Display of Transmission Setting Instruction Status

Abstract

The present invention is a method including receiving a first information element, where the first information element indicates at least one transmission setting indication state, receiving a second information element, and determining, based on the second information element, an association between at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The following exemplary embodiments relate to indicating resources related to wireless communication and data transmission.

Background Art

[0002] In a wireless network such as a cellular communication network, for example, a control channel is used to indicate control information. Such control information can be used to allocate resources so that data communication is possible. Also, it is desirable to use resources as optimally as possible.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] The scope of protection required by various embodiments of the present invention is defined by the independent claims. Any exemplary embodiments and features herein that do not fall within the scope of the independent claims are to be construed as useful examples for understanding the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0004] According to a first aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for receiving a first information element, the first information element indicating at least one transmission setting indication state, means for receiving a second information element, and means for determining, based on the second information element, the association between at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

[0005] In some exemplary embodiments according to the first aspect, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the at least one processor to perform the functions of the apparatus.

[0006] According to a second aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to receive a first information element, the first information element indicating at least one transmission setting indication state, receive a second information element, and based on the second information element, determine a relevance between the at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

[0007] According to a third aspect, there is provided a method including receiving a first information element, the first information element indicating at least one transmission setting indication state, receiving a second information element, and based on the second information element, determining a relevance between the at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

[0008] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a computer program including instructions for causing at least an apparatus to receive a first information element, the first information element indicating at least one transmission setting indication state, receive a second information element, and based on the second information element, determine a relevance between the at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

[0009] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer program in which instructions for at least executing receiving a first information element, the first information element indicating at least one transmission setting indication state, receiving a second information element, and based on the second information element, determining a relevance between the at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group are stored.

[0010] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer instructions for causing at least an apparatus to receive a first information element, where the first information element indicates at least one transmission setting indication state, receive a second information element, and determine, based on the second information element, an association between the at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

[0011] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions for causing at least an apparatus to receive a first information element, where the first information element indicates at least one transmission setting indication state, receive a second information element, and determine, based on the second information element, an association between the at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

[0012] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided an apparatus including means for causing a terminal device to transmit a first information element, where the first information element indicates at least one transmission setting indication state, and means for causing the terminal device to transmit a second information element, where the second information element is for determining an association between the at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

[0013] According to some exemplary embodiments according to the eighth aspect, the means includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the at least one processor to perform the functions of the apparatus.

[0014] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code causing the at least one processor to cause the terminal device to transmit a first information element, the first information element indicating at least one transmission setting indication state, and to transmit a second information element to the terminal device, the second information element being for determining the association between at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

[0015] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided a method including transmitting a first information element to a terminal device, the first information element indicating at least one transmission setting indication state, and transmitting a second information element to the terminal device, the second information element being for determining the association between at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

[0016] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer program including instructions for causing at least an apparatus to transmit a first information element to a terminal device, the first information element indicating at least one transmission setting indication state, and to transmit a second information element to the terminal device, the second information element being for determining the association between at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

[0017] According to a twelfth aspect, causing a terminal device to transmit a first information element, the first information element indicating at least one transmission setting instruction state; and causing the terminal device to transmit a second information element, the second information element being for determining the association between at least one transmission setting instruction state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group. There is provided a computer program storing instructions for causing at least the apparatus to execute the above.

[0018] According to a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions for causing a terminal device to transmit a first information element, the first information element indicating at least one transmission setting instruction state; and causing the terminal device to transmit a second information element, the second information element being for determining the association between at least one transmission setting instruction state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

[0019] According to a fourteenth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions for causing at least execution of causing a terminal device to transmit a first information element, the first information element indicating at least one transmission setting instruction state; and causing the terminal device to transmit a second information element, the second information element being for determining the association between at least one transmission setting instruction state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1

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[0021] The following embodiments are illustrative. This specification may refer to "a," "one," or "some" embodiments (plural) in several places in the text, but this does not necessarily mean that each reference is made to the same embodiment (plural), or that a particular feature applies only to a single embodiment. It is also possible to combine the individual features of different embodiments to provide other embodiments.

[0022] As used in this application, the term "circuit" refers to all of the following: (a) a hardware-only circuit implementation such as an implementation of only analog and / or digital circuits, and (b) a combination of a circuit and software (and / or firmware), if applicable, such as (i) a combination of processors, or (ii) a processor / software portion that includes one or more digital signal processors, software, and one or more memories and that cooperate to cause a device to perform various functions, (c) a circuit such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor that requires software or firmware for operation even when the software or firmware does not physically exist. This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of this term in this application. As a further example, the term "circuit" in this embodiment also covers simply a processor (or a plurality of processors) or a portion of a processor and an implementation of software and / or firmware associated therewith. Also, the term "circuit" covers, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or an application processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other network devices, if applicable to a particular element. The above-described circuit embodiments can also be considered as embodiments that provide means for implementing the method or process embodiments described herein.

[0023] The technologies and methods described in this specification can be implemented in various means. For example, these techniques can be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or combinations thereof. In the case of hardware implementation, the devices of the embodiments can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to execute the functions described herein, or combinations thereof. In the case of firmware or software, the implementation can be performed through at least one chipset module (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that executes the functions described herein. The software code can be stored in a memory unit and executed by a processor. The memory unit can be implemented either within the processor or outside the processor. In the latter case, it can be communicably connected to the processor via any suitable means. Furthermore, the components of the systems described herein can be rearranged and / or supplemented by additional components to facilitate the achievement of various aspects and the like described in relation thereto, and they are not limited to the exact configurations shown in a given figure, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0024] The embodiments described in this specification can be implemented in at least one of the following communication systems: a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or other second-generation cellular communication system, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS, 3G) based on basic Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, a system based on the IEEE 802.11 specification, a system based on the IEEE 802.15 specification, and / or a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system or cellular communication system. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to the systems given as examples, and those skilled in the art can apply the solutions to other communication systems with the necessary characteristics.

[0025] Figure 1 shows an example of a simplified system architecture that shows some elements and functional entities, all of which are logical units. The connections shown in Figure 1 are logical connections, and the actual physical connections may be different. It is clear to those skilled in the art that the system can also be composed of functions and structures other than those shown in Figure 1. The example in Figure 1 shows a part of an exemplary radio access network.

[0026] Figure 1 shows access nodes (e.g., Node B, etc.) 104 that provide cells and terminal devices 100 and 102 configured to wirelessly connect over one or more communication channels within the cell. The access node 104 can also be referred to as a node. The wireless link from the terminal device to, for example, Node B is called the uplink or reverse link, and the wireless link from, for example, Node B to the terminal device is called the downlink or forward link. It should be understood that, for example, the function of Node B or its equivalent can be implemented using an entity such as any node, host, server, access point, etc. suitable for such applications. Although this exemplary embodiment describes one cell, note that for simplicity of explanation, in some exemplary embodiments, multiple cells may be provided by one access node.

[0027] The communication system may include, for example, one or more Node Bs. In that case, for example, the Node Bs may be configured to communicate with each other via wired or wireless links designed for that purpose. These links can be used for signaling. For example, a Node B is a computing device configured to control the radio resources of the communication system to which it is connected. For example, a Node B can also be referred to as other types of interface devices including a base station, an access point, or a relay station that can operate in a wireless environment. For example, a Node B includes a transceiver or is connected to a transceiver. For example, a connection to an antenna unit for establishing a bi-directional radio link from the transceiver of the Node B to a user equipment is provided. The antenna unit comprises a plurality of antennas or antenna elements. For example, the Node B is further connected to a core network 110 (CN, or next generation core NGC). Depending on the system, the counterpart on the CN side may be a serving gateway (S-GW, for routing and forwarding user data packets), a packet data network gateway (P-GW) for providing a connection of a terminal device (UE) to an external packet data network, or a mobile management entity (MME), etc.

[0028] A terminal device (also referred to as UE, user equipment, user terminal, user device, etc.) indicates one type of device to which resources on the air interface are allocated, and thus any function described herein with the terminal device can be implemented with a corresponding device such as a relay node. An example of such a relay node is a layer 3 relay (self-backhauling relay) towards a base station. Another example of such a relay node is a layer 2 relay. Such a relay node can include a terminal device part and a distributed unit (DU) part. A CU (centralized unit) can adjust the operation of the DU via, for example, an F1AP interface.

[0029] The terminal device may refer to a portable computing device including a subscriber identification module (SIM), or a wireless mobile communication device that operates regardless of the presence or absence of an embedded SIM or eSIM. This includes mobile stations (cell phones), smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handsets, devices using wireless modems (such as alarm or measurement devices), laptops and / or touchscreen computers, tablets, game consoles, notebooks, and various types of multimedia devices, but is not limited thereto. The user equipment may also be an exclusive or almost exclusive uplink-only device, examples of which include cameras or video cameras that load images or video clips onto the network. The terminal device may also be a device having the ability to operate in a Machine-to-Internet (IoT) network. The IoT network is a scenario that provides the ability for machines to transfer data via the network without the need for human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. The terminal device can also utilize the cloud. In some applications, the terminal device includes small portable devices with wireless components (such as watches, earphones, glasses, etc.), and the computing is executed in the cloud. The terminal device (or, in some embodiments, the layer 3 relay node) is configured to execute one or more user equipment functions.

[0030] The various technologies described herein can also be applied to cyber-physical systems (CPS), which are systems of collaborating computational elements that control physical entities. CPS enables the implementation and utilization of a large number of interconnected ICT devices (sensors, actuators, processors, microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects located in different places. A mobile cyber-physical system is a subcategory of cyber-physical systems where the physical system has its own mobility. Examples of mobile physical systems include mobile robots and electronic devices carried by humans or animals.

[0031] Furthermore, although the apparatus has been depicted as a single entity, it can also be implemented with different units, processors, and / or memory units (not all are shown in Figure 1).

[0032] In 5G, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas are used, and more base stations or nodes (the so-called small cell concept) can be used than in LTE. 5G mobile communication supports a wide range of use cases and related applications, such as video streaming, augmented reality, various data sharing methods, vehicle safety, various sensors, and (massive) machine-type communication (mMTC) including real-time control. 5G is expected to have multiple radio interfaces below 6 GHz, centimeter waves, and millimeter waves, and can also be integrated with existing legacy radio access technologies such as LTE. The integration with LTE can be implemented, at least in the initial stage, as a system where macro coverage is provided by LTE and 5G radio interface access is provided from small cells by aggregation to LTE. In other words, 5G is planned to support both inter-RAT operability (such as LTE-5G) and inter-RI operability (inter-radio interface operability, below 6 GHz - centimeter waves, below 6 GHz - centimeter waves - millimeter waves, etc.). One of the concepts considered to be used in 5G networks is network slicing. In this slicing, multiple independent dedicated virtual sub-networks (network instances) can be created within the same infrastructure to execute services with different requirements regarding latency, reliability, throughput, and mobility.

[0033] The current architecture of the LTE network is completely distributed in the radio and completely centralized in the core network. For 5G low-latency applications and services, it is necessary to bring content closer to the radio, which may lead to local breakout and multi-access edge computing (MEC). In 5G, it becomes possible to perform analysis and knowledge creation at the data source. In this approach, it is necessary to utilize resources that are not always connected to the network, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, sensors, etc. MEC provides a distributed computing environment for hosting applications and services. Also, by storing and processing content near mobile phone subscribers, the response time can be shortened. Edge computing can be classified into wireless sensor networks, mobile data collection, mobile signature analysis, cooperative distributed peer-to-peer ad hoc networking and processing, local cloud / fog computing and grid / mesh computing, dew computing, mobile edge computing, cloudlets, distributed data storage and search, self-organizing self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented reality and virtual reality, data caching, Internet of Things (where large-scale connectivity and latency are important), critical communications (autonomous vehicles, traffic safety, real-time analysis, time-critical control, healthcare applications), etc., covering a wide range of technologies.

[0034] The communication system can also communicate with and / or utilize services provided by other networks such as the public switched telephone network and the Internet 112. The communication network can also support the use of cloud services, for example, at least a part of the core network operation can be implemented as a cloud service (illustrated by the "cloud" 114 in this embodiment). Also, the communication system can include a central control entity, etc., and can provide facilities for different operators' networks to cooperate, for example, in spectrum sharing.

[0035] Edge clouds can be incorporated into the radio access network (RAN) by leveraging network function virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN). Using edge clouds may mean that the operations of the access nodes are at least partially executed on servers, hosts, or nodes operationally connected to remote radio heads or base stations that constitute the radio part. Also, the operations of the nodes may be distributed among multiple servers, nodes, or hosts. The application of the cloudRAN architecture enables the execution of the real-time functions of the RAN on the RAN side (in the distributed unit DU104) and the centralized execution of the non-real-time functions (in the centralized unit CU108).

[0036] It should also be understood that the division of roles between the operation of the core network and the operation of the base stations may be different from or non-existent in LTE. Some other technologies that may be used include, for example, big data and all-IP, which may change the way the network is built and managed. The 5G (or New Radio, NR) network is designed to support multiple tiers, and the MEC server can be placed between the core and the base station or Node B (gNB). It should be understood that MEC can also be applied to 4G networks.

[0037] 5G can also utilize satellite communication to enhance or complement the coverage of 5G services. For example, it can provide the availability of backhaul and services in areas without terrestrial coverage. Satellite communication can utilize not only geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite systems, but also low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, such as megaconstellations. The satellites 106 included in the constellation can carry a gNB that creates a terrestrial cell, or at least a part of the gNB. Alternatively, the satellite 106 may be used to relay the signals of one or more cells to the earth. The terrestrial cell may be via a terrestrial relay node 104, or by a gNB located on the ground or on a satellite, or when part of the gNB is on a satellite, for example a DU, and part of the gNB is on the ground, for example a CU. Further, alternatively, a high altitude platform station (HAPS) system can also be utilized.

[0038] Note that the described system is an example of part of a radio access system. The system may, for example, include a plurality of Node Bs, the terminal device may have access to a plurality of radio cells, and the system may include other devices such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements. For example, at least one of the Node Bs may be, for example, a Home Node B. Further, in the geographical area of the wireless communication system, similar to a plurality of radio cells, a plurality of different types of radio cells may be provided. The radio cell may be a macro cell (or an umbrella cell) which is a large cell usually having a diameter up to several tens of kilometers, or a small cell such as a micro cell, a femto cell, a pico cell, etc. For example, the Node B in FIG. 1 can provide these cells. The cellular radio system can be implemented as a multi-layer network including a plurality of types of cells. In some exemplary embodiments, in a multi-layer network, one access node provides one type of cell or cells, and thus, for example, a plurality of Node Bs are required to provide such a network structure.

[0039] Uplink control information (UCI) can be provided using a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), as in the case of NR for example. The PUCCH may have different formats such as format 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4, and different formats may have their respective format configurations in the PUCCH configuration. Different UCIs may use different formats. For example, PUCCH formats 0 and 1 may be used for scheduling requests (SR) and / or up to two hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment responses (HARQ-ACK) bits. As another example, PUCCH formats 2, 3, and 4 may be used for HARQ-ACK, SR, and / or channel state information (CSI). The terminal device may include a number of PUCCH resources according to a PUCCH configuration such as a PUCCH configuration compliant with 3GPP (registered trademark) specifications.

[0040] Determining the resources of the PUCCH may be based on at least one of a PUCCH resource indicator (PRI), downlink control information (DCI), UCI payload size, control channel element (CCE) index of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carrying the DCI, total number of CCEs in the control resource set (CORESET) where the PDCCH carrying the DCI is transmitted, SR configuration, CSI configuration, and / or UCI configuration such as a persistent scheduling (SPS) HARQ-ACK configuration. For example, the determination of the PUCCH resources is performed according to procedures defined in 3GPP (registered trademark) specifications.

[0041] The operation of signaling spatial relation information for PUCCH can be described such that a number of spatial relation information such as PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo is configured via Radio Resource Control (RRC), and the selection of one spatial relation is performed via Medium Access Control (MAC) CE. This can also be understood as PUCCH spatial relation activation / deactivation MAC CE. The update of spatial relation using MAC CE, e.g., beam switching, may be signaled for each PUCCH resource, for example. Further, by using one MAC CE, it is also possible to perform simultaneous update of spatial relations for each group of PUCCH resources, which can also be understood as enhanced PUCCH spatial relation activation / deactivation MAC CE. For example, up to four PUCCH resource groups may be configured for each Bandwidth Part (BWP). For example, if the indicated PUCCH resource ID is included in the PUCCH resource group of the indicated UL BWP, other PUCCH resources within the same PUCCH resource group may not be indicated in the MAC CE, and the MAC CE in this embodiment may be applied to all PUCCH resources within the PUCCH resource group. Further, the spatial relations of multiple PUCCH resources may be updated / displayed with the same MAC CE.

[0042] Furthermore, one PUCCH resource can also be used for the operation of multiple Transmit and Receive Points (TRPs). In this way, a single PUCCH resource can be used for different time-division multiplexed repetitions directed to different TRPs. Further, information regarding up to two spatial relations may be indicated and / or activated for a PUCCH resource via MAC CE, for example, in Frequency Range 2 (FR2). Further, up to two sets of power control parameters may be indicated and / or activated for a PUCCH resource via MAC CE, for example, in Frequency Range 1 (FR1). The set of power control parameters includes parameters such as p0, path loss reference signal (RS) ID, and closed-loop index, for example.

[0043] The Transmit Configuration Indication (TCI) state is used to provide co-location assumptions for the reception of DL signals and channels and can also be used to provide spatial sources for the transmission of UL signals and channels. This is achieved by using a unified TCI framework, which is also used to define the indicated TCI state. The indicated TCI state may be, for example, a joint TCI state for DL and UL or separate TCI states for DL and UL. The indicated DL TCI state provides a QCL source for a set of downlink signals and channels, and the indicated UL TCI state can provide a spatial source for a set of uplink signals and channels.

[0044] The unified TCI framework can be utilized for different functions. For example, it is to provide an indicated TCI state, also understood as a joint TCI state, for a set of signals and channels at a time. The TCI state is configured using RRC, and up to eight TCI states are activated via MAC CE. DCI can indicate one of the activated TCI states as the indicated TCI state. In the unified TCI framework, there may be multiple indicated DL and / or UL TCI states to cover the multi-TRP use case. Further, both single-TRP and multi-TRP PUCCH repetition and / or transmission operations may coexist in the unified TCI framework.

[0045] Therefore, it is beneficial if the terminal device can determine the association between at least one, for example one or two, TCI states and at least one PUCCH resource group. The PUCCH resource group can be understood to include at least one PUCCH resource. On the other hand, a TCI state may enable the terminal device to receive a plurality of DL channels and / or signals and / or transmit a plurality of UL channels and / or signals using a common beam. The common beam is indicated by the TCI state. Also, note that a beam such as a UL beam can also be referred to as spatial relation information, a UL TCI state that may be a separate UL TCI state, a joint TCI state, a spatial filter, power control information, or set power control parameters, an antenna panel, quasi-positioning information Type-D, or other types such as Type A, B, or C. Further, note that the antenna panel can be identified by an index of the corresponding terminal device capability value set or an antenna panel ID. Alternatively, or additionally, the antenna panel is identified by or associated with at least one reference signal (RS) or UL beam.

[0046] Figure 2 shows a flowchart according to an exemplary embodiment. This flowchart may be a method executed by a device such as an arithmetic unit that may be included in a terminal device. In this exemplary embodiment, first, in block S1, a first information element (IE) is received, and the first information element indicates at least one TCI state. In this example, the first IE is received by the terminal device, and the first indication can indicate, for example, one or two TCI states. Further, the first indication may be received from an access node such as a gNB via DL DCI using, for example, format 1_1 or 1_2. The one or two TCI states may be UL TCI states and / or joint TCI states.

[0047] Next, in block S2, the second IE is received by the terminal device from the access node. In an exemplary embodiment of the present example, with the second IE, the terminal device can derive at least one PUCCH resource group to which at least one TCI state is applicable. Optionally, the second IE can indicate at least one PUCCH resource group. The second IE is provided by the access node and received by the terminal device. For example, if the first IE is received via DCI, the second IE is received within the same DCI, and one of the IEs within the DCI may be dedicated as the second IE. Optionally, the second IE may include a bitmap, and the bitmap may indicate at least one PUCCH resource group to which at least one TCI state is applicable.

[0048] Alternatively, the second IE may be received within the same DCI as the first IE, and the second IE may be a DCI IE specialized for another purpose (in other words, a purpose different from explicitly encoding a PUCCH resource group to which at least one TCI state is applied). For example, the second IE may be a DCI IE that enables the terminal device to derive at least one PUCCH resource group to which at least one TCI state is applied. For example, the second IE may be a DCI IE that enables the terminal device to derive at least one PUCCH resource group to which at least one TCI state is applied. For example, the second IE may be able to indicate at least one PUCCH resource indicator (PRI), and based at least in part on that, the terminal device can determine that at least one PUCCH resource group is at least one PUCCH resource group to which at least one indicated PRI belongs (identified by the at least one indicated PRI). Alternatively, or additionally, the terminal device can determine at least one PUCCH resource group based on the PUCCH resource ID, for example, for a PUCCH that does not have a corresponding PDCCH. When the terminal device implicitly determines at least one PUCCH resource group, if the first IE indicates two TCI states, the terminal device can configure, for example, using RRC, whether at least one PUCCH resource group follows a particular indicated TCI state (s). The particular TCI state can be, for example, either both of the indicated TCI states (e.g., in the case of PUCCH repetition), the first TCI state, or the second TCI state. Alternatively, when the terminal device implicitly determines at least one PUCCH resource group, the terminal device can associate the at least one indicated TCI state with this at least one PUCCH resource group, that is, if there is one indicated TCI state or two indicated TCI states, the one indicated TCI state or two indicated TCI states can be associated with at least one PUCCH resource group respectively.

[0049] As yet another option in block S2, the second indication may be received via dynamic signaling other than the DCI in which the first IE is received.

[0050] In block S3 of the flowchart of this exemplary embodiment, the association between at least one TCI state and at least one PUCCH resource group is determined by the terminal device. This association is determined at least in part based on the second IE, since the second IE enables such an association to be determined. When one TCI state is indicated by the first IE, determining the association includes determining whether the TCI state is applicable to at least one PUCCH resource group. If two TCI states are indicated, determining the association includes at least determining which of the two indicated TCI states is applicable to which of the at least one PUCCH resource groups. For example, if two TCI states are indicated and there are at least two PUCCH resource groups, the determined association may be that one of the TCI states is applicable to the first PUCCH resource group and the other TCI state is applicable to the second PUCCH resource group, etc. Thus, generally, determining the association may include determining various combinations of TCI states applicable to the various PUCCH resource groups, depending on the amount of indicated TCI states and the amount of PUCCH resource groups.

[0051] Figure 3A shows an exemplary embodiment, which is also applicable to the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 2. The second IE in this embodiment is configured using a bitmap, whereby the relevance between at least one indicated TCI state and at least one PUCCH resource group can be determined. Note that in some exemplary embodiments, the second IE can also indicate at least one resource group. The bitmap may be transmitted from the access node to the terminal device. In the exemplary embodiment of this example, there are three PUCCH resource groups, which can be indexed as #0, #1, and #2 so as to refer to the first, second, and third PUCCH resource groups, respectively. DCI310 in this example is used to transmit, from the access node to the terminal device using PDCCH315, a first IE indicating two TCI states 332 and 334 (also referred to as TCI state #0 and TCI state #1, respectively, in Figure 3A). DCI310 is then also used to transmit a second IE that constructs a bitmap from which the relevance between the indicated TCI states 332 and 334 and the three PUCCH resource groups #0, #1, and #2 can be determined. The first bit of the bitmap corresponds to PUCCH resource group #0, which can be regarded as the first configured PUCCH resource group in the exemplary embodiment of this example. The second bit of the bitmap corresponds to PUCCH resource group #1, which can be considered as the second configured PUCCH resource group, and the third bit of the bitmap can correspond to PUCCH resource group #2, which can be considered as the third configured PUCCH resource group. If the bitmap shows a single "1" and all other bits are "0", the terminal device can determine, based on the bitmap, that the relevance between the two TCI states and the PUCCH resource group is such that the two indicated TCI states should be applied to the same PUCCH resource group, and the terminal device can determine the PUCCH resource group based on the index of the "1" bit of the bitmap.For example, when the indication bitmap corresponding to the index [index#0, index#1, index#2] in this embodiment is

[0010] , indicating two TCI states, both of the indicated TCI states should be applied to the second PUCCH resource group corresponding to PUCCH resource group #1. Based on the bitmap, PUCCH repetitions 302 and 304, also referred to as PUCCH rep#0 and PUCCH rep#1 respectively in FIG. 3A, which use PUCCH resources belonging to PUCCH resource group #1, are then executed using both of the indicated TCI states in the multi-TRP use case.

[0052] Alternatively, or in addition, the DCI 320 that uses the PDCCH 325 can be used by the access node to send the terminal device a first IE that indicates two TCI states 332 and 334, and a second IE that includes another different bitmap for determining other relevance. In this alternative, the bitmap indicates two "1"s and the other bits of the bitmap are "0", so the terminal device can determine that the relevance between the two TCI states 332 and 334 and PUCCH resource groups #0, #1, and #2 is that the two indicated TCI states should be applied to two PUCCH resource groups. Next, the terminal device can determine two PUCCH resource groups based on the indices of the "1" bits in the bitmap. For example, when the indicated bitmap is

[0101] corresponding to the index [index#0, index#1, index#2] and two TCI states are indicated, the indicated first and second TCI states 332 and 334 should be applied to the first PUCCH resource group corresponding to PUCCH resource group #0 and the third PUCCH resource group corresponding to PUCCH resource group #2 respectively. Thereafter, the PUCCH transmission 306 that uses the PUCCH resources belonging to PUCCH resource group #2 can be transmitted using the second TCI state 334.

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment in this example, two TCI states are shown. Instead, there may be one TCI state indicated using a first IE. Next, when a bitmap is used to determine the association between the TCI state and the PUCCH resource group, the PUCCH resource group associated with the TCI state is the one having an index corresponding to the bit "1" in the bitmap. Therefore, generally, the bits in the bitmap can correspond to both the TCI state and the PUCCH resource group, and the terminal device can determine that when the value of the bit has a predetermined value, for example, the value 1, the TCI state is applicable to the PUCCH resource group, and when the value of the bit is, for example, the value 0, the TCI is not applicable to the PUCCH resource group. However, note that one bit may correspond to multiple TCI states and / or multiple PUCCH resource groups, and the value of the bit may determine the association between the TCI state and the PUCCH resource group.

[0054] Also, note that the size of the bitmap may be equal to the total number of configured PUCCH resource groups, or alternatively, the size of the bitmap may be shorter than the total number of configured PUCCH resource groups. This is the case, for example, when a smaller number of PUCCH resource groups than the total number of configured PUCCH resource groups are selected.

[0055] Figure 3B shows an exemplary embodiment, which is also applicable to the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 2. This exemplary embodiment includes using an implicit indication of at least one PUCCH resource group. There are three PUCCH resource groups in this example, which are indexed as #0, #1, and #2, and can refer to the first, second, and third PUCCH resource groups respectively. DCI340 in this example is used to transmit, using PDCCH345, a first IE from the access node to the terminal device to indicate two TCI states 372 and 374, also referred to as TCI state #0 and TCI state #1 in Figure 3B respectively. The second IE in this example enables the terminal device to determine the relevance between the two indicated TCI states 372 and 374 and the PUCCH resource groups #0, #1, and #2.

[0056] In this exemplary embodiment, the terminal device can be configured to determine the PUCCH resource groups #0, #1, and #2 to follow the indicated specific TCI state, for example, using RRC. The specific TCI state can be any of the two indicated TCI states 372 and 374, the indicated first TCI state 372, or the indicated second TCI state 374 in the exemplary embodiment. This configuration received by the terminal device via RRC can be understood as a pre - setting. In the exemplary embodiment of this example, the terminal device is pre - set to follow a specific TCI state where PUCCH resource group #0 is the two TCI states indicated by DCI. However, it should be noted that when the terminal device receives the pre - setting, since it has not yet received the first IE indicating the identifier of the TCI state, the identifier of the TCI state may not be known to the terminal device. Therefore, when the first IE transmitted using DCI340 indicates the two TCI states 372 and 374 for UL transmission, the terminal device determines the relevance between the two indicated TCI states and PUCCH resource group #0 such that both TCI states 372 and 374 are applied to PUCCH resource group #0.

[0057] Thus, in the exemplary embodiment, PUCCH repetitions 362 and 364, which use PUCCH resources belonging to PUCCH resource group #0 and are also referred to as PUCCH rep#0 and PUCCH rep#1 in FIG. 3B, are then executed using the indicated first and second TCI states in a multi-TRP use case.

[0058] Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, the terminal device is preconfigured to follow a specific TCI state that is the first TCI state of the two TCI states indicated by DCI for PUCCH resource group #1. However, it should be noted again that when the preconfiguration is received by the terminal device, the terminal device has not yet received the first IE indicating the identifier of the TCI state, so the identifier of the TCI state may not be known to the terminal device. Thus, when the first IE transmitted using DCI340 indicates two TCI states 372 and 374 for UL transmission, the terminal device determines that the association between the two indicated TCI states 372 and 374 and PUCCH resource group #1 is such that the first TCI state 372 is applied to PUCCH resource group #1. Thus, the second TCI state 374 of the two indicated TCI states is not applied to resource group #1 in this example.

[0059] Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, the terminal device is preconfigured to follow a specific TCI state, which is the second TCI state out of the two TCI states indicated by DCI for PUCCH resource group #2. However, it should be noted again that when the preconfiguration is received by the terminal device, the identifier of the TCI state may not be known to the terminal device because the terminal device has not yet received the first IE indicating the identifier of the TCI state. Therefore, when the first IE transmitted using DCI340 indicates the two TCI states 372 and 374 for UL transmission, the terminal device determines that the relevance between the two indicated TCI states 372 and 374 and PUCCH resource group #2 is such that the second TCI state 374 applies to PUCCH resource group #2. Therefore, the first TCI state 372 of the two TCI states in this embodiment does not apply to resource group #2.

[0060] Alternatively, or additionally, the DCI 350 using the PDCCH 355 can be used by the access node to send a first IE to the terminal device indicating one TCI state to be used for UL transmission. One TCI state in this embodiment is the TCI state 376, also referred to as TCI state #3 in FIG. 3B. And the terminal device can determine the association between the three PUCCH resource groups #0, #1, #2 and the TCI state 376 based at least in part on the received preset. Thus, in the exemplary embodiment in this embodiment, for the PUCCH resource group #0, the terminal device can determine whether the TCI state 376 is applicable to the PUCCH resource group #0 or the association such that the TCI state 376 is not applicable to the PUCCH resource group #0. Also, for the PUCCH resource group #1, the terminal device can determine whether the association is such that the TCI state 376 is applicable to the PUCCH resource group #1 or the association such that the TCI state 376 is not applicable to the PUCCH resource group #1. Next, for the PUCCH resource group #2, the terminal device can determine the association such that the TCI state 376 is applicable to the PUCCH resource group #2 or the TCI state 376 is not applicable to the PUCCH resource group #2. It should be noted that thereafter, the terminal device applies the TCI state to the PUCCH resource group if it is determined to be applicable. Thus, in the PUCCH transmission 366 in this embodiment, the PUCCH resource constituted by the PUCCH resource group #1 is used in the TCI state 376.

[0061] Generally, when the terminal device determines the association between the indicated TCI state and the PUCCH resource group, it should be noted that the terminal device is determining which TCI state, or how many TCI states, e.g., one or two TCI states, are associated with the PUCCH resource group. Thus, the terminal device can utilize one or two TCI states associated with the PUCCH resource group for PUCCH transmission or repetition. Also, the indicated TCI state may be a UL TCI state or a joint TCI state.

[0062] Also, in the above exemplary embodiments, it should be noted that determining the association can also be applied to the CORESET, for example, on a PUCCH resource group basis, such that the PUCCH resource group can be identified using a specific CORESETPool index. For example, one or more PUCCH resources that can be configured in one or more PUCCH resource groups may be associated with different TRPs, and / or associated with different CORESETPool indexes, and / or associated with different PCIs (physical cell IDs), such as CORESETPool index #0 and CORESETPool index #1. Thus, when the terminal device receives an indication of one or more TCI states, such as a UL TCI state or a joint TCI state, via an IE in the DCI transmitted using the PDCCH transmitted on a CORESET belonging to one CORESETPool index, e.g., CORESETPool index #0, from the access node, the terminal device can apply or limit the above operations to the PUCCH resource group associated with this CORESETPool index.

[0063] Also, in some embodiments, when one (UL or joint) TCI state is indicated or applied to a given CORESET group or PCI, it should be noted that for the PUCCH transmission operation scheduled by the PDCCH transmitted on the resources belonging to this CORESET group, the terminal device can determine to apply one TCI state to this PUCCH transmission. On the other hand, in some other embodiments, for a given CORESET group or PCI, when two (UL and / or joint) TCI states are indicated or applicable to the multi-TRP PUCCH transmission / repetition operation scheduled by the PDCCH transmitted on the resources belonging to this CORESET group, the terminal device can determine to apply two TCI states to this PUCCH transmission / repetition operation. Also, whether it is a single TRP or a multi-TRP, when the PUCCH transmission operation is scheduled by the PDCCH repeated using two PDCCH candidates belonging to different CORESETs or CORESET groups or CORESET Pool Indexes or PCIs, for the above-described embodiments, it should be noted that the user equipment may assume the PDCCH candidate corresponding to the CORESET or CORESET group or CORESET Pool Index or PCI, or the search space set with a lower / higher index as the reference PDCCH candidate. In this case, the TCI state determination described in the above exemplary embodiments may be based on the CORESET group or PCI corresponding to the reference PDCCH candidate.

[0064] Note that one or more PUCCH resource groups may be associated with a set of capability values and / or an antenna panel. When at least one set of capability values becomes applicable, the terminal device can apply the corresponding one or more indicated TCI states to the associated one or more PUCCH resource groups. Further, note that multi-TRP operations such as PUCCH repetition and / or transmission using two TCI states, which may also be UL TCI states, may be simultaneous or parallel or time-division multiplexed PUSCH transmission and / or repetition.

[0065] The exemplary embodiments described above may have advantages such as enabling support for multi-TRP PUCCH repetition and / or transmission operations considering the unified TCI framework, and enabling both single-TRP and multi-TRP PUCCH repetition and / or transmission operations to coexist under the TCI framework. The downlink DCI can provide the terminal device with information that can be used, for example, to determine the association between the indicated one or more TCI states and one or more PUCCH resource groups. Thus, the TCI framework can support both s-TRP and m-TRP UL operations without requiring complex signaling.

[0066] FIG. 4 shows an apparatus 400, such as a terminal device or that may be included in a terminal device, according to an exemplary embodiment. The apparatus 400 may include a processor 410. The processor 410 interprets computer program instructions and processes data. The processor 410 may include one or more programmable processors. The processor 410 may include programmable hardware with embedded firmware and, alternatively or additionally, may include one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0067] Processor 410 is coupled to memory 420. The processor is configured to read and write data to and from memory 420. Memory 420 comprises one or more memory units. The memory units may be volatile or non-volatile. In some exemplary embodiments, there may be one or more units of non-volatile memory and one or more units of volatile memory, or alternatively, there may be one or more units of non-volatile memory or one or more units of volatile memory. Volatile memory is, for example, RAM, DRAM, or SDRAM. Non-volatile memory is, for example, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, flash (registered trademark) memory, optical storage, magnetic storage. Generally, memory may be referred to as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Memory 420 stores computer-readable instructions to be executed by processor 410. For example, non-volatile memory stores computer-readable instructions and processor 410 uses volatile memory for temporary storage of data and / or instructions to execute the instructions.

[0068] The computer-readable instructions may be pre-stored in memory 420 or, alternatively or additionally, may be received by the device via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or may be copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer-readable instructions causes device 400 to perform the functions described above.

[0069] As used herein, "memory" or "computer-readable medium" refers to any non-transitory medium or means capable of storing, storing, communicating, propagating, or transporting instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device such as a computer.

[0070] Device 400 further comprises, or is connected to, an input unit 430. The input unit 430 comprises one or more interfaces for receiving user input. The one or more interfaces may comprise, for example, one or more motion sensors and / or orientation sensors, one or more cameras, one or more acceleration sensors, one or more microphones, one or more buttons, and one or more touch detection units. Further, the input unit 430 can configure an interface to which an external device can be connected.

[0071] Device 400 also comprises an output unit 440. The output unit comprises, or is connected to, one or more displays capable of rendering visual content, such as a light-emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display, etc. The output unit 440 further comprises one or more audio outputs. The one or more audio outputs can be, for example, loudspeakers or headphones.

[0072] Device 400 can further comprise a connection unit 450. The connection unit 450 enables wired and / or wireless connection to an external network. The connection unit 450 may be integrated into the device 400 or may be connected to the device 400 and may comprise one or more antennas and one or more receivers. The connection unit 450 may comprise an integrated circuit or a set of integrated circuits that provides a wireless communication function to the device 400. Alternatively, the wireless connection function may be a hardwired application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0073] It should be noted that device 400 may further include various components not shown in FIG. 4. The various components may be hardware components and / or software components.

[0074] The apparatus 500 in FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus that may be an access node or may be configured in an access node. The apparatus may be a circuit or chipset applicable to an access node for implementing the exemplary embodiment. The apparatus 500 may be an electronic device comprising one or more electronic circuits. The apparatus 500 may comprise a communication control circuit 510 such as at least one processor, and at least one memory 520 including computer program code (software) 522, and the at least one memory and the computer program code (software) 522 are configured to cause the apparatus 500, together with the at least one processor, to execute any one of the exemplary embodiments of the access node described above.

[0075] The memory 520 can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash (registered trademark) memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The memory can constitute a configuration database for storing configuration data. For example, the configuration database can store the current adjacent cell list and, in some exemplary embodiments, the structure of the frames used by the detected adjacent cells.

[0076] The apparatus 500 may further comprise a communication interface 530 including hardware and / or software for realizing communication connectivity according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 530 can provide the apparatus with a wireless communication function for communicating in a cellular communication system. The communication interface can, for example, provide a wireless interface to a terminal device. The apparatus 500 may further comprise other interfaces towards a core network such as a network coordinator device and / or towards an access node of a cellular communication system. The apparatus 500 may further comprise a scheduler 540 configured to allocate resources.

[0077] The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is obvious that several modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, all terms and expressions should be interpreted broadly, and they are not intended to limit the embodiments but to exemplify them. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the concept of the present invention can be implemented in various ways with the progress of technology. Furthermore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the described embodiments can be combined with other embodiments in various ways, but it is not necessary to do so.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to receive a first information element, wherein the first information element indicates at least one transmission setting indication state, receive a second information element, determine, based on the second information element, the association between the at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group, execute.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second information element indicates at least one physical uplink control channel resource indicator.

3. The apparatus is further configured to determine the association between the at least one transmission setting indication state and the at least one physical uplink control channel resource group according to a preset, The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The first information element indicates two transmission setting indication states, and the preset is the association between the two transmission setting indication states and the at least one physical uplink control channel resource group, both of the two transmission setting indication states are applicable to the at least one physical uplink control channel resource group, the first transmission setting indication state of the two transmission setting indication states is applicable to the at least one physical uplink control channel resource group, the second transmission setting indication state of the two transmission setting indication states is applicable to the at least one physical uplink control channel resource group, The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the apparatus is determined to be one of the above.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second information element includes a bitmap.

6. The bits in the bitmap are the transmission setting indication states included in the at least one transmission setting indication state, the physical uplink control channel resource groups included in the at least one physical uplink control channel resource group, corresponding to When the value of the bit has a predetermined value, the terminal device further determines that the transmission setting instruction state is applicable to the physical uplink control channel resource group. The apparatus according to claim 5. **Claim 7** The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first information element and the second information element are included in downlink control information. **Claim 8** The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the apparatus is further configured to transmit a physical uplink control channel transmission according to a determined relevance between the at least one transmission setting instruction state and the at least one physical uplink control channel resource group. **Claim 9** An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code cause the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to transmit, to a terminal device, a first information element that indicates at least one transmission setting instruction state; transmit, to the terminal device, a second information element for determining a relevance between the at least one transmission setting instruction state and the at least one physical uplink control channel resource group; be configured to execute. **Claim 10** The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first information element and the second information element are transmitted using downlink control information. **Claim 11** The second information element indicates a physical uplink control channel resource indicator, and the apparatus further transmits, to the terminal device, a preset for determining the relevance between the at least one transmission setting instruction state and the at least one physical uplink control channel resource group before transmitting the first information element. The apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, which is configured as such. **Claim 12** receiving a first information element, the first information element indicating at least one transmission setting instruction state; receiving a second information element; Determining the association between the at least one transmission setting indication state and the at least one physical uplink control channel resource group based on the second information element; A method comprising the above. **Claim 13** A step of transmitting a first information element to a terminal device, wherein the first information element indicates at least one transmission setting indication state; A step of transmitting a second information element to the terminal device, wherein the second information element is for determining the association between the at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group; A method comprising the above. **Claim 14** For a device, at least: Receiving a first information element, wherein the first information element indicates at least one transmission setting indication state; Receiving a second information element; Determining the association between the at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group based on the second information element; A computer program comprising instructions for performing the above. **Claim 15** For a device, at least: Causing a terminal device to transmit a first information element, wherein the first information element indicates at least one transmission setting indication state; Causing the terminal device to transmit a second information element, wherein the second information element is for determining the association between the at least one transmission setting indication state and at least one physical uplink control channel resource group; A computer program comprising instructions for performing the above.

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