Terminal device, network device and method for communication

Abstract

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a solution for transmitting and receiving control information in a communication system. In a communication method, a terminal device may determine that first control information, which is at least a portion of previous control information transmitted in a first slot, will be transmitted to a network device in a second slot after the first slot. The terminal device may determine a set of resources for second control information to be transmitted to the network device in the second slot. The terminal device may transmit at least one of the first control information and the second control information to the network device based on the set of resources. The embodiment of the present disclosure can improve the reliability and robustness of transmission of control information in a communication system.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications, and more particularly to solutions for transmitting and receiving control information in a communication system. [Background technology]

[0002] The latest developments in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards are referred to as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), commonly referred to as "4G." The term "5G New Radio (NR)" also refers to evolving communications technologies expected to support a variety of applications and services. 5G NR is part of the ongoing mobile broadband evolution announced by 3GPP to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., the Internet of Things (IoT)), and other requirements. Some aspects of 5G NR may be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard.

[0003] RAN#86 agreed on a Work Item Description (WID) for Further Enhanced Multiple Input Multiple Output (FeMIMO). MIMO generally includes functionality that facilitates the utilization of a larger number of antenna elements at a base station for sub-6 GHz and above 6 GHz frequency bands. In Release 17, channels other than the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) can benefit from multiple transmit / receive point (TRP) transmission (and multiple panel reception), including multiple TRPs for inter-cell operation. The introduction of transmission repetition for uplink channels (e.g., the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)) was also agreed upon. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for transmitting and receiving control information in a communication system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, in a terminal device, determining that first control information, which is at least a portion of previous control information transmitted in a first slot, will be transmitted to a network device in a second slot following the first slot. The method also includes determining a set of resources for second control information to be transmitted to the network device in the second slot. The method further includes transmitting at least one of the first control information and the second control information to the network device based on the set of resources.

[0006] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, in a network device, determining that first control information, which is at least a portion of previous control information received in a first slot, will be received from a terminal device in a second slot after the first slot. The method also includes determining a set of resources for second control information to be received from the terminal device in the second slot. The method further includes receiving at least one of the first control information and the second control information from the terminal device based on the set of resources.

[0007] In a third aspect, there is provided a terminal device comprising a processor and a memory having instructions stored thereon, the memory and the instructions being configured, together with the processor, to cause the terminal device to perform a method according to the first aspect.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a network device comprising a processor and a memory having instructions stored thereon, the memory and the instructions being configured, together with the processor, to cause the network device to perform a method according to the second aspect.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform a method according to the first aspect.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform a method according to the second aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that this Summary of the Invention is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent through the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent through more detailed descriptions of several embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings.

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication environment in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0014] [Figure 2] 1 illustrates an exemplary communication process between a network device and an end device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] [Figure 3] 1 illustrates an example scenario in which first control information and second control information are transmitted using the same set of resources, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Figure 4] 10 illustrates another example scenario in which first control information and second control information are transmitted using the same set of resources, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 5] 10 illustrates another exemplary scenario in which first control information and second control information are transmitted using the same set of resources, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 6] 10 illustrates yet another exemplary scenario in which first control information and second control information are transmitted using the same set of resources, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a flowchart of an example process for transmitting at least one of first control information and second control information, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 8] 10 illustrates a flowchart of an example process for transmitting first control information and second control information in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 9A] 10 illustrates an example scenario in which a first offset in the time domain is applied to a second set of resources to determine a fourth set of resources for transmitting second control information in a second slot, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 9B] 10 illustrates another example scenario in which a second offset in the time domain is applied to the third set of resources to determine a fifth set of resources for transmitting first control information in a second slot, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 9C] 10 illustrates another example scenario in which two offsets in the time domain are applied to the second set of resources and the third set of resources, respectively, to transmit the first control information and the second control information in the second slot, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Figure 10A] 10 illustrates an example scenario in which second control information is delayed to be transmitted in a third slot after the second slot, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] [Figure 10B] 10 illustrates another example scenario in which the first control information is delayed to be transmitted in a third slot after the second slot, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] [Figure 11] 1 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] [Figure 12] 1 shows a flowchart of another exemplary method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to several embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are set forth for illustrative purposes only to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure described herein can be implemented in a variety of ways other than those described below.

[0031] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0032] As used herein, the term "network device" or "base station" (BS) refers to a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage area over which terminal devices can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, a Node B (NodeB or NB), an Evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a next-generation Node B (gNB), infrastructure devices for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, a transmit / receive point (TRP), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a low-power node such as a femto node, a pico node, etc.

[0033] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to, user equipment (UE), in-vehicle terminal devices, pedestrian devices, roadside devices, personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, mobile phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, imaging devices such as digital cameras, gaming devices, music storage and playback devices, and Internet devices that enable wireless / wired Internet access and browsing. For purposes of discussion, some embodiments will be described below with reference to a UE as an example of a terminal device. In the context of this disclosure, the terms "terminal device" and "user equipment" (UE) may be used interchangeably.

[0034] In some embodiments, the terminal device may be connected to a first network device and a second network device. One of the first network device and the second network device may be a master node and the other may be a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different radio access technologies (RATs). In some embodiments, the first network device may be a first RAT device, and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In some embodiments, the first RAT device is an eNB, and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information related to the different RATs may be transmitted to the terminal device from at least one of the first network device and the second network device. In some embodiments, the first information may be transmitted from the first network device to the terminal device, and the second information may be transmitted from the second network device directly to the terminal device or via the first network device. In some embodiments, information related to a configuration of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information related to a reconfiguration of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device directly to the terminal device or via the first network device.

[0035] As used herein, the terms "transmit / receive point," "transmit / receive point," or "transmission / reception point" may generally refer to a station that communicates with a user terminal, although a transmission / reception point may also be referred to by different terms such as a base station (BS), cell, Node-B, evolved Node-B (eNB), next generation Node-B (gNB), transmit / receive point (TRP), sector, site, base transceiver system (BTS), access point (AP), relay node (RN), remote radio head (RRH), radio unit (RU), antenna, etc.

[0036] That is, in the context of the present disclosure, a transmission / reception point, a base station (BS), or a cell may be interpreted as a comprehensive concept indicating a part of an area or function covered by a Base Station Controller (BS) in Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), a Node-B in WCDMA, an eNB or sector (site) in LTE, a gNB or TRP in NR, etc. Therefore, the concepts of a transmission / reception point, a base station (BS), and / or a cell may include various coverage areas such as a megacell, a macrocell, a microcell, a picocell, a femtocell, etc. Furthermore, such concepts may include the communication range of a relay node (RN), a remote radio head (RRH), or a radio unit (RU).

[0037] It should be noted that, in the context of this disclosure, a user terminal and a transmitting / receiving point may refer to two transmitting / receiving entities having a generic meaning used to embody the techniques and technical concepts disclosed in this specification, and are not limited to specific terms or words. Furthermore, a user terminal and a transmitting / receiving point may refer to uplink or downlink transmitting / receiving entities having a generic meaning used to embody the techniques and technical concepts disclosed in connection with this disclosure, and are not limited to specific terms or words. In this specification, uplink (UL) transmission / reception refers to a scheme for transmitting data from a user terminal to a base station. Conversely, downlink (DL) transmission / reception refers to a scheme for transmitting data from a base station to a user terminal.

[0038] In this specification, the terms "resource," "transmission resource," "resource block," "physical resource block," "uplink resource," or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource for performing communication, e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, a spatial domain resource, a code domain resource, or any other resource enabling communication. Hereinafter, resources in both the frequency domain and the time domain are used as examples of transmission resources for describing some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0039] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "comprises" and variations thereof are intended to be open-ended, meaning "including, but not limited to." The term "based on" is intended to mean "based at least in part on." The terms "one embodiment" and "one embodiment" are intended to mean "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" is intended to mean "at least one other embodiment." Terms such as "first," "second," etc. may refer to different objects or the same object. The following content may include other definitions, both explicit and implicit.

[0040] In some instances, values, processes, or devices are referred to as "optimum," "lowest," "highest," "minimum," "maximum," etc. It is understood that such descriptions are intended to indicate choices among multiple functional alternatives used, and that such choices are not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or more preferred than other choices.

[0041] As mentioned above, the introduction of repeated transmission of uplink channels (PUCCH or PUSCH, etc.) has been agreed upon. Previously, with regard to PUCCH with HARQ-ACK in one slot, Release 15 indicated that a UE is not expected to transmit multiple PUCCHs with HARQ-ACK information in one slot. Release 16 introduces multi-TRP, and if the UE is configured with individual ACK / NACK feedback mode, the UE may transmit up to two PUCCHs with HARQ-ACK information in different symbols within one slot.

[0042] Recent 3GPP meetings have discussed or agreed on the following enhancements to support multi-TRP placement for both Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and FR2: To improve the reliability and robustness of channels other than PDSCH using multi-TRP and / or multi-panel (i.e., physical downlink control channels PDCCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH), features may have to be identified and specified, using the Release 16 reliability features as a baseline; Features may have to be identified and specified to enable multi-TRP operation between cells; Enhancements to simultaneous multi-TRP transmission with multi-panel reception may have to be evaluated and specified, if necessary.

[0043] In conventional solutions, each PUCCH / PUSCH in a slot is dedicated to feedback for the corresponding PDSCH opportunity. However, this is not appropriate when the PUCCH / PUSCH is repeated. For example, how to design feedback (HARQ-ACK indication, CSI report, etc.) when the PUCCH / PUSCH is repeated, especially when the repeated feedback collides with scheduled feedback in a slot or overlaps in the time domain, i.e., has common symbols. A particular issue is how to design feedback for the repeated PUCCH / PUSCH and the original PUCCH / PUSCH in a slot. More generally, in conventional solutions, various details of several aspects related to repeated transmission of control information (e.g., via PUCCH or PUSCH) are not specified and need to be clarified.

[0044] To solve the above technical problems and potentially other technical problems of conventional solutions, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for transmitting and receiving control information in a communication system. In some embodiments, after a terminal device transmits previous control information to a network device in a first slot, the terminal device may transmit at least one of the first control information (which may be at least a part of the previous control information) and the second control information (which may be the first control information) based on a set of resources determined for transmitting the second control information in a second slot after the first slot.

[0045] For example, the first control information and the second control information may be multiplexed and transmitted using a set of resources determined for transmitting the second control information. As another example, the first control information and the second control information may be transmitted using separate sets of resources in the second slot. Alternatively, the first control information and the second control information may be transmitted in different slots. In some other embodiments, if the respective sets of resources for transmitting the first control information and the second control information overlap in the time domain, one of the first control information and the second control information may be dropped.

[0046] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one of the transmission of the first control information (which may be at least a part of the previous control information in the previous slot) and the transmission of the second control information (which may be the first control information) in the current slot can be reasonably arranged for execution, thereby improving the reliability and robustness of the transmission of control information in a communication system. The principle and implementation of the present disclosure will be described in detail below.

[0047] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication environment 100 in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in Figure 1, communication environment 100 may be referred to as a communication network or a communication system and includes a network device 110 that serves terminal devices 120 located in a cell 105 of network device 110. In particular, terminal devices 120 may communicate with network device 110 over a communication channel 115. In the case of transmission from network device 110 to terminal device 120, communication channel 115 may be referred to as a downlink channel, while in the case of transmission from terminal device 120 to network device 110, communication channel 115 may instead be referred to as an uplink channel.

[0048] In some embodiments, the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may communicate with each other based on time slots (slots for short) defined in the 3GPP specifications. For example, for a subcarrier spacing setting μ, the slots are arranged in ascending order within a subframe. TIFF0007736012000001.tif17129, in ascending order within frames TIFF0007736012000002.tif18119. As shown in Table 1 and Table 2, one slot TIFF0007736012000003.tif1319 consecutive orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, TIFF0007736012000004.tif1319 depends on the cyclic prefix defined in the relevant 3GPP specification (TS38.211). Slots within a subframe The start of TIFF0007736012000005.tif1517 is the OFDM symbol in the same subframe. TIFF0007736012000006.tif1737. Other relevant definitions and information for slots can be found in existing or future 3GPP specifications. More generally, the term slot as used herein can refer to an existing defined unit of time or a unit of time that will be defined in the future. (Table 1) Number of OFDM symbols per slot, number of slots per frame, and number of slots per subframe in the case of a normal cyclic prefix TIFF0007736012000007.tif59168 (Table 2) Number of OFDM symbols per slot, number of slots per frame, and number of slots per subframe when using an extended cyclic prefix TIFF0007736012000008.tif22168

[0049] To enable or facilitate communication between network device 110 and terminal device 120, terminal device 120 may transmit control information to network device 110 in slots for uplink transmissions. In general, control information may include any control information that may be transmitted to enable or facilitate various communications between network device 110 and terminal device 120. For example, control information may include feedback information (such as a HARQ-ACK indication) for a set of slots for downlink transmissions or for a set of downlink transmissions from network device 110 to terminal device 120. As another example, control information may include channel state information (CSI), such as channel quality indications (CQIs), precoding matrix indicators (PMIs), rank indications (RIs), etc. As a further example, control information may include a scheduling request (SR) to request network device 110 to schedule resources for transmitting data to network device 110 (e.g., via a PUSCH). As a further example, the control information may include Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) and / or Layer 1 Signal-to-Noise and Interference Ratio (L1-SINR). In other embodiments, the control information may include any suitable existing or future defined control information.

[0050] It should be understood that the numbers of terminal devices, network devices, cells, and channels shown in Figure 1 are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitations. Communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of terminal devices, any suitable number of network devices, any suitable number of other communication devices, any suitable number of cells, and any suitable number of channels suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0051] It will be further understood that various wireless communications as well as wired communications (if desired) may occur between any of the communication devices. Furthermore, while FIG. 1 illustrates network device 110 as a base station and terminal device 120 as a mobile phone, it is understood that these depictions are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, network device 110 may be any other wireless network device, and terminal device 120 may be any other wireless communication device.

[0052] Communications in communication environment 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Extended Coverage Global System for Mobile Internet of Things (EC-GSM-IoT), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Evolution (LTE-Evolution), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), etc. Furthermore, communications may be performed according to any generation of communication protocols now known or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, and fifth generation (5G) communication protocols.

[0053] 2 illustrates an exemplary communication process 200 between a network device 110 and a terminal device 120, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, communication process 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. However, it will be understood that communication process 200 is equally applicable to any other communication scenario in which two communication devices communicate with each other.

[0054] 2, terminal device 120 may transmit 210 control information 205 to network device 110 in the first slot. As mentioned above, control information 205 may include any control information that may be transmitted to enable or facilitate various communications between network device 110 and terminal device 120. For example, control information 205 may include feedback information (e.g., a HARQ-ACK indication), CSI (e.g., a CQI, a PMI, an RI, etc.), SR, L1-RSRP, L1-SINR, and / or other potential control information. In other embodiments, control information 205 may include any appropriate existing or future-defined control information.

[0055] In some embodiments, control information 205 may be transmitted from terminal device 120 to network device 110 via a PUCCH or a PUSCH. However, in some other embodiments, control information 205 may be transmitted from terminal device 120 to network device 110 via any other suitable existing or future-defined communication channel. As shown in FIG. 2, at the receiver of control information 205, network device 110 may responsively receive 220 control information 205 from terminal device 120 in the first slot, e.g., via a PUCCH or a PUSCH.

[0056] As mentioned above, to enhance the coverage of the control information 205 and thus improve the reliability and robustness of the transmission of the control information 205, the terminal device 120 may perform a repetition of the transmission of the control information 205, e.g., in a second slot after the first slot in which the control information 205 is transmitted. For example, in some cases, the network device 110 may first transmit a downlink transmission (e.g., a PDCCH or PDSCH) to the terminal device 120 several times, i.e., perform a repetition of the downlink transmission in the time domain. In such a case, the control information 205, including feedback information for such downlink transmission, may also need to be repeatedly transmitted in the time domain to the network device 110.

[0057] As another example, a downlink transmission (such as an important downlink transmission or a communication for reliable low latency communication URLLC) may include an identifier indicating that control information 205 including feedback information for the downlink communication is to be repeatedly transmitted in the time domain. In some other embodiments, terminal device 120 may be configured or pre-configured to perform repeated transmission of control information 205.

[0058] As used herein, subsequent control information transmitted in a repetition of a transmission of control information 205 may be referred to as first control information 215. Accordingly, control information 205 may be referred to as previous control information 205. Further, as used herein, first control information 215 may also be referred to as repeated control information or repeated feedback information. In some embodiments, first control information 215 may be the same as previous control information 205. For example, as further described below with reference to Figures 3 and 4, previous control information 205 and first control information 215 may include the same set of HARQ-ACK indications.

[0059] In some other embodiments, the first control information 215 may be part of the previous control information 205. For example, as described further below with reference to Figures 5 and 6, the previous control information 205 may include a set of HARQ-ACK indications, while the first control information 215 may include a subset of the set of HARQ-ACK indications. Whether the first control information 215 is the same as or part of the previous control information 205 may be configured or pre-configured, for example, by the network device 110, and thus is known to both the network device 110 and the terminal device 120.

[0060] Thus, in either case, terminal device 120 may determine (230) that first control information 215 is transmitted to network device 110 in the second slot after the first slot and that first control information 215 may be at least a portion of previous control information 205 transmitted (210) in the first slot. Because the repetition of transmission of previous control information 205 is known to network device 110, e.g., configured or pre-configured by network device 110, network device 110 may also determine (240) that first control information 215 is received from terminal device 120 in the second slot after the first slot and that first control information 215 is at least a portion of previous control information 205 received (220) in the first slot.

[0061] In addition to the first control information 215 transmitted in the second slot, the terminal device 120 may be scheduled or pre-configured to transmit second control information 225 in the second slot. As used herein, the second control information 225 may also be referred to as initially scheduled control information (or feedback information). In other words, the second control information 225 may not be a duplicate of or a portion of any particular previous control information. Similar to the control information 205, the second control information 225 may include any control information that may be transmitted to enable or facilitate various communications between the network device 110 and the terminal device 120, and may include any suitable existing or future-defined control information, such as a HARQ-ACK indication, CSI, SR, L1-RSRP, L1-SINR, or any combination thereof.

[0062] Thus, terminal device 120 may determine 250 a set of resources for second control information 225 to be transmitted to network device 110 in the second slot. For example, the set of resources may be scheduled or pre-configured by network device 110. In some other embodiments, terminal device 120 may determine 250 the set of resources in any other suitable manner. For example, terminal device 120 may select the set of resources itself. Because transmission of second control information 225 is scheduled or pre-configured by network device 110, or because terminal device 120 may inform network device 110 of the set of resources selected by network device 110, network device 110 may also determine 260 a set of resources for second control information 225 to be received from terminal device 120 in the second slot.

[0063] In other words, the terminal device 120 may determine that both the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 will be transmitted in the same second slot, and the terminal device 120 may know a set of resources for transmitting the second control information 225. Thus, to reasonably space the transmission of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225, the terminal device 120 may transmit at least one of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 to the network device 110 based on the determined set of resources (270). Similarly, the network device 110 may receive at least one of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 from the terminal device 120 based on the determined set of resources (280). In this manner, the transmission of at least partially repeated control information and the transmission of initial control information in the same slot can be appropriately spaced based on the set of resources determined for the transmission of the initial control information, thereby improving the reliability and robustness of the transmission of control information in the communication system 100.

[0064] As an example of transmitting at least one of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 based on the determined set of resources, the terminal device 120 may transmit both the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 using the determined set of resources for transmitting the second control information 225. In other words, the transmission of the first control information 215 and the transmission of the second control information 225 are multiplexed on the determined set of resources. Thus, on the receiving side, the network device 110 can receive the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 using the determined set of resources for receiving the second control information 225.

[0065] In this way, both the first control information 215 (e.g., repeated feedback information) and the second control information 225 (e.g., initially scheduled feedback information) can be reported from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110 without using an additional set of transmission resources (e.g., PUCCH or PUSCH resources) for transmitting the first control information 215, thereby enhancing the coverage of the first control information 215 and improving the reliability and robustness of control information transmission in the communication system 100.

[0066] In some other embodiments, the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 may alternatively be transmitted using different sets of resources in the second slot, or may be transmitted in different slots. In some further embodiments, one of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 may be dropped in some circumstances. These various embodiments are described in more detail below with reference to Figures 7-10. Some embodiments will first be described below with reference to Figures 3-6 to illustrate how the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 may be arranged to be transmitted using the same set of resources in the second slot.

[0067] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary scenario 300 in which first control information 215 and second control information 225 are transmitted using the same set of resources, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 3, fifteen slots 302-330 are shown, with slots 302, 304, 306, 312, 314, 316, 322, 324, and 326 (labeled "D") being slots for downlink transmissions from network device 110 to terminal device 120, and slots 308, 310, 318, 320, 328, and 330 (labeled "U") being slots for uplink transmissions from terminal device 120 to network device 110. It should be understood that the number of slots, slot purposes, and slot arrangements illustrated in FIG. 3 are merely exemplary and do not imply any limitations. Embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to any suitable number of slots, any suitable purpose of slots, and any suitable arrangement of slots.

[0068] 2 and 3, without loss of generality, slot 318 may be taken as an example of the first slot described above, and slot 320 may be taken as an example of the second slot described above. While FIG. 3 shows second slot 320 immediately following first slot 318, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, there may be multiple slots between the first and second slots.

[0069] The following describes several embodiments in which the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 includes a HARQ-ACK indication (also referred to as an ACK / NACK indication). However, it will be understood that the HARQ-ACK indication shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example of the content of the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225, and does not imply any limitation. Embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to any other content of the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 (e.g., CSI, SR, L1-RSRP, L1-SINR, etc.). Furthermore, it should be noted that the example content of the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 shown in FIG. 3 is equally applicable to other embodiments of the present disclosure, including those shown in FIGS. 7-12.

[0070] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may employ a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook to generate the HARQ-ACK indication included in the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 for transmission to the network device 110. The design of the semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook is specified in 3GPP TS38.213, Section 9.1.2, Determining Type-1 HARQ-ACK Codebook.

[0071] 2, terminal device 120 may transmit 210 previous control information 205 to network device 110 (e.g., via a PUCCH or PUSCH) in first slot 318. As shown in FIG. 3, in a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, a set of K1 values ​​{3, 6, 8} may be configured in terminal device 120 for transmitting a HARQ-ACK indication to network device 110 in first slot 318. Each K1 value may indicate an offset between the slot in which a downlink transmission (e.g., a PDCCH or PDSCH) is transmitted and the slot in which the HARQ-ACK indication for the downlink transmission is transmitted.

[0072] For example, the set of K1 values ​​may be configured by the network device 110 via a radio resource control (RRC) message. The network device 110 may then use scheduling signaling (e.g., a PDCCH) for a downlink transmission (e.g., a PDSCH) to indicate one value from the set of K1 values. Based on the value indicated in the scheduling signaling, the terminal device 120 may determine a slot in which a HARQ-ACK indication for this downlink transmission is transmitted. It should be understood that the specific number of K1 values ​​in the set of K1 values ​​and the specific values ​​of the K1 values ​​are merely exemplary and do not imply any limitations. Embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to any set of K1 values, where there are any number of K1 values ​​and the K1 values ​​may have any particular value.

[0073] With the semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook and K1 values ​​{3, 6, 8}, for the first slot 318, terminal device 120 may generate a HARQ-ACK codebook that includes a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 312 that is offset by 3 slots from slot 318, a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 306 that is offset by 6 slots from slot 318, and a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 302 that is offset by 8 slots from slot 318. Thus, previous control information 205 sent by terminal device 120 in the first slot 318 may include a previous set of ACK / NACK indications 340 for a previous set of slots for downlink transmission (e.g., slots 302, 306, and 312).

[0074] 2 and 3, first control information 215 and second control information 225 may be transmitted in second slot 320 using the same set of resources (270). In the example of FIG. 3, first control information 215 is the same as previous control information 205. Thus, terminal device 120 may generate first control information 215 to include a first set of ACK / NACK indications 345 identical to the previous set of ACK / NACK indications 340 for first set of slots 302, 306, 314 for downlink transmission. For example, first control information 215 may be encoded before or after second control information 225 in the same set of resources. In this manner, first control information 215 may be generated based on a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, thereby fixing the size of the HARQ-ACK codebook and eliminating ambiguity regarding HARQ-ACK indications between network device 110 and terminal device 120. In addition, since there is no need to indicate the counter downlink allocation indicator, DAI, and total DAI of the dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook to the terminal device 120, the complexity of scheduling signaling for downlink transmission can be reduced.

[0075] 3 , in the semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, terminal device 120 may also be configured with a set of K1 values ​​{3, 6, 8} for transmitting a HARQ-ACK indication to network device 110 in second slot 320. That is, for second slot 320, terminal device 120 may generate a HARQ-ACK codebook that includes a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 314, which is offset by 3 slots from slot 320, a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 308, which is offset by 6 slots from slot 320, and a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 304, which is offset by 8 slots from slot 320.

[0076] 3 , slot 308 is used for uplink transmission, not downlink transmission, and therefore there is no downlink transmission in slot 308. Therefore, terminal device 120 may generate second control information 225 to include a second set of ACK / NACK indications 350 for the second set of slots 304 and 314 for downlink transmission. In this manner, second control information 225 can be generated based on a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, thereby fixing the size of the HARQ-ACK codebook and eliminating ambiguity of the HARQ-ACK indication between network device 110 and terminal device 120. Furthermore, since there is no need to indicate the counter DAI and total DAI to terminal device 120, the complexity of scheduling signaling for downlink transmission can be reduced.

[0077] Terminal device 120 may then transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 using the same set of resources in second slot 320, e.g., the same set of resources for the PUCCH or PUSCH in second slot 320. In some embodiments, to transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 using the same set of resources, terminal device 120 may generate a joint HARQ-ACK codebook 360 that may include first set of ACK / NACK indications 345 and second set of ACK / NACK indications 350. For example, first set of ACK / NACK indications 345 may be before or after second set of ACK / NACK indications 350 in the joint HARQ-ACK codebook. In the example of FIG. 3, the first set of ACK / NACK indications 345 may also be referred to as the repeating portion of the combined HARQ-ACK codebook 360, and the second set of ACK / NACK indications 350 may also be referred to as the scheduled portion of the combined HARQ-ACK codebook 360.

[0078] 3 shows the second set of ACK / NACK indications 350 immediately preceding the first set of ACK / NACK indications 345 in one combined HARQ-ACK codebook 360, this is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, the first set of ACK / NACK indications 345 may precede the second set of ACK / NACK indications 350, or the first set of ACK / NACK indications 345 and the second set of ACK / NACK indications 350 may be separated by other information and may be included in separate HARQ-ACK codebooks.

[0079] 3, on the receiving side, since the contents of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 are configured or pre-configured by the network device 110, the network device 110 may determine that the first control information 215 includes a first set of ACK / NACK indications 345 for the first set of slots 302, 306, and 314 for downlink transmission. The network device 110 may also determine that the second control information 225 includes a second set of ACK / NACK indications 350 for the second set of slots 304 and 314 for downlink transmission.

[0080] FIG. 4 illustrates another exemplary scenario 400 in which first control information 215 and second control information 225 are transmitted using the same set of resources, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, first control information 215 may be encoded before or after second control information 225 in the same set of resources. In FIG. 4, 15 slots 402-430 are illustrated, with slots 402, 404, 406, 412, 414, 416, 422, 424, and 426 (labeled "D") being slots for downlink transmissions from network device 110 to terminal device 120, and slots 408, 410, 418, 420, 428, and 430 (labeled "U") being slots for uplink transmissions from terminal device 120 to network device 110. It should be understood that the number of slots, their purpose, and their arrangement illustrated in FIG. 4 are merely exemplary and do not imply any limitations. Embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to any suitable number of slots, any suitable purpose for the slots, and any suitable arrangement of the slots.

[0081] 2 and 4, without loss of generality, slot 418 may be taken as an example of the first slot described above, and slot 420 may be taken as an example of the second slot described above. While FIG. 4 shows second slot 420 immediately following first slot 418, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, there may be multiple slots between the first and second slots.

[0082] The following describes several embodiments in which the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 includes a HARQ-ACK indication (also referred to as an ACK / NACK indication). However, it will be understood that the HARQ-ACK indication shown in FIG. 4 is merely an example of the content of the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225, and does not imply any limitation. Embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to any other content of the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 (e.g., CSI, SR, L1-RSRP, L1-SINR, etc.). Furthermore, it should be noted that the example content of the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 shown in FIG. 4 is equally applicable to other embodiments of the present disclosure, including those shown in FIGS. 7-12.

[0083] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may generate the HARQ-ACK indication included in the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 for transmission to the network device 110 by employing a dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook. The design of the dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook is specified in the Type-2 HARQ-ACK Codebook for Physical Uplink Control Channel in Section 9.1.3.1 of 3GPP TS38.213. With the dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook, if one PDCCH is missed or not successfully decoded, the UE can know the missed detection (based on the counter DAI and the total DAI). The ACK / NACK bit field of this PDCCH scheduling may also be reserved, and a NACK may be reported.

[0084] 2, terminal device 120 may transmit 210 previous control information 205 to network device 110 (e.g., via a PUCCH or PUSCH) in first slot 418. As shown in FIG. 4, assume that network device 110 performs downlink transmissions (e.g., PDSCH1, PDSCH2, and PDSCH3) to terminal device 120 in slots 402, 406, and 412, respectively. With a dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook, terminal device 120 may be configured by network device 110 (e.g., via scheduling information for the downlink transmissions) to transmit HARQ-ACK indications for PDSCH1 and PDSCH2 in first slot 418.

[0085] That is, for the first slot 418, terminal device 120 may generate a HARQ-ACK codebook that includes a HARQ-ACK indication for the downlink transmission in slot 402 (e.g., PDSCH1) and a HARQ-ACK indication for the downlink transmission in slot 406 (e.g., PDSCH2). Thus, previous control information 205 transmitted by terminal device 120 in the first slot 418 may include a previous set of ACK / NACK indications 440 for a previous set of downlink transmissions (e.g., PDSCH1 and PDSCH2) transmitted by network device 110.

[0086] 2 and 4, the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 may be transmitted in the second slot 420 using the same set of resources. For example, the first control information 215 may be encoded before or after the second control information 225 on the same set of resources. In the example of FIG. 4, the first control information 215 is the same as the previous control information 205. Thus, the terminal device 120 may generate the first control information 215 to include a first set of ACK / NACK indications 445 that are identical to a previous set of ACK / NACK indications 440 for a first set of downlink transmissions (e.g., PDSCH1 and PDSCH2) transmitted by the network device 110. In this manner, the first control information 215 may be generated based on a dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the HARQ-ACK codebook.

[0087] 4, with a dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook, terminal device 120 may be configured by network device 110 (e.g., via scheduling information for downlink transmissions) to transmit a HARQ-ACK indication for PDSCH3 in second slot 420. That is, for second slot 420, terminal device 120 may generate a HARQ-ACK codebook that includes a HARQ-ACK indication for downlink transmission in slot 412. Accordingly, terminal device 120 may generate second control information 225 to include a second set of ACK / NACK indications 450 for a second set of downlink transmissions (e.g., PDSCH3) transmitted by network device 110. In this manner, because second control information 225 can be generated based on a dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook, signaling overhead of the HARQ-ACK codebook can be reduced.

[0088] Terminal device 120 may then transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 using the same set of resources in second slot 420, e.g., the same set of resources for the PUCCH or PUSCH in second slot 420. In some embodiments, to transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 using the same set of resources, terminal device 120 may generate a joint HARQ-ACK codebook 460 that may include a first set of ACK / NACK indications 445 and a second set of ACK / NACK indications 450. In the example of FIG. 4, first set of ACK / NACK indications 445 may be referred to as a repeated portion of joint HARQ-ACK codebook 460, and second set of ACK / NACK indications 450 may be referred to as a scheduled portion of joint HARQ-ACK codebook 460.

[0089] 4 shows the second set of ACK / NACK indications 450 immediately preceding the first set of ACK / NACK indications 445 in one combined HARQ-ACK codebook 460, this is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, the first set of ACK / NACK indications 445 may precede the second set of ACK / NACK indications 450, or the first set of ACK / NACK indications 445 and the second set of ACK / NACK indications 450 may be separated by other information and may be included in separate HARQ-ACK codebooks.

[0090] 4, on the receiving side, because the contents of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 are configured or pre-configured by the network device 110, the network device 110 may determine that the first control information 215 includes a first set of ACK / NACK indications 445 for a first set of downlink transmissions (e.g., PDSCH1 and PDSCH2) transmitted by the network device 110. The network device 110 may also determine that the second control information 225 includes a second set of ACK / NACK indications 450 for a second set of downlink transmissions (e.g., PDSCH3) transmitted by the network device 110.

[0091] FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary scenario 500 in which first control information 215 and second control information 225 are transmitted using the same set of resources, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 5, fifteen slots 502-530 are shown, with slots 502, 504, 506, 512, 514, 516, 522, 524, and 526 (labeled "D") being slots for downlink transmissions from network device 110 to terminal device 120, and slots 508, 510, 518, 520, 528, and 530 (labeled "U") being slots for uplink transmissions from terminal device 120 to network device 110. It should be understood that the number of slots, slot purposes, and slot arrangements illustrated in FIG. 5 are merely exemplary and do not imply any limitations. Embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to any suitable number of slots, any suitable purpose of slots, and any suitable arrangement of slots.

[0092] 2 and 5, without loss of generality, slot 518 may be taken as an example of the first slot described above, and slot 520 may be taken as an example of the second slot described above. While FIG. 5 shows second slot 520 immediately following first slot 518, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, there may be multiple slots between the first and second slots.

[0093] The following describes several embodiments in which the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 includes a HARQ-ACK indication (also referred to as an ACK / NACK indication). However, it will be understood that the HARQ-ACK indication shown in FIG. 5 is merely an example of the content of the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225, and does not imply any limitation. Embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to any other content of the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 (e.g., CSI, SR, L1-RSRP, L1-SINR, etc.). Furthermore, it should be noted that the example content of the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 shown in FIG. 5 is equally applicable to other embodiments of the present disclosure, including those shown in FIGS. 7-12.

[0094] In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may employ a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook to generate the HARQ-ACK indication included in previous control information 205, first control information 215, or second control information 225 for transmission to network device 110. As described in FIG. 2, terminal device 120 may transmit 210 previous control information 205 to network device 110 (e.g., via a PUCCH or PUSCH) in the first slot 518. As shown in FIG. 5, in the semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, terminal device 120 may be configured with a set of K1 values ​​{3, 6, 8} for transmitting the HARQ-ACK indication to network device 110 in the first slot 518.

[0095] With the semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook and K1 value {3, 6, 8}, for the first slot 518, terminal device 120 may generate a HARQ-ACK codebook that includes a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 512, which is offset by 3 slots from slot 518, a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 506, which is offset by 6 slots from slot 518, and a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 502, which is offset by 8 slots from slot 518. Thus, previous control information 205 sent by terminal device 120 in the first slot 518 may include a previous set of ACK / NACK indications 540 for a previous set of slots for downlink transmission (e.g., slots 502, 506, and 512).

[0096] 5, network device 110 performs a downlink transmission (e.g., PDSCH1) to terminal device 120 in slot 502, a downlink transmission (e.g., PDSCH2) to terminal device 120 in slot 506, but no downlink transmission (denoted as no PDSCH) to terminal device 120 in slot 512. With a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, terminal device 120 may typically generate ACK / NACK indications for slots 502 and 506 according to whether the downlink transmissions (e.g., PDSCH1 and PDSCH2) are successfully received, and may also generate a NACK indication for slot 512 in which no downlink transmission is received by terminal device 120. These ACK / NACK indications are shown in the previous set of ACK / NACK indications 540. As used herein, a NACK indication for slot 512 in which no associated downlink transmission (e.g., PDSCH) is scheduled may also be referred to as a reserved ACK / NACK field.

[0097] 2 and 5, first control information 215 and second control information 225 may be transmitted in second slot 520 using the same set of resources. In the example of FIG. 5, first control information 215 is part of previous control information 205. Notably, first control information 215 may not include NACK indications for slots 512 in which no downlink transmissions are received by terminal device 120. Thus, terminal device 120 may generate first control information 215 to include a first set of ACK / NACK indications 545 that differs from the previous set of ACK / NACK indications 540 for the first set of downlink transmissions (e.g., PDSCH1 and PDSCH2) received by terminal device 120. That is, first control information 215 does not include HARQ-ACK feedback bits for unscheduled opportunities. In this manner, signaling overhead for first control information 215 can be reduced because the reserved ACK / NACK field is excluded from first control information 215.

[0098] 5 , in the semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, terminal device 120 may also be configured with a set of K1 values ​​{3, 6, 8} for transmitting a HARQ-ACK indication to network device 110 in second slot 520. That is, for second slot 520, terminal device 120 may generate a HARQ-ACK codebook that includes a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 514, which is offset by three slots from slot 520, a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 508, which is offset by six slots from slot 520, and a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 504, which is offset by eight slots from slot 520.

[0099] 5 , slot 508 is used for uplink transmission, not downlink transmission, and therefore there is no downlink transmission in slot 508. Therefore, terminal device 120 may generate second control information 225 to include a second set of ACK / NACK indications 550 for the second set of slots 504 and 514 for downlink transmission. In this manner, second control information 225 can be generated based on a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, thereby fixing the size of the HARQ-ACK codebook and eliminating ambiguity of the HARQ-ACK indication between network device 110 and terminal device 120. Furthermore, since there is no need to indicate the counter DAI and total DAI to terminal device 120, the complexity of scheduling signaling for downlink transmission can be reduced.

[0100] Terminal device 120 may then transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 using the same set of resources in second slot 520, e.g., the same set of resources for the PUCCH or PUSCH in second slot 520. In some embodiments, to transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 using the same set of resources, terminal device 120 may generate a joint HARQ-ACK codebook 560 that may include a first set of ACK / NACK indications 545 and a second set of ACK / NACK indications 550. In the example of FIG. 5, first set of ACK / NACK indications 545 may also be referred to as a compressed, repeated portion of joint HARQ-ACK codebook 560, and second set of ACK / NACK indications 550 may also be referred to as a scheduled portion of joint HARQ-ACK codebook 560.

[0101] 5 shows the second set of ACK / NACK indications 550 immediately preceding the first set of ACK / NACK indications 545 in one HARQ-ACK codebook, this is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, the first set of ACK / NACK indications 545 may precede the second set of ACK / NACK indications 550, or the first set of ACK / NACK indications 545 and the second set of ACK / NACK indications 550 may be separated by other information and may be included in separate HARQ-ACK codebooks.

[0102] 5, on the receiving side, because the contents of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 are configured or pre-configured by the network device 110, the network device 110 may determine that the first control information 215 includes a first set of ACK / NACK indications 545 for a first set of downlink transmissions (e.g., PDSCH1 and PDSCH2) received by the terminal device 120. The network device 110 may also determine that the second control information 225 includes a second set of ACK / NACK indications 550 for a second set of slots 504 and 514 for downlink transmissions.

[0103] FIG. 6 illustrates yet another exemplary scenario 600 in which first control information 215 and second control information 225 are transmitted using the same set of resources, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 6, fifteen slots 602-630 are shown, with slots 602, 604, 606, 612, 614, 616, 622, 624, and 626 (labeled "D") being slots for downlink transmissions from network device 110 to terminal device 120, and slots 608, 610, 618, 620, 628, and 630 (labeled "U") being slots for uplink transmissions from terminal device 120 to network device 110. It should be understood that the number of slots, slot purposes, and slot arrangements illustrated in FIG. 6 are merely exemplary and do not imply any limitations. Embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to any suitable number of slots, any suitable purpose of slots, and any suitable arrangement of slots.

[0104] 2 and 6, without loss of generality, slot 618 may be taken as an example of the first slot described above, and slot 620 may be taken as an example of the second slot described above. While FIG. 6 shows second slot 620 immediately following first slot 618, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, there may be multiple slots between the first and second slots.

[0105] The following describes several embodiments in which the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 includes a HARQ-ACK indication (also referred to as an ACK / NACK indication). However, it will be understood that the HARQ-ACK indication shown in FIG. 6 is merely an example of the content of the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225, and does not imply any limitation. Embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to any other content of the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 (e.g., CSI, SR, L1-RSRP, L1-SINR, etc.). Furthermore, it should be noted that the example content of the previous control information 205, the first control information 215, or the second control information 225 shown in FIG. 6 is equally applicable to other embodiments of the present disclosure, including those shown in FIGS. 7-12.

[0106] In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may employ a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook to generate the HARQ-ACK indication included in previous control information 205, first control information 215, or second control information 225 for transmission to network device 110. While terminal device 120 uses a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook in the example of FIG. 6, it should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure associated with FIG. 6 are equally applicable to scenarios in which terminal device 120 employs a dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook to generate the HARQ-ACK indication included in previous control information 205, first control information 215, or second control information 225 for transmission to network device 110.

[0107] 2, terminal device 120 may transmit 210 previous control information 205 to network device 110 (e.g., via a PUCCH or PUSCH) in first slot 618. As shown in FIG. 6, with a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, terminal device 120 may be configured with a set of K1 values ​​{3, 6, 8} for transmitting a HARQ-ACK indication to network device 110 in first slot 618. With the semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook and K1 values ​​{3, 6, 8}, for first slot 618, terminal device 120 may generate a HARQ-ACK codebook that includes a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 612, which is offset by 3 slots from slot 618, a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 606, which is offset by 6 slots from slot 618, and a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 602, which is offset by 8 slots from slot 618.

[0108] Thus, previous control information 205 transmitted by terminal device 120 in first slot 618 may include a previous set of ACK / NACK indications 640 for a previous set of slots for downlink transmissions (e.g., slots 602, 606, and 612). Alternatively, if a dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook is employed to generate the previous set of ACK / NACK indications, terminal device 120 may generate previous control information 205 to include a previous set of ACK / NACK indications for downlink transmissions transmitted by network device 110.

[0109] 6, network device 110 performs a downlink transmission (e.g., PDSCH1) to terminal device 120 in slot 602, a downlink transmission (e.g., PDSCH2) to terminal device 120 in slot 606, but no downlink transmission (denoted as no PDSCH) to terminal device 120 in slot 612. With a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, terminal device 120 may typically generate ACK / NACK indications for slots 602 and 606 according to whether the downlink transmissions (e.g., PDSCH1 and PDSCH2) are successfully received, and may also generate a NACK indication for slot 612 in which no downlink transmission is received by terminal device 120. These ACK / NACK indications are shown in the previous set of ACK / NACK indications 640. As used herein, a NACK indication for slot 612 in which no associated downlink transmission (e.g., PDSCH) is scheduled may also be referred to as a reserved ACK / NACK field.

[0110] Furthermore, downlink transmissions in slot 602 (e.g., PDSCH1, which may be associated with an Enhanced Mobile Broadband EMBB service) are configured or pre-configured to not require repeated transmission of the associated ACK / NACK indication (denoted as no repetition), while downlink transmissions in slot 606 (e.g., PDSCH2, which may be associated with a High Reliability Low Latency Communication URLLC service) are configured or pre-configured to require one or more repetitions of transmission of the associated ACK / NACK indication (denoted as repetition).

[0111] For example, in the case of a PDSCH and / or PDCCH that is configured or pre-configured to be repeatedly transmitted from network device 110 to terminal device 120, the associated ACK / NACK field may also need to be repeatedly transmitted from terminal device 120 to network device 110. In contrast, for other PDSCHs and / or PDCCHs that are not configured or pre-configured to be repeatedly transmitted from terminal device 120 to network device 110, the associated ACK / NACK field may also not need to be repeatedly transmitted from terminal device 120 to network device 110. Furthermore, for PDSCHs and / or PDCCHs that are not configured or pre-configured to be repeatedly transmitted from network device 110 to terminal device 120, the ACK / NACK field for the PDSCH and / or PDCCH may be selectively configured or pre-configured to be repeatedly transmitted from terminal device 120 to network device 110.

[0112] 2 and 6, the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 may be transmitted in the second slot 620 using the same set of resources. In the example of FIG. 6, the first control information 215 is part of the previous control information 205. In particular, the first control information 215 may not include a NACK indication for a slot 612 in which no downlink transmission is received by the terminal device 120, and may not include an ACK / NACK indication for a slot 602 in which no downlink transmission requires a repeat transmission of the associated ACK / NACK indication.

[0113] Thus, the terminal device 120 may generate the first control information 215 to include a first set of ACK / NACK indications 645 for a first set of downlink transmissions (e.g., PDSCH2) for which the ACK / NACK indications are configured to be repeatedly transmitted from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110. The first set of ACK / NACK indications 645 are different from the previous set of ACK / NACK indications 640. In this way, the first control information 215 includes only the ACK / NACK indications that are configured to be repeated, thereby further reducing the signaling overhead of the first control information 215.

[0114] 6 , in the semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, terminal device 120 may also be configured with a set of K1 values ​​{3, 6, 8} for transmitting a HARQ-ACK indication to network device 110 in second slot 620. That is, for second slot 620, terminal device 120 may generate a HARQ-ACK codebook that includes a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 614, which is offset by three slots from slot 620, a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 608, which is offset by six slots from slot 620, and a HARQ-ACK indication for a downlink transmission in slot 604, which is offset by eight slots from slot 620.

[0115] In the example of FIG. 6 , slot 608 is used for uplink transmission, not downlink transmission. Therefore, terminal device 120 may generate second control information 225 to include a second set of ACK / NACK indications 650 for the second set of slots 604 and 614 for downlink transmission. In this manner, second control information 225 can be generated based on a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, thereby fixing the size of the HARQ-ACK codebook and eliminating ambiguity regarding HARQ-ACK indications between network device 110 and terminal device 120. Furthermore, since there is no need to indicate the counter DAI and total DAI to terminal device 120, the complexity of scheduling signaling for downlink transmission can be reduced. Alternatively, if terminal device 120 employs a dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook to generate the second set of ACK / NACK indications, the signaling overhead of the HARQ-ACK codebook can be reduced.

[0116] Terminal device 120 may then transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 using the same set of resources in second slot 620, e.g., the same set of resources for the PUCCH or PUSCH in second slot 620. In some embodiments, to transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 using the same set of resources, terminal device 120 may generate a joint HARQ-ACK codebook 660 that may include a first set of ACK / NACK indications 645 and a second set of ACK / NACK indications 650. In the example of FIG. 6, first set of ACK / NACK indications 645 may also be referred to as a compressed, repeated portion of joint HARQ-ACK codebook 660, and second set of ACK / NACK indications 650 may also be referred to as a scheduled portion of joint HARQ-ACK codebook 660.

[0117] 6 shows the second set of ACK / NACK indications 650 immediately preceding the first set of ACK / NACK indications 645 in one HARQ-ACK codebook, this is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, the first set of ACK / NACK indications 645 may precede the second set of ACK / NACK indications 650, or the first set of ACK / NACK indications 645 and the second set of ACK / NACK indications 650 may be separated by other information and may be included in separate HARQ-ACK codebooks.

[0118] 6 , on the receiving side, since the contents of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 are configured or pre-configured by the network device 110, the network device 110 may determine that the first control information 215 includes a first set of ACK / NACK indications 645 for the first set of downlink transmissions. The ACK / NACK indications for the first set of downlink transmissions are configured to be repeatedly transmitted. The network device 110 may also determine that the second control information 225 includes a second set of ACK / NACK indications 650 for the second set of slots 604 and 614 for downlink transmissions. Alternatively, if a dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook is employed to generate the second set of ACK / NACK indications, the network device 110 may determine that the second control information 225 includes the second set of ACK / NACK indications for the downlink transmissions transmitted by the network device 110.

[0119] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may repeatedly transmit uplink control information (denoted as U1) (e.g., the control information may include feedback information (e.g., a HARQ-ACK indication), CSI (e.g., a CQI, a PMI, an RI), an SR, an L1-RSRP, an L1-SINR, and / or other potential control information) to the network device 110 in a first or first set of PUCCHs or PUSCHs (denoted as S1) during a period from slot n to slot n+K. For example, n is a non-negative integer, e.g., 0≦n≦160. As another example, n may be determined according to the description in paragraph

[0048] . For example, K is a non-negative integer, e.g., 0≦K≦16. In some embodiments, the uplink control information may be repeated within one slot and / or in different slots. In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may transmit an uplink transmission (denoted as U2) to network device 110 in slot X on a second or second set of PUCCH or PUSCH (denoted as S2). For example, X is an integer, where n≦X≦n+K. For example, the uplink transmission may be other uplink control information in addition to the uplink control information denoted as U1. As another example, the uplink transmission may be an uplink data transmission. As another example, the uplink transmission is not a retransmission of uplink data. In some embodiments, if U1 and U2 are within one slot and / or U1 and U2 overlap in the time domain (e.g., at least one symbol of U1 overlaps with at least one symbol of U2), and / or S1 and S2 are within one slot and / or S1 and S2 overlap in the time domain (e.g., at least one symbol of S1 overlaps with at least one symbol of S2), then the content of U1 is multiplexed, combined, or added with U2. For example, U1 is multiplexed, combined or appended to the beginning or end of U2.

[0120] In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may transmit multiple repetitions of uplink control information (denoted as U1) (e.g., the control information may include feedback information (e.g., a HARQ-ACK indication), CSI (e.g., CQI, PMI, RI), SR, L1-RSRP, L1-SINR, and / or other potential control information) to network device 110 on a first or first set of PUCCHs or PUSCHs (denoted as S1). In some embodiments, the number of repetitions may be set as M, where M is a positive integer. For example, 1≦M≦32. Terminal device 120 may transmit N repetitions to network device 110, where N is a non-negative integer and N is less than or equal to M. For example, 0≦N≦M. For example, network device 110 may instruct terminal device 120 to end the repetitions. As another example, if the time and / or frequency domain resources for one repetition of a transmission overlap with other resources (e.g., downlink resources or other uplink transmissions with higher priority), then this repetition of the transmission may be dropped.

[0121] The foregoing describes some embodiments in which the first information 215 and the second information 225 are transmitted using the same set of resources in the second slot. In some other embodiments, the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 may alternatively be transmitted using different sets of resources in the second slot that do not overlap in the time domain. In some further embodiments, the terminal device 120 may drop one of the sets of resources for transmitting the first information 215 and the second information 225 if they overlap in the time domain. Various such embodiments are described below with reference to FIG. 7.

[0122] 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example process 700 for transmitting at least one of first control information 215 and second control information 225 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, process 700 may be implemented in a terminal device, such as terminal device 120 shown in FIG. 1. Additionally or alternatively, process 700 may be implemented in other terminal devices not shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of discussion, and without loss of generality, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, process 700 will be described as being performed by terminal device 120.

[0123] Hereinafter, the set of resources in the first slot for transmitting the previous control information 205 may be referred to as the first set of resources, and the set of resources in the second slot determined by the terminal device 120 for transmitting the second control information 225 may be referred to as the second set of resources. Referring to both Figures 2 and 7, when transmitting 270 at least one of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 to the network device 110, the terminal device 120 may, among other things, perform a process 700.

[0124] In block 710, based on the first set of resources in the first slot for transmitting the previous control information 205, terminal device 120 may determine a third set of resources in the second slot for transmitting first control information 215. For example, terminal device 120 may be configured or pre-configured to determine the third set of resources as resources located in the second slot at the same positions as the positions of the first set of resources in the first slot. However, in some other embodiments, terminal device 120 may determine the third set of resources based on the first set of resources according to another suitable rule, e.g., there may be a predefined offset in the time domain between the relative positions of the first set of resources in the first slot and the relative positions of the third set of resources in the second slot. In some further embodiments, terminal device 120 may determine the third set of resources independently of the first set of resources.

[0125] At block 720, terminal device 120 may determine whether the second set of resources for transmitting second control information 225 and the third set of resources for transmitting first control information 215 do not overlap in the time domain. For example, terminal device 120 may determine whether the second set of resources and the third set of resources share one or more common symbols in the second slot. If the second set of resources and the third set of resources have one or more common symbols, they overlap in the time domain. Otherwise, the second set of resources and the third set of resources do not overlap in the time domain. In some other embodiments, terminal device 120 may determine whether the second set of resources and the third set of resources do not overlap in the time domain by comparing the start and end times of the second set of resources with the start and end times of the third set of resources.

[0126] In block 730, if the second set of resources and the third set of resources do not overlap in the time domain, the terminal device 120 may use the third set of resources to transmit the first control information 215 and the second set of resources to transmit the second control information 225. In this manner, both the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 can be transmitted using different sets of resources in the second slot, thereby enhancing the coverage of the first control information 215 and improving the reliability and robustness of control information transmission in the communication system 100.

[0127] In block 740, if the second set of resources and the third set of resources overlap in the time domain, terminal device 120 may transmit first control information 215 using the third set of resources and drop second control information 225. Alternatively, terminal device 120 may transmit second control information 225 using the second set of resources and drop first control information 215. In other words, terminal device 120 transmits one of first control information 215 and second control information 225 and drops the other of first control information 215 and second control information 225, thereby ensuring performance of the transmitted control information and reducing the complexity of terminal device 120 caused by transmitting both first control information 215 and second control information 225 using overlapping sets of resources.

[0128] For example, the terminal device 120 can compare the priority of the first control information 215 and the priority of the second control information 225. Then, the terminal device 120 can transmit one of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 with a higher priority and drop the other of the lower priority. In this way, by dropping the transmission of one of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225, it is possible to ensure the performance of the transmission of the other of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225.

[0129] 2 and 7, on the receiving side, upon receiving 280 at least one of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225, the network device 110 may determine a third set of resources in the second slot for receiving the first control information 215 based on the first set of resources in a manner similar to that described above for the terminal device 120. The network device 110 may then determine whether the second set of resources and the third set of resources do not overlap in the time domain in a manner similar to that described above for the terminal device 120.

[0130] If the second set of resources and the third set of resources do not overlap in the time domain, the network device 110 may use the third set of resources to receive the first control information 215 and the second set of resources to receive the second control information 225. Alternatively, if the second set of resources and the third set of resources overlap in the time domain, the network device 110 may use the third set of resources to receive the first control information 215 without receiving the second control information 225. Alternatively, the network device 110 may use the second set of resources without receiving the first control information 215. The terminal device 120 and the network device 110 can determine whether the first control information 215 or the second control information 225 is to be transmitted or received based on the same predetermined rule.

[0131] In the example of FIG. 7 , terminal device 120 may drop one of the sets of resources for transmitting first control information 215 and second control information 225 if they overlap in the time domain. In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may drop overlapping symbols of first control information 215 if the set of resources for first control information 215 and the set of resources for second control information 225 overlap in the time domain. For example, terminal device 120 may transmit the remaining symbols of first control information 215 that do not overlap in the time domain with the resources of second control information 225. In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may drop overlapping symbols of second control information 225 if the set of resources for first control information 215 and the set of resources for second control information 225 overlap in the time domain. For example, terminal device 120 may transmit the remaining symbols of second control information 225 that do not overlap in the time domain with the resources of first control information 215.

[0132] Alternatively, in some other embodiments, instead of dropping one of the first control information 215 and the second control information 225, the terminal device 120 transmits both the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 by applying a time domain offset to one or both of the third set of resources for transmitting the first control information 215 and the second set of resources for transmitting the second control information 225, thereby ensuring performance of the transmitted control information and reducing the complexity of the terminal device 120 due to transmitting both the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 using overlapping sets of resources. In some embodiments, the offset may be F symbols, where F is a positive integer, e.g., 0≦F≦14. In some embodiments, the offset may be configured by the network device 110. In some embodiments, the offset may be predefined. In some embodiments, the value of F may be based on the capabilities of the UE, e.g., the capabilities of the terminal device 120.

[0133] In particular, terminal device 120 may transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 based on a time-domain comparison of the available resources in the second slot with the second and third sets of resources. On the receiving side, network device 110 can accordingly receive first control information 215 and second control information 225 based on a time-domain comparison of the available resources in the second slot with the second and third sets of resources. In this manner, terminal device 120 can intelligently select to transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 to network device 110 in one slot or in separate slots. Such an embodiment is described below with reference to FIG. 8.

[0134] 8 illustrates a flowchart of an example process 800 for transmitting first control information 215 and second control information 225 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, process 800 may be implemented in a terminal device, such as terminal device 120 shown in FIG. 1. Additionally or alternatively, process 800 may be implemented in other terminal devices not shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of discussion, and without loss of generality, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 7, process 800 will be described as being performed by terminal device 120.

[0135] As shown, Figure 8 may be considered an alternative to branching from "NO" at block 720 in example process 700 of Figure 7. As discussed above with reference to Figure 7, in block 720, terminal device 120 may determine whether the second set of resources for transmitting second control information 225 and the third set of resources for transmitting first control information 215 do not overlap in the time domain.

[0136] If the second set of resources and the third set of resources overlap in the time domain, in block 810, terminal device 120 may determine whether the available resources in the second slot are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources and the third set of resources. For example, terminal device 120 may determine whether there are enough consecutive uplink symbols in the second slot for both the second set of resources and the third set of resources. In some embodiments, there may be a minimum time interval T between the second set of resources and the third set of resources, where T is a non-negative integer. For example, 0≦T≦14. For example, T is predefined. In another example, T is based on the capabilities of the UE, such as the capabilities of terminal device 120. In another example, T is set by network device 110. In some other embodiments, terminal device 120 may determine whether the available resources in the second slot are sufficient in any other suitable manner. For example, terminal 120 can determine whether the unoccupied duration in the second slot is longer in the time domain than the duration of the second and third sets of resources.

[0137] In some embodiments, if the available resources in the second slot are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second and third sets of resources, then in block 820, terminal device 120 may apply a time-domain offset to one or both of the second and third sets of resources in the second slot such that the two sets of resources do not overlap in the time domain after applying the offset. Then, in block 830, terminal device 120 may transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 in the second slot using the two non-overlapping sets of resources, respectively. In some embodiments, network device 110 may configure terminal device 120 with an offset F, where F is a positive integer, e.g., 0≦F≦14. This offset in the second slot may also be referred to as a symbol-level offset, which will be described further below with reference to FIGS. 9A-9C.

[0138] If the available resources in the second slot are insufficient in the time domain to provide the second and third sets of resources, terminal device 120 may transmit one of first control information 215 and second control information 225 in the second slot in block 840. Terminal device 120 may transmit the other of first control information 215 and second control information 225 in a third slot after the second slot in block 850. In other words, a slot-level offset is applied to the set of resources for transmitting one of first control information 215 and second control information 225, as will be further described below with reference to FIGs. 10A and 10B.

[0139] 8, if the available resources in the second slot are insufficient in the time domain to provide the second and third set of resources, a slot-level offset is applied; however, this is merely an example and does not imply any limitation. In some other embodiments, a slot-level offset may be applied if the second and third set of resources overlap in the time domain, regardless of whether the available resources in the second slot are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second and third set of resources.

[0140] 9A illustrates an example scenario 900 in which a first offset 955 in the time domain is applied to a second set of resources 950 to determine a fourth set of resources 970 for transmitting second control information 225 in a second slot 920, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 9A, it is assumed that slot 910 is an example of a first slot as discussed herein, and slot 920 is an example of a second slot as discussed herein. The first slot 910 and the second slot 920 may each include 14 symbols, with symbols 912 and 917 of the first slot 910 and symbols 922, 927, 929, 932, and 934 of the second slot 920 shown as examples.

[0141] It should be noted that the specific number of symbols in a slot depicted in Figure 9A is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In some other embodiments, a slot can include any number of symbols. Furthermore, while Figure 9A depicts the first slot 910 and the second slot 920 as being adjacent to each other, this is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, the first slot and the second slot can be spaced apart from each other.

[0142] It is also assumed that terminal device 120 transmits previous control information 205 to network device 110 using a first set of resources 940 in a first slot 910. Terminal device 120 may determine a third set of resources 960 in a second slot 920 for transmitting first control information 215 that is the same as or a portion of the previous control information 205, based on the first set of resources 940. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A , first set of resources 940 may begin with the second symbol 912 and end with the seventh symbol 917 of the first slot 910. In other words, first set of resources 940 occupies six symbols in the example of FIG. 9A . It should be noted that the particular starting symbol, ending symbol, and number of symbols of first set of resources 940 are merely exemplary and do not imply any limitations. In some other embodiments, first set of resources 940 may have any suitable starting symbol, ending symbol, and number of symbols.

[0143] Then, at the same position in the second slot 920, the terminal device 120 may determine a third set of resources 960. That is, the third set of resources 960 may begin with the second symbol 922 of the second slot 920 and end with the seventh symbol 927. In other words, the third set of resources 960 also occupies six symbols in the example of FIG. 9A . Note that the specific starting symbol, ending symbol, and number of symbols for the third set of resources 960 are merely exemplary and do not imply any limitations. In some other embodiments, the third set of resources 960 may have any suitable starting symbol, ending symbol, and number of symbols.

[0144] Further, assume that terminal device 120 determines a second set of resources 950 for transmitting second control information 225 to network device 110 in second slot 920, with second set of resources 950 beginning with seventh symbol 927 and ending with twelfth symbol 932 of second slot 920. In other words, second set of resources 950 also occupies six symbols in the example of FIG. 9A . Note that the particular starting symbol, ending symbol, and number of symbols of second set of resources 950 are merely exemplary and do not imply any limitations. In some other embodiments, second set of resources 950 may have any suitable starting symbol, ending symbol, and number of symbols.

[0145] Terminal device 120 may then determine that second set of resources 950 and third set of resources 960 overlap in the time domain. For example, terminal device 120 may determine that second set of resources 950 and third set of resources 960 have common symbols 927. Thus, terminal device 120 may determine that an offset needs to be applied to one or both of second set of resources 950 and third set of resources 960 for transmitting first control information 215 and second control information 225.

[0146] Terminal device 120 may then determine whether the available resources in second slot 920 are sufficient in the time domain to provide second set of resources 950 and third set of resources 960. For example, in FIG. 9A , second slot 920 is assumed to have 14 available symbols, which are sufficient in the time domain to provide second set of resources 950 (6 symbols in this example) and third set of resources 960 (6 symbols in this example). Note that the particular number of available symbols in second slot 920 is for illustration only and does not imply any limitation. In some other embodiments, second slot 920 may have any suitable number of available symbols.

[0147] Thus, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 9A , terminal device 120 may determine a fourth set of resources 970 in second slot 920 by applying a first offset 955 in the time domain to second set of resources 950 so that third set of resources 960 and fourth set of resources 970 do not overlap in the time domain. In the example of FIG. 9A , first offset 955 may be two symbols. In some embodiments, network device 110 and terminal device 120 may determine first offset 955 using a common rule. For example, network device 110 and terminal device 120 may pre-determine that third set of resources 960 and fourth set of resources 970 need to be one symbol apart from each other. Network device 110 and terminal device 120 may then calculate the number of symbols of the offset that needs to be applied to second set of resources 950.

[0148] The terminal device 120 may then transmit the first control information 215 using the third set of resources 960 and the second control information 225 using the fourth set of resources 970. In this manner, both the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 can be transmitted using non-overlapping sets of resources in the second slot 920, thereby enhancing the coverage of the first control information 215 and improving the reliability and robustness of control information transmission in the communication system 100. Furthermore, because the time domain offset is applied to only one set of resources, the complexity of determining the set of resources (by the terminal device 120 and the network device 110) after the offset is applied can be minimized.

[0149] 8 and 9A , on the receiving side, when receiving the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 based on the comparison, if the available resources in the second slot 920 are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources 950 and the third set of resources 960, the network device 110 may determine a fourth set of resources 970 in the second slot 920 by applying a first offset 955 in the time domain to the second set of resources 950, such that the third set of resources 960 and the fourth set of resources 970 do not overlap in the time domain. Then, the network device 110 may receive the first control information 215 using the third set of resources 960 and receive the second control information 225 using the fourth set of resources 970.

[0150] 9A , a time domain offset was applied to second set of resources 950 to obtain a fourth set of resources 970 that does not overlap with third set of resources 960. In other embodiments, terminal device 120 may alternatively apply a time domain offset to third set of resources 960 to obtain a set of resources that does not overlap with second set of resources 950, such that terminal device 120 can transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 using the non-overlapping set of resources in second slot 920. Such embodiments are further described below with reference to FIG. 9B .

[0151] 9B illustrates another example scenario 902 in which a second offset 965 in the time domain is applied to the third set of resources 960 to determine a fifth set of resources 980 for transmitting first control information 215 in the second slot 920, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Unlike the example of FIG. 9A , as shown in the lower part of FIG. 9B , after determining that the available resources in the second slot 920 are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources 950 and the third set of resources 960, terminal device 120 may determine the fifth set of resources 980 in the second slot 920 by applying the second offset 965 in the time domain to the third set of resources 960, such that the second set of resources 950 and the fifth set of resources 980 do not overlap in the time domain.

[0152] 9B, second offset 965 may be one symbol. In some embodiments, network device 110 and terminal device 120 may use a common rule to determine second offset 965. For example, network device 110 and terminal device 120 may pre-determine that second set of resources 950 and fifth set of resources 980 may be adjacent to each other. Network device 110 and terminal device 120 may then calculate the number of symbols of offset that needs to be applied to third set of resources 960.

[0153] The terminal device 120 may then transmit the first control information 215 using the fifth set of resources 980 and the second control information 225 using the second set of resources 950. In this manner, both the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 can be transmitted using non-overlapping sets of resources in the second slot 920, thereby enhancing the coverage of the first control information 215 and improving the reliability and robustness of control information transmission in the communication system. Also, because the time domain offset is applied to only one set of resources, the complexity of determining the set of resources (by the terminal device 120 and the network device 110) after the offset is applied can be minimized.

[0154] 8 and 9B , upon receiving the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 based on the comparison, if the available resources in the second slot 920 are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources 950 and the third set of resources 960, the network device 110 may determine a fifth set of resources 980 in the second slot 920 by applying a second offset 965 in the time domain to the third set of resources 960, such that the second set of resources 950 and the fifth set of resources 980 do not overlap in the time domain. Then, the network device 110 may receive the first control information 215 using the fifth set of resources 980 and the second set of resources 950 using the second set of resources 950.

[0155] 9A and 9B, an offset in the time domain is applied to one of second set of resources 950 and third set of resources 960 to obtain an offset-applied set of resources that does not overlap with the other of second set of resources 950 and third set of resources 960. In other embodiments, terminal device 120 may alternatively apply separate offsets in the time domain to second set of resources 950 and third set of resources 960 to obtain two sets of resources that do not overlap in the time domain, such that terminal device 120 can transmit first control information 215 and second control information 225 using the two non-overlapping sets of resources. Such embodiments are further described below with reference to FIG. 9C.

[0156] 9C illustrates another example scenario 904 in which two offsets 955, 965 in the time domain are applied to the second set of resources 950 and the third set of resources 960, respectively, to transmit the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 in the second slot 920, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Unlike the examples of FIGS. 9A and 9B, after determining that the available resources in the second slot 920 are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources 950 and the third set of resources 960, terminal device 120 may determine a fourth set of resources 970 in the second slot 920 by applying the first offset 955 in the time domain to the second set of resources 950, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 9C. Furthermore, the terminal device 120 may determine a fifth set of resources 980 in the second slot 920 by applying a second offset 965 in the time domain to the third set of resources 960 such that the fourth set of resources 970 and the fifth set of resources 980 do not overlap in the time domain.

[0157] 9C , first offset 955 may be two symbols, and second offset 965 may be one symbol. In some embodiments, network device 110 and terminal device 120 may use a common rule to determine first offset 955 and second offset 965. For example, network device 110 and terminal device 120 may pre-determine that second set of resources 950 and fifth set of resources 980 may be three symbols apart from each other. Network device 110 and terminal device 120 may then calculate the number of symbols of the individual offsets that need to be applied to second set of resources 950 and third set of resources 960. For example, the rule may further indicate that first offset 955 and second offset 965 should be as equal to each other as possible, and if not, first offset 955 may be greater than second offset 965.

[0158] The terminal device 120 may then transmit the first control information 215 using the fifth set of resources 980 and the second control information 225 using the fourth set of resources 970. In this manner, both the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 can be transmitted using non-overlapping sets of resources in the second slot 920, thereby enhancing the coverage of the first control information 215 and improving the reliability and robustness of control information transmission in the communication system. Furthermore, because separate offsets in the time domain are applied to the two sets of resources, it is possible to ensure that the terminal device 120 and the network device 110 can obtain the non-overlapping fourth set of resources 970 and the fifth set of resources 980.

[0159] 8 and 9C , upon receiving the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 based on the comparison, if the available resources in the second slot 920 are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources 950 and the third set of resources 960, the network device 110 may determine a fourth set of resources 970 in the second slot 920 by applying a first offset 955 in the time domain to the second set of resources 950, and may determine a fifth set of resources 980 in the second slot 920 by applying a second offset 965 in the time domain to the third set of resources 960, such that the fourth set of resources 970 and the fifth set of resources 980 do not overlap in the time domain. The network device 110 may then receive the first control information 215 using the fifth set of resources 980 and the second control information 225 using the fourth set of resources 970.

[0160] 10A illustrates an exemplary scenario 1000 in which second control information 225 is delayed to be transmitted in a third slot 1006 after a second slot 1004, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 10A , it is assumed that slot 1002 is an example of a first slot discussed herein, and slot 1004 is an example of a second slot discussed herein. The first slot 1002 and the second slot 1004 each include 14 symbols, with symbols 1012 and 1020 in the first slot 1002 and symbols 1032, 1036, 1040, and 1044 in the second slot 1004 shown as examples. Note that the specific number of symbols in a slot depicted in FIG. 10A is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In some other embodiments, a slot may include any number of symbols.

[0161] It is also assumed that terminal device 120 transmits previous control information 205 to network device 110 using a first set of resources 1005 in a first slot 1002. Terminal device 120 may determine a third set of resources 1025 in a second slot 1004 for transmitting first control information 215 that is the same as or a portion of the previous control information 205, based on the first set of resources 1005. For example, as shown in FIG. 10A , first set of resources 1005 may start at the second symbol 1012 and end at the tenth symbol 1020 of first slot 1002. In other words, first set of resources 1005 occupies nine symbols in the example of FIG. 10A . It should be noted that the specific starting symbol, ending symbol, and number of symbols in first set of resources 1005 are merely exemplary and do not imply any limitations. In some other embodiments, first set of resources 1005 may have any suitable starting symbol, any suitable ending symbol, and any suitable number of symbols.

[0162] Then, at the same position in the second slot 1004, the terminal device 120 may determine a third set of resources 1025. That is, the third set of resources 1025 may begin at the second symbol 1032 of the second slot 1004 and end at the tenth symbol 1040. In other words, the third set of resources 1025 also occupies nine symbols in the example of FIG. 10A . Note that the particular starting symbol, ending symbol, and number of symbols of the third set of resources 1025 are merely exemplary and do not imply any limitations. In some other embodiments, the third set of resources 1025 may have any suitable starting symbol, ending symbol, and number of symbols.

[0163] Further, assume that the terminal device 120 determines a second set of resources 1015 for transmitting second control information 225 to the network device 110 in the second slot 1004, with the second set of resources 1015 beginning at the sixth symbol 1036 and ending at the fourteenth symbol 1044 of the second slot 1004. In other words, the second set of resources 1015 also occupies nine symbols in the example of FIG. 10A . Note that the particular starting symbol, ending symbol, and number of symbols of the second set of resources 1015 are merely exemplary and do not imply any limitations. In some other embodiments, the second set of resources 1015 may have any suitable starting symbol, ending symbol, and number of symbols.

[0164] Terminal device 120 may then determine that second set of resources 1015 and third set of resources 1025 overlap in the time domain. For example, terminal device 120 may determine that second set of resources 1015 and third set of resources 1025 have five common symbols 1032-1040. Thus, terminal device 120 may determine that an offset needs to be applied to one or both of second set of resources 1015 and third set of resources 1025 for transmitting first control information 215 and second control information 225.

[0165] Terminal device 120 may then determine whether the available resources in second slot 1004 are sufficient in the time domain to provide second set of resources 1015 and third set of resources 1025. For example, in FIG. 10A , second slot 1004 has 14 available symbols, which are assumed to be insufficient in the time domain to provide second set of resources 1015 (9 symbols in this example) and third set of resources 1025 (9 symbols in this example). Note that the particular number of available symbols in second slot 1004 is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In some other embodiments, second slot 1004 may have any suitable number of available symbols.

[0166] Thus, as shown in the bottom of FIG. 10A , terminal device 120 may transmit first control information 215 using third set of resources 1025 and second control information 225 in third slot 1006 after second slot 1004. For example, third slot 1006 may be the next available uplink slot after second slot 1004. For example, terminal device 120 may transmit second control information 225 using fourth set of resources 1035, which may begin with fourth symbol 1054 and end with twelfth symbol 1062 of third slot 1006. While first slot 1002, second slot 1004, and third slot 1006 are depicted as adjacent in FIG. 10A , it will be understood that this is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, the first slot, second slot, and third slot may be spaced apart from one another.

[0167] In this way, the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 can be transmitted in different slots, thereby enhancing the coverage of the first control information 215 and improving the reliability and robustness of control information transmission in the communication system 100. Furthermore, because the slot-level offset in the time domain is applied to only one set of resources, the complexity of determining the set of resources (by the terminal device 120 and the network device 110) after applying the slot-level offset can be minimized.

[0168] 10A depicts a slot-level offset being applied when the available resources in the second slot 1004 are insufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources 1015 and the third set of resources 1025. However, in some other embodiments, a slot-level offset may be applied when the second set of resources 1015 and the third set of resources 1025 overlap in the time domain, regardless of whether the available resources in the second slot 1004 are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources 1015 and the third set of resources 1025.

[0169] On the receiving side, referring to Figures 8 and 10A, when receiving the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 based on the comparison, if the available resources in the second slot 1004 are insufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources 1015 and the third set of resources 1025, the network device 110 may receive the first control information 215 using the third set of resources 1025 and receive the second control information 225 in the third slot 1006 after the second slot 1004.

[0170] In some embodiments, if third control information (not shown) is also transmitted from terminal device 120 to network device 110 in third slot 1006, terminal device 120 may transmit second control information 225 and the third control information using the same set of resources in third slot 1006, e.g., fourth set of resources 1035. In other words, second control information 225 and the third control information are multiplexed on fourth set of resources 1035.

[0171] In this way, both the second control information 225 and the third control information can be reported from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110 without using additional separate transmission resources for transmitting the second control information 225. On the receiving side, when the network device 110 receives the third control information from the terminal device 120 in the third slot 1006, the network device 110 may receive the second control information 225 and the third control information using the same set of resources in the third slot 1006.

[0172] Alternatively, if the third control information is to be transmitted from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110 in the third slot 1006, the terminal device 120 may transmit the third control information in a fourth slot (not shown) after the third slot 1006. For example, the fourth slot may be the next available uplink slot after the third slot 1006. In this manner, the second control information 225 and the third control information can be transmitted in different slots, thereby improving the reliability and robustness of the control information transmission. On the receiving side, if the network device 110 is to receive the third control information from the terminal device 120 in the third slot 1006, the network device 110 may receive the third control information in the fourth slot after the third slot 1006.

[0173] In the example of Figure 10A, the second control information 225 is delayed to be transmitted in the third slot 1006. In other embodiments, the terminal device 120 may alternatively delay the first control information 215 to be transmitted in the third slot 1006. Such embodiments are further described below with reference to Figure 10B.

[0174] 10B illustrates an example scenario 1080 in which first control information 215 is delayed to be transmitted in a third slot 1006 after the second slot 1004, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Unlike the example of FIG. 10A , as shown at the bottom of FIG. 10B , after determining that available resources in the second slot 1004 are insufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources 1015 and the third set of resources 1025, terminal device 120 may transmit second control information 225 using the second set of resources 1015 and transmit first control information 215 in the third slot 1006 after the second slot 1004. For example, terminal device 120 may transmit first control information 215 using a fifth set of resources 1045, which may begin at the fourth symbol 1054 and end at the twelfth symbol 1062 of the third slot 1006.

[0175] In this way, the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 can be transmitted in different slots, thereby enhancing the coverage of the first control information 215 and improving the reliability and robustness of control information transmission in the communication system 100. Furthermore, because the slot offset in the time domain is applied to only one set of resources, the complexity of determining the set of resources (by the terminal device 120 and the network device 110) after applying the slot-level offset can be minimized.

[0176] 10B depicts a slot-level offset being applied when the available resources in the second slot 1004 are insufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources 1015 and the third set of resources 1025. However, in some other embodiments, a slot-level offset may be applied when the second set of resources 1015 and the third set of resources 1025 overlap in the time domain, regardless of whether the available resources in the second slot 1004 are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources 1015 and the third set of resources 1025.

[0177] On the receiving side, referring to Figures 8 and 10B, when receiving the first control information 215 and the second control information 225 based on the comparison, if the available resources in the second slot 1004 are insufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources 1015 and the third set of resources 1025, the network device 110 may receive the second control information 225 using the second set of resources 1015 and receive the first control information 215 in the third slot 1006 after the second slot 1004.

[0178] In some embodiments, if third control information (not shown) is also transmitted from terminal device 120 to network device 110 in third slot 1006, terminal device 120 may transmit first control information 215 and the third control information using the same set of resources in third slot 1006, e.g., fifth set of resources 1045. In other words, first control information 215 and the third control information are multiplexed on fifth set of resources 1045.

[0179] In this way, both the first control information 215 and the third control information can be reported from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110 without using additional separate transmission resources to transmit the first control information 215. On the receiving side, when the network device 110 receives the third control information from the terminal device 120 in the third slot 1006, the network device 110 may receive the first control information 215 and the third control information using the same set of resources in the third slot 1006.

[0180] Alternatively, if the third control information is to be transmitted from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110 in the third slot 1006, the terminal device 120 may transmit the third control information in a fourth slot (not shown) after the third slot 1006. For example, the fourth slot may be the next available uplink slot after the third slot 1006. In this manner, the first control information 215 and the third control information can be transmitted in different slots, thereby improving the reliability and robustness of the control information transmission. On the receiving side, if the network device 110 is to receive the third control information from the terminal device 120 in the third slot 1006, the network device 110 may receive the third control information in the fourth slot after the third slot 1006.

[0181] 11 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 1100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, process 1100 may be implemented in a terminal device, such as terminal device 120 shown in FIG. 1. Additionally or alternatively, process 1100 may be implemented in other terminal devices not shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of discussion, and without loss of generality, with reference to FIG. 1, process 1100 will be described as being performed by terminal device 120.

[0182] At block 1110, terminal device 120 may determine that first control information, which is at least a portion of previous control information transmitted in the first slot, will be transmitted to network device 110 in a second slot after the first slot. At block 1120, terminal device 120 may determine a set of resources for second control information to be transmitted to network device 110 in the second slot. At block 1130, terminal device 120 may transmit at least one of the first control information and the second control information to network device 110 based on the set of resources.

[0183] In some embodiments, the method 1100 further includes generating first control information to include a first set of ACK / NACK indications for a first set of slots for downlink transmission, and generating second control information to include a second set of ACK / NACK indications for a second set of slots for downlink transmission.

[0184] In some embodiments, the method 1100 further includes generating first control information to include a first set of ACK / NACK indications for a first set of downlink transmissions transmitted by the network device 110, and generating second control information to include a second set of ACK / NACK indications for a second set of downlink transmissions transmitted by the network device 110.

[0185] In some embodiments, method 1100 further includes generating first control information to include a first set of ACK / NACK indications for a first set of downlink transmissions received by terminal device 120, and generating second control information to include a second set of ACK / NACK indications for a second set of slots for the downlink transmissions.

[0186] In some embodiments, the method 1100 further includes generating first control information to include a first set of ACK / NACK indications for a first set of downlink transmissions, where the ACK / NACK indications are configured to be repeatedly transmitted for the first set of downlink transmissions, and generating second control information to include a second set of ACK / NACK indications for a second set of slots for the downlink transmissions or a second set of ACK / NACK indications for downlink transmissions transmitted by the network device 110.

[0187] In some embodiments, transmitting at least one of the first control information and the second control information includes transmitting the first control information and the second control information using a set of resources.

[0188] In some embodiments, the previous control information is transmitted using a first set of resources in a first slot, and the set of resources in a second slot is a second set of resources, and transmitting at least one of the first control information and the second control information includes: determining a third set of resources in the second slot for transmitting the first control information based on the first set of resources; transmitting the first control information using the third set of resources according to determining that the second set of resources and the third set of resources do not overlap in the time domain; and transmitting the second control information using the second set of resources.

[0189] In some embodiments, the previous control information is transmitted using a first set of resources in a first slot, and the set of resources in a second slot is a second set of resources, and transmitting at least one of the first control information and the second control information includes: determining a third set of resources in the second slot for transmitting the first control information based on the first set of resources; and transmitting the first control information using the third set of resources or transmitting the second control information using the second set of resources according to determining that the second set of resources and the third set of resources overlap in the time domain.

[0190] In some embodiments, the previous control information is transmitted using a first set of resources in a first slot and the set of resources in a second slot is a second set of resources, and transmitting at least one of the first control information and the second control information includes: determining a third set of resources in the second slot for transmitting the first control information based on the first set of resources; and transmitting the first control information and the second control information based on a time-domain comparison of the available resources in the second slot with the second and third sets of resources in accordance with determining that the second and third sets of resources overlap in the time domain.

[0191] In some embodiments, transmitting the first control information and the second control information based on the comparison includes: determining a fourth set of resources in the second slot by applying a first offset in the time domain to the second set of resources in accordance with determining that available resources in the second slot are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources and the third set of resources, such that the third set of resources and the fourth set of resources do not overlap in the time domain; transmitting the first control information using the third set of resources; and transmitting the second control information using the fourth set of resources.

[0192] In some embodiments, transmitting the first control information and the second control information based on the comparison includes: determining a fifth set of resources in the second slot in accordance with determining that available resources in the second slot are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources and the third set of resources, by applying a second offset in the time domain to the third set of resources such that the second set of resources and the fifth set of resources do not overlap in the time domain; transmitting the first control information using the fifth set of resources; and transmitting the second control information using the second set of resources.

[0193] In some embodiments, transmitting the first control information and the second control information based on the comparison includes, in accordance with determining that available resources in the second slot are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources and the third set of resources, determining a fourth set of resources in the second slot by applying a first offset in the time domain to the second set of resources and determining a fifth set of resources in the second slot by applying a second offset in the time domain to the third set of resources such that the fourth set of resources and the fifth set of resources do not overlap in the time domain; transmitting the first control information using the fifth set of resources; and transmitting the second control information using the fourth set of resources.

[0194] In some embodiments, transmitting the first control information and the second control information based on the comparison includes, in accordance with a determination that available resources in the second slot are insufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources and the third set of resources, transmitting the first control information using the third set of resources, and transmitting the second control information in a third slot after the second slot.

[0195] In some embodiments, transmitting the second control information in the third slot includes transmitting the second control information and the third control information using the same set of resources in the third slot in accordance with determining that the third control information is to be transmitted to the network device 110 in the third slot.

[0196] In some embodiments, the method 1100 further includes transmitting the third control information in a fourth slot after the third slot in accordance with determining that the third control information is to be transmitted to the network device 110 in the third slot.

[0197] In some embodiments, transmitting the first control information and the second control information based on the comparison includes, in accordance with a determination that available resources in the second slot are insufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources and the third set of resources, transmitting the second control information using the second set of resources, and transmitting the first control information in a third slot after the second slot.

[0198] In some embodiments, transmitting the first control information in the third slot includes transmitting the first control information and the third control information using the same set of resources in the third slot in accordance with determining that the third control information is to be transmitted to the network device 110 in the third slot.

[0199] In some embodiments, the method 1100 further includes transmitting the third control information in a fourth slot after the third slot in accordance with determining that the third control information is to be transmitted to the network device 110 in the third slot.

[0200] 12 illustrates a flowchart of another exemplary method 1200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, process 1200 may be implemented in a network device, such as network device 110 shown in FIG. 1. Additionally, or alternatively, process 1200 may be implemented in other network devices not shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of discussion, and without loss of generality, with reference to FIG. 1, process 1200 will be described as being performed by network device 110.

[0201] At block 1210, network device 110 may determine that first control information, which is at least a portion of previous control information received in the first slot, is received from terminal device 120 in a second slot after the first slot. At block 1220, network device 110 may determine a set of resources for second control information to be received from terminal device 120 in the second slot. At block 1230, network device 110 may receive at least one of the first control information and the second control information from terminal device 120 based on the set of resources.

[0202] In some embodiments, the method 1200 further includes determining that the first control information includes a first set of ACK / NACK indications for a first set of slots for downlink transmission, and determining that the second control information includes a second set of ACK / NACK indications for a second set of slots for downlink transmission.

[0203] In some embodiments, the method 1200 further includes determining that the first control information includes a first set of ACK / NACK indications for a first set of downlink transmissions transmitted by the network device 110, and determining that the second control information includes a second set of ACK / NACK indications for a second set of downlink transmissions transmitted by the network device 110.

[0204] In some embodiments, method 1200 further includes determining that the first control information includes a first set of ACK / NACK indications for a first set of downlink transmissions received by terminal device 120, and determining that the second control information includes a second set of ACK / NACK indications for a second set of slots for the downlink transmissions.

[0205] In some embodiments, the method 1200 further includes determining that the first control information includes a first set of ACK / NACK indications for a first set of downlink transmissions, where the ACK / NACK indications are configured to be repeatedly transmitted for the first set of downlink transmissions, and determining that the second control information includes a second set of ACK / NACK indications for a second set of slots for the downlink transmissions or a second set of ACK / NACK indications for downlink transmissions transmitted by the network device 110.

[0206] In some embodiments, receiving at least one of the first control information and the second control information includes receiving the first control information and the second control information using a set of resources.

[0207] In some embodiments, the previous control information is received using a first set of resources in a first slot, and the set of resources in a second slot is a second set of resources, and receiving at least one of the first control information and the second control information includes: determining a third set of resources in the second slot for receiving the first control information based on the first set of resources; receiving the first control information using the third set of resources according to determining that the second set of resources and the third set of resources do not overlap in the time domain; and receiving the second control information using the second set of resources.

[0208] In some embodiments, the previous control information is received using a first set of resources in a first slot, and the set of resources in a second slot is a second set of resources, and receiving at least one of the first control information and the second control information includes: determining a third set of resources in the second slot for receiving the first control information based on the first set of resources; and receiving the first control information using the third set of resources or receiving the second control information using the second set of resources according to determining that the second set of resources and the third set of resources overlap in the time domain.

[0209] In some embodiments, the previous control information is received using a first set of resources in a first slot and the set of resources in a second slot is a second set of resources, and receiving at least one of the first control information and the second control information includes determining a third set of resources in the second slot for receiving the first control information based on the first set of resources, and receiving the first control information and the second control information based on a time-domain comparison of the available resources in the second slot with the second and third sets of resources in accordance with determining that the second and third sets of resources overlap in the time domain.

[0210] In some embodiments, receiving the first control information and the second control information based on the comparison includes: determining a fourth set of resources in the second slot by applying a first offset in the time domain to the second set of resources in accordance with determining that available resources in the second slot are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources and the third set of resources, such that the third set of resources and the fourth set of resources do not overlap in the time domain; receiving the first control information using the third set of resources; and receiving the second control information using the fourth set of resources.

[0211] In some embodiments, receiving the first control information and the second control information based on the comparison includes: determining a fifth set of resources in the second slot in accordance with determining that available resources in the second slot are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources and the third set of resources, by applying a second offset in the time domain to the third set of resources such that the second set of resources and the fifth set of resources do not overlap in the time domain; receiving the first control information using the fifth set of resources; and receiving the second control information using the second set of resources.

[0212] In some embodiments, receiving the first control information and the second control information based on the comparison includes, in accordance with determining that available resources in the second slot are sufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources and the third set of resources, determining a fourth set of resources in the second slot by applying a first offset in the time domain to the second set of resources and determining a fifth set of resources in the second slot by applying a second offset in the time domain to the third set of resources such that the fourth set of resources and the fifth set of resources do not overlap in the time domain; receiving the first control information using the fifth set of resources; and receiving the second control information using the fourth set of resources.

[0213] In some embodiments, receiving the first control information and the second control information based on the comparison includes receiving the first control information using the third set of resources in accordance with a determination that available resources in the second slot are insufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources and the third set of resources, and receiving the second control information in a third slot after the second slot.

[0214] In some embodiments, receiving the second control information in the third slot includes receiving the second control information and the third control information using the same set of resources in the third slot in accordance with a determination that the third control information is received from the terminal device 120 in the third slot.

[0215] In some embodiments, method 1200 further includes, in accordance with determining to receive the third control information from terminal device 120 in the third slot, receiving the third control information in a fourth slot after the third slot.

[0216] In some embodiments, receiving the first control information and the second control information based on the comparison includes receiving the second control information using the second set of resources in accordance with a determination that available resources in the second slot are insufficient in the time domain to provide the second set of resources and the third set of resources, and receiving the first control information in a third slot after the second slot.

[0217] In some embodiments, receiving the first control information in the third slot includes receiving the first control information and the third control information using the same set of resources in the third slot in accordance with determining that the third control information is received from the terminal device 120 in the third slot.

[0218] In some embodiments, the method 1200 further includes receiving the third control information in a fourth slot after the third slot in accordance with determining that the third control information is received from the terminal device 120 in the third slot.

[0219] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 1300 suitable for implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1300 may be considered a further embodiment of the network apparatus 110 and the terminal apparatus 120 shown in Figure 1. Thus, the apparatus 1300 may be implemented in or as at least a part of the network apparatus 110 or the terminal apparatus 120.

[0220] As shown, the apparatus 1300 includes a processor 1310, a memory 1320 coupled to the processor 1310, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 1340 coupled to the processor 1310, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 1340. The memory 1320 stores at least a portion of a program 1330. The TX / RX 1340 is for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 1340 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although in practice, the access nodes described herein may have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 interface for bidirectional communication between gNBs or eNBs, an S1 interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Serving Gateway (S-GW) and a gNB or eNB, a Un interface for communication between a gNB or eNB and a Relay Node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between a gNB or eNB and a terminal device.

[0221] The program 1330 may be considered to include program instructions that, when executed by an associated processor 1310, enable the device 1300 to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to Figures 7, 8, 11, and 12. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware executable by the processor 1310 of the device 1300. The processor 1310 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Additionally, the combination of the processor 1310 and the memory 1320 may constitute a processing means 1350 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0222] Memory 1320 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology (e.g., but not limited to, computer-readable non-transitory storage media, semiconductor-based storage devices, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed and removable memory, etc.). Although only one memory 1320 is shown in device 1300, device 1300 may include multiple physically distinct memory modules. Processor 1310 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may include, by way of example and not limitation, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor configuration. Device 1300 may have multiple processors, e.g., application-specific integrated circuit chips time-slaved to a clock synchronized with a master processor.

[0223] Components included in the apparatus and / or devices of the present disclosure may be implemented in various ways, including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, one or more units may be implemented using software and / or firmware, e.g., machine-readable instructions stored on a storage medium. In addition to, or instead of, machine-readable instructions, some or all of the units of the apparatus and / or device may be implemented, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. For example, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include, but are not limited to, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), system-on-chip systems (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), etc.

[0224] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented by hardware, while other aspects may be implemented by firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or illustrated by some other pictorial representation, it will be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented by, for example, but not limited to, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or combinations thereof.

[0225] The present disclosure further provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules. The instructions execute on a target real or virtual processor to perform, for example, the processes or methods described above with reference to any of Figures 7, 8, 11, and 12. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or split among program modules as desired. The machine-readable instructions of the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, the program modules may reside in both local and remote storage media.

[0226] Program code for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, and when executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are performed. The program code may run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a separate software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0227] The above-described program code may be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Even more specific examples of machine-readable storage media include one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable-writeable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0228] Although operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that performing these operations in the particular order or sequence shown, or performing all of the operations shown, is required to achieve desired results. In some situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while the above discussion includes details of several specific embodiments, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Some features described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0229] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure, as defined by the appended claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, means for transmitting control information to a network device in a slot; a means for determining that a first resource for first control information and a second resource for second control information, which are part of the control information, overlap in a first slot in a time domain, and then transmitting the first control information reserved until a second slot after the first slot to the network device by multiplexing the first control information with third control information on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) in the second slot; Equipped with Terminal device.

2. the first control information includes first hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information, and the third control information includes second hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information; The terminal device according to claim 1 .

3. the multiplexing means is based on a slot-level offset between the first slot and the second slot. The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. adding the first control information to the third control information; 4. The terminal device according to claim 1.

5. A network device, means for receiving control information from a terminal device in a slot; means for receiving, from a terminal device, the first control information that is reserved until a second slot following the first slot after it is determined that a first resource for first control information and a second resource for second control information, which are parts of the control information, overlap in a time domain in a first slot, and the first control information is multiplexed with third control information on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) in the second slot; Equipped with Network equipment.

6. the first control information includes first hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information, and the third control information includes second hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information; The network device according to claim 5 .

7. the multiplexing means is based on a slot-level offset between the first slot and the second slot.

7. The network device according to claim 5 or 6.

8. The first control information is added to the third control information.

8. The network device according to claim 5.

9. 1. A method for communication performed by a terminal device, comprising: transmitting control information to a network device in a slot; determining that a first resource for first control information and a second resource for second control information, which are part of the control information, overlap in a first slot in a time domain, and then determining to transmit the first control information reserved until a second slot after the first slot to the network device by multiplexing the first control information with third control information on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) in the second slot; Including, A method for communication.

10. the first control information includes first hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information, and the third control information includes second hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information; 10. The method of claim 9.

11. the multiplexing means is based on a slot-level offset between the first slot and the second slot.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10.

12. The terminal device adds the first control information to the third control information.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

Images