Method by user equipment, device, storage medium, method by base station, and base station

Abstract

This UE may receive a CG configuration for a cell, and transmit UTO-UCI on the basis of the CG configuration, wherein the UTO-UCI may relate to CG PUSCH occasions excluding a CG PUSCH occasion overlapping a cell DRX non-active period.

Description

Method, device, and storage medium by user device, and method and base station by base station

[0001] This specification relates to wireless communication systems.

[0002] Various devices and technologies, such as machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and smartphones and tablet PCs (personal computers) that require high data transmission rates, are emerging and becoming widespread. Consequently, the amount of data required to be processed on cellular networks is rapidly increasing. To meet this rapidly increasing data processing demand, technologies such as carrier aggregation and cognitive radio are being developed to efficiently utilize more frequency bands, while multi-antenna technology and multi-BS cooperation technology are being developed to increase the data capacity transmitted within a limited frequency range.

[0003] As more and more communication devices demand greater capacity, the need for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) communications is emerging, surpassing legacy radio access technology (RAT). Furthermore, massive machine type communication (mMTC), which connects multiple devices and objects to provide diverse services anytime, anywhere, is a key issue to be considered in next-generation communications.

[0004] Additionally, discussions are underway on communication systems designed to accommodate reliability- and latency-sensitive services and user equipment (UE). The introduction of next-generation wireless access technologies is being discussed, including enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), mMTC, and ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC).

[0005] A method for efficiently transmitting data packets that may experience jitter in wireless communication systems is required.

[0006] A method is required to minimize the waste of wireless resources based on semi-persistent scheduling or established grants.

[0007] In a situation where cell discontinuous reception (DRX) operation is applied, in which uplink receptions by BS are restricted to save network energy, a method is required to efficiently inform the BS of whether the UE is actually using scheduled radio resources.

[0008] The technical tasks to be achieved by this specification are not limited to the technical tasks mentioned above, and other technical tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art related to this specification from the detailed description below.

[0009] In one aspect of this specification, a method by a user equipment (UE) is provided.

[0010] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided. The device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory operably connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations for a user equipment (UE).

[0011] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium is provided, wherein the storage medium stores at least one program code comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform operations for a user equipment (UE).

[0012] The method, or the operations, include: receiving a configured grant (CG) configuration for a cell; and transmitting uplink transmission occasion uplink control information (UTO-UCI) based on the CG configuration, wherein the UTO-UCI includes an N-bit bitmap, where N is a predetermined positive integer, and N bits of the N-bit bitmap are mapped one-to-one to N CG PUSCH occasions, wherein each of the N bits has a first bit value or a second bit value, where the first bit value indicates that the UE can transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion and the second bit value indicates that the UE will not transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion.

[0013] As one aspect of this specification, a method by a base station (BS) is provided.

[0014] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a base station (BS) is provided. The BS includes at least one processor; and at least one memory operably connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations for the BS.

[0015] The method, or the operations, include: transmitting a configured grant (CG) configuration for a cell; and receiving uplink transmission occasion uplink control information (UTO-UCI) based on the CG configuration, wherein the UTO-UCI includes an N-bit bitmap, where N is a predetermined positive integer, and N bits of the N-bit bitmap are mapped one-to-one to N CG PUSCH occasions, wherein each of the N bits has a first bit value or a second bit value, where the first bit value indicates that the UE can transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion and the second bit value indicates that the UE will not transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion.

[0016] In each aspect of this specification, the N CG PUSCH periods may exclude CG PUSCH periods that overlap with non-active periods of cell discontinuous reception (DRX).

[0017] In each aspect of this specification, settings regarding the cell DRX may be further provided to the UE.

[0018] In each aspect of this specification, the UTO-UCI may be provided via CG PUSCH based on the CG configuration.

[0019] The above problem solving methods are only some of the examples of this specification, and various examples reflecting the technical features of this specification can be derived and understood by a person having ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field based on the detailed description below.

[0020] Some implementations of this specification can reduce the waste of radio resources allocated for data packets that may experience disruption.

[0021] According to some implementations of this specification, radio resources based on established grant settings may be used for other transmissions.

[0022] According to some implementations of this specification, the actual usage of radio resources scheduled for a UE can be efficiently reported to a BS in a situation where cell DRX operation is applied in which uplink receptions by a BS are restricted to save network energy.

[0023] The effects according to this specification are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art related to this specification from the detailed description below.

[0024] To aid in understanding implementations of this specification, the accompanying drawings, which are included as part of the detailed description, provide examples of implementations of this specification and, together with the detailed description, illustrate implementations of this specification:

[0025] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a communication system 1 to which implementations of the present specification are applied;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating examples of communication devices capable of performing a method according to the present specification.

[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates another example of a wireless device capable of performing implementation(s) of this specification;

[0028] Figure 4 is the 3rd generation partnership project (3rd It illustrates an example of a frame structure available in a wireless communication system based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP);

[0029] Figure 5 illustrates a resource grid of slots;

[0030] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of PDSCH time domain resource allocation by PDCCH and an example of PUSCH time domain resource allocation by PDCCH;

[0031] Figure 7 illustrates a hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) transmission / reception process;

[0032] Figure 8 illustrates discontinuous reception (DRX) operation;

[0033] Figure 9 illustrates a case where a Long DRX cycle and a Short DRX cycle are set;

[0034] Figure 10 illustrates the flow of UE operation according to some implementations of this specification;

[0035] Figure 11 illustrates the flow of BS operation according to some implementations of this specification;

[0036] FIG. 12 illustrates UE and BS signal transmission / reception flows according to some implementations of the present specification;

[0037] Figure 13 illustrates an example of transmitting unused resource information (URI);

[0038] Figure 14 illustrates an example of unused transmission occasion - uplink control information (UTO-UCI) transmission;

[0039] Figures 15 and 16 are examples of transmission of UTO-UCI according to some implementations of the present specification;

[0040] Figure 17 illustrates the flow of UE operation according to some implementations of this specification;

[0041] Figure 18 illustrates the flow of BS operation according to some implementations of this specification.

[0042] Hereinafter, implementations according to this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The detailed description provided below, together with the attached drawings, is intended to describe exemplary implementations of this specification and is not intended to represent the only possible implementations of this specification. The detailed description below includes specific details to provide a thorough understanding of this specification. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that this specification may be practiced without these specific details.

[0043] In some cases, to avoid ambiguity in the concepts of this specification, known structures and devices may be omitted or illustrated in block diagram form focusing on the core functions of each structure and device. Furthermore, identical components are described using the same drawing reference numerals throughout this specification.

[0044] The techniques, devices, and systems described below can be applied to various wireless multiple access systems. Examples of multiple access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and multi-carrier frequency division multiple access (MC-FDMA) systems. CDMA can be implemented in wireless technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) or CDMA2000. TDMA can be implemented in wireless technologies such as Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) (i.e., GERAN). OFDMA can be implemented in wireless technologies such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802-20, and E-UTRA (evolved-UTRA). UTRA is part of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System), and 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a part of E-UMTS that uses E-UTRA.3GPP LTE adopts OFDMA for the downlink (DL) and SC-FDMA for the uplink (UL). LTE-A (LTE-advanced) is an evolved form of 3GPP LTE.

[0045] For convenience of explanation, the following description assumes that this specification applies to 3GPP-based communication systems, such as LTE and NR. However, the technical features of this specification are not limited to this. For example, although the detailed description below is based on a mobile communication system corresponding to a 3GPP LTE / NR system, it can also be applied to any other mobile communication system, except for features specific to 3GPP LTE / NR.

[0046] For terms and technologies used in this specification that are not specifically explained, reference may be made to 3GPP-based standard documents, such as 3GPP TS 36.211, 3GPP TS 36.212, 3GPP TS 36.213, 3GPP TS 36.321, 3GPP TS 36.300 and 3GPP TS 36.331, 3GPP TS 37.213, 3GPP TS 38.211, 3GPP TS 38.212, 3GPP TS 38.213, 3GPP TS 38.214, 3GPP TS 38.300, 3GPP TS 38.321, 3GPP TS 38.331, etc.

[0047] In the examples of this specification described below, the expression "assumes" that a device "assumes" that the entity transmitting the channel transmits the channel in a manner consistent with the "assume." The entity receiving the channel may mean that, under the assumption that the channel was transmitted in a manner consistent with the "assume," the entity receiving the channel receives or decodes the channel in a manner consistent with the "assume."

[0048] In this specification, UE may be fixed or mobile, and includes various devices that communicate with a BS (base station) to transmit and / or receive user data and / or various control information. UE may be called (Terminal Equipment), MS (Mobile Station), MT (Mobile Terminal), UT (User Terminal), SS (Subscribe Station), wireless device, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), wireless modem, handheld device, etc. In addition, in this specification, BS generally refers to a fixed station that communicates with UE and / or other BS, and exchanges various data and control information with UE and other BS. BS may be called by other terms such as ABS (Advanced Base Station), NB (Node-B), eNB (evolved-NodeB), BTS (Base Transceiver System), Access Point, PS (Processing Server), etc. In particular, the BS in UTRAN is called a Node-B, the BS in E-UTRAN is called an eNB, and the BS in a new radio access technology network is called a gNB. For convenience of explanation, BSs are collectively referred to as BSs below, regardless of the type or version of communication technology.

[0049] In this specification, a node refers to a fixed point that can transmit / receive radio signals by communicating with a UE. Various types of BSs can be used as nodes regardless of their names. For example, BSs, NBs, eNBs, pico-cell eNBs (PeNBs), home eNBs (HeNBs), relays, and repeaters can be nodes. Furthermore, a node may not be a BS. For example, it can be a radio remote head (RRH) or a radio remote unit (RRU). RRHs, RRUs, etc. generally have a lower power level than the BS. Since an RRH or RRU (hereinafter referred to as RRH / RRU) is generally connected to a BS via a dedicated line such as an optical cable, cooperative communication between an RRH / RRU and a BS can be performed more smoothly than cooperative communication between BSs that are generally connected via a wireless line. Each node is equipped with at least one antenna. The antenna may be a physical antenna, an antenna port, a virtual antenna, or an antenna group. A node is also called a point.

[0050] In this specification, a cell refers to a certain geographical area where one or more nodes provide communication services. Therefore, in this specification, communicating with a specific cell may mean communicating with a BS or node that provides communication services to the specific cell. In addition, the downlink / uplink signal of a specific cell refers to a downlink / uplink signal from / to a BS or node that provides communication services to the specific cell. A cell that provides uplink / downlink communication services to a UE is specifically referred to as a serving cell. In addition, the channel state / quality of a specific cell refers to the channel state / quality of a channel or communication link formed between a BS or node that provides communication services to the specific cell and the UE. In a 3GPP-based communication system, a UE can measure a downlink channel state from a specific node using CRS (Cell-specific Reference Signal) resources transmitted by antenna port(s) of the specific node on CRS resources allocated to the specific node and / or CSI-RS (Channel State Information Reference Signal) resources transmitted.

[0051] Meanwhile, 3GPP-based communication systems use the concept of cells to manage radio resources, and cells associated with radio resources are distinguished from cells in geographical areas.

[0052] A "cell" in a geographical area can be understood as the coverage over which a node can provide a service using a carrier, and a "cell" in a radio resource is associated with a bandwidth (BW), which is a frequency range configured by the carrier. Since downlink coverage, which is the range over which a node can transmit a valid signal, and uplink coverage, which is the range over which a node can receive a valid signal from a UE, depend on the carrier carrying the signal, the coverage of a node is also associated with the coverage of the "cell" of the radio resource used by the node. Therefore, the term "cell" can sometimes be used to mean the coverage of a service provided by a node, sometimes a radio resource, and sometimes the range over which a signal using the radio resource can reach with a valid intensity.

[0053] Meanwhile, the 3GPP communication standard uses the concept of a cell to manage radio resources. A "cell" associated with radio resources is defined as a combination of downlink resources (DL resources) and uplink resources (UL resources), i.e., a combination of a DL component carrier (CC) and an UL CC. A cell can be configured with DL resources alone or a combination of DL resources and UL resources. If carrier aggregation is supported, the linkage between the carrier frequency of the DL resources (or DL ​​CC) and the carrier frequency of the UL resources (or UL CC) can be indicated by system information. For example, the combination of DL resources and UL resources can be indicated by a System Information Block Type 2 (SIB2) linkage. Here, the carrier frequency can be the same as or different from the center frequency of each cell or CC. When carrier aggregation (CA) is established, the UE has only one radio resource control (RRC) connection with the network. One serving cell provides non-access stratum (NAS) mobility information during RRC connection establishment / re-establishment / handover, and one serving cell provides security input during RRC connection re-establishment / handover. Such a cell is called a primary cell (Pcell). A Pcell is a cell operating on the primary frequency where the UE performs initial connection establishment procedures or initiates connection re-establishment procedures.Depending on the UE capability, secondary cells (Scells) can be configured to form a set of serving cells together with Pcells. An Scell ​​can be configured after an RRC (Radio Resource Control) connection establishment has been made, and is a cell that provides additional radio resources in addition to the resources of a special cell (SpCell). The carrier corresponding to a Pcell in downlink is called a downlink primary CC (DL PCC), and the carrier corresponding to a Pcell in uplink is called an UL primary CC (UL PCC). The carrier corresponding to an Scell ​​in downlink is called a DL secondary CC (DL SCC), and the carrier corresponding to the Scell ​​in uplink is called an UL secondary CC (UL SCC).

[0054] For dual connectivity (DC) operation, the term special cell (SpCell) refers to a Pcell of a master cell group (MCG) or a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG). A SpCell supports PUCCH transmission and contention-based random access and is always activated. An MCG is a group of serving cells associated with a master node (e.g., BS) and consists of a SpCell (Pcell) and optionally one or more Scells. For a UE configured for DC, an SCG is a subset of serving cells associated with a secondary node and consists of a primary secondary cell (PSCell) and zero or more Scells. A PSCell is a primary Scell ​​of an SCG. For a UE in RRC_CONNECTED state that is not configured for CA or DC, there is only one serving cell consisting of Pcells. For a UE in RRC_CONNECTED state that is configured for CA or DC, the term serving cells refers to the set of cells consisting of SpCell(s) and all Scell(s). In DC, two medium access control (MAC) entities are configured in the UE: one for the MCG and one for the SCG.

[0055] For a UE for which CA is set and DC is not set, a Pcell PUCCH group (also referred to as a primary PUCCH group) consisting of a Pcell and zero or more Scells and a Scell ​​PUCCH group (also referred to as a secondary PUCCH group) consisting of only Scell(s) may be set. In the case of an Scell, an Scell ​​(hereinafter referred to as a PUCCH Scell) on which a PUCCH associated with the cell is transmitted may be set. An Scell ​​for which a PUCCH Scell ​​is indicated belongs to an Scell ​​PUCCH group (i.e., a secondary PUCCH group), and PUCCH transmission of the relevant UCI is performed on the PUCCH Scell, and an Scell ​​for which a PUCCH Scell ​​is not indicated or which is a Pcell and is indicated as a cell for PUCCH transmission belongs to a Pcell PUCCH group (i.e., a primary PUCCH group), and PUCCH transmission of the relevant UCI is performed on the Pcell. Hereinafter, if a UE is configured with an SCG and some implementations of this specification related to PUCCH are applied to the SCG, the primary cell may refer to a PSCell of the SCG. If a UE is configured with a PUCCH Scell ​​and some implementations of this specification related to PUCCH are applied to a secondary PUCCH group, the primary cell may refer to a PUCCH Scell ​​of the secondary PUCCH group.

[0056] In a wireless communication system, a UE receives information from a base station (BS) via the downlink (DL), and the UE transmits information to the base station via the uplink (UL). The information transmitted and / or received by the BS and UE includes data and various control information, and various physical channels exist depending on the type and purpose of the information they transmit and / or receive.

[0057] 3GPP-based communication standards define downlink physical channels corresponding to resource elements that carry information originating from higher layers, and downlink physical signals corresponding to resource elements that are used by the physical layer but do not carry information originating from higher layers. For example, the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) are defined as downlink physical channels, and reference signals and synchronization signals (SS) are defined as downlink physical signals. A reference signal (RS), also referred to as a pilot, refers to a signal with a predefined, special waveform that is known to the BS and UE. For example, the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) and the channel state information RS (CSI-RS) are defined as downlink reference signals. 3GPP-based communication standards define uplink physical channels corresponding to resource elements that carry information originating from higher layers, and uplink physical signals corresponding to resource elements that are used by the physical layer but do not carry information originating from higher layers.For example, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and a physical random access channel (PRACH) are defined as uplink physical channels, and a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for uplink control / data signals and a sounding reference signal (SRS) used for uplink channel measurement are defined.

[0058] In this specification, PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control CHannel) refers to a set of time-frequency resources (e.g., resource elements (REs)) that carry DCI (Downlink Control Information), and PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared CHannel) refers to a set of time-frequency resources that carry downlink data. In addition, PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control CHannel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared CHannel), and PRACH (Physical Random Access CHannel) refer to sets of time-frequency resources that carry UCI (Uplink Control Information), uplink data, and random access signals, respectively (respectively). Hereinafter, the expression that a user equipment transmits / receives a PUCCH / PUSCH / PRACH is used with the same meaning as that uplink control information / uplink data / random access signals are transmitted / received on or through the PUCCH / PUSCH / PRACH, respectively. Additionally, the expression that BS transmits / receives PBCH / PDCCH / PDSCH is used with the same meaning as transmitting broadcast information / downlink control information / downlink data on or through PBCH / PDCCH / PDSCH, respectively.

[0059] In this specification, radio resources (e.g., time-frequency resources) scheduled or configured by the BS to the UE for transmission or reception of PUCCH / PUSCH / PDSCH are also referred to as PUCCH / PUSCH / PDSCH resources.

[0060] Since the communication device receives a synchronization signal block (SSB), DMRS, CSI-RS, PBCH, PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and / or PUCCH in the form of radio signals on a cell, it cannot selectively receive through an RF receiver only radio signals including only a specific physical channel or only a specific physical signal, or selectively receive through an RF receiver only radio signals excluding only a specific physical channel or only a physical signal. In actual operation, the communication device first receives radio signals on a cell through an RF receiver, converts the radio signals, which are RF band signals, into baseband signals, and decodes a physical signal and / or a physical channel within the baseband signals using one or more processors. Thus, in some implementations of the present specification, not receiving a physical signal and / or a physical channel may not actually mean that the communication device does not receive wireless signals containing the physical signal and / or physical channel at all, but rather that it does not attempt to recover the physical signal and / or physical channel from the wireless signals, e.g., does not attempt to decode the physical signal and / or the physical channel.

[0061] As more and more communication devices demand greater communication capacity, the need for improved mobile broadband communication over existing radio access technology (RAT) is emerging. Furthermore, massive MTC, which connects numerous devices and objects to provide diverse services anytime, anywhere, is also a key issue to be considered in next-generation communications. Furthermore, communication system design that considers reliability and latency-sensitive services / UEs is being discussed. The introduction of next-generation RATs that take advanced mobile broadband communication, massive MTC, and URLLC (Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communication) into account is currently under discussion. 3GPP is currently conducting studies on next-generation mobile communication systems beyond EPC. For convenience, this technology is referred to as new RAT (NR) or 5G RAT, and a system that uses or supports NR is referred to as an NR system.

[0062] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communication system 1 to which implementations of the present specification are applied. Referring to FIG. 1, the communication system (1) applied to the present specification includes a wireless device, a BS, and a network. Here, the wireless device refers to a device that performs communication using a wireless access technology (e.g., 5G NR (New RAT), LTE (e.g., E-UTRA)) and may be referred to as a communication / wireless / 5G device. Although not limited thereto, the wireless device may include a robot (100a), a vehicle (100b-1, 100b-2), an XR (eXtended Reality) device (100c), a hand-held device (100d), a home appliance (100e), an IoT (Internet of Things) device (100f), and an AI device / server (400). For example, the vehicle may include a vehicle equipped with a wireless communication function, an autonomous vehicle, a vehicle capable of performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication, etc. Here, the vehicle may include an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) (e.g., a drone). XR devices include AR (Augmented Reality) / VR (Virtual Reality) / MR (Mixed Reality) devices, and may be implemented in the form of a Head-Mounted Device (HMD), a Head-Up Display (HUD) installed in a vehicle, a television, a smartphone, a computer, a wearable device, a home appliance, digital signage, a vehicle, a robot, etc. Mobile devices may include a smartphone, a smart pad, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, smart glasses), a computer (e.g., a laptop, etc.), etc. Home appliances may include a TV, a refrigerator, a washing machine, etc. IoT devices may include sensors, smart meters, etc. For example, a BS or network may also be implemented as a wireless device, and a specific wireless device may act as a BS / network node to other wireless devices.

[0063] Wireless devices (100a to 100f) can be connected to a network (300) via a BS (200). Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology can be applied to the wireless devices (100a to 100f), and the wireless devices (100a to 100f) can be connected to an AI server (400) via a network (300). The network (300) can be configured using a 3G network, a 4G (e.g., LTE) network, a 5G (e.g., NR) network, etc. The wireless devices (100a to 100f) can communicate with each other via the BS (200) / network (300), but can also communicate directly (e.g., sidelink communication) without going through the BS / network. For example, vehicles (100b-1, 100b-2) can communicate directly (e.g., V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) / V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication). In addition, IoT devices (e.g., sensors) can communicate directly with other IoT devices (e.g., sensors) or other wireless devices (100a to 100f).

[0064] Wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b) can be performed between wireless devices (100a~100f) / BS (200) - BS (200) / wireless devices (100a~100f). Here, the wireless communication / connection can be performed through various wireless access technologies (e.g., 5G NR) for uplink / downlink communication (150a) and sidelink communication (150b) (or D2D communication). Through the wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b), the wireless device and the BS / wireless device can transmit / receive wireless signals to / from each other. To this end, at least some of various configuration information setting processes for transmitting / receiving wireless signals, various signal processing processes (e.g., channel encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, resource mapping / demapping, etc.), and resource allocation processes can be performed based on various proposals of this specification.

[0065] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating examples of communication devices capable of performing a method according to the present specification. Referring to FIG. 2, a first wireless device (100) and a second wireless device (200) can transmit and / or receive wireless signals via various wireless access technologies (e.g., LTE, NR). Here, {the first wireless device (100), the second wireless device (200)} can correspond to {the wireless device (100x), the BS (200)} and / or {the wireless device (100x), the wireless device (100x)} of FIG. 1.

[0066] A first wireless device (100) includes one or more processors (102) and one or more memories (104), and may further include one or more transceivers (106) and / or one or more antennas (108). The processor (102) controls the memories (104) and / or the transceivers (106), and may be configured to implement functions, procedures, and / or methods described / suggested below. For example, the processor (102) may process information in the memory (104) to generate first information / signals, and then transmit a wireless signal including the first information / signals via the transceivers (106). In addition, the processor (102) may receive a wireless signal including second information / signals via the transceivers (106), and then store information obtained from signal processing of the second information / signals in the memory (104). The memory (104) may be connected to the processor (102) and may store various information related to the operation of the processor (102). For example, the memory (104) may perform some or all of the processes controlled by the processor (102), or may store software code including commands for performing the procedures and / or methods described / proposed below. Here, the processor (102) and the memory (104) may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless communication technology (e.g., LTE, NR). The transceiver (106) may be connected to the processor (102) and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas (108). The transceiver (106) may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver (106) may be used interchangeably with an RF (Radio Frequency) unit. In this specification, a wireless device may also mean a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0067] The second wireless device (200) includes one or more processors (202), one or more memories (204), and may further include one or more transceivers (206) and / or one or more antennas (208). The processor (202) controls the memories (204) and / or the transceivers (206), and may be configured to implement the functions, procedures, and / or methods described / suggested below. For example, the processor (202) may process information in the memory (204) to generate third information / signals, and then transmit a wireless signal including the third information / signals via the transceivers (206). In addition, the processor (202) may receive a wireless signal including fourth information / signals via the transceivers (206), and then store information obtained from signal processing of the fourth information / signals in the memory (204). The memory (204) may be connected to the processor (202) and may store various information related to the operation of the processor (202). For example, the memory (204) may perform some or all of the processes controlled by the processor (202), or may store software code including commands for performing the procedures and / or methods described / proposed below. Here, the processor (202) and the memory (204) may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless communication technology (e.g., LTE, NR). The transceiver (206) may be connected to the processor (202) and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas (208). The transceiver (206) may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver (206) may be used interchangeably with an RF unit. In this specification, a wireless device may also mean a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0068] The wireless communication technology implemented in the wireless device (100, 200) of the present specification may include not only LTE, NR, and 6G, but also Narrowband Internet of Things for low-power communication. At this time, for example, NB-IoT technology may be an example of LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) technology, and may be implemented with standards such as LTE Cat NB1 and / or LTE Cat NB2, and is not limited to the above-described names. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication technology implemented in the wireless device (XXX, YYY) of the present specification may perform communication based on LTE-M technology. At this time, for example, LTE-M technology may be an example of LPWAN technology, and may be called by various names such as eMTC (enhanced Machine Type Communication). For example, LTE-M technology can be implemented by at least one of various standards such as 1) LTE CAT 0, 2) LTE Cat M1, 3) LTE Cat M2, 4) LTE non-BL (non-Bandwidth Limited), 5) LTE-MTC, 6) LTE Machine Type Communication, and / or 7) LTE M, and is not limited to the above-described names. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication technology implemented in the wireless device (XXX, YYY) of the present specification can include at least one of ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) considering low-power communication, and is not limited to the above-described names. For example, ZigBee technology can create personal area networks (PAN) related to small / low-power digital communication based on various standards such as IEEE 802.15.4, and can be called by various names.

[0069] Hereinafter, hardware elements of the wireless device (100, 200) will be described in more detail. Although not limited thereto, one or more protocol layers may be implemented by one or more processors (102, 202). For example, one or more processors (102, 202) may implement one or more layers (e.g., functional layers such as a physical (PHY) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio resource control (RRC) layer, and a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer). One or more processors (102, 202) may generate one or more protocol data units (PDUs) and / or one or more service data units (SDUs) according to the functions, procedures, proposals, and / or methods disclosed in this document. One or more processors (102, 202) may generate messages, control information, data or information according to the functions, procedures, proposals and / or methods disclosed herein. One or more processors (102, 202) may generate signals (e.g., baseband signals) including PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data or information according to the functions, procedures, proposals and / or methods disclosed herein and provide the signals to one or more transceivers (106, 206). One or more processors (102, 202) may receive signals (e.g., baseband signals) from one or more transceivers (106, 206) and obtain PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data or information according to the functions, procedures, proposals and / or methods disclosed herein.

[0070] One or more processors (102, 202) may be referred to as a controller, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or a microcomputer. One or more processors (102, 202) may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), one or more Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), one or more Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), one or more Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) may be included in one or more processors (102, 202). The functions, procedures, proposals, and / or methods disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software, and the firmware or software may be implemented to include modules, procedures, functions, etc. Firmware or software configured to perform the functions, procedures, suggestions and / or methods disclosed in this document may be included in one or more processors (102, 202) or stored in one or more memories (104, 204) and executed by one or more processors (102, 202). The functions, procedures, suggestions and / or methods disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software in the form of codes, instructions and / or sets of instructions.

[0071] One or more memories (104, 204) may be coupled to one or more processors (102, 202) and may store various forms of data, signals, messages, information, programs, codes, instructions, and / or commands. The one or more memories (104, 204) may be configured as ROM, RAM, EPROM, flash memory, hard drives, registers, cache memory, computer-readable storage media, and / or combinations thereof. The one or more memories (104, 204) may be located internally and / or externally to the one or more processors (102, 202). Additionally, the one or more memories (104, 204) may be coupled to the one or more processors (102, 202) via various technologies, such as wired or wireless connections.

[0072] One or more transceivers (106, 206) can transmit user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as mentioned in the methods and / or flowcharts of this document, to one or more other devices. One or more transceivers (106, 206) can receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as mentioned in the functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or flowcharts of this document, from one or more other devices. For example, one or more transceivers (106, 206) can be coupled to one or more processors (102, 202) and can transmit and / or receive wireless signals. For example, one or more processors (102, 202) can control one or more transceivers (106, 206) to transmit user data, control information, or wireless signals to one or more other devices. Additionally, one or more processors (102, 202) may control one or more transceivers (106, 206) to receive user data, control information, or wireless signals from one or more other devices. Additionally, one or more transceivers (106, 206) may be coupled to one or more antennas (108, 208), and one or more transceivers (106, 206) may be configured to transmit and / or receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, or the like, as referred to in the functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document, via one or more antennas (108, 208). In this document, one or more antennas may be multiple physical antennas or multiple logical antennas (e.g., antenna ports). One or more transceivers (106, 206) may convert received user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. from RF band signals to baseband signals for processing using one or more processors (102, 202).One or more transceivers (106, 206) may convert user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. processed by one or more processors (102, 202) from baseband signals to RF band signals. For this purpose, one or more transceivers (106, 206) may include an (analog) oscillator and / or filter.

[0073] FIG. 3 illustrates another example of a wireless device capable of performing implementation(s) of the present specification. Referring to FIG. 3, the wireless device (100, 200) corresponds to the wireless device (100, 200) of FIG. 2 and may be composed of various elements, components, units / units, and / or modules. For example, the wireless device (100, 200) may include a communication unit (110), a control unit (120), a memory unit (130), and additional elements (140). The communication unit may include a communication circuit (112) and a transceiver(s) (114). For example, the communication circuit (112) may include one or more processors (102, 202) and / or one or more memories (104, 204) of FIG. 2. For example, the transceiver(s) (114) may include one or more transceivers (106, 206) and / or one or more antennas (108, 208) of FIG. 2. The control unit (120) is electrically connected to the communication unit (110), the memory unit (130), and the additional elements (140) and controls the overall operation of the wireless device. For example, the control unit (120) may control the electrical / mechanical operation of the wireless device based on the program / code / command / information stored in the memory unit (130). In addition, the control unit (120) may transmit information stored in the memory unit (130) to an external device (e.g., another communication device) via a wireless / wired interface through the communication unit (110), or store information received from an external device (e.g., another communication device) via a wireless / wired interface in the memory unit (130).

[0074] The additional element (140) may be configured in various ways depending on the type of the wireless device. For example, the additional element (140) may include at least one of a power unit / battery, an input / output (I / O) unit, a driving unit, and a computing unit. Although not limited thereto, the wireless device may be implemented in the form of a robot (Fig. 1, 100a), a vehicle (Fig. 1, 100b-1, 100b-2), an XR device (Fig. 1, 100c), a portable device (Fig. 1, 100d), a home appliance (Fig. 1, 100e), an IoT device (Fig. 1, 100f), a UE for digital broadcasting, a hologram device, a public safety device, an MTC device, a medical device, a fintech device (or a financial device), a security device, a climate / environmental device, an AI server / device (Fig. 1, 400), a BS (Fig. 1, 200), a network node, etc. Wireless devices may be mobile or stationary depending on the use / service.

[0075] In FIG. 3, various elements, components, units / parts, and / or modules within the wireless device (100, 200) may be entirely interconnected via a wired interface, or at least some may be wirelessly connected via a communication unit (110). For example, within the wireless device (100, 200), the control unit (120) and the communication unit (110) may be wired, and the control unit (120) and a first unit (e.g., 130, 140) may be wirelessly connected via the communication unit (110). In addition, each element, component, unit / part, and / or module within the wireless device (100, 200) may further include one or more elements. For example, the control unit (120) may be composed of one or more processor sets. For example, the control unit (120) may be composed of a set of a communication control processor, an application processor, an electronic control unit (ECU), a graphics processing processor, a memory control processor, etc. As another example, the memory unit (130) may be composed of RAM (Random Access Memory), DRAM (Dynamic RAM), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and / or a combination thereof.

[0076] In this specification, at least one memory (e.g., 104 or 204) can store instructions or programs that, when executed, cause at least one processor operably connected to the at least one memory to perform operations according to some embodiments or implementations of the present specification.

[0077] In this specification, a computer-readable (non-transitory) storage medium can store at least one instruction or computer program, which when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to perform operations according to some embodiments or implementations of this specification.

[0078] In this specification, a processing device or apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one computer memory operatively connected to the at least one processor. The at least one computer memory may store instructions or programs, which, when executed, cause at least one processor operatively connected to the at least one memory to perform operations according to some embodiments or implementations of the present specification.

[0079] In this specification, a computer program may be stored in at least one computer-readable (non-transitory) storage medium and may include program code that, when executed, performs operations according to some implementations of the present specification or causes at least one processor to perform operations according to some implementations of the present specification. The computer program may be provided in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product may include at least one computer-readable (non-transitory) storage medium.

[0080] A communications device of the present specification comprises at least one processor; and at least one computer memory operably connected to said at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause said at least one processor to perform operations according to the example(s) of the present specification described below.

[0081] Figure 4 illustrates an example of a frame structure available in a 3GPP-based wireless communication system.

[0082] The structure of the frame in Fig. 4 is merely an example, and the number of subframes, the number of slots, and the number of symbols in the frame can be varied. In an NR system, OFDM numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing (SCS)) may be set differently between multiple cells aggregated to a single UE. Accordingly, the (absolute time) duration of a time resource (e.g., a subframe, a slot, or a transmission time interval (TTI)) consisting of the same number of symbols may be set differently between the aggregated cells. Here, the symbol may include an OFDM symbol (or a cyclic prefix - orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) symbol), an SC-FDMA symbol (or a discrete Fourier transform-spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol). In this specification, the terms symbol, OFDM-based symbol, OFDM symbol, CP-OFDM symbol, and DFT-s-OFDM symbols are interchangeable.

[0083] Referring to Figure 4, in the NR system, uplink and downlink transmissions are organized into frames. Each frame is T f= (△f max *N f / 100)*T c = 10 ms duration, divided into two half-frames of 5 ms each. Here, T is the basic time unit for NR. c = 1 / (△f max *N f ) and △f max = 480*10 3 Hz, and N f =4096. For reference, T is the basic time unit for LTE. s = 1 / (△f ref *N f,ref ) and △f ref = 15*10 3 Hz, and N f,ref =2048. T s Wow T c is a constant κ = T s / T c = 64 relationship. Each half-frame consists of 5 subframes, and the duration of a single subframe is T. sf is 1ms. Subframes are further divided into slots, and the number of slots in a subframe depends on the subcarrier spacing. Each slot consists of 14 or 12 OFDM symbols based on the cyclic prefix. For a normal cyclic prefix (CP), each slot consists of 14 OFDM symbols, and for an extended CP, each slot consists of 12 OFDM symbols. The numerology is exponentially scalable with a subcarrier spacing △f = 2. u *Depends on 15 kHz. The following table shows the subcarrier spacing for regular CP △f = 2. u *Number of OFDM symbols per slot at 15 kHz (N) slot symb ), number of slots per frame (N frame,uslot ) and the number of slots per subframe (N subframe,u slot ) is shown.

[0084]

[0085] The following table shows the subcarrier spacing for extended CP △f = 2. u *Indicates the number of OFDM symbols per slot, the number of slots per frame, and the number of slots per subframe at 15 kHz.

[0086]

[0087] For a subcarrier spacing setting u, slots are n in increasing order within a subframe. u s ∈ {0, ..., nsubframe,u slot - 1} and n in increasing order within the frame u s,f ∈ {0, ..., n frame,u slot - Numbered as 1}.

[0088] Figure 5 illustrates the resource grid of a slot. A slot contains multiple symbols (e.g., 14 or 12) in the time domain. For each numeral (e.g., subcarrier spacing) and carrier, a common resource block (CRB) N is indicated by higher layer signaling (e.g., radio resource control (RRC) signaling). start,u grid Starting from,N size,u grid,x *N RB sc Dog subcarriers and N subframe,u symb A resource grid of OFDM symbols is defined, where N size,u grid,xis the number of resource blocks (RBs) in the resource grid, and the subscript x is DL for downlink and UL for uplink. N RB sc is the number of subcarriers per RB, and in 3GPP-based wireless communication systems, N RB sc is typically 12. For a given antenna port p, subcarrier spacing configuration u, and transmission direction (DL or UL), there is one resource grid. The carrier bandwidth N for subcarrier spacing configuration u size,u grid is given to the UE by higher layer parameters (e.g., RRC parameters) from the network. Each element in the resource grid for antenna port p and subcarrier spacing configuration u is called a resource element (RE), and one complex symbol can be mapped to each RE. Each RE in the resource grid is uniquely identified by an index k in the frequency domain and an index l indicating the symbol position relative to a reference point in the time domain. In an NR system, an RB is defined by 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. In an NR system, RBs can be classified into common resource blocks (CRBs) and physical resource blocks (PRBs). CRBs are numbered upwards from 0 in the frequency domain for the subcarrier spacing configuration u. The center of subcarrier 0 of CRB 0 for the subcarrier spacing configuration u coincides with 'Point A', which is a common reference point for the resource block grids. PRBs for subcarrier spacing u are defined within the bandwidth part (BWP) and range from 0 to N. size,u BWP,i -1, where i is the number of the bandwidth part. Common resource block n u CRBand bandwidth part i within physical resource block n PRB The relationship between the two is as follows: n u PRB = n u CRB +N start,u BWP,i , here N start,u BWP,i is a common resource block (BRB) whose bandwidth part starts relative to CRB 0. A BWP comprises multiple consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. For example, a BWP may be a given numeral u within a BWP i on a given carrier. i A subset of contiguous CRBs defined for a carrier. A carrier may include up to N (e.g., 5) BWPs. A UE may be configured to have one or more BWPs on a given component carrier. Data communication is performed through the activated BWPs, and only a predetermined number (e.g., 1) of BWPs configured for the UE may be activated on the carrier.

[0089] For each serving cell in a set of DL BWPs or UL BWPs, the network configures at least an initial DL BWP and one (if the serving configuration is configured with uplink) or two (if supplementary uplink is used) initial UL BWPs. The network may also configure additional UL and DL BWPs for the serving cell. For each DL BWP or UL BWP, the UE is provided with the following parameters for the serving cell: i) subcarrier spacing, ii) cyclic prefix, and iii) N start BWP = Offset RB with the assumption of 275 set and length L RB CRBN provided by the RRC parameter locationAndBandwidth, which indicates the resource indicator value (RIV). start BWP=O carrier +RB start and the number of contiguous RBs N size BWP =L RB , and the subcarrier spacing is provided by the RRC parameter offsetToCarrierO carrier ; an index within the set of DL BWPs or UL BWPs; a set of BWP-common parameters and a set of BWP-specific parameters.

[0090] Virtual resource blocks (VRBs) are defined within the bandwidth part and are numbered from 0 to N. size,u BWP,i Numbered from -1, where i is the number of the bandwidth part. VRBs are mapped to physical resource blocks (PRBs) according to interleaved or non-interleaved mapping. In some implementations, for non-interleaved VRB-to-PRB mapping, VRB n may be mapped to PRB n.

[0091] A UE configured with carrier aggregation may be configured to use one or more cells. If the UE is configured to have multiple serving cells, the UE may be configured to have one or more cell groups. The UE may be configured to have multiple cell groups associated with different BSs. Alternatively, the UE may be configured to have multiple cell groups associated with a single BS. Each cell group of the UE consists of one or more serving cells, and each cell group includes a single PUCCH cell configured with PUCCH resources. The PUCCH cell may be a Pcell or an Scell ​​configured as a PUCCH cell among the Scells of the corresponding cell group. Each serving cell of the UE belongs to one of the cell groups of the UE and does not belong to multiple cell groups.

[0092] NR frequency bands are defined by two types of frequency ranges, FR1 and FR2, with FR2 also referred to as millimeter wave (mmW). The following table lists the frequency ranges in which NR can operate.

[0093]

[0094] Below, the physical channels that can be used in 3GPP-based wireless communication systems are described in more detail.

[0095] The PDCCH carries DCI. For example, the PDCCH (i.e., DCI) carries the transmission format and resource allocation of the downlink shared channel (DL-SCH), resource allocation information for the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH), paging information for the paging channel (PCH), system information on the DL-SCH, resource allocation information for control messages of a layer (hereinafter, upper layer) located above the physical layer in the protocol stacks of the UE / BS, such as a random access response (RAR) transmitted on the PDSCH, transmission power control commands, activation / release of configured scheduling (CS), etc. The DCI that includes resource allocation information for the DL-SCH is also called PDSCH scheduling DCI, and the DCI that includes resource allocation information for the UL-SCH is also called PUSCH scheduling DCI. The DCI includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and the CRC is masked / scrambled with various identifiers (e.g., radio network temporary identifier (RNTI)) depending on the owner or intended use of the PDCCH. For example, if the PDCCH is for a specific UE, the CRC is masked with the UE identifier (e.g., cell RNTI (C-RNTI)). If the PDCCH is for paging, the CRC is masked with the paging RNTI (P-RNTI). If the PDCCH is for system information (e.g., system information block (SIB)), the CRC is masked with the system information RNTI (SI-RNTI). If the PDCCH is for a random access response, the CRC is masked with the random access RNTI (RA-RATI).

[0096] When a PDCCH on one serving cell schedules a PDSCH or PUSCH on another serving cell, this is called cross-carrier scheduling. Cross-carrier scheduling using the carrier indicator field (CIF) can allow the PDCCH of a serving cell to schedule resources on another serving cell. On the other hand, when a PDSCH on a serving cell schedules a PDSCH or PUSCH on the serving cell, this is called self-carrier scheduling. When cross-carrier scheduling is used in a cell, the BS can provide the UE with information about the cell that schedules the cell. For example, the BS can provide the UE with information about whether the serving cell is scheduled by a PDCCH on another (scheduling) cell or by the serving cell, and if the serving cell is scheduled by another (scheduling) cell, which cell signals downlink assignments and uplink grants for the serving cell. In this specification, a cell that carries a PDCCH is called a scheduling cell, and a cell in which transmission of a PUSCH or PDSCH is scheduled by DCI included in the PDCCH, i.e., a cell that carries a PUSCH or PDSCH scheduled by the PDCCH, is called a scheduled cell.

[0097] The PDSCH is a physical layer UL channel for UL data transport. PDSCH carries downlink data (e.g., DL-SCH transport blocks) and employs modulation methods such as Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK), 16 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), 64 QAM, and 256 QAM. Transport blocks (TBs) are encoded to generate codewords. PDSCH can carry up to two codewords. Scrambling and modulation mapping are performed for each codeword, and the modulation symbols generated from each codeword can be mapped to one or more layers. Each layer is mapped to radio resources along with the DMRS, generating an OFDM symbol signal and transmitting it through the corresponding antenna port.

[0098] PUCCH refers to a physical layer UL channel for UCI transmission. PUCCH carries UCI (Uplink Control Information). UCI types transmitted on PUCCH include hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)-acknowledgement (ACK) information, scheduling request (SR), and channel state information (CSI). UCI bits include hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)-acknowledgement (ACK) information bits, SR information bits, LRR information bits, and CSI bits, if any. In this specification, the HARQ-ACK information bits correspond to a HARQ-ACK codebook. In particular, a bit sequence in which HARQ-ACK information bits are listed according to a predetermined rule is called a HARQ-ACK codebook.

[0099] - Scheduling request (SR): Information used to request UL-SCH resources.

[0100] - Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)-acknowledgement (ACK): This is a response to a downlink data packet (e.g., a codeword) on the PDSCH. It indicates whether the downlink data packet was successfully received by the communication device. One HARQ-ACK bit may be transmitted in response to a single codeword, and two HARQ-ACK bits may be transmitted in response to two codewords. HARQ-ACK responses include positive ACK (simply, ACK), negative ACK (NACK), DTX, or NACK / DTX. Here, the term HARQ-ACK is used interchangeably with HARQ ACK / NACK, ACK / NACK, or A / N.

[0101] - Channel state information (CSI): This is feedback information for the downlink channel. CSI may include channel quality information (CQI), a rank indicator (RI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), a CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI), an SS / PBCH resource block indicator (SSBRI), a layer indicator (LI), etc. CSI may be divided into CSI Part 1 and CSI Part 2 according to the UCI type included in the CSI. For example, CQI for the CRI, RI, and / or the first codeword may be included in CSI Part 1, and CQI for the LI, PMI, and the second codeword may be included in CSI Part 2.

[0102] - Link recovery request (LRR)

[0103] In this specification, for convenience, the PUCCH resources set and / or instructed by the BS to the UE for HARQ-ACK, SR, and CSI transmission are referred to as HARQ-ACK PUCCH resources, SR PUCCH resources, and CSI PUCCH resources, respectively.

[0104] PUCCH formats can be categorized as follows based on the UCI payload size and / or transmission length (e.g., the number of symbols constituting the PUCCH resource). For more information on PUCCH formats, please refer to Table 4.

[0105] (0) PUCCH format 0 (PF0, F0)

[0106] - Supported UCI payload sizes: up to K bits (e.g., K = 2)

[0107] - Number of OFDM symbols constituting a single PUCCH: 1 to X symbols (e.g., X = 2)

[0108] - Transmission structure: PUCCH format 0 consists of only UCI signals without DMRS, and the UE transmits the UCI status by selecting and transmitting one of multiple sequences. For example, the UE transmits a specific UCI to the BS by transmitting one of multiple sequences through the PUCCH of PUCCH format 0. The UE transmits the PUCCH of PUCCH format 0 within the PUCCH resources for the corresponding SR configuration only when transmitting a positive SR.

[0109] - The configuration for PUCCH format 0 includes the following parameters for the corresponding PUCCH resource: an index for the initial cyclic shift, the number of symbols for PUCCH transmission, and the first symbol for the PUCCH transmission.

[0110] (1) PUCCH format 1 (PF1, F1)

[0111] - Supported UCI payload sizes: up to K bits (e.g., K = 2)

[0112] - Number of OFDM symbols constituting a single PUCCH: Y to Z symbols (e.g., Y = 4, Z = 14)

[0113] - Transmission structure: DMRS and UCI are configured / mapped to different OFDM symbols in TDM format. That is, DMRS is transmitted in symbols where modulation symbols are not transmitted. UCI is expressed by multiplying a specific sequence (e.g., orthogonal cover code (OCC)) by a modulation (e.g., QPSK) symbol. Code division multiplexing (CDM) is supported between multiple PUCCH resources (following PUCCH format 1) (within the same RB) by applying cyclic shift (CS) / OCC to both UCI and DMRS. PUCCH format 1 carries UCI of up to 2 bits in size, and the modulation symbols are spread in the time domain by an orthogonal cover code (OCC) (configured differently depending on whether frequency hopping is performed).

[0114] - The configuration for PUCCH format 1 includes the following parameters for the corresponding PUCCH resource: an index for the initial cyclic shift, the number of symbols for PUCCH transmission, the first symbol for the PUCCH transmission, and an index for the orthogonal cover code.

[0115] (2) PUCCH format 2 (PF2, F2)

[0116] - Supported UCI payload size: more than K bits (e.g., K = 2)

[0117] - Number of OFDM symbols constituting a single PUCCH: 1 to X symbols (e.g., X = 2)

[0118] - Transmission structure: DMRS and UCI are configured / mapped in the form of frequency division multiplexing (FDM) within the same symbol. The UE transmits the coded UCI bits by applying only IFFT without DFT. PUCCH format 2 carries UCI with a bit size greater than K bits, and the modulation symbols are transmitted in FDM with DMRS. For example, DMRS are located at symbol indices #1, #4, #7, and #10 within a given resource block with a density of 1 / 3. A pseudo-noise (PN) sequence is used for the DMRS sequence. Frequency hopping can be activated for the 2-symbol PUCCH format 2.

[0119] - The configuration for PUCCH format 2 includes the following parameters for the corresponding PUCCH resource: the number of PRBs, the number of symbols for PUCCH transmission, and the first symbol for the PUCCH transmission.

[0120] (3) PUCCH format 3 (PF3, F3)

[0121] - Supported UCI payload size: more than K bits (e.g., K = 2)

[0122] - Number of OFDM symbols constituting a single PUCCH: Y to Z symbols (e.g., Y = 4, Z = 14)

[0123] - Transmission structure: DMRS and UCI are configured / mapped to different symbols in TDM format. The UE applies DFT to the coded UCI bits and transmits them. PUCCH format 3 does not support UE multiplexing for the same time-frequency resources (e.g., the same PRB).

[0124] - The configuration for PUCCH format 3 includes the following parameters for the corresponding PUCCH resource: the number of PRBs, the number of symbols for PUCCH transmission, and the first symbol for the PUCCH transmission.

[0125] (4) PUCCH format 4 (PF4, F4)

[0126] - Supported UCI payload size: more than K bits (e.g., K = 2)

[0127] - Number of OFDM symbols constituting a single PUCCH: Y to Z symbols (e.g., Y = 4, Z = 14)

[0128] - Transmission Structure: DMRS and UCI are configured / mapped to different symbols in TDM format. PUCCH Format 4 can multiplex up to 4 UEs within the same PRB by applying OCC in the DFT front-end and CS (or interleaved FDM (IFDM) mapping) to DMRS. In other words, UCI modulation symbols are transmitted by TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) with DMRS.

[0129] - The configuration for PUCCH format 4 includes the following parameters for the corresponding PUCCH resource: the number of symbols for PUCCH transmission, the length for the orthogonal cover code, the index for the orthogonal cover code, and the first symbol for the PUCCH transmission.

[0130] The following table shows examples of PUCCH formats. Depending on the PUCCH transmission length, they can be classified into short PUCCH (formats 0 and 2) and long PUCCH (formats 1, 3, and 4).

[0131]

[0132] PUCCH resources can be determined by UCI type (e.g., A / N, SR, CSI). PUCCH resources used for UCI transmission can be determined based on the UCI (payload) size. For example, the BS configures multiple PUCCH resource sets to the UE, and the UE can select a specific PUCCH resource set corresponding to a specific range according to the range of the UCI (payload) size (e.g., the number of UCI bits). For example, the UE can set the number of UCI bits (N UCI ) can select one of the following PUCCH resource sets.

[0133] - PUCCH resource set #0, if UCI bit count =< 2

[0134] - PUCCH resource set #1, if 2< UCI bits =< N1

[0135] ...

[0136] - PUCCH resource set #(K-1), if N K-2 < UCI bit count =< N K-1

[0137] Here, K is the number of PUCCH resource sets (K>1), and N i is the maximum number of UCI bits supported by PUCCH resource set #i. For example, PUCCH resource set #1 may be composed of resources of PUCCH formats 0 to 1, and other PUCCH resource sets may be composed of resources of PUCCH formats 2 to 4 (see Table 4).

[0138] The configuration for each PUCCH resource includes a PUCCH resource index, an index of a starting PRB, and a configuration for one of PUCCH formats 0 to 4. The UE is configured by the BS via a higher layer parameter maxCodeRate to multiplex HARQ-ACK, SR, and CSI report(s) within a PUCCH transmission using PUCCH format 2, PUCCH format 3, or PUCCH format 4. The higher layer parameter maxCodeRate is used to determine how to feed back UCI on the PUCCH resource for PUCCH format 2, 3, or 4.

[0139] When the UCI type is SR or CSI, the PUCCH resources to be used for UCI transmission within the PUCCH resource set can be configured to the UE by the network via higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). When the UCI type is HARQ-ACK for SPS (Semi-Persistent Scheduling) PDSCH, the PUCCH resources to be used for UCI transmission within the PUCCH resource set can be configured to the UE by the network via higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). On the other hand, when the UCI type is HARQ-ACK for PDSCH scheduled by DCI, the PUCCH resources to be used for UCI transmission within the PUCCH resource set can be scheduled based on the DCI.

[0140] In case of DCI-based PUCCH resource scheduling, the BS transmits DCI to the UE via PDCCH, and can indicate PUCCH resources to be used for UCI transmission within a specific PUCCH resource set via an ACK / NACK resource indicator (ARI) in the DCI. The ARI is used to indicate PUCCH resources for ACK / NACK transmission and may also be referred to as a PUCCH resource indicator (PRI). Here, the DCI is a DCI used for PDSCH scheduling, and the UCI may include HARQ-ACK for the PDSCH. Meanwhile, the BS can configure a PUCCH resource set consisting of more PUCCH resources than the number of states that the ARI can express, to the UE, using (UE-specific) higher layer (e.g., RRC) signaling. At this time, the ARI indicates a PUCCH resource subset within the PUCCH resource set, and which PUCCH resource to use within the indicated PUCCH resource subset can be determined according to an implicit rule based on transmission resource information for the PDCCH (e.g., a start control channel element (CCE) index of the PDCCH, etc.).

[0141] A UE must have uplink resources available to it for UL-SCH data transmission, and downlink resources available to it for DL-SCH data reception. Uplink and downlink resources are assigned to the UE through resource allocation by the BS. Resource allocation may include time domain resource allocation (TDRA) and frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA). In this specification, uplink resource allocation is also referred to as uplink grant, and downlink resource allocation is also referred to as downlink assignment. An uplink grant is dynamically received by the UE on the PDCCH or within the RAR, or is semi-persistently configured to the UE by RRC signaling from the BS. A downlink assignment is dynamically received by the UE on the PDCCH, or is semi-persistently configured to the UE by RRC signaling from the BS.

[0142] In UL, the BS can dynamically allocate uplink resources to the UE via PDCCH(s) addressed to a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI). The UE monitors the PDCCH(s) to find possible uplink grant(s) for UL transmission. Furthermore, the BS can allocate uplink resources to the UE using the configured grant(s). Two types of configured grants can be used: Type 1 and Type 2. For Type 1, the BS directly provides the configured uplink grant (including the periodicity) via RRC signaling. For Type 2, the BS can configure the period of the RRC configured uplink grant via RRC signaling, and signal and activate or deactivate the configured uplink grant via a PDCCH addressed to a configured scheduling RNTI (CS-RNTI). For example, for Type 2, a PDCCH addressed to CS-RNTI implicitly indicates that the corresponding uplink grant can be reused according to a period set by RRC signaling until it is deactivated.

[0143] In DL, the BS can dynamically allocate downlink resources to the UE via PDCCH(s) addressed with the C-RNTI. The UE monitors the PDCCH(s) to discover possible downlink assignments. Additionally, the BS can allocate downlink resources to the UE using semi-static scheduling (SPS). The BS can set the period of the configured downlink assignments via RRC signaling, and signal and activate or deactivate the configured downlink assignments via the PDCCH addressed with the CS-RNTI. For example, a PDCCH addressed with the CS-RNTI implicitly indicates that the corresponding downlink assignment can be reused according to the period set by the RRC signaling until it is deactivated.

[0144] Below, resource allocation by PDCCH and resource allocation by RRC are explained in more detail.

[0145] * Resource allocation by PDCCH: Dynamic grant / assignment

[0146] The PDCCH can be used to schedule DL transmission on the PDSCH or UL transmission on the PUSCH. The DCI on the PDCCH that schedules DL transmission includes the modulation and coding format (e.g., modulation and coding scheme (MCS) index) associated with the DL-SCH. MCS), may include DL resource allocation including at least resource allocation and HARQ information. The DCI on the PDCCH for scheduling UL transmission may include an uplink scheduling grant including at least modulation and coding format, resource allocation and HARQ information related to the UL-SCH. The HARQ information for the DL-SCH or for the UL-SCH may include a new data indicator (NDI), a transport block size (TBS), a redundancy version (RV), and a HARQ process ID (i.e., a HARQ process number). The size and purpose of the DCI carried by one PDCCH vary depending on the DCI format. For example, DCI format 0_0, DCI format 0_1, or DCI format 0_2 may be used for scheduling the PUSCH, and DCI format 1_0, DCI format 1_1, or DCI format 1_2 may be used for scheduling the PDSCH. In particular, DCI format 0_2 and DCI format 1_2 can be used to schedule transmissions with higher transmission reliability and lower latency requirements than those guaranteed by DCI format 0_0, DCI format 0_1, DCI format 1_0, and DCI format 1_1. Some implementations of this specification can be applied to UL data transmission based on DCI format 0_2. Some implementations of this specification can be applied to DL data reception based on DCI format 1_2.

[0147] Figure 6 illustrates an example of PDSCH time domain resource allocation by PDCCH and an example of PUSCH time domain resource allocation by PDCCH.

[0148] The DCI carried by the PDCCH for scheduling the PDSCH or PUSCH includes a time domain resource assignment (TDRA) field, which provides a value m for a row index m+1 of an allocation table for the PDSCH or PUSCH. A predefined default PDSCH time domain allocation is applied as the allocation table for the PDSCH, or a PDSCH time domain resource allocation table configured by the BS through RRC signaling pdsch-TimeDomainAllocationList is applied as the allocation table for the PDSCH. A predefined default PUSCH time domain allocation is applied as the allocation table for the PUSCH, or a PUSCH time domain resource allocation table configured by the BS through RRC signaling pushch-TimeDomainAllocationList is applied as the allocation table for the PUSCH. The PDSCH time domain resource allocation table to be applied and / or the PUSCH time domain resource allocation table to be applied may be determined according to fixed / predefined rules (e.g., see 3GPP TS 38.214).

[0149] In the PDSCH time domain resource configurations, each indexed row defines a DL allocation-to-PDSCH slot offset K0, a start and length indicator value SLIV (or directly a starting position (e.g., a starting symbol index S) and an allocation length (e.g., a number of symbols L) of a PDSCH within a slot), and a PDSCH mapping type. In the PUSCH time domain resource configurations, each indexed row defines a UL grant-to-PUSCH slot offset K2, a starting position (e.g., a starting symbol index S) and an allocation length (e.g., a number of symbols L) of a PUSCH within a slot, and a PUSCH mapping type. K0 for PDSCH or K2 for PUSCH indicates the difference between a slot with a PDCCH and a slot with a PDSCH or PUSCH corresponding to the PDCCH. SLIV is a joint indication of a starting symbol S relative to the start of a slot with a PDSCH or PUSCH and the number L of consecutive symbols counted from the symbol S. For PDSCH / PUSCH mapping type, there are two mapping types: one is mapping type A and the other is mapping type B. For PDSCH / PUSCH mapping type A, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) is mapped to a PDSCH / PUSCH resource at the beginning of a slot, and one or two symbols of the PDSCH / PUSCH resource can be used as DMRS symbol(s) depending on other DMRS parameters. For example, for PDSCH / PUSCH mapping type A, the DMRS is located at the third symbol (symbol #2) or the fourth symbol (symbol #3) in a slot depending on RRC signaling. For PDSCH / PUSCH mapping type B, the DMRS is mapped based on the first OFDM symbol of the PDSCH / PUSCH resource, and one or two symbols from the first symbol of the PDSCH / PUSCH resource can be used as DMRS symbol(s) depending on other DMRS parameters.For example, in the case of PDSCH / PUSCH mapping type B, DMRS is located in the first symbol allocated for PDSCH / PUSCH. In this specification, PDSCH / PUSCH mapping type may be referred to as mapping type or DMRS mapping type. For example, in this specification, PUSCH mapping type A may be referred to as mapping type A or DMRS mapping type A, and PUSCH mapping type B may be referred to as mapping type B or DMRS mapping type B.

[0150] The above scheduling DCI includes a frequency domain resource assignment (FDRA) field that provides allocation information regarding resource blocks used for PDSCH or PUSCH. For example, the FDRA field provides the UE with information regarding the cell for PDSCH or PUSCH transmission, information regarding the BWP for PDSCH or PUSCH transmission, and information regarding resource blocks for PDSCH or PUSCH transmission.

[0151] * Resource allocation by RRC

[0152] As mentioned above, for uplink, there are two types of transmissions without dynamic grants: configured grant type 1 and configured grant type 2. For configured grant type 1, the UL grant is provided by RRC signaling and stored as a configured grant. For configured grant type 2, the UL grant is provided by PDCCH and stored or cleared as a configured uplink grant based on L1 signaling indicating activation or deactivation of the configured uplink grant. Type 1 and Type 2 can be configured by RRC signaling on a per-serving cell and per-BWP basis. Multiple configurations can be activated simultaneously on different serving cells.

[0153] When Grant Type 1 is configured, the UE can receive the following parameters from the BS via RRC signaling:

[0154] - cs-RNTI, CS-RNTI for retransmission;

[0155] - Periodicity of the set grant type 1;

[0156] - timeReferenceSFN, which indicates the system frame number (SFN) used to determine the offset of the resource in the time domain;

[0157] -timeDomainOffset, which is the offset relative to the reference SFN pointed to by -timeReferenceSFN;

[0158] - A timeDomainAllocation value m, which provides a row index m+1 pointing to an allocation table, representing a combination of a start symbol S, a length L, and a PUSCH mapping type;

[0159] - frequencyDomainAllocation, which provides frequency domain resource allocation; and

[0160] - I indicating the modulation order, target code rate, and transport block size MCS mcsAndTBS provides.

[0161] When configuring a configuration grant type 1 for a serving cell by RRC, the UE stores the UL grant provided by RRC as a configured uplink grant for the indicated serving cell, and initializes or re-initializes the configured uplink grant to start at a symbol according to timeDomainOffset and S (derived from SLIV) and to recur with periodicity. After the uplink grant is configured for Grant Type 1, the UE may consider that the uplink grant recurses in association with each symbol satisfying the following: [(SFN *numberOfSlotsPerFrame*numberOfSymbolsPerSlot+ (slot number in the frame *numberOfSymbolsPerSlot) + symbol number in the slot] = (timeReferenceSFN*numberOfSlotsPerFrame*numberOfSymbolsPerSlot+timeDomainOffset*numberOfSymbolsPerSlot+ S + N *periodicity) modulo (1024 *numberOfSlotsPerFrame*numberOfSymbolsPerSlot), for N >= 0, where numberOfSlotsPerFrame and numberOfSymbolsPerSlot represent the number of consecutive slots per frame and the number of consecutive OFDM symbols per slot, respectively (see Tables 1 and 2). 'SFN' is the uplink The system frame number of the frame in which the grant can occur, the 'slot number' is the slot number of the slot in which the uplink grant can occur within the frame, and the 'symbol number' is the symbol number of the symbol in which the uplink grant can occur within the slot.

[0162] When Grant Type 2 is configured, the UE can receive the following parameters from the BS via RRC signaling:

[0163] - cs-RNTI, which is a CS-RNTI for activation, deactivation, and retransmission; and

[0164] - Periodicity providing the period of the grant type 2 set above.

[0165] The actual uplink grant is provided to the UE by the PDCCH (addressed by the CS-RNTI). After the uplink grant is configured for Grant Type 2, the UE may consider the uplink grant to be recurring in association with each symbol satisfying: [(SFN *numberOfSlotsPerFrame*numberOfSymbolsPerSlot) + (slot number in the frame *numberOfSymbolsPerSlot) + symbol number in the slot] = [(SFN start time *numberOfSlotsPerFrame*numberOfSymbolsPerSlot+ slotstart time*numberOfSymbolsPerSlot+ symbolstart time) + N *periodicity] modulo (1024 *numberOfSlotsPerFrame*numberOfSymbolsPerSlot), for all N >= 0, where SFN start time, slotstart time, and symbolstart time represent, respectively, the SFN, slot, and symbol of the first transmission opportunity of the PUSCH after the configured grant is (re-)initialized, and numberOfSlotsPerFrame and numberOfSymbolsPerSlot represent the number of consecutive slots per frame and the number of consecutive OFDM symbols per slot, respectively (see Tables 1 and 2). 'SFN' is a system frame number of a frame in which the uplink grant can occur, 'slot number' is a slot number of a slot in which the uplink grant can occur within the frame, and 'symbol number' is a symbol number of a symbol in which the uplink grant can occur within the slot.

[0166] In some scenarios, the parameters harq-ProcID-Offset and / or harq-ProcID-Offset2 may be further provided by the BS to the UE to derive HARQ process IDs for the configured uplink grants. harq-ProcID-Offset is the offset of the HARQ process for the configured grant for operation with shared spectrum channel access, and harq-ProcID-Offset2 is the offset of the HARQ process for the configured grant. In this specification, cg-RetransmissionTimer is a duration during which the UE should not autonoumously perform a retransmission using the HARQ process of the (re)transmission after a (re)transmission based on a configured grant, and is a parameter that can be provided to the UE by the BS when a retransmission on the configured uplink grant is configured. For configured grants for which neither harq-ProcID-Offset nor cg-RetransmissionTimer is configured, the HARQ process ID associated with the first symbol of the UL transmission can be derived from the following equation: HARQ Process ID = [floor(CURRENT_symbol / periodicity)] modulonrofHARQ-Processes.For configured uplink grants with harq-ProcID-Offset2, the HARQ process ID associated with the first symbol of the UL transmission can be derived from the following equation: HARQ Process ID = [floor(CURRENT_symbol / periodicity)] modulonrofHARQ-Processes+harq-ProcID-Offset2, where CURRENT_symbol = (SFN *numberOfSlotsPerFrame*numberOfSymbolsPerSlot+ slot number in the frame *numberOfSymbolsPerSlot+ symbol number in the slot), where numberOfSlotsPerFrame and numberOfSymbolsPerSlot represent the number of consecutive slots per frame and the number of consecutive OFDM symbols per slot, respectively. For configured UL grants with cg-RetransmissionTimer, the UE may arbitrarily select a HARQ process ID from among the available HARQ process IDs for the configured grant.

[0167] For downlink, the UE can be configured with semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) on a per-serving cell and per-BWP basis via RRC signaling from the BS. For DL ​​SPS, DL assignments are provided to the UE via PDCCH and stored or removed based on L1 signaling indicating SPS activation or deactivation. When SPS is configured, the UE can receive the following parameters from the BS via RRC signaling (e.g., SPS configuration) used to configure semi-persistent transmission:

[0168] - cs-RNTI, CS-RNTI for activation, deactivation, and retransmission;

[0169] -nrofHARQ-Processes, which provides the number of HARQ processes configured for SPS;

[0170] - periodicity, which provides the period of set downlink allocation for SPS;

[0171] - n1PUCCH-AN providing HARQ resources for PUCCH for SPS (the network configures the HARQ resources as format 0 or format 1, and the actual PUCCH-resources are configured in PUCCH-Config and referred to in n1PUCCH-AN by their ID).

[0172] Multiple downlink SPS configurations can be configured within the BWP of a serving cell. After a downlink assignment is configured for SPS, the UE can sequentially consider the Nth downlink assignment to occur in a slot satisfying: (numberOfSlotsPerFrame*SFN + slot number in the frame) = [(numberOfSlotsPerFrame*SFN start time + slotstart time) + N *periodicity*numberOfSlotsPerFrame / 10] modulo(1024 *numberOfSlotsPerFrame), where SFN start timeand slotstart time represent the SFN, slot, and symbol of the first transmission of the PDSCH after the configured downlink assignment is (re-)initialized, respectively, and numberOfSlotsPerFrame and numberOfSymbolsPerSlot represent the number of consecutive slots per frame and the number of consecutive OFDM symbols per slot, respectively (see Tables 1 and 2). 'SFN' is the system frame number of the frame in which the downlink assignment can occur, and 'slot number' is the slot number of the slot in which the downlink assignment can occur within the frame.

[0173] In some scenarios, a parameter harq-ProcID-Offset may be further provided by the BS to the UE, which is used to derive HARQ process IDs for the configured downlink assignments. harq-ProcID-Offset is the offset of the HARQ process for the SPS. For configured downlink assignments without harq-ProcID-Offset, the HARQ process ID associated with the slot where the DL transmission starts may be determined from the following equation: HARQ Process ID = [floor (CURRENT_slot * 10 / (numberOfSlotsPerFrame*periodicity))] modulonrofHARQ-Processes, where CURRENT_slot = [(SFN *numberOfSlotsPerFrame) + slot number in the frame], and numberOfSlotsPerFrame means the number of consecutive slots per frame. For configured downlink assignments with harq-ProcID-Offset, the HARQ process ID associated with the slot where the DL transmission starts may be determined from the following equation: HARQ Process ID = [floor (CURRENT_slot * 10 / (numberOfSlotsPerFrame*periodicity))] modulonrofHARQ-Processes, where CURRENT_slot = [(SFN *numberOfSlotsPerFrame) + slot number in the frame], and numberOfSlotsPerFrame means the number of consecutive slots per frame. The ID can be determined from the following formula: HARQ Process ID = [floor (CURRENT_slot / periodicity)] modulonrofHARQ-Processes+harq-ProcID-Offset, where CURRENT_slot = [(SFN *numberOfSlotsPerFrame) + slot number in the frame], and numberOfSlotsPerFrame represents the number of consecutive slots per frame.

[0174] If the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the corresponding DCI format is scrambled with the CS-RNTI provided by the RRC parameter cs-RNTI and the new data indicator field for the enabled transport block is set to 0, the UE validates the DL SPS assignment PDCCH or the configured UL grant type 2 PDCCH for scheduling activation or descheduling. Validation of the DCI format is achieved if all fields for the DCI format are set according to Table 5 or Table 6. Table 5 illustrates special fields for DL ​​SPS and UL grant type 2 scheduling activation PDCCH validation, and Table 6 illustrates special fields for DL ​​SPS and UL grant type 2 scheduling release PDCCH validation.

[0175]

[0176]

[0177] The actual DL assignment or UL grant for DL ​​SPS or UL grant type 2, and the corresponding modulation and coding scheme, are provided by the resource allocation fields (e.g., a TDRA field providing a TDRA value m, an FDRA field providing a frequency resource block allocation, and a modulation and coding scheme field) in the DCI format carried by the corresponding DL SPS or UL grant type 2 scheduling activation PDCCH. If the validation is achieved, the UE considers the information in the DCI format as a valid activation or valid release of the DL SPS or the configured UL grant type 2.

[0178] In this specification, a PDSCH based on DL SPS is referred to as an SPS PDSCH, a PUSCH based on UL CG is referred to as a CG PUSCH, a PDSCH dynamically scheduled by DCI carried by a PDCCH is referred to as a DG PDSCH, and a PUSCH dynamically scheduled by DCI carried by a PDCCH is referred to as a DG PUSCH.

[0179] Figure 7 illustrates the HARQ-ACK transmission / reception process.

[0180] Referring to FIG. 7, the UE can detect a PDCCH in slot n. Thereafter, the UE can receive a PDSCH in slot n+K0 based on scheduling information received through the PDCCH in slot n, and then transmit a UCI through a PUCCH in slot n+K1. Here, the UCI includes a HARQ-ACK response to the PDSCH.

[0181] DCI (e.g., DCI format 1_0, DCI format 1_1) carried by the PDCCH scheduling the PDSCH may include the following information:

[0182] - Frequency domain resource assignment (FDRA): Indicates the set of RBs allocated to the PDSCH.

[0183] - Time domain resource assignment (TDRA): Indicates the DL assignment-to-PDSCH slot offset K0, the starting position (e.g., symbol index S) and length (e.g., number of symbols L) of the PDSCH within the slot, and the PDSCH mapping type. PDSCH mapping type A or PDSCH mapping type B can be indicated by the TDRA. For PDSCH mapping type A, the DMRS is located in the third symbol (symbol #2) or the fourth symbol (symbol #3) in the slot. For PDSCH mapping type B, the DMRS is located in the first symbol allocated for the PDSCH.

[0184] - PDSCH-to-HARQ_Feedback Timing Indicator: Indicates K1.

[0185] When the PDSCH is configured to transmit at most 1 TB, the HARQ-ACK response may consist of 1 bit. When the PDSCH is configured to transmit at most 2 transport blocks (TB), the HARQ-ACK response may consist of 2 bits when spatial bundling is not configured, and may consist of 1 bit when spatial bundling is configured. When the HARQ-ACK transmission time for multiple PDSCHs is designated as slot n+K1, the UCI transmitted in slot n+K1 includes HARQ-ACK responses for multiple PDSCHs.

[0186] In this specification, a HARQ-ACK payload consisting of HARQ-ACK bit(s) for one or more PDSCHs may be referred to as a HARQ-ACK codebook. Depending on how the HARQ-ACK payload is determined, the HARQ-ACK codebook may be distinguished into i) a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, ii) a dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook, and iii) a HARQ process-based HARQ-ACK codebook.

[0187] In the case of a semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook, parameters related to the HARQ-ACK payload size to be reported by the UE are semi-statically set by (UE-specific) higher layer (e.g., RRC) signaling. For example, the HARQ-ACK payload size of the semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook may be determined based on the number of HARQ-ACK bits corresponding to a combination (hereinafter, bundling window) of all DL carriers (i.e., DL serving cells) configured for the UE and all DL scheduling slots (or PDSCH transmission slots or PDCCH monitoring slots) in which the HARQ-ACK transmission timing can be indicated, whereby the size of the HARQ-ACK codebook is fixed (to a maximum value) regardless of the number of actually scheduled DL data. For example, DL grant DCI (PDCCH) includes PDSCH to HARQ-ACK timing information, and the PDSCH-to-HARQ-ACK timing information may have one of a plurality of values ​​(e.g., k). For example, if a PDSCH is received in slot #m and the PDSCH to HARQ-ACK timing information in the DL grant DCI (PDCCH) scheduling the PDSCH indicates k, HARQ-ACK information for the PDSCH may be transmitted in slot #(m+k). For example, k ∈ {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8} may be given. Meanwhile, if HARQ-ACK information is transmitted in slot #n, the HARQ-ACK information may include the maximum possible HARQ-ACK based on the bundling window. That is, the HARQ-ACK information of slot #n may include the HARQ-ACK corresponding to slot #(nk).For example, if k ∈ {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}, the HARQ-ACK information of slot #n includes HARQ-ACKs corresponding to slot #(n-8) to slot #(n-1) (i.e., the maximum number of HARQ-ACKs) regardless of actual DL data reception. Here, the HARQ-ACK information can be replaced with the HARQ-ACK codebook and HARQ-ACK payload. In addition, the slot can be understood / replaced as a candidate occasion for DL ​​data reception. As an example, the bundling window is determined based on the PDSCH-to-HARQ-ACK timing with respect to the HARQ-ACK slot, and the PDSCH-to-HARQ-ACK timing set can have a predefined value (e.g., {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}) or can be set by higher layer (RRC) signaling. Semi-static HARQ-ACK codebooks are also referred to as Type-1 HARQ-ACK codebooks. In Type-1 HARQ-ACK codebooks, the number of bits to be sent in a HARQ-ACK report is fixed and can be large. When many cells are configured but only a small number are scheduled, Type-1 HARQ-ACK codebooks can be inefficient.

[0188] Meanwhile, in the case of a dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook, the HARQ-ACK payload size to be reported by the UE can be dynamically changed by DCI, etc. The dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook is also referred to as a Type-2 HARQ-ACK codebook. The Type-2 HARQ-ACK codebook can be considered a more optimized HARQ-ACK feedback because the UE sends feedback only for the scheduled serving cells. However, in bad channel conditions, the UE may misunderstand the number of scheduled serving cells, and to address this, the DAI is included as part of the DCI. For example, in the dynamic HARQ-ACK codebook scheme, the DL scheduling DCI may include a counter-DAI (i.e., c-DAI) and / or a total-DAI (i.e., t-DAI). Here, the DAI stands for a downlink assignment index, and is used by the BS to inform the UE of the transmitted or scheduled PDSCH(s) to be included in one HARQ-ACK transmission. In particular, c-DAI is an index indicating the order among PDCCHs carrying DL scheduling DCI (hereinafter, DL scheduling PDCCHs), and t-DAI is an index indicating the total number of DL scheduling PDCCHs up to the current slot in which there is a PDCCH having t-DAI.

[0189] Meanwhile, in the case of a HARQ process-based HARQ-ACK codebook, the HARQ-ACK payload is determined based on all HARQ processes of all serving cells configured (or activated) within a PUCCH group. For example, the HARQ-ACK payload size that a UE will report through a HARQ process-based HARQ-ACK codebook is determined by the number of all serving cells configured or activated within a PUCCH group configured for the UE and the number of HARQ processes for the serving cells. A HARQ process-based HARQ-ACK codebook is also referred to as a Type-3 HARQ-ACK codebook. A Type-3 HARQ-ACK codebook can be applied to one-shot feedback.

[0190] UE discontinuous reception (DRX)

[0191] UE uses DRX to reduce power consumption. UE operating based on DRX repeats ON / OFF for reception operation. The features of DRX utilized for the purpose of reducing unnecessary power consumption of UE are as follows. DRX defines a structure for UE in RRC_IDLE state where RRC connection between UE and BS is not established (hereinafter referred to as I-DRX) and a structure for UE in RRC_CONNECTED state where RRC connection between UE and BS is established (hereinafter referred to as C-DRX). Both DRX structures are designed to reduce unnecessary power consumption in other periods by defining a period (e.g., active time period or on-duration period) in which UE can expect reception of DL signals to occur periodically. For reference, in the case of C-DRX, the start position of On-duration occurs periodically in the Rel-16 standard, and the size of the cycle that can be configured at this time (i.e., DRX cycle) can be determined / set through upper layer signaling, such as RRC signaling, provided by the BS to the UE.

[0192] Figure 8 illustrates discontinuous reception (DRX) operation. In particular, Figure 8 illustrates a DRX cycle for a UE in RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0193] Referring to FIG. 8, a DRX cycle consists of an ON period and an Opportunity for DRX. A DRX cycle defines a time interval in which an ON period is periodically repeated, followed by a possible period of inactivity. The ON period represents a time interval during which the UE performs PDCCH monitoring to receive a PDCCH. When DRX is configured, the UE performs PDCCH monitoring during the ON period. If a PDCCH is successfully detected during PDCCH monitoring, the UE starts an inactivity timer and remains awake. On the other hand, if no PDCCH is successfully detected during PDCCH monitoring, the UE enters a sleep state after the ON period ends. Therefore, when DRX is configured, the UE may perform PDCCH monitoring / reception discontinuously in the time domain when performing a process and / or method according to the implementation(s) of this specification. For example, when DRX is configured, the PDCCH reception occasion (e.g., slot having PDCCH search space) in this specification may be configured discontinuously according to the DRX configuration. On the other hand, when DRX is not configured, the UE may perform PDCCH monitoring / reception continuously in the time domain. For example, when DRX is not configured, the PDCCH reception occasion (e.g., slot having PDCCH search space) may be configured continuously. On the other hand, regardless of whether DRX is configured, PDCCH monitoring may be restricted in the time period configured as the measurement gap. DRX configuration information is received via upper layer (e.g., RRC) signaling, and whether DRX is turned on / off is controlled by the DRX command of the MAC layer. When DRX is configured, the UE may perform PDCCH monitoring discontinuously, as illustrated in FIG. 8.

[0194] The following table illustrates the UE processes related to DRX. Referring to the following table, DRX configuration information is received via upper layer (e.g., RRC) signaling, and DRX ON / OFF is controlled by the DRX command of the MAC layer. When DRX is configured, the UE can perform PDCCH monitoring discontinuously, as illustrated in FIG. 8.

[0195]

[0196] Here, MAC-CellGroupConfig contains configuration information required to set MAC parameters for a cell group. MAC-CellGroupConfig may also contain configuration information related to DRX. For example, MAC-CellGroupConfig may contain DRX-related information as follows.

[0197] - Value of drx-onDurationTimer: Sets the duration at the start of the DRX cycle.

[0198] - Value of drx-SlotOffset: Sets the delay before starting drx-onDurationTimer.

[0199] - Value of drx-InactivityTimer: Sets the period after which a PDCCH epoch indicates a new UL or DL ​​transmission to the MAC entity.

[0200] - Value of drxRetransmissionTimerDL (per DL HARQ process except for the broadcast process): Sets the maximum duration until a DL retransmission is received.

[0201] - Value of drxRetransmissionTimerUL (per UL HARQ process): Sets the maximum duration until a grant for UL retransmission is received.

[0202] - Value of drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL (per DL HARQ process except for the broadcast process): Sets the maximum period of time after a DL initial transmission is received until a DL assignment for HARQ retransmission is received.

[0203] - Value of drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL (per UL HARQ process): Sets the maximum period from when a grant for UL initial transmission is received until a grant for UL retransmission is received.

[0204] - drx-LongCycleStartOffset: Sets the Long DRX cycle and drx-StartOffset, which defines the subframe where the Long and Short DRX cycles start.

[0205] - drx-ShortCycle (optional): Sets the short DRX cycle.

[0206] - drx-ShortCycleTimer (optional): Sets the duration for which the UE should follow the Short DRX cycle. For example, a value in multiples of the Short DRX cycle can be set by drx-CylceTimer. For example, the value of n can correspond to n*drx-ShortCycle.

[0207] A UE may perform PDCCH monitoring on serving cells within a DRX group when the DRX group is within its active time. Here, a DRX group is a group of serving cells configured by RRC and having the same DRX active time. Here, the active time is a total duration for which the UE monitors the PDCCH, and may include an ON period of a DRX cycle, a time for which the UE performs continuous reception while an inactivity timer has not expired, and a time for which the UE performs continuous reception while waiting for a retransmission opportunity. For example, when DRX is configured, the active time for serving cells within a DRX group is i) while drx-onDurationTimer or drx-InactivityTimer configured for the DRX group is running; or ii) while drx-RetransmissionTimerDL or drx-RetransmissionTimerUL is running on any serving cell within the DRX group; or ra-ContentionResoultionTimer or msgB-RsponseWindow is running; or a PDCCH indicating a new transmission addressed to a C-RNTI addressed to the MAC entity of the UE is not received after successful reception of a random access response to a random access preamble that is not selected by the MAC entity among the contention-based random access preambles.

[0208] A UE can be configured with one or more DRX groups via RRC signaling from a BS. For example, if two DRX groups are configured, each serving cell is uniquely assigned to one of the two DRX groups. The DRX parameters drx-onDurationTimer and drx-InactivityTimer are configured separately for each DRX group, and the DRX parameters drx-SlotOffset, drx-RetransmissionTimerDL, drx-RetransmissionTimerUL, drx-LongCycleStartOffset, drx-ShortCycle (optional), drx-ShortCycleTimer (optional), drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL, and drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL are common to the DRX groups. Since each serving cell belongs to only one of the DRX groups, and the DRX parameters drx-onDurationTimer and drx-InactivityTimer are set for each DRX group, and the remaining DRX parameters are common to the DRX groups, it can be said that a serving cell is associated with only one set of DRX parameters.

[0209] Figure 9 illustrates a case where a Long DRX cycle and a Short DRX cycle are set. In particular, Figure 9 illustrates a case where drx-ShortCycleTimer is set to 2.

[0210] A BS can configure a Long DRX cycle and an additional Short DRX cycle that is shorter than the Long DRX cycle. If a Short DRX cycle is not configured, the UE follows the Long DRX cycle. When configuring a Short DRX cycle, the BS sets the duration of the Long DRX cycle to be a positive integer multiple of the Short DRX cycle. The same onDurationTimer value is configured for the Long DRX cycle and the Short DRX cycle. If there is no data activity during the ON period of the Long DRX cycle (e.g., no PDCCH reception), the UE follows the Long DRX cycle as if the Short DRX cycle is not configured. If there is data activity during the ON period of the Long DRX cycle, for example, while drx-onDurationTimer is running, the UE switches to the Short DRX cycle and follows the Short DRX cycle for a certain period of time (e.g., while drx-ShortCycleTimer is running). At this time, the start of the ON period in the Short DRX cycle is determined by drx-StartOffset and drx-SlotOffset, just like the Long DRX cycle. Referring to FIG. 9, if there is no data activity during the time following the Short DRX cycle, for example, if there is no data activity during the period defined by drx-ShortCycleTimer*drx-ShortCycle, the UE switches to the Long DRX cycle after drx-ShortCycleTimer Short DRX cycles.

[0211] Network energy saving and cell DRX / DTX

[0212] Energy conservation of base stations (BSs) is a key consideration in wireless communication systems, including 3GPP, as it can contribute to building eco-friendly networks by reducing carbon emissions and reducing the operational expenditure (OPEX) of telecommunications operators. In particular, the introduction of 5G communications will require higher transmission rates, necessitating BSs to be equipped with more antennas and provide services over wider bandwidths and frequency bands. Consequently, recent studies have shown that BS energy costs have reached up to 20% of total OPEX. This heightened interest in BS energy conservation led to the approval of a new study item, "Study on Network Energy Savings," in 3GPP NR Release 18. For example, to improve the energy saving capability of BS from the perspective of transmission and reception, the study investigates how to achieve dynamic and / or semi-static and finer granularity adaptation of transmission and / or reception to more efficient operation with one or more network energy saving techniques in time, frequency, space and power domains using potential assistance / feedback of UE and potential UE assistance information.

[0213] Hereinafter, when a BS operates in a network energy saving (NES) mode for energy saving (ES), it can mean, for example, that the BS sets multiple OFF intervals (i.e., discontinuous transmixxion (DTX) intervals of the BS) in advance to turn off transmission of a specific DL signal during a specific time interval, and dynamically indicates one of the OFF intervals to indicate that the corresponding DL signal will not be transmitted during the predefined time interval, thereby achieving power consumption savings of the BS and UE. Hereinafter, the NES mode can also mean an operation mode in which power consumption savings of the BS and UE are achieved not only in the domain but also in the frequency domain, such as BWP switching, dynamic resource block (RB) adaptation, etc., and in the spatial domain, for example, when a specific receive antenna port of the BS is turned off semi-statically or dynamically, by the BS not performing transmission and / or reception through the corresponding antenna port.

[0214] As explained above, after the UE initially accesses the BS and enters connected mode, it must continuously perform PDCCH monitoring to check if there is a transmission scheduled for it in each configured search space. However, if this scheduling is not always present, the UE may quickly drain its battery due to unnecessary PDCCH monitoring every time. Therefore, the BS can set the UE to an ON duration during which it must perform PDCCH monitoring and an OFF duration during which it does not need to perform PDCCH monitoring. In other words, the BS can set the UE to connected mode discontinuous reception (C-DRX) to save power. From the BS's perspective, the UE's C-DRX can also help save energy for the BS. For example, during the C-DRX OFF period of a specific UE, the BS does not need to transmit the PDCCH of the specific UE, so the BS can use its resources (e.g., radio resources during the C-DRX OFF period of the specific UE) for other purposes or obtain energy saving (ES) benefits through DTX / DRX. However, since the UE can transmit without restriction as needed on pre-configured resources (e.g., SR, PUCCH, CG PUSCH, etc.) even during the OFF period, the BS must wait for UL reception of the UE, which may be transmitted at any time. In addition, since C-DRX is configured UE-specifically, the DRX cycles or ON / OFF periods between UEs within a cell (or BS) are not aligned.Therefore, if the ON periods of UEs are set in a time division multiplexing (TDM) format, it may be difficult to expect ES gain because the BS cannot sleep for PDCCH transmission for each ON period of each UE within the cell (or BS).

[0215] Therefore, in some implementations of this specification, the BS can save energy by turning OFF transmission / reception of specific signals / channels during inactive periods through cell-specific DTX / DRX configuration with alternating active and inactive periods similar to UE C-DRX. Hereinafter, some implementations of this specification are described regarding cell-specific DTX / DRX operation of a BS that saves energy by turning OFF transmission / reception on the cell during specific time periods or through restricted DTX / DRX that allows transmission / reception of specific signals / channel(s). Also described are some implementations of this specification regarding UE operation for each time period when cell DTX / DRX is combined with DRX operation of UEs within the cell. For convenience, the method(s) by which cell DTX / DRX is combined with the C-DRX operation of the UE and the corresponding operating method(s) are mainly described, but some implementations of this specification can be applied and extended to other DRX operations of the UE (e.g., idle mode DRX) as well as C-DRX.

[0216] The UE monitors the PDCCH during periodic ON periods to check if there is UL / DL to transmit / receive, and when a PDCCH is received, performs DL reception or UL transmission according to the instructions given by the PDCCH. In the case of UL, the UE can wake up from sleep mode and transmit a scheduling request (SR) if there is data to be sent in the UL buffer, regardless of C-DRX. A UE in idle mode periodically performs paging monitoring, and if the UE is not the target UE of the paging, it can operate in idle mode (idle mode DRX (i.e., I-DRX)) which returns to sleep mode. Here, the UE operating in sleep mode can mean performing SR transmission “regardless of the active time determined by C-DRX” or “even in a period other than the active time determined by C-DRX.” In C-DRX operation, a time period consisting of an ON period and an OFF period is repeated, which is called a DRX cycle. The length of a DRX cycle can be defined as from the start of an ON period to before the next ON period, and a DRX cycle can be divided into a Long DRX cycle and a Short DRX cycle. If the length of the DRX cycle becomes longer, if the BS has a PDSCH to send immediately after the end of a specific ON period of the UE, it must wait until the next ON period of the UE, which may increase latency. From the BS's perspective, Since the UE does not transmit periodic CSI (P-CSI) or sounding reference signal (SRS) during the OFF period, the resource (i.e., the resource for P-CSI or SRS transmission) can be allocated to another UE to increase resource utilization.Additionally, the BS may also operate in energy saving mode to save power during the UE's OFF period.

[0217] In relation to C-DRX, the BS may instruct the UE to enter DRX sleep mode directly without operating in active mode until the end of the ON period via the DRX command MAC control element (CE). For example, the BS may instruct the UE to terminate the current active time and directly enter a DRX cycle. If only a Long DRX cycle is configured for the UE, the UE may operate in the Long DRX cycle (based on the DRX command MAC CE). If both a Long DRX cycle and a Short DRX cycle are configured, the UE will immediately enter the Short DRX cycle after receiving the DRX command MAC CE. In addition, if the BS provides a Long DRX command MAC CE, the UE may operate in the Long DRX cycle even if a Short DRX cycle is configured. Additionally, BS can control / change the starting point of the Long DRX cycle via the RRC parameter drx-LongCycleStartOffset, which is used to set the Long DRX cycle and the drx-StartOffset, which defines the subframe in which the Long and Short DRX cycles start. Here, the value of the RRC parameter drx-LongCycleStartOffset is defined in ms units so that the Long DRX cycle can start at the slot boundary. Additionally, the starting point of the ON period can be set at slot level granularity via another RRC parameter drx-SlotOffset. In this case, the relative position of the ON period is defined by applying the slot offset indicated (by drx-SlotOffset) with respect to the reference point indicated by drx-LongCycleStartOffset.BS can utilize ES by aligning ON and OFF periods of multiple UEs within a cell by adjusting the start point of the DRC cycle and the start point of the ON period through the above parameters, but for ES through the dynamic transmission / reception OFF time pattern of BS, a more dynamic offset value indication may be required.

[0218] By waking up the UE only during the ON period and monitoring the presence of PDCCH transmitted to itself through C-DRX configuration, energy can be saved compared to continuously (e.g., at every slot) monitoring the PDCCH. In addition, if the BS has no data to transmit in the upcoming ON period of the UE, the BS can further save the battery of the UE by transmitting a wake-up signal (WUS) before the start of the ON period of the UE to inform the UE that there is no need to wake up in the ON period (i.e., there is no need to start the onDuration timer). Here, for the UE among the UEs configured with C-DRX and that there is no data to transmit / receive in the upcoming ON period, the BS can transmit a WUS that can be transmitted via DCI format 2_6, which is used to notify power saving information outside the DRX active time for one or more UEs, at a WUS occasion configured before the ON period, to indicate to the UE that there is no need to wake up in the current ON period. A UE that receives the above WUS (e.g., wake-up indication via DCI format 2_6) can save more energy because it can continue to sleep without switching to active mode.

[0219] In the following description, UE DRX or C-DRX, I-DRX may mean discontinuous reception from the UE's perspective, cell DRX may mean discontinuous reception from the BS's perspective, and cell DTX may mean discontinuous transmission from the BS's perspective. Cell DRX may mean UL transmission OFF from the UE's perspective, and cell DTX may mean DL reception OFF from the UE's perspective.

[0220] According to the cell DTX / DRX operation, as in the structure similar to the C-DRX of the UE, an active period can be set in which all signals and channels can be transmitted / received without restriction, and a non-active period, which is a time period outside the active period in which transmission / reception of all signals and channels is turned OFF or transmission / reception of only specific signals and channels is performed in a restricted manner (e.g., only transmission / reception of channels / signals such as PDCCH transmission or RACH / SR PUCCH reception is allowed). The cell DTX / DRX configuration can be set and activated only by RRC (i.e., only through RRC signaling), or some parameters for the cell DTX / DRX can be set by RRC and the remaining parameters can be set / indicated and activated through L1 and / or L2 signaling (e.g., (group-common) DCI and / or MAC CE). Information about the location and length (in the time domain) of the active and inactive periods of the cell DTX / DRX can be preset via specific RRC parameters. For example, the start point of the active period can be set via an offset from a specific subframe boundary or a specific system frame number (SFN) value, and the duration can be set via a length-related parameter or timer, etc. In some implementations, the BS can preset multiple parameter or timer candidates and indicate one of the candidates upon activation via L1 and / or L2 signaling. During the cell DTX / DRX active period, transmission / reception of all signals and channels can be possible without any special transmission / reception restrictions, as in the normal operation of the BS.The time interval outside the active interval is basically considered as a non-active interval, and transmission / reception may be restricted except for the preset signal(s) and channel(s), and since the BS can obtain ES gain through the operation of performing only this minimum transmission / reception, the operation when the NES state / mode is ON may be considered in the time interval outside the active interval.

[0221] For example, to reduce the BS downlink transmission / uplink reception active time, the UE can be configured with a periodic cell DTX / DRX pattern (i.e., active and non-active periods). The pattern configuration for cell DTX / DRX can be common to the UEs in the cell. Each serving cell can be configured with a periodic cell DTX pattern by RRC. The BS can configure only cell DTX, only cell DRX, or both for a cell. Cell DTX and cell DRX patterns can be configured and activated separately. Up to N cell DTX / DRX patterns per MAC entity can be configured for different serving cells, where N can be a predefined value. Cell DTX / DRX can be activated / deactivated by RRC signaling or L1 group common signaling (e.g., signaling via group-common PDCCH). The BS can control the cell DTX and cell DRX operation by providing the cell DTX / DRX configuration via RRC signaling. For example, the BS can provide RRC parameters in the cell DTX / DRX configuration regarding a timer for an active period at the beginning of a cell DTX / DRX cycle (e.g., a cell DTX / DRX ON duration timer), a subframe in which the cell DTX / DRX cycle starts, a delay before the active period starts, a cell DTX / DRX cycle period (i.e., a cell DTX / DRX cycle), etc. The active duration of the cell DTX / DRX can be a period of time during which the UE waits to receive PDCCHs or SPS occasions and to transmit an SR or CG. A cycle of the cell DTX / DRX specifies a periodic repetition of an active period followed by an inactive period. The active duration and cycle parameters can be common between the cell DTX and the cell DRX.The BS may configure the C-DRX and the cell DTX / DRX such that there is at least a partial overlap between the C-DRX ON period of the UE and the cell DTX / DRX active period. For example, the BS may configure the C-DRX periodicity of the UE to be an integer multiple of the cell DTX / DRX periodicity, or the cell DTX / DRX periodicity to be an integer multiple of the C-DRX periodicity of the UE.

[0222] In some implementations, cell DTX operation may affect the UE's monitoring activity for PDCCH and configured downlink assignments in RRC_CONNECTED. For a serving cell for which cell DTX is configured and active, a UE (e.g., the MAC entity of the UE) monitors PDCCH on the serving cell if the serving cell is within the cell DTX active period. The cell DTX active period of a serving cell may include the time that a cell DTX / DRX ON duration timer runs for the serving cell. For example, for a serving cell for which cell DTX is configured and active, a UE (e.g., the MAC entity of the UE) may not monitor PDCCH on the serving cell if the serving cell is not within the cell DTX active period or is within the UE C-DRX active period, and may not receive transport blocks on the serving cell according to the configured downlink assignment for SPS (i.e., perform SPS PDSCH reception). That is, when cell DTX is set and activated for a serving cell, the UE may not perform PDCCH monitoring on the serving cell or monitor SPS periods on the serving cell during the cell DTX inactivity period.

[0223] In some implementations, cell DRX operation may control SR and configured uplink grant transmission activity in RRC_CONNECTED. In some scenarios, when cell DRX is configured and activated for a serving cell, the UE (e.g., the MAC entity of the UE) may, in principle, perform CG PUSCH transmissions and (if the serving cell is a PUCCH cell) PUCCH transmissions on the serving cell only within the cell DRX active period. The cell DTX active period of a serving cell may include the time that the cell DTX / DRX ON duration timer runs for the serving cell. For example, if a serving cell for which cell DRX is configured and activated is within a cell DRX inactive period, the UE (e.g., the MAC entity of the UE) does not transmit SR on PUCCH resources for SR (even if the serving cell is a PUCCH cell), does not report periodic CSI on PUCCH (even if the serving cell is a PUCCH cell), and does not report semi-persistent CSI configured on PUSCH of the serving cell. In other words, if cell DRX is configured and activated for a serving cell, the UE may not transmit on CG resources of the serving cell or may not transmit SR on the serving cell during the DRX inactive period.

[0224] Multiple SPS PDSCH / CG PUSCH occasions within a single interval of SPS / CG configuration

[0225] One use case for URLLC could include a time-sensitive network (TSN). TSN is a communication network system that assumes that all devices within a specific area share the same clock time for real-time communication and are time-synchronized. Based on this, it can be used to control the motion of devices or build collaborative robots in factories. Furthermore, XR services could be included as another application of NR systems.

[0226] Extended reality (XR) is a hyper-realistic technology and service that utilizes virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and holograms to provide users with an environment where they can communicate and live without spatial or temporal constraints in a virtual space similar to reality. XR is one of the key services to be introduced in NR wireless communication systems. XR is typically characterized by specific traffic with one or more downlink video streams tightly synchronized with frequent uplink pose / control updates.

[0227] Successful implementation of XR requires support from the wireless system. In 3GPP-based wireless communication systems, such as NR wireless communication systems, utilizing pre-configured resources such as SPS / CG is being considered to support XR. For example, the BS can provide SPS / CG settings to the UE based on the average inter-arrival time of packets. However, the actual inter-arrival time of packets is random due to jitter. Jitter refers to an unwanted time deviation that occurs in a periodic signal. In XR, since the amount of information per frame varies, the time required to process the frames before transmission varies, resulting in jitter.

[0228] In NR, one or more SPS PDSCHs or CG PUSCHs can be configured for a UE for periodic transmission and reception or for low latency and PDCCH overhead. Each SPS / CG configuration can have its configured / indicated resources repeated in the time domain with a periodicity. For example, the initially configured / indicated resource allocation is repeated with a periodicity set by the SPS / CG configuration, and the UE can perform downlink reception / uplink transmission on the corresponding resources without a separate PDCCH reception process. Meanwhile, the types of data that can be generated in XR are diverse. Among these data, it is considered that sensor and location information of the UE, which are generally reported with a specific periodicity, and video data are transmitted and received on SPS / CG resources. The traffic arrival time of these data may be inconsistent and jittery due to reasons such as video encoding time, sensor measurement time, upper layer operation, or routing changes in the network through which they are transmitted. Additionally, the size of the wireless resources required for each transmission may vary depending on the frame type and encoding method of the video transmitted by the UE / BS.

[0229] To support such video data transmission, if the BS allocates wireless resources based on the largest size of wireless resources required, wireless resources may be wasted when transmitting most of the video information, and if the BS allocates wireless resources based on smaller sizes, additional wireless resource allocation may be required when large traffic is generated, which may result in additional delay.

[0230] Furthermore, since some data is event-based, it's impossible to accurately determine the actual data generation time. However, to reduce the delay caused by scheduling, using SPS / CG resources for such data can be considered. In such cases, a skipping method can be considered, where sufficient resources are allocated in short intervals in preparation for data generation, and the UE or BS selectively uses some of these resources while leaving others unused. However, skipping transmission and reception requires appropriate consideration of acknowledgment signals between the UE and BS to confirm reception and transmission. If the UE sends a acknowledgment signal even for an unreceived transmission, the BS must always have resources ready for the UE to send the acknowledgment signal. Given that the skipping method relies on configuring a sufficient number of radio resources, configuring the corresponding acknowledgment signal resource(s) for all radio resources can impose a significant uplink burden. Furthermore, considering that these resources can be multiplexed between UEs, the burden on uplink resources must be considered even more critically.

[0231] The above considerations should be taken into account when using XR services or similar third-party services. For example, to effectively transmit information such as video, where the payload size of various services or traffic dynamically changes, it may be considered for the UE to selectively use the CG PUSCH configured in SPS / CG and to report any unselected radio resources to the base station in advance. This allows the BS to alleviate the burden on uplink radio resources by using the corresponding radio resources for other uplink transmissions.

[0232] Hereinafter, some implementations of this specification are described, in which, when a UE is configured with multiple wireless resources to receive video information required for various services or XR, etc., and attempts to transmit or receive only on some of the configured wireless resources and does not use the remaining wireless resource(s), the UE reports the unused wireless resource(s) to the BS so that the BS can allocate the reported wireless resource(s) to the UE or other UE(s).

[0233] Hereinafter, implementations of this specification are described based on semi-statically configured downlink SPS and uplink CG radio resources. However, implementations of this specification are not limited thereto, and can be extended and applied to radio resources allocated through dynamic scheduling received by the UE. For example, the implementation(s) of this specification, in which a UE determines a single HARQ-ACK timing for multiple downlink radio resources allocated to it, can be applied regardless of the SPS PDSCH and the PDSCH indicated by dynamic scheduling. In addition, implementations of this specification can be applied when multiple radio resources are not configured semi-statically but through dynamic indication, for example, when multiple radio resources are configured at once through DCI. Therefore, implementations of this specification can be applied to all types of transmission / reception methods expected by the BS and the UE without separate description. For convenience of explanation, implementations of this specification are described below using SPS as a general term to refer to semi-statically configured radio resources (e.g., DL / UL SPS, CG).

[0234] In some implementations of this specification, a transmission occasion (TO) may refer to a radio resource set up for SPS / CG purposes (e.g., SPS PDSCH or CG PUSCH). In a transmission occasion, an entity performing transmission (e.g., a BS for downlink or a UE for uplink) may attempt to transmit in the transmission occasion, and a receiver (e.g., a UE for downlink or a BS for uplink) may expect a transmission and attempt to receive it in each transmission occasion. In this specification, the term transmission occasion is used interchangeably with the term transmission opportunity. In this specification, a transmission occasion or transmission opportunity is also referred to simply as an occasion.

[0235] Below, implementations of this specification are described based on the NR system, but implementations of this specification are not limited to NR transmission / reception. Furthermore, while implementations of this specification are described using the characteristics and structure of XR services as examples, implementations of this specification are not limited to supporting XR services. Implementations of this specification can be applied to all wireless communication transmission / reception structures and services, even without separate explanation.

[0236] Hereinafter, some implementations of this specification are described regarding methods and procedures for a UE to notify a BS of unused radio resources. Implementations of this specification may include a method for a BS to allocate PDSCH / PUSCH radio resource(s) to a UE, and a method for the UE to perform downlink reception or uplink reception on the allocated radio resources. Some implementations of this specification may include a method for a UE to transmit a HARQ-ACK PUCCH response in response to a PDSCH reception result, and a method for receiving a BS's retransmission DCI via a PDCCH after a PUSCH transmission. In some implementations of this specification, a UE may transmit signals and channels to notify its capabilities and / or service requirements, and a BS may receive the signals and channels.

[0237] Figure 10 illustrates a flow of UE operations according to some implementations of this specification, and Figure 11 illustrates a flow of BS operations according to some implementations of this specification.

[0238] Referring to FIG. 10, a UE may receive an RRC configuration for an unused resource indication / information (URI), i.e., an RRC parameter(s) related to the URI, and an RRC configuration related to a CG PUSCH (e.g., a CG configuration) (S1001). The CG configuration may be automatically activated or initially deactivated. When UL traffic / data to be transmitted occurs in the UE, i.e., when the UL traffic / data becomes available for transmission, the UE may determine or predict CG PUSCH resources (i.e., CG PUSCH occasions) required for transmission of the UL traffic / data (S1003). The UE may report a URI to the BS based on the required CG PUSCH resources (or their number) (S1005). The above UE can transmit PUSCH(s) carrying the traffic / data using CG PUSCH resources (S1007).

[0239] Referring to FIG. 11, the BS may provide the UE with RRC settings for URI and RRC settings related to CG PUSCH (e.g., CG settings) (S1101). The BS may receive the URI from the UE (S1103). The BS may receive PUSCH(s) from the CG PUSCH resource(s) based on the CG settings (S1105). The BS may perform UL scheduling based on the URI.

[0240] Figure 12 illustrates UE and BS signal transmission / reception flows according to some implementations of the present specification.

[0241] Referring to FIG. 12, a UE may be provided with an RRC configuration for URI and an RRC configuration (e.g., IEConfiguredGrantConfig) for transmitting a CG PUSCH from a BS (S1201, S1202). The semi-static configuration (i.e., CG PUSCH configuration) provided to the UE may be automatically activated or initially deactivated. When UL traffic occurs (S1203) and uplink transmission via CG PUSCH is to be performed, the UE provided with the RRC configuration for URI may determine or predict the CG PUSCH timing(s) to be used by considering the buffer status within the UE and the characteristics of the CG PUSCH (S1204). The UE may report information on unused CG PUSCH resources (i.e., CG PUSCH timings) to the BS by considering the number of CG PUSCHs to be used that has been determined or predicted (S1205). The BS that receives this can release the unused CG PUSCH resources at that time and schedule uplink transmission for another purpose to the UE or another UE. The UE can perform uplink transmission on other CG PUSCH resources except for the CG PUSCH resources reported as unused, and the BS can attempt uplink reception on radio resources in other CG PUSCH resources except for the CG PUSCH resources reported as unused (S1206).

[0242] Figure 13 illustrates CG PUSCHs configured according to some implementations of the present specification.

[0243] Regarding URI, the following implementations may be considered for efficient use of the system's wireless resources.

[0244] For example, in some implementations, the BS may instruct and configure one or more CG PUSCHs to the UE during a certain time interval T. For example, multiple radio resources (i.e., multiple CG PUSCH occasions) may be configured within a periodicity by including information about multiple TDRAs in a single CG configuration or activating the corresponding CG via DCI including such TDRA information. For example, the BS may provide the UE with a CG configuration that includes multiple consecutively configured uplink grants within a single periodicity. Referring to FIG. 13, depending on the CG configuration, multiple CG PUSCH occasions may occur within a single periodicity of the CG configuration.

[0245] As another example, a case may be considered where a BS instructs and configures one or more SPS / CG radio resources to a UE, and multiple SPS / CG radio resources are allocated for repeatedly transmitting a single transport block (TB) within a periodicity or within a certain time range. For example, one or more SPS / CG configurations may be provided, and PDSCH / PUSCH occasions according to the one or more SPS / CG configurations may occur within a periodicity or within a certain time range.

[0246] As another example, a case may be considered where a BS instructs and configures one or more SPS / CG radio resources to a UE, and multiple SPS / CG radio resources are allocated for transmitting multiple TBs within a cycle or within a certain time range. For example, multiple SPS / CG configurations may be provided, and PDSCH / PUSCH epochs corresponding to the multiple SPS / CG configurations may occur within a cycle or within a certain time range.

[0247] For convenience, the UCI in the CG PUSCH carrying the URI is referred to as an unused transmission occasion (UTO)-UCI. That is, the terms UTO-UCI and URI are used interchangeably below.

[0248] Figure 14 illustrates an example of unused transmission occasion - uplink control information (UTO-UCI) transmission. In Figure 14, "TO" indicates a transmission occasion. In the example of Figure 14, among the bit values ​​of the URI (i.e., UTO-UCI), '0' may indicate that the UE may transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding TO in the case of CG, and '1' may indicate that the UE will not transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding TO in the case of CG.

[0249] For example, if the URI transmitted in CG PUSCH epoch #i indicates whether to use the four GG PUSCH epochs following the CG PUSCH epoch #i (CG PUSCH epochs #(i+1) to (i+4)), referring to FIG. 14, bits 0011 of the URI transmitted in CG PUSCH epoch #1 are one-to-one mapped to CG PUSCH epochs #2 to #5 in ascending order of start time, bits 0111 of the URI transmitted in CG PUSCH epoch #2 are one-to-one mapped to CG PUSCH epochs #3 to #6 in ascending order of start time, and bits 0011 of the URI transmitted in CG PUSCH epoch #3 are one-to-one mapped to CG PUSCH epochs #4 to #7 in ascending order of start time.

[0250] When CG PUSCH is configured for a cell and cell DTX / DRX configuration is also applied to the cell, it is unclear how UTO-UCI should be configured. Considering this, some implementations of this specification regarding a UCI transmission method considering cell DTX / DRX configuration are described below. For example, some implementations of this specification are described regarding how to handle CG PUSCH resources overlapping with or included in an OFF interval (i.e., a cell DRX inactive interval) when generating UTO-UCI when a cell DRX operation is being performed for the cell, in which a BS periodically repeats an ON / OFF duration pattern for uplink reception for energy saving.

[0251] Meanwhile, when UCIs from PUSCH(s) / (CG-)PUCCH(s) are multiplexed into a single PUCCH / PUSCH and the single PUCCH / PUSCH containing the multiplexed UCI overlaps with a cell DRX non-active period, it may not be appropriate to not unconditionally transmit the single PUCCH / PUSCH containing the multiplexed UCI because a large amount of UCI may not be provided to the BS. Hereinafter, some implementations of the present specification are described regarding how to transmit UCI when PUCCH / PUSCH transmission carrying the multiplexed UCI overlaps with a cell DRX non-active period.

[0252] Some of the implementations / methods described below may be selected and applied. Alternatively, each implementation / method described below may operate independently without separate combination with other implementations / methods, or one or more implementations / methods may operate in a linked manner. Some terms, symbols, and orders used in this specification may be replaced with other terms, symbols, or orders.

[0253] The implementations / methods described in this specification may be specified to be applied only when the UE receives relevant configuration information from the BS (or core network). The configuration information may be provided via a higher layer signal (e.g., SIB or RRC signaling). Alternatively, information configured via a higher layer signal (e.g., SIB or RRC signaling) may be activated / deactivated via a separate signal (e.g., DCI or MAC control element (CE)). In addition, the UE may be specified to report information (e.g., capability) regarding whether the implementations / methods of this specification are supportable, and to receive the same from the BS (or core network).

[0254] <Method #1> Handling method for CG PUSCH resources overlapping with cell DRX inactivity period of UE within a cell where cell DTX / DRX is set up and operating, and UTO-UCI configuration method

[0255] (1) A method of indicating that CG PUSCH resources overlapping with the cell DRX inactivity period are also invalid (e.g., a method of configuring a UTO-UCI bitmap excluding invalid CG resources)

[0256] (2) A method of mapping the remaining bit(s) except for the bit(s) allocated to the valid CG before the cell DRX inactive interval to “unused” (e.g., a method of considering CG PUSCH TO(s) belonging to the cell DRX inactive interval as valid but marking them as unused).

[0257] (3) A method in which, when transmitting a CG PUSCH in an active section according to the cell DTX / DRX settings, the CG resources in the inactive section are considered invalid, and when transmitting a CG PUSCH in an inactive section, the CG resources in the inactive section are considered valid.

[0258] (4) When cell DTX / DRX is set, UTO-UCI is not loaded on CG PUSCH or related settings are not expected.

[0259] (5) A method of not loading UTO-UCI on CG PUSCH only when cell DTX / DRX is set and activated, and loading UTO-UCI on CG PUSCH when cell DTX / DRX is deactivated.

[0260] (6) A method of deactivating / releasing only the CGs for which UTO-UCI is set (i.e., CGs set to report UTO-UCI) when cell DTX / DRX is set or activated.

[0261] If cell DTX / DRX is set and operating in the serving cell configured for the UE, transmission / reception of specific DL / UL signals / channels may be turned OFF during the non-active period according to a predefined active / non-active period pattern. For example, if reception of CG PUSCH is set and / or defined (in the standard, etc.) to be OFF during the cell DRX non-active period, the UE may not transmit CG PUSCH in CG resources (i.e., CG PUSCH times) included in or overlapping the non-active period, and the BS may not expect reception of CG PUSCH at that time.

[0262] However, since the UE can inform whether the valid CG PUSCH resources (available among the pre-configured CG resources) among the future CG PUSCH resources are used or not through the UTO-UCI transmitted together with the CG PUSCH, a method for handling CG-PUSCH resources overlapping with the cell DRX inactivity period and configuring the UTO-UCI may be required.

[0263] Figures 15 and 16 are examples of transmission of UTO-UCI according to some implementations of the present specification.

[0264] In this specification, considering a CG resource as valid may mean that the UTO-UCI includes the used / unused status of the TO corresponding to the CG PUSCH, and considering a CG resource as invalid may mean that the UTO-UCI excludes the used / unused status of the TO corresponding to the CG PUSCH. In addition, a bit value of '1' in the bitmap constituting the UTO-UCI may mean that the UE does not transmit the CG PUSCH in the corresponding TO (i.e., maps the bit to unused), and a bit value of '0' may mean that the UE may transmit the CG PUSCH in the corresponding TO.

[0265] With respect to the cell DRX non-active interval, in one method, the UE may regard all CG resource(s) (i.e., CG PUSCH occasion(s)) included in or overlapping the cell DRX non-active interval as invalid CG resource(s) and may not include them in the UTO-UCI. That is, the UE may regard only the remaining CG resources belonging to the cell DRX active interval as valid CG resources, excluding the invalid CG resource(s) overlapping the cell DRX non-active interval, and configure a UTO-UCI bitmap with bits corresponding to each of the valid CG resources (respectively) and provide the same to the BS. The BS may assume that the UE will configure the UTO-UCI in this way and may receive and interpret the UTO-UCI. Here, the cell DRX non-active interval may be a non-active interval determined according to a semi-static cell DRX pattern that is UE-specifically configured, regardless of the DCI indicating activation (release) of the cell DRX configuration, or may be a non-active interval determined dynamically via the DCI indicating activation (release) of the cell DRX configuration. For example, if a single UTO-UCI transmission includes a 4-bit bitmap corresponding respectively to four subsequent PUSCH occasions, as shown in FIG. 15, in some implementations of the present specification, TO #4 overlaps with the cell DRX non-active interval and is considered an invalid TO for the UTO-UCI, and among the TOs after the CG PUSCH occasion (i.e., TO) in which the UTO-UCI is to be transmitted, TO #4 is considered not to be a target of the UTO-UCI and may configure the UTO-UCI.In the example of FIG. 15, bits 0011 of the URI transmitted in CG PUSCH occasion #1 (i.e., TO #1) may be one-to-one mapped to CG PUSCH occasions #2, 3, 5, and 6 in ascending order of start time, bits 0111 of the URI transmitted in CG PUSCH occasion #2 may be one-to-one mapped to CG PUSCH occasions #3, 5, 6, and 7 in ascending order of start time, and bits 1110 of the URI transmitted in CG PUSCH occasion #3 may be one-to-one mapped to CG PUSCH occasions #5 to #8 in ascending order of start time. The UTO-UCI for the CG PUSCH occasion(s) overlapping with the cell DRX inactive period may be information that does not need to be provided to the BS. Since the BS knows the cell DRX non-active period, it can be said that the CG PUSCH occasion(s) within the cell DRX non-active period will not be used by the UE. According to some implementations of the present specification, if the CG PUSCH occasions based on the CG PUSCH configuration with the UTO-UCI configuration overlap with the non-active period of the activated cell DRX configuration, the UE considers the CG PUSCH occasion(s) overlapping with the cell DRX non-active period as invalid PUSCH occasions and the invalid CG PUSCH occasion(s) are excluded from the N CG PUSCH occasions corresponding to the N bits of the UTO-UCI, respectively. Therefore, the UE has the advantage of not transmitting unnecessary information since the BS already knows about it, and instead, if the UE has already decided before the cell DRX inactive period starts whether to use the CG PUSCH time(s) after the cell DRX inactive period, it can inform the BS in advance whether to use the UTO-UCI transmitted before the cell DRX inactive period for the CG PUSCH time(s) after the inactive period.

[0266] Alternatively, (especially when the length of the DRX active interval is long) a method may be considered in which the remaining bits except for the bit(s) allocated to valid CG resource(s) before the cell DRX inactive interval are mapped to "unused" (or mapped to a predefined / configured value of either '0' or '1'). That is, the CG resources belonging to the cell DRX inactive interval are also considered as valid CG resources, but may be marked as unused (or mapped to a predefined / configured value of either '0' or '1') in the UTO-UCI. Here, the cell DRX inactive interval may be a non-active interval determined according to a UE-specific semi-static cell DRX pattern regardless of the DCI indicating activation (release) of the cell DRX configuration, or may be a non-active interval determined dynamically via the DCI indicating activation (release) of the cell DRX configuration. Referring to FIG. 16, in some implementations of the present specification, TO #4 overlaps with the cell DRX inactivity period but is considered a valid TO for UTO-UCI, but the UE may include the bit in the UTO-UCI to indicate that the UE will not transmit CG PUSCH in TO #4. In the example of FIG. 16, bits 0011 of the URI transmitted in CG PUSCH epoch #1 (i.e., TO #1) may be one-to-one mapped to CG PUSCH epochs #2, 3, 5, and 6 in ascending order of start time, bits 0111 of the URI transmitted in CG PUSCH epoch #2 may be one-to-one mapped to CG PUSCH epochs #3, 5, 6, and 7 in ascending order of start time, and bits 1110 of the URI transmitted in CG PUSCH epoch #3 may be one-to-one mapped to CG PUSCH epochs #5 to #8 in ascending order of start time.

[0267] Alternatively, when the UE transmits a CG PUSCH in a semi-static active period determined by the cell DRX configuration, the UE may consider the CG resources in the cell DRX inactive period as invalid and configure UTO-UCI, and conversely, when the UE transmits a CG PUSCH in a semi-static cell DRX inactive period, the UE may consider the CG resources in the inactive period as valid and configure UTO-UCI.

[0268] Meanwhile, when cell DRX is configured for its serving cell, the UE may not carry UTO-UCI on the CG PUSCH, or may not expect related settings (e.g., RRC parameter nrof_UTO_UCI that configures UTO-UCI bitwidth, RRC parameter betaOffsetUTO-UCI that configures UTO-UCI coding rate, etc.), or may not apply related settings even if they are received. In addition, the UE may not carry UTO-UCI only when cell DRX is configured and the DRX configuration is actually activated via RRC or DCI, and may carry UTO-UCI on the CG PUSCH when cell DRX is deactivated even if configured. Alternatively, the UE may deactivate and / or release only the CG configuration in which UTO-UCI is configured when cell DRX is configured or activated for its serving cell.

[0269] In the above methods, the BS may actually deactivate / release the CG resources configured to configure UTO-UCI, and the UE may consider the CG resource(s) configured to configure UTO-UCI to be deactivated / released on its own when the cell DRX is configured or activated. In other words, the BS may actually deactivate or release the CG PUSCH occasion(s) that overlap with the cell DRX non-active period among the CG PUSCH occasions of the CG configuration including the UTO-UCI configuration, and the UE may consider the CG PUSCH occasion(s) that overlap with the cell DRX non-active period among the CG PUSCH occasions of the CG configuration including the UTO-UCI configuration to be deactivated / released on its own when the cell DRX is configured (and activated) and generate the UTO-UCI.

[0270] <Method #2> UCI transmission method when PUSCHs / (CG-)PUCCHs including UCI overlap in the same slot, multiple UCIs are multiplexed into one PUCCH / PUSCH, and the PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH overlaps with a cell DRX inactive period.

[0271] For PUCCH / (CG)-PUSCH multiplexed with multiple UCIs:

[0272] - Method (1) A method for determining whether to drop based on the degree of overlap with the cell DRX inactive section.

[0273] - Method (2) Method for determining whether to drop based on the number or type of multiple UCIs

[0274] - Method (3) How to determine whether to drop depending on the type of HARQ-ACK codebook included

[0275] - Method (4) A method of transmitting only HARQ-ACK separately when multiple UCIs are multiplexed and a multiplexed PUCCH / (CG-)PUCCH must be dropped.

[0276] - Method (5) A method for determining whether to drop using a combination of the above methods

[0277] In some scenarios, if the UE receives cell DRX configuration from the BS and cell DRX is activated, the UE does not transmit / receive anything except for DL / UL (including HARQ-ACK) scheduled in the active interval (with dynamic DL assignment or UL grant) or HARQ-ACK for SPS PDSCH during the cell DRX non-active interval. That is, the UE does not transmit, nor does the BS expect to receive, the quasi-static PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH included in the cell DRX non-active interval. If there are multiple PUCCH(s) and / or (CG-)PUSCH(s) scheduled in the same slot, the UE first multiplexes them according to the UCI multiplexing rules of the standard document, and then drops the PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH carrying the multiplexed UCI if it overlaps with the cell non-active interval, and transmits them only if it does not overlap. However, this method may result in high UCI loss since multiple UCIs in a multiplexed container (i.e., PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH) are all dropped due to the cell DRX non-active period. Therefore, in some implementations of the present specification, a method(s) for determining whether to transmit PUCCH / PUSCH overlapping with the cell DRX non-active period may be considered, based on specific conditions set by the BS in advance / (or defined in a standard document, etc.).

[0278] Method (1) is a method for determining whether to drop the PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH according to the number of overlapping symbols when some of the symbols of the PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH that becomes the container for the multiplexed UCI after UCI multiplexing overlap with the cell DRX non-active interval. For example, if the UE has been set to 2 symbols as a threshold from the BS in advance, if two or fewer symbol(s) of the (scheduled) symbols to be transmitted of the PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH multiplexed with multiple UCIs overlap with the cell DRX non-active interval, the UE may be set / instructed to perform transmission even if the PUCCH / (CG-PUSCH) overlaps with the non-active interval, and otherwise (i.e., if the overlap is more than two symbols), to drop the PUCCH / (CG-PUSCH). Alternatively, the symbols of PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH that become containers after UCI multiplexing may be set / instructed to be transmitted when they partially overlap with the cell DRX non-active period, and to be dropped when they fully overlap (i.e., all symbols of the PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH are included in the non-active period).

[0279] Method (2) is a method for determining whether to drop the PUCCH / (CG-PUSCH) depending on the number or type of UCI multiplexed in the PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH that becomes the container after UCI multiplexing. For example, if HARQ-ACK is included in the multiplexed UCI, or if HARQ-ACK and aperiodic CSI (AP-CSI) are included, it can be set / instructed to not be dropped and transmitted, and to be dropped in other cases. Alternatively, it can be set / instructed to transmit if the number of multiplexed UCIs is 3 or more, and to drop if it is less than 3.

[0280] Method (3) is a method for determining whether to drop the PUCCH / (CG-PUSCH) according to the type of HARQ-ACK codebook included in the PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH that becomes the container after UCI multiplexing. For example, if the type of the included codebook is Type 1 (i.e., a quasi-static codebook), the PUCCH / (CG-PUSCH) is dropped, and if it is Type 2 (i.e., a dynamic codebook), it can be transmitted.

[0281] Method (4) is a method in which, when a PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH that becomes a container after UCI multiplexing includes HARQ-ACK and the PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH overlaps (some or all symbols) with a cell DRX inactive period and the PUCCH / (CG-)PUSCH must be dropped, the UE transmits HARQ-ACK through the PUCCH that it originally intended to transmit in the same slot (i.e., the PUCCH resources initially indicated for HARQ-ACK transmission are maintained as is).

[0282] Method #1 and Method #2 described above can be applied alone or together.

[0283] Figure 17 illustrates the flow of UE operation according to some implementations of this specification.

[0284] A UE may perform operations according to some implementations of the present disclosure. The UE may include at least one transceiver; at least one processor; and at least one computer memory operably connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations according to some implementations of the present disclosure. A processing device for the UE may include at least one processor; and at least one computer memory operably connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations according to some implementations of the present disclosure. A computer-readable (non-transitory) storage medium may store at least one computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations according to some implementations of the present disclosure. A computer program or computer program product may be recorded on at least one computer-readable (non-transitory) storage medium and may contain instructions that, when executed, cause (at least one processor) to perform operations according to some implementations of the present specification.

[0285] Referring to FIG. 17, in the method of the UE, or in the UE, the processing device, the computer-readable (non-transitory) storage medium, and / or the computer program product, the operations may include: receiving CG settings for a cell (S1701); and transmitting UTO-UCI based on the CG settings (S1703).

[0286] In some implementations, the UTO-UCI may include information regarding whether a predetermined number of CG PUSCH occasions of the CG configuration are used or not, excluding CG PUSCH occasions that overlap with a non-active period of the cell DRX. For example, the UTO-UCI may include an N-bit bitmap, wherein N is a predetermined positive integer, and wherein N bits of the N-bit bitmap are mapped one-to-one to N CG PUSCH occasions, wherein each of the N bits has a first bit value or a second bit value, wherein the first bit value indicates that the UE can transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion and the second bit value indicates that the UE will not transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion.

[0287] In some implementations, the method or operations may further include: receiving a configuration regarding the cell DRX.

[0288] In some implementations, the UTO-UCI may be transmitted via a CG PUSCH based on the CG configuration.

[0289] Figure 18 illustrates the flow of BS operation according to some implementations of this specification.

[0290] A BS may perform operations according to some implementations of the present disclosure. The BS may include at least one transceiver; at least one processor; and at least one computer memory operably connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations according to some implementations of the present disclosure. A processing device for the BS may include at least one processor; and at least one computer memory operably connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations according to some implementations of the present disclosure. A computer-readable (non-transitory) storage medium may store at least one computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations according to some implementations of the present disclosure. A computer program or computer program product may be recorded on at least one computer-readable (non-transitory) storage medium and may contain instructions that, when executed, cause (at least one processor) to perform operations according to some implementations of the present specification.

[0291] Referring to FIG. 18, in the method of the BS, or in the BS, the processing device, the computer-readable (non-transitory) storage medium, and / or the computer program product, the operations may include: transmitting a CG setting for a cell (S1801); and receiving a UTO-UCI from a UE based on the CG setting (S1803).

[0292] In some implementations, the UTO-UCI may include information regarding whether a predetermined number of CG PUSCH occasions of the CG configuration are used or not, excluding CG PUSCH occasions that overlap with a non-active period of the cell DRX. For example, the UTO-UCI may include an N-bit bitmap, wherein N is a predetermined positive integer, and wherein N bits of the N-bit bitmap are mapped one-to-one to N CG PUSCH occasions, wherein each of the N bits has a first bit value or a second bit value, wherein the first bit value indicates that the UE can transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion and the second bit value indicates that the UE will not transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion.

[0293] In some implementations, the method or operations may further include: transmitting a configuration regarding the cell DRX.

[0294] In some implementations, the UTO-UCI may be received via a CG PUSCH based on the CG configuration.

[0295] As described above, the examples disclosed herein are provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement and practice the present disclosure. While the examples have been described above with reference to the examples of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations may be made to the examples of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0296] Implementations of this specification can be used in wireless communication systems, BSs, user equipment, and other equipment.

Claims

1. In a method using a user equipment (UE), Receive configured grant (CG) settings for the cell; and It includes transmitting unused transmission occasion uplink control information (UTO-UCI) based on the above CG settings, The above UTO-UCI contains an N-bit bitmap, where N is a predetermined positive integer, N bits of the N-bit bitmap are mapped one-to-one to N CG PUSCH occasions, wherein each of the N bits has a first bit value or a second bit value, the first bit value indicating that the UE can transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion and the second bit value indicating that the UE will not transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion, The above N CG PUSCH periods exclude CG PUSCH periods that overlap with the non-active period of cell discontinuous reception (DRX). method.

2. In paragraph 1, Including further receiving settings regarding the above cell DRX, method.

3. In paragraph 1, The above UTO-UCI is transmitted through CG PUSCH based on the above CG settings. method.

4. At least one processor; and At least one memory operably connectable to said at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause said at least one processor to perform operations for a user equipment (UE), said operations comprising: Receive configured grant (CG) settings for the cell; and It includes transmitting unused transmission occasion uplink control information (UTO-UCI) based on the above CG settings, The above UTO-UCI contains an N-bit bitmap, where N is a predetermined positive integer, N bits of the N-bit bitmap are mapped one-to-one to N CG PUSCH occasions, wherein each of the N bits has a first bit value or a second bit value, the first bit value indicating that the UE can transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion and the second bit value indicating that the UE will not transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion, The above N CG PUSCH periods exclude CG PUSCH periods that overlap with the non-active period of cell discontinuous reception (DRX). device.

5. In paragraph 4, The above actions are: Including further receiving settings regarding the above cell DRX, device.

6. In paragraph 4, The above UTO-UCI is transmitted through CG PUSCH based on the above CG settings. device.

7. In a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium, The storage medium stores at least one program code comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform operations for a user equipment (UE), the operations comprising: Receive configured grant (CG) settings for the cell; and It includes transmitting unused transmission occasion uplink control information (UTO-UCI) based on the above CG settings, The above UTO-UCI contains an N-bit bitmap, where N is a predetermined positive integer, N bits of the N-bit bitmap are mapped one-to-one to N CG PUSCH occasions, wherein each of the N bits has a first bit value or a second bit value, the first bit value indicating that the UE can transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion and the second bit value indicating that the UE will not transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion, The above N CG PUSCH periods exclude CG PUSCH periods that overlap with the non-active period of cell discontinuous reception (DRX). Storage media.

8. In paragraph 7, The above actions are: Including further receiving settings regarding the above cell DRX, Storage media.

9. In paragraph 7, The above UTO-UCI is transmitted through CG PUSCH based on the above CG settings. Storage media.

10. In the method using a base station (BS), Transmitting the configured grant (CG) settings for the cell; and It includes receiving unused transmission occasion uplink control information (UTO-UCI) from a user equipment (UE) based on the above CG settings, The above UTO-UCI contains an N-bit bitmap, where N is a predetermined positive integer, N bits of the N-bit bitmap are mapped one-to-one to N CG PUSCH occasions, wherein each of the N bits has a first bit value or a second bit value, the first bit value indicating that the UE can transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion and the second bit value indicating that the UE will not transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion, The above N CG PUSCH periods exclude CG PUSCH periods that overlap with the non-active period of cell discontinuous reception (DRX). method.

11. In paragraph 10, Including further transmitting settings regarding the above cell DRX, method.

12. In paragraph 10, The above UTO-UCI is received through CG PUSCH based on the above CG settings. method.

13. At least one processor; and At least one memory operably connectable to said at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause said at least one processor to perform operations for a base station (BS), said operations comprising: Transmitting the configured grant (CG) settings for the cell; and It includes receiving unused transmission occasion uplink control information (UTO-UCI) from a user equipment (UE) based on the above CG settings, The above UTO-UCI contains an N-bit bitmap, where N is a predetermined positive integer, N bits of the N-bit bitmap are mapped one-to-one to N CG PUSCH occasions, wherein each of the N bits has a first bit value or a second bit value, the first bit value indicating that the UE can transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion and the second bit value indicating that the UE will not transmit a CG PUSCH in the corresponding CG PUSCH occasion, The above N CG PUSCH periods exclude CG PUSCH periods that overlap with the non-active period of cell discontinuous reception (DRX). BS.

14. In paragraph 13, The above actions are: Including further transmitting settings regarding the above cell DRX, BS.

15. In paragraph 13, The above UTO-UCI is received through CG PUSCH based on the above CG settings. BS.

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