slot. When the target cell for both configured PUCCHs is an SCell, the UE may need to combine / multiplex one large PUCCH in one SCell slot, which may be difficult for the UE to achieve.

[0017] As can be seen, the use of sub-slots can present problems when determining which slot / cell should transmit the PUCCH including HARQ-ACK feedback. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for facilitating control channel carrier switching for sub-slot based cells. More specifically, aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for enabling PUCCH carrier switching between two PUCCH cells in the same PUCCH group, where at least one of the cells is configured with sub-slot based HARQ-ACK feedback reporting.

[0018] Introduction to wireless communication networks The techniques and methods described herein can be used for a variety of wireless communication networks. Although aspects may be described herein using terminology commonly associated with 3G, 4G, and / or 5G wireless technologies, aspects of the present disclosure may be equally applicable to other communication systems and standards not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a wireless communication network 100 in which aspects described herein can be implemented.

[0020] Generally, the wireless communication network 100 includes various network entities (alternatively, network elements or network nodes). A network entity is generally a communication device and / or a communication function performed by a communication device (e.g., a user equipment (UE), a base station (BS), a component of a BS, a server, etc.). For example, various functions of a network and various devices associated with and interacting with the network can be considered network entities. Furthermore, the wireless communication network 100 includes terrestrial aspects, such as ground-based network entities (e.g., BSs 102), and non-terrestrial aspects, such as satellites 140 and aircraft 145, which can include on-board network entities (e.g., one or more BSs) capable of communicating with other network elements (e.g., terrestrial BSs) and user equipment.

[0021] In the illustrated embodiment, the wireless communication network 100 includes a BS 102, a UE 104, and one or more core networks, such as an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 160 and a 5G Core (5GC) network 190, that interoperate to provide communication services over various communication links, including wired links and wireless links.

[0022] 1 illustrates various exemplary UEs 104, which may more generally include a mobile phone, a smartphone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player, a camera, a game console, a tablet, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a healthcare device, an implant, a sensor / actuator, a display, an internet of things (IoT) device, an always on (AON) device, an edge processing device, or other similar devices. The UEs 104 may also be more generally referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a remote device, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, or the like.

[0023] The BS 102 wirelessly communicates with the UE 104 (e.g., transmits signals to the UE 104, or receives signals from the UE 104) over a communication link 120. The communication link 120 between the BS 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink (UL) (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the BS 102, and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from the BS 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity in various aspects.

[0024] The BSs 102 may generally include a NodeB, an enhanced NodeB (eNB), a next generation enhanced NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB or gNodeB), an access point, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a transmit / receive point, etc. Each of the BSs 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110, which may be referred to as a cell and may in some cases overlap (e.g., a small cell 102′ may have a coverage area 110′ that overlaps with a coverage area 110 of a macro cell). The BSs may provide communication coverage for, for example, a macro cell (covering a relatively large geographic area), a pico cell (covering a relatively smaller geographic area, such as a sports stadium), a femto cell (covering a relatively smaller geographic area (e.g., a home)), and / or other types of cells.

[0025] Although the BS 102 is shown in various aspects as a single communications device, the BS 102 may be implemented in various configurations. For example, one or more components of a base station may be separated and include a central unit (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), one or more radio units (RU), a Near-Real Time (Near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), or a Non-Real Time (Non-RT) RIC, to name a few. In another example, various aspects of a base station may be virtualized. More generally, a base station (e.g., the BS 102) may include components located in a single physical location, or components located in various physical locations. In an embodiment in which a base station includes components located in various physical locations, the various components may each perform functions such that the various components collectively achieve similar functionality as a base station located in a single physical location. In some aspects, a base station that includes components located at different physical locations may be referred to as a split radio access network architecture, such as an Open RAN (O-RAN) or Virtualized RAN (VRAN) architecture. Figure 2 illustrates and describes an example split base station architecture.

[0026] Different BSs 102 in the wireless communication network 100 may also be configured to support different radio access technologies, such as 3G, 4G, and / or 5G. For example, a BS 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) may interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). A BS 102 configured for 5G (e.g., 5G NR or Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) may interface with the 5GC 190 via a second backhaul link 184. The BSs 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC 160 or the 5GC 190) via a third backhaul link 134 (e.g., an X2 interface), which may be wired or wireless.

[0027] The wireless communication network 100 may subdivide the electromagnetic spectrum into various classes, bands, channels, or other characteristics. In some aspects, the subdivision is provided based on wavelength and frequency, where the frequencies may also be referred to as carriers, subcarriers, frequency channels, tones, or subbands. For example, 3GPP currently defines Frequency Range 1 (FR1) as including 410 MHz to 7125 MHz, which is often referred to (interchangeably) as "sub-6 GHz." Similarly, 3GPP currently defines Frequency Range 2 (FR2) as including 24,250 MHz to 71,000 MHz, which is sometimes referred to (interchangeably) as "millimeter wave" ("mmW" or "mm-wave"). In some cases, FR2 may be further defined in terms of sub-ranges, such as a first sub-range FR2-1 including 24,250 MHz to 52,600 MHz and a second sub-range FR2-2 including 52,600 MHz to 71,000 MHz. A base station configured to communicate using mm-wave / near-mm-wave radio frequency bands (e.g., a mm-wave base station such as BS180) may utilize beamforming (e.g., 182) with a UE (e.g., 104) to improve path loss and range.

[0028] The communication link 120 between the BS 102 and, for example, the UE 104, may be via one or more carriers that may have different bandwidths (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400, and / or other MHz) and may be aggregated in various manners. The carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric for DL ​​and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​than UL).

[0029] Communications using higher frequency bands may have higher path loss and shorter range compared to lower frequency communications. Thus, some base stations (e.g., 180 in FIG. 1) may utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to improve path loss and range. For example, the BS 180 and the UE 104 may each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays, to facilitate beamforming. In some cases, the BS 180 may transmit beamformed signals to the UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 182′. The UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from the BS 180 in one or more receive directions 182″. The UE 104 may also transmit beamformed signals to the BS 180 in one or more transmit directions 182″. The BS 180 may also receive beamformed signals from the UE 104 in one or more receive directions 182′. The BS 180 and the UE 104 may then perform beam training to determine the best receive and transmit directions for each of the BS 180 and the UE 104. In particular, the transmit and receive directions for the BS 180 may or may not be the same. Similarly, the transmit and receive directions for the UE 104 may or may not be the same.

[0030] The wireless communication network 100 further includes a Wi-Fi AP 150 in communication with Wi-Fi stations (STAs) 152 via communication links 154, for example, in the 2.4 GHz and / or 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0031] Several UEs 104 may communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication links 158. The D2D communication links 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), and / or a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH).

[0032] The EPC 160 may include various functional components including, in the illustrated embodiment, a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a Serving Gateway 166, a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and / or a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. The MME 162 may be in communication with a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. In general, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management.

[0033] Generally, user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are forwarded through a Serving Gateway 166, which itself is connected to a PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation as well as other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to IP Services 176, which may include, for example, the Internet, an Intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Packet Switched (PS) streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0034] The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may act as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions and may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services in a public land mobile network (PLMN) and / or may be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to deliver MBMS traffic to BSs 102 that belong to a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area broadcasting a particular service and / or may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and collecting eMBMS related charging information.

[0035] The 5GC 190 may include various functional components, including an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a Session Management Function (SMF) 194, and a User Plane Function (UPF) 195. The AMF 192 may be in communication with a Unified Data Management (UDM) 196.

[0036] The AMF 192 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the 5GC 190. The AMF 192 provides, for example, quality of service (QoS), flow and session management.

[0037] Internet Protocol (IP) packets are forwarded through UPF 195, which connects to IP services 197 and provides UE IP address allocation and other functions for 5GC 190. IP services 197 may include, for example, Internet, Intranet, IMS, PS streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0038] In various aspects, the network entity or network node may be implemented as an aggregated base station, as a separate base station, as a component of a base station, as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, as a relay node, as a sidelink node, to name a few.

[0039] 2 illustrates an exemplary split base station 200 architecture. The split base station 200 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 210 that may communicate directly with the core network 220 via a backhaul link or indirectly with the core network 220 via one or more split base station units (such as a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 225 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 215 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework 205, or both). The CUs 210 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 230 via respective midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DUs 230 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 240 via respective fronthaul links. The RUs 240 may communicate with respective UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 104 may be served by multiple RUs 240 simultaneously.

[0040] Each of the units (e.g., CU 210, DU 230, RU 240), as well as quasi-RT RIC 225, non-RT RIC 215, and SMO framework 205, may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) over a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the unit's communication interface, may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units over a transmission medium. For example, a unit may include a wired interface configured to receive or transmit signals to one or more of the other units over a wired transmission medium. Additionally or alternatively, a unit may include a wireless interface, which may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive or transmit or transmit signals over a wireless transmission medium to one or more of the other units.

[0041] In some aspects, the CU 210 can host one or more upper layer control functions. Such control functions can include Radio Resource Control (RRC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function can implement an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 210. The CU 210 can be configured to handle user plane functions (e.g., Central Unit-User Plane (CU-UP)), control plane functions (e.g., Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the CU 210 can be logically divided into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. The CU-UP unit can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface, such as an E1 interface, when implemented in an O-RAN configuration. The CU 210 may be implemented to communicate with the DU 230, as necessary, for network control and signaling.

[0042] The DU 230 may correspond to a logical unit including one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 240. In some aspects, the DU 230 may correspond to a 3G Partnership Project (3GPP)-compliant 3GPP ... rdDepending at least in part on a functional division such as that defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the DU 230 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more upper physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.). In some aspects, the DU 230 may further host one or more lower PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may implement an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 230 or with control functions hosted by the CU 210.

[0043] The lower layer functions may be implemented by one or more RUs 240. In some deployments, the RUs 240 controlled by the DU 230 may correspond to logical nodes hosting RF processing functions, or lower PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on a functional division such as a lower layer functional division. In such an architecture, the RU(s) 240 may be implemented to handle over the air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 104. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communications with the RU(s) 240 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 230. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the DU(s) 230 and the CU 210 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

[0044] The SMO framework 205 can be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 can be configured to support deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements that can be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-cloud) 290) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements can include, but are not limited to, the CU 210, the DU 230, the RU 240, and the quasi-RT RIC 225. In some implementations, the SMO framework 205 can communicate with hardware aspects of a 4G RAN, such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 211, via an O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO framework 205 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 240 via an O1 interface. The SMO framework 205 can also include a non-RT RIC 215 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 205.

[0045] The non-RT RIC 215 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updates, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the quasi-RT RIC 225. The non-RT RIC 215 may be coupled to or in communication with the quasi-RT RIC 225 (e.g., via an A1 interface). The quasi-RT RIC 225 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and action via one or more CUs 210, one or more DUs 230, or both, and interfaces connecting the O-eNB to the quasi-RT RIC 225 (e.g., via an E2 interface).

[0046] In some implementations, the non-RT RIC 215 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server to generate the AI / ML models deployed to the quasi-RT RIC 225. Such information may be utilized by the quasi-RT RIC 225 or may be received at the SMO framework 205 or the non-RT RIC 215 from non-network data sources or from network functions. In some embodiments, the non-RT RIC 215 or the quasi-RT RIC 225 may be configured to adjust RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 215 may employ the AI / ML models to monitor long-term trends and patterns regarding performance and take corrective action via the SMO framework 205 (e.g., reconfiguration via O1) or via the creation of RAN management policies (e.g., A1 policies).

[0047] FIG. 3 illustrates an example aspect of the BS 102 and UE 104.

[0048] Generally, the BS 102 includes various processors (e.g., 320, 330, 338, and 340), antennas 334a-t (collectively 334), transceivers 332a-t (collectively 332) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable wireless transmission of data (e.g., data source 312) and wireless reception of data (e.g., data sink 339). For example, the BS 102 can transmit and receive data between the BS 102 and the UE 104. The BS 102 includes a controller / processor 340 that can be configured to implement various functions described herein related to wireless communication.

[0049] Generally, the UE 104 includes various processors (e.g., 358, 364, 366, and 380), antennas 352a-r (collectively 352), transceivers 354a-r (collectively 354) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable wireless transmission of data (e.g., received from a data source 362) and wireless reception of data (e.g., provided to a data sink 360). The UE 104 includes a controller / processor 380 that can be configured to implement various functions described herein related to wireless communication.

[0050] For an example downlink transmission, the BS 102 includes a transmit processor 320 that can receive data from a data source 312 and control signals from a controller / processor 340. The control information may be for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), a physical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a group common PDCCH (GC PDCCH), etc. In some examples, the data may be for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0051] The transmit processor 320 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor 320 may also generate reference symbols, such as for a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a PBCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0052] A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 330 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​the data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide output symbol streams to modulators (MODs) in transceivers 332a-t. Each modulator in transceivers 332a-t may process a respective output symbol stream to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from the modulators in transceivers 332a-t may be transmitted via antennas 334a-t, respectively.

[0053] To receive downlink transmissions, the UE 104 includes antennas 352a-352r, which can receive downlink signals from the BS 102 and can provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) within the transceivers 354a-354r, respectively. Each demodulator within the transceivers 354a-354r may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a respective received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator may further process the input samples to obtain received symbols.

[0054] A MIMO detector 356 may obtain received symbols from all demodulators in transceivers 354a-354r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 358 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols and provide decoded data for the UE 104 to a data sink 360 and provide decoded control information to a controller / processor 380.

[0055] For an example uplink transmission, the UE 104 further includes a transmit processor 364 that can receive and process data (e.g., for a PUSCH) from a data source 362 and control information (e.g., for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)) from a controller / processor 380. The transmit processor 364 can also generate reference symbols for a reference signal (e.g., for a sounding reference signal (SRS)). The symbols from the transmit processor 364 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 366 if applicable, further processed by modulators in the transceivers 354a-354r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to the BS 102.

[0056] At the BS 102, the uplink signals from the UE 104 may be received by antennas 334a-t, processed by demodulators in transceivers 332a-t, detected by a MIMO detector 336 if applicable, and further processed by a receive processor 338 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by the UE 104. The receive processor 338 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 339 and the decoded control information to a controller / processor 340.

[0057] Memories 342 and 382 may store data and program codes for BS 102 and UE 104, respectively.

[0058] A scheduler 344 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0059] In various aspects, the BS 102 may be described as transmitting and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "transmitting" may refer to various mechanisms for outputting data, such as outputting data from the data source 312, the scheduler 344, the memory 342, the transmit processor 320, the controller / processor 340, the TX MIMO processor 330, the transceivers 332a-t, the antennas 334a-t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" may refer to various mechanisms for obtaining data, such as obtaining data from the antennas 334a-t, the transceivers 332a-t, the RX MIMO detector 336, the controller / processor 340, the receive processor 338, the scheduler 344, the memory 342, and / or other aspects described herein.

[0060] In various aspects, the UE 104 may similarly be described as transmitting and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "transmitting" may refer to various mechanisms for outputting data, such as outputting data from the data source 362, memory 382, ​​transmit processor 364, controller / processor 380, TX MIMO processor 366, transceivers 354a-t, antennas 352a-t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" may refer to various mechanisms for obtaining data, such as obtaining data from the antennas 352a-t, transceivers 354a-t, RX MIMO detector 356, controller / processor 380, receive processor 358, memory 382, ​​and / or other aspects described herein.

[0061] In some aspects, the processor may be configured to perform various operations, such as those associated with the methods described herein, to transmit (output) data to or receive (obtain) data from another interface configured to transmit or receive data, respectively.

[0062] 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D illustrate aspects of data structures for a wireless communication network, such as wireless communication network 100 of FIG.

[0063] In particular, FIG. 4A is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a first subframe in a 5G (e.g., 5G NR) frame structure, FIG. 4B is a diagram 430 illustrating an example of a DL channel in a 5G subframe, FIG. 4C is a diagram 450 illustrating an example of a second subframe in a 5G frame structure, and FIG. 4D is a diagram 480 illustrating an example of a UL channel in a 5G subframe.

[0064] Wireless communication systems may utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with cyclic prefix (CP) on the uplink and downlink. Such systems may also support half-duplex operation using time division duplexing (TDD). OFDM and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) partition the system bandwidth into multiple orthogonal subcarriers (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4D). Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. Modulation symbols may be transmitted in the frequency domain with OFDM and / or in the time domain with SC-FDM.

[0065] The wireless communication frame structure may be frequency division duplex (FDD) where, for a particular set of subcarriers, subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated to either DL or UL. The wireless communication frame structure may also be time division duplex (TDD) where, for a particular set of subcarriers, subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated to both DL and UL.

[0066] In Figures 4A and 4C, the wireless communication frame structure is TDD, D is DL, U is UL, and X is flexible for use between DL / UL. The UE can be configured with the slot format via a received slot format indicator (SFI) (dynamically via DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically via radio resource control (RRC) signaling). In the illustrated example, a 10 ms frame is divided into ten equally sized 1 ms subframes. Each subframe may include one or more time slots. In some examples, each slot may include 7 or 14 symbols depending on the slot format. A subframe may also include a minislot, which generally has fewer symbols than an entire slot. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0067] In some aspects, the number of slots in a subframe is based on the slot configuration and numerology. For example, for slot configuration 0, different numerologies (μ) 0-6 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 slots per subframe, respectively. For slot configuration 1, different numerologies 0-2 allow 2, 4, and 8 slots per subframe, respectively. Thus, for slot configuration 0 and numerology μ, there are 14 symbols / slot and 2μ slots / subframe. Subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of numerology. Subcarrier spacing is 2 μ×15 kHz, where μ is the numerology 0 to 6. Thus, numerology μ=0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz and numerology μ=6 has a subcarrier spacing of 960 kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely proportional to the subcarrier spacing. Figures 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D give an example of slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and numerology μ=2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs.

[0068] A resource grid can be used to represent the frame structure, as shown in Figures 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D. Each time slot includes resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs (PRBs)), e.g., spanning 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 4A, some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for UEs (e.g., UE 104 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3). The RS may include demodulation RS (DMRS) and / or channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include beam measurement RS (BRS), beam refinement RS (BRRS), and / or phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0070] 4B shows an example of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame. A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI in one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE including, for example, 9 RE groups (REGs), each REG including, for example, 4 consecutive REs within an OFDM symbol.

[0071] A Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) may be present in symbol 2 of a particular subframe of a frame. The PSS is used by the UE (e.g., 104 in FIGS. 1 and 3) to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification information.

[0072] A Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) may be present in symbol 4 of a particular subframe of a frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the group number of the physical layer cell identity and the timing of the radio frame.

[0073] Based on the physical layer identity and the group number of the physical layer cell identity, the UE can determine a physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the above-mentioned DMRS. A physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying a master information block (MIB) may be logically grouped with a PSS and an SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block. The MIB provides the number of RBs in the system bandwidth and a system frame number (SFN). A physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted over the PBCH, such as system information blocks (SIBs), and / or paging messages.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 4C, some of the REs carry DMRS (denoted as R for one particular configuration, but other DMRS configurations are possible) for channel estimation at the base station. The UE can transmit DMRS for PUCCH and DMRS for PUSCH. The PUSCH DMRS can be transmitted, for example, in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DMRS can be transmitted in different configurations depending on whether a short or long PUCCH is transmitted and depending on the specific PUCCH format used. The UE 104 can transmit a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS). The SRS can be transmitted, for example, in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS can have a comb configuration, and the UE can transmit the SRS in one of the combs. The SRS can be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0075] 4D shows an example of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame. The PUCCH, in one configuration, may be arranged as shown. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicators (CQI), precoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may also be used to carry buffer status reports (BSR), power headroom reports (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0076] Aspects Related to Control Channel Carrier Switching for Subslot-Based Cells When communicating in a wireless network (e.g., wireless communication network 100), a user equipment (UE) (e.g., UE 104) may transmit Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback (e.g., positive acknowledgement (ACK) information and / or negative acknowledgement (NACK) information) to a network entity (e.g., BS 102) in uplink control information (UCI) via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) based on a HARQ-ACK codebook. The HARQ-ACK feedback may be generated in response to information received on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). Conventionally, in fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR), only one HARQ-ACK feedback transmission may be allowed per slot.

[0077] More recently, however, subslot-based HARQ-ACK feedback reporting may be supported for low-latency HARQ-ACK feedback. Subslot-based HARQ-ACK feedback may involve splitting a regular slot (e.g., containing 14 OFDM symbols) into multiple subslots. The UE may then be allowed to send HARQ-ACK feedback transmissions in each subslot. The UE may be configured with a subslot structure for transmitting HARQ-ACK feedback on PUCCH via a parameter "subslotLength-ForPUCCH" indicating the number of symbols per slot for PUCCH transmission. Two configurations may be possible: (1) two subslots with seven symbols each, and (2) seven subslots with two symbols each.

[0078] In some cases, when providing HARQ-ACK feedback, the PUCCH on which the HARQ-ACK feedback is transmitted may be determined by the UE based on the PDSCH to HARQ-ACK slot offset (K1). In some cases, when using a subslot structure, the granularity or unit (e.g., slot or subslot) of the K1 offset may be the same as the configured subslot length (e.g., specified by subslotLength-ForPUCCH) for a given HARQ-ACK codebook. Thus, K1 starts from the UL subslot in which the ending symbol of the PDSCH is located or overlaps.

[0079] For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the UE receives a PDSCH 502 on one or more slots of a downlink (DL) component carrier (CC). As shown at 510, the PDSCH 502 overlaps with some subslots in an uplink (UL) carrier in which feedback associated with the PDSCH 502 is transmitted. After receiving the PDSCH 502, the UE determines in which subslot of the UL CC to transmit a PUCCH containing HARQ-ACK feedback for the PDSCH 502, which is based on the PDSCH-to-HARQ-ACK slot offset (K1), as described above. In FIG. 5A, K1 is assumed to be 4, indicating to the UE that the PUCCH 504 should be transmitted in slot 506, which occurs 4 subslots after the subslot 508 in which the PDSCH ends.

[0080] In addition, in some cases, when using a subslot structure, the UE may be configured by a network entity with up to two HARQ-ACK codebooks. For example, in some cases, the UE may be configured with two slot-based HARQ-ACK codebooks, two subslot-based HARQ-ACK codebooks, or one slot-based HARQ-ACK codebook and one subslot-based HARQ ACK codebook. In some cases, resources (e.g., time-frequency resources) for transmitting HARQ-ACK feedback on the PUCCH may be included within the boundaries defined by the subslot. In addition, PUCCH resources for the two HARQ-ACK codebooks may be configured separately.

[0081] In some cases, a priority indicator field in downlink control information (DCI) formats 1_1 and 1_2 may be used to indicate which codebook should be used to report HARQ-ACK feedback. For example, in some cases, as shown in FIG. 5B, when a UE receives a PDCCH including a DCI message with a priority indicator field indicating low priority HARQ-ACK feedback (e.g., priority indicator field=0), the UE may use a slot-based HARQ-ACK codebook to transmit HARQ-ACK feedback in a PUCCH according to a slot-based structure 520. Conversely, when a priority indicator field in the DCI indicates high priority HARQ-ACK feedback (e.g., priority indicator field=1), the UE may use a sub-slot-based HARQ-ACK codebook to transmit HARQ-ACK feedback in a PUCCH according to a sub-slot-based structure 522. In some cases, if the priority indicator field is not configured (e.g., the DCI does not include a priority indicator field), a first HARQ-ACK codebook (e.g., slot-based) may be used by the UE to report HARQ-ACK feedback.

[0082] In some cases, carrier aggregation (CA) may be used in a wireless communication network (e.g., wireless communication network 100) to increase bandwidth by aggregating one or more component carriers associated with different frequency bands. When CA is used, a UE may communicate with multiple serving cells, one serving cell for each aggregated component carrier. In some cases, component carriers on different frequency bands may experience different path losses, resulting in serving cell coverage that differs from each other. In some cases, a radio resource control (RRC) connection may be managed by only one cell, such as a primary serving cell (PCell), and served by a PCC, such as a primary component carrier (PCC) for the downlink and uplink. Other component carriers may be referred to as secondary component carriers (e.g., DL and UL SCCs) and may be associated secondary serving cells. SCCs may be added and removed as needed, but PCCs may only be changed during handover.

[0083] In some cases, when communicating using CA, the UE may use one or more aggregated component carriers to transmit uplink control information on PUCCH to a network entity of a cell (e.g., BS 102 or a separate BS). In some cases, the UE may transmit PUCCH information on one cell (e.g., PCell or Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell)) to the respective network entity. As the number of CA-enabled UEs and the number of aggregated carriers also increase, the number of PUCCHs and PUCCH payload size may also increase. Adapting PUCCH transmission on the PCell may result in high PUCCH load on the PCell. In some cases, transmitting PUCCH on a secondary cell (Scell) can be used to offload PUCCH resources from the PCell.

[0084] In some cases, more than one PUCCH may be configured, such as a PUCCH on a PCell and another PUCCH on a SCell. In some cases, one, two, or more cells may be configured with PUCCH resources for transmitting channel state information (CSI) and / or ACK / NACK information to a network entity. Furthermore, in some cases, cells may be grouped into multiple PUCCH groups, and one or more cells in a group may be configured with a PUCCH. In an example configuration, one SCell may belong to one PUCCH group. An SCell with a configured PUCCH transmitted to a network entity may be known as a PUCCH SCell, and a group of cells with common PUCCH resources transmitted to the same network entity may be known as a PUCCH group.

[0085] In some cases, each PUCCH group may have only one cell that can be used to transmit the PUCCH, such as a Pcell in a master cell group (MCG) or a PSCell in a secondary cell group (SCG). Furthermore, in some cases, a technique known as PUCCH carrier switching may be used when transmitting the PUCCH. PUCCH carrier switching allows a UE to switch between up to two UL cells in a PUCCH group to transmit the PUCCH (one of the two UL cells may be a PCell or a PSCell, and the other cell may be an Scell). In some cases, the switching of the PUCCH carrier may be achieved through different approaches, such as via a semi-static carrier switch indication or via a dynamic carrier switch indication.

[0086] When a semi-static carrier switching indication is used, a network entity (e.g., BS 102) may transmit configuration information to the UE using a periodic time pattern indicating a corresponding target cell and / or carrier for PUCCH transmission for each slot of a set of slots in the periodicity. In some cases, the time pattern may be configured with reference to the numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing) of the PCell. In addition, in some cases, the UE may interpret resources for transmitting UCI on the PUCCH based on PUCCH resources configured on the target PUCCH cell. In some cases, this UCI information may include HARQ acknowledgment information corresponding to information received by the UE on the PDSCH or on the PDCCH. In such a case, the UE may determine the PDSCH to HARQ-ACK slot offset (K1) (e.g., the period after receiving the PDSCH and the ponding acknowledgment information) for dynamically scheduled HARQ-ACK and for semi-persistent signaling (SPS) ACK / NACK based on the numerology of the PCell (e.g., if the two PUCCH cells have different numerologies). In addition, in some cases, the UE may determine the PUCCH resource indicator (PRI) based on the PUCCH resource configuration on the target cell where the PUCCH is transmitted.

[0087] FIG. 6A illustrates an example periodic time pattern 600 that may be used by a UE to transmit PUCCH on different carriers associated with different cells, such as a PCC associated with a PCell and an SCC associated with an SCell. As discussed above, the periodic time pattern 600 indicates a corresponding target cell for PUCCH transmission for each slot of a set of slots in the periodicity. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the time pattern 604 may be configured by a network entity and may indicate which slots and corresponding component carriers should be used to transmit the PUCCH. In some cases, as shown in FIG. 6A, the time pattern 604 may have the following component carrier patterns: SCC, SCC, PCC, PCC, SCC, SCC, PCC, PCC. In some cases, the ordering of the time pattern 604 corresponds to the ordering of slot numbers. Thus, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the time pattern 604 indicates to the UE to transmit PUCCH 606 ​​via SCC 608 in slots 0 and 1 and via PCC 610 in slots 2 and 3. The time pattern 604 then repeats itself and the UE is configured to switch to transmitting the PUCCH 606 ​​via the SCC 608 in slots 4 and 5, and via the PCC 610 in slots 6 and 7.

[0088] When the dynamic carrier switching indication is used, the network entity may dynamically indicate the target cell for PUCCH transmission (e.g., using one bit in the DCI). For example, the DCI may indicate one of the PCell / PCC or SCell / SCC for transmitting the PUCCH. In such a case, the UE may determine the PDSCH to HARQ-ACK slot offset (K1) based on the target PUCCH cell indicated by the dynamic indication in the DCI. In addition, the PRI may be determined by the UE based on the PUCCH resource configuration on the target cell indicated by the dynamic indication in the DCI.

[0089] FIG. 6B illustrates a dynamic indication for PUCCH carrier switching that may be used by a UE to transmit PUCCH on different carriers associated with different cells, such as a PCC associated with a PCell and an SCC associated with an SCell. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, a UE may receive a DCI 620 including a dynamic indication indicating a target cell index, such as an index of an SCC / SCell, for transmitting a PUCCH. Based on the indication of the SCC / SCell, the UE may determine a PDSCH to HARQ-ACK slot offset (K1) based on the numerology of the SCC / SCell (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6B as K1=1). As shown in FIG. 6B, K1 may be assumed to be 1, indicating that the PUCCH on the SCC / SCell will start one slot after the slot in which the DCI 620 including the dynamic indication is received. For example, as shown in the figure, DCI 620 indicating PUCCH on SCC / SCell is received in slot 0, and therefore, the UE determines that PUCCH on SCC / SCell starts in slot 1 by determining K1=1 based on the SCC / SCell.

[0090] In some cases, the PCell and SCell used to transmit the PUCCH may be associated with different numerologies (e.g., subcarrier spacing). In general, different numerologies do not have a significant impact on dynamic PUCCH carrier switching when dynamic indication is used, since the UE can simply follow the numerology of the dynamically indicated PUCCH target cell. However, different numerologies on the PCell and SCell may cause some problems with semi-static PUCCH carrier switching.

[0091] For example, a first problem with semi-static PUCCH carrier switching occurs when the numerology or subcarrier spacing of the PCell is smaller than that of the SCell. For example, in this case, as shown in FIG. 7A, the slot 702 of the PCC 704 associated with the PCell is longer than the slot of the SCC 710 associated with the SCell, resulting in multiple SCell slots, such as slot 706 and slot 708, overlapping with one PCell slot 702. The difference in numerology of the PCell and SCell may cause problems when the semi-static time pattern indicates that a SCell / SCC should be used for PUCCH transmission, since the PDSCH-to-HARQ-ACK slot offset (K1) used to determine the slot for PUCCH transmission is always based on the PCell for semi-static PUCCH carrier switching indication. For example, since one PCell slot (e.g., slot 702) overlaps with two SCell slots (e.g., slot 706 and slot 708), and the granularity of K1 is one PCell slot or two SCell slots, K1 may not be able to indicate one of the SCell slots in which to perform PUCCH transmission.

[0092] In some cases, to help solve this problem, when the semi-static time pattern for PUCCH carrier switching indicates that the target cell for PUCCH transmission is an Scell, and when multiple SCell slots overlap with one PCell slot, the UE may be configured to use the first SCell slot that overlaps with the PCell slot. In other cases, the UE may be configured to use a relative slot offset within a reference cell slot, where the relative slot offset is configured in the time domain pattern (e.g., the time domain pattern includes parameters "cell index" and "slot_offset" for each reference cell slot). For example, when the relative slot offset is configured to be 0, the UE may always use the first SCell slot that overlaps with the PCell slot, and when the relative slot offset is configured to be 1, the UE may always use the second SCell slot that overlaps with the PCell stop, and so on.

[0093] A second problem with semi-static PUCCH carrier switching occurs when the numerology or subcarrier spacing of the PCell is larger than that of the SCell. For example, in this case, the slot of the PCell is shorter than that of the SCell, resulting in multiple PCell slots (e.g., two) overlapping with one SCell slot. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, slot 720 of the SCC 722 associated with the SCell overlaps with slots 724 and 726 of the PCC 728 associated with the PCell. In some cases, under this scenario, it may be the case that a first PUCCH is configured in a first PCell slot (e.g., slot 724) that overlaps with one SCell slot (e.g., slot 720) and a second PUCCH is configured in a second PCell slot (e.g., slot 726) that overlaps with one SCell slot (e.g., 720). When the target cell for both configured PUCCHs is a SCell, the UE may need to combine / multiplex one large PUCCH in one SCell slot, which may be difficult for the UE to accomplish. Therefore, to help avoid these issues, in some cases, PUCCH carrier switching may not be allowed in scenarios where the SCell slot is longer than the PCell slot.

[0094] As mentioned above, there may be cases where subslot-based PUCCH HARQ-ACK feedback reporting can be configured, such as to enable low-latency HARQ-ACK feedback. However, the above-mentioned aspects relate to PUCCH carrier switching, assuming slot-based PUCCH HARQ-ACK feedback reporting for PCell and SCell. As a result, if the UE is configured with subslot-based PUCCH HARQ-ACK reporting on either the PCell or SCell (e.g., via subslotLengthForPUCCH), PUCCH carrier switching may not be applicable / usable by the UE at this time, since the subslot may present an issue when determining in which slot / cell to transmit HARQ-ACK feedback. Thus, aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for facilitating control channel carrier switching for subslot-based cells. More specifically, aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for enabling PUCCH carrier switching between two PUCCH cells in the same PUCCH group, where at least one of the cells is configured with subslot-based HARQ-ACK feedback reporting.

[0095] Exemplary Call Flows Illustrating Operations for Facilitating Control Channel Carrier Switching for Subslot-Based Cells 8 illustrates a process flow illustrating operations 800 for communication in a network between a network entity 802 and a user equipment (UE) 804 that facilitates control channel (e.g., PUCCH) carrier switching for a sub-slot based cell. In some aspects, the network entity 802 may be an embodiment of the BS 102 illustrated and described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 3, or a separate base station illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 2. Similarly, the UE 804 may be an embodiment of the UE 104 illustrated and described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 3. However, in other aspects, the UE 104 may be another type of wireless communication device and the BS 102 may be another type of network entity or network node, such as those described herein.

[0096] As shown, the operations 800 begin at step 810 with the UE 804 receiving signaling, such as configuration information, from a network entity 802. In some cases, the UE 804 may communicate with the network entity 802 via a first cell using a PCC and via a second cell using a SCC. Thus, in some cases, the signaling configures the first cell with PUCCH resources. The signaling may also configure the second cell with PUCCH resources. The signaling may also configure at least one of the first cell or the second cell for sub-slot-based HARQ-ACK feedback reporting. In some cases, the first cell includes a PCell or a PSCell. Additionally, in some cases, the second cell includes a SCell.

[0097] Thereafter, as shown in step 820, the UE 804 receives a PDCCH transmission from the network entity 802. In some cases, the PDCCH transmission may include scheduling information for a PDSCH) transmission to be sent to the UE 804.

[0098] Thereafter, as shown at 830, the UE 804 selects, based on the target PUCCH cell switching information, the first cell or the second cell as a target PUCCH cell for transmitting a PUCCH including HARQ-ACK feedback for a PDCCH or a PDSCH scheduled by the PDCCH.

[0099] Thereafter, as shown in step 830, the UE 804 transmits the PUCCH including the HARQ-ACK feedback in the sub-slot or slot on the target PUCCH cell according to the selection.

[0100] In some cases, the target PUCCH cell switching information used to select a target PUCCH cell in step 830 may be received from the network entity 802 and may include a semi-static carrier switching indication or a dynamic carrier switching indication. For example, in some cases, the target PUCCH cell switching information includes an indication of the target PUCCH cell via a DCI (e.g., a dynamic carrier switching indication). Thus, each received DCI may indicate which target PUCCH cell should be used to transmit PUCCH and HARQ-ACK feedback for each PDCCH or PDSCH scheduled by the PDCCH.

[0101] In other cases, the target PUCCH cell switching information includes a semi-static time pattern for target PUCCH cell switching (e.g., a semi-static carrier switching indication). The semi-static time pattern for target PUCCH cell switching may indicate a pattern of periods and corresponding target PUCCH cells to be used during each respective period to transmit PUCCH.

[0102] In some cases, the signaling received in step 810 of FIG. 8 may configure both the first cell and the second cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting. In addition, in some cases, the first cell and the second cell have different subslot length configurations for a given HARQ-ACK codebook. For example, in some cases, the signaling received in step 810 may include separate subslotLength-ForPUCCH configurations for a given HARQ-ACK codebook for the first cell and the second cell. In some cases, this option may work for both dynamic carrier switching indications as well as semi-static carrier switching indications.

[0103] In some cases, the signaling received in step 810 of FIG. 8 configures one of the first cell or the second cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting and configures the other of the first cell or the second cell for slot-based HARQ-ACK reporting. In some aspects, this configuration may be useful when semi-static carrier switching is used. For example, in some cases, the signaling received in step 810 of FIG. 8 may configure the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting and configure the second cell for slot-based HARQ-ACK reporting. In such a case, the signaling may include only a subslotLength-ForPUCCH configuration for the first cell, but not for the second cell.

[0104] If the first cell is configured for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting, the PUCCH including HARQ-ACK feedback transmitted by the UE 804 in step 840 may be transmitted according to a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value, such as a PDSCH-to-HARQ-ACK slot offset (K1), based on the subslot length configured for the first cell. More specifically, for example, the UE 804 may follow the subslot length configured for the first cell (e.g., PCell) to determine the granularity of K1.

[0105] In some cases, when semi-static carrier switching is used, the UE 804 may select a target PUCCH cell based on a time pattern for semi-static PUCCH cell switching. For example, the UE 804 may determine a granularity of K1 based on a slot / subslot length configured for a first cell that may be used by the UE 804 to transmit a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback at 840 in FIG. 8. The UE 804 may then determine a slot / subslot for transmitting a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback based on K1 and a slot / subslot duration for the first cell. In some cases, when the first cell is configured as slot-based for PUCCH transmission and the second cell is configured as subslot-based for PUCCH transmission, the granularity may be based on a slot configured for the first cell. The UE 804 may then select a target PUCCH cell for transmitting a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback based on the time pattern for semi-static PUCCH cell switching and the determined slot / subslot.

[0106] In some cases, the same numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing) can be used for the first cell and the second cell. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, each of the first cell and the second cell can have a numerology of 30 kilohertz (kHz). In this case, as shown, each slot 902 (e.g., 1 millisecond slot) of the first cell and the second cell can include two subslots. In some cases, when the first cell and the second cell have the same numerology, the UE 804 can assume that the subslot length configured for the first cell applies to the second cell. In other words, the UE 804 can assume that each of the first cell and the second cell has the same subslot length.

[0107] In some cases, different numerologies can be used for the first cell and the second cell. For example, in some cases, the first cell can have a smaller numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing) than the second cell. For example, as shown in FIG. 9B, the first cell may have a numerology of 15 kHz and the second cell may have a numerology of 30 kHz. As a result of the smaller numerology, the slot 904 associated with the first cell can have a longer duration than the duration of the slot 906 associated with the second cell. In this case, the UE 804 can determine the slot duration / length of the second cell to be the same as the subslot duration / length of the first cell.

[0108] When at least one of the first cell or the second cell is configured with subslotLength-ForPUCCH (e.g., configured for subslot-based transmission), the UE 804 may not expect the slot / subslot length of the second cell to be longer than the slot / subslot length of the first cell. This may occur in different scenarios. For example, in some cases, when the first cell is configured with subslotLength-ForPUCCH (e.g., the first cell is configured as subslot-based) and the second cell is configured as slot-based, the UE 804 may not expect the second cell to have a slot length larger than the first cell. That is, in this case, the slot length of the second cell (e.g., measured in time) may not be longer than the subslot length of the first cell. In other words, when a first cell is configured for a subslot and a second cell is configured for a slot, the UE 804 does not expect the first cell to have a larger numerology than the second cell (e.g., the slot length of the first cell will be smaller than that of the second cell).

[0109] In addition, when a first cell is configured with subslotLength-ForPUCCH as subslot-based and a second cell is also configured via subslotLength-ForPUCCH as subslot-based, the UE 804 may not expect the second cell to have a subslot length greater than the first cell. That is, in this case, the subslot length (e.g., measured in time) may not be longer than the subslot length of the first cell. In other cases, when a first cell is configured as slot-based and a second cell is configured via subslotLength-ForPUCCH as subslot-based, the UE 804 may not expect the second cell to have a subslot length greater than the slot length of the first cell. That is, in these cases, the subslot length of the second cell may not be longer than the slot length of the first cell. In other cases, when a first cell is configured as slot-based, the UE 804 may not expect the second cell to be configured as subslot-based.

[0110] In either case, if the signaling received by the UE 804 in step 810 configures the second cell to have a larger slot / subslot length than the first cell, this may be considered an error case and processing may be left to the UE implementation. For example, if the signaling received by the UE 804 in step 810 configures the second cell to have a larger slot / subslot length than the first cell, the UE 804 may ignore the signaling.

[0111] If the signaling received by the UE 804 in step 810 configures the first cell with a sub-slot based HARQ-ACK report and the UE 804 is configured for target PUCCH switching based on a time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching (e.g., a semi-static carrier switch indication), the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching may be configured in a different manner. For example, in some cases, the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching may be configured in units of uplink slots associated with the first cell. In addition, in this case, HARQ-ACK reports on sub-slots within a slot may have the same target PUCCH cell. In addition, in some cases, slots or sub-slots in a second cell that overlap with slots of the first cell may also have the same PUCCH target cell.

[0112] In some cases, the time pattern for the semi-static target PUCCH cell switching may be configured in units of uplink subslots associated with the first cell. In addition, in other cases, the UE 804 may interpret the time pattern as slot-based or subslot-based for one HARQ-ACK codebook based at least in part on the configuration of another HARQ-ACK codebook. For example, in some cases, when the UE 804 is configured with a slot-based HARQ-ACK codebook and a subslot-based HARQ-ACK codebook, the UE 804 may interpret the time pattern for the semi-static target PUCCH cell switching as slot-based for both HARQ-ACK codebooks. In other cases, when the UE 804 is configured with only one subslot-based HARQ-ACK codebook or two subslot-based HARQ-ACK codebooks, the UE 804 may interpret the time pattern for the semi-static target PUCCH cell switching as subslot-based.

[0113] In addition, if the signaling received by the UE 804 in step 810 configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting and the UE 804 is configured for target PUCCH switching based on a time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching (e.g., a semi-static carrier switching indication), the network entity 802 can configure the time pattern such that a switching point in the time pattern between two PUCCH cells (e.g., between the first cell and the second cell) occurs with a slot or subslot boundary on the first cell or the second cell. In other words, the switching point in the time pattern is aligned with the slot / subslot boundary of the first and second cells. If the signaling received by the UE 804 in step 810 configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting and the UE 804 is configured for target PUCCH switching via an indication of the target PUCCH cell in the DCI in the PDCCH (e.g., dynamic carrier switching indication), the switching point between two PUCCH cells (e.g., the first cell and the second cell) may not need to coincide with the slot / subslot boundary of both PUCCH cells.

[0114] In addition, if the signaling received by the UE 804 in step 810 of FIG. 8 configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting and the UE 804 is configured for target PUCCH switching based on a time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching (e.g., semi-static carrier switching indication), the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value (e.g., PDSCH to HARQ-ACK slot offset (K1)) may be indicated in units of subslots associated with the first cell. In some cases, the reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value may be a subslot associated with the first cell in which the end symbol of the PDSCH occurs. In some cases, if the PDCCH received by the UE 804 in step 820 does not schedule a PDSCH (e.g., a PDCCH indicating SPS PDSCH release, a PDCCH indicating SCell pause, etc.), the reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value may be a subslot associated with the first cell in which the end symbol of the PDCCH occurs.

[0115] If the UE 804 selects a second cell as a target PUCCH cell for transmitting a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback based on the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching, and the subslot length of the first cell is different from the slot / subslot length of the second cell, the UE 804 may transmit the PUCCH including the HARQ-ACK in a slot or subslot on the second cell that overlaps with an uplink slot on the first cell, as indicated by the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value (K1) in step 840. In some cases, the slot or subslot on the second cell may be the first slot / subslot or the last slot / subslot that overlaps with an uplink slot / subslot on the first cell. In other cases, the slot or subslot on the second cell may be a slot based on a fixed offset from the uplink slot on the first cell. In some cases, the network entity 802 may configure the UE 804 with a fixed offset based on DCI, RRC signaling, and / or media access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling.

[0116] FIG. 10 illustrates an example for determining a slot / subslot on a second cell for transmitting a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback, according to the above-described aspects. For example, as shown, a first cell is configured with 15 kHz numerology and 2-symbol subslot-based PUCCH HARQ-ACK feedback reporting, and a second cell is configured with 30 kHz numerology and slot-based PUCCH HARQ-ACK feedback reporting. For example, as shown, the first cell may be configured with 7 subslots (e.g., subslots 0-6) with each subslot having 2 symbols, and the second cell may be configured with 2 slots (e.g., slots 0 and 1) with each slot having 14 symbols.

[0117] In this scenario, the UE 804 may determine the reference subslot on the first cell for the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value (K1) to be the subslot on the first cell in which the ending symbol of the PDSCH occurs. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the UE 804 may determine the reference subslot to be subslot #1 because the PDSCH 1002 ends with the first symbol of subslot #1 associated with the first cell. Thus, assuming a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value of 2 (e.g., K1=2), the UE 804 may determine that the HARQ-ACK feedback for the PDSCH 1002 will be transmitted in subslot #3 in the PUCCH transmitted in step 840 of FIG. 8.

[0118] However, there may be cases where the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching indicates that the target PUCCH cell for the HARQ-ACK feedback, determined to be transmitted in subslot #3 in Figure 10, is the second cell (e.g., not the first cell). When this occurs, the UE 804 may need to determine the corresponding slot / subslot on the second cell in which to transmit the PUCCH with the HARQ-ACK feedback. For example, in some cases, the UE 804 may determine that the slot / subslot on the second cell is the first or last slot / subslot that overlaps with subslot #3 of the first cell. For example, in some cases, if the UE 804 is configured to select the first slot / subslot on the second cell, the UE 804 may transmit the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback in the first slot of the second cell in step 840 of Figure 8, and if the UE 804 is configured to select the last slot / subslot on the second cell, the UE 804 may transmit the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback in the second slot of the second cell. In other cases, the UE 804 may determine the slot / subslot on the second cell based on a slot offset, as described above.

[0119] Returning to FIG. 8, in some cases, the signaling received by the UE 804 in step 820 configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting. In addition, in some cases, the UE 804 may be configured for target PUCCH switching via an indication of a target PUCCH cell in a DCI from the network entity 802 transmitted in a PDCCH (e.g., dynamic carrier switching indication). In this case, the UE 804 may be configured to first check or determine the target cell indicated by the DCI. The UE 804 may then transmit a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback according to a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value (e.g., K1) based on a slot or subslot length for the first cell or the second cell indicated in the DCI as the target PUCCH cell. In some cases, the reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is a subslot or slot in the target PUCCH cell that overlaps with the end of the PDCCH or PDSCH scheduled by the PDCCH received by the UE 804 in step 820. In some cases, the PUCCH resource for transmitting the HARQ-ACK feedback in step 840 may fall within a corresponding subslot boundary.

[0120] Exemplary Operation of User Equipment FIG. 11 illustrates a method 1100 of wireless communication by a UE, such as the UE 104 of FIGS. 1 and 3, for transmitting HARQ-ACK feedback using PUCCH carrier switching for a subslot-based cell.

[0121] As shown, the method 1100 begins at step 1110 with a UE receiving signaling to configure a first cell with physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources, configure a second cell with PUCCH resources, and configure at least one of the first cell or the second cell for subslot-based hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) reporting.

[0122] In step 1120, the UE receives a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0123] In step 1130, the UE selects, based on the target PUCCH cell switching information, the first cell or the second cell as a target PUCCH cell for transmitting a PUCCH having HARQ-ACK feedback for a PDCCH or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the PDCCH.

[0124] In step 1140, the UE transmits the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback in the sub-slot or slot on the target PUCCH cell according to the selection.

[0125] In some cases, the first cell includes a primary cell (PCell) or a primary secondary cell (PSCell), and in some cases, the second cell includes a secondary cell (SCell).

[0126] In some cases, the target PUCCH cell switching information includes an indication of the target PUCCH cell via downlink control information (DCI) or a semi-static time pattern for target PUCCH cell switching.

[0127] In some cases, the signaling configures both the first cell and the second cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting, and in some cases, the first cell and the second cell have different subslot length configurations for a given HARQ-ACK codebook.

[0128] In some cases, the signaling configures one of the first cell or the second cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting and configures the other of the first cell or the second cell for slot-based HARQ-ACK reporting.

[0129] In some cases, the signaling configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting, and in some cases, the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback is transmitted according to a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value that is based on a subslot length configured for the first cell.

[0130] In some cases, the selection of the target PUCCH cell is based on a time pattern for semi-static PUCCH cell switching.

[0131] In some cases, the same numerology is used for the first cell and the second cell, and in some cases, the UE assumes that the same subslot length configured for the first cell applies to the second cell.

[0132] In some cases, the slot duration of the first cell is longer than the slot duration of the second cell, and in some cases, the slot or sub-slot duration of the second cell is determined to be the same as the sub-slot length of the first cell.

[0133] In some cases, the UE does not expect the second cell to have a larger slot length than the first cell, and in some cases, if the signaling configures the second cell to have a larger slot length than the first cell, the UE ignores the signaling.

[0134] In some cases, the signaling configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting. In addition, in some cases, the UE is configured for target PUCCH switching based on a time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching.

[0135] In some cases, the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching is configured in units of uplink slots of the first cell. In addition, in some cases, HARQ-ACK reports on sub-slots within a slot have the same target PUCCH cell. In addition, in some cases, slots or sub-slots in the second cell that overlap with slots of the first cell have the same PUCCH target cell.

[0136] Possibly, the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching is configured in units of uplink sub-slots of the first cell.

[0137] In some cases, if the UE is configured with a HARQ-ACK codebook that is slot-based, the UE interprets the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching as slot-based, otherwise the UE interprets the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching as sub-slot-based.

[0138] In some cases, the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is indicated in units of sub-slots of the first cell.

[0139] In some cases, the reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is the sub-slot on the first cell in which the ending symbol of the PDSCH or PDCCH occurs.

[0140] In some cases, the switch point in the time pattern between two PUCCH cells occurs with a slot or sub-slot boundary on the first cell or the second cell.

[0141] In some cases, when a second cell is selected to transmit a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback and the subslot length on the first cell is different from the slot or subslot length on the second cell, the UE transmits the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback in the first slot or subslot on the second cell that overlaps with the uplink slot on the first cell, as indicated by the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value.

[0142] In some cases, the target PUCCH cell switching information includes an indication of the target PUCCH cell via downlink control information (DCI) in the PDCCH. In addition, in some cases, the signaling configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting. In addition, in some cases, the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback is transmitted according to a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value based on a slot or subslot length for the first cell or the second cell indicated in the DCI as the target PUCCH cell.

[0143] In some cases, the reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is the sub-slot or slot in the target PUCCH cell that overlaps with the end of the PDCCH or PDSCH.

[0144] In one aspect, the method 1100, or any aspect related thereto, may be performed by an apparatus such as a communications device 1300 of Figure 13 that includes various components operable, configured, or adapted to perform the method 1100. Communications device 1300 is described in further detail below.

[0145] It should be noted that FIG. 11 is merely one example of a method, and that other methods including fewer, additional, or alternative steps are possible consistent with this disclosure.

[0146] Exemplary Operation of a Network Entity FIG. 12 illustrates a method 1200 of wireless communication by a network entity, such as BS 102 of FIGS. 1 and 3 or a separate base station as described with respect to FIG. 2, for receiving HARQ-ACK feedback based on PUCCH carrier switching for a subslot-based cell.

[0147] As shown, method 1200 begins at step 1210 with a network entity sending signaling to a user equipment (UE) to configure a first cell with physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources, configure a second cell with PUCCH resources, and configure at least one of the first cell or the second cell for subslot-based hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) reporting.

[0148] In step 1220, the network entity transmits a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to the UE.

[0149] In step 1230, the network entity selects, based on the target PUCCH cell switching information, the first cell or the second cell as a target PUCCH cell for monitoring a PUCCH having HARQ-ACK feedback for a PDCCH or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the PDCCH.

[0150] In step 1240, the network entity monitors the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback in a sub-slot or slot on the first cell or the second cell according to the selection.

[0151] At step 1250, the network entity receives a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback based on the monitoring.

[0152] In some cases, the first cell includes a primary cell (PCell) or a primary secondary cell (PSCell), and in some cases, the second cell includes a secondary cell (SCell).

[0153] In some cases, the target PUCCH cell switching information includes an indication of the target PUCCH cell via downlink control information (DCI) or a semi-static time pattern for target PUCCH cell switching.

[0154] In some cases, the signaling configures both the first cell and the second cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting. Additionally, in some cases, the first cell and the second cell have different subslot length configurations for a given HARQ-ACK codebook.

[0155] In some cases, the signaling configures one of the first cell or the second cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting and configures the other of the first cell or the second cell for slot-based HARQ-ACK reporting.

[0156] In some cases, the signaling configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting, and in some cases, the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback is transmitted according to a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value that is based on a subslot length configured for the first cell.

[0157] In some cases, the selection of the target PUCCH cell is based on a time pattern for semi-static PUCCH cell switching.

[0158] In some cases, the same numerology is used for the first cell and the second cell, and in addition, in some cases, the network entity assumes that the same subslot length configured for the first cell applies to the second cell.

[0159] In some cases, the slot duration of the first cell is longer than the slot duration of the second cell, and in some cases, the slot or sub-slot duration of the second cell is determined to be the same as the sub-slot length of the first cell.

[0160] In some cases, the network entity ensures that the second cell does not have a larger slot length than the first cell.

[0161] In some cases, the signaling configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting. In addition, in some cases, the network entity configures the UE for target PUCCH switching based on a time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching.

[0162] In some cases, the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching is configured in units of uplink slots of the first cell. In addition, in some cases, HARQ-ACK reports on sub-slots within a slot have the same target PUCCH cell. In addition, in some cases, slots or sub-slots in the second cell that overlap with slots of the first cell have the same PUCCH target cell.

[0163] Possibly, the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching is configured in units of uplink sub-slots of the first cell.

[0164] In some cases, if the UE is configured with a HARQ-ACK codebook that is slot-based, the network entity interprets the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching as slot-based, otherwise the UE interprets the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching as sub-slot-based.

[0165] In some cases, the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is indicated in units of sub-slots of the first cell.

[0166] In some cases, the reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is the sub-slot on the first cell in which the ending symbol of the PDSCH or PDCCH occurs.

[0167] In some cases, the switch point in the time pattern between two PUCCH cells occurs with a slot or sub-slot boundary on the first cell or the second cell.

[0168] In some cases, when a second cell is selected to transmit a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback and the subslot length on the first cell is different from the slot or subslot length on the second cell, the network entity monitors for the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback in the first slot or subslot on the second cell that overlaps with the uplink slot on the first cell, as indicated by the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value.

[0169] In some cases, the target PUCCH cell switching information includes an indication of the target PUCCH cell via downlink control information (DCI) in the PDCCH. In addition, in some cases, the signaling configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting. In addition, in some cases, the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback is transmitted according to a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value based on a slot or subslot length for the first cell or the second cell indicated in the DCI as the target PUCCH cell.

[0170] In some cases, the reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is the sub-slot or slot in the target PUCCH cell that overlaps with the end of the PDCCH or PDSCH.

[0171] In one aspect, the method 1200, or any aspect related thereto, may be performed by an apparatus such as a communications device 1400 of Figure 14 that includes various components operable, configured, or adapted to perform the method 1200. Communications device 1400 is described in further detail below.

[0172] It should be noted that FIG. 12 is merely one example of a method and that other methods including fewer, additional, or alternative steps are possible consistent with this disclosure.

[0173] Exemplary Wireless Communication Device 13 illustrates an aspect of an example communications device 1300. In some aspects, the communications device 1300 is user equipment, such as the UE 104 described above with respect to FIGS.

[0174] The communications device 1300 includes a processing system 1302 coupled to a transceiver 1308 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). The transceiver 1308 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communications device 1300 via an antenna 1310, such as various signals as described herein. The processing system 1302 can be configured to perform processing functions for the communications device 1300, including processing signals to be received and / or transmitted by the communications device 1300.

[0175] The processing system 1302 includes one or more processors 1320. In various aspects, the one or more processors 1320 may represent one or more of the receive processor 358, the transmit processor 364, the TX MIMO processor 366, and / or the controller / processor 380, as described with respect to FIG. 3. The one or more processors 1320 are coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 1330 via a bus 1306. In some aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1330 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the one or more processors 1320, cause the one or more processors 1320 to perform the method 1100 described with respect to FIG. 11, or any aspects related thereto. It should be noted that reference to a processor performing a function of the communication device 1300 can include one or more processors performing that function of the communication device 1300.

[0176] In the depicted example, computer readable medium / memory 1330 stores receiving code (e.g., executable instructions) 1331, selecting code 1332, and transmitting code 1333. Processing of codes 1331-1333 may cause communications device 1300 to perform method 1100 described with respect to FIG.

[0177] The one or more processors 1320 include circuitry configured to implement (e.g., execute) code stored in a computer-readable medium / memory 1330, including a circuitry for receiving 1321, a circuitry for selecting 1322, and a circuitry for transmitting 1323. Processing in the circuits 1321-1323 may cause the communications device 1300 to perform the method 1100 described with respect to FIG.

[0178] Various components of the communications device 1300 may provide means for performing the method 1100 described with respect to Figure 11, or any aspect related thereto. For example, the means for transmitting, sending, or outputting for transmission may include the transceiver 354 and / or antenna(s) 352 of the UE 104 shown in Figure 3, and / or the transceiver 1308 and antenna 1310 of the communications device 1300 of Figure 13. The means for receiving or acquiring may include the transceiver 354 and / or antenna(s) 352 of the UE 104 shown in Figure 3, and / or the transceiver 1308 and antenna 1310 of the communications device 1300 of Figure 13.

[0179] 14 illustrates an aspect of an exemplary communications device. In some aspects, the communications device 1400 is a network entity, such as the BS 102 of FIGS. 1 and 3, or a separate base station as described with respect to FIG.

[0180] The communications device 1400 includes a processing system 1402 coupled to a transceiver 1408 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver) and / or a network interface 1412. The transceiver 1408 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communications device 1400 via an antenna 1410, such as various signals as described herein. The network interface 1412 is configured to obtain and transmit signals for the communications device 1400 via a communications link(s), such as a backhaul link, a midhaul link, and / or a fronthaul link as described herein, such as with respect to FIG. 2. The processing system 1402 can be configured to perform processing functions for the communications device 1400, including processing signals to be received and / or transmitted by the communications device 1400.

[0181] The processing system 1402 includes one or more processors 1420. In various aspects, the one or more processors 1420 may represent one or more of the receive processor 338, the transmit processor 320, the TX MIMO processor 330, and / or the controller / processor 340, as described with respect to FIG. 3. The one or more processors 1420 are coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 1430 via a bus 1406. In some aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1430 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the one or more processors 1420, cause the one or more processors 1420 to perform the method 1200 described with respect to FIG. 12, or any aspects related thereto. It should be noted that a reference to a processor of the communications device 1400 performing a function can include one or more processors of the communications device 1400 performing the function.

[0182] In the depicted example, computer readable medium / memory 1430 stores code (e.g., executable instructions) for sending 1431, code for selecting 1432, code for monitoring 1433, and code for receiving 1434. Processing of codes 1431-1434 may cause communications device 1400 to perform method 1200, or any aspect related thereto, as described with respect to FIG.

[0183] The one or more processors 1420 include circuitry configured to implement (e.g., execute) code stored in a computer-readable medium / memory 1430, including a transmitting circuit 1421, a selecting circuit 1422, a monitoring circuit 1423, and a receiving circuit 1424. Processing in the circuits 1421-1424 may cause the communications device 1400 to perform the method 1200 described with respect to FIG.

[0184] Various components of the communications device 1400 may provide means for performing the method 1200 described with respect to Figure 12, or any aspect related thereto. The means for transmitting, sending, or outputting for transmission may include the transceiver 332 and / or antenna(s) 334 of the BS 102 shown in Figure 3, and / or the transceiver 1408 and antenna 1410 of the communications device 1400 of Figure 14. The means for receiving or acquiring may include the transceiver 332 and / or antenna(s) 334 of the BS 102 shown in Figure 3, and / or the transceiver 1408 and antenna 1410 of the communications device 1400 of Figure 14.

[0185] Illustrative clauses The following numbered clauses describe example implementations.

[0186] Clause 1: A method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving signaling for configuring a first cell with physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources, configuring a second cell with PUCCH resources, and configuring at least one of the first cell or the second cell for sub-slot-based hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) reporting; receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); selecting the first cell or the second cell as a target PUCCH cell for transmitting a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback for a PDCCH or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the PDCCH based on target PUCCH cell switching information; and transmitting the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback in a sub-slot or slot on the target PUCCH cell according to the selection.

[0187] Clause 2: The method of clause 1, wherein the first cell includes a primary cell (PCell) or a primary secondary cell (PSCell), and the second cell includes a secondary cell (SCell).

[0188] Clause 3: The method according to clause 1 or 2, wherein the target PUCCH cell switching information includes an indication of the target PUCCH cell via downlink control information (DCI), or a semi-static time pattern for target PUCCH cell switching.

[0189] Clause 4: The method of any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the signaling configures both the first cell and the second cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting, and the first cell and the second cell have different subslot length configurations for a given HARQ-ACK codebook.

[0190] Clause 5: The method of any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the signaling configures one of the first cell or the second cell for sub-slot based HARQ-ACK reporting and configures the other of the first cell or the second cell for slot based HARQ-ACK reporting.

[0191] Clause 6: The method of any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the signaling configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting, and the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback is transmitted according to a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value that is based on the subslot length configured for the first cell.

[0192] Clause 7: The method according to clause 6, wherein the selection of the target PUCCH cell is based on a time pattern for semi-static PUCCH cell switching.

[0193] Clause 8: The method of clause 6 or 7, wherein the same numerology is used for the first cell and the second cell, and the UE assumes that the same subslot length configured for the first cell applies to the second cell.

[0194] Clause 9: The method of clause 6 or 7, wherein the slot duration of the first cell is determined to be longer than the slot duration of the second cell, and the slot or sub-slot duration of the second cell is determined to be the same as the sub-slot length of the first cell.

[0195] Clause 10: The method of clause 6 or 7, wherein if the UE does not expect the second cell to have a larger slot length than the first cell and the signaling configures the second cell to have a larger slot length than the first cell, the UE ignores the signaling.

[0196] Clause 11: A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 10, wherein the signaling configures the first cell for sub-slot-based HARQ-ACK reporting, and the UE is configured for target PUCCH switching based on a time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching.

[0197] Clause 12: The method described in clause 11, wherein the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching is configured in units of uplink slots of a first cell, HARQ-ACK reports on sub-slots within a slot have the same target PUCCH cell, and slots or sub-slots in a second cell that overlap with slots of the first cell have the same PUCCH target cell.

[0198] Clause 13: The method according to clause 11, wherein the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching is configured in units of uplink sub-slots of the first cell.

[0199] Clause 14: The method according to clause 11, wherein if the UE is configured with a HARQ-ACK codebook that is slot-based, the UE interprets the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching as slot-based, and otherwise, the UE interprets the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching as sub-slot-based.

[0200] Clause 15: The method of clause 11, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is indicated in units of sub-slots of the first cell.

[0201] Clause 16: The method according to clause 15, wherein the reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is the subslot on the first cell in which the end symbol of the PDSCH or PDCCH occurs.

[0202] Clause 17: The method according to any one of clauses 11 to 16, wherein a switchover point in the time pattern between two PUCCH cells occurs with a slot or sub-slot boundary on the first cell or the second cell.

[0203] Clause 18: The method of clause 17, wherein when a second cell is selected to transmit a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback and a subslot length on the first cell is different from a slot or subslot length on the second cell, the UE transmits a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback within a first slot or subslot on the second cell that overlaps with an uplink slot on the first cell, as indicated by a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value.

[0204] Clause 19: The method of clause 1 or 2, wherein the target PUCCH cell switching information includes an indication of the target PUCCH cell via downlink control information (DCI) in the PDCCH, the signaling configures the first cell for sub-slot based HARQ-ACK reporting, and the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback is transmitted according to a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value based on a slot or sub-slot length for the first cell or the second cell indicated in the DCI as the target PUCCH cell.

[0205] Clause 20: The method according to clause 19, wherein the reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is a sub-slot or slot in the target PUCCH cell that overlaps with the end of the PDCCH or PDSCH.

[0206] Clause 21: A method of wireless communication by a network entity, comprising: transmitting signaling to a user equipment (UE), configuring a first cell with physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources, configuring a second cell with PUCCH resources, and configuring at least one of the first cell or the second cell for sub-slot-based hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) reporting; transmitting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to the UE; selecting the first cell or the second cell as a target PUCCH cell for monitoring a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback for a PDCCH or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the PDCCH based on target PUCCH cell switching information; and monitoring the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback in a sub-slot or slot on the first cell or the second cell according to the selection.

[0207] Clause 22: The method of clause 21, wherein the first cell includes a primary cell (PCell) or a primary secondary cell (PSCell), and the second cell includes a secondary cell (SCell).

[0208] Clause 23: The method according to clause 21 or 22, wherein the target PUCCH cell switching information comprises an indication of the target PUCCH cell via downlink control information (DCI) or a semi-static time pattern for target PUCCH cell switching.

[0209] Clause 24: The method of any one of clauses 21 to 23, wherein the signaling configures both the first cell and the second cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting, and the first cell and the second cell have different subslot length configurations for a given HARQ-ACK codebook.

[0210] Clause 25: The method of any one of clauses 21 to 23, wherein the signaling configures one of the first cell or the second cell for sub-slot based HARQ-ACK reporting and configures the other of the first cell or the second cell for slot based HARQ-ACK reporting.

[0211] Clause 26: The method according to any one of clauses 21 to 23, wherein the signaling configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting, and the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback is transmitted according to a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value that is based on the subslot length configured for the first cell.

[0212] Clause 27: The method according to clause 26, wherein the selection of the target PUCCH cell is based on a time pattern for semi-static PUCCH cell switching.

[0213] Clause 28: The method according to clause 26 or 27, wherein the same numerology is used for the first cell and the second cell, and the network entity assumes that the same subslot length configured for the first cell applies to the second cell.

[0214] Clause 29: The method of clause 26 or 27, wherein the slot duration of the first cell is determined to be longer than the slot duration of the second cell and the slot or sub-slot duration of the second cell is determined to be the same as the sub-slot length of the first cell.

[0215] Clause 30: The method of clause 26 or 27, wherein the network entity ensures that the second cell does not have a slot length greater than the first cell.

[0216] Clause 31: The method according to any one of clauses 21 to 30, wherein the signaling configures the first cell for sub-slot based HARQ-ACK reporting, and the network entity configures the UE for target PUCCH switching based on a time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching.

[0217] Clause 32: The method described in clause 31, wherein the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching is configured in units of uplink slots of a first cell, HARQ-ACK reports on sub-slots within a slot have the same target PUCCH cell, and slots or sub-slots in a second cell that overlap with slots of the first cell have the same PUCCH target cell.

[0218] Clause 33: The method according to clause 31, wherein the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching is configured in units of uplink sub-slots of the first cell.

[0219] Clause 34: The method according to clause 31, wherein if the UE is configured with a HARQ-ACK codebook that is slot-based, the network entity interprets the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching as slot-based, otherwise the UE interprets the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching as sub-slot-based.

[0220] Clause 35: The method of clause 31, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is indicated in units of sub-slots of the first cell.

[0221] Clause 36: The method according to clause 35, wherein the reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is the subslot on the first cell in which the end symbol of the PDSCH or PDCCH occurs.

[0222] Clause 37: The method according to any one of clauses 31 to 36, wherein a switchover point in the time pattern between two PUCCH cells occurs with a slot or sub-slot boundary on the first cell or the second cell.

[0223] Clause 38: A method according to any one of clauses 35 to 37, wherein when a second cell is selected to transmit a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback and a subslot length on the first cell is different from a slot or subslot length on the second cell, the network entity monitors the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback within a first slot or subslot on the second cell that overlaps with an uplink slot on the first cell, as indicated by a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value.

[0224] Clause 39: The method of clause 21 or 22, wherein the target PUCCH cell switching information includes an indication of the target PUCCH cell via downlink control information (DCI) in the PDCCH, and the signaling configures the first cell for sub-slot based HARQ-ACK reporting, and the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback is transmitted according to a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value based on a slot or sub-slot length for the first cell or the second cell indicated in the DCI as the target PUCCH cell.

[0225] Clause 40: The method according to clause 39, wherein the reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is a sub-slot or slot in the target PUCCH cell that overlaps with the end of the PDCCH or PDSCH.

[0226] Clause 41: An apparatus comprising: a memory comprising executable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the executable instructions to cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of clauses 1 to 40.

[0227] Clause 42: An apparatus comprising means for carrying out the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 40.

[0228] Clause 43: A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method of any one of clauses 1 to 40.

[0229] Clause 44: A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium comprising code for performing the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 40.

[0230] Additional Considerations The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The embodiments discussed herein are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or aspects described in the claims. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. For example, changes may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements discussed without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various steps or components as appropriate. For example, the methods described may be performed in an order different from that described, and various actions may be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described with respect to some embodiments may be combined in some other embodiments. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects described herein. Furthermore, the scope of the disclosure is intended to encompass apparatuses or methods that are practiced using other structures, functions, or structures and functions in addition to or other than the various aspects of the disclosure described herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

[0231] The various example logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with this disclosure may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, a system on a chip (SoC), or any other such configuration.

[0232] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. By way of example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to encompass a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination having multiples of the same element (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other permutation of a, b, and c).

[0233] As used herein, the term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, database, or another data structure), ascertaining, etc. Also, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), etc. Also, "determining" may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.

[0234] The methods disclosed herein include one or more actions for achieving the method. The actions of the methods may be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of actions is specified, the order and / or use of specific actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims. Furthermore, the various operations of the methods described above may be performed by any suitable means capable of performing the corresponding functions. These means may include various hardware and / or software components, including, but not limited to, circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or processors, and / or various hardware and / or software modules.

[0235] The following claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. Within the claims, reference to an element by the singular is not intended to mean "only one" unless expressly stated as such, but rather "one or more." The term "several" refers to one or more, unless expressly stated otherwise. Claim elements are not to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for." All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later become known to those skilled in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be made public, regardless of whether such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving signaling from a network entity, the signaling including configuring a first cell with physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources, configuring a second cell with PUCCH resources, and configuring at least one of the first cell or the second cell for subslot-based hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) reporting; receiving a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) from the network entity; receiving target PUCCH cell switch information from the network entity, the target PUCCH cell switch information comprising a quasi-static carrier switch indication, a dynamic carrier switch indication, or a quasi-static time pattern for target PUCCH cell switch; selecting, based on the received target PUCCH cell switch information, the first cell or the second cell as a target PUCCH cell for transmitting a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK feedback for the PDCCH or a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the PDCCH; transmitting the PUCCH with the HARQ-ACK feedback to the network entity in a sub-slot on the target PUCCH cell according to the selection; A method comprising:

2. the first cell comprises a primary cell (PCell) or a primary secondary cell (PSCell); the second cell comprises a secondary cell (SCell); The method of claim 1.

3. the signaling configures both the first cell and the second cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting; the first cell and the second cell have different subslot length configurations for a given HARQ-ACK codebook; The method of claim 1.

4. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling configures one of the first cell or the second cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting and configures the other of the first cell or the second cell for slot-based HARQ-ACK reporting.

5. the signaling configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting; the PUCCH with the HARQ-ACK feedback is transmitted according to a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value based on a subslot length configured for the first cell. The method of claim 1.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the selection of the target PUCCH cell is based on a time pattern for semi-static PUCCH cell switching.

7. the UE does not expect the second cell to have a slot length greater than the first cell; If the signaling configures the second cell to have a slot length greater than the first cell, the UE ignores the signaling. The method of claim 6.

8. the signaling configures the first cell for subslot-based HARQ-ACK reporting; the UE is configured for target PUCCH switching based on a time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching; The method of claim 1.

9. the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching is configured in units of uplink slots of the first cell; HARQ-ACK reports on sub-slots within a slot have the same target PUCCH cell; The method of claim 8.

10. the time pattern for semi-static target PUCCH cell switching is configured in units of uplink sub-slots of the first cell, or a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is indicated in units of sub-slots of the first cell; The reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is a sub-slot on the first cell in which an end symbol of the PDSCH or PDCCH occurs, or a switchover point in the time pattern between two PUCCH cells occurs with a slot or sub-slot boundary on the first cell or the second cell, or 9. The method of claim 8, wherein, when the second cell is selected to transmit the PUCCH with the HARQ-ACK feedback and a subslot length on the first cell is different from a slot or subslot length on the second cell, the UE transmits the PUCCH with the HARQ-ACK feedback in a first slot or subslot on the second cell that overlaps with an uplink slot on the first cell, as indicated by a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value.

11. the target PUCCH cell switch information includes an indication of a target PUCCH cell received via Downlink Control Information (DCI) in the PDCCH; the PUCCH with the HARQ-ACK feedback is transmitted according to a HARQ-ACK feedback timing value based on a slot or subslot length for the first cell or a second cell indicated in the DCI as the target PUCCH cell. The method of claim 1.

12. the reference point for applying the HARQ-ACK feedback timing value is a sub-slot or slot in the target PUCCH cell that overlaps with the end of the PDCCH or PDSCH; or The method of claim 11 , wherein the signaling configures the first cell for sub-slot-based HARQ-ACK reporting.

13. 1. A method of wireless communication by a network entity, comprising: transmitting signaling to a user equipment (UE) including configuring a first cell with physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources, configuring a second cell with PUCCH resources, and configuring at least one of the first cell or the second cell for subslot-based hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) reporting; transmitting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to the UE; transmitting target PUCCH cell switch information to the UE, wherein the target PUCCH cell switch information comprises a semi-static carrier switch indication, a dynamic carrier switch indication, or a semi-static time pattern for target PUCCH cell switch; selecting, based on the transmitted target PUCCH cell switching information, the first cell or the second cell as a target PUCCH cell for monitoring a PUCCH having HARQ-ACK feedback for the PDCCH or a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the PDCCH; monitoring the PUCCH with the HARQ-ACK feedback in a sub-slot on the first cell or the second cell according to the selection; A method comprising:

14. 1. An apparatus in a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: a memory having executable instructions; Executing the executable instructions, causing the device to: receiving signaling from a network entity including configuring a first cell with physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources, configuring a second cell with PUCCH resources, and configuring at least one of the first cell or the second cell for subslot-based hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) reporting; receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); receiving target PUCCH cell switch information from the network entity, the target PUCCH cell switch information comprising a quasi-static carrier switch indication, a dynamic carrier switch indication, or a quasi-static time pattern for target PUCCH cell switch; selecting, based on the received target PUCCH cell switch information, the first cell or the second cell as a target PUCCH cell for transmitting a PUCCH having HARQ-ACK feedback for the PDCCH or a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the PDCCH; transmitting the PUCCH with the HARQ-ACK feedback in a sub-slot on the target PUCCH cell to the network entity according to the selection; one or more processors configured to cause An apparatus comprising:

15. 1. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: a memory having executable instructions; Executing the executable instructions, causing the device to: transmitting signaling to a user equipment (UE), the signaling including configuring a first cell with physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources, configuring a second cell with PUCCH resources, and configuring at least one of the first cell or the second cell for subslot-based hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) reporting; transmitting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to the UE; transmitting target PUCCH cell switch information to the UE, wherein the target PUCCH cell switch information comprises a semi-static carrier switch indication, a dynamic carrier switch indication, or a semi-static time pattern for target PUCCH cell switch; selecting, based on the transmitted target PUCCH cell switching information, the first cell or the second cell as a target PUCCH cell for monitoring a PUCCH having HARQ-ACK feedback for the PDCCH or a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the PDCCH; monitoring the PUCCH with the HARQ-ACK feedback in a sub-slot on the first cell or the second cell according to the selection; one or more processors configured to cause An apparatus comprising:

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