Dynamic resource utilization

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus, for example a user equipment, storing a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform for use in an uplink control channel, the second waveform being configured to have a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, storing a long format and a short format for the uplink control channel, and selecting, based on signaling received by the apparatus from a base station apparatus, one of the first and second resources or configurations and / or one of the long format and the short format for use in at least a part of the uplink control channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to dynamic resource utilization in a wireless communication system.

Background Art

[0002] In some wireless communication systems, multiple signal waveforms can be used in wireless communication between a user equipment (UE) and an access node such as a base station. The waveform of a signal corresponds to the shape of the graph of the signal as a function of time. Examples of waveforms include sine waves, square waves, triangular waves, etc. However, in a communication system, due to the modulation used, the waveform becomes a more complex shape. The modulation used in a wireless communication system may be of a higher order, and generally, the modulation scheme is correlated with the characteristic waveform of that modulation scheme.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to some aspects, the subject matter of the independent claims is provided. Some embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. The scope of protection required for various embodiments of the present invention is defined by the independent claims. Embodiments, exemplary embodiments, and features that do not fall within the scope of the independent claims herein are to be construed as useful examples for understanding the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processing core 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 processing core to cause the apparatus to store at least a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform for use on an uplink control channel, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and to store a long format and a short format of the uplink control channel, and to select, based on signaling received at the apparatus from a base station apparatus, one of the first and second resources or configurations for use in at least a part of the uplink control channel and / or one of the long format and the short format, wherein the selecting comprises selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel as a response to signaling indicating use of the second waveform on the uplink shared channel, or selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel for transmitting channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or a scheduling request as a response to signaling indicating use of the second waveform or the long format for at least one information element other than each of channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or a scheduling request.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processing core 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 processing core to cause the apparatus to provide, to at least a user equipment, at least a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform for use on an uplink control channel, the second waveform having a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and to provide signaling to the user equipment, the signaling defining the use of the first or second waveform for use on a physical uplink shared channel or for communication of information elements from the user equipment.

[0006] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, in an apparatus, for use in an uplink control channel, store a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform, the second waveform having a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, store a long format and a short format for the uplink control channel, and based on signaling received at the apparatus from a base station device, select one of the first and second resources or configurations and / or one of the long and short formats for use in at least a part of the uplink control channel, the selecting including selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel as a response to signaling indicating use of the second waveform for the uplink shared channel, or selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel for transmitting channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment, or scheduling request as a response to signaling indicating use of the second waveform or the long format for at least one information element other than each of channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment, or scheduling request. A method is provided that includes any of these.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in an apparatus, for use in an uplink control channel, it stores a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform, the second waveform having a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, means for storing a long format and a short format for the uplink control channel, and based on signaling received in the apparatus from a base station apparatus, means for selecting one of the first and second resources or configurations for use in at least a part of the uplink control channel, and / or one of the long format and the short format, wherein the selection is, as a response to signaling indicating use of the second waveform for the uplink shared channel, selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel, or, as a response to signaling indicating use of the second waveform or the long format for at least one information element other than each of channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request, selecting the second resource or configuration, and / or the long format for the uplink control channel for transmitting channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request, and an apparatus is provided that includes any of the foregoing.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, when executed by at least one processor, the apparatus stores at least a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform for use in an uplink control channel, the second waveform having a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, stores a long format and a short format of the uplink control channel, and based on signaling received at the apparatus from a base station apparatus, selects one of the first and second resources or configurations for use in at least a portion of the uplink control channel and / or one of the long format and the short format, and causes the apparatus to execute, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of computer-readable instructions, wherein selecting is in response to signaling indicating use of the second waveform on the uplink shared channel, selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel, or in response to signaling indicating use of the second waveform or the long format for at least one information element other than each of channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request, selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel for transmitting channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request, a computer-readable medium is provided that includes any of these.

[0009] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, when executed by at least one processor, the apparatus causes the apparatus to provide at least to a user equipment, a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform for use on an uplink control channel, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and to provide signaling to the user equipment, the signaling defining the use of the first or second waveform for use on a physical uplink shared channel or for communication of information elements from the user equipment. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of computer-readable instructions for causing the apparatus to perform the above is provided.

[0010] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, when executed by a device, the device stores at least a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform for use on an uplink control channel, the second waveform having a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, stores a long format and a short format of the uplink control channel, and based on signaling received at the device from a base station device, selects one of the first and second resources or configurations for use on at least a portion of the uplink control channel and / or one of the long format and the short format, wherein selecting comprises selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel in response to signaling indicating use of the second waveform on the uplink shared channel, or selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel for transmitting channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request in response to signaling indicating use of the second waveform or the long format for at least one information element other than each of channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request. A computer program is provided that includes any of the foregoing.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

[0012] Disclosed herein is a method that enables a user equipment (UE) to perform a rapid and intelligent adaptive switching between waveforms in wireless communication between the UE and a user equipment such as a base station, a distributed unit, or a relay node. Specifically, the UE can select a waveform to be used on an uplink (UL) control channel such as an uplink physical control channel. Waveforms generally have different characteristics such as a peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). A waveform with a low PAPR is more suitable for serving a UE closer to the cell edge or in other coverage-limited scenarios than a waveform with a high PAPR. Specifically, using a waveform with a low PAPR in a coverage-limited scenario provides a technical advantage of reducing interference within the system. If the switch to such a waveform can be achieved without explicit signaling, the reduction in interference is even greater because the explicit signaling itself causes interference within the system.

[0013] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary system in at least some embodiments of the present invention. This system is, for example, a cellular communication system also known as a specific 5th generation (5G), New Radio (NR), or Long Term Evolution (LTE) system by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®). Some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in non-cellular systems such as, for example, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN). The system includes a base station 130, which may be referred to as, for example, a gNB or an eNB depending on the specific technology on which the system is based. The base station 130 may be distributed in that it may include one or more base station apparatuses. For example, the base station 130 may include a Centralized Unit (CU) and one or more Distributed Units (DUs). The CU provides support for upper layers such as Radio Resource Control (RRC), and the DU processes lower layers such as Radio Link Control (RLC) and Medium Access Control (MAC). In some embodiments, the base station 130 is a unitary device and is not distributed.

[0014] The base station 130 is connected to a Core Network (CN) 140. The CN 140 includes nodes such as a Mobility Management Entity, MME, a Subscriber Data Repository, a Gateway, etc., which provide services throughout the communication system and enable interaction with additional networks, although not shown in FIG. 1 for clarity. The exact names and specific functions of the core network nodes, as well as the way CN tasks are distributed among them, depend on the technology on which the system of FIG. 1 is based in each specific implementation. The CN 140 may be connected to additional networks via a gateway.

[0015] The base station 130 controls a cell, and the cell edge is schematically shown as edge 101 in FIG. 1. UEs 110 and 120 are disposed within the cell, where UE 110 is close to the base station 130 and UE 120 is close to the edge 101. UE 110 communicates with the base station 130 via the radio link 131, and UE 120 communicates with the base station 130 via the radio link 132. The radio links 131 and 132 may each include an uplink (UL) and a downlink (DL) for communicating towards the base station 130 and the UE, respectively.

[0016] Generally, some UEs may be stationary by nature in that their positions do not change, but the UEs may move within the coverage area of the cell and may move beyond the edge 101 into the coverage area of another cell. Examples in such cases of stationary UEs include communication modules of utility meters and closed-circuit video cameras, while examples of mobile UEs include smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers, mobile phones, connected car connection modules, and the like. Thus, even the same UE may be close to the cell edge 101 or far from the edge depending on its movement. Even for a stationary UE, if the network is reconfigured and the edge 101 moves, the distance to the cell edge 101 may change.

[0017] The physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) in NR is an example of an uplink control channel and is used to transmit uplink control information (UCI) such as a scheduling request (SR), a beam failure recovery request (BFR) or a link failure recovery request, a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK), and channel state information (CSI). NR PUCCH formats 2, 3, and 4 can transmit HARQ-ACK, SR, and / or CSI, while formats 0 and 1 can transmit only SR and / or a maximum of two HARQ-ACK bits. Generally, the uplink control channel has a short format and a long format. Each format has a format configuration in the PUCCH configuration. NR PUCCH formats 0 and 2 are short PUCCH formats that may occupy a maximum of two OFDM symbols, and PUCCH formats 1, 3, and 4 are long PUCCH formats that occupy 4 to 14 OFDM symbols. Generally, the uplink control channel has two types: a short format and a long format. In the long format, better coverage can be provided because received energy can be collected for a longer time. Generally, when the cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) waveform is used with the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), the short format is more suitable and better coverage is required, and when the discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform is used with the PUSCH, the long format is more suitable. Since DFT-s-OFDM has a lower PAPR than CP-OFDM, it is generally more suitable for situations with limited coverage such as UEs 110 and 120 close to cell edge 101.

[0018] The PUCCH configuration of NR is defined in the 3GPP (registered trademark) technical standard TS38.331 and contains various parameters related to PUCCH. In this configuration, the UE may be composed of multiple PUCCH resources. The determination of PUCCH resources may depend on at least one of the PUCCH resource indicator (PRI) in the downlink control information (DCI), the UCI payload size, and other parameters used in the system.

[0019] CSI reports can support various types, including periodic, semi-persistent, and aperiodic CSI reports, depending on the system. A single PUCCH resource, or a list of PUCCH resources, may be configured for semi-persistent scheduling (SPS), physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), HARQ-ACK reports for reception (s). When two PUCCHs carrying different types of UCI overlap in time, the UE may be configured to multiplex these UCIs on the PUCCH. This is related to the PUCCH carrying HARQ-ACK, CSI, and SR. In NR, CSI reports may include, for example, channel quality indicators, precoding matrix indicators, CSI reference signal resource indicators, layer indicators, and rank indicators. Received signal power indicators may also be included in CSI reports.

[0020] Since the DFT-s-OFDM waveform has a lower PAPR than the CP-OFDM waveform, it is beneficial to dynamically switch waveforms, such as between CP-OFDM and DFT-s-OFDM, as it is effective in scenarios with UL coverage limitations or power limitations. Generally, DFT-s-OFDM is more preferable for UEs experiencing coverage limitations than CP-OFDM. The UL waveform may be set for the UE via the RRC signal, but achieving a waveform change incurs a high signal load. Therefore, it is beneficial to switch waveforms using more optimized signal solutions, such as implicit signal solutions.

[0021] When dynamically switching from a first waveform to a second waveform, such as for periodic CSI reporting on PUCCH, the UE can perform CSI reporting configuration using a single PUCCH resource for a given bandwidth via RRC. This PUCCH resource may be PUCCH format 2, 3, or 4. However, when this PUCCH resource is format 2 used with CP-OFDM, when the UE switches from CP-OFDM to DFT-s-OFDM, since format 2 is a short format and thus has limited coverage and the frequency may span multiple radio bearers, it is not suitable for use of this resource. Similar problems may also occur for HARQ-ACK reporting of SPS (PDSCH) reception, since the UE is configured with a single PUCCH resource of format 0. However, when the PUCCH waveform switches from CP-OFDM to DFT-s-OFDM, since format 0 is short and a longer format may be more suitable for the communication situation, this resource may not be suitable. Related problems also occur in PUCCH determination for UCI multiplexing. Specifically, the UE may determine the PUCCH resource for transmitting multiplexed UCI from a PUCCH resource group, and some of these PUCCH resources may be suitable for CP-OFDM while the rest may be suitable for DFT-s-OFDM. Therefore, considering dynamic waveform switching, the UE may select a PUCCH resource that is not suitable for the waveform in use.

[0022] To enable dynamic adaptation of the PUCCH to the applicable waveform or selection of the correct waveform, the UE may be configured with, or signaled with, at least one second PUCCH resource or at least one second UCI configuration for uplink control information (UCI) transmission, in addition to the first at least one PUCCH resource or at least one UCI configuration. This at least one second PUCCH resource or at least one second UCI configuration may be considered valid or invalid by the UE for PUCCH transmission depending on the applicable waveform taking into account dynamic waveform switching. In other words, the UE may be configured to select the first or second resource or configuration based on considerations such as which waveform to use. The resource or configuration corresponding to the waveform used is selected for use, and the resource or configuration corresponding to the waveform not used is not used and / or considered invalid.

[0023] For multiplexing or reporting of UCI on the PUCCH, the UE may transmit or multiplex two or more UCIs on the same PUCCH if the multiplexed UCIs are of the same type as, or different types from, e.g., SPS or HARQ-ACK. To select the PUCCH resource for transmitting these UCIs, the UE may be configured not to use PUCCH resources that do not correspond to the currently applicable waveform. Subsequently, when dynamically switching from a first waveform to a second waveform, when the UE switches to the second waveform (e.g., based on an instruction from the base station), the UE may skip PUCCH resource(s) that do not correspond to the second waveform and consider only the PUCCH resource(s) that correspond to the second waveform to be valid.

[0024] Regarding the CSI report configuration, within the PUCCH CSI resource list, for a bandwidth part, in addition to the first PUCCH resource, a second PUCCH resource may be configured. Each of the first and second PUCCH resources corresponds to a different waveform. Instead of the first and second resources, it is also possible to define first and second resource lists corresponding to separate first and second waveforms. Then, when switching from the first waveform to the second waveform, the UE can use the PUCCH resource or PUCCH resource list corresponding to the second waveform instead of the PUCCH resource or resource list corresponding to the first waveform. Alternatively or additionally, two or more CSI report configurations are configured (for example, with the reporting configuration type "periodic"), each corresponding to a separate waveform, and the UE can treat only the CSI report configuration(s) corresponding to the waveform in use as active or applicable.

[0025] For the HARQ-ACK reporting of SPS PDSCH reception, in addition to the first PUCCH resource list for HARQ-ACK, a second PUCCH resource list for HARQ-ACK may be configured. The first PUCCH resource list may correspond to the first waveform, and the second PUCCH resource list may correspond to the second waveform. The PUCCH resource list here can include at least one PUCCH HARQ-ACK resource for DL SPS. Such a list may be, for example, n1PUCCH-AN or sps-PUCCH-AN-List in NR. In the case of dynamic switching from the first waveform to the second waveform, the UE can use the PUCCH resource list corresponding to the second waveform instead of the PUCCH resource list corresponding to the first waveform.

[0026] Similarly, for the SR configuration, the first and second PUCCH resources or configurations corresponding to the first and second waveforms can be set respectively, and the UE can use the first or second PUCCH resource or configuration depending on which waveform is being used so that the PUCCH resources or configurations corresponding to the unused waveforms are not used.

[0027] The correspondence between the PUCCH resources, resource lists, or settings used above and the waveforms may be explicitly set or may be notified to the UE, for example, through RRC signaling. Instead of signaling, the correspondence can also be indicated in each industry standard. For example, PUCCH resources having format 2 or format 0 are considered to correspond to CP-OFDM, and PUCCH resources having format 3 / 4 or format 1 are considered to correspond to DTF-s-OFDM. More generally, resources with a longer format are considered to correspond to waveforms with a lower PAPR, and resources with a shorter format are considered to correspond to waveforms with a higher PAPR.

[0028] The waveform used for the PUCCH may follow the dynamic signaling of the waveform signaled to the UE using, for example, DCI, or may be selected by the UE based on, for example, path loss parameters. The dynamic signaling may be based on physical layer DCI or MAC signaling and may be the same as or different from the waveform signaling of the PUSCH. This may include implicit and / or explicit signaling methods for dynamic switching of the PUCCH waveform.

[0029] When the waveform switching of PUSCH indicates the use of DFT-s-OFDM for PUSCH, the UE can consider DFT-s-OFDM as an applicable waveform for all PUCCH transmissions. The selection of the DFT-s-OFDM waveform can be accompanied by or replace the selection of the long PUCCH format. Otherwise, the UE can consider CP-OFDM as an applicable waveform for PUCCH. The selection of the CP-OFDM waveform can be accompanied by or replace the selection of the short PUCCH format. As a variation, when DFT-s-OFDM is used in PUSCH and the base station also indicates a PUCCH resource with a long format through DL DCI, the UE can use the PUCCH resource / format corresponding to DFT-s-OFDM for all PUCCH transmissions. In NR, the long formats are formats 1, 3, and 4. Similarly, in the other direction, when CP-OFDM is indicated for PUSCH (optionally, the use of the short PUCCH format is also combined), the UE can select the PUCCH resource / format corresponding to the CP-OFDM resource for all PUCCH transmissions.

[0030] As another option, when the PUCCH resource indicator in DCI indicates a PUCCH resource with a long PUCCH format (such as format 1, 3, or 4 in NR), the UE can consider DFT-s-OFDM and / or the long format as applicable for all PUCCH (and / or PUSCH) transmissions immediately or after a certain applicable period. Otherwise, when the PUCCH resource indicator in DCI indicates a PUCCH resource with a short PUCCH format (such as format 0 or 2 in NR), the UE can consider CP-OFDM and / or the short format as applicable for all PUCCH (and / or PUSCH) transmissions.

[0031] As a third option, the reserved bits of the MAC control element (CE) can be used for dynamic waveform switching of PUCCH and / or PUSCH. For example, the reserved bit R of the secondary cell activation / deactivation MAC CE in NR can be used for waveform indication to the UE. As another example, one or more of the semi-permanent SPs in the PUCCH activation / deactivation MAC CE and the reserved bits of the CSI report may be used for indication of the waveform used by the UE.

[0032] As a fourth option, existing fields of DCI can be used for dynamic waveform switching of PUCCH and / or PUSCH. For example, a specific time domain resource allocation (TDRA) entry can be associated with a specific waveform via an RRC signal. Then, when this entry is indicated by DCI, the UE can know the waveform to be applied. As another example, an entry of a specific modulation and coding scheme (MCS) can be associated with a specific waveform via RRC. Then, when this entry is indicated by DCI, the UE can know the waveform to be applied. As another example, the field "demodulation reference signal (DMRS) sequence initialization" in DCI is interpreted according to a preset rule and may be used for dynamic waveform switching indication.

[0033] Generally, the dynamic waveform switching is separate for PUCCH and PUSCH. When the UE determines or is notified to use DFT-s-OFDM and / or the long format for PUCCH, the UE can consider that DFT-s-OFDM is also applicable to PUSCH regardless of whether the latest waveform applicable to PUSCH is CP-OFDM. Similarly, when the dynamic waveform switching is separate for PUCCH and PUSCH and the UE determines or is notified to use CP-OFDM for PUSCH, the UE can consider that CP-OFDM and / or the short format are also applicable to PUCCH regardless of whether the latest waveform applicable to PUCCH is CP-OFDM.

[0034] Although waveform selection has been generally described above, in some embodiments, waveform selection may involve or be replaced by the selection of long or short PUCCH formats. Specifically, the selection of a low PAPR waveform (such as DFT-S-OFDM) can involve or be replaced by the selection of a long PUCCH format because long formats also offer advantages in terms of coverage. Similarly, the selection of a higher PAPR waveform (such as CP-OFDM) can involve or be replaced by the selection of a short PUCCH format.

[0035] Generally, resources for use on uplink channels such as PUCCH can be defined from the perspective of compatibility with the communication system to be used. Some resources may be suitable for a first waveform, while other resources may be suitable for a second waveform. For example, resources may be defined in terms of a set of parameters. For example, the set of parameters may include at least one of starting physical resource block, PRB, or PRB offset, in-slot frequency hopping parameters, second-hop PRB, first symbol index, number of symbols, initial cyclic shift index, interleaving parameters, number of PRBs, time-domain orthogonal cover code (OCC), OCC length, OCC index, PUCCH repetition factor, inter-slot frequency hopping parameters, additional demodulation reference signal (DMRS), maximum code rate, maximum payload size, number of slots, π / 2 binary phase shift keying parameters, spatial relationship information (and its related parameters), RB set parameters, simultaneous hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment response channel state information parameters.

[0036] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary process in at least some embodiments of the present invention. The UE 110 and the base station 130 of FIG. 1 are arranged on the vertical axis. Time progresses from top to bottom.

[0037] In phase 210, the base station 130 and the UE 110 agree, for example, upon an indication from the base station, that a first uplink resource is used with a first waveform and that a second uplink resource is used with a second waveform different from the first waveform. The waveforms have different PAPRs, and the second waveform has a lower PAPR. For example, the first and second uplink resources may be for UCI multiplexing.

[0038] In phase 220, the base station 130 instructs the UE 110 to dynamically switch, for example, to using the second waveform from using the first waveform to communicate at least one information element. In response, in phase 230, the UE 110 may consider the uplink resources defined as to be used with the first waveform in phase 210 as invalid or skip them without use, and select, for second information elements other than the first information element, the uplink resources to be used with the second waveform as active resources to be used. For example, the UE can determine that UCI multiplexing, for example, multiplexing of SPS HARQ-ACK and CSI, is required, and the uplink resources can be selected for the PUCCH used in this multiplexing to transmit SPS HARQ-ACK and CSI.

[0039] In phase 240, the UE 110 transmits uplink control channel information, such as PUCCH with SPS HARQ-ACK and CSI, for example, using the uplink resources defined as corresponding to the second waveform in phase 210.

[0040] Figure 3 shows an exemplary apparatus that can support at least some embodiments of the present invention. The illustrated apparatus 300 may include, for example, the base station 130 in the UE 110 of FIG. 1 or an applicable portion. Included in the apparatus 300 is a processor 310, which may include, for example, a single-core or multi-core processor where a single-core processor includes one processing core and a multi-core processor includes one or more processing cores. The processor 310 may generally include a control device. The processor 310 may include a plurality of processors. The processor 310 may be a control device. The processing core may include, for example, a Cortex-A8 processing core manufactured or designed by ARM Holdings or a Zen processing core designed by Advanced Micro Devices. The processor 310 may include at least one Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and / or an Intel Atom processor. The processor 310 may include at least one application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor 310 may be composed of at least one field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor 310 may be means for performing method steps within the apparatus 300, such as storing, selecting, using, etc. The processor 310 may be configured to perform operations, at least in part, by computer instructions.

[0041] The processor may include circuitry and may be configured as one circuit or multiple circuits, and the one circuit or multiple circuits are configured to execute phases of the method according to the embodiments described herein. As used in this application, the term "circuit" refers to (a) a hardware-only circuit implementation, such as an implementation only in analog circuits and / or digital circuits, (b) a combination of a hardware circuit and software (if applicable), (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) and software / firmware, (ii) a hardware processor(s) with software (including a digital signal processor), software, and a part of the memory(ies) that cooperate to perform various functions in a device such as a user equipment, and (c) a hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s) (e.g., firmware) that require software, such as a microprocessor(s) or a part of a microprocessor(s), which may or may not exist when the software is not necessary for operation, and may refer to one or more or all of them.

[0042] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of this term in this application, including all claims. As a further example, in the usage in this embodiment, the term "circuit" also targets a hardware circuit or a processor (or multiple processors) or a part of a hardware circuit or a processor, and the implementation of the accompanying software and / or firmware thereto. Also, the term "circuit" also targets, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network devices, if applicable to the elements of a particular claim.

[0043] Device 300 may include a memory 320. The memory 320 may include a random access memory and / or a fixed memory. The memory 320 may include at least one RAM chip. The memory 320 may include, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory and / or a holographic memory. At least a part of the memory 320 may be accessible to the processor 310. At least a part of the memory 320 may be included within the processor 310. The memory 320 may be a means for storing information. The memory 320 may include computer instructions configured to cause the processor 310 to execute. When computer instructions configured to cause the processor 310 to perform a specific operation are stored in the memory 320 and the entire device 300 is configured to be executed under the instruction of the processor 310 using the computer instructions from the memory 320, the processor 310 and / or at least one of its processing cores may be considered to be configured to perform the specific operation. At least a part of the memory 320 may be included within the processor 310. At least a part of the memory 320 may be external to the device 300 but may be accessible to the device 300.

[0044] Device 300 may include a transmitter 330. Device 300 may be provided with a receiver 340. The transmitter 330 and the receiver 340 may be configured to transmit and receive information respectively according to at least one cellular standard or non-cellular standard. The transmitter 330 may include one or more transmitters. The receiver 340 may include a plurality of receivers. The transmitter 330 and / or the receiver 340 may be configured to operate according to, for example, specifications of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) for mobile communications, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA (registered trademark)), 5G, New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), IS-95, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Ethernet (registered trademark) and / or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX).

[0045] Device 300 may include a Near Field Communication (NFC) transceiver 350. The NFC transceiver 350 can support at least one NFC technology such as NFC, Bluetooth®, Wibree or similar technologies.

[0046] Device 300 may include a user interface (UI) 360. The UI 360 may include at least one of a display, a keyboard, a touch screen, a vibrator arranged to send a signal to the user by vibrating device 300, a speaker, and a microphone. The user can operate device 300 via the UI 360, for example, receive an incoming call, initiate a phone call or a video call, browse the Internet, manage digital files stored in memory 320 accessible via transmitter 330 and receiver 340 or on the cloud, and / or play games, or manage digital files stored on the cloud accessible via NFC transceiver 350.

[0047] Device 300 includes or is arranged to receive a user ID module 370. The user ID module 370 may include, for example, a subscriber ID module (SIM) card installable in device 300. The user ID module 370 may include information identifying the subscription of the user of device 300. The user ID module 370 may include cryptographic information that can be used to authenticate the identity of the user of device 300 and / or to facilitate encryption of communicated information and charging of the user of device 300 for communications made via device 300.

[0048] The processor 310 may include a transmitter arranged to output information to other devices configured in the device 300 via wiring inside the device 300 from the processor 310. Such a transmitter may include, for example, a serial bus transmitter arranged to output information to the memory 320 via at least one wiring and store it there. Instead of a serial bus, the transmitter may include a parallel bus transmitter. Similarly, the processor 310 may include a receiver arranged to receive information in the processor 310 from other devices included in the device 300 via wiring inside the device 300. Such a receiver may include, for example, a serial bus receiver arranged to receive information from the receiver 340 via at least one wiring for processing in the processor 310. Instead of a serial bus, the receiver may include a parallel bus receiver.

[0049] The device 300 may include additional devices not shown in FIG. 3. For example, if the device 300 includes a smartphone, it may include at least one digital camera. Some devices 300 may include a rear camera and a front camera. The rear camera is for taking digital photos, and the front camera is for video calls. The device 300 may include a fingerprint sensor arranged to authenticate at least partially a user of the device 300. In some embodiments, the device 300 lacks at least one of the above-described devices. For example, some devices 300 may lack the NFC transceiver 350 and / or the user ID module 370.

[0050] The processor 310, the memory 320, the transmitter 330, the receiver 340, the NFC transceiver 350, the UI 360 and / or the user ID module 370 can be interconnected by the wiring inside the device 300 in a number of different ways. For example, each of the above devices can be individually connected to the master bus inside the device 300 so that the devices can exchange information. However, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, this is merely an example, and depending on the embodiment, various ways of interconnecting at least two of the above devices can be selected without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing signaling according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. On the vertical axis, the UE 110 of FIG. 1 is arranged on the left side and the base station 130 of FIG. 1 is arranged on the right side. Time progresses from top to bottom.

[0052] In phase 410, the base station 130 and the UE 110 agree, for example, upon instruction from the base station, that a first uplink resource is used with a first waveform and that a second uplink resource is used with a second waveform different from the first waveform. Both waveforms have different PAPRs, and the second waveform has a lower PAPR. For example, the first and second uplink resources may be for UCI multiplexing or for all PUCCHs.

[0053] Phase 420 corresponds to the transmission of data from UE 110 that uses an uplink shared channel such as the NR PUSCH. Phase 430 includes a UE that needs to transmit on an uplink control channel selecting a first or second uplink resource for use on the uplink control channel based on which waveform is used on the uplink shared channel. Specifically, when the first waveform is used on the uplink shared channel, the first uplink resource is selected by the UE, the first waveform is used on the uplink control channel, and when the second waveform is used on the uplink shared channel, the second resource is selected by the UE, and the second waveform is used on the uplink control channel. In Phase 440, the selected uplink resource and the selected waveform are used by UE 110 when transmitting on the uplink control channel. Since the base station has selected to use a low PAPR waveform on the uplink shared channel when the UE is in a situation with coverage constraints, the UE can reuse this selection of the base station to obtain an implicit solution for selecting the correct resource (or configuration) and waveform to use.

[0054] In FIG. 4, other solutions based on Phase 410 following Phases 450-470 are also shown. In this solution, UE 110 wishes to transmit CSI and / or SR on the uplink control channel, and UE 110 does not necessarily need to transmit on the uplink shared channel.

[0055] In phase 450, UE 110 transmits the HARQ-ACK on the uplink control channel or on a different uplink control channel. In phase 460, the UE selects the resources to be used when transmitting CSI and / or SR on the uplink control channel based on the HARQ-ACK transmission method. How the HARQ-ACK is transmitted from the UE is governed by the base station 130 that recognizes whether UE 110 is in a coverage-constrained situation. In response to being signaled that the HARQ-ACK is to be transmitted using a second waveform and / or a long control channel format, UE 110 selects a second waveform with lower PAPR and / or a long format for the uplink control channel (CSI and / or SR).

[0056] In phase 470, UE 110 transmits CSI and / or SR on an uplink control channel such as PUCCH using the waveform and / or format selected based on the HARQ-ACK transmission parameters of phase 460.

[0057] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. The phases of the illustrated method may be executed, for example, at UE 110 or, if installed therein, at a control device configured to control its functions.

[0058] Phase 510 stores, in the device, a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform for use in an uplink control channel, where the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and stores a long format and a short format for the uplink control channel. Phase 520 includes selecting, based on signaling received from a base station device at the device, one of the first and second resources or configurations and / or one of the long format and the short format for use in at least a part of the uplink control channel.

[0059] Selecting may include either: 1) selecting a second resource (or configuration) and / or a long format for the uplink control channel as a response to signaling indicating use of a second waveform for the uplink shared channel; or 2) selecting a second resource (or configuration) and / or a long format for the uplink control channel for transmitting channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request as a response to signaling indicating use of a second waveform or long format for at least one information element other than each of channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request. For example, selecting may include using a second resource (or configuration) and / or a long format for a first one of channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement response, and scheduling request as a response to signaling indicating use of a second waveform or long format for a second one of channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement response, and scheduling request. Thus, selecting may include using a second resource and / or a long configuration for a first resource without having received an explicit indication to use the second resource (or configuration) and / or long configuration for the first resource. In particular, the information element may include a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource indicator carried in downlink control information (DCI) corresponding to a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) response to a corresponding physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0060] The embodiments of the present invention disclosed are not limited to the specific structures, process steps, or materials disclosed herein, but are to be extended to their equivalents that would be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the relevant art. It should also be understood that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting.

[0061] Throughout this specification, reference to one embodiment or an embodiment means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. When referring to a numerical value using terms such as "about" or "substantially" in this example, the exact numerical value is also disclosed.

[0062] In this specification, a plurality of items, structural elements, components, and / or materials can be presented for convenience in a common list. However, these lists should be construed as if each element of the list is a separately and uniquely identified element. Thus, the individual elements of such a list should not be construed as de facto equivalents of other elements of the same list based solely on their presentation in a common group without an opposing indication. Furthermore, various exemplary embodiments and examples of the present invention can be referred to herein along with alternatives for their various components. It is understood that such embodiments, exemplary examples, and alternatives are not construed as de facto equivalents of each other and are considered separate and autonomous representations of the present invention.

[0063] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable way in one or more embodiments. In the previous description, numerous specific details such as examples of length, width, shape, etc. were provided to offer a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the present invention can be implemented even without one or more of the specific details or by using other methods, components, materials, etc. In other embodiments, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown in detail or described in order to avoid obscuring aspects of the present invention.

[0064] The above-described embodiments illustrate the principles of the present invention in one or more specific applications. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes can be made in form, usage, and details of implementation without departing from the principles and concepts of the present invention and without exercising inventive faculty. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited except as defined by the claims described below.

[0065] In this specification, the verbs "comprise" and "include" are used non - restrictively, neither excluding the presence of features not recited nor requiring them. The features recited in the claims can be freely combined with each other unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, throughout this document, it should be understood that the use of "a" or "an", i.e., the singular form, does not exclude the plural form.

Industrial Applicability

[0066] At least some embodiments of the present invention can find industrial applications in wireless communication.

Explanation of Signs

[0067] ARQ Automatic Repeat reQuest CP - OFDM Cyclic Prefix OFDM DFT - s - OFDM Discrete Fourier Transform - spread OFDM HARQ Hybrid ARQ OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing PAPR Peak-to-Average Power Ratio PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel [Table 1]

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processing core and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code cause the at least one processing core to cause the apparatus to, at least, store a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform for use on an uplink control channel, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and store a long format and a short format of the uplink control channel; select, based on signaling received at the apparatus from a base station apparatus, one of the first and second resources or configurations for use on at least a part of the uplink control channel, and / or one of the long format and the short format; be configured to perform; wherein the selecting select the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel as a response to the signaling indicating use of the second waveform on the uplink shared channel, or select the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel for transmitting channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment, or a scheduling request as a response to the signaling indicating use of the second waveform or the long format for at least one information element other than each of channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment, or a scheduling request; An apparatus including any of the above.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first waveform is cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM), and the second waveform is discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus is configured to use the selected resource or configuration and / or the selected format in an uplink transmission towards the base station apparatus.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus comprises a user equipment.

5. The selecting comprises selecting the first resource or configuration and / or the short format for the uplink control channel as a response to the signaling indicating use of the first waveform for the uplink shared channel, the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The selecting comprises selecting the first resource or configuration and / or the short format for the uplink control channel for transmitting the channel state information, the semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement or the scheduling request as a response to the signaling indicating use of an information element other than each of the channel state information, the semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement or the scheduling request, the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The signaling comprises a physical uplink control channel resource indicator transmitted in downlink control information, the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The short format comprises a format having 1 or 2 orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and the long format comprises 4 to 14 OFDM symbols, the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. Each of the first and second resources comprises a set of communication parameters, the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The set of parameters comprises at least one of a start physical resource block, PRB, or PRB offset, in-slot frequency hopping parameters, a second hop PRB, a first symbol index, number of symbols, an initial cyclic shift index, an interleaving parameter, number of PRBs, a time domain orthogonal cover code (OCC), OCC length, OCC index, a PUCCH repetition factor, inter-slot frequency hopping parameters, an additional demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a maximum coding rate, a maximum payload size, number of slots, a π / 2 binary phase shift keying parameter, spatial relation information, a simultaneous hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement channel state information parameter, of the apparatus according to claim 9.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein each of the first and second configurations includes at least one resource, and each resource includes one or more parameters.

12. An apparatus comprising at least one processing core and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code cause the apparatus, by the at least one processing core, to at least provide, to a user equipment, a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform for use on an uplink control channel, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform; provide signaling to the user equipment, the signaling defining the use of the first or second waveform for use on a physical uplink shared channel or for communication of information elements from the user equipment; and is configured to cause the above to be executed.

13. In an apparatus, storing a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform for use on an uplink control channel, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and storing a long format and a short format for the uplink control channel; selecting, based on signaling received at the apparatus from a base station apparatus, one of the first and second resources or configurations and / or one of the long format and the short format for use on at least a part of the uplink control channel; including wherein the selecting selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel as a response to the signaling indicating use of the second waveform on the uplink shared channel, or In response to the signaling indicating the use of the second waveform or the long format for at least one information element other than each of the channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request, selecting the second resource or configuration for the uplink control channel and / or the long format for transmitting the channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request, A method including any of the above.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first waveform is cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM), and the second waveform is discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, further including using the selected resource or configuration, or the selected format, in an uplink transmission directed to the base station device.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the device includes a user equipment.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the selecting includes selecting the first resource or configuration and / or the short format for the uplink control channel in response to the signaling indicating the use of the first waveform for the uplink shared channel.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the selecting includes selecting the first resource or configuration and / or the short format for the uplink control channel for transmitting the channel state information, the semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement response, or the scheduling request in response to the signaling indicating the use of the information element other than each of the channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement response, or scheduling request.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the channel state information, the semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or the information element other than the scheduling request is transmitted in downlink control information corresponding to a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement having a corresponding physical downlink control channel and includes a physical uplink control channel resource indicator.

20. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, wherein the short format includes a format having one or two orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and the long format includes 4 to 14 OFDM symbols.

21. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein each of the first and second resources includes a set of communication parameters.

22. The set of parameters includes at least one of a starting physical resource block, PRB, or PRB offset, in-slot frequency hopping parameters, second-hop PRB, first symbol index, number of symbols, initial cyclic shift index, interleaving parameters, number of PRBs, time domain orthogonal cover code (OCC), OCC length, OCC index, PUCCH repetition factor, inter-slot frequency hopping parameters, additional demodulation reference signal (DMRS), maximum code rate, maximum payload size, number of slots, π / 2 binary phase shift keying parameters, spatial relationship information, simultaneous hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement channel state information parameters, of the method according to claim 21.

23. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 22, wherein each of the first and second configurations includes at least one resource, and each resource includes one or more parameters.

24. In an apparatus, for use in an uplink control channel, storing a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform, the second waveform having a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and means for storing a long format and a short format for the uplink control channel. Means for selecting, based on signaling received at the apparatus from a base station apparatus, one of the first and second resources or configurations for use in at least a part of the uplink control channel, and / or one of the long format and the short format; comprising; said selecting is; selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel as a response to the signaling indicating use of the second waveform for the uplink shared channel, or; selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel for transmitting channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request as a response to the signaling indicating use of the second waveform or the long format for at least one information element other than each of channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request; an apparatus including any of the above. [

25. ] When executed by at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least; store a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform for use in the uplink control channel, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and store the long format and the short format of the uplink control channel; select, based on signaling received at the apparatus from a base station apparatus, one of the first and second resources or configurations for use in at least a part of the uplink control channel, and / or one of the long format and the short format; a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of computer-readable instructions that cause the apparatus to perform the above, wherein said selecting is; selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format for the uplink control channel as a response to the signaling indicating use of the second waveform for the uplink shared channel, or; In response to the signaling indicating use of the second waveform or the long format for at least one information element other than each of the channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment, or scheduling request, selecting the second resource or configuration, and / or the long format for the uplink control channel to transmit the channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment, or scheduling request, comprising any of a computer-readable medium. [[Claims 26]] When executed by at least one processor, cause the apparatus to, at least, provide, for use on an uplink control channel, a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform; provide signaling to the user equipment, the signaling defining use of the first or second waveform for use on a physical uplink shared channel or for communication of information elements from the user equipment; A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform the above. [[Claims 27]] When executed by a device, cause the device to, at least, store a first resource or configuration using a first waveform and a second resource or configuration using a second waveform for use on an uplink control channel, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and store a long format and a short format of the uplink control channel; select, based on signaling received by the device from a base station device, one of the first and second resources or configurations and / or one of the long format and the short format for use on at least a portion of the uplink control channel; A computer program configured to cause the above execution, wherein the selecting In response to the signaling indicating the use of the second waveform on the uplink shared channel, selecting the second resource or configuration and / or the long format on the uplink control channel, or In response to the signaling indicating the use of the second waveform or the long format for at least one information element other than each of the channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request, selecting the second resource or configuration, and / or the long format on the uplink control channel for transmitting the channel state information, semi-persistent scheduling hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, or scheduling request, and A computer program comprising any of the above.

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