Operating method and communication device

Abstract

A method for operating a communication device in a wireless communication network is provided. [Solution] An operational method includes a communication device determining to transmit a first signal including control information to a network on a set of uplink resources of an access interface, the communication device determining to transmit a second signal to the network, the second signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second signal being a repetition of the second signal, each repetition of the second signal being transmitted on a different set of uplink resources of the access interface from other repetitions of the second signal, the resources of the first signal at least partially overlapping in time with the resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second signal, multiplexing the control information onto the resources of selected one or more of the repetitions of the second signal, and transmitting the multiplexed signal to the network.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to communication devices, infrastructure equipment, and methods for data transmission by communication devices in wireless communication networks. [Background technology]

[0002] This application claims priority under the Paris Convention to European Patent Application No. EP20167439.7, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The "Background" discussion provided herein is intended to generally present the context for the present disclosure. The inventors' work, to the extent that it is described in this Background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, is not admitted expressly or implicitly as prior art to the present invention.

[0004] Latest generation mobile communication systems, such as those based on the 3GPP®-defined UMTS and Long Term Evolution (LTE) architectures, can support a wider range of services than the simple voice and messaging services offered by previous generation mobile communication systems. For example, with the improved air interface and enhanced data rates offered by LTE systems, users can enjoy high data rate applications such as mobile video streaming and mobile video conferencing that would previously have been available only via fixed-line data connections. Therefore, the demand to deploy such networks is strong, and the coverage areas of these networks, i.e., the geographic locations where the networks are accessible, are expected to continue to increase rapidly.

[0005] Future wireless communication networks are expected to routinely and efficiently support communication with an ever-increasing range of devices associated with a wider range of data traffic profiles and types than existing systems are optimized to support. For example, future wireless communication networks are expected to efficiently support communication with devices including reduced-complexity devices, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, high-resolution video displays, virtual reality headsets, etc. Some of these different types of devices may be deployed in very large numbers, e.g., low-complexity devices to support the “Internet of Things,” and may typically be associated with the transmission of relatively small amounts of data with relatively high latency tolerance. Other types of devices, e.g., supporting high-definition video streaming, may be associated with the transmission of relatively large amounts of data with relatively low latency tolerance. Other types of devices, e.g., used for autonomous vehicle communications and other critical applications, may be characterized by data that must be transmitted over low-latency and highly reliable networks. A single device type may also be associated with different traffic profiles / characteristics depending on the application(s) being performed. For example, different considerations may apply to efficiently support data exchange with a smartphone when it is running a video streaming application (high downlink data) compared to when it is running an internet browsing application (sparse uplink and downlink data) or when it is being used for voice communications by emergency responders in an emergency scenario (data subject to stringent reliability and latency requirements).

[0006] It is therefore expected that future wireless communication networks, for example, what may be referred to as 5G or New Radio (NR) systems / New Radio Access Technology (RAT) systems, as well as future iterations / releases of existing systems, will be desired to efficiently support connectivity for a wide range of devices associated with different applications and different characteristic data traffic profiles and requirements.

[0007] One example of an emerging service is called Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) service. As the name suggests, URLLC service requires that data units or packets be communicated with high reliability and low communication latency. Another example of an emerging service is Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) service, which is characterized by high capacity requiring support of up to 20 Gb / s. URLLC and eMBB type services therefore represent a challenge for both LTE type communication systems and 5G / NR communication systems. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0008] [Non-Patent Document 1] Holma H. ​​and Toskala A, "LTE for UMTS OFDMA and SC-FDMA based radio access", John Wiley and Sons, 2009. [Non-patent document 2] TR 38.913, "Study on Scenarios and Requirements for Next Generation Access Technologies (Release 14)", 3rd Generation Partnership Project, vl4.3.0. [Non-patent document 3] RP- 190726, "Physical layer enhancements for NR ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URFFC)", Huawei, HiSilicon, RAN#83. [Non-patent document 4] TS 38.213, "NR; Physical layer procedures for control (Release 15)", 3rd Generation Partnership Project, vl5.8.0. [Non-Patent Document 5] R1 -2001401, "Summary of email discussion [100e-NR-Flenh_URFFC-PUSCH_Enh-01] (AI7.2.5.3)," Nokia, Nokia Shanghai Bell, RANl#100-e. [Non-patent document 6] TS38.212, "NR: Multiplexing and channel coding (Release 16)" v16.0.0. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The increasing use of different types of network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices associated with different traffic profiles creates new challenges for efficiently handling communications in wireless communication systems that need to be addressed.

[0010] The present disclosure helps to address or alleviate at least some of the problems discussed above. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] An embodiment of the present technology provides a method for operating a communication device in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: determining, by the communication device, to transmit a first uplink signal including control information to the wireless communication network on a set of uplink resources of a radio access interface; determining, by the communication device, to transmit a second uplink signal to the wireless communication network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of uplink resources of the radio access interface from other repetitions of the second uplink signal, determining that the resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with the resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; multiplexing the control information onto the resources of selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; and transmitting the multiplexed signal to the wireless communication network, wherein characteristics of the resources of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfy a predetermined condition.

[0012] Embodiments of the present technology, which relate to methods of operating infrastructure equipment, communications devices, and infrastructure equipment, as well as circuits for communications devices and infrastructure equipment, in addition to methods of operating communications devices, enable more efficient use of radio resources by communications devices.

[0013] Each aspect and feature of the present disclosure is defined in the accompanying claims.

[0014] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary of the present technology but are not restrictive thereof. The described embodiments, together with further advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015] A more complete understanding of the present disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same or corresponding parts throughout the several views. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates, in schematic form, certain aspects of an LTE-type wireless telecommunications system that may be configured to operate in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates some aspects of a new radio access technology (RAT) wireless telecommunications system that may be configured to operate in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of example infrastructure equipment and communication devices that may be configured to operate in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram illustrating a process for how a user equipment (UE) can multiplex multiple Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgments (HARQ-ACKs) onto a single Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows an example of timing reference for the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) for the processing time Tproc,1 at the UE. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows an example of timing reference for uplink grants for processing time Tproc,2 in the UE. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows an example of how a UE can multiplex uplink control information (UCI) onto a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of PUSCH aggregation in Rel-15 [Figure 9]FIG. 9 shows an example of PUSCH repetition in Rel-16. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows an example of PUSCH division. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows an example of how the PUCCH may collide with multiple actual PUSCH repetitions. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 shows an example of how UCI can be multiplexed onto the earliest actual PUSCH that meets the timing criteria. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a partial schematic, partial message flow diagram illustrating a wireless communication network including communication devices and infrastructure equipment according to embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 shows an example of how the earliest actual PUSCH that satisfies QAvailable>TUCI can be selected for multiplexed UCI according to embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 shows an example of how the maximum actual PUSCH may be selected for multiplexed UCI in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 shows a first example of how PUSCH(s) may be selected for multiplexed UCI with respect to a UCI time window (WUCI) in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 shows a second example of how PUSCH(s) may be selected for multiplexed UCI with respect to a UCI time window (WUCI), where the UCI bits may be split across different eligible actual PUSCH repetitions in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 shows a flow diagram illustrating the processing of communications in a communication system according to embodiments of the present technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] (Long Term Evolution Advanced Radio Access Technology (4G)) 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating some basic functions of a mobile telecommunications network / system 6 that generally operates according to LTE principles but may also support other radio access technologies and that may be adapted to implement embodiments of the present disclosure as described herein. Some aspects of the various elements of FIG. 1 and their respective modes of operation are well known and are defined in relevant standards administered by the 3GPP (RTM) body and described in many books on the subject, e.g., "3GPP Mobile Radio Partnership (3GPP) Standards Track [Page 1], pp. 111-114, 2003." It should be understood that operational aspects of telecommunications networks discussed herein that are not specifically described (e.g., with respect to particular communication protocols and physical channels for communicating between different elements) may be implemented in accordance with any known techniques, e.g., according to the relevant standards and known proposed amendments and additions to the relevant standards.

[0018] The network 6 includes a number of base stations 1 connected to a core network 2. Each base station 1 provides a coverage area 3 (i.e., a cell) over which data can be communicated to and from communication devices 4. While each base station 1 is shown in FIG. 1 as a single entity, those skilled in the art will appreciate that some of the base station's functions may be performed by disparate interconnected elements such as antennas, remote radio heads, amplifiers, etc. One or more base stations may collectively form a radio access network.

[0019] Data is transmitted from the base stations 1 to communication devices 4 within their respective coverage areas 3 via wireless downlinks. Data is transmitted from the communication devices 4 to the base stations 1 via wireless uplinks. The core network 2 routes data to and from the communication devices 4 via their respective base stations 1 and provides functions such as authentication, mobility management, and billing. The communication devices may also be referred to as mobile stations, user equipment (UE), user terminals, mobile radios, terminal devices, etc. Services provided by the core network 2 may include connectivity to the Internet or external telephone services. The core network 2 may also track the location of the communication devices 4 so that they can be efficiently contacted (i.e., paged) to transmit downlink data directed to the communication devices 4.

[0020] A base station, which is an example of network infrastructure equipment, may also be referred to as a transceiver station, NodeB, eNodeB, eNB, gNodeB, gNB, etc. In this regard, different terminology is often associated with different generations of wireless telecommunications systems for elements that provide broadly equivalent functionality. However, some embodiments of the present disclosure may be equally implemented in different generations of wireless telecommunications systems, and for brevity, specific terminology may be used regardless of the underlying network architecture. That is, the use of specific terminology in connection with some examples is not intended to limit these examples to the particular generation of network to which that specific terminology may be most relevant.

[0021] (New wireless access technology (5G)) FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a wireless communication network using some of the terminology proposed and used for NR and 5G. In FIG. 2, multiple transmission points (TRPs) 10 are connected to distributed control units (DUs) 41, 42 by a connection interface represented by line 16. Each of the TRPs 10 is configured to transmit and receive signals via a radio access interface within the radio frequency bandwidth available to the wireless communication network. Thus, within the range for performing wireless communication via the radio access interface, each of the TRPs 10 forms a cell of the wireless communication network, as represented by circle 12. Thus, a wireless communication device 14 within the wireless communication range provided by cell 12 can transmit and receive signals to and from the TRP 10 via the radio access interface. Each of the distributed units 41, 42 is connected to a central unit (CU) 40 (sometimes referred to as a control node) via an interface 46. The central unit 40 is then connected to a core network 20, which may include all other functions necessary to transmit data for communication with wireless communication devices, and the core network 20 may be connected to other networks 30.

[0022] The elements of the radio access network shown in Figure 2 may operate similarly to corresponding elements of an LTE network, as described with respect to the example of Figure 1. It should be understood that operational aspects of the telecommunications network depicted in Figure 2, and other networks described herein that are not specifically described (e.g., with respect to particular communication protocols and physical channels for communicating between different elements), in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, may be implemented in accordance with any known method, e.g., in accordance with relevant standards, e.g., according to techniques currently used to implement such operational aspects in wireless telecommunications systems.

[0023] 2 may have functionality corresponding, in part, to a base station or eNodeB of an LTE network. Similarly, the communication device 14 may have functionality corresponding to a UE device 4 known for operation with an LTE network. Thus, it should be understood that operational aspects of the new RAT network (e.g., with respect to specific communication protocols and physical channels for communicating between different elements) may differ from those known in LTE or other known mobile telecommunications standards. However, it should also be understood that each of the core network components, base stations, and communication devices of the new RAT network are functionally similar to the core network components, base stations, and communication devices, respectively, of an LTE wireless communication network.

[0024] In terms of broad top-level functionality, the core network 20 connected to the new RAT telecommunications system depicted in FIG. 2 may be broadly considered to correspond to the core network 2 depicted in FIG. 1, and each central unit 40 and their associated distributed units / TRPs 10 may be broadly considered to provide functionality corresponding to the base station 1 of FIG. 1. The term network infrastructure equipment / access node may be used to encompass these elements as well as more traditional base station-type elements of a wireless telecommunications system. Depending on the application at hand, the responsibility for scheduling transmissions scheduled over the air interface between each distributed unit and the communication device may reside in a control node / central unit and / or a distributed unit / TRP. In FIG. 2, a communication device 14 is shown within the coverage area of ​​a first communication cell 12. This communication device 14 can therefore exchange signaling with a first central unit 40 within the first communication cell 12 via one of the distributed units 10 associated with the first communication cell 12.

[0025] It should be further understood that FIG. 2 is merely one example of a proposed architecture for a new RAT-based telecommunications system that may employ techniques consistent with the principles described herein, and that the features disclosed herein may also be applied in connection with wireless telecommunications systems having different architectures.

[0026] Accordingly, some embodiments of the present disclosure described herein may be implemented in wireless telecommunications systems / networks according to a variety of different architectures, such as the example architectures shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Accordingly, it should be understood that the particular wireless telecommunications architecture of any given implementation is not critical to the principles described herein. In this regard, some embodiments of the present disclosure may be generally described in the context of communications between network infrastructure equipment / access nodes and communication devices, with the particular nature of the network infrastructure equipment / access nodes and communication devices depending on the network infrastructure for the implementation at hand. For example, in some scenarios, the network infrastructure equipment / access nodes may comprise base stations, such as the LTE-type base station 1 shown in FIG. 1, adapted to provide functionality in accordance with the principles described herein. In other examples, the network infrastructure equipment may comprise a controller / control node 40 and / or TRP 10 of the type shown in FIG. 2, adapted to provide functionality in accordance with the principles described herein.

[0027] A more detailed diagram of some of the network components shown in Figure 2 is shown in Figure 3. In Figure 3, a TRP 10 as shown in Figure 2 is shown, in a simplified representation, to include a radio transmitter 30, a radio receiver 32, and a controller or control processor 34 operable to control the radio transmitter 30 and the radio receiver 32 to transmit and receive radio signals to and from one or more UEs 14 within the cell 12 formed by the TRP 10. As shown in Figure 3, an exemplary UE 14 is shown to include a corresponding transmitter 49, receiver 48, and a controller 44 configured to control the transmitter 49 and receiver 48 to transmit signals representing uplink data to a wireless communications network over the radio access interface formed by the TRP 10, and to receive downlink data as signals transmitted by the transmitter 30 and received by the receiver 48 in accordance with conventional operation.

[0028] The transmitters 30, 49 and receivers 32, 48 (as well as other transmitters, receivers, and transceivers described in connection with examples and embodiments of the present disclosure) may include radio frequency filters and amplifiers and signal processing components and devices, for example, to transmit and receive radio signals according to the 5G / NR standard. The controllers 34, 44, 48 (as well as other controllers described in connection with examples and embodiments of the present disclosure) may be, for example, a microprocessor, a CPU, or a dedicated chipset configured to execute instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a non-volatile memory. The processing steps described herein may be performed, for example, by a microprocessor together with a random access memory that can operate according to instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. The transmitter, receiver, and controller are shown schematically in FIG. 3 as separate elements for ease of representation. However, it should be understood that the functionality of these elements may be provided in a variety of different ways, for example, using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers or one or more appropriately configured application-specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chipsets. As will be appreciated, the UE / communication device as well as the infrastructure equipment / TRP / base station generally comprises various other elements associated with its operational functions.

[0029] 3, the TRP 10 also includes a network interface 50 that connects to the DU 42 via the physical interface 16. The network interface 50 therefore provides a communication link for data and signaling traffic from the TRP 10 to the core network 20 via the DU 42 and the CU 40.

[0030] The interface 46 between the DU 42 and the CU 40 is known as the FI interface, which can be a physical interface or a logical interface. The FI interface 46 between the CU and DU may operate in accordance with specifications 3GPP TS 38.470 and 3GPP TS 38.473 and may be formed from optical fiber or other wired high-bandwidth connections. In one example, the connection 16 from the TRP 10 to the DU 42 is via optical fiber. The connection between the TRP 10 and the core network 20 is sometimes commonly referred to as the backhaul, and includes the interface 16 from the network interface 50 of the TRP 10 to the DU 42 and the FI interface 46 from the DU 42 to the CU 40.

[0031] (5G and eURLLC) Systems incorporating NR technology are expected to support different services (or different types of services) that may be characterized by different requirements regarding latency, data rate, and / or reliability. For example, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services are characterized by high capacity, requiring support of up to 20 Gb / s. Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) is expected to support 1-10 Gb / s. -5 A reliability of 99.999% or better is required because a single transmission of a 32-byte packet must be performed within 1 ms from the ingress point of the radio protocol layer 2 / 3 SDU of the air interface to the egress point of the radio protocol layer 2 / 3 SDU with a reliability of 99.999% to 99.9999% (Non-Patent Document 2). Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC) is another example of a service that can be supported by an NR-based communication network. Furthermore, to support services with new requirements for high availability, high reliability, low latency, and potentially high-precision positioning, systems can be expected to support further enhancements related to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

[0032] Enhanced URLLC (eURLLC) (Non-Patent Document 3) specifies features that require high reliability and low latency, such as factory automation, the transportation industry, and power distribution. It will be understood that uplink control information (UCI) for URLLC and eMBB have different requirements. Therefore, one of the current goals of eURLLC is to enhance UCI to support URLLC, aiming to enable more frequent UCI transmission, such as transmitting more Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgments (HARQ-ACK) feedback per slot, and to support multiple HARQ-ACK codebooks for different traffic services. Identified solutions to accommodate more frequent UCI without interrupting high-priority and low-latency data transmission using Physical Uplink Shared Channels (PUSCH) may include multiplexing UCI into PUSCH repetitions.

[0033] (UCI and PUSCH multiplexing in Rel-15) The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as HARQ-ACK feedback for the PDSCH, scheduling requests (SRs), and channel state information (CSI). There are five PUCCH formats: formats 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. PUCCH format 0 carries up to two HARQ-ACK bits and a positive SR. PUCCH format 1 carries up to two bits of information, which can be either two HARQ-ACK bits or one HARQ-ACK and one SR bit. PUCCH formats 2, 3, and 4 can carry more than two bits, which can consist of HARQ-ACK, SR, and CSI. Note that HARQ-ACK is a technical term used to describe HARQ feedback for the PDSCH; despite its name, the feedback itself can be either a positive acknowledgment (referred to as "ACK") or a negative acknowledgment (referred to as "NACK").

[0034] The HARQ-ACK feedback is sent to the gNB in ​​response to Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) scheduling and informs the gNB whether the UE has successfully decoded the PDSCH. For a PDSCH ending in slot n, the corresponding PUCCH carrying the HARQ-ACK is transmitted in slot n+K1, where the value of K1 is the value of the DL grant field (carried by Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 1_0 or DCI format 1_1). 「 The PUCCH resource to be used is indicated in the "PUCCH Resource Indicator" (PRI) field of the DL grant.

[0035] Multiple (different) PDSCHs can specify the same slot for the transmission of their respective HARQ-ACKs, and these HARQ-ACK bits (within the same slot) are then multiplexed into a single PUCCH by the UE. Here, the PUCCH resource is determined by the DL grant scheduling the last PDSCH. Therefore, the PUCCH can contain multiple HARQ-ACKs for multiple PDSCHs. Figure 4 shows an example in which three DL grants are transmitted to the UE via DCI#1, DCI#2, and DCI#3 in slots n, n+1, and n+2, respectively. DCI#1, DCI#2, and DCI#3 schedule PDSCH#1, PDSCH#2, and PDSCH#3, respectively. Furthermore, DCI#1, DCI#2, and DCI#3 indicate K1=3, K1=2, and K1=1, respectively. These K1 values ​​indicate that HARQ-ACK feedback for PDSCH#1, PDSCH#2, and PDSCH#3 are all transmitted in slot n+4, so the UE multiplexes all three HARQ-ACKs onto a single PUCCH. The PUCCH multiplexing window is the time window during which PDSCHs can be multiplexed onto that single PUCCH. This PUCCH multiplexing window depends on the range of K1. In the example shown in Figure 4, the PUCCH multiplexing window is from slot n to slot n+3, i.e., the maximum value of K1 is 4 slots.

[0036] CSI reporting can be configured to be periodic, aperiodic, or semi-persistent and can be transmitted by either the PUCCH or the PUSCH. That is, UCI can be transmitted using the PUSCH. Periodic CSI is transmitted using the PUCCH, and CSI reports are transmitted periodically. Aperiodic CSI is transmitted using the PUSCH and is triggered by the CSI Request field in the UL grant, with only a single CSI report being transmitted. With semi-persistent CSI, CSI reporting is transmitted periodically when activated by the lower layer and stopped when deactivated by the lower layer. Semi-persistent CSI can be configured to be transmitted on either the PUSCH or the PUCCH. Semi-persistent CSI on the PUSCH is activated and deactivated by DCI, while semi-persistent CSI on the PUCCH is activated and deactivated by the MAC control element (CE).

[0037] In Rel-15, if a PUCCH carrying CSI collides with another PUCCH carrying HARQ-ACK, with or without SR, the UE multiplexes the CSI and HARQ-ACK / SR if the RRC parameter "simultaneousHARQ-ACK-CSI" is set to true. Otherwise, the UE drops the CSI. This parameter is part of the PUCCH configuration and is therefore applicable to all PUCCH transmissions at the UE. The PUCCH resource used to transmit the multiplexed UCI (CSI and HARQ-ACK / SR) is selected from all overlapping PUCCHs.

[0038] When a PUCCH carrying UCI collides with a PUSCH, the UCI from the PUCCH is multiplexed onto the PUSCH. Note that SRs are generally not multiplexed onto the PUSCH, as it is more efficient to either transmit data on the PUSCH (after all, SRs are simply requests for PUSCH resources) or to transmit buffer status reports (BSRs) in the PUSCH.

[0039] There are two aspects to UCI multiplexing onto PUSCH: the timing references of PUCCH and PUSCH colliding, and the PUSCH resources used for UCI.

[0040] (Timing reference for UCI multiplexing) When one or more PUCCHs collide with one or more PUSCHs, the UCI from the PUCCHs is multiplexed onto the PUSCHs if these colliding channels meet the PDSCH and PUSCH timing criteria (also called timeline criteria) as follows:

[0041] If a PUCCH carrying a HARQ-ACK collides with a PUSCH, the earliest PUSCH or PUCCH in the collision is T from the end of the last PDSCH in the PUCCH multiplexing window. proc、1 Starts later. proc、1 is the time it takes for the UE to process the PDSCH. An example is shown in Figure 5. DCI#1 and DCI#2 are DL grants (DCI format 1_0 or DCI format 1_1) that schedule PDSCH#1 and PDSCH#2, respectively. For a PDSCH ending in slot n, the corresponding PUCCH carrying HARQ-ACK is transmitted in slot n+K1, and the value of K1 is indicated in the field "PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator" of the DL grant. In this example, the PUCCH carrying HARQ-ACK for PDSCH#1 and PDSCH#2 is transmitted at time t 10 From t 12At time t6, the UL grant transmitted by DCI#3 transmits PUSCH#1 from time t9 to time t10, and both are in slot n+4, so the HARQ-ACK bits for both PDSCH#1 and PDSCH#2 are multiplexed onto PUCCH#1. The PUCCH multiplexing window includes all PDSCHs that share the same PUCCH for their HARQ-ACK feedback. At time t6, the UL grant transmitted by DCI#3 transmits PUSCH#1 from time t9 to time t10. 11 , which causes a collision with PUCCH#1. According to the timing reference, PUSCH#1 (the earliest and only PUSCH in the collision) is scheduled to transmit between T proc、1 , the timing criterion is not met because the UCI from PUCCH #1 starts before the end of PUSCH #1. Therefore, the UCI from PUCCH #1 cannot be multiplexed onto PUSCH #1 because the UE does not have enough time to process PDSCH #2 in time to multiplex the HARQ-ACK onto PUSCH #1.

[0042] The earliest PUCCH or PUSCH in a collision is T from the last UL grant that schedules one of the PUSCHs in the collision. proc、2 Starts after T proc、2 is the time it takes for the UE to process the PUSCH. Figure 6 shows an example where DCI#1 and DCI#2 are DL grants scheduling PDSCH#1 and PDSCH#2, respectively. The corresponding HARQ-ACKs for these PDSCHs are sent from t8 to t 10 At time t6, the UL grant transmitted by DCI#3 is transmitted by PUCCH#1 scheduled at t9. 11 , which causes a collision with PUCCH #1. According to the time reference, PUCCH #1 is scheduled during the T proc、2 Since the PUCCH #1 starts within the PUSCH #1 transmission time, UCI from PUCCH #1 cannot be multiplexed onto PUSCH #1.

[0043] In Rel-15, the UE does not expect the gNB to schedule its PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH, which results in them violating the timing criteria for UCI multiplexing onto the PUSCH.

[0044] (PUSCH resource for UCI multiplexing) In Rel-15, when UCI transmitted by PUCCH (or CSI transmitted by PUSCH) collides with PUSCH carrying data, UCI bits and data bits are multiplexed and transmitted on PUSCH. Multiplexing is performed by piggybacking UCI onto PUSCH resources. That is, some of the allocated PUSCH resources are used to transmit UCI, reducing resources for PUSCH data. HARQ-ACK bits are multiplexed first, followed by CSI bits. The number of available resources (i.e., resource elements) is determined by two parameters: an offset β PUSCH and the scaling factor α. PUSCH The offset is the four constructed β PUSCH The offset values ​​are signaled by the DCI carrying the UL grant for the PUSCH using a "beta_offset indicator" field that indicates one of the four offset values. PUSCH The offset value is selected from a table defined in [4], where the minimum value is 1, i.e., β PUSCH ≧1. A scaling factor α={0.5, 0.65, 0.8, 1} is RRC configured, and this scaling factor sets the maximum number of PUSCH Resource Elements (REs) as a percentage of the number of REs that can be used for UCI.

[0045] The multiplexing procedure is summarized in the flowchart of Figure 7. In step S1, it is determined that the PUCCH and the PUSCH collide. If the PUCCH and the PUSCH collide, the UE sends a HARQ-ACK bit O in step S3. ACKThe number of CRC bits L ACK The resulting number is then multiplied by the β indicated in the UL grant (and determined by the UE in step S2) to determine the total bits required to transmit these HARQ-ACKs. PUSCH Multiply by β PUSCH The offset is effectively the redundancy used for the HARQ-ACK information. Then, in step S4, the UE receives the modulated symbols Q ACK (where the modulation used depends on the scheduled PUSCH), and thus the number of REs (resource elements) required. The UE then multiplies the scaling factor α by the number of PUSCH REs M PUSCH In step S5, the UE determines the maximum allowed PUSCH RE that can be used for UCI by multiplying Q ACK Check that Q does not exceed this maximum RE. If it does (i.e., Q ACK >αM PUSCH ), the actual number of REs that can be used, as determined by the UE in step S6, is Q' ACK =αM PUSCH Otherwise, the actual number of REs is the calculated number of REs, i.e., Q' ACK =Q ACK and is so determined by the UE in step S7. The UE then calculates Q' ACK HARQ-ACK modulation symbols are piggybacked onto PUSCH, where O ACK If ≦2 bits (as checked by the UE in step S8), then puncturing is used in step S9, otherwise the PUSCH data symbols are punctured to Q′ ACK Rate matching is performed around the symbol.

[0046] This process is then repeated for the CSI, i.e., the UE determines in step S11 that the CSI bit O CSI and its CRC bit L CSI Calculate the number of PUSCHIn step S12, the UE multiplies the modulated symbols Q CSI Then, in step S13, the UE determines the number of REs Q, and thus the number of REs required to transmit CSI. CSI The remaining PUSCH RE(αM PUSCH -Q' ACK ) is not exceeded, and if it is exceeded (i.e., Q CSI >αM PUSCH -Q' ACK ), in step S14, the actual number Q′ of REs for CSI CSI takes in the remaining PUSCH RE, i.e., Q' CSI =αM PUSCH -Q' ACK Otherwise, Q' CSI is the number of calculated CSI REs, as determined by the UE in step S15, i.e., Q' CSI =Q CSI For CSI, only rate matching is used, i.e., the PUSCH data is matched to Q' CSI The CSI UCI is rate-matched around the modulation symbol. Note that the CSI UCI may be composed of two types, i.e., type 1 CSI and type 2 CSI, and the multiplexing process is performed first on the type 1 CSI and then on the type 2 CSI. Then, the process ends at step S17.

[0047] The multiplexing of UCI onto the PUSCH prioritizes the HARQ-ACK bit, followed by Type 1 CSI, and finally Type 2 CSI. Note that if there are not enough REs in the PUSCH, some of the CSI bits are multiplexed, and if there are no REs remaining, no CSI may be multiplexed.

[0048] (PUSCH repeat) In Rel-15, slot-based PUSCH repetition, known as PUSCH aggregation, is introduced to improve the reliability of PUSCH transmission. Figure 8 shows an example where a PUSCH of four symbol duration (L=4) starting at a two symbol offset from the slot boundary is repeated four times (K=4) using PUSCH aggregation from slot n to slot n+3. The number of repetitions for PUSCH aggregation is RRC configured.

[0049] In PUSCH aggregation, i.e., slot-based PUSCH repetition where the PUSCH duration is less than one slot, a time gap between repetitions is observed. In the example of Figure 8, the PUSCH is repeated at the slot level, leaving a gap of 10 symbols between consecutive repetitions. Such a gap introduces latency, which is unacceptable for URUUC, where low latency is crucial. Recognizing this, Rel-16 eURLUC introduces multiple PUSCH repetitions to consecutively repeat PUSCH repetitions. This minimizes latency while improving reliability. For example, as shown in Figure 9, a PUSCH (L=4) of 4 symbols duration starting at a 2-symbol offset from the slot boundary is aggregated four times (K N =4) repetitions, where there are no gaps between each repetition, thereby completing the entire repetition within 16 symbols compared to 56 symbols (4 slots) when using PUSCH aggregation. The number of repetitions in the Rel-16 PUSCH is scheduled by the UU grant and is only applicable to PUSCH mapping type B (i.e., PUSCH that can start on any symbol within a slot).

[0050] Since PUSCH mapping type B can start at any symbol within a slot, some of its repetitions may cross a slot boundary or collide with invalid OFDM symbols, e.g., downlink symbols, and these PUSCHs are split. For example, PUSCH repetitions scheduled by a UU grant are known as nominal repetitions, and if a split into two or more PUSCH segments is made on the nominal PUSCH, these segments are called actual repetitions K. A The actual repetitions are the PUSCH repetitions actually transmitted, which may be greater than the nominal repetitions, i.e., the scheduled repetitions. The PUSCH duration L and nominal repetitions K scheduled by the UU grant are N gives the absolute total duration of the PUSCH transmission, i.e., K N ×L is the duration of the entire PUSCH transmission, so if there are any collisions with invalid OFDM symbols, those parts are dropped. Figure 10 shows two examples of PUSCH splitting. At time t, K N = 4, L = 4 PUSCHs are transmitted, and the third nominal PUSCH repetition crosses a slot boundary at time t4. As a result, the third nominal PUSCH repetition is split into two PUSCH repetitions. Therefore, the number of actual repetitions, K A = 5. At time t9, K N = 2, L = 6 other PUSCHs are transmitted, where the first nominal PUSCH is transmitted at time t 10 From t 11 In between, two DU (or invalid) symbols collide. As a result, the first nominal PUSCH is split into two PUSCH repetitions. Therefore, the number of actual repetitions, K A =3. N ×L=12 OFDM symbols is the total duration of the PUSCH transmission, so at time t 10 From t 11The two PUSCH symbols that collide with a DU (or invalid) symbol during are therefore dropped.

[0051] (UCI multiplexing onto PUSCH repetition) In Rel-15, PUSCH aggregation is a slot-based repetition, and PUCCH cannot cross slot boundaries, so PUCCH collides with only one instance of PUSCH aggregation. Therefore, it is easy to multiplex UCI into the PUSCH repetition with which it collides when the timing criterion is met. However, in Rel-16, PUCCH may collide with multiple actual repetitions of PUSCH transmission. Figure 11 shows an example where DCI#1 and DCI#2 are DU grants that schedule PDSCH#1 and PDSCH#2, respectively. HARQ-ACK feedback for PDSCH#1 and PDSCH#2 is multiplexed on PUCCH#1. At time t6, the PUCCH is multiplexed with PUCCH#1 from time t8 to t 12 K transmitted between N DCI#3 is transmitted carrying UU grant for PUSCH with L=2 and L=6. The first nominal PUSCH repetition is from time t9 to t 10 and collide with invalid symbols between them, resulting in a split into two PUSCH segments and the entire actual repetition K A = 3. Therefore, PUCCH #1 collides with multiple actual PUSCH repetitions, i.e., the second and third actual PUSCH repetitions in Figure 11. Two problems are identified regarding multiplexing UCI in PUCCH onto PUSCH: Which actual PUSCH repetitions the UCI is multiplexed onto? and How are PUSCH resources for UCI multiplexing determined?

[0052] Regarding the first of the above problems, namely, which actual PUSCH repetitions the UCI is multiplexed into, the following options have been proposed in Non-Patent Document 5: Option 1: UCI is multiplexed onto the first actual repetition where PUCCH and PUSCH are assumed to meet the timeline criterion. For example, in Figure 11, the colliding PUCCH and PUSCH meet the timeline criterion and therefore UCI is multiplexed onto the first actual PUSCH repetition between times t8 and t9. Option 2: UCI is multiplexed into the earliest actual repetition that meets the timeline criteria. For example, in Figure 12, DCI#1 and DCI#2 schedule PDSCH#1 and PDSCH#2, respectively, and their HARQ-ACK feedback is sent at time t 10 From t 12 DCI#3 is multiplexed onto PUCCH#1 between K N = 2, L = 6 PUSCH from time t8 to t 13 The first nominal PUSCH repetition is scheduled to transmit between times t9 and t l0 , resulting in two actual PUSCHs being split into two, and the overall actual PUSCH repetition K A = 3. PUCCH #1 collides with some of the actual PUSCH repetitions. In this example, the first actual PUSCH occurs T after PDSCH #2. proc、1 In this option, the second actual PUSCH is the earliest PUSCH that meets the timeline criterion, and therefore the UCI is multiplexed onto the second actual PUSCH. Option 3: UCI is multiplexed onto the overlapping actual PUSCH repetition with the largest number of symbols (i.e., the longest duration). Using the example of Figure 12, PUCCH #1 overlaps with the second and third actual PUSCH repetitions, and the third actual PUSCH has a longer duration, so UCI is multiplexed onto the third actual PUSCH.

[0053] The PUSCH resources for multiplexing UCI in Rel-15 are shown in FIG. 7 and can be expressed using the following equation for the HARQ-ACK bit (see Non-Patent Document 6):

[0054]

number

[0055]

number

[0056]

number

[0057] It has been recognized that these two problems, which are which actual PUSCH repetitions to select and determining the PUSCH resource for UCI multiplexing, should not be treated independently because they are related, and treating them independently would be inefficient. If the selection of the actual PUSCH repetitions were independent from the determination of the PUSCH resource, the selected PUSCH repetitions may not provide sufficient PUSCH resources for UCI to be transmitted reliably, as shown by some of the proposed options for determining the PUSCH resource for UCI (option A, option B, and option C above). However, no solution proposed by the prior art takes both of these problems into consideration. Embodiments of the present technology seek to provide a solution that takes both of these problems into consideration.

[0058] (Extended UCI multiplexing to PUSCH repetition) 13 is a partial schematic, partial message flow diagram illustrating a wireless communication network including a communication device 131 and infrastructure equipment 132, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present technology. Communication device 131 is configured to transmit and receive data to and from the wireless communication network, e.g., via a radio access interface provided by the wireless communication network, to and from infrastructure equipment 132. Communication device 131 and infrastructure equipment 132 each include a transceiver (or transceiver circuit) 131.1, 132.1 and a controller (or controller circuit) 131.2, 132.2. Each of controllers 131.2, 132.2 may be, for example, a microprocessor, a CPU, a dedicated chipset, or the like.

[0059] As shown in the example of FIG. 13 , transceiver circuitry 131.1 and controller circuitry 131.2 of communication device 131, in combination, determine (133) that the communication device 131 transmits a first uplink signal 134 including control information to the wireless communication network (e.g., the infrastructure equipment 132) on a set of uplink resources of a radio access interface, and determine (134) that the communication device 131 transmits a second uplink signal 136 to the wireless communication network (e.g., the infrastructure equipment 132), the second uplink signal 136 being transmitted multiple times (136.1, 136.2, 136.3, 136.4), each of the multiple transmissions 136.1, 136.2, 136.3, 136.4 of the second uplink signal 136 being a repetition of the second uplink signal 136, and and determining that each repetition 136.1, 136.2, 136.3, 136.4 of the first uplink signal 136 is transmitted on a set of uplink resources of the radio access interface that is different from the set of uplink resources of the radio access interface for the other repetitions 136.1, 136.2, 136.3, 136.4 of the second uplink signal 136, and that the resources of the first uplink signal 134 at least partially overlap in time with the resources of at least one of the repetitions 136.1, 136.2, 136.3, 136.4 of the second uplink signal, multiplexing the control information onto the resources of selected one or more of the repetitions 136.1, 136.2, 136.3, 136.4 of the second uplink signal 136, and transmitting (139) the multiplexed signal to the wireless communication network (e.g., infrastructure equipment 132). Here, characteristics of the resources of the selected one or more repetitions 136.1, 136.2, 136.3, 136.4 of the second uplink signal 136 satisfy a predetermined condition.

[0060] Those skilled in the art will understand that the second uplink signal is typically an uplink data signal transmitted by a PUSCH repetition. However, in some cases, the PUSCH repetition may not actually transmit any data, but may instead transmit UCI, such as CSI. Thus, although the second uplink signal may be understood as (and described as) a data signal in at least some examples or configurations of embodiments of the present technology, the second uplink signal (and therefore its repetitions) may in some cases transmit only control information.

[0061] Essentially, embodiments of the present technology propose to select an actual PUSCH repetition that has sufficient resources to transmit UCI for multiplexing UCI. Embodiments of the present technology recognize that selecting a PUSCH repetition without considering the resources that the selected PUSCH can provide may lead to insufficient resources for UCI, and as a result, URLLC requirements for UCI may not be met. At least some embodiments of the present technology broadly require the execution of the following two steps: 1) Determine whether the available resources in each associated actual PUSCH repetition are sufficient (eg, in terms of size, location, etc.). 2) Select one or more actual PUSCH repetitions that have sufficient resources.

[0062] (Determining Adequate Resources) When determining whether an actual PUSCH repetition has sufficient resources for UCI multiplexing, the UE may need to calculate the available resources in the actual PUSCH repetition for UCI and compare it with a threshold, i.e., the UCI threshold. That is, in at least some configurations of embodiments of the present technology, if the available resources in the actual PUSCH are equal to or greater than the UCI threshold, it is considered to have sufficient resources. In other words, the characteristic is the amount of available resources, and the predetermined condition is that the amount of available resources is equal to or greater than the uplink control information threshold.

[0063] Available resources (e.g., RE)Q in the actual PUSCH for UCI Available In calculating , the system needs to determine the portion of resources in the actual PUSCH repetition that can be used for UCI. The following paragraphs describe configurations of embodiments of the present technology that provide a solution to such a requirement.

[0064] In some configurations, the available resources are the minimum of the resources determined by all of the coefficients on the nominal PUSCH and the actual PUSCH resources, i.e., Equation 4 below holds:

[0065]

number

[0066] In some configurations, all resources in the actual PUSCH repetition can be used for UCI, i.e., the available resources Q Available =M Actual In other words, the amount of available resources is all of the resources that the communication device can use for the control information and / or data information. Those skilled in the art will understand that resources in a PUSCH repetition, even if already partially allocated for uplink data, can be reallocated for UCI by, for example, puncturing or rate matching. In these configurations, the available resources Q Available =M Actual If so, all of the PUSCH resources can be reallocated for UCI.

[0067] In some configurations, the actual resources in a PUSCH repetition that can be used for UCI are determined by a factor γ, i.e., QAvailable =γM Actual The factor γ can be configured by RRC, indicated in DCI, or specified in a specification. In other words, the amount of available resources is a factor of all the resources that the communication device can use for the control information and / or data information. In some embodiments of these configurations, the coefficient γ=α; or In some embodiments of these configurations, the factor γ may be different for different actual PUSCH repetitions. This allows the network to prevent some actual PUSCH repetitions from carrying UCI, for example by setting γ=0, or to allow some actual PUSCH repetitions to use all of their resources for UCI (γ=1). In other words, in these embodiments, if each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal is a repetition of the second uplink signal according to a logical repetition index associated with the second uplink signal, the factor depends on the logical repetition index of each repetition of the second uplink signal.

[0068] UCI threshold T UCI is the minimum number of resources required to transmit UCI bits in the multiplexed PUSCH such that the reliability requirement is met. In other words, the uplink control information threshold is the minimum amount of resources required to transmit the control information such that the reliability requirement of the selected one or more iterations of the first uplink signal and / or the second uplink signal is met. Here, generally, as described in Non-Patent Document 2, the URLUC reliability requirement for one packet transmission is 1-10 for 32 bytes at a user plane latency of 1 ms. -5 is.

[0069] In some configurations, β PUSCH coefficients and the resource M within the nominal PUSCH repetition NominalIn other words, the uplink control information threshold is determined by the communication device depending on the amount of available resources, the number of bits required to transmit the control information, and an offset indicator indicating a value (which may be one of a set of values ​​from a plurality of sets, each including a plurality of values) for multiplying the number of bits required to transmit the control information by the amount of available resources. ACK , CSI part 1 bit T CSI-1 , and CSI part 2 bit T CSI-2 The threshold for is defined as follows:

[0070]

number

[0071] This results in β PUSCH It will be appreciated that a factor is used to guarantee the required reliability of the UCI bits. Therefore, the required RE (or modulated symbol) is β PUSCH These configurations of embodiments of the present technology can be implemented in at least the following ways: T UCI =T ACKThis embodiment prioritizes the HARQ-ACK bit, which ensures that the actual PUSCH has enough bits to carry the HARQ-ACK bit. T UCI =T ACK +T CSI-1 : This embodiment prioritizes the HARQ-ACK bit and the CSI part 1 bit. T UCI =T ACK +T CSI-1 +T CSI-2 This embodiment ensures that the UCI bits HARQ-ACK, CSI part 1 bits, and CSI part 2 bits can all be transmitted in the actual PUSCH. T UCI =T ACK +T CSI-2 This embodiment prioritizes the HARQ-ACK bit and the CSI part 2 bit.

[0072] In some configurations, multiple UCI thresholds, T UCI-1 , T UCI-2 , T UCI-3 These configurations may be used when two or more actual PUSCH repetitions are used to transmit UCI. In other words, the uplink control information threshold is one of a plurality of uplink control information thresholds, and the number of the plurality of uplink control information thresholds depends on the number of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal.

[0073] With respect to the actual PUSCH repetition selection, configurations of embodiments of the present technology may be broadly classified into one of two categories: Selection of a single actual PUSCH repetition Selection of multiple actual PUSCH repetitions

[0074] In at least some configurations of embodiments of the present technology, the actual PUSCH repetition considered is one that satisfies the timeline criterion. In other words, the characteristic is the time position of the resource, and the predetermined condition is that the start of the time position of the resource is more than a threshold period after a most recently received downlink signal associated with one of the first uplink signal or the second uplink signal. Here, the threshold period may define an amount of time required for the communications device to process the most recently received downlink signal.

[0075] Then (if not), the UE may consider the remaining actual PUSCH repetitions that meet the timeline criteria according to the configuration of the embodiments of the present technology described in both the "Selection of a Single Actual PUSCH Repetition" and "Selection of Multiple Actual PUSCH Repetitions" sections below.

[0076] Selection of a single actual PUSCH repetition In the following configurations of the embodiments of the present technology, only a single actual PUSCH repetition is selected for multiplexing of UCI bits, in other words, the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal are a selected one repetition of multiple repetitions of the second uplink signal.

[0077] In some configurations, the actual PUSCH repetitions for which the available resources are equal to or greater than the UCI threshold are considered for UCI multiplexing, i.e., Q Available ≧T UCIIn other words, the selected repetition of the second uplink signal is one of a subset of repetitions of the second uplink signal, where the resources include an amount of available resources equal to or greater than an uplink control information threshold, where, as described with respect to at least some configurations of the present technology above, the uplink control information threshold may be a minimum amount of resources required to transmit control information such that reliability requirements (as described above with respect to Non-Patent Document 2) of the selected one or more repetitions of the first uplink signal and / or the second uplink signal are met.

[0078] In some configurations, the earliest actual PUSCH among those considered for UCI multiplexing is selected. In other words, the selected repetition of the second uplink signal is one repetition of the subset of repetitions of the second uplink signal for which the resource is located at the earliest time in time. Figure 14 shows an example in which DCI#1 and DCI#2 schedule PDSCH#1 and PDSCH#2, respectively, and their corresponding HARQ-ACK feedbacks are multiplexed onto PUCCH#1. At time t5, DCI#3 transmitting an UL grant schedules PDSCH#1 and PDSCH#2 from time t7 to t 13 Between K N Schedule a PUSCH with L=3 and L=6, which collides with an invalid symbol between time t8 and t9, and then schedules a PUSCH with L=3 and L=6. 12 Therefore, the PUSCH is split into K A = 5. Therefore, PUCCH #1 collides with the scheduled PUSCH. The first actual PUSCH repetition is T proc、1 Since it starts before T finishes, it does not meet the timeline criteria and is not considered for UCI multiplexing. UCI Assuming that Q requires an actual PUSCH with at least three symbols, only the third and fifth actual PUSCH repetitions have sufficient available states, i.e., Q Available ≧T UCIIn these configurations, the earliest actual PUSCH that satisfies all conditions is selected, and therefore the third actual PUSCH repetition is selected for UCI multiplexing.

[0079] In some configurations, the actual PUSCH with the largest available resources is selected from those considered for UCI multiplexing. In other words, the selected repetition of the second uplink signal is one repetition of the subset of repetitions of the second uplink signal with the largest amount of available resources. An example in which PUCCH#1 carries HARQ-ACK for PDSCH#1 and PDSCH#2 is shown in Figure 15. At time t5, DCI#3 carrying UF grant is transmitted from time t8 to t 15 Between K N = 4 and L = 6, and the second nominal PUSCH is scheduled at time t 11 From t 12 In this case, the PUSCH is split into two parts, and the actual number of repetitions is K. A =5. T proc、1 Before the end of 10 Since the first actual PUSCH starts between the UCI threshold T UCI Assuming that requires an actual PUSCH with at least three OFDM symbols, the second, fourth, and fifth actual PUSCH repetitions are Q Available ≧T UCIconditions are satisfied. According to these configurations, the actual PUSCH with the largest resources is selected, where the fourth and fifth actual repetitions have the same number of resources. In this example, the above configurations for selecting the earliest actual PUSCH from those considered for UCI multiplexing and selecting an earlier actual PUSCH are combined. That is, the fourth actual PUSCH is selected for UCI multiplexing. That is, if two or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal together have the largest amount of available resources, the one with the largest amount of available resources that is located earliest in time is selected for UCI multiplexing.

[0080] In Rel-16, two physical layer priority levels are introduced to handle intra-UE collisions, and lower priority transmissions are dropped when they collide with higher priority transmissions, e.g., URUUC transmissions that override eMBB transmissions. Therefore, when UCI and PUSCH have the same priority, UCI is multiplexed into PUSCH repetitions because URUUC transmission latency is important. The following configurations of embodiments of the present technology take latency into account.

[0081] In some configurations, the UCI time window W UCI The actual PUSCH repetitions that overlap within the UCI time window are taken into account for UCI multiplexing, thereby ensuring that UCI is transmitted within a given latency that can be governed by this UCI time window. In other words, the selected repetition of the second uplink signal is one repetition of the subset of repetitions of the second uplink signal whose resources at least partially overlap in time with the time window of uplink control information.

[0082] In some configurations, the UCI time window W UCI starts from the beginning of the PUCCH and ends after the end of the PUCCH (T MUXIn other words, the time window of the uplink control information starts at the same time as the resource of the first uplink signal and has a predetermined period (which may be defined by the wireless communication network, or may be defined in a specification, etc.) (i.e., T MUX ) ends. PUCCH#1 is transmitted from time t9 to time t10, when HARQ-ACK feedback for PDSCH#1 and PDSCH#2 is transmitted. 11 At time t5, DCI#3 transmitting the UL grant is scheduled between K N Schedule PUSCH for L = 4 and L = 6, and the PUSCH is split to accommodate the actual repetitions K A = 5. Since PUCCH #1 collides with PUSCH repetition, its UCI is multiplexed onto PUSCH. The first actual PUSCH is T proc、1 Since it starts before the end of the UCI time window W, it does not meet the timeline criteria and is not considered for UCI multiplexing. UCI starts from the beginning of PUCCH#1 at time t9 and continues until the end of PUCCH#1. MUX where the second, third and fourth actual PUSCH iterations are terminated at time W UCI , and is therefore considered for UCI multiplexing. Using the maximum PUSCH resource method according to the above configurations of the embodiments of the present technology, the UE selects the fourth actual PUSCH repetition for UCI multiplexing.

[0083] In some configurations, T MUX =0, i.e., only actual PUSCH repetitions that overlap with PUCCH are considered for UCI multiplexing. In other words, the selected repetition of the second uplink signal is one repetition of the subset of repetitions of the second uplink signal whose resources at least partially overlap with the resources of the first uplink signal.

[0084] In some configurations, the UCI time window W UCIOnly actual PUSCH repetitions that are completely included in W are considered for UCI multiplexing. In other words, the resources of the subset of repetitions of the second uplink signal completely overlap in time with the time window of the uplink control information. Using the example of Figure 16, only the second and third actual PUSCH repetitions are considered for UCI multiplexing. UCI are fully contained within and therefore considered for UCI multiplexing.

[0085] In some configurations, when none of the actual PUSCH repetitions has sufficient resources, i.e., none of the actual PUSCH repetitions satisfies any of the above-mentioned conditions, the UE selects the earliest actual PUSCH repetition. In other words, when the characteristics of the resources of any of the repetitions of the second uplink signal do not satisfy the predetermined condition, the selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal is one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal whose resources are located at the earliest time in time.

[0086] In some configurations, when none of the actual PUSCH repetitions has sufficient resources, i.e., none of the actual PUSCH repetitions satisfies any of the above conditions, the UE selects the PUSCH with the largest resources, and in the case of two or more PUSCHs with the largest resources (e.g., the fourth and fifth actual PUSCH repetitions in FIG. 16 ), the earliest one of the PUSCHs with the largest resources is selected. In other words, when the characteristics of the resources of none of the repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfy the predetermined condition, the selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal is one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal with the largest amount of available resources. Also, when two or more of the multiple repetitions of the second uplink signal together have the largest amount of available resources, the one with the largest amount of available resources that is located earliest in time is selected for UCI multiplexing.

[0087] In some configurations, when none of the actual PUSCH repetitions has sufficient resources, the UE considers multiplexing UCI in multiple actual PUSCH repetitions. In other words, the selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal are selected multiple repetitions of the second uplink signal.

[0088] (Selection of multiple actual PUSCH repetitions) In the following configurations of the embodiments of the present technology, UCI is multiplexed onto multiple actual PUSCH repetitions. This may be performed if the UE fails to find a single actual PUSCH repetition that satisfies the resource requirement, or may be performed regardless of whether any single actual PUSCH repetition satisfies the resource requirement. Here, the communications device may determine that the selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal are the selected multiple repetitions of the second uplink signal if the characteristics of the resources of any of the selected multiple repetitions of the second uplink signal individually do not satisfy the predetermined condition.

[0089] Resource conditions, i.e., the Q Available ≧T UCIand an actual PUSCH repetition that satisfies a time criterion is called a qualified actual PUSCH repetition. In other words, the characteristic is a time position of the resource, the predetermined condition is that a start of the time position of the resource is more than a threshold period after a most recently received downlink signal associated with one of the first uplink signal or the second uplink signal, the resources of each of a subset including two or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal include an amount of available resources equal to or greater than a threshold amount of uplink control information, each of the two or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal is a qualified repetition of the second uplink signal, and each of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal is a qualified repetition of the second uplink signal.

[0090] In some configurations, all eligible actual PUSCH repetitions are used for UCI multiplexing, i.e., at least a portion of the control information is multiplexed onto each of the eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal.

[0091] In some configurations, the time period (as described above) may start simultaneously with the resource of the first uplink signal and may last for a predetermined period of time (e.g., defined by the wireless communication network, or in a specification, etc.) (i.e., T MUX ) may define a duration that ends after the UCI time window W UCI All eligible actual PUSCH repetitions overlapping / contained within the resource are used for UCI multiplexing. In other words, at least a portion of the control information is multiplexed onto each of the eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal whose resources at least partially overlap in time with the time window of uplink control information.

[0092] In some configurations, N actual PUSCHs are used for UCI multiplexing. In other words, at least a portion of the control information is multiplexed onto a specified number of the plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal. The value N can be RRC configured, indicated in DCI, or specified in a specification.

[0093] In some configurations, the first N eligible actual PUSCH repetitions are used for UCI multiplexing, i.e., the specified number of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal is the one at which the resource is located earliest in time.

[0094] In some configurations, up to N eligible actual PUSCH repetitions are used for UCI multiplexing. In other words, the specified number of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal is the one for which the resource has the maximum amount of available resources.

[0095] In some configurations, these N eligible actual PUSCHs according to the aforementioned configurations are transmitted over a UCI time window W UCI In other words, the specified number of the plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal overlap or are contained within a time window of uplink control information (as explained above, starting simultaneously with the resource of the first uplink signal and lasting for a predetermined period of time (which may be defined, for example, by the wireless communication network, or may be defined in a specification, etc.) (i.e., T MUX ) has ended, which at least partially overlaps in time with ).

[0096] In some configurations, the UCI is repeated in a selected number of actual PUSCH repetitions. In other words, the control information is fully multiplexed onto each of the selected number of repetitions of the second uplink signal. These configurations improve the reliability of UCI, but of course, at some efficiency cost. These configurations also reduce the likelihood of a large βPUSCH Recognizing that coefficients require more resources from the actual PUSCH repetition, a smaller β PUSCH This allows coefficients to be used but compensates for reduced reliability through repetition over a number of actual PUSCH repetitions.

[0097] In some configurations, the UCI is split into multiple actual PUSCH repetitions. In other words, different portions of the control information are multiplexed onto each of the selected multiple repetitions of the second uplink signal. Here, multiple UCI thresholds may be used. These configurations are useful, but not limited to, when a single actual PUSCH does not have enough resources to contain all of the UCI bits.

[0098] In some configurations, the UCI is split so that the HARQ-ACK bits are in one actual PUSCH repetition and the CSI bits are in the other(s) actual PUSCH repetitions. Of course, if the UCI does not include the HARQ-ACK bits (or even if it does include the HARQ-ACK bits), the CSI part 1 bits and the CSI part 2 bits may be in different actual PUSCH repetitions. In other words, the different parts of the control information include different types of uplink control information. Here, at least a first part of the control information may include feedback information on whether a downlink signal has been successfully received by the communication device, and at least a second part of the control information may include channel state information (CSI) indicating one or more communication characteristics of an uplink data message transmitted by the communication device. Here, different thresholds are used for different parts of the UCI bits. That is, for the HARQ-ACK bits, the UCI threshold = T ACK , i.e., Q Available ≧T ACK Similarly, to multiplex CSI part 1 and CSI part 2, the actual PUSCH satisfying Q Available ≧T CSI-1 and QAvailable ≧T CSI-2 When both CSI Part 1 and CSI Part 2 are multiplexed into the same actual PUSCH repetition, the resource requirement is Q Available ≧T CSI-1 +T CSI-2 That is, the resource conditions for eligible actual PUSCH repetitions are: Due to the multiplexing of HARQ-ACK bits, the eligible actual PUSCHs are allocated to the available resources Q Available ≧T ACK It has. For CSI part 1 multiplexing, the eligible actual PUSCH is allocated to the available resources Q Available ≧T CSI-1 It has. Due to the multiplexing of CSI part 2 bits, the eligible actual PUSCH is allocated within the available resources Q Available ≧T CSI-2 It has. Due to the multiplexing of CSI Part 1 and Part 2 bits, the eligible actual PUSCH is determined based on the available resources Q Available ≧T CSI-1 +T CSI-2 It has.

[0099] In some configurations, if none of the actual PUSCH repetitions are eligible to multiplex both CSI parts, i.e., none of them meets the resource condition Q Available ≧T CSI-1 +T CSI-2 , then multiplex CSI Part 1 and CSI Part 2 bits onto separate eligible actual PUSCH repetitions. In other words, if the resources of any of the eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal do not include a sufficient amount of available resources for the entire control information, then at least a portion of the control information is multiplexed onto each of the eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal.

[0100] In some configurations where the HARQ-ACK bits and CSI bits are multiplexed onto separate actual PUSCH repetitions, the HARQ-ACK bits are Available ≧T ACK In other words, the at least first portion of the control information is multiplexed onto one or more of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal in which the resource is located earliest in time. Here, CSI may be periodic or may be transmitted in response to a command from the network, and the uplink data message in which CSI is transmitted may be the second uplink signal 136 as shown in FIG. 13 or any other uplink data message. Then, the CSI bits are multiplexed into Q Available ≧T CSI-1 +T CSI-2 The control information is multiplexed onto the earliest remaining eligible actual PUSCH repetition(s) in which CSI Part 1 and CSI Part 2 are multiplexed. If CSI Part 1 and CSI Part 2 are multiplexed in separate actual PUSCH repetitions, CSI Part 1 bits are considered first, followed by CSI Part 2 bits. In other words, the resources of one or more repetitions of the selected repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least second portion of the control information is multiplexed are the earliest-time-located resources of the resources of the remaining eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least first portion of the control information is not multiplexed.

[0101] 16, but including the fifth actual PUSCH repetition (time t9 to t 15 UCI time window W UCIAn example in which the above is extended is shown in Figure 17. Here, the eligible actual PUSCH repetitions for HARQ-ACK are the second, fourth, and fifth actual PUSCH repetitions. Since the second PUSCH is the earliest eligible PUSCH, the HARQ-ACK bits are multiplexed onto the second PUSCH. Then, the CSI bits are multiplexed onto the first remaining eligible actual PUSCH, which in this case is the fourth actual PUSCH.

[0102] In some configurations, the HARQ-ACK bit is multiplexed onto the largest eligible actual PUSCH repetition. Then, the CSI bits are multiplexed onto the largest remaining eligible actual PUSCH repetition. Using the example of FIG. 17, the eligible actual PUSCH repetitions for the HARQ-ACK bit are the second, fourth, and fifth actual PUSCH repetitions. The HARQ-ACK bit is multiplexed onto the fourth actual PUSCH because it is the largest PUSCH and, in this case, is also the earlier PUSCH among the PUSCHs with the largest resources. Then, the CSI bits are multiplexed onto the fifth actual PUSCH, which is the remaining actual PUSCH with the largest resources. In other words, the at least first portion of the control information is multiplexed onto one or more repetitions of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal whose resources have the largest amount of available resources. and the resources of one or more of the selected repetitions of the second uplink signal into which the at least second portion of the control information is multiplexed are those having the greatest amount of available resources among the resources of the remaining eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal into which the at least first portion of the control information is not multiplexed.

[0103] In some configurations, HARQ-ACK bits are multiplexed onto the largest eligible actual PUSCH, while CSI bits are multiplexed onto the earliest remaining eligible actual PUSCH. In other words, the at least first portion of the control information is multiplexed onto one or more repetitions of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal having the largest amount of available resources. The resources of the one or more repetitions of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least second portion of the control information is multiplexed are the earliest-located resources of the resources of the remaining plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least first portion of the control information is not multiplexed.

[0104] In some configurations, HARQ-ACK bits are multiplexed onto the earliest eligible actual PUSCH, while CSI bits are multiplexed onto the largest remaining eligible actual PUSCH. In other words, the at least first portion of the control information is multiplexed onto one or more of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal whose resources are located at the earliest time in time. And the resources of one or more of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least second portion of the control information is multiplexed are those having the largest amount of available resources among the resources of the remaining plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least first portion of the control information is not multiplexed.

[0105] It should be noted that the UCI may include HARQ-ACK bits and not include CSI bits, or vice versa. It should also be noted that the UCI may be carried by a PUSCH, e.g., CSI bits, and therefore a PUSCH carrying CSI and a PUSCH carrying data may collide.

[0106] (Flowchart representation) 18 shows a flow diagram illustrating a first exemplary process for communication in a communication system according to embodiments of the present technology. The process shown in FIG. 18 is a method of operating a communication device (which may be configured to transmit and receive data to and from infrastructure equipment) in a wireless communication network.

[0107] The method starts at step S21. In step S22, the method determines that the communications device will transmit a first uplink signal comprising control information to the wireless communications network on a set of uplink resources of a radio access interface. The process then proceeds to step S23, where the communications device determines that the communications device will transmit a second uplink signal to the wireless communications network, the second uplink signal being transmitted multiple times, each of the multiple transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of uplink resources of the radio access interface than other repetitions of the second uplink signal. Next, in step S24, the method determines that the resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with the resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal. In step S25, the method multiplexes the control information onto resources of one or more selected ones of the repetitions of the second uplink signal, and then in step S26, transmits the multiplexed signal to the wireless communication network, where characteristics of the resources of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfy a predetermined condition. The method ends in step S27. Those skilled in the art will understand that the method shown in Figure 18 may be adapted according to various embodiments of the present technology. For example, other intermediate steps may be included in the method, or the steps may be performed in any logical order.

[0108] Although embodiments of the present technology have been generally described in terms of the exemplary communications system shown in FIG. 13 and with respect to FIGS. 14-17, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that they may be equally applied to other systems to those described herein.

[0109] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the infrastructure equipment and / or communications devices defined herein may be further defined according to the various configurations and embodiments discussed in the previous paragraph. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the infrastructure equipment and communications devices defined and described herein may form part of communications systems other than those defined by the present disclosure.

[0110] The following numbered paragraphs provide further exemplary aspects and features of the present technology. paragraph 1 1. A method of operating a communication device in a wireless communication network, comprising: The communication device determines to transmit a first uplink signal comprising control information to the wireless communication network on a set of uplink resources of a radio access interface; the communications device determines to transmit a second uplink signal to the wireless communications network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of uplink resources of the radio access interface than other repetitions of the second uplink signal; determining that resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; multiplexing the control information onto resources of selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; transmitting the multiplexed signal to the wireless communication network; The characteristics of the resources of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfy a predetermined condition. How it works. paragraph 2 2. The method of operation of paragraph 1, comprising: The characteristic is an amount of available resources, and the predetermined condition is that the amount of available resources is equal to or greater than a threshold value of uplink control information. How it works. paragraph 3 3. The method of operation of paragraph 2, comprising: The amount of available resources is the minimum of an amount of resources that the communication device can use for the control information and / or data information and a total amount of available resources determined by the communication device in dependence on a scaling factor, the scaling factor being configured via RRC signaling from the wireless communication network. How it works. paragraph 4 4. A method of operation according to paragraph 2 or 3, comprising: The amount of available resources is all of the resources that the communications device can use for the control and / or data information. How it works. paragraph 5 5. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 2 to 4, comprising: The amount of available resources is a factor of all the resources that the communications device can use for the control information and / or data information. How it works. paragraph 6 6. The method of operation of paragraph 5, comprising: Each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal is a repetition of the second uplink signal according to a logical repetition index associated with the second uplink signal, and the coefficient depends on the logical repetition index of each repetition of the second uplink signal. How it works. paragraph 7 7. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 2 to 6, comprising: The uplink control information threshold is a minimum amount of resources required to transmit the control information such that a reliability requirement of the selected one or more iterations of the first uplink signal and / or the second uplink signal is met. How it works. paragraph 8 8. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 2 to 7, comprising: The uplink control information threshold is determined by the communication device depending on the amount of available resources, the number of bits required to transmit the control information, and an offset indicator indicating a value for multiplying the number of bits required to transmit the control information by the amount of available resources. How it works. paragraph 9 9. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 2 to 8, comprising: The uplink control information threshold is one of a plurality of uplink control information thresholds, and the number of the plurality of uplink control information thresholds depends on the number of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal. How it works. paragraph 10 10. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 9, comprising: The characteristic is a time location of the resource, and the predetermined condition is that the start of the time location of the resource is more than a threshold period after a most recently received downlink signal associated with one of the first uplink signal or the second uplink signal. How it works. paragraph 11 11. A method of operation according to paragraph 10, comprising: The threshold period defines the amount of time required for the communications device to process the most recently received downlink signal. How it works. paragraph 12 12. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 11, comprising: The selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal are a selected one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal. How it works. paragraph 13 13. A method of operation according to paragraph 12, comprising: The selected repetition of the second uplink signal is one of a subset of the repetitions of the second uplink signal, where the resources include an amount of available resources equal to or greater than a threshold amount of uplink control information. How it works. paragraph 14 14. A method of operation according to paragraph 13, comprising: The selected repetition of the second uplink signal is one of a subset of the repetitions of the second uplink signal in which the resource is located earliest in time. How it works. paragraph 15 15. A method of operation according to paragraph 13 or 14, comprising: The selected repetition of the second uplink signal is one of a subset of the repetitions of the second uplink signal having the greatest amount of available resources. How it works. paragraph 16 16. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 15, comprising: The selected repetition of the second uplink signal is one of a subset of the repetitions of the second uplink signal in which the resource at least partially overlaps in time with a time window of uplink control information. How it works. paragraph 17 17. A method of operation according to paragraph 16, comprising: The time window of the uplink control information defines a duration that starts simultaneously with the resource of the first uplink signal and ends after a predetermined period of time has expired. How it works. paragraph 18 18. A method of operation according to paragraph 16 or 17, comprising: The resources of the repeated subset of the second uplink signal completely overlap in time with the time window of the uplink control information. How it works. paragraph 19 19. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 12 to 18, comprising: The selected repetition of the second uplink signal is one of a subset of the repetitions of the second uplink signal whose resources at least partially overlap with the resources of the first uplink signal. How it works. paragraph 20 20. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 19, comprising: If the characteristics of the resources of any of the repetitions of the second uplink signal do not satisfy the predetermined condition, the selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal is one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal in which the resource is located earliest in time. How it works. paragraph 21 21. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 20, comprising: If the characteristics of the resources of any of the repetitions of the second uplink signal do not satisfy the predetermined condition, the selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal is one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal having a maximum amount of available resources. How it works. paragraph 22 22. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 21, comprising: The selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal are a selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal. How it works. paragraph 23 23. A method of operation according to paragraph 22, comprising: The communications device determines that the selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal are the selected multiple repetitions of the second uplink signal if the characteristics of the resources of any of the selected multiple repetitions of the second uplink signal individually do not satisfy the predetermined condition. How it works. paragraph 24 24. A method of operation according to paragraph 22 or 23, comprising: the characteristic is a time location of the resource, and the predetermined condition is that the start of the time location of the resource is more than a threshold period after a most recently received downlink signal associated with one of the first uplink signal or the second uplink signal; the resources of each subset including two or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal include an amount of available resources equal to or greater than an uplink control information threshold, and each of the two or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal is a qualified repetition of the second uplink signal; Each of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal is a qualified repetition of the second uplink signal. How it works. paragraph 25 25. A method of operation according to paragraph 24, comprising: At least a portion of the control information is multiplexed onto each of the plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal. How it works. paragraph 26 26. A method of operation according to paragraph 25, comprising: At least a portion of the control information is multiplexed onto each of the plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal if none of the resources of the plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal includes a sufficient amount of available resources for the entire control information. How it works. paragraph 27 27. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 24 to 26, comprising: At least a portion of the control information is multiplexed onto each of the plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal whose resources at least partially overlap in time with a time window of uplink control information. How it works. paragraph 28 28. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 24 to 27, comprising: At least a portion of the control information is multiplexed onto a designated number of the plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal. How it works. paragraph 29 29. A method of operation according to paragraph 28, comprising: The specified number of the plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal is the one for which the resource is located earliest in time. How it works. paragraph 30 30. A method of operation according to paragraph 28 or 29, comprising: The specified number of the plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal is the one having the maximum amount of available resources. How it works. paragraph 31 31. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 28 to 30, comprising: The specified number of the plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal is such that the resource at least partially overlaps in time with a time window of uplink control information. How it works. paragraph 32 32. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 24 to 31, comprising: The control information is fully multiplexed onto each of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal. How it works. paragraph 33 33. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 24 to 32, comprising: A different portion of the control information is multiplexed onto each of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal. How it works. paragraph 34 34. A method of operation according to paragraph 33, comprising: The different portions of the control information include different types of uplink control information. How it works. paragraph 35 35. A method of operation according to paragraph 34, comprising: At least a first portion of the control information includes feedback information on whether a downlink signal was successfully received by the communication device, and at least a second portion of the control information includes channel state information (CSI) indicative of one or more communication characteristics of an uplink data message transmitted by the communication device. How it works. paragraph 36 36. A method of operation according to paragraph 35, comprising: The at least first portion of the control information is multiplexed onto one or more of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal in which the resource is located earliest in time. How it works. paragraph 37 37. A method of operation according to paragraph 36, comprising: The resources of one or more of the selected repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least second portion of the control information is multiplexed are the earliest-time located resources of the remaining eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least first portion of the control information is not multiplexed. How it works. paragraph 38 38. A method of operation according to paragraph 36 or 37, comprising: The resources of one or more of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least second portion of the control information is multiplexed have the greatest amount of available resources among the resources of the remaining plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least first portion of the control information is not multiplexed. How it works. paragraph 39 39. A method of operation according to any one of paragraphs 35 to 38, comprising: The at least first portion of the control information is multiplexed onto one or more of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal, the one or more repetitions having the greatest amount of available resources. How it works. paragraph 40 39. A method of operation according to paragraph 39, comprising: The resources of one or more of the selected plurality of repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least second portion of the control information is multiplexed have the greatest amount of available resources among the resources of the remaining plurality of eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least first portion of the control information is not multiplexed. How it works. paragraph 41 41. A method of operation according to paragraph 39 or 40, comprising: The resources of one or more of the selected repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least second portion of the control information is multiplexed are the earliest-time located resources of the remaining eligible repetitions of the second uplink signal onto which the at least first portion of the control information is not multiplexed. How it works. paragraph 42 1. A communications device suitable for use in a wireless communications network, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit and receive signals over a wireless access interface; In combination with the above transceiver circuit, The communication device determines to transmit a first uplink signal comprising control information to the wireless communication network on a set of uplink resources of the radio access interface; the communications device determines to transmit a second uplink signal to the wireless communications network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of uplink resources of the radio access interface than other repetitions of the second uplink signal; determining that resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; multiplexing the control information onto resources of selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; transmitting the multiplexed signal to the wireless communication network; The characteristics of the resources of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfy a predetermined condition. a control circuit configured as follows: Equipped with Communication devices. paragraph 43 1. A circuit for a communication device suitable for use in a wireless communication network, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit and receive signals over a wireless access interface; In combination with the above transceiver circuit, the transceiver circuit determines to transmit a first uplink signal comprising control information to the wireless communication network on a set of uplink resources of the radio access interface; the transceiver circuit determines to transmit a second uplink signal to the wireless communication network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of uplink resources of the radio access interface than other repetitions of the second uplink signal; determining that resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; multiplexing the control information onto resources of selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; transmitting the multiplexed signal to the wireless communication network; The characteristics of the resources of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfy a predetermined condition. A control circuit configured as follows: Equipped with Circuitry in a communication device. paragraph 44 1. A method of operating infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network, comprising: Allocating a set of uplink resources of a radio access interface provided by the infrastructure equipment through which a communication device transmits a first uplink signal including control information to the wireless communication network; allocate a plurality of sets of uplink resources of the radio access interface over which the communication device transmits a second uplink signal to the wireless communication network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of the plurality of sets of uplink resources of the radio access interface from other repetitions of the second uplink signal; determining that resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; receiving one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal from the communications device; extracting the control information from selected one or more of the received repetitions of the second uplink signal, the control information being multiplexed by the communications device onto resources of the selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal, and characteristics of the resources of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfying a predetermined condition. How it works. paragraph 45 An infrastructure device that forms part of a wireless communication network, a transceiver circuit configured to transmit and receive signals over a wireless access interface provided by the infrastructure equipment; In combination with the above transceiver circuit, Allocating a set of uplink resources of the radio access interface through which a communication device transmits a first uplink signal including control information to the wireless communication network; allocate a plurality of sets of uplink resources of the radio access interface over which the communication device transmits a second uplink signal to the wireless communication network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, and each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of the plurality of sets of uplink resources of the radio access interface from other repetitions of the second uplink signal; determining that resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; receiving one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal from the communications device; extracting the control information from selected one or more of the received repetitions of the second uplink signal, the control information being multiplexed by the communications device onto resources of the selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal, and characteristics of the resources of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfying a predetermined condition. A control circuit configured as follows: Equipped with Infrastructure equipment. paragraph 46 1. A circuit for infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit and receive signals over a wireless access interface provided by the infrastructure equipment; In combination with the above transceiver circuit, Allocating a set of uplink resources of the radio access interface through which a communication device transmits a first uplink signal including control information to the wireless communication network; allocate a plurality of sets of uplink resources of the radio access interface over which the communication device transmits a second uplink signal to the wireless communication network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, and each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of the plurality of sets of uplink resources of the radio access interface from other repetitions of the second uplink signal; determining that resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; receiving one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal from the communications device; extracting the control information from selected one or more of the received repetitions of the second uplink signal, the control information being multiplexed by the communications device onto resources of the selected one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal, and characteristics of the resources of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfying a predetermined condition. A control circuit configured as follows: Equipped with Infrastructure equipment circuits.

[0111] It will be appreciated that, for clarity, embodiments have been described above with reference to different functional units, circuits and / or processors. However, it will be apparent that functionality may be distributed in any suitable manner between different functional units, circuits and / or processors without detracting from embodiments of the invention.

[0112] The embodiments described herein may be implemented in any suitable form including hardware, software, firmware, or any combination of these. The embodiments described herein may optionally be implemented at least in part as computer software running on one or more data processors and / or digital signal processors. The elements and components in any embodiment may be physically, functionally, and logically implemented in any suitable way. Indeed, functionality may be implemented in a single unit, in multiple units, or as part of other functional units. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in a single unit, or may be physically and functionally distributed between different units, circuits, and / or processors.

[0113] Although the present disclosure has been described in connection with several embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. Moreover, while features may appear to be described in connection with particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various features of the described embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner to practice the present technology.

Claims

1. 1. A method of operating a communication device in a wireless communication network, comprising: determining, by the communications device, to transmit a first uplink signal comprising control information to the wireless communications network on a set of uplink resources of a radio access interface; determining that the communications device will transmit a second uplink signal to the wireless communications network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of uplink resources of the radio access interface than a set of other repetitions of the second uplink signal; determining that resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; multiplexing the control information onto resources of one or more selected ones of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; transmitting the multiplexed signal to the wireless communication network; characteristics of the resources of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfy a predetermined condition; the characteristic is an amount of available resources, and the predetermined condition is that the amount of available resources is equal to or greater than a threshold value of uplink control information; The amount of available resources is the minimum of an amount of resources that the communication device can use for the control information and / or data information and a total amount of available resources determined by the communication device in dependence on a scaling factor, the scaling factor being configured via RRC signaling from the wireless communication network. How it works.

2. The method of operation of claim 1, The uplink control information threshold is a minimum amount of resources required to transmit the control information such that a reliability requirement of the selected one or more iterations of the first uplink signal and / or the second uplink signal is met. How it works.

3. A method of operation as claimed in claim 1, comprising: The uplink control information threshold is determined by the communication device in dependence on the amount of available resources, a number of bits required to transmit the control information, and an offset indicator indicating a value for multiplication of the number of bits required to transmit the control information and the amount of available resources. How it works.

4. A method of operation as claimed in claim 1, comprising: The uplink control information threshold is one of a plurality of uplink control information thresholds, the number of the plurality of uplink control information thresholds being dependent on a number of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal. How it works.

5. A method of operation as claimed in claim 1, comprising: The selected repetition of the second uplink signal is one of a subset of the repetitions of the second uplink signal in which the resource at least partially overlaps in time with a time window of uplink control information. How it works.

6. The method of operation according to claim 5, The time window of the uplink control information defines a duration that starts coincident with the resource of the first uplink signal and ends after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. How it works.

7. A method of operation according to claim 5, comprising: The resources of the repeating subset of the second uplink signal completely overlap in time with the time window of the uplink control information. How it works.

8. The method of claim 5, comprising: The selected repetition of the second uplink signal is one of a subset of the repetitions of the second uplink signal whose resources at least partially overlap with the resources of the first uplink signal. How it works.

9. 1. A communications device suitable for use in a wireless communications network, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit and receive signals over a wireless access interface; In combination with the transceiver circuit, determining, by the communications device, to transmit a first uplink signal comprising control information to the wireless communications network on a set of uplink resources of the radio access interface; determining that the communications device will transmit a second uplink signal to the wireless communications network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of uplink resources of the radio access interface than a set of other repetitions of the second uplink signal; determining that resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; multiplexing the control information onto resources of one or more selected ones of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; transmitting the multiplexed signal to the wireless communication network; The characteristics of the resources of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfy a predetermined condition. A control circuit configured as above; Equipped with the characteristic is an amount of available resources, and the predetermined condition is that the amount of available resources is equal to or greater than a threshold value of uplink control information; The amount of available resources is the minimum of an amount of resources that the communication device can use for the control information and / or data information and a total amount of available resources determined by the communication device in dependence on a scaling factor, the scaling factor being configured via RRC signaling from the wireless communication network. Communication devices.

10. 1. A circuit for a communication device suitable for use in a wireless communication network, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit and receive signals over a wireless access interface; In combination with the transceiver circuit, determining, by the transceiver circuitry, to transmit a first uplink signal comprising control information to the wireless communication network on a set of uplink resources of the radio access interface; determining, by the transceiver circuitry, to transmit a second uplink signal to the wireless communication network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of uplink resources of the radio access interface than a set of other repetitions of the second uplink signal; determining that resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; multiplexing the control information onto resources of one or more selected ones of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; transmitting the multiplexed signal to the wireless communication network; The characteristics of the resources of the selected one or more repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfy a predetermined condition. A control circuit configured as follows: Equipped with the characteristic is an amount of available resources, and the predetermined condition is that the amount of available resources is equal to or greater than a threshold value of uplink control information; The amount of available resources is the minimum of an amount of resources that the communication device can use for the control information and / or data information and a total amount of available resources determined by the communication device in dependence on a scaling factor, the scaling factor being configured via RRC signaling from the wireless communication network. A circuit in a communication device.

11. 1. A method of operating infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network, comprising the steps of: Allocating a set of uplink resources of a radio access interface provided by the infrastructure equipment through which a communication device transmits a first uplink signal including control information to the wireless communication network; allocating a plurality of sets of uplink resources of the radio access interface over which the communications device transmits a second uplink signal to the wireless communications network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of the plurality of sets of uplink resources of the radio access interface than other repetitions of the second uplink signal; determining that resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; receiving one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal from the communications device; extracting the control information from one or more selected ones of the received repetitions of the second uplink signal, the control information being multiplexed by the communications device onto resources of the one or more selected ones of the repetitions of the second uplink signal, wherein characteristics of the resources of the one or more selected ones of the second uplink signal satisfy a predetermined condition; the characteristic is an amount of available resources, and the predetermined condition is that the amount of available resources is equal to or greater than a threshold value of uplink control information; The amount of available resources is the minimum of an amount of resources that the communication device can use for the control information and / or data information and a total amount of available resources determined by the communication device in dependence on a scaling factor, the scaling factor being configured via RRC signaling from the wireless communication network. How it works.

12. An infrastructure device forming part of a wireless communication network, via a radio access interface provided by the infrastructure equipment a transceiver circuit configured to transmit and receive signals; In combination with the transceiver circuit, Allocating a set of uplink resources of the radio access interface over which a communication device transmits a first uplink signal including control information to the wireless communication network; allocating a plurality of sets of uplink resources of the radio access interface over which the communications device transmits a second uplink signal to the wireless communications network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of the plurality of sets of uplink resources of the radio access interface than other repetitions of the second uplink signal; determining that resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; receiving one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal from the communications device; extracting the control information from one or more selected ones of the received repetitions of the second uplink signal, the control information being multiplexed by the communications device onto resources of the one or more selected ones of the repetitions of the second uplink signal, wherein characteristics of the resources of the one or more selected repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfy a predetermined condition. A control circuit configured as follows: Equipped with the characteristic is an amount of available resources, and the predetermined condition is that the amount of available resources is equal to or greater than a threshold value of uplink control information; The amount of available resources is the minimum of an amount of resources that the communication device can use for the control information and / or data information and a total amount of available resources determined by the communication device in dependence on a scaling factor, the scaling factor being configured via RRC signaling from the wireless communication network. Infrastructure equipment.

13. A circuit for infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit and receive signals over a wireless access interface provided by the infrastructure equipment; In combination with the transceiver circuit, Allocating a set of uplink resources of the radio access interface over which a communication device transmits a first uplink signal including control information to the wireless communication network; allocating a plurality of sets of uplink resources of the radio access interface over which the communications device transmits a second uplink signal to the wireless communications network, the second uplink signal being transmitted a plurality of times, each of the plurality of transmissions of the second uplink signal being a repetition of the second uplink signal, each repetition of the second uplink signal being transmitted on a different set of the plurality of sets of uplink resources of the radio access interface than other repetitions of the second uplink signal; determining that resources of the first uplink signal at least partially overlap in time with resources of at least one of the repetitions of the second uplink signal; receiving one or more of the repetitions of the second uplink signal from the communications device; extracting the control information from one or more selected ones of the received repetitions of the second uplink signal, the control information being multiplexed by the communications device onto resources of the one or more selected ones of the repetitions of the second uplink signal, wherein characteristics of the resources of the one or more selected repetitions of the second uplink signal satisfy a predetermined condition. A control circuit configured as follows: Equipped with the characteristic is an amount of available resources, and the predetermined condition is that the amount of available resources is equal to or greater than a threshold value of uplink control information; The amount of available resources is the minimum of an amount of resources that the communication device can use for the control information and / or data information and a total amount of available resources determined by the communication device in dependence on a scaling factor, the scaling factor being configured via RRC signaling from the wireless communication network. Infrastructure equipment circuits.

Images