Method and device for allocating uplink resource for MBMS uplink feedback information

Abstract

To provide methods and devices for allocating uplink resources for MBMS uplink feedback information.SOLUTION: The present disclosure describes methods, system, and devices for allocating uplink resources for multimedia broadcast multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information. The method includes sending, by a radio access network (RAN), to at least one user equipment (UE), at least one multicast traffic channel (MTCH) transmission in a MBMS service. The method also includes allocating, by the RAN, for the at least one UE, at least one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the at least one MTCH transmission.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure is directed generally to wireless communications. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a method and device for allocating uplink resources for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless communication technologies are moving the world towards an increasingly connected and networked society. High speed and low latency wireless communication relies on efficient network resource management and allocation between user equipment (UE) and radio access network nodes, including but not limited to radio access networks (RANs). The RAN may communicate with one or more UEs in a multimedia broadcast multicast (MBMS) service. The present disclosure may address issues and / or problems in allocating uplink resources for MBMS uplink feedback information. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] This document relates to methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication, and more particularly, to methods, systems, and devices for allocating uplink resources for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information.

[0004] In one embodiment, the present disclosure describes a method for wireless communication that includes allocating uplink resources for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information by transmitting, by a Radio Access Network (RAN), at least one Multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH) transmission in an MBMS service to at least one User Equipment (UE), and allocating, by the RAN, for the at least one UE, at least one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the at least one MTCH transmission.

[0005] In another embodiment, the present disclosure describes a method for wireless communication that includes allocating uplink resources for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information by receiving, by a user equipment (UE), configuration information for a feedback window corresponding to a Multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH) transmission in an MBMS service from a Radio Access Network (RAN), and determining, by the UE, resource units in the feedback window for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH transmission.

[0006] In another embodiment, the present disclosure describes a method for wireless communication, the method including allocating uplink resources for uplink feedback information related to a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and multimedia broadcast multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information by, respectively, allocating, by a radio access network (RAN), for a user equipment (UE), uplink feedback channel resources corresponding to a PDCCH that schedules a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), where the uplink feedback channel resources are shared by at least one UE that receives the PDCCH transmitted from the RAN, allocating, by the RAN, for the UE, uplink feedback channel resources corresponding to a PDSCH that carries multicast traffic channel (MTCH) transmission data, where the uplink feedback channel resources are shared by at least one UE that receives the PDSCH transmitted from the RAN, and transmitting, by the UE, the uplink feedback information on the uplink feedback channel resources according to a preconfigured rule.

[0007] In some other embodiments, an apparatus for wireless communication may include a memory storing instructions and processing circuitry in communication with the memory, the processing circuitry being configured, when the instructions are executed, to perform the methods described above.

[0008] In some other embodiments, a device for wireless communication may include a memory storing instructions and processing circuitry in communication with the memory, the processing circuitry being configured, when the instructions are executed, to perform the methods described above.

[0009] In some other embodiments, a computer readable medium comprises instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the above-described methods.

[0010] These and other aspects and their implementations are described in more detail in the drawings, description, and claims. The present invention further provides, for example, the following: (Item 1) 1. A method for wireless communication, the method including allocating uplink resources for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information, the allocating of the uplink resources comprising: transmitting, by a radio access network (RAN) to at least one user equipment (UE), at least one multicast traffic channel (MTCH) transmission in an MBMS service; allocating, by the RAN, for the at least one UE, at least one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the at least one MTCH transmission; By, method. (Item 2) sending, by the RAN, to the at least one UE via a configuration message, configuration information for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information; allocating at least one resource for transmitting the MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the at least one MTCH transmission, 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising allocating, by the RAN, for the at least one UE, the at least one resource for transmitting the MBMS-related uplink feedback information based on the configuration information. (Item 3) The configuration message comprises: a Single Cell Multicast Control Channel (SC-MCCH) message, or Radio Resource Control (RRC) Messages 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising at least one of the following: (Item 4) 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one resource for transmitting the MBMS-related uplink feedback information comprises a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). (Item 5) The MBMS related uplink feedback information Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgement / Negative Acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK / NACK), or Channel State Information Item 1, comprising at least one of the following: (Item 6) allocating at least one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the at least one MTCH transmission, For each UE of the at least one UE and each MTCH transmission of the at least one MTCH transmission, 2. The method of claim 1, comprising allocating, by the RAN, for each of the UEs, one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to each of the MTCH transmissions. (Item 7) allocating at least one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the at least one MTCH transmission, For each MTCH transmission of the at least one MTCH transmission, 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: allocating, by the RAN, one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to each MTCH transmission for all UEs receiving each MTCH transmission. (Item 8) 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the RAN detects a signal strength of the one resource and determines the MBMS-related uplink feedback information. (Item 9) allocating at least one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the at least one MTCH transmission, For the at least one MTCH transmission, 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising allocating, by the RAN, for the at least one UE, one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the at least one MTCH transmission. (Item 10) allocating at least one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the at least one MTCH transmission, For each MTCH transmission of the at least one MTCH transmission, 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising allocating, by the RAN, for the at least one UE receiving each MTCH transmission, a set of resources for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to each MTCH transmission. (Item 11) allocating at least one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the at least one MTCH transmission, For each UE of the at least one UE and each MTCH transmission of the at least one MTCH transmission, 2. The method of claim 1, comprising: using an uplink feedback channel resource of a unicast service for transmitting, by each UE, MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to each MTCH transmission. (Item 12) allocating at least one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the at least one MTCH transmission, For each UE of the at least one UE and each MTCH transmission of the at least one MTCH transmission, 2. The method of claim 1, comprising using a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) for unicast services to transmit, by each UE, MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to each MTCH transmission. (Item 13) generating, by each UE, a Medium Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) based on the MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to each MTCH transmission; transmitting, by each of the UEs, the MAC CE to a RAN via the PUSCH for the unicast service; Item 13. The method of item 12, further comprising: (Item 14) 1. A method for wireless communication, the method including allocating uplink resources for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information, the allocating of the uplink resources comprising: receiving, by a user equipment (UE), from a radio access network (RAN), configuration information regarding a feedback window corresponding to a multicast traffic channel (MTCH) transmission in an MBMS service; determining, by the UE, a resource unit in the feedback window for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH transmission; By, method. (Item 15) Item 15. The method of item 14, wherein the feedback window comprises N resource units and a starting position relative to the MTCH transmission, where N is a positive integer. (Item 16) Receiving the configuration information regarding the feedback window corresponding to the MTCH transmission in the MBMS service from the RAN includes the following means: A Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH); Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages; a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Single Cell Multicast Control Channel (SC-MCCH) 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving N or the starting position from the RAN via at least one of: (Item 17) Determining the resource units in the feedback window for transmitting the MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH transmission includes: Item 16. The method of item 15, comprising: determining, by the UE, the resource units in the feedback window for transmitting the MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH transmission based on a random generation value. (Item 18) Determining the resource units in the feedback window for transmitting the MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH transmission includes: Item 16. The method of item 15, comprising determining, by the UE, the resource units in the feedback window for transmitting the MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH transmission based on a value calculated based on a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI). (Item 19) the feedback window comprises one resource unit; 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the configuration information comprises a starting position for the MTCH transmission and is received from the RAN via an SC-MCCH. (Item 20) 1. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: and allocating uplink resources for uplink feedback information related to a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information; The allocating of the uplink resources includes: Allocating, by a Radio Access Network (RAN), for a User Equipment (UE), uplink feedback channel resources corresponding to a PDCCH that schedules a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), the uplink feedback channel resources being shared by at least one UE receiving the PDCCH transmitted from the RAN; Allocating, by the RAN, for the UE, uplink feedback channel resources corresponding to the PDSCH carrying multicast traffic channel (MTCH) transmission data, the uplink feedback channel resources being shared by at least one UE receiving the PDSCH transmitted from the RAN; transmitting, by the UE, uplink feedback information on the uplink feedback channel resource according to a preconfigured rule; By, method. (Item 21) Transmitting the uplink feedback information on the uplink feedback channel resource according to the preconfigured rule includes: the UE decoding the PDCCH that schedules the PDSCH carrying the MTCH transmission data, and in response to the UE misdecoding the PDSCH carrying the MTCH transmission data, 21. The method of claim 20, comprising transmitting, by the UE, the uplink feedback information comprising a negative acknowledgement (NACK) on the uplink feedback channel resource corresponding to the PDSCH. (Item 22) Transmitting the uplink feedback information on the uplink feedback channel resource according to the preconfigured rule includes: In response to the UE misdecoding the PDCCH that schedules the PDSCH carrying the MTCH transmission data, 21. The method of claim 20, comprising transmitting, by the UE, the uplink feedback information comprising discontinuous transmission (DTX) on the uplink feedback channel resource corresponding to the PDCCH. (Item 23) Transmitting the uplink feedback information on the uplink feedback channel resource according to the preconfigured rule includes: the UE decodes the PDCCH scheduling the PDSCH carrying the MTCH transmission data, and in response to the UE decoding the PDSCH carrying the MTCH transmission data, 21. The method of claim 20, comprising transmitting nothing on the uplink feedback channel resource corresponding to the PDSCH and on the uplink feedback channel resource corresponding to the PDCCH, respectively, by the UE. (Item 24) Transmitting the uplink feedback information on the uplink feedback channel resource according to the preconfigured rule includes: the UE decodes the PDCCH scheduling the PDSCH carrying the MTCH transmission data, and in response to the UE decoding the PDSCH carrying the MTCH transmission data, 21. The method of claim 20, comprising transmitting, by the UE, the uplink feedback information comprising an acknowledgement (ACK) on the uplink feedback channel resource corresponding to the PDSCH. (Item 25) A wireless communication device comprising a processor and a memory, the processor configured to read code from the memory and implement a method according to any one of items 1-24. (Item 26) A computer program product comprising a computer readable program medium code stored thereon, the code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to implement a method according to any one of items 1-24. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1A illustrates an example of point-to-point communication in a wireless communication system.

[0012] [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B illustrates an example of multicast communication in a wireless communication system.

[0013] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a wireless network node.

[0014] [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows an example of a user equipment.

[0015] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for wireless communication.

[0016] [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for wireless communication.

[0017] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for wireless communication.

[0018] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a method for wireless communication.

[0019] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a method for wireless communication. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The present disclosure will now be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof and which show, by way of illustration, specific examples of embodiments. It should be noted, however, that the present disclosure can be embodied in a variety of different forms, and thus, it is intended that the subject matter covered or claimed be construed as not being limited to any of the embodiments set forth below.

[0021] Throughout this specification and claims, terms may have subtle meanings that are suggested or implied in the context beyond the meanings explicitly stated. Similarly, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in some embodiments" as used herein do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and the phrases "in another embodiment" or "in other embodiments" as used herein do not necessarily refer to different embodiments. The phrases "in one implementation" or "in some implementations" as used herein do not necessarily refer to the same implementation, and the phrases "in another implementation" or "in other implementations" as used herein do not necessarily refer to different implementations. For example, it is intended that the claimed subject matter includes, in whole or in part, a combination of example embodiments or implementations.

[0022] Generally, terminology may be understood, at least in part, from usage in context. For example, terms such as "and," "or," or "and / or" as used herein may include various meanings that may depend, at least in part, on the context in which such terms are used. Typically, "or," when used to relate a list such as A, B, or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C, which are used herein in an inclusive sense, and A, B, or C, which are used herein in an exclusive sense. In addition, the terms "one or more" or "at least one" as used herein may be used, at least in part, to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense, or may be used to describe a combination of features, structures, or characteristics in a plural sense, depending at least in part on the context. Similarly, again, terms such as "a," "an," or "the" may be understood to convey singular use or to convey plural use, depending at least in part on the context. In addition, the terms "based on" or "determined by" may be understood as not necessarily intended to convey an exclusive set of factors, but instead may allow for the existence of additional factors not necessarily explicitly described, again depending at least in part on the context.

[0023] This disclosure describes methods and devices for allocating uplink resources for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information.

[0024] Next generation (NG) or fifth generation (5G) wireless communications may offer a range of capabilities from downloading at high speeds to supporting real-time low latency communications. Wireless communications may have multimedia broadcast multicast (MBMS) services. A radio access network (RAN), e.g., a radio base station, may transmit the same data to multiple UEs simultaneously. In some cases, multiple base stations may transmit the same data simultaneously such that a particular UE may receive the same data from multiple base stations.

[0025] 1A and 1B illustrate various transmission modes for a wireless communication system 100 including a core network (CN) 110, a radio access network (RAN) 130, and one or more user equipments (UEs) (152, 154, and 156). The RAN 130 may include radio network base stations or NG radio access network (NG-RAN) base stations or nodes, which may include Node Bs (NBs, e.g., gNBs) in the context of mobile telecommunications. In one implementation, the core network 110 may include a 5G core network (5GC), and the interface 125 may include an NG interface.

[0026] The communication between the RAN and one or more UEs may include at least a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) service and / or a unicast service. The UE may receive data from the RAN via a Point-to-Point (PTP) or unicast service and / or receive data from the RAN via a Point-to-Multipoint (PTM) or multicast or broadcast service.

[0027] 1A, a first UE 152 may wirelessly receive communications from the RAN 130 via downlink unicast 142 and wirelessly transmit communications to the RAN 130 via uplink channel 141. Similarly, a second UE 154 may wirelessly receive communications from the RAN 130 via downlink unicast 144 and wirelessly transmit communications to the RAN 130 via uplink channel 143, and a third UE 156 may wirelessly receive communications from the RAN 130 via downlink unicast 146 and wirelessly transmit communications to the RAN 130 via uplink channel 145.

[0028] 1B, the RAN 130 may communicate wirelessly to one or more UEs (152, 154, and 156) via multicast traffic channel (MTCH) transmissions in an MBMS service 160. In one implementation, a first UE 152 may transmit a communication wirelessly to the RAN 130 via an uplink channel 161. Similarly, a second UE 154 may transmit a communication wirelessly to the RAN 130 via an uplink channel 164, and a third UE 156 may transmit a communication wirelessly to the RAN 130 via an uplink channel 165.

[0029] In the wireless communication system 100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the RAN 130 may transmit an MTCH transmission in an MBMS service to one or more UEs. There may be some problems or issues, including the UE not providing Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgement / Negative Acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK / NACK) information to the RAN. The HARQ-ACK information may indicate whether the MTCH transmission is correctly received by the UE. Due to at least these problems and / or issues, the MTCH transmission will not be retransmitted when a previous transmission of the MTCH was not correctly received by at least one UE. The MBMS service is a broadcast service, e.g., the MTCH transmission may be constantly transmitted through point-to-multipoint (PTM) to different UEs, and these UEs may not provide uplink feedback information, such as HARQ-ACK, channel state information (CSI), etc. The uplink feedback mechanism may be complex for one MTCH transmission, e.g., it may be difficult to design uplink feedback channel resources for the MBMS service. When a UE feeds back a NACK for an MTCH transmission, it is also difficult to retransmit the MTCH for this UE. Due to at least the problems and / or issues discussed above, it is difficult to use upstream feedback information in MBMS services.

[0030] In the wireless communication system 100, a medium access control (MAC) layer may configure MBMS service data or at least one MTCH transmission data into a data packet, and then the data packet may be transmitted to a physical layer. In the physical layer, the data packet is transmitted through a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and scheduled through a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). A decoded result of the PDSCH corresponding to the MTCH transmission may be used as uplink feedback information and transmitted to the base station through an uplink feedback channel resource (corresponding to the MTCH transmission included in the PDSCH). Thus, an uplink feedback channel resource corresponds to one MTCH transmission, i.e., corresponds to one PDSCH carrying the MTCH transmission. The uplink feedback information corresponds to one MTCH transmission, i.e., corresponds to one PDSCH carrying the MTCH transmission. The following description may focus on the MTCH just as an example.

[0031] The present disclosure describes various embodiments for allocating uplink resources for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information, addressing at least one of the shortcomings and / or problems discussed above.

[0032] 2 illustrates an exemplary radio access network or wireless communication base station 200. The base station 200 may include wireless transmission / reception (Tx / Rx) circuitry 208 for transmitting / receiving communications with one or more UEs and / or one or more other base stations. The base station may also include network interface circuitry 209 for allowing the base station to communicate with other base stations and / or a core network (e.g., optical or wired interconnects, Ethernet, and / or other data transmission media / protocols). The base station 200 may optionally include input / output (I / O) interface 206 for communicating with an operator, etc.

[0033] The base station may also include system circuitry 204. System circuitry 204 may include a processor 221 and / or memory 222. Memory 222 may include an operating system 224, instructions 226, and parameters 228. Instructions 226 may be configured for one or more of processors 124 to perform functions of the base station. Parameters 228 may include parameters to support execution of instructions 226. For example, the parameters may include network protocol settings, bandwidth parameters, radio frequency mapping assignments, and / or other parameters.

[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary user equipment (UE) 300. The UE 300 may be a mobile device, such as a smartphone or a mobile communications module disposed in a vehicle. The UE 300 may include a communication interface 302, system circuitry 304, an input / output interface (I / O) 306, display circuitry 308, and storage 309. The display circuitry may include a user interface 310. The system circuitry 304 may include any combination of hardware, software, firmware, or other logic / circuitry. The system circuitry 304 may be implemented, for example, with one or more systems on chips (SoCs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), discrete analog and digital circuits, and other circuitry. The system circuitry 304 may be part of an implementation of any desired functionality in the UE 300. In that regard, system circuitry 304 may include, by way of example, logic to facilitate: decoding and playing music and video, e.g., MP3, MP4, MPEG, AVI, FLAC, AC3, or WAV decoding and playback; launching applications; receiving user input; storing and retrieving application data; establishing, maintaining, and terminating cellular calls or data connections, for Internet connectivity, by way of example, establishing, maintaining, and terminating wireless network connections, Bluetooth connections, or other connections; and displaying associated information on user interface 310. User interface 310 and input / output (I / O) interface 306 may include a graphical user interface, a touch-sensitive display, haptic feedback or other tactile output, voice or facial recognition input, buttons, switches, speakers, and other user interface elements. Additional examples of I / O interface 306 may include microphones, video and still cameras, temperature sensors, vibration sensors, rotation and orientation sensors, headset and microphone input / output jacks, universal serial bus (USB) connectors, memory card slots, radiation sensors (e.g., IR sensors), and other types of inputs.

[0035] 3, the communication interface 302 may include radio frequency (RF) transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) circuitry 316 that handles the transmission and reception of signals through one or more antennas 314. The communication interface 302 may include one or more transceivers. The transceivers may be wireless transceivers that include modulation / demodulation circuitry, digital-to-analog converters (DACs), wave shaping tables, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), filters, wave shapers, filters, preamplifiers, power amplifiers, and / or other logic to transmit and receive through one or more antennas or (for some devices) through a physical (e.g., wired) medium. The transmitted and received signals may conform to any of a diverse array of formats, protocols, modulations (e.g., QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, or 256-QAM), frequency channels, bit rates, and coding. As one specific example, the communication interface 302 may include a transceiver supporting transmission and reception under 2G, 3G, BT, WiFi, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA)+, 4G / Long Term Evolution (LTE), and 5G standards. However, the techniques described below are applicable to other wireless communication technologies, whether originating from the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) Association, 3GPP2, IEEE, or other collaborative or standardization bodies.

[0036] 3, the system circuitry 304 may include one or more processors 321 and memory 322. The memory 322 stores, for example, an operating system 324, instructions 326, and parameters 328. The processor 321 is configured to execute the instructions 326 to perform desired functionality for the UE 300. The parameters 328 may provide and define configuration and operate options for the instructions 326. The memory 322 may also store any BT, WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, or other data that the UE 300 will transmit or receive through the communication interface 302. In various implementations, system power for the UE 300 may be supplied by a power storage device, such as a battery or a transformer.

[0037] The present disclosure describes several embodiments of methods and devices for allocating uplink resources for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information, which may be implemented, in part or in whole, on the wireless network base station and / or user equipment described above in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0038] 4, in various embodiments, a method 400 for a wireless communication system includes allocating uplink resources for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information. The method 400 may include some or all of the following steps: transmitting 410, by a radio access network (RAN), to at least one user equipment (UE), at least one Multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH) transmission in an MBMS service; and allocating 420, by the RAN, for the at least one UE, at least one resource for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the at least one MTCH transmission.

[0039] In one embodiment, the RAN may allocate uplink feedback channel resources for each UE of the at least one UE, the uplink feedback channel resources being allocated for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to each MTCH transmission. In an embodiment, for a UE that is compatible with receiving an MTCH, the uplink feedback channel resources are configured for the UE that receives the MTCH. The MTCH may represent an MBMS service transmission.

[0040] In one implementation, the uplink feedback channel resource may be a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). In the following description, the PUCCH may be used as an exemplary measure for the uplink feedback channel resource.

[0041] When a UE receiving an MTCH needs to transmit uplink feedback information, the base station or RAN may allocate a PUCCH corresponding to the MTCH to the UE, and the UE may use the allocated PUCCH. The uplink feedback information may include, for example, but not limited to, a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK), channel state information (CSI), etc.

[0042] The method 400 may optionally include the RAN sending configuration information to the UE via a configuration message, the configuration information being for transmitting the MBMS-related uplink feedback information. The configuration message may include, for example, but not limited to, a Single Cell Multicast Control Channel (SC-MCCH) message, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, etc. Based on the configuration information, the RAN may allocate resources for transmitting the MBMS-related uplink feedback information for the at least one UE.

[0043] In one implementation, when one or more UEs receive a first MTCH and need to transmit uplink feedback information for the first MTCH, each UE uses the PUCCH respectively allocated to them and corresponding to the first MTCH, and when some other UEs receive a second MTCH and need to transmit uplink feedback information for the second MTCH, each UE uses the PUCCH respectively allocated to them and corresponding to the second MTCH.

[0044] In another embodiment, the RAN may allocate uplink feedback channel resources for each MTCH transmission of the one or more MTCH transmissions, the uplink feedback channel resources being allocated for all UEs receiving each MTCH transmission, and the UEs may use the allocated uplink feedback channel resources to transmit MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to each MTCH transmission.

[0045] In one implementation, one or more UEs may receive the same MTCH and need to transmit corresponding uplink feedback information of the MTCH. The RAN may allocate corresponding uplink feedback channel resources for all UEs that receive the MTCH. These UEs may share the same uplink feedback channel resources to transmit corresponding uplink feedback information of the MTCH. For example, when two UEs (UE1 and UE2) receive an MTCH and need to transmit uplink feedback information regarding the MTCH, UE1 and UE2 use the same PUCCH resource for uplink feedback information transmission. The base station may configure a PUCCH resource for each MTCH, and UE1 and UE2 that receive the same MTCH may use the same uplink feedback channel resource. In this implementation, when UE1 and UE2 need to transmit feedback information, the same PUCCH resource is used for the MTCH, thereby saving resources.

[0046] In another implementation, the RAN may configure uplink feedback channel resources for the MTCH for UE1 and UE2. For example, when UE1 and UE2 need to transmit uplink feedback information for the MTCH, UE1 and UE2 each use a respective uplink feedback channel resource corresponding to the MTCH.

[0047] In another implementation, when one or more UEs share the same uplink feedback channel resource to transmit corresponding uplink feedback information of this MTCH, the method 400 may include setting various signal strength thresholds for different numbers of feedback UEs. For example, a first signal strength threshold may correspond to four UEs transmitting feedback signals, and a second signal strength threshold may correspond to eight UEs transmitting feedback signals. Since the second signal strength threshold corresponds to more UEs, the second signal strength threshold may be greater than the first signal strength threshold. The RAN may sequentially obtain the number of UEs that feedback to determine whether to retransmit the corresponding MTCH. In another implementation, the RAN may determine whether to retransmit the corresponding MTCH according to a comparison between the received signal strength and various signal strength thresholds.

[0048] In another implementation, the RAN may allocate uplink feedback channel resources for multiple MTCH transmissions, where the uplink feedback channel resources are allocated for the UE to transmit MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the multiple MTCH transmissions.

[0049] In one implementation, the RAN may allocate the same uplink feedback channel resource corresponding to multiple MTCHs. For example, multiple MTCH transmissions including a first MTCH transmission (MTCH1) and a second MTCH (MTCH2) may be configured with the same uplink feedback channel resource through SC-MCCH or RRC. The RAN may configure feedback information corresponding to the first MTCH and the second MTCH to be transmitted over the same uplink feedback channel resource to conserve uplink feedback channel resource. For a UE configured with the same uplink feedback channel resource for the first MTCH and the second MTCH, when the UE needs to transmit uplink feedback information for the first MTCH and / or the second MTCH, the UE may transmit the uplink feedback information in the same allocated uplink feedback channel resource.

[0050] In another embodiment, the RAN may allocate a set of uplink feedback channel resources for each MTCH transmission, the set of uplink feedback channel resources being allocated for one or more UEs receiving each MTCH transmission, and the one or more UEs may use the set of resources to transmit MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to each MTCH transmission.

[0051] In one implementation, the RAN may configure a UE with a set of uplink feedback channel resources corresponding to one MTCH. The set may include one or more feedback channel resources, with different uplink feedback channel resources having different maximum transmission bit numbers. The UE may determine an uplink feedback channel resource from the set of uplink feedback channel resources according to the number of transmission bits for the UE. In another implementation, the RAN may allocate the same set of uplink feedback channel resources for multiple MTCHs to be shared. For example, the RAN may configure multiple MTCHs to share the same set of uplink feedback channel resources via SC-MCCH or RRC messages.

[0052] In another embodiment, the method 400 may include the UE using the allocated resources to transmit uplink feedback information corresponding to at least one physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission. The transmission of uplink feedback information corresponding to the PDCCH may be applicable to the embodiments discussed above. For example, to determine whether the UE is correctly receiving the PDCCH, the RAN may configure uplink feedback channel resources corresponding to the PDCCH for the UE. When the UE needs to transmit uplink feedback information corresponding to the PDCCH, the UE transmits the uplink feedback information in the configured uplink feedback channel resources associated with the PDCCH.

[0053] The above mentioned method of allocating uplink feedback channel resources for MTCH transmission / MBMS service may also be fully applicable to one PDCCH. MTCH is an exemplary channel for carrying MBMS service. PDCCH schedules PDSCH, which may include one or more MTCH transmission data and / or MBMS service data. For example, MTCH transmission in the above embodiment may be replaced with PDCCH, and uplink feedback channel resources allocated for MTCH transmission may be replaced with uplink feedback channel resources allocated for one PDCCH that schedules PDSCH carrying MTCH transmission. UE may transmit uplink feedback information related to one PDCCH through uplink feedback channel resources corresponding to PDCCH. For example, uplink feedback channel resources shared by at least one UE may be allocated for NACK, and / or uplink feedback channel resources shared by at least one UE may be allocated for discontinuous transmission (DTX).

[0054] In one implementation, uplink feedback channel resources may be allocated for NACK to be shared by a first UE (UE1) and a second UE (UE2), and uplink feedback channel resources may be allocated for DTX to be shared by UE1 and UE2. Thus, for UE1 and UE2, the corresponding uplink feedback may be implemented as at least one of the following conditions according to the actual decoding situation of the PDCCH and the PDSCH corresponding to the PDCCH:

[0055] Regarding one condition, when UE1 and / or UE2 correctly decodes / receives a PDCCH that schedules a PDSCH carrying MTCH transmission data but mis-decodes the PDSCH (i.e., does not correctly decode the PDSCH), UE1 and / or UE2 may report a NACK (or transmit a predetermined signal, such as a sequence) in an uplink feedback channel resource corresponding to the NACK shared by UE1 and UE2.

[0056] Regarding another condition, when UE1 and / or UE2 misdecode (i.e., do not correctly decode) a PDCCH that schedules a PDSCH that carries MTCH transmission data, UE1 and / or UE2 may report DTX (or transmit a predetermined signal, such as a sequence) in an uplink feedback channel resource corresponding to DTX shared by UE1 and UE2.

[0057] Regarding another condition, when UE1 and / or UE2 correctly decodes a PDCCH that schedules a PDSCH carrying MTCH transmission data and correctly decodes the PDSCH, UE1 and / or UE2 may not transmit anything on the uplink feedback channel resources corresponding to NACK and DTX shared by UE1 and UE2.

[0058] Regarding another condition, when uplink feedback channel resources are allocated for ACKs to be shared by UE1 and UE2, and UE1 and / or UE2 correctly decode a PDCCH that schedules a PDSCH carrying MTCH transmission data and correctly decodes the PDSCH, UE1 and / or UE2 may report an ACK (or transmit a predetermined signal, such as a sequence) in the uplink feedback channel resources corresponding to the ACK shared by UE1 and UE2.

[0059] In this way, the base station obtains that the PDCCH is not correctly decoded by at least one UE, and can therefore adjust the code rate adopted by the PDCCH according to the feedback result of the UE. The UE receives the PDCCH shared uplink feedback channel resource, which helps to save the uplink feedback channel resource. In this way, it is equivalent to allocating two shared uplink feedback channel resources for the uplink feedback information related to the PDCCH and the uplink feedback information related to the PDSCH. The UE may need to transmit the corresponding uplink feedback information only for the cases where the PDCCH and / or the PDSCH are not correctly received.

[0060] In another embodiment, the UE may use the uplink feedback channel resources of the unicast service to transmit MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to an MTCH transmission.

[0061] In one implementation, the RAN and the UE may be configured to use the uplink feedback channel resource of the unicast service to transmit the uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH. That is, the uplink feedback information of the unicast service and the uplink feedback information of the MTCH are allowed to be multiplexed on one uplink feedback channel resource. For example, when the UE needs to transmit the uplink feedback information corresponding to the received MTCH, the RAN may configure the uplink feedback channel resource corresponding to the UE's unicast service. The UE may multiplex the uplink feedback information of the unicast service (if present) and the uplink feedback information of the MTCH. The UE may transmit the multiplexed uplink feedback information in the uplink feedback channel resource of the unicast service and save the uplink feedback channel resource. In another implementation, a new RRC signaling may be used to indicate whether the UE uses the uplink feedback channel resource of the unicast service to transmit the uplink feedback information of the MTCH. This embodiment may save the uplink feedback channel resource and / or provide flexibility in the communication configuration.

[0062] In another embodiment, the UE may use a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for unicast services to transmit MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to an MTCH transmission. In one implementation, the RAN and the UE may be configured to use a PUSCH for unicast services to carry uplink feedback information for an MTCH.

[0063] 5, the method 400 may further include some or all of the following: step 510, for each UE of the at least one UE and each MTCH transmission of the at least one MTCH transmission, using, by each UE, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for the unicast service to transmit MBMS related uplink feedback information corresponding to each MTCH transmission; step 520, generating, by each UE, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) based on the MBMS related uplink feedback information corresponding to each MTCH transmission; and step 530, transmitting, by each UE, the MAC CE to the RAN via the PUSCH for the unicast service. In another implementation, when the MAC CE includes uplink feedback information for multiple MTCHs, an order of the uplink feedback information in the MAC CE may be pre-configured and agreed upon, for example, but not limited to, in the order of MTCH index or to the order of MTCH reception.

[0064] In another implementation, the method 400 may include transmitting, by each UE, MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to each MTCH transmission to the RAN via a PUSCH for the unicast service. The uplink feedback information may be transmitted directly through the unicast PUSCH. Specifically, the uplink feedback information may be independently encoded, and then a portion of the PUSCH resources may be used to transmit the uplink feedback information accordingly. In another implementation, the occupied PUSCH resources may no longer be available for transmitting the PUSCH.

[0065] 6, in various embodiments, a method 600 for wireless communication includes allocating uplink resources for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information. The method 600 may include some or all of the following steps: step 610, receiving, by a user equipment (UE), from a radio access network (RAN), configuration information for a feedback window corresponding to a Multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH) transmission in an MBMS service; and step 620, determining, by the UE, resource units in the feedback window for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH transmission.

[0066] In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 7, the feedback window 750 may include N (762) resource units (751, 753, and 755) and a starting position (764) relative to the MTCH transmission (720). N may be the size of the feedback window and may be any positive integer, such as, but not limited to, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 20, etc. When N=1, the feedback window includes a single resource unit. When N>1, the feedback window includes two or more resource units. In one implementation, the feedback window size for an idle UE may be larger than the feedback window size for an active UE. In FIG. 7, the feedback window 750 includes three resource units, where N=3. A resource unit includes one slot / sub-slot.

[0067] In one implementation, the UE may receive the N or starting position of the feedback window from the RAN via at least one of the following means: a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or a single cell multicast control channel (SC-MCCH). In another implementation, the RAN may inform the UE separately regarding the feedback window size and the starting position of the feedback window. For example, N is configured by the SC-MCCH and the starting position is informed by the PDCCH. For another example, N is configured by the RRC and the starting position is configured by the SC-MCCH. In another implementation, the RAN may inform the UE jointly regarding the feedback window size and the starting position of the feedback window.

[0068] In one embodiment, a PDCCH, which may be scrambled by an agreed common Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI), schedules an MTCH that includes a transport block. The PDCCH may indicate a starting slot / sub-slot of uplink feedback information transmission corresponding to the MTCH. Together with a window size (N), a feedback window may be constructed for this MTCH to include N slots / sub-slots from this starting slot / sub-slot. In one implementation, the feedback window may include this starting slot / sub-slot. In another implementation, the feedback window may not include the starting slot / sub-slot.

[0069] The uplink feedback information corresponding to this MTCH will be transmitted in one or more slots / subslots in this feedback window. The RAN (base station) may configure the window size. In one implementation, the base station may configure the value of N for the UE through PDCCH, RRC information, MAC CE, or SC-MCCH, and the base station may configure the start slot / subslot of the feedback window for the UE by PDCCH, RRC, SC-MCCH, or MAC CE. In another implementation, N may be pre-agreed or N may be determined based on a default value.

[0070] In one embodiment, the UE may determine resource units to use for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to an MTCH transmission according to at least one of various implementations. In one implementation, the UE may determine resource units in a feedback window for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to an MTCH transmission based on configuration information in an RRC message. In another implementation, the UE may determine resource units in a feedback window for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to an MTCH transmission based on a randomly generated value. In another implementation, the UE may determine resource units in a feedback window for transmitting MBMS-related uplink feedback information corresponding to an MTCH transmission based on a value calculated based on a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI).

[0071] 7, a UE receiving an MTCH may determine at least one specific slot / sub-slot in a feedback window according to the implementation discussed above. Different UEs may be distributed in different slots / sub-slots in the feedback window to avoid multiple UEs concentrating on one slot / sub-slot for transmission of MTCH uplink feedback information, and thus reduce the strain on uplink feedback channel resources.

[0072] In another embodiment, the base station may configure the size of the feedback window corresponding to the MTCH through the SC-MCCH or RRC message. A PDCCH scrambled by a common public RNTI may schedule the MTCH transmission, and one or more UEs may receive the PDCCH. The UE may obtain the starting position of the feedback window from the PDCCH for the MTCH. Thus, the UE may determine the size and starting position of the feedback window for transmission of uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH. In one implementation, the base station may configure a specific slot / sub-slot of the UE in the feedback window through the SC-MCCH or RRC message via configuration information. The UE may determine a specific slot / sub-slot in the feedback window based on the configuration information, and may transmit the uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH using the determined specific slot / sub-slot. In another implementation, the uplink feedback channel resource in the slot / sub-slot may be signaled through the PDCCH, or the UE may select the corresponding uplink feedback channel resource according to the number of bits of the uplink feedback information.

[0073] 8, a single slot / sub-slot 850 may be configured for transmitting uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH 820. The slot / sub-slot 850 has a starting position 860 relative to the MTCH 820. The single slot / sub-slot 850 may be a feedback window 750 where N=1.

[0074] In one implementation, the RAN may send configuration information to the UE via the SC-MCCH or an RRC message. The configuration information may include the starting position of a single slot / subslot of the feedback window relative to the corresponding MTCH transmission.

[0075] In another implementation, the base station may configure uplink feedback channel resources and may indicate the slot / sub-slot position for scheduling the PDCCH of the MTCH and transmitting the uplink feedback information. In another implementation, the base station may configure the slot / sub-slot position for transmitting the uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH through the SC-MCCH or the RRC message. With reference to FIG. 8, a single slot / sub-slot 850 is configured by the base station as the corresponding uplink feedback channel resource for the MTCH. The slot / sub-slot 850 may be used to transmit the uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH. The base station may configure an interval 860 between the slot / sub-slot 820 transmitted by the MTCH and the slot / sub-slot 850 transmitted by the corresponding uplink feedback information. Thus, the UE determines the slot / sub-slot position of the uplink feedback information corresponding to the MTCH.

[0076] The present disclosure describes a method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable medium for wireless communication. The present disclosure addressed issues associated with allocating uplink resources for Multimedia Broadcast Multicast (MBMS) uplink feedback information. The method, device, and computer-readable medium described in the present disclosure may facilitate performance of wireless communication by allocating uplink resources for MBMS uplink feedback information, thus improving efficiency and overall performance. The method, device, and computer-readable medium described in the present disclosure may improve the overall efficiency of a wireless communication system.

[0077] References to features, advantages, or similar language throughout this specification do not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized using the solution should or are included in any single implementation thereof. Rather, language referring to features and advantages is understood to mean that the specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the solution. Thus, discussions of features and advantages and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

[0078] Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the solution may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize in light of the description herein that the solution may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other cases, additional features and advantages may be recognized in an embodiment that may not be present in all embodiments of the solution.

Claims

[Claim 1] The invention described in this specification.

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