Multi-cell PUCCH configuration, apparatus, computer-readable storage medium, and software product

Abstract

1. A wireless communication method, the method comprising: obtaining configuration information; and determining one or more PUCCH resources from at least two cells for PUCCH transmission according to the configuration information, the configuration information including a PUCCH cell switching pattern configured for the at least two cells. 2. A wireless communication method, the method comprising: providing configuration information; and receiving, from a user equipment, a PUCCH transmission transmitted on one or more PUCCH resources selected from the at least two cells according to the configuration information, the PUCCH cell switching pattern configured for the at least two cells.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to PUCCH transmission, and more particularly to PUCCH transmission in multiple cells. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless communication technology is a crucial component of increasingly interconnected global communication networks. Wireless communication relies on precisely allocated time and frequency resources for transmitting and receiving radio signals. The Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) carries uplink control information from the user equipment (UE) to the base station (BS). PUCCH repetition techniques provide better uplink coverage performance for UEs at the cell edge. However, the allocation of resources for the PUCCH repetition scheme can affect the overall performance of uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) transmissions. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] This summary is a brief description of certain aspects of the disclosure and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

[0004] According to one embodiment, a wireless communication method is provided, the method including: obtaining configuration information; and determining one or more PUCCH resources from at least two cells for PUCCH transmission according to the configuration information, wherein the configuration information includes a PUCCH cell switching pattern configured for the at least two cells.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method is provided, the method including: providing configuration information; and receiving, from a user equipment, a PUCCH transmission transmitted on one or more PUCCH resources selected from at least two cells according to the configuration information, wherein the configuration information includes a PUCCH cell switching pattern configured for the at least two cells.

[0006] Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a wireless communication device, the wireless communication device including: a memory storing one or more programs; and a processor electrically coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute the one or more programs to perform any method or step or combination thereof in the present disclosure.

[0007] Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs being configured, when executed by a processor, to cause any method or step or combination thereof in the present disclosure to be performed.

[0008] These and other aspects and their implementations are described in more detail in the drawings, description, and claims. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the following drawings. The drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and merely depict exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure. As such, the drawings should not be considered as limiting the breadth, scope, or applicability of the present disclosure. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration, the drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale.

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system in which the methods and / or steps of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates wireless communication between a UE and a BS via a PCell and an SCell. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows the cell switching pattern for PUCCH repetition. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 150 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 150 may implement various methods / steps disclosed in the present disclosure. The system 150 may include components and elements configured to support operational features that need not be described in detail herein.

[0012] The system 150 may include a base station (BS) 102 and a user equipment (UE) 104. The BS 102 includes a BS transceiver or transceiver module 152, a BS antenna system 154, a BS memory or memory module 156, a BS processor or processor module 158, and a network interface 160. The components of the BS 102 may be electrically coupled to and communicate with each other as needed via a data communication bus 180. Similarly, the UE 104 includes a UE transceiver or transceiver module 162, a UE antenna system 164, a UE memory or memory module 166, a UE processor or processor module 168, and an I / O interface 169. The components of the UE 104 may be electrically coupled to and communicate with each other as needed via a data communication bus 190. The BS 102 communicates with the UE 104 via a communication channel 192, which may be any wireless channel or other medium known in the art suitable for transmission of data as described herein.

[0013] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, system 150 may further include any number of modules other than those shown in FIG. 1 . As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the various exemplary blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logic described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, the various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those familiar with the concepts described herein may implement such functionality in a manner suitable for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0014] Wireless transmission from the transmit antennas (referred to as singular for convenience but may include multiple antennas) of the UE 104 to the receive antennas (referred to as singular for convenience but may include multiple antennas) of the BS 102 is known as uplink (UL) transmission, and wireless transmission from the transmit antennas of the BS 102 to the receive antennas of the UE 104 is known as downlink (DL) transmission. According to some embodiments, the UE transceiver 162 may be referred to herein as an “uplink” transceiver 162, including RF transmitter and receiver circuitry each coupled to the UE antenna 164. Alternatively, a duplexing switch (not shown) may couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time-duplexing manner. Similarly, according to some embodiments, the BS transceiver 152 may be referred to herein as a “downlink” transceiver 152, including RF transmitter and receiver circuitry each coupled to the antenna array 154. Alternatively, a downlink duplexing switch may couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna array 154 in a time-duplexing manner. The operation of the two transceivers 152 and 162 is coordinated in time so that the uplink receiver is coupled to the uplink UE antenna 164 to receive transmissions over a wireless communication channel 192 at the same time that the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna array 154. There may be tightly synchronized timing, with only a minimal guard time between changes in duplex direction. The UE transceiver 162 communicates with the BS 102 via the UE antenna 164 over the wireless communication channel 192. The BS transceiver 152 communicates with another BS (e.g., a second BS 102-2) via the BS antenna 154 of the BS (e.g., a first BS 102) over the wireless communication channel 192. The wireless communication channel 196 can be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for direct communication between BSs or known in the art.

[0015] The UE transceiver 162 and the BS transceiver 152 are configured to communicate over a wireless data communication channel 192 and cooperate with appropriately configured RF antenna devices 154 / 164 capable of supporting a particular wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some exemplary embodiments, the UE transceiver 162 and the BS transceiver 152 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 5G standards (e.g., NR). However, it will be understood that the present invention is not necessarily limited to application to a particular standard and associated protocol. Rather, the UE transceiver 162 and the BS transceiver 152 may be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variants thereof.

[0016] Processor modules 158 and 168 may be implemented or realized using a general-purpose processor, a content-addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. As such, a processor module may be realized as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. A processor module may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

[0017] Furthermore, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, firmware, software modules executed by processor modules 158 and 168, respectively, or any practical combination thereof. Memory modules 156 and 166 may be realized as RAM memory, flash memory, EEPROM memory, registers, ROM memory, EPROM memory, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, memory modules 156 and 166 may be coupled to processor modules 158 and 168, respectively, such that processor modules 158 and 168 can read information from and write information to memory modules 156 and 166, respectively. Memory modules 156 and 166 may be integrated into their respective processor modules 158 and 168. In some embodiments, memory modules 156 and 166 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor modules 158 and 168, respectively. Each of the memory modules 156 and 166 may also include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed by the processor modules 158 and 168, respectively.

[0018] The network interface 160 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and / or other components of the base station 102 that enable bidirectional communication between the BS transceiver 152 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with the BS 102. For example, the network interface 160 may be configured to support Internet or WiMAX traffic. In a typical deployment, but without limitation, the network interface 160 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface to enable the BS transceiver 152 to communicate with conventional Ethernet-based computer networks. In this manner, the network interface 160 may include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network (e.g., a mobile switching center (MSC)) or one or more core networks for mobile communications. The terms “configured for” or “configured to,” as used herein with respect to a specified operation or function, refer to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, formatted, and / or arranged to perform the specified operation or function. The network interface 160 may enable the BS 102 to communicate with other BSs or CNs via wired or wireless connections.

[0019] 2 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication between a UE and one or more BSs. According to FIG. 2, a UE can establish wireless communication with one or more BSs. The wireless communication can be carried by one PCell (primary cell) and one or more SCells (secondary cells).

[0020] The Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) carries a set of information, "Uplink Control Information (UCI)." Depending on what information the UCI in the PUCCH carries, the PUCCH is classified into various formats. The content of the UCI may include, for example, channel quality information (CSI), acknowledgements (ACK / NACK), and scheduling requests (SR). PUCCH repeated transmission may improve PUCCH reliability and coverage. The repetition technique allows a UE to repeatedly transmit the same or similar PUCCH to ensure that the BS receives accurate information for managing signal transmission between the BS and the UE. The PUCCH repetition factor may control the number of times the PUCCH is repeatedly transmitted for a cycle. The PUCCH repetition factor N may generally be configured or indicated as 2, 4, or 8. The repetition may be a predetermined factor between the BS or the UE, or it may be a factor indicated by RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling. Thus, after a PUCCH with repetition is triggered, the PUCCH is transmitted repetitively two (N=2), four (N=4), or eight (N=8) times according to the configured or indicated repetition factor.

[0021] Conventionally, PUCCH with repetitions is transmitted only on the PCell, and the corresponding PUCCH resources are allocated only from the resources of the PCell for transmission of the PUCCH repetitions.

[0022] For a PUCCH with a repetition factor N (N>1), the time slot or subslot in which the first PUCCH repetition is transmitted may be configured or indicated by the UE transmitting the PUCCH. In a time division duplex (TDD) cell, the slots for the remaining PUCCH repetitions may be determined based on at least one of the following rules: if an UL symbol or flexible symbol can be provided in the slot; if the UL symbol or flexible symbol is the same symbol as the starting symbol configured for the PUCCH (e.g., has the same symbol index in the slot); and / or if, starting with an UL symbol or flexible symbol, consecutive subsequent UL symbols or flexible symbols can be provided in the slot, and the total number of consecutive UL symbols or flexible symbols is equal to or greater than the number of symbols configured for the PUCCH (so that there is enough space / symbol to fit the PUCCH). A slot that meets the requirements may then be determined for the remaining PUCCH repetitions.

[0023] According to one example, the first PUCCH and the remaining PUCCHs can use the same PUCCH resource. Conventionally, all repetitions of a PUCCH with repetitions are transmitted only on the PCell. Furthermore, the same PUCCH resource is used for all repetitions. The same PUCCH resource configured for the PUCCH repetitions is selected from the PUCCH resource set configured for the PCell.

[0024] According to one example, PUCCH cell switching can be supported and configured between two TDD (Time Division Duplex) cells. This configuration can reduce the latency of PUCCH transmission. However, this configuration is currently only available for PUCCH transmission without repetition. Exemplarily, the PUCCH cell (the cell used to transmit PUCCH) can be determined per slot between the PCell and one or more SCells according to a configured PUCCH cell switching pattern. The PUCCH cell switching pattern can be configured by the BS via RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling. Referring to FIG. 3 as an example, an exemplary PUCCH cell switching pattern is shown. The pattern can be configured per slot in the time domain between the PCell and the SCell. "0" indicates that the PUCCH cell is the PCell (meaning the PUCCH is transmitted on the PCell), and "1" indicates that the PUCCH cell is the SCell (meaning the PUCCH is transmitted on the SCell). It should be noted that in some configuration examples, if the slot corresponding to the PUCCH cell in a PCell slot is a downlink (DL) slot, the PUCCH cannot be transmitted in that slot.

[0025] This disclosure provides various embodiments for PUCCH transmission using a PCell, an SCell, or both. (Embodiment 1)

[0026] According to one embodiment, a UE may be configured with a PUCCH cell switching function among N TDD cells, where N is an integer greater than 1. The PUCCH cell switching function may be configured, for example, according to a configured PUCCH cell switching pattern as shown in FIG. 3. If the UE is scheduled or configured to transmit a PUCCH with repetitions from slot n, the UE may be expected to obtain N PUCCH resources from the N cells, respectively. If, according to the PUCCH cell switching pattern, it is determined that a cell corresponding to a PUCCH resource among the N PUCCH resources is a PUCCH cell from the N cells, the PUCCH resource may be used to transmit the PUCCH repetition. The following implementation uses two cells, one PCell and one SCell, as an example. The same method could be easily extended to operation in more than two cells. (PUCCH resource allocation)

[0027] According to one implementation, a UE can obtain two PUCCH resources according to an instruction in a DCI (Downlink Control Information) in a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel). Two PUCCH resource indication fields (e.g., PRI fields) are introduced in the DCI. The PRI fields can be associated with two cells configured in the PUCCH cell switching, respectively. For example, one PRI field is associated with a PCell and the other PRI field is associated with an SCell.

[0028] In other words, when PUCCH cell switching is configured among N cells, M PRI fields are introduced. In one example, M may be equal to N (M and N are positive integers). Each PRI field may be associated with one of the N cells. A PUCCH transmission with repetition may be transmitted in one or more slots of a PUCCH cell determined or selected from the N cells according to a pattern of PUCCH cell switching. Alternatively or additionally, M may be less than N. In this case, each of a plurality of cells (e.g., L cells) may be associated with a PRI field. A PUCCH transmission with repetition may be transmitted in a slot of a PUCCH cell determined or selected from the L cells according to a pattern of PUCCH cell switching.

[0029] In one example, a PUCCH resource (recorded as PUCCH1) is configured in the PUCCH resource set of a PCell (the configured repetition factor is 2, i.e., the PUCCH is transmitted twice repetitively). A PUCCH resource (recorded as PUCCH-1) is configured in the PUCCH resource set of an SCell (the configured repetition factor is 2). Two PRI domains are configured in the DCI and recorded as PRI1 and PRI2, respectively. PRI1 is associated with the PCell and PRI2 is associated with the SCell. In Figure 3, the UE may be instructed to transmit a PUCCH with a repetition factor of 2 starting from PCell slot n.

[0030] Referring to Table 1 for an example PUCCH cell switching pattern, a PUCCH cell can be determined for each PCell slot according to the configured PUCCH cell switching pattern. A PUCCH cell can be configured for each slot, from slot n-1 to slot n+4. The PUCCH cell slot indication can also follow the pattern and switch between the PCell and SCell. [Table 1]

[0031] In one example, the BS may indicate the PUCCH resource PUCCH1 of the UE's PCell and the PUCCH resource PUCCH-1 of the SCell via two PRI fields PRI1 and PRI2 in one or more DCI parts, respectively. After the UE receives one or more DCIs, the resources PUCCH1 and PUCCH-1 can be indicated by the fields PRI1 and PRI2, respectively. In this way, the two PUCCH resources PUCCH1 and PUCCH-1 in different cells can be associated for PUCCH transmission with repetition. Then, the two resources PUCCH1 and PUCCH-1 in each cell can be used to perform PUCCH transmission with repetition between the PCell and the SCell according to a PUCCH cell switching pattern.

[0032] If the slot determined for PUCCH transmission is a PCell slot, the UE may transmit a PUCCH1 resource and accumulate the number of repetitions in the PCell slot; if the slot determined for PUCCH transmission is an SCell slot, the UE may transmit a PUCCH-1 resource and accumulate the number of repetitions in the SCell slot. In this example, PUCCH transmission on either the PCell or the SCell increases the number of PUCCH repetitions toward the target number set by the repetition factor. That is, the number of PUCCH repetitions is accumulated across the PCell and the SCell.

[0033] In FIG. 3, because the pattern indicates that the PCell is the PUCCH cell, the UE may transmit PUCCH1 in PCell slot n for the first PUCCH repetition. The UE may also be scheduled or configured to start PUCCH transmission with repetition from an SCell slot instead. Then, according to the PUCCH cell switching pattern, the UE may determine a cell for transmitting subsequent repetitions in subsequent slots n+1 to n+4. As indicated by the pattern, because the subsequent PUCCH cell is the SCell in slot n+1 (assuming that slot n+1 of the SCell is determined to meet the requirements for the remaining PUCCH repetitions), the UE transmits PUCCH-1 in SCell slot n+1 for the second PUCCH repetition. If the PUCCH repetition factor is 2, PUCCH transmission with two repetitions is completed across the PCell and SCell.

[0034] In one example, for a UE, if a PUCCH cell switching pattern is configured between a PCell and an SCell, a PUCCH transmission with repetition is scheduled or triggered, and PUCCH resources are indicated for the PCell and SCell configured in the PUCCH cell switching pattern, respectively, the repetition of the PUCCH transmission is transmitted in slots of the PUCCH cell determined from the PCell and SCell according to the pattern using PUCCH resources corresponding to the PUCCH cell determined to transmit the PUCCH resources.

[0035] It should be noted that the PUCCH cell switching pattern can be used even if there is no PUCCH transmission. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the PUCCH cell switching pattern can be used to identify a PUCCH cell (a cell selected to transmit a PUCCH) from at least two candidate cells. The PUCCH cell switching pattern shown in Figure 3 is just an example, and the pattern can be modified according to different applications and settings.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the slot of the PUCCH cell for the first PUCCH repetition is indicated or determined according to the set PUCCH period; the slot of the PUCCH cell corresponding to the remaining PUCCH repetitions can be determined according to the following exemplary rules: if the slot of the PUCCH cell satisfies the following conditions 1 and 2, the slot of the PUCCH cell can be determined for the remaining PUCCH repetitions.

[0037] Condition 1: A slot of a PUCCH cell can provide an UL symbol or a flexible symbol, and the UL symbol or the flexible symbol is the same as the starting symbol of the PUCCH resource indicated or configured for transmission for the PUCCH cell.

[0038] In this above example, if the PCell is determined to be a PUCCH cell according to the pattern, the indicated PUCCH1 can be used as a resource for PUCCH transmission with repetition on the PCell. If the slot of the PUCCH cell is a PCell slot according to the pattern of PUCCH cell switching, the UL symbol or flexible symbol of the subsequent slot may be the same as the starting symbol of PUCCH1 indicated for the PCell. Similarly, in this example, if the SCell is determined to be a PUCCH cell according to the pattern, the indicated PUCCH-1 can be used as a resource for PUCCH transmission with repetition on the SCell. If the slot of the PUCCH cell is an SCell slot, the UL symbol or flexible symbol of the subsequent time slot needs to be the same as the starting symbol of PUCCH-1 indicated for the SCell.

[0039] Condition 2: The slot of the PUCCH cell can provide consecutive UL symbols or flexible symbols starting from the UL symbol or flexible symbol of condition 1, and the number of consecutive symbols is greater than or equal to the number of symbols of the PUCCH resource indicated for the PUCCH cell.

[0040] In this example, if the PCell is determined to be a PUCCH cell according to the pattern, the indicated PUCCH1 can be used as a resource for PUCCH transmission with repetition on the PCell. If the slot of the PUCCH cell is a PCell slot according to the pattern of PUCCH cell switching, the number of consecutive symbols starting from the UL symbol or flexible symbol may need to be equal to or greater than the number of symbols of PUCCH1 for the PCell. Similarly, if the SCell is determined to be a PUCCH cell according to the pattern, the indicated PUCCH-1 can be used as a resource for PUCCH transmission with repetition on the SCell. If the PUCCH cell slot is an SCell slot according to the pattern of PUCCH cell switching, the number of consecutive symbols starting from the UL symbol or flexible symbol may need to be equal to or greater than the number of symbols of PUCCH-1 for the SCell.

[0041] Note that the PUCCH cell may be switched from a PCell to an SCell or from an SCell to a PCell, and the conditions still apply: The new cell may provide slots that meet conditions 1 and 2 above to fit the PUCCH repetitions for transmission.

[0042] According to one embodiment, PUCCH1 from the PCell and PUCCH-1 from the SCell are associated resources for PUCCH transmission with repetition. The association can be configured by RRC signaling or predefined. The associated PUCCH resources from different cells can exemplarily have at least one of the following characteristics: (1) Associated PUCCH resources may have the same number of symbols. (2) Associated PUCCH resources may have the same PUCCH format. (3) Associated PUCCH resources may have the same code rate. (4) Associated PUCCH resources may have the same coding and modulation. (5) Associated PUCCH resources may have the same subcarrier spacing (SCS). (6) Associated PUCCH resources may have the same cyclic prefix (CP); or (7) Associated PUCCH resources may have the same repetition factor. (Embodiment 2)

[0043] According to one example, a UE may be configured with a PUCCH cell switching function among N (TDD) cells according to a configured PUCCH cell switching pattern. If the UE is scheduled or configured to transmit a PUCCH with repetition from slot n, the UE expects to obtain N PUCCH resources from the N cells, respectively. Similarly, if a cell corresponding to a PUCCH resource among the N PUCCH resources is determined to be a PUCCH cell from the N cells according to the PUCCH cell switching pattern (illustratively shown in FIG. 3), the PUCCH resource of the selected cell has the opportunity to be used for the PUCCH repetition with repetition in the cell. For ease of explanation, the following example uses two cells as an example, but the same method can be easily applied to operation among three or more cells. (PUCCH resource allocation)

[0044] According to one implementation, the BS and UE may agree that a table (or other format) may be used to associate PUCCH resources from different cells. The table may be used to indicate the association of PUCCH resources in different cells. The PUCCH resources configured with an association relationship in this table may be used for different repetitions of PUCCH transmission with the repetitions in the corresponding cells configured in the pattern of PUCCH cell switching. Through this table (or other type of data structure), association relationships may be established between PUCCH resources from different cells configured to support PUCCH cell switching.

[0045] Thereby, when a PUCCH transmission with repetition is scheduled or triggered across a PCell and an SCell according to a PUCCH cell switching pattern, the UE can determine one PUCCH resource from the PCell and another PUCCH resource from the SCell based on the table, and can use the determined PUCCH resources for different repetitions of the PUCCH transmission in the corresponding cell.

[0046] In one implementation, up to 256 PUCCH resources can be configured in a cell. These configured PUCCH resources can be given corresponding IDs. In addition, the PUCCH resources can be configured with a repetition factor for each PUCCH resource by RRC signaling. Alternatively or additionally, the DCI can indicate the repetition factor for the scheduled PUCCH resources.

[0047] The following Tables 2 to 6 show some examples of establishing association relationships for PUCCH resources of two cells. Associations can be established between more cells. In actual implementation, the associations do not need to be established in the form of a table. The associations can be indicated via different data structures.

[0048] In Tables 2 to 6, each row shows two associated PUCCH resources in two cells (PCell and SCell, respectively). For example, PUCCH1 of the PCell is associated with PUCCH-1 of the SCell, and PUCCH2 of the PCell is associated with PUCCH-2 of the SCell. To establish associations from Cell1 to Cell3, the tables can be extended to include a third column to include PUCCH resources of a third cell. Resources PUCCH1, PUCCH2, and PUCCH3 in Tables 2 to 6 are derived from the PUCCH resources configured for Cell1 (PCell). Resources PUCCH-1, PUCCH-2, and PUCCH-3 in Tables 2 to 6 are derived from the PUCCH resources configured for Cell2 (SCell). PUCCH resources from different cells in each row in the tables are associated, and they can be used for different repetitions of the same PUCCH transmission in the corresponding cell. [Table 2] [Table 3] [Table 4] [Table 5] [Table 6]

[0049] Optionally, the PUCCH resources in Table 2 may be PUCCH resources with a repetition factor greater than 1. Alternatively, the PUCCH resources in Table 2 may be PUCCH resources with no repetition factor, which means that the repetition factor is 1 and there is no repeated transmission.

[0050] Table 3 adds an additional index / PRI value to index each row compared to Table 2. For example, in Table 3, PUCCH1 and PUCCH-1 in the row with index 0 are associated with each other. In this way, they can be used for PUCCH transmission with repetition across PCells and SCells configured in the PUCCH cell switching pattern, and the number of repetitions of PUCCH transmission is accumulated based on the number of PUCCH1 and PUCCH-1 transmissions.

[0051] Tables 4 and 5 add a column for the cumulative number of repetitions for each row. That is, if it is determined that the PUCCH resource in a row is to be used for PUCCH transmission with repetitions, the repetition factor for the PUCCH transmission is set to be equal to the value corresponding to the cumulative number of repetitions shown in the corresponding row of Table 4 or Table 5. The number of repetitions is counted across Cell1 and Cell2 until the cumulative number shown in Table 4 or Table 5 is reached.

[0052] Table 6 shows that there may be no corresponding allocated PUCCH resource in some rows. Therefore, PUCCH-2 is not associated with the corresponding resource in Cell1. That is, if the PUCCH resource in a row is determined to be for PUCCH transmission with repetition, all repetitions of PUCCH transmission can use only PUCCH-2 and can be transmitted in Cell2.

[0053] Optionally, or alternatively, PUCCH resources of different cells associated with each other in the same row have at least one of the following characteristics: same number of symbols, same PUCCH format, same coding rate, same coding and modulation, same subcarrier spacing (SCS), same cyclic prefix (CP), or same repetition factor. (Repetition coefficient configuration)

[0054] According to one implementation referring to the above tables, e.g., Table 2 and Table 3, the number of repetitions (or repetition factor) of PUCCH transmission across a PCell and an SCell (or multiple cells) can be determined based on the number of repetitions of the PUCCH resource indicated for the first repetition of the PUCCH transmission. For example, the PUCCH resource used to transmit the PUCCH may be configured with the repetition factor or may have a predefined repetition factor. The repetition factor may be configured, for example, via RRC signaling. The BS and UE may agree that the total number of repetitions of PUCCH transmission between the PCell and the SCell may be equal to the number of repetitions configured for the PUCCH resource indicated for the first repetition of the PUCCH transmission in the following cases: (1) the UE is configured for PUCCH cell switching between the PCell and the SCell, (2) PUCCH transmission across the PCell and the SCell is scheduled or triggered, and / or (3) the PUCCH resource for the PUCCH transmission is indicated to start from the PCell (or the SCell).

[0055] For example, if a PUCCH transmission is scheduled and starts from the PCell, and PUCCH1 on the PCell is indicated for the first repetition of the PUCCH transmission, the UE may determine, according to the above table, that PUCCH-1 can also be used for the PUCCH transmission on the SCell. If the number of repetitions configured for PUCCH1 is 2 via RRC signaling and the number of repetitions configured for PUCCH-1 is 4 via RRC signaling, the number of repetitions of the PUCCH transmission may be equal to the number of repetitions configured for PUCCH1 indicated for the first repetition of the PUCCH transmission, i.e., 2. That is, in this example, PUCCH1 is the PUCCH resource indicated for the first repetition of the PUCCH transmission, and PUCCH-1 is not the PUCCH resource indicated for the first repetition of the PUCCH transmission. Therefore, the PUCCH repetition factor of PUCCH1 will be respected. In this way, the number of repetitions of the PUCCH transmission can be accumulated twice (because the repetition factor is 2 across the PCell using PUCCH1 and the SCell using PUCCH-1). Illustratively, the first repetition of the PUCCH may be transmitted on PUCCH1, and the other may be transmitted on PUCCH-1 as the second repetition of the PUCCH.

[0056] As another example, if PUCCH transmission is scheduled and starts from an SCell and PUCCH-1 on the SCell is indicated for the first repetition of PUCCH transmission, the UE may determine that PUCCH1 can also be used for PUCCH transmission on the PCell according to Table 2. If the configured number of repetitions for PUCCH1 is 2 configured via RRC signaling and the configured number of repetitions for PUCCH-1 is 4 configured via RRC signaling, the number of repetitions of PUCCH transmission may be equal to the configured number of repetitions for the indicated PUCCH-1, i.e., equal to 4. That is, here, PUCCH-1 is the PUCCH resource indicated for the first repetition of PUCCH transmission, and PUCCH1 is not the PUCCH resource indicated for the first repetition of PUCCH transmission. Thus, the number of repetitions of PUCCH transmission may be accumulated by 4 across the PCell using PUCCH1 and the SCell using PUCCH-1. Illustratively, the first repetition of PUCCH may be transmitted on PUCCH-1, and the remaining repetitions of PUCCH may be transmitted on PUCCH1 or PUCCH-1.

[0057] According to the implementation, the number of repetitions of the PUCCH transmission can be determined according to the sum of the number of repetitions of the PUCCH resource indicated for the first repetition of the PUCCH transmission and the number of repetitions of the PUCCH resource associated with the indicated PUCCH resource. The number of repetitions of the PUCCH resource can be configured via RRC signaling. In this way, when a PUCCH cell switching pattern is configured and a PUCCH transmission with repetitions is scheduled or triggered, the number of repetitions of the PUCCH transmission is equal to the sum of the number of repetitions configured for the PUCCH resource determined for the PUCCH transmission.

[0058] Therefore, when the UE is configured for PUCCH cell switching between the PCell and the SCell, the UE may first determine the PUCCH resources of different cells for PUCCH transmission based on the above table. In this case, the number of repetitions of the PUCCH transmission is equal to the sum of the number of repetitions configured for the determined PUCCH resources between different cells.

[0059] For example, if a PUCCH transmission is scheduled and starts from a PCell and PUCCH1 on the PCell is indicated for the first repetition of the PUCCH transmission, the UE may determine that PUCCH-1 can also be used for PUCCH transmission on an SCell according to Table 2. If the number of repetitions configured for PUCCH1 is 2 via RRC signaling and the number of repetitions configured for PUCCH-1 is 2 via RRC signaling, the number of repetitions of the PUCCH transmission is equal to the sum of the number of repetitions configured for PUCCH1 and the number of repetitions configured for PUCCH-1, i.e., equal to 4 (2 + 2). Thus, the number of repetitions of the PUCCH transmission can be accumulated four times across the PCell using PUCCH1 and the SCell using PUCCH-1.

[0060] According to one implementation, the number of repetitions of PUCCH transmission can be indicated based on a parameter in the DCI. In this way, the PUCCH resource may not be pre-configured with the number of repetitions. When PUCCH transmission is scheduled and a PUCCH resource is indicated for PUCCH transmission based on the DCI, the number of repetitions of PUCCH transmission can also be indicated in the DCI.

[0061] In this way, if the UE is configured for PUCCH cell switching between PCell and SCell, the UE can determine the PUCCH resources of different cells for PUCCH transmission based on the above table.

[0062] For example, if a PUCCH transmission is scheduled or triggered and starts from the PCell and PUCCH1 is indicated for PUCCH transmission, the UE may determine, based on the PUCCH1 ID and the table, that PUCCH-1 is also used for PUCCH transmission on the SCell. Assuming the number of repetitions of PUCCH transmission is indicated as 4 in the DCI, the number of repetitions of PUCCH transmission may be accumulated 4 times across the PCell (using PUCCH1) and the SCell (using PUCCH-1).

[0063] As described above with reference to Tables 4 and 5, a column may be introduced to indicate the cumulative repetition number of PUCCH transmission across two cells using the associated PUCCH resources. For example, if a PUCCH transmission is scheduled and starts from the PCell and PUCCH1 on the PCell is indicated for PUCCH transmission, the UE may determine that PUCCH-1 is also used for PUCCH transmission according to the PUCCH1 ID and Table 4. The UE may determine that the repetition number of PUCCH transmission is 4 according to the "Cumulative Repetition Number" column. Thereby, the repetition number of PUCCH transmission can be accumulated a total of 4 across the PCell using PUCCH1 and the SCell using PUCCH-1.

[0064] As another example, if a PUCCH transmission is scheduled and starts from an SCell, and PUCCH-1 on the SCell is indicated for PUCCH transmission, the UE may determine that PUCCH1 is also used for the PUCCH transmission according to the PUCCH-1 ID and Table 5. The UE may determine that the number of repetitions of the PUCCH transmission is 4 according to the "Cumulative Repetitions" column. The number of repetitions of the PUCCH transmission may be accumulated a total of 4 times across the PCell using PUCCH1 and the SCell using PUCCH-1. (PUCCH resource determination)

[0065] According to an alternative or additional implementation, the BS and the UE may agree that when the UE is configured with PUCCH cell switching between the PCell and the SCell and a PUCCH transmission is triggered or scheduled, the UE may determine the PUCCH resources to be used for the PUCCH transmission from the above Tables 3 and 5 according to the PRI value in the DCI. For example, if the PRI value in the DCI is 0, it indicates to the UE that PUCCH1 in the PCell and PUCCH-1 in the SCell are used for the PUCCH transmission.

[0066] In the above table, PUCCH resources in different cells can be configured arbitrarily. For example, only one PUCCH resource (any one PUCCH resource in one cell) can be configured. For example, a PUCCH resource can be configured for a PCell, and at the same time, no PUCCH resource can be configured for an SCell associated with it in the same row of the table. Similarly, a PUCCH resource can be configured for an SCell, and no PUCCH resource can be configured for a PCell associated with it in the same row. In these examples, when a PUCCH transmission with repetition is scheduled or triggered, all repetitions of the PUCCH transmission are transmitted only in cells corresponding to the determined PUCCH resources under the cell with the configured PUCCH resource.

[0067] For example, in the first row of Table 6, PUCCH1 corresponding to the PCell is configured, but the PUCCH resource corresponding to the SCell is not configured. Thus, when the PUCCH resource in the first row of Table 6 is determined for a PUCCH transmission with repetition, all repetitions of the PUCCH transmission may be transmitted only on the PCell using PUCCH1.

[0068] For example, in the second row of Table 6, the PUCCH resource corresponding to the PCell is not configured, but the PUCCH-2 corresponding to the SCell is configured. Thus, if the PUCCH resource in the second row of Table 6 is determined for a PUCCH transmission with repetition, all repetitions of the PUCCH transmission may be transmitted only on the SCell using PUCCH-2.

[0069] Conventionally, a PUCCH resource can be obtained from a set of PUCCH resources based on a PRI value. However, after the introduction of the above table, a PUCCH resource can also be obtained from the table according to a PRI value. The following disclosure will discuss whether a PUCCH resource can be determined using a table or a PRI value.

[0070] According to one implementation, the BS and the UE may agree that the PUCCH resource is always determined from the set of PUCCH resources according to the PRI value, regardless of whether the PUCCH cell switch is configured between the PCell and the SCell. In this method, the associated PUCCH resource needs to be determined according to the ID of the determined PUCCH resource and the above table.

[0071] According to another implementation, when a UE is configured with a pattern of PUCCH cell switching between a PCell and an SCell and the above tables are configured, the PUCCH resource is always determined from a table such as any one of the above according to the PRI value. In this way, the associated PUCCH resource for the PCell and the SCell can be determined directly based on the PRI value.

[0072] According to another implementation, RRC signaling or DCI signaling can be used to indicate that the PUCCH resource is determined from a PUCCH resource set or from a table configured according to the PRI value. (UE trigger PUCCH / periodic PUCCH)

[0073] For PUCCH transmissions with UE-triggered repetition, such as SR PUCCH, or for periodic PUCCHs, such as CSI PUCCH, since the PUCCH transmissions do not have corresponding DCI, the operation of determining the associated PUCCH resource can be performed according to the following example.

[0074] The BS and the UE may agree that when the UE is configured with a pattern of PUCCH cell switching between PCell and SCell, the above table (or similar association) is configured, and a PUCCH transmission with repetition is triggered by the UE, the associated PUCCH resource for the PUCCH transmission is determined according to the ID of the PUCCH resource to use for the first repetition of the PUCCH transmission and the above configured table.

[0075] For example, Table 2 can be configured for the UE. SR (Scheduling Request) PUCCH transmission with repetition can be triggered by the UE, and PUCCH1 can be used for the first repetition of SR PUCCH transmission on the PCell. The BS and UE may then determine the associated PUCCH resource according to the PUCCH1 ID and Table 2. Thus, PUCCH-1 from the SCell is used for the repetition of SR PUCCH transmission on the SCell.

[0076] As another example, Table 2 may be configured for a UE. A CSI PUCCH transmission with repetition is transmitted by the UE, and PUCCH1 is used for the first repetition of the CSI PUCCH transmission on the PCell. The BS and the UE may determine the associated PUCCH resource according to the PUCCH1 ID and Table 2. PUCCH-1 from the SCell is used for the repetition of the CSI (Channel State Information) PUCCH transmission on the SCell. (Embodiment 3)

[0077] Conventionally, a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration is configured only with physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) resources, and a UE transmits downlink (DL) data on the PDSCH resources during an SPS period. The PDSCH resources are always available in all DL slots, since all resources in all DL slots are available for DL ​​transmission.

[0078] However, in subband full duplex technology, some DL slots are configured with UL (uplink) subbands. Some of the frequency domain resources of all or some of the symbols in a DL slot are configured as UL subbands for UL transmission. Therefore, there are two types of DL slots. The first DL slot type is a DL slot that includes UL subbands (defined as slot type 1). The second DL slot type is a DL slot without UL subbands (defined as slot type 2). The resources that can be used for PDSCH transmission in slot type 1 and slot type 2 are different.

[0079] In this case, if only one PDSCH resource is configured for the SPS configuration as conventionally used, the one PDSCH resource may be disabled in one of the slot types (either slot type 1 or slot type 2), which may lead to inefficient SPS transmission. The following paragraphs describe relevant aspects for improving the current configuration.

[0080] According to one implementation, one SPS configuration can consist of multiple PDSCH resources. The BS and UE can agree to determine which PDSCH resources are transmitted in an SPS period according to the following rules:

[0081] The BS and UE may always use the first valid PDSCH resource in an SPS period selected from the multiple configured PDSCH resources in the slot in which the SPS period is located. The first valid PDSCH resource may be determined according to the starting symbol of the PDSCH resource and whether the PDSCH resource overlaps with the UL subband resource in the slot in which the SPS period is located.

[0082] For example, a PDSCH resource that overlaps with a UL subband in the time-frequency domain may be invalid for the SPS period in the slot in which the SPS period is located. Excluding the invalid PDSCH resource, the PDSCH resource with the earliest starting symbol among the remaining PDSCH resources may be the first valid PDSCH resource. For multiple PDSCH resources with the same earliest starting symbol, the PDSCH resource with the largest (or smallest) number of symbols may be determined as the first valid PDSCH resource.

[0083] According to another implementation, one SPS configuration may be composed of multiple PDSCH resources, where at least one PDSCH resource from the multiple PDSCH resources may be associated with slot type 1, and at least one PDSCH resource from the multiple PDSCH resources may be associated with slot type 2. The BS and the UE may agree to determine which PDSCH resource is transmitted in the SPS period according to steps including determining a slot type of a slot in which the SPS period is located, and determining a first valid PDSCH resource from the PDSCH resources associated with the determined slot type.

[0084] If the determined slot type is associated with only one PDSCH resource, the one PDSCH resource may be directly determined as the first valid PDSCH resource.

[0085] According to another example, if the determined slot type is associated with multiple PDSCH resources, the first valid PDSCH resource may be determined according to the starting symbols of the multiple PDSCH resources and according to whether the multiple PDSCH resources overlap with the UL subband in the time-frequency domain.

[0086] For example, a PDSCH resource that overlaps with a UL subband in the time-frequency domain may be invalid in the determined slot in which the SPS period is located. Excluding the invalid PDSCH resource, the PDSCH resource with the earliest start symbol among the remaining PDSCH resources associated with the determined slot type may be the first valid PDSCH resource. For multiple PDSCH resources with the same earliest start symbol, the PDSCH resource with the largest (or smallest) number of symbols may be determined as the first valid PDSCH resource. (Embodiment 4)

[0087] Conventionally, a configuration grant (CG) PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel) (e.g., quasi-static uplink transmission) can be configured with only one PUSCH resource. A UE transmits UL data on the PUSCH resource during the CG PUSCH period. The PUSCH resource is always available in all UL slots, since all resources in all UL slots are available for UL transmission.

[0088] However, in subband full duplex technology, some DL slots are configured with UL subbands, and some of the frequency domain resources of all or part of the symbols in the DL slot are configured as UL subbands for UL transmission. In this way, the CG PUSCH can also be transmitted in the UL subbands in the DL slot.

[0089] Therefore, there are two types of slots for CG PUSCH: the first slot type is a DL slot that includes a UL subband (defined as slot type 1), and the second slot type is a UL slot without a UL subband (defined as slot type 2). The resources that can be used for PUSCH transmission in slot type 1 and slot type 2 are different.

[0090] According to the prior art, if only one PUSCH resource is configured for a CG PUSCH configuration, the one PUSCH resource may be invalid in one of the slot types, which may lead to inefficient CG PUSCH transmission. To address this problem, the following method is provided.

[0091] According to one implementation, a CG PUSCH configuration can be composed of multiple PUSCH resources. The BS and UE can agree to determine which PUSCH resource is transmitted in a CG PUSCH period according to steps including always using a first valid PUSCH resource in a CG PUSCH period selected from the multiple configured PUSCH resources in a slot in which the CG PUSCH period is located. The first valid PUSCH resource can be determined according to a starting symbol of the PUSCH resource and whether the PUSCH resource overlaps with a DL resource in the slot in which the CG PUSCH period is located. Alternatively, the first valid PUSCH resource can be determined according to whether the PUSCH resource is within a configured UL subband in the DL slot.

[0092] For example, a PUSCH resource that overlaps with a DL resource in the time-frequency domain may be invalid for the CG PUSCH period in the slot in which the CG PUSCH period is located. Excluding the invalid PUSCH resource, the PUSCH resource with the earliest starting symbol among the remaining PUSCH resources may be the first valid PUSCH resource. For multiple PUSCH resources with the same earliest starting symbol, the PUSCH resource with the largest (or smallest) number of symbols may be determined as the first valid PUSCH resource.

[0093] According to another implementation, one CG PUSCH configuration may be composed of multiple (one or more) PDSCH resources. At least one PUSCH resource from the configured multiple PUSCH resources may be associated with slot type 1, and at least one PUSCH resource from the multiple PUSCH resources may be associated with slot type 2. The BS and the UE may agree on which PUSCH resource is transmitted in the CG PUSCH period according to steps including determining a type of slot in which the CG PUSCH period is located and determining a first valid PUSCH resource from the PUSCH resources associated with the determined slot type. If the determined slot type is associated with only one PUSCH resource, this one PUSCH resource is directly determined as the first valid PUSCH resource. If the determined slot type is associated with multiple PUSCH resources, the first valid PUSCH resource may be determined according to the starting symbol of the multiple PUSCH resources and whether the multiple PUSCH resources overlap with DL resources in the time-frequency domain.

[0094] For example, a PUSCH resource that overlaps with a DL resource in the time-frequency domain may be invalid in the slot where the CG PUSCH period is located. Excluding the invalid PUSCH resource, the PUSCH resource with the earliest starting symbol among the remaining PUSCH resources associated with the determined slot type may be the first valid PUSCH resource. For multiple PUSCH resources with the same earliest starting symbol, the PUSCH resource with the largest (or smallest) number of symbols is determined as the first valid PUSCH resource.

[0095] According to one embodiment, a wireless communication method is provided, the method including: obtaining configuration information; and determining PUCCH resources from at least two cells for PUCCH transmission according to the configuration information, the configuration information including a PUCCH cell switching pattern indicating the PUCCH resources from the at least two cells.

[0096] According to one embodiment, a wireless communication method is provided, the method including: obtaining configuration information; and determining one or more PUCCH resources from at least two cells for PUCCH transmission according to the configuration information, wherein the configuration information includes a PUCCH cell switching pattern configured for the at least two cells.

[0097] According to one embodiment, a wireless communication method is provided, the method including: providing configuration information; and receiving, from a user equipment, a PUCCH transmission transmitted on one or more PUCCH resources selected from at least two cells in accordance with the configuration information, the PUCCH cell switching pattern being configured for the at least two cells.

[0098] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the PUCCH transmission includes a PUCCH transmission with repetition, and determining the one or more PUCCH resources includes determining a plurality of PUCCH resources from at least two cells per slot.

[0099] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the configuration information includes downlink control information (DCI), which includes at least two PRI fields.

[0100] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the number of PRI fields is equal to the number of cells, at least two.

[0101] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the at least two PRI fields are configured to respectively indicate PUCCH resources of the at least two cells.

[0102] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the method further includes transmitting an initial PUCCH repetition and at least one subsequent PUCCH repetition following the initial PUCCH repetition according to a PUCCH cell switching pattern in slots of at least two cells.

[0103] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the configuration information includes information configured to indicate a slot of a cell to be used for transmitting an initial PUCCH repetition according to a PUCCH cell switching pattern.

[0104] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the slots include an initial slot and at least one subsequent slot, and the at least one subsequent slot from the PUCCH cell satisfies the following condition:

[0105] At least one subsequent slot in the PUCCH cell may provide an uplink symbol or a flexible symbol having the same index as the starting symbol of the indicated or configured PUCCH resource for PUCCH transmission in the cell of the PUCCH resource; and

[0106] At least one subsequent slot in the PUCCH cell may provide consecutive uplink or flexible symbols starting from an uplink symbol or flexible symbol, the number of consecutive symbols being equal to or greater than the number of symbols configured for the PUCCH resource indicated or configured for PUCCH transmission in the cell of the PUCCH resource.

[0107] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the initial slot and at least one subsequent slot belong to different cells.

[0108] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the configuration information includes association information between candidate PUCCH resources of at least two cells.

[0109] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiment, the configuration information further includes a repetition factor corresponding to the association of PUCCH resources respectively indicated by the association information.

[0110] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the repetition factor of the PUCCH transmission is the same as the repetition factor for the indicated or configured PUCCH resource for the initial PUCCH repetition of the PUCCH transmission.

[0111] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the repetition factor for the indicated or configured PUCCH resource is configured by RRC singling.

[0112] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the repetition factor of a PUCCH transmission is the sum of the repetition factors of the associated PUCCH resources of at least two cells used to transmit the PUCCH repetitions of the PUCCH transmission.

[0113] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, determining one or more PUCCH resources from at least two cells includes determining, according to the association information and the PRI, a PUCCH resource to be used for transmitting a PUCCH repetition of the PUCCH transmission.

[0114] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the configuration information further includes PRI information associated with the PUCCH association indicated by the association information.

[0115] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, a first PUCCH resource of a first cell of the at least two cells is associated with a second PUCCH resource of a second cell of the at least two cells, and the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource satisfy at least one of the following conditions: The first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same number of symbols; The first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same format; The first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same coding and modulation; The first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same subcarrier spacing; the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same cyclic prefix; or The first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same repetition factor.

[0116] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method is provided, the method including: providing configuration information; and receiving, from a user equipment, a PUCCH transmission transmitted on at least two cells according to the configuration information, the configuration information including a PUCCH cell switching pattern indicating PUCCH resources from the at least two cells for the PUCCH transmission.

[0117] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, receiving a PUCCH transmission from a user equipment includes receiving an initial PUCCH repetition and at least one subsequent PUCCH repetition following the initial PUCCH repetition in slots of at least two cells according to a PUCCH cell switching pattern.

[0118] According to one exemplary implementation of the disclosed embodiments, the PUCCH transmissions transmitted on the at least two cells according to the configuration information include PUCCH repetitions transmitted on PUCCH resources determined according to the association information and the PRI.

[0119] To enable those skilled in the art to make and use the present disclosure, various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. Furthermore, the specific order and / or hierarchy of actions in the methods disclosed herein is merely an example approach. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in a disclosed method or process can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, those skilled in the art will recognize that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various actions or operations in an example order, and the present disclosure is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unless otherwise specified.

[0120] This disclosure is intended to cover any conceivable variation, use, combination, or adaptive modification of the present disclosure in accordance with the general principles of the present disclosure, including well-known knowledge and conventional technical means in the art that are not disclosed in this application.

[0121] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact construction or operation described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of this application, which is defined solely by the appended claims.

[0122] The methods, devices, processes, circuits, and logic described above can be implemented in many different ways and with many different combinations of hardware and software. For example, all or part of the implementation may be as an instruction processor or controller, such as a central processing unit (CPU), microcontroller, or microprocessor; an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable logic device (PLD), or field programmable gate array (FPGA); or as a circuit containing discrete logic or other circuit components, including analog circuit components, digital circuit components, or both, or any combination thereof. The circuitry may, by way of example, include separate interconnected hardware components, or may be combined on a single integrated circuit die, distributed across multiple integrated circuit dies, or implemented within a multiple chip module (MCM) of multiple integrated circuit dies in a common package.

[0123] Thus, a circuit may store or access instructions for execution, or may implement its functionality solely in hardware. The instructions may be stored in a non-transitory, tangible storage medium such as flash memory, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or on a magnetic or optical disk, such as a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), hard disk drive (HDD), or other magnetic or optical disk, or in or on another machine-readable medium. An article of manufacture, such as a computer program product, may include a storage medium and instructions stored in or on the medium, which, when executed by circuitry in the device, cause the device to perform any of the processes described above or shown in the figures.

[0124] Implementations may be distributed. For example, a circuit may include multiple separate system components, such as multiple processors and memories, and may span multiple distributed processing systems. Parameters, databases, and other data structures may be stored and managed separately, incorporated into a single memory or database, logically and physically organized in many different ways, and implemented in many different ways. Exemplary implementations include linked lists, program variables, hash tables, arrays, records (e.g., database records), objects, and implicit storage mechanisms. Instructions may form part of a single program (e.g., a subroutine or other code section), form multiple separate programs, be distributed across multiple memories and processors, and may be implemented in many different ways. Exemplary implementations include standalone programs and as part of libraries, such as shared libraries like dynamic link libraries (DLLs). A library may include, for example, one or more shared programs containing shared data and instructions that, when executed by the circuit, perform any of the operations described above or illustrated in the figures.

[0125] In some examples, each unit, subunit, and / or module of a system may include a logical component. Each logical component may be hardware or a combination of hardware and software. For example, each logical component may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital logic circuit, an analog circuit, a combination of discrete circuits, gates, or any other type of hardware or combination thereof. Alternatively or additionally, each logical component may include memory hardware, such as a portion of memory containing instructions executable by a processor or other processor to implement one or more of the features of the logical component. If any one of the logical components includes a portion of memory containing instructions executable by a processor, the logical component may or may not include a processor. In some examples, each logical component may be a portion of memory or other physical memory containing instructions executable by a processor or other processor to implement the features of the corresponding logical component without any other hardware-containing logical component. Because each logical component includes at least some hardware, even if the included hardware includes software, each logical component may be referred to interchangeably as a hardware logical component.

[0126] A second action can be said to be "responsive" to a first action regardless of whether the second action results directly or indirectly from the first action. A second action can occur substantially later than the first action and still be responsive to the first action. Similarly, a second action can be said to be responsive to a first action even if intervening actions occur between the first and second actions, and even if one or more intervening actions directly cause the second action to be performed. For example, a second action can be responsive to a first action if the first action sets a flag and a third action later initiates the second action each time the flag is set.

[0127] To clarify its use and thereby inform the public, 、 , and <n> At least one of" or "< / n> 、 、··· <n> or at least one of, or a combination thereof" or "< / n> 、 , and / or <n> The phrase "is defined by applicant in the broadest sense and supersedes any other implied definition, either above or below, to mean one or more elements selected from the group including A, B, . . . and N, unless expressly asserted to the contrary by applicant. In other words, the phrase means any combination of one or more of the elements A, B, . . . or N, including any one element only, or one element in combination with one or more of the other elements, which may also include additional, unlisted elements in combination.< / n>

Claims

1. 1. A wireless communication method, the method comprising: Obtaining configuration information; determining one or more PUCCH resources from at least two cells for PUCCH transmission according to the configuration information; Including, 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the configuration information includes a PUCCH cell switching pattern configured for the at least two cells.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the PUCCH transmission comprises a PUCCH transmission with repetition, and one or more PUCCH cells carrying the one or more determined PUCCH resources are determined per slot according to the PUCCH cell switching pattern.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration information includes downlink control information (DCI), the DCI including at least two PRI fields.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the number of PRI fields is equal to the number of the at least two cells.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least two PRI fields are configured to indicate the PUCCH resources of the at least two cells, respectively.

6. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an initial PUCCH repetition and at least one subsequent PUCCH repetition following the initial PUCCH repetition in accordance with the PUCCH cell switching pattern in slots of the at least two cells.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the configuration information comprises information configured to indicate slots of a cell to be used for transmitting the initial PUCCH repetitions according to the PUCCH cell switching pattern.

8. The slots include an initial slot and at least one subsequent slot, and the at least one subsequent slot from the PUCCH cell is The at least one subsequent slot in the PUCCH cell can provide an uplink symbol or a flexible symbol having the same index as the starting symbol of the indicated or configured PUCCH resource for the PUCCH transmission in the cell of the PUCCH resource; and The at least one subsequent slot in the PUCCH cell may provide consecutive uplink or flexible symbols starting from the uplink symbol or the flexible symbol, and the number of consecutive symbols is equal to or greater than the number of symbols configured for the indicated or configured PUCCH resource for the PUCCH transmission in the cell of the PUCCH resource. The method according to claim 6, wherein the following condition is satisfied:

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the initial slot and the at least one subsequent slot belong to different cells.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration information comprises association information between candidate PUCCH resources of the at least two cells.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the configuration information further comprises repetition factors, each of the repetition factors corresponding to an association of the candidate PUCCH resources indicated by the association information.

12. The method of claim 1 or 10, wherein the repetition factor of the PUCCH transmission is the same as the repetition factor for the indicated or configured PUCCH resource for an initial PUCCH repetition of the PUCCH transmission.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the repetition factor of the indicated or configured PUCCH resource is configured by RRC singling.

14. 11. The method of claim 1 or 10, wherein the repetition factor of the PUCCH transmission is the sum of repetition factors of the associated PUCCH resources of the at least two cells used to transmit PUCCH repetitions of the PUCCH transmission.

15. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining one or more PUCCH resources from at least two cells comprises determining the PUCCH resources to be used for transmitting PUCCH repetitions of the PUCCH transmission according to the association information and a PRI.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the configuration information further includes PRI information associated with a PUCCH association indicated by the association information.

17. A first PUCCH resource of a first cell of the at least two cells is associated with a second PUCCH resource of a second cell of the at least two cells, and the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource satisfy the following condition: the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same number of symbols; the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same format; the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same coding and modulation; the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same subcarrier spacing; the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same cyclic prefix; or The first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same repetition factor. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein at least one of the following conditions is satisfied:

18. 1. A wireless communication method, the method comprising: Providing configuration information; receiving, from a user equipment, a PUCCH transmission transmitted on one or more PUCCH resources selected from at least two cells according to the configuration information; Including, 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the configuration information includes a PUCCH cell switching pattern configured for the at least two cells.

19. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the PUCCH transmission comprises a PUCCH transmission with repetition, and one or more PUCCH cells carrying the one or more determined PUCCH resources are determined per slot according to the PUCCH cell switching pattern.

20. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the configuration information includes downlink control information (DCI), the DCI including at least two PRI fields.

21. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the number of PRI fields is equal to the number of the at least two cells.

22. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least two PRI fields are configured to indicate the PUCCH resources of the at least two cells, respectively.

23. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein receiving the PUCCH transmission from the user equipment comprises receiving, in slots of the at least two cells, an initial PUCCH repetition and at least one subsequent PUCCH repetition following the initial PUCCH repetition in accordance with the PUCCH cell switching pattern.

24. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the configuration information comprises information configured to indicate slots of a cell to be used for transmitting the initial PUCCH repetitions according to the PUCCH cell switching pattern.

25. The slots include an initial slot and at least one subsequent slot, and the at least one subsequent slot from the PUCCH cell is The at least one subsequent slot in the PUCCH cell can provide an uplink symbol or a flexible symbol having the same index as the starting symbol of the indicated or configured PUCCH resource for the PUCCH transmission in the cell of the PUCCH resource; and The at least one subsequent slot in the PUCCH cell may provide consecutive uplink or flexible symbols starting from the uplink symbol or the flexible symbol, and the number of consecutive symbols is equal to or greater than the number of symbols configured for the indicated or configured PUCCH resource for the PUCCH transmission in the cell of the PUCCH resource. The method of claim 24, wherein the following condition is satisfied:

26. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the initial slot and the at least one subsequent slot belong to at least one different cell.

27. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the configuration information comprises association information between candidate PUCCH resources of the at least two cells.

28. The method of claim 18 or 27, wherein the configuration information further comprises repetition factors, each of which corresponds to an association of the candidate PUCCH resources indicated by the association information.

29. 28. The method of claim 18 or 27, wherein the repetition factor of the PUCCH transmission is the same as the repetition factor for the indicated or configured PUCCH resource for an initial PUCCH repetition of the PUCCH transmission.

30. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein the repetition factor of the indicated or configured PUCCH resource is configured by RRC singling.

31. 28. The method of claim 18 or 27, wherein the repetition factor of the PUCCH transmission is the sum of repetition factors of the associated PUCCH resources of the at least two cells used to transmit PUCCH repetitions of the PUCCH transmission.

32. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the PUCCH transmissions transmitted on one or more PUCCH resources selected from at least two cells in accordance with the configuration information comprise PUCCH repetitions transmitted on PUCCH resources determined in accordance with the association information and a PRI.

33. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the configuration information further includes PRI information associated with a PUCCH association indicated by the association information.

34. A first PUCCH resource of a first cell of the at least two cells is associated with a second PUCCH resource of a second cell of the at least two cells, and the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource are associated with each other under the following condition: the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same number of symbols; the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same format; the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same coding and modulation; the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same subcarrier spacing; the first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same cyclic prefix; or The first PUCCH resource and the second PUCCH resource have the same repetition factor. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 33, wherein at least one of the following is satisfied:

35. A wireless communication device comprising a memory storing one or more programs and one or more processors electrically coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to execute the one or more programs for implementing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 34.

36. 35. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs being configured to cause a method according to any one of claims 1 to 34 to be performed when executed by a processor.

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