An apparatus for a user equipment (UE) configured for operation in a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) network, a computer program for execution by a processing circuit of a user equipment (UE) configured for operation in a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) network, and an apparatus for a g-node B (gNB) configured for operation in a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) network

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) configured for multiple transmit / receive point (M-TRP) operation in a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) network with DCI-activated PUCCH repetitions with TX beam cycling may multiplex UCI onto a PUSCH transmission scheduled on a first TRP, multiplex UCI onto a PUSCH transmission scheduled on a second TRP, and drop the PUCCH repetition when a first repetition of PUCCH overlaps a PUSCH transmission scheduled on a first TRP and a second repetition of PUCCH overlaps a PUSCH transmission scheduled on a second TRP. Timeline conditions may also need to be met to multiplex UCI and drop the PUCCH repetition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Priority Claim] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 248,302 (Reference No. AD9083-Z), filed on September 24, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 249,473 (Reference No. AD9084-Z), filed on September 28, 2021, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0002] Embodiments relate to wireless communication. Some embodiments relate to wireless networks including 5th generation (5G) networks including 3GPP (Registered Trademark) (3rd Generation Partnership Project) and 5G New Radio (NR) (or 5G-NR) networks. Some embodiments relate to 6th generation (6G) networks. Some embodiments relate to multi-transmit receive point (M-TRP) operation.

Background Art

[0003] Mobile communication has evolved significantly from early voice systems to today's highly sophisticated integrated communication platforms. 5G, or New Radio (NR), the next-generation wireless communication system, provides access to information and sharing of data anywhere, anytime, for various users and applications. NR is expected to be an integrated network / system designed to meet widely different, and sometimes conflicting, performance aspects and services.

[0004] Such diverse multi-dimensional requirements are driven by different services and applications. Generally, NR is developed based on 3GPP LTE-Advanced with additional potential new radio access technologies (RATs) to enrich people's lives with better, simpler, and seamless wireless connectivity solutions. With NR, everything will be wirelessly connectable, and high-speed and rich content and services will be provided.

[0005] In the case of 5G systems, high-frequency band communication has attracted great attention from the industry because it can provide a wider bandwidth to support future integrated communication systems. Beamforming is an important technology for the implementation of high-frequency band communication due to the fact that the beamforming gain can compensate for the severe path loss caused by atmospheric attenuation, improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and expand the coverage area. By aligning the transmission beam with the target UE, the radiated energy is concentrated, the energy efficiency is improved, and the interference between UEs is suppressed.

[0006] One problem regarding 5G NR communication, especially high-frequency band communication, is the efficient use of channel resources for multi-transmit and receive point (M-TRP) operation. This is particularly a problem for the repetition of the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and the repetition of the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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Figure 1A

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[0016] The following description and drawings fully illustrate specific embodiments so that those skilled in the art can implement the embodiments. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, and other changes. Some parts and features of some embodiments may be included in or replaced by those of other embodiments. The multiple embodiments described in the multiple claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims.

[0017] Some embodiments are directed to a user equipment (UE) configured for multi-transmit receive point (M-TRP) operation in a 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR) network with physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) repetitions activated by downlink control information (DCI) in transmission (TX) beam cycling. In these embodiments, when the first repetition of the PUCCH overlaps with a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission scheduled for a first transmit receive point (TRP) and the second repetition of the PUCCH overlaps with a PUSCH transmission scheduled for a second TRP, the UE may multiplex uplink control information (UCI) on the PUSCH transmission scheduled for the first TRP, multiplex the UCI on the PUSCH transmission scheduled for the second TRP, or drop the PUCCH repetitions. Time line conditions may also need to be met in order to multiplex the UCI and drop the PUCCH repetitions. These embodiments and other embodiments are described in more detail below.

[0018] FIG. 1A shows a network architecture according to some embodiments. Network 140A is shown to include user equipment (UE) 101 and UE 102. UE 101 and 102 are shown as smartphones (e.g., handheld touch screen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device such as a personal data assistant (PDA (registered trademark)), pager, laptop computer, desktop computer, wireless handset, drone, or any other computing device including wired and / or wireless communication interfaces. UE 101 and 102 may be collectively referred to herein as UE 101, and UE 101 can be used to execute one or more of the techniques disclosed herein.

[0019] Any of the wireless links described herein (e.g., as used in Network 140A or any other indicated network) may operate according to any exemplary wireless communication technology and / or standard.

[0020] LTE and LTE-Advanced are standards for wireless communication of high-speed data for UEs such as mobile phones. In LTE-Advanced and various wireless systems, carrier aggregation is a technique by which multiple carrier signals operating on different frequencies can be used to carry communication for a single UE, and thus the bandwidth available to a single device is increased. In some embodiments, carrier aggregation may be used when one or more component carriers operate on unlicensed frequencies.

[0021] The embodiments described herein can be used in the context of any spectrum management scheme, including, for example, dedicated licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, (licensed) shared spectrum such as Licensed Shared Access (LSA) in the 2.3 - 2.4 GHz, 3.4 - 3.6 GHz, 3.6 - 3.8 GHz, and further frequencies, and Spectrum Access System (SAS) in the 3.55 - 3.7 GHz and further frequencies.

[0022] The embodiments described herein can also be applied, in particular, to 3GPP NR (New Radio) by allocating OFDM carrier data bit vectors to corresponding symbol resources in different single carriers or OFDM flavors (such as CP - OFDM, SC - FDMA, SC - OFDM, filter bank - based multicarrier (FBMC), OFDMA, etc.).

[0023] In some embodiments, either of UE101 and UE102 can include an Internet of Things (IoT) UE or a Cellular IoT (CIoT) UE, which can include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications using temporary UE connections. In some embodiments, either of UE101 and UE102 can include a NarrowBand (NB) IoT UE (such as, for example, an Extended NB-IoT (eNB-IoT) UE and a Further Extended (FeNB-IoT) UE). The IoT UE can utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communication (MTC) that exchange data with an MTC server or device via a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), proximity-based services (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, a sensor network, or an IoT network. The M2M or MTC exchange of data can be a machine-initiated exchange of data. The IoT network includes interconnecting IoT UEs, which can include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) having temporary connections. The IoT UE can execute background applications (such as, for example, keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connection to the IoT network.

[0024] In some embodiments, either of UE101 and UE102 can include an Extended MTC (eMTC) UE or a Further Extended MTC (FeMTC) UE.

[0025] UEs 101 and 102 may be configured to be communicatively coupled, for example, to be connected to a radio access network (RAN) 110. The RAN 110 may be, for example, an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. UEs 101 and 102 each utilize connections 103 and 104, each of which includes a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in more detail below); in this example, connections 103 and 104 are shown as air interfaces enabling a communicative coupling and may comply with cellular communication protocols such as the global system for mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)) protocol, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a push-to-talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over cellular (POC) protocol, a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) protocol, a fifth generation (5G) protocol, a new radio (NR) protocol, and the like.

[0026] In an aspect, UEs 101 and 102 may further directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface 105. The ProSe interface 105 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface including one or more logical channels including, but not limited to, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH).

[0027] UE102 is shown as being configured to access access point (AP) 106 via connection 107. Connection 107 can include, for example, a local wireless connection such as a connection compliant with any IEEE802.11 protocol by which AP106 can include a Wi-Fi router. In this example, AP106 is shown as being connected to the Internet without being connected to the core network of the wireless system (described in more detail below).

[0028] RAN110 can include one or more access nodes that enable connections 103 and 104. These access nodes (ANs) can be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next-generation NodeBs (gNBs), RAN nodes, etc., and can include terrestrial stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographical area (e.g., a cell). In some embodiments, communication nodes 111 and 112 can be transmission and reception points (TRPs). In the case where communication nodes 111 and 112 are NodeBs (e.g., eNBs or gNBs), one or more TRPs can function within the communication cell of the NodeB. RAN110 can include one or more RAN nodes that provide macrocells, e.g., macro RAN node 111, and one or more RAN nodes that provide femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having a smaller coverage area, a smaller user capacity, or a higher bandwidth compared to a macrocell), e.g., low-power (LP) RAN node 112.

[0029] Either of RAN nodes 111 and 112 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be a first contact point to UEs 101 and 102. In some embodiments, either of RAN nodes 111 and 112 can perform various logical functions for RAN 110, including, but not limited to, radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management, such as radio network controller (RNC) functions. In one example, any of nodes 111 and / or 112 can be a next-generation node B (gNB), evolved node B (eNB), or another type of RAN node.

[0030] RAN 110 is shown as communicatively coupled to core network (CN) 120 via S1 interface 113. In an embodiment, CN 120 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, NextGen packet core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN (e.g., as shown with reference to FIGS. 1B - 1C). In this aspect, S1 interface 113 is split into two parts: S1-U interface 114, which carries traffic data between RAN nodes 111 and 112 and serving gateway (S-GW) 122, and S1-mobility management entity (MME) interface 115, which is a signaling interface between RAN nodes 111 and 112 and MME 121.

[0031] In this embodiment, CN120 includes a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 121, a Serving Gateway (S-GW) 122, a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) 123, and a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 124. The MME 121 may be functionally similar to the control plane of a legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN). The MME 121 may manage mobility embodiments in access such as gateway selection and Tracking Area List management. The HSS 124 may include a database for network users that contains subscription-related information to support the handling of communication sessions by network entities. CN120 may include one or several HSSs 124 depending on the number of mobile subscribers, device capacity, network configuration, etc. For example, the HSS 124 may be able to provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, name / address resolution, location dependency, etc.

[0032] The S-GW 122 may terminate the S1 interface 113 towards the RAN 110 and route data packets between the RAN 110 and the CN 120. Further, the S-GW 122 may be a local mobility anchor point for RAN node-to-node handovers and may also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other roles of the S-GW 122 may include lawful interception, charging, and any policy enforcement.

[0033] P-GW 123 can terminate the SGi interface towards the PDN. P-GW 123 can route data packets between the EPC network 120 and an external network such as a network including an application server 184 (alternatively referred to as an Application Function (AF)) via the Internet Protocol (IP) interface 125. P-GW 123 can also communicate data to other external networks 131A, which can include the Internet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, and other networks. Generally, the application server 184 can be an element that provides an application using IP bearer resources together with a core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Service (PS) domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). In this aspect, P-GW 123 is shown as being communicatively coupled to the application server 184 via the IP interface 125. The application server 184 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) session, Push-to-Talk (PTT) session, group communication session, social networking service, etc.) for UEs 101 and 102 via the CN 120.

[0034] P-GW 123 can further be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. The Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 126 is the policy and charging control element of the CN 120. In a non-roaming scenario, in some embodiments, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with the Internet Protocol connectivity access network (IP-CAN) session of the UE. In a roaming scenario using traffic local breakout, there may be two PCRFs associated with the UE's IP-CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within the HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within the Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 126 may be communicatively coupled to the application server 184 via the P-GW 123.

[0035] In some embodiments, the communication network 140A can be an IoT network or a 5G network including a 5G New Radio network that uses communication in licensed (5G NR) and unlicensed (5G NR-U) spectrums. One of the current enablements of IoT is Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT).

[0036] The NG system architecture can include the RAN 110 and the 5G Network Core (5GC) 120. The NG-RAN 110 can include multiple nodes such as gNBs and NG-eNBs. The core network 120 (e.g., 5G core network or 5GC) can include an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and / or a User Plane Function (UPF). The AMF and UPF can be communicatively coupled to the gNBs and NG-eNBs via the NG interface. More specifically, in some embodiments, the gNBs and NG-eNBs can be connected to the AMF by the NG-C interface and to the UPF by the NG-U interface. The gNBs and NG-eNBs can be coupled to each other via the Xn interface.

[0037] In some embodiments, the NG system architecture can use reference points between various nodes as provided by 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.501 (e.g., V15.4.0, December 2018). In some embodiments, each of the gNB and the NG-eNB can be implemented as a base station, a mobile edge server, a small cell, a home eNB, etc. In some embodiments, in the 5G architecture, the gNB can be a master node (MN), and the NG-eNB can be a secondary node (SN).

[0038] Figure 1B is a diagram showing a non-roaming 5G system architecture according to some embodiments. Referring to Figure 1B, a 5G system architecture 140B is shown in reference point representation. More specifically, the UE 102 can communicate with the RAN 110 and one or more other 5G Core (5GC) network entities. The 5G system architecture 140B includes a plurality of network functions (NFs) such as an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 132, a Session Management Function (SMF) 136, a Policy Control Function (PCF) 148, an Application Function (AF) 150, a User Plane Function (UPF) 134, a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 142, an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 144, and an Integrated Data Management (UDM) / Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 146. The UPF 134 can provide a connection to a Data Network (DN) 152, and the connection can include, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. The AMF 132 can be used to manage access control and mobility and can also include a network slice selection function. The SMF 136 can be configured to set up and manage various sessions according to network policies. The UPF 134 can be deployed in one or more configurations according to the desired service type. The PCF 148 can be configured to provide a policy framework using network slicing, mobility management, and roaming (similar to the PCRF in a 4G communication system). The UDM can be configured to store subscriber profiles and data (similar to the HSS in a 4G communication system).

[0039] In some embodiments, the 5G system architecture 140B includes an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 168B and a plurality of IP multimedia core network subsystem entities such as a Call Session Control Function (CSCF). More specifically, the IMS 168B includes a CSCF, which can function as a Proxy CSCF (P-CSCF) 162BE, a Serving CSCF (S-CSCF) 164B, an Emergency CSCF (E-CSCF) (not shown in FIG. 1B), or an Interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 166B. The P-CSCF 162B can be configured to be the first point of contact for the UE 102 within the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 168B. The S-CSCF 164B can be configured to handle the session state in the network, and the E-CSCF can be configured to handle certain embodiments of emergency sessions such as routing an emergency request to the correct emergency center or PSAP. The I-CSCF 166B can be configured to function as a point of contact within the operator's network for all IMS connections destined for a subscriber of the network operator or a roaming subscriber currently located within the service area of that network operator. In some embodiments, the I-CSCF 166B can connect to another IP multimedia network 170E, for example, an IMS operated by a different network operator.

[0040] In some embodiments, the UDM / HSS 146 can be coupled to an Application Server 160E, which can include a Telephony Application Server (TAS) or another Application Server (AS). The AS 160B can be coupled to the IMS 168B via the S-CSCF 164B or the I-CSCF 166B.

[0041] The reference point representation indicates that an interaction can exist between the corresponding NF services. For example, FIG. 1B shows the following reference points: N1 (between UE 102 and AMF 132), N2 (between RAN 110 and AMF 132), N3 (between RAN 110 and UPF 134), N4 (between SMF 136 and UPF 134), N5 (between PCF 148 and AF 150, not shown), N6 (between UPF 134 and DN 152), N7 (between SMF 136 and PCF 148, not shown), N8 (between UDM 146 and AMF 132, not shown), N9 (between two UPFs 134, not shown), N10 (between UDM 146 and SMF 136, not shown), N11 (between AMF 132 and SMF 136, not shown), N12 (between AUSF 144 and AMF 132, not shown), N13 (between AUSF 144 and UDM 146, not shown), N14 (between two AMF 132s, not shown), N15 (between PCF 148 and AMF 132 in a non-roaming scenario or between PCF 148 and the visited network and AMF 132 in a roaming scenario, not shown), N16 (between two SMFs, not shown), and N22 (between AMF 132 and NSSF 142, not shown). Other reference point representations not shown in FIG. 1B can also be used.

[0042] FIG. 1C shows a 5G system architecture 140C and a service-based representation. In addition to the network entities shown in FIG. 1B, the system architecture 140C can also include a Network Exposure Function (NEF) 154 and a Network Repository Function (NRF) 156. In some embodiments, the 5G system architecture can be service-based, and the interaction between network functions can be represented by the corresponding point-to-point reference point Ni or as a service-based interface.

[0043] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1C, the service-based representation can be used to represent network functions within the control plane that enable other authorized network functions to access those services. In this regard, the 5G system architecture 140C can include the following service-based interfaces: Namf 158H (service-based interface presented by AMF 132), Nsmf 158I (service-based interface presented by SMF 136), Nnef 158B (service-based interface presented by NEF 154), Npcf 158D (service-based interface presented by PCF 148), Nudm 158E (service-based interface presented by UDM 146), Naf 158F (service-based interface presented by AF 150), Nnrf 158C (service-based interface presented by NRF 156), Nnssf 158A (service-based interface presented by NSSF 142), Nausf 158G (service-based interface presented by AUSF 144). Other service-based interfaces not shown in FIG. 1C (e.g., Nudr, N5g-eir, and Nudsf) can also be used.

[0044] In some embodiments, any of the UEs or base stations described in connection with FIGS. 1A - 1C can be configured to perform the functions described herein.

[0045]

[0046] The Rel-15 NR system is designed to operate on licensed spectrum. NR Unlicensed (NR-U), which is an abbreviation for NR access to unlicensed spectrum, is a technology that enables the operation of the NR system on unlicensed spectrum.

[0047] Figure 2 shows the transmit-receive point (TRP) operation according to some embodiments. Figure 2 shows the transmission of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from multiple transmit-receive points (TRPs) according to some embodiments. The multiple TRPs may also be configured for the transmission of multiple physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs). The UE may also be configured for the transmission of multiple physical uplink control channels (PUCCHs) and multiple physical uplink shared channels (PUSCHs) to the multiple TRPs. These embodiments are described in more detail below.

[0048] Figure 3A shows the overlap between multi-slot PUCCH and multi-slot PUSCH according to some embodiments.

[0049] Figure 3B shows the UCI multiplexing for M-TRP operation according to some embodiments.

[0050] Figure 3C shows the UCI and A-CSI multiplexing for M-TRP operation according to some embodiments.

[0051] Figure 3D shows the UCI multiplexing of single-TRP PUCCH transmission and repetition of M-TRP PUSCH for M-TRP operation according to some embodiments.

[0052] Figure 3E shows the UCI and A-CSI multiplexing of single-TRP PUCCH transmission and repetition of M-TRP PUSCH for M-TRP operation according to some embodiments.

[0053] In NR, within one slot, the short physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) (PUCCH formats 0 and 2) can span 1 or 2 symbols, and the long PUCCH (PUCCH formats 1, 3, and 4) can span 4 to 14 symbols. Further, in Rel-15, the long PUCCH can span multiple slots to further enhance coverage. It should be noted that, as defined in NR, uplink control information (UCI) can be carried by the PUCCH or the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). In particular, UCI can include a scheduling request (SR), a hybrid automatic repeat request - acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback, a channel state information (CSI) report, e.g., a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), a CSI resource indicator (CRI), and a rank indicator (RI), and / or beam-related information (e.g., L1-RSRP (layer 1 - reference signal received power)).

[0054] Further, if a single-slot PUCCH within one slot overlaps with the repetition of a multi-slot PUSCH, and the time-line requirements of the overlapping slots are met, the UCI is multiplexed on the PUSCH of the overlapping slots and the single-slot PUCCH is dropped. Further, if the repetition of the multi-slot PUCCH temporally overlaps with the repetition of a single / multi-slot PUSCH, and the time-line requirements within the overlapping slots are met, multiple PUSCHs are dropped without delay in the overlapping slots.

[0055] FIG. 3A shows an example of the overlap between a multi-slot PUCCH and a multi-slot PUSCH according to some embodiments. In the example, 4 and 2 repetitions are used for PUCCH transmission and PUSCH transmission, respectively. Further, the repetition of the PUSCH overlaps with the repetition of the PUCCH in slot #1 and slot #2. If the time-line requirements are met, the repetitions of the PUSCH in slot #1 and slot #2 are dropped.

[0056] In the case of M-TRP operation, different transmission beams can be applied to the PUCCH repetition and the PUSCH repetition in order to utilize the advantages of spatial diversity. In particular, the beam mapping pattern between the repetition and the TRP can be either periodic mapping or sequential mapping. Note that beam cycling can be applied to PUSCH repetition types A and B. In the case of PUSCH repetition B, different beams are applied to multiple nominal repetitions.

[0057] It should be noted that when beam cycling is applied to the PUCCH repetition and the PUSCH repetition for M-TRP operation, and when the PUCCH repetition and the PUSCH repetition overlap in time, the PUSCH repetition may not necessarily be dropped in order to avoid wasting resources. In particular, consider the TDD configuration of the DL heavy pattern. In this case, a specific mechanism may need to be considered to enable UCI multiplexing on the PUSCH repetition.

[0058] The embodiments disclosed herein propose a mechanism for UCI multiplexing for M-TRP operation. The UCI multiplexing for M-TRP operation described above can apply different transmission beams to the PUCCH repetition and the PUSCH repetition in order to utilize the advantages of spatial diversity in the case of M-TRP operation. In particular, the beam mapping pattern between the repetition and the TRP can be either periodic mapping or sequential mapping.

[0059] Note that beam cycling can be applied to PUSCH repetition types A and B. In the case of PUSCH repetition type B, different beams are applied to multiple nominal repetitions. When beam cycling is applied to PUCCH repetition for M-TRP operation and PUSCH repetition, and when PUCCH repetition and PUSCH repetition overlap in time, it should be noted that the PUSCH repetition may not be dropped to avoid wasting resources. In particular, consider the TDD configuration of the DL heavy pattern. In this case, a specific mechanism may need to be considered to enable UCI multiplexing on the PUSCH repetition.

[0060] Embodiments of UCI multiplexing for M-TRP operation are provided as follows: In one embodiment, for M-TRP operation, when different Tx beams are applied to two PUCCH repetitions, and when different Tx beams are applied to two or more PUSCH repetitions, if the PUCCH repetition targeting a TRP overlaps with the PUSCH targeting the same TRP within one slot, and the timeline requirements of the overlapping slots are met, the UCI held by the PUCCH is multiplexed onto the PUSCH of the overlapping slots, and the PUCCH is dropped.

[0061] Figure 3B shows an example of UCI multiplexing for M-TRP operation. In this example, in slot #0, the PUCCH repetition to TRP#0 overlaps with the PUSCH repetition to TRP#0, and in slot #1, the PUCCH repetition to TRP#1 overlaps with the PUSCH repetition to TRP#1. In this case, in slot #0, the UCI held by the PUCCH is multiplexed onto the PUSCH to TRP#0, and in slot #1, the UCI held by the PUCCH is multiplexed onto the PUSCH to TRP#1. Further, the PUCCH repetitions to TRP#0 and TRP#1 are dropped.

[0062] In another embodiment, for M-TRP operation, when different Tx beams are applied to two repetitions of PUCCH, and different Tx beams are applied to two repetitions of PUSCH that hold aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI), if the repetition of PUCCH targeting a TRP overlaps with the PUSCH targeting the same TRP within one slot and the timeline requirements of the overlapping slots are met, the UCI and A-CSI held by the PUCCH are multiplexed onto the PUSCH of the overlapping slots and the PUCCH is dropped. Note that the same mechanism can also be applied when semi-persistent CSI (SP-CSI) on the PUSCH in the case of M-TRP operation overlaps with the PUCCH.

[0063] Figure 3C shows an example of UCI and A-CSI multiplexing for M-TRP operation. In this example, in slot #0, the repetition of PUCCH to TRP#0 overlaps with the repetition of PUSCH to TRP#0, and in slot #1, the repetition of PUCCH to TRP#1 overlaps with the repetition of PUSCH to TRP#1. In this case, in slot #0, the UCI and A-CSI held by the PUCCH are multiplexed onto the PUSCH to TRP#0, and in slot #1, the UCI and A-CSI held by the PUCCH are multiplexed onto the PUSCH to TRP#1. Further, the repetitions of PUCCH to TRP#0 and TRP#1 are dropped. Note that the same mechanism can also be applied when semi-persistent CSI (SP-CSI) on the PUSCH in the case of M-TRP operation overlaps with the PUCCH.

[0064] In another embodiment, for single-TRP PUCCH transmission and repetition of M-TRP PUSCH, when applied to two PUCCH transmissions in which different Tx beams hold different UCIs, and when different Tx beams are applied to repetitions of two or more PUSCHs, if the PUCCH transmission targeted at a TRP overlaps with the PUSCH targeted at the same TRP within one slot and the timeline requirements of the overlapping slots are met, the UCI held by the PUCCH is multiplexed onto the PUSCH of the overlapping slots and the PUCCH is dropped.

[0065] Figure 3D shows an example of two different UCI multiplexings (in two single-TRP PUCCHs respectively) for single-TRP PUCCH transmission and repetition of M-TRP PUSCH. In this example, in slot #0, PUCCH #0 holding UCI#0 to TRP#0 overlaps with the repetition of the PUSCH to TRP#0, and in slot #1, PUCCH #1 holding UCI#1 to TRP#1 overlaps with the repetition of the PUSCH to TRP#1. In this case, in slot #0, UCI#0 held by PUCCH#0 is multiplexed onto the PUSCH to TRP#0, and in slot #1, UCI#1 held by PUCCH#1 is multiplexed onto the PUSCH to TRP#1. Further, PUCCH #0 and #1 to TRP#0 and TRP#1 are each dropped.

[0066] In another embodiment, for single TRP PUCCH transmission and M-TRP PUSCH repetition, when applied to two PUCCH transmissions where different Tx beams hold different UCI, and when applied to two PUSCH repetitions where different Tx beams hold aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI), if the PUCCH transmission targeting a TRP overlaps with the PUSCH targeting the same TRP within one slot and the timeline requirements of the overlapping slots are met, the UCI and A-CSI held by the PUCCH are multiplexed onto the PUSCH of the overlapping slots, and the PUCCH is dropped.

[0067] Figure 3E shows an example of multiplexing two different UCI and A-CSI (in two single TRP PUCCHs respectively) for single TRP PUCCH transmission and M-TRP PUSCH repetition. In this example, in slot #0, PUCCH#0 holding UCI#0 to TRP#0 overlaps with the repetition of the PUSCH to TRP#0, and in slot #1, PUCCH#1 holding UCI#1 to TRP#1 overlaps with the repetition of the PUSCH to TRP#1. In this case, in slot #0, the UCI#0 and A-CSI held by PUCCH#0 are multiplexed onto the PUSCH to TRP#0, and in slot #1, the UCI#1 and A-CSI held by PUCCH#1 are multiplexed onto the PUSCH to TRP#1. Further, PUCCH #0 and #1 to TRP#0 and TRP#1 are each dropped.

[0068] It should be noted that the above embodiments can be directly extended when single TRP PUSCH transmission overlaps with the repetition of M-TRP PUCCH. The PUSCH may be used to carry A-CSI or SP-CSI. It should also be noted that the same mechanism can be applied when the semi-persistent CSI (SP-CSI) on the PUSCH overlaps with the PUCCH in the case of single TRP PUCCH transmission and the repetition of M-TRP PUSCH. It should be noted that the above embodiments are applicable to the repetition types A and B of PUSCH, or the dynamic grant-based PUSCH (DG-PUSCH) and the configured grant PUSCH (CG-PUSCH).

[0069] In another embodiment, the beam of the PUSCH is indicated by the sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicator (SRI) field in the DCI. In the case of PUCCH, the DCI indicates the PUCCH resource indicator corresponding to the PUCCH resource having a specific pucch-resource ID. This pucch-resource ID is associated with the PUCCH spatial relation information via the MAC CE. And this PUCCH spatial relation information can be the SSB-Index, CSI-RS index or SRS indicated to the RRC. Generally, the UE can determine whether the PUSCH and PUCCH are transmitted towards the same TRP based on the spatial relation between the SRS and other reference signals such as CSI-RS and SSB, as shown in the SRS spatial relation information structure of the SRS resource in the following RRC configuration.

Table 1

[0070] In some embodiments, the timeline requirement may be the timeline condition described in section 9.2.5 of 3GPP TS38.213, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this regard. 3GPP TS38.213 v16.6.0 (June 30, 2021) is incorporated herein by reference. 3GPP TS38.214 v16.6.0 (June 30, 2021) is incorporated herein by reference.

[0071] For the case of SP-CSI reports regarding the repeated types A and B of mTRP PUSCH activated by DCI, support the use of a similar mechanism as A-CSI multiplexing on M-TRP PUSCH without TB, which includes the following - When the SP-CSI is multiplexed on the M-TRP PUSCH, the SP-CSI is multiplexed on two repetitions associated with two TRPs, and the number of repetitions is always considered to be 2 regardless of the indicated value. - For the case of the repeated type A of mTRP PUSCH, or for the first PUSCH after the activation of the repeated type B of PUSCH, reuse the same conditions to support SP-CSI multiplexing on the M-TRP PUSCH as defined by A-CSI multiplexing on the M-TRP PUSCH, that is, 〇 The UE is expected to follow the above operations to transmit the SP-CSI on two repetitions of the PUSCH only in the following cases · For the first PUSCH after the activation of the repeated type B of PUSCH, it is expected that the first and second nominal repetitions are the same as the first and second actual repetitions respectively (without segmentation). · For the repeated types A and B of PUSCH, UCI other than the SP-CSI is not multiplexed on any of the two repetitions of the PUSCH. 〇 If the UE does not follow the above operations, the UE transmits the SP-CSI only on the first repetition of the first PUSCH, similar to Rel.15 / 16. For subsequent PUSCH after activation of repetitive type B of - PUSCH (no corresponding PDCCH), use the following criteria 〇 If the first / second nominal repetition is not the same as the first / second actual repetition, the first / second nominal repetition is dropped · If neither the first nor the second nominal repetition is dropped, SP-CSI is multiplexed on that repetition 〇 Otherwise (the first and second nominal repetitions are the same as the first and second actual repetitions) · If UCI other than SP-CSI is not multiplexed on any of the two PUSCH repetitions, SP-CSI is multiplexed on both repetitions · Otherwise, the UE transmits SP-CSI only on the first repetition of the first PUSCH (the second repetition is dropped), similar to Rel.15 / 16

[0072] For s-DCI-based multi-TRP PUSCH repetitive types A and B, when there is no TB retained in the PUSCH, support transmitting A-CSI on the first repetition of the first PUSCH corresponding to the first beam and on the first repetition of the first PUSCH corresponding to the second beam. The UE assumes that the number of repetitions is 2 regardless of the number of repetitions shown · The UE is expected to follow the above operation to transmit A-CSI on the two PUSCH repetitions only in the following cases 〇 For repetitive type B of PUSCH, it is expected that the first and second nominal repetitions are the same as the first and second actual repetitions respectively (no segmentation) 〇 For repetitive types A and B of PUSCH, UCI other than A-CSI is not multiplexed on any of the two PUSCH repetitions · If the UE does not follow the above operation, the UE transmits A-CSI only on the first repetition of the first PUSCH, similar to Rel.15 / 16 · Note: The initial A-CSI scheduling offset should satisfy the Z and Z' requirements.

[0073] Some embodiments are directed to a user equipment (UE) configured for multi-transmit receive point (M-TRP) operation in a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) or 6G network. In these embodiments, the UE may be configured to decode downlink control information (DCI) to activate physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) repetitions with transmission (TX) beam cycling. As shown in FIG. 3B, the PUCCH repetitions with TX beam cycling may include a first repetition 302 of the PUCCH for holding uplink control information (UCI) for transmission to a first TRP 202 (see FIG. 2) using a first TX beam in a first slot 322 (i.e., slot #0) (see FIG. 3B), and a second repetition 304 of the PUCCH for holding UCI for transmission to a second TRP 204 (see FIG. 2)) using a second TX beam in a second slot 324 (i.e., slot #1).

[0074] In these embodiments, the UE may be configured to determine whether the first repetition 302 of the PUCCH overlaps with the scheduled physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission 306 to the first TRP in the first slot 322, and whether the second repetition 304 of the PUCCH in the second slot 324 overlaps with the scheduled PUSCH transmission 308 to the second TRP. In these embodiments, if the first repetition of the PUCCH in the first slot overlaps with the scheduled PUSCH transmission to the first TRP in the first slot, and if the second repetition of the PUCCH in the second slot overlaps with the scheduled PUSCH transmission to the second TRP, the UE may be configured to multiplex the UCI on the scheduled PUSCH transmission 316 in the first slot for transmission to the first TRP using the first TX beam. The UE may also multiplex the UCI on the scheduled PUSCH transmission 318 in the second slot for transmission to the second TRP using the second TX beam. In these embodiments, the UE may also be configured to drop the first and second repetitions of the PUCCH (i.e., avoid transmitting the first repetition of the PUCCH in the first slot and avoid transmitting the second repetition of the PUCCH in the second slot).

[0075] In some embodiments, the UE may determine whether the time-line condition is at least partially satisfied when either the first repetition of the PUCCH in the first slot or the first symbol S0 of the PUSCH transmission in the first slot is not before a symbol with a cyclic prefix (CP) that starts after the last symbol of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reception. In these embodiments, when the time-line condition is satisfied, the UE may multiplex UCI on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot to transmit to the first TRP using the first TX beam, multiplex UCI on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot to transmit to the second TRP using the second TX beam, and drop the first and second repetitions of the PUCCH.

[0076] In some embodiments, the UCI comprises a plurality of UCI types, and the plurality of DCI types are indicated or activated by DCI formats. In these embodiments, the plurality of UCI types may be multiplexed on the PUSCH.

[0077] In some embodiments, the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot and the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot are non-When there are repetitions of two PUSCHs that hold one of periodic channel state information (A-CSI) and semi-persistent CSI (SP-CSI), and when the first repetition 302 of the PUCCH in the first slot 322 overlaps with the scheduled PUSCH transmission 326 to the first TRP in the first slot 322, and when the second repetition 304 of the PUCCH in the second slot 324 overlaps with the scheduled PUSCH transmission 328 to the second TRP, the UE may multiplex UCI and one of A-CSI and SP-CSI on the scheduled PUSCH transmission 336 in the first slot 322 to transmit to the first TRP using the first TX beam, and multiplex UCI and one of A-CSI and SP-CSI on the scheduled PUSCH transmission 338 in the second slot 324 to transmit to the second TRP using the second TX beam. In these embodiments, the UE may also drop the first and second repetitions of the PUCCH. An example of this is shown in FIG. 3C.

[0078] In some embodiments, the repetition of the PUSCH may be PUSCH repetition type A or PUSCH repetition type B. In these embodiments, the scheduled PUSCH transmission may be one of a configured grant PUSCH (CG-PUSCH) transmission and a dynamic grant-based PUSCH (DG-PUSCH) transmission. In these embodiments, in PUSCH repetition type A, each slot includes only one repetition, and the time domain of the repetition of the transport block (TB) is the same in those slots. In PUSCH repetition type B, since the repetition is performed in consecutive mini-slots, one slot may include multiple repetitions of the TB. In DG transmission, the UE transmits a scheduling request (SR) to the gNB and receives a UL grant together with the resource allocation. In CG transmission, the UE transmits UL data in the configured resources without transmitting an SR and a UL grant, so the latency is reduced by using CG transmission.

[0079] In some embodiments, the UE may determine whether the repetition of the PUCCH and the scheduled PUSCH transmission are directionally transmitted towards the same TRP based on the spatial relationship between the sounding reference signal (SRS), and one or more other reference signals including at least one of the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) and the synchronization signal / PBCH block (SSB). In these embodiments, the TX beam of the PUSCH may be indicated in the sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicator (SRI) field in the DCI. For the PUCCH, the DCI may indicate a PUCCH resource indicator corresponding to the PUCCH resource having a specific pucch-resource ID. This pucch-resource ID is associated with the PUCCH spatial relationship information via the MAC CE, and the PUCCH spatial relationship information may be the SRS, SSB-Index, or CSI-RS index indicated in the RRC signal.

[0080] In some embodiments, the UE may apply transmit beamforming to generate a first TX beam in the direction of a first TRP for a scheduled PUSCH transmission 316 in a first slot. In these embodiments, the UE may also apply transmit beamforming to generate a second TX beam in the direction of a second TRP for a scheduled PUSCH transmission 318 in a second slot. In some embodiments, the UE may use two or more antennas for directional beamforming.

[0081] In some embodiments, if the first repetition of the PUCCH in the first slot does not overlap with the scheduled PUSCH transmission, and if the second repetition of the PUCCH in the second slot does not overlap with the scheduled PUSCH transmission, the UE may transmit the first and second repetitions of the PUCCH with UCI to each of the first and second TRPs, and transmit the scheduled PUSCH transmission to each of the first and second TRPs without multiplexing UCI thereto.

[0082] In some embodiments, if the timeline condition is not met, or if the first repetition of the PUCCH in the first slot does not overlap with the scheduled PUSCH transmission, and if the second repetition of the PUCCH in the second slot does not overlap with the scheduled PUSCH transmission, the UE may avoid multiplexing UCI on the PUSCH transmission scheduled in the first slot for transmission to the first TRP using the first TX beam, avoid multiplexing UCI on the PUSCH transmission scheduled in the second slot for transmission to the second TRP using the second TX beam, and avoid dropping the first and second repetitions of the PUCCH, but the scope of the plurality of embodiments is not limited in this regard.

[0083] In some embodiments, in M-TRP operation, the processing circuitry configures the UE to communicate with a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) node (i.e., a gNodeB or gNB) comprising a plurality of spatially diverse transmit and receive points (TRPs). In some embodiments, the repetition of the PUCCH in TX beam cycling may be activated DCI. In some other embodiments, the RRC signal may configure the UE for the repetition of the PUCCH in TX beam cycling.

[0084] In some embodiments, the UE may encode data for transmission on a scheduled PUSCH transmission. In some embodiments, the UE may decode data from a PDSCH received from both the first and second TRPs. In some embodiments, the memory of the UE may be configured to store UCI.

[0085] Some embodiments are directed to a non - transitory computer - readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a processing circuit of a user equipment (UE) configured for multi - transmit - receive point (M - TRP) operation in a fifth - generation (5G) new radio (NR) or 6G network.

[0086] Some embodiments are directed to a generated node B (gNB) configured for multi - transmit - receive point (M - TRP) operation in a fifth - generation (5G) new radio (NR) or 6G network. In these embodiments, the gNB may comprise a plurality of spatially diverse transmit - receive points (TRPs). In these embodiments, the gNB may encode downlink control information (DCI) for transmission to a user equipment (UE) and activate physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) repetition in transmission (TX) beam cycling by the UE. In these embodiments, the PUCCH repetition in TX beam cycling may include a first repetition 302 of the PUCCH for holding uplink control information (UCI) for transmission to a first TRP 202 (see FIG. 2) using a first TX beam in a first slot 322 (i.e., slot #0) (see FIG. 3B), and a second repetition 304 of the PUCCH for holding UCI for transmission to a second TRP 204 (see FIG. 2)) using a second TX beam in a second slot 324 (i.e., slot #1).

[0087] In these embodiments, when the first repetition 302 of the PUCCH in the first slot 322 overlaps with the scheduled physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission 306 to the first TRP in the first slot, and when the second repetition 304 of the PUCCH in the second slot 324 overlaps with the scheduled PUSCH transmission 308 to the second TRP, the gNB may decode the scheduled PUSCH transmission 316 multiplexed with the UCI in the first slot received from the UE at the first TRP. The gNB may also decode the scheduled PUSCH transmission 318 multiplexed with the UCI in the second slot received from the UE at the second TRP. In these embodiments, the gNB does not expect to receive the UCI on the first and second repetitions of the PUCCH.

[0088] In some of these embodiments, the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot and the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot non- comprise two PUSCH repetitions carrying one of periodic channel state information (A-CSI) and semi-persistent CSI (SP-CSI). In some of these embodiments, the PUSCH repetition is one of PUSCH repetition type A and PUSCH repetition type B. In some of these embodiments, the scheduled PUSCH transmission is one of configured grant PUSCH (CG-PUSCH) transmission and dynamic grant-based PUSCH (DG-PUSCH) transmission.

[0089] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a communication device such as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation Node B (gNB), or a user equipment (UE) according to some embodiments. In an alternative aspect, the communication device 800 may operate as a stand-alone device or may be connected (e.g., network connected) to other communication devices.

[0090] A circuit (e.g., a processing circuit) is a set of circuits implemented in the physical matter of device 800 that includes hardware (e.g., simple circuits, gates, logic, etc.). The membership of the circuit can become flexible over time. The circuit includes members that can perform specific operations during operation, either alone or in combination. In one example, the hardware of the circuit may be designed to be invariant (e.g., hardwired) to perform a specific operation. In one example, the hardware of the circuit includes physically changeable machine-readable media (e.g., magnetically and electrically movable arrangements of massless particles, etc.) that encode instructions for a specific operation, and may include variably connected physical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simple circuits, etc.).

[0091] When connecting physical components, the electrical properties underlying the hardware composition are changed, for example, from an insulator to a conductor or vice versa. By this instruction, the embedded hardware (e.g., an execution unit or a loading mechanism) can create components of a circuit within the hardware via variable connections and execute part of a specific operation during operation. Accordingly, in one example, the elements of the machine-readable media are part of the circuit or are communicatively coupled to other components of the circuit when the device is operating. In one example, any of the physical components can be used by components of multiple circuits. For example, during operation, an execution unit can be used by a first circuit of a first circuit network at one point in time and reused by a second circuit of the first circuit network or by a third circuit of a second circuit network at another point in time. Additional examples of these components with respect to device 800 are as follows.

[0092] In some aspects, device 800 can operate as a stand-alone device or can be connected to other devices (e.g., can be network-connected). In a network-connected deployment, communication device 800 can operate in a server-client network environment as a server communication device, a client communication device, or both. In one example, communication device 800 can operate as a peer communication device in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. Communication device 800 can be a UE, eNB, PC, tablet PC, STB, PDA, mobile phone, smartphone, web appliance, network router, switch or bridge, or any communication device capable of executing (sequentially or otherwise) instructions that specify actions to be performed by the communication device. Further, although only a single communication device is illustrated, the term "communication device" is also to be construed to include any collection of communication devices that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), and other computer cluster configurations.

[0093] As described herein, an example may include or operate on logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. A plurality of modules can be a plurality of physical entities (e.g., hardware) that can perform a plurality of specific operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In one example, a circuit can be arranged as a module in a particular manner (e.g., internally or with respect to an external entity such as another circuit). In one example, all or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., stand-alone, client, or server computer systems) or one or more hardware processors can be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, an application portion, or an application) as a module that operates to perform a particular operation. In one example, the software may be present on a communication device-readable medium. In one example, when the software is executed by the hardware that underlies the module, it causes the hardware to perform a particular operation.

[0094] Accordingly, the term "module" is understood to include a physical entity that operates in a particular manner or is physically constructed, specifically configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transiently) configured (e.g., programmed) to perform some or all of any of the operations described herein. Considering an example where a plurality of modules are temporarily configured, each of the plurality of modules need not be instantiated at any one point in time. For example, if a module includes a general-purpose hardware processor configured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor may be configured as different modules at different points in time. Accordingly, software can configure the hardware processor, e.g., to configure a particular module at one instance time and a different module at a different instance time.

[0095] A communication device (e.g., UE) 800 may include a hardware processor 802 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 804, a static memory 806, and a mass storage 807 (e.g., a hard drive, a tape drive, a flash storage, or other block or storage device), and some or all of them may communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., a bus) 808.

[0096] The communication device 800 may further include a display device 810, an alphanumeric input device 812 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 814 (e.g., a mouse). In one example, the display device 810, the input device 812, and the UI navigation device 814 may be a touch screen display. The communication device 800 may additionally include a signal generation device 818 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 820, and one or more sensors 821 such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or another sensor. The communication device 800 may include an output controller 828, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection) to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader, etc.).

[0097] Storage device 807 may include a communication device-readable medium 822 storing one or more sets of data structures or instructions 824 (e.g., software) that embody or are utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. In some aspects, the registers of processor 802, main memory 804, static memory 806, and / or mass storage 807 may be a device-readable medium 822 storing one or more sets of data structures or instructions 824 that embody or are utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein, and may (wholly or at least partially) include the same. In one example, one or any combination of hardware processor 802, main memory 804, static memory 806, or mass storage 816 may constitute a device-readable medium 822.

[0098] As used herein, the term "device-readable medium" is interchangeable with "computer-readable medium" or "machine-readable medium". Although the communication device-readable medium 822 is shown as a single medium, the term "communication device-readable medium" can include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 824. The term "communication device-readable medium" includes the terms "machine-readable medium" or "computer-readable medium" and can store, encode, or hold instructions (e.g., instructions 824) that are executed by the communication device 800 and cause the communication device 800 to execute any one or more of the various techniques of the present disclosure, or can store, encode, or hold a data structure associated with or used by such instructions. Non-limiting examples of communication device-readable media can include solid state memory, optical media, and magnetic media. Specific examples of communication device-readable media can include non-volatile memory such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; random access memory (RAM); and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, the communication device-readable medium can include a non-transitory communication device-readable medium. In some examples, the communication device-readable medium can include a communication device-readable medium that is not a transitory propagated signal.

[0099] Command 824 may further be transmitted or received over communication network 826 using a transmission medium via a network interface device 820 that utilizes any one of a number of transfer protocols. In one example, network interface device 820 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet®, coaxial jack, or phone jack) for connecting to communication network 826 or one or more antennas. In one example, network interface device 820 may include multiple antennas for wireless communication using at least one of single input multiple output (SIMO), MIMO, or multiple input single output (MISO) technologies. In some examples, network interface device 820 may wirelessly communicate using multiple User MIMO technologies.

[0100] [Multiple examples]

[0101] Example 1 is a system and method of wireless communication for a fifth generation (5G) or New Radio (NR) system: by a User Equipment (UE), determining the same Tx beam for transmission of a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) targeting a Transmission and Reception Point (TRP), by the UE, determining that the PUCCH and the PUSCH overlap at least one symbol within one slot. This example includes multiplexing uplink control information (UCI) on the PUSCH by the UE and dropping the PUCCH transmission by the UE.

[0102] Example 2. In the method of Example 1, when different Tx beams are applied to repetitions of two PUCCHs and when different Tx beams are applied to repetitions of two or more PUSCHs, if the repetition of the PUCCH targeting the TRP overlaps with the PUSCH targeting the same TRP within one slot and the timeline requirements of the overlapping slots are met, the UCI held by the PUCCH is multiplexed on the PUSCH of the overlapping slots and the PUCCH is dropped.

[0103] Example 3. In the method of Example 1, for multi-TRP operation, when different Tx beams are applied to repetitions of two PUCCHs, and different Tx beams are applied to repetitions of two PUSCHs that hold aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI), if the repetition of the PUCCH targeted at the TRP overlaps with the PUSCH targeted at the same TRP within one slot and the timeline requirement of the overlapping slot is met, the UCI and A-CSI held by the PUCCH are multiplexed onto the PUSCH of the overlapping slot and the PUCCH is dropped.

[0104] Example 4. In the method of Example 1, for single-TRP PUCCH transmission and repetitions of multi-TRP PUSCH, when different Tx beams are applied to two PUCCH transmissions that hold different UCI, and when different Tx beams are applied to repetitions of two or more PUSCHs, if the PUCCH transmission targeted at the TRP overlaps with the PUSCH targeted at the same TRP within one slot and the timeline requirement of the overlapping slot is met, the UCI held by the PUCCH is multiplexed onto the PUSCH of the overlapping slot and the PUCCH is dropped.

[0105] Example 5. In the method of Example 1, for single-TRP PUCCH transmission and repetitions of multi-TRP PUSCH, when different Tx beams are applied to two PUCCH transmissions that hold different UCI, and when different Tx beams are applied to repetitions of two PUSCHs that hold aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI), if the PUCCH transmission targeted at the TRP overlaps with the PUSCH targeted at the same TRP within one slot and the timeline requirement of the overlapping slot is met, the UCI and A-CSI held by the PUCCH are multiplexed onto the PUSCH of the overlapping slot and the PUCCH is dropped.

[0106] The abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. § 1.72(b), which requires an abstract that enables the reader to ascertain the essence and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scope or meaning of the claims. The following claims are, therefore, incorporated into the detailed description, and each claim stands on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE) configured for operation in a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) network, comprising: a processing circuit; and a memory, wherein the UE is configured to support repetition of a multi-transmit receive point (M-TRP) physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and the processing circuit is configured to: Decode downlink control information (DCI), the DCI being for activating repetition of the M-TRP PUCCH with transmit (TX) beam cycling, wherein the repetition of the M-TRP PUCCH with TX beam cycling includes a first repetition of the PUCCH for holding uplink control information (UCI) for transmission to a first TRP using a first spatial setting in a first slot, and a second repetition of the PUCCH for holding the UCI for transmission to a second TRP using a second spatial setting in a second slot; Multiplex different UCI types on one PUCCH for different UCI types; Determine whether a timeline condition is satisfied for a first symbol of the first repetition of the PUCCH when the first repetition of the PUCCH in the first slot overlaps with a scheduled physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission to the first TRP in the first slot; and When the timeline condition is satisfied, multiplex the UCI of the different UCI types on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot for transmission to the first TRP using the first spatial setting, and multiplex the UCI on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot for transmission to the second TRP using the second spatial setting. is configured as such, To determine whether the timeline condition is satisfied, the processing circuit is further configured to: configured to determine whether the first symbol of the scheduled PUSCH and the first repetition of the PUCCH in the first slot starts before a symbol with a cyclic prefix (CP) that starts after the last symbol of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reception. Apparatus.

2. When the timeline condition is satisfied and the UCI of the different UCI types is multiplexed on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot and multiplexed on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot, the processing circuit causes the UE to avoid transmitting the first repetition and the second repetition of the PUCCH. The apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The first spatial setting corresponds to a first TX beam transmitted by the UE to the first TRP, and the second spatial setting corresponds to a second TX beam transmitted by the UE to the second TRP. The apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot and the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot include two repetitions of PUSCH that hold aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI). The apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The two repetitions of the PUSCH include repetition type A of M-TRP PUSCH. The apparatus according to claim 4.

6. When the UE is configured to multiplex the different UCI types in one PUCCH, and the second repetition of the PUCCH overlaps with the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot in the second slot, the processing circuit further: determining whether the timeline condition is also satisfied for the first symbol of the second repetition of the scheduled PUSCH and the PUCCH in the second slot; is configured as; The apparatus according to claim 1.

7. When the timeline condition is also satisfied, the processing circuit: multiplexing the UCI of the different UCI types on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot for transmission to the first TRP using the first spatial setting; and, multiplexing the UCI of the different UCI types on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot for transmission to the second TRP using the second spatial setting is configured as; The apparatus according to claim 6.

8. If the UE is configured to multiplex different UCI types in one PUCCH, and the first repetition of the PUCCH in the first slot does not overlap with the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot and the second repetition of the PUCCH in the second slot does not overlap with the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot, the processing circuit: multiplexing the UCI of the different UCI types on the first repetition and the second repetition of the PUCCH for transmission in the first slot and the second slot, respectively; and, configuring the UE to transmit the scheduled PUSCH transmissions in the first slot and the second slot without multiplexing the UCI of the different UCI types; is configured as; The apparatus according to claim 1.

9. When the UE is configured to multiplex different UCI types in one PUCCH, and when the first repetition of the PUCCH in the first slot does not overlap with the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot and the second repetition of the PUCCH in the second slot does not overlap with the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot, the processing circuit: Avoid multiplexing the UCI of the different UCI types on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot for transmission to the first TRP using the first spatial setting; and Avoid multiplexing the UCI of the different UCI types on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot for transmission to the second TRP using the second spatial setting. It is configured as follows. The apparatus according to claim 1.

10. A computer program for execution by a processing circuit of a user equipment (UE) configured for operation in a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) network, where the UE supports repetitions of a multi-transmit receive point (M-TRP) physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), the processing circuit: Decode downlink control information (DCI), the DCI being for activating repetitions of the M-TRP PUCCH with transmit (TX) beam cycling, where the repetitions of the M-TRP PUCCH with TX beam cycling include the first repetition of the PUCCH for holding uplink control information (UCI) for transmission to the first TRP using the first spatial setting in the first slot, and the second repetition of the PUCCH for holding the UCI for transmission to the second TRP using the second spatial setting in the second slot; Multiplex different UCI types in one PUCCH for different UCI types of UCI; Determine whether a timeline condition is satisfied for a first symbol of the first repetition of the PUCCH when the first repetition of the PUCCH in the first slot overlaps with a scheduled Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission to the first TRP in the first slot; and, When the timeline condition is satisfied, multiplex the UCI of the different UCI types on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot for transmission to the first TRP using the first spatial setting, and multiplex the UCI on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot for transmission to the second TRP using the second spatial setting, is configured as follows, To determine whether the timeline condition is satisfied, the processing circuit is further: configured to determine whether the scheduled PUSCH in the first slot and the first symbol of the first repetition of the PUCCH are not before a symbol with a Cyclic Prefix (CP) that starts after the last symbol of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) reception, computer program.

11. When the timeline condition is satisfied and the UCI of the different UCI types is multiplexed on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot and multiplexed on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot, the processing circuit causes the UE to avoid transmitting the first repetition and the second repetition of the PUCCH, The computer program according to claim 10.

12. The first spatial setting corresponds to a first TX beam transmitted by the UE to the first TRP, and the second spatial setting corresponds to a second TX beam transmitted by the UE to the second TRP, The computer program according to claim 10.

13. The scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot and the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot include repetitions of two PUSCHs that hold aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI). The computer program according to claim 10.

14. The repetitions of the two PUSCHs include repetition type A of M-TRP PUSCH. The computer program according to claim 13.

15. When the UE is configured to multiplex the different UCI types in one PUCCH, and when the second repetition of the PUCCH overlaps with the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot in the second slot, the processing circuit further: Determine whether the timeline condition is also satisfied for the first symbol of the scheduled PUSCH in the second slot and the second repetition of the PUCCH. Is configured as follows: The computer program according to claim 10.

16. When the timeline condition is also satisfied, the processing circuit: Multiplex the UCI of the different UCI types on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the first slot for transmission to the first TRP using the first spatial setting; and Multiplex the UCI of the different UCI types on the scheduled PUSCH transmission in the second slot for transmission to the second TRP using the second spatial setting. Is configured as follows: The computer program according to claim 15.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to any one of claims 10 to 16.

18. An apparatus for a g-node B (gNB) configured for operation in a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) network, the apparatus comprising: a processing circuit; and a memory, the processing circuit Encodes downlink control information (DCI), the DCI being for activating the repetition of M-TRP PUCCH in TX beam cycling to a user equipment (UE), wherein the repetition of the M-TRP PUCCH in TX beam cycling includes a first repetition of PUCCH for holding uplink control information (UCI) for transmission to a first TRP using a first spatial setting in a first slot, and a second repetition of the PUCCH for holding the UCI for transmission to a second TRP using a second spatial setting in a second slot; Encodes a signal to configure the UE to multiplex different UCI types in one PUCCH for different UCI types; and Decodes the multiplexed UCI from the UE when a timeline condition is satisfied. is configured as When the first repetition of the PUCCH in the first slot overlaps with the scheduled physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission to the first TRP in the first slot, the timeline condition is satisfied with respect to the first symbol of the first repetition of the PUCCH. The multiplexed UCI from the UE includes the UCI of the different UCI types multiplexed on the scheduled PUSCH transmission for transmission to the first TRP using the first spatial setting in the first slot, and the UCI of the different UCI types multiplexed on the scheduled PUSCH transmission. To determine whether the timeline condition is satisfied, the processing circuit further: configured to determine whether the first symbol of the scheduled PUSCH and the first repetition of the PUCCH in the first slot does not precede a symbol with a cyclic prefix (CP) that starts after the last symbol of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) reception Device.

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