Method and device for determining repetition factor of uplink control channel signal in non-terrestrial communication system

Abstract

The objective of the present disclosure is to configure an uplink signal transmission method in a wireless communication system. The method performed by a terminal may comprise the steps of: receiving, from a base station, a message including a threshold value of reference signal received power (RSRP) for configuring repeated transmission of an uplink control channel, and information related to candidates of a repetition factor that indicates the number of repeated transmissions of the uplink control channel; determining whether to repeatedly transmit the uplink control channel on the basis of a comparison result between an RSRP value measured for a message from the base station and a threshold value of the RSRP; transmitting a message including response information for configuring repeated transmission of an uplink control channel of the terminal; receiving, from the base station, repeated transmission factor-related information related to the uplink control channel; and transmitting an uplink control channel signal on the basis of the repeated transmission factor-related information related to the uplink control channel, wherein the response information for configuring the repeated transmission can include information indicating whether the terminal supports the repeated transmission and / or information indicating whether the repeated transmission of the uplink control channel is requested.

Description

Method and device for determining repetition factor of uplink control channel signal in non-terrestrial communication system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a device and method for setting up repetitive transmission of an uplink control channel signal in a non-terrestrial communication system, and more particularly, to a device and method for determining a repetition factor of an uplink control channel signal.

[0002] Communication networks (e.g., 5G communication networks, 6G communication networks, etc.) are being developed to provide improved communication services compared to existing communication networks (e.g., long term evolution (LTE), advanced LTE-A (LTE-A), etc.). 5G communication networks (e.g., new radio (NR) communication networks) can support frequency bands above 6 GHz as well as frequency bands below 6 GHz. That is, 5G communication networks can support FR1 bands and / or FR2 bands. 5G communication networks can support various communication services and scenarios compared to LTE communication networks. For example, usage scenarios of 5G communication networks can include enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC), massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), etc.

[0003] Compared to 5G, 6G communication networks can support a wider range of communication services and scenarios. 6G communication networks can meet requirements for ultra-high performance, ultra-high bandwidth, ultra-high space, ultra-high precision, ultra-intelligence, and / or ultra-reliability. 6G communication networks can support diverse and wide frequency bands and be applied to various usage scenarios (e.g., terrestrial communications, non-terrestrial communications, sidelink communications, etc.).

[0004] To improve coverage in non-terrestrial environments, various discussions have been ongoing at the Rel-18 NTN RAN#1 meeting. RAN1#110 reviewed coverage performance results for various physical channels and services in a baseline NTN environment. The results concluded that repeated transmission of the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) for Msg4 HARQ-ACK (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgement) is necessary to meet coverage requirements.

[0005] In this repetitive transmission configuration procedure, information related to a repetition factor indicating the number of times an uplink control channel signal is retransmitted may be signaled. However, if a communication system includes a mixture of terminals that support repetitive transmission of an uplink control channel signal and terminals that do not support repetitive transmission of an uplink control channel signal, the base station cannot determine whether the terminals support repetitive transmission of the uplink control channel signal. Therefore, the base station may not be able to configure repetitive transmission of an uplink control channel signal for a terminal that supports repetitive transmission of an uplink control channel signal. Therefore, a method for configuring repetitive transmission of an uplink control channel that can determine whether a terminal supports repetitive transmission of an uplink control channel signal is required.

[0006] Meanwhile, the technology that serves as the background for the invention is written to promote understanding of the background for the invention, and may include content that is not a prior art already known to a person with ordinary skill in the field to which the technology belongs.

[0007] The present disclosure can provide a device and method for setting a repetition factor for repeated transmission of an uplink control channel by using information indicating whether a terminal in a communication system supports repeated transmission and information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of an uplink control channel.

[0008] The technical objectives to be achieved in the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical tasks not mentioned can be considered by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the technical configuration of the present disclosure is applied from the embodiments of the present disclosure described below.

[0009] As an example of the present disclosure, a method of operating a terminal in a wireless communication system includes the steps of: receiving a message including information on candidates of a threshold value of a reference signal received power (RSRP) for setting up repetitive transmission of an uplink control channel from a base station and a repetition factor indicating a number of times of repetitive transmission of the uplink control channel; determining whether to perform repetitive transmission of the uplink control channel based on a comparison result between a measured RSRP value and the threshold value of the RSRP for the message from the base station; transmitting a message including response information for setting up repetitive transmission of the uplink control channel of the terminal; receiving, from the base station, information related to the repetitive transmission factor of the uplink control channel; and transmitting an uplink control channel signal based on the information related to the repetitive transmission factor of the uplink control channel, wherein the response information for setting up repetitive transmission may include at least one of information indicating whether the terminal supports repetitive transmission and information indicating whether to request repetitive transmission of the uplink control channel.

[0010] Here, it may be characterized in that the information indicating whether the terminal supports repeated transmission and the information indicating whether the uplink control channel requests repeated transmission are separate pieces of information.

[0011] Here, the number of repetitions indicated by the candidates of the above repetition factor may be characterized by including integers greater than or equal to 2, excluding 1.

[0012] Here, if the response information for setting the repeated transmission does not include information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the uplink control channel, the step of transmitting the uplink control channel signal may be characterized by transmitting the uplink control channel signal once.

[0013] Here, if the response information for setting the repeated transmission does not include information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the uplink control channel, the step of transmitting the uplink control channel signal may be characterized by repeatedly transmitting the uplink control channel signal a number of repetitions corresponding to the smallest value among candidates for the repetition factor.

[0014] Here, the information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the uplink control channel may be characterized as being 1 bit of information indicating activation and deactivation of the repeated transmission request of the uplink control channel.

[0015] Here, the information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the uplink control channel may be characterized as information transmitted only when repeated transmission of the uplink control channel is requested.

[0016] Here, when the number of repetitions indicated by the candidates of the repetition factor includes 1, the response information for setting the repeated transmission may be characterized by including information indicating whether the terminal supports repeated transmission.

[0017] As an example of the present disclosure, a method of operating a base station in a wireless communication system includes the steps of transmitting to a terminal a message including information on candidates of a repetition factor indicating a threshold value of a reference signal received power (RSRP) for setting up repetitive transmission of an uplink control channel and a number of times of repetitive transmission of the uplink control channel, the step of receiving, from the terminal, a message including response information set based on a comparison result between a measured RSRP value and the threshold value of the RSRP, the step of transmitting, to the terminal, information related to a repetitive transmission factor of the uplink control channel, and the step of receiving, from the terminal, an uplink control channel signal based on the information related to the repetitive transmission factor of the uplink control channel, wherein the response information for setting up repetitive transmission may include at least one of information indicating whether the terminal supports repetitive transmission and information indicating whether to request repetitive transmission of the uplink control channel.

[0018] Here, it may be characterized in that the information indicating whether the terminal supports repeated transmission and the information indicating whether the uplink control channel requests repeated transmission are separate pieces of information.

[0019] Here, the number of repetitions indicated by the candidates of the above repetition factor may be characterized by including integers greater than or equal to 2, excluding 1.

[0020] Here, if the response information for setting the repeated transmission does not include information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the uplink control channel, the uplink control channel signal may be characterized in that it is transmitted once.

[0021] Here, if the response information for setting the repeated transmission does not include information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the uplink control channel, the uplink control channel signal may be repeatedly transmitted for a number of repetitions corresponding to the smallest value among candidates for the repetition factor.

[0022] Here, the information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the uplink control channel may be characterized as being 1 bit of information indicating activation and deactivation of the repeated transmission request of the uplink control channel.

[0023] Here, the information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the uplink control channel may be characterized as information transmitted only when repeated transmission of the uplink control channel is requested.

[0024] Here, when the number of repetitions indicated by the candidates of the repetition factor includes 1, the response information for setting the repeated transmission may be characterized by including information indicating whether the terminal supports repeated transmission.

[0025] As an example of the present disclosure, in a wireless communication system, a terminal includes at least one transmitter, at least one receiver, 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 a specific operation, wherein the specific operation comprises: receiving a message including information on candidates of a repetition factor indicating a threshold value of a reference signal received power (RSRP) for setting up repetitive transmission of an uplink control channel from a base station and a number of times of repetitive transmission of the uplink control channel; determining whether to repeat transmission of the uplink control channel based on a comparison result between a measured RSRP value and the threshold value of the RSRP for the message from the base station; transmitting a message including response information for setting up repetitive transmission of the uplink control channel of the terminal; receiving information related to a repetition transmission factor of the uplink control channel from the base station; and transmitting an uplink control channel signal based on the information related to the repetition transmission factor of the uplink control channel, wherein the response information for setting up repetitive transmission includes information indicating whether the terminal supports repetitive transmission and a number of times of repetitive transmission of the uplink control channel. It may be characterized by including at least one piece of information indicating whether a transmission request is made.

[0026] As an example of the present disclosure, a base station operating in a wireless communication system may include at least one transmitter, at least one receiver, 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 a specific operation, wherein the specific operation comprises: transmitting to a terminal a message including information regarding candidates of a repetition factor indicating a threshold value of a reference signal received power (RSRP) for setting up repetitive transmission of an uplink control channel and a number of times of repetitive transmission of the uplink control channel, receiving from the terminal a message including response information set based on a comparison result between a measured RSRP value and the threshold value of the RSRP, transmitting to the terminal information related to a repetition transmission factor of the uplink control channel, and receiving an uplink control channel signal from the terminal based on the information related to the repetition transmission factor of the uplink control channel, wherein the response information for setting up repetitive transmission may include at least one of information indicating whether the terminal supports repetitive transmission and information indicating whether to request repetitive transmission of the uplink control channel.

[0027] The above-described aspects of the present disclosure are only some of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and various embodiments reflecting the technical features of the present disclosure can be derived and understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art based on the detailed description of the present disclosure to be described below.

[0028] The following effects may be achieved by embodiments based on the present disclosure.

[0029] The present disclosure provides a device and method for confirming whether a terminal supports repeated transmission of an uplink control channel by using information indicating whether a terminal supports repeated transmission and information indicating whether a repeated transmission request is made for an uplink control channel, and for setting a repetition factor based on the confirmation result.

[0030] The effects that can be obtained from the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects that are not mentioned can be clearly derived and understood by those skilled in the art to which the technical configuration of the present disclosure is applied, from the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure below. In other words, unintended effects that result from implementing the configuration described in the present disclosure can also be derived by those skilled in the art from the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] The accompanying drawings are intended to aid in understanding the present disclosure and, together with detailed descriptions, may provide embodiments of the present disclosure. However, the technical features of the present disclosure are not limited to specific drawings, and the features disclosed in each drawing may be combined with each other to form new embodiments. Reference numerals in each drawing may indicate structural elements.

[0032] Figure 1a is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a non-terrestrial network.

[0033] Figure 1b is a conceptual diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a non-terrestrial network.

[0034] Figure 2a is a conceptual diagram illustrating a third embodiment of a non-terrestrial network.

[0035] Figure 2b is a conceptual diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of a non-terrestrial network.

[0036] Figure 2c is a conceptual diagram illustrating a fifth embodiment of a non-terrestrial network.

[0037] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a communication node constituting a non-terrestrial network.

[0038] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of communication nodes performing communication.

[0039] Figure 5a is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a transmission path.

[0040] Figure 5b is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a receiving path.

[0041] FIG. 6a is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a protocol stack of a user plane in a non-terrestrial network based on transparent payload.

[0042] FIG. 6b is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a protocol stack of a control plane in a non-terrestrial network based on transparent payload.

[0043] FIG. 7a is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a protocol stack of a user plane in a non-terrestrial network based on regenerative payload.

[0044] FIG. 7b is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a protocol stack of a control plane in a non-terrestrial network based on regenerative payload.

[0045] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a procedure for setting up repeated transmission of an uplink control channel.

[0046] Figure 9 illustrates an example of the operation of terminals in a situation where terminals that do not support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals and terminals that support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals are mixed.

[0047] Figure 10 illustrates an example of the operation of terminals in a mixed situation where terminals that do not support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals and terminals that support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals are present.

[0048] Figure 11 illustrates an example of the operation of terminals in a mixed situation where terminals that do not support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals and terminals that support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals are present.

[0049] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a procedure for setting a repetition transmission factor of an uplink control channel according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0050] This disclosure may be subject to various modifications and various embodiments. Specific embodiments are illustrated and described in detail in the drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the disclosure to specific embodiments, but rather to encompass all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and technical scope of the disclosure.

[0051] While terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, a first component could be referred to as a "second component," and similarly, a second component could also be referred to as a "first component." The term "and / or" may refer to a combination of multiple related items described herein or to any of multiple related items described herein.

[0052] In the present disclosure, “at least one of A and B” may mean “at least one of A or B” or “at least one of combinations of one or more of A and B.” Additionally, in the present disclosure, “at least one of A and B” may mean “at least one of A or B” or “at least one of combinations of one or more of A and B.”

[0053] In the present disclosure, (re)transmission may mean “transmission,” “retransmission,” or “transmission and retransmission,” (re)setting may mean “setting,” “resetting,” or “setting and resetting,” (re)connection may mean “connection,” “reconnection,” or “connection and reconnection,” and (re)connection may mean “connection,” “reconnection,” or “connection and reconnection.”

[0054] When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but that there may be other components intervening. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components intervening.

[0055] The terminology used in this disclosure is only used to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "comprises" or "has" indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0056] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein.

[0057] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. In order to facilitate an overall understanding in describing the present disclosure, the same reference numerals will be used for identical components in the drawings, and redundant descriptions of identical components will be omitted. In addition to the embodiments explicitly described in the present disclosure, operations may be performed according to combinations of embodiments, extensions of embodiments, and / or modifications of embodiments. The performance of some operations may be omitted, and the order of operation may be changed.

[0058] In an embodiment, even if a method (e.g., transmitting or receiving a signal) performed by a first communication node among communication nodes is described, a corresponding second communication node can perform a method (e.g., receiving or transmitting a signal) corresponding to the method performed by the first communication node. That is, if an operation of a UE (user equipment) is described, a corresponding base station can perform an operation corresponding to the operation of the UE. Conversely, if an operation of a base station is described, a corresponding UE can perform an operation corresponding to the operation of the base station.

[0059] A base station may be referred to as a NodeB, an evolved NodeB, a gNodeB (next generation node B), a gNB, a device, an apparatus, a node, a communication node, a BTS (base transceiver station), a RRH (radio remote head), a TRP (transmission reception point), a RU (radio unit), an RSU (road side unit), a radio transceiver, an access point, an access node, etc. A UE may be referred to as a terminal, a device, an apparatus, a node, a communication node, an end node, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a station, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a portable subscriber station, an OBU (on-broad unit), etc.

[0060] In the present disclosure, signaling may be at least one of upper layer signaling, MAC signaling, or PHY (physical) signaling. A message used for upper layer signaling may be referred to as an "upper layer message" or an "upper layer signaling message." A message used for MAC signaling may be referred to as a "MAC message" or a "MAC signaling message." A message used for PHY signaling may be referred to as a "PHY message" or a "PHY signaling message." Upper layer signaling may refer to a transmission and reception operation of system information (e.g., a master information block (MIB), a system information block (SIB)) and / or an RRC message. MAC signaling may refer to a transmission and reception operation of a MAC control element (CE). PHY signaling may refer to a transmission and reception operation of control information (e.g., downlink control information (DCI), uplink control information (UCI), sidelink control information (SCI)).

[0061] In the present disclosure, “an operation (e.g., a transmission operation) is set” may mean that “setting information for the operation (e.g., an information element, a parameter)” and / or “information instructing the performance of the operation” is signaled. “An information element (e.g., a parameter) is set” may mean that the information element is signaled. In the present disclosure, “a signal and / or a channel” may mean a signal, a channel, or “a signal and a channel,” and a signal may be used to mean “a signal and / or a channel.”

[0062] The communication network to which the embodiment is applied is not limited to what is described below, and the embodiment may be applied to various communication networks (e.g., 4G communication networks, 5G communication networks, and / or 6G communication networks). Here, the communication network may be used in the same sense as the communication system.

[0063] Figure 1a is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a non-terrestrial network.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 1A, a non-terrestrial network may include a satellite (110), a communication node (120), a gateway (130), a data network (140), etc. The unit including the satellite (110) and the gateway (130) may be a remote radio unit (RRU). The non-terrestrial network illustrated in FIG. 1A may be a transparent payload-based non-terrestrial network. The satellite (110) may be a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, or an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) platform. The UAS platform may include a high altitude platform station (HAPS). The non-GEO satellite may be a LEO satellite and / or a MEO satellite.

[0065] The communication node (120) may include a communication node located on the ground (e.g., a UE, terminal) and a communication node located off the ground (e.g., an airplane, a drone). A service link may be established between the satellite (110) and the communication node (120), and the service link may be a radio link. The satellite (110) may be referred to as an NTN payload. The gateway (130) may support multiple NTN payloads. The satellite (110) may provide a communication service to the communication node (120) using one or more beams. The shape of the reception range (footprint) of the beam of the satellite (110) may be elliptical or circular.

[0066] In non-terrestrial networks, three types of service links can be supported:

[0067] - Earth-fixed: The service link may be provided by beam(s) that continuously cover the same geographic area at all times (e.g., Geosynchronous Orbit (GSO) satellites).

[0068] - Quasi-earth-fixed: The service link may be provided by beam(s) that cover one geographic area for a limited period and another geographic area for another period (e.g., NGSO (non-GSO) satellites that produce steerable beams).

[0069] - Earth-moving: The service link may be provided by beam(s) moving over the Earth's surface (e.g., NGSO satellites producing fixed beams or non-steerable beams).

[0070] The communication node (120) can perform communication (e.g., downlink communication, uplink communication) with the satellite (110) using 4G communication technology, 5G communication technology, and / or 6G communication technology. Communication between the satellite (110) and the communication node (120) can be performed using an NR-Uu interface and / or a 6G-Uu interface. When DC (dual connectivity) is supported, the communication node (120) can be connected to not only the satellite (110) but also other base stations (e.g., base stations supporting 4G functions, 5G functions, and / or 6G functions), and can perform DC operations based on technologies defined in the 4G standard, the 5G standard, and / or the 6G standard.

[0071] The gateway (130) may be located on the ground, and a feeder link may be established between the satellite (110) and the gateway (130). The feeder link may be a wireless link. The gateway (130) may be referred to as a "non-terrestrial network (NTN) gateway." Communication between the satellite (110) and the gateway (130) may be performed based on an NR-Uu interface, a 6G-Uu interface, or a satellite radio interface (SRI). The gateway (130) may be connected to a data network (140). A "core network" may exist between the gateway (130) and the data network (140). In this case, the gateway (130) may be connected to the core network, and the core network may be connected to the data network (140). The core network may support 4G communication technology, 5G communication technology, and / or 6G communication technology. For example, the core network may include an access and mobility management function (AMF), a user plane function (UPF), a session management function (SMF), etc. Communication between the gateway (130) and the core network may be performed based on a NG-C / U interface or a 6G-C / U interface.

[0072] As in the embodiment of Fig. 1b below, in a non-terrestrial network based on transparent payload, a base station and a core network may exist between a gateway (130) and a data network (140).

[0073] Figure 1b is a conceptual diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a non-terrestrial network.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 1B, a gateway may be connected to a base station, the base station may be connected to a core network, and the core network may be connected to a data network. Each of the base station and the core network may support 4G communication technology, 5G communication technology, and / or 6G communication technology. Communication between the gateway and the base station may be performed based on a NR-Uu interface or a 6G-Uu interface, and communication between the base station and the core network (e.g., AMF, UPF, SMF) may be performed based on a NG-C / U interface or a 6G-C / U interface.

[0075] Figure 2a is a conceptual diagram illustrating a third embodiment of a non-terrestrial network.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 2A, the non-terrestrial network may include satellite #1 (211), satellite #2 (212), communication node (220), gateway (230), data network (1240), etc. The non-terrestrial network illustrated in FIG. 2A may be a regenerative payload-based non-terrestrial network. For example, each of satellite #1 (211) and satellite #2 (212) may perform a regenerative operation (e.g., a demodulation operation, a decoding operation, a re-encoding operation, a re-modulation operation, and / or a filtering operation) on a payload received from another entity constituting the non-terrestrial network (e.g., a communication node (220), a gateway (230)) and transmit the regenerated payload.

[0077] Each of satellite #1 (211) and satellite #2 (212) may be a LEO satellite, MEO satellite, GEO satellite, HEO satellite, or UAS platform. The UAS platform may include HAPS. Satellite #1 (211) may be connected to satellite #2 (212), and an inter-satellite link (ISL) may be established between satellite #1 (211) and satellite #2 (212). The ISL may operate in a radio frequency (RF) frequency or an optical band. The ISL may be configured as optional. The communication node (220) may include a ground-based communication node (e.g., UE, terminal) and a non-ground-based communication node (e.g., an airplane, a drone). A service link (e.g., a wireless link) may be established between satellite #1 (211) and the communication node (220). Satellite #1 (211) may be referred to as an NTN payload. Satellite #1 (211) can provide communication services to a communication node (220) using one or more beams.

[0078] The communication node (220) can perform communication (e.g., downlink communication, uplink communication) with satellite #1 (211) using 4G communication technology, 5G communication technology, and / or 6G communication technology. Communication between satellite #1 (211) and the communication node (220) can be performed using an NR-Uu interface or a 6G-Uu interface. When DC is supported, the communication node (220) can be connected to not only satellite #1 (211) but also other base stations (e.g., base stations supporting 4G functions, 5G functions, and / or 6G functions), and can perform DC operations based on technologies defined in the 4G standard, the 5G standard, and / or the 6G standard.

[0079] The gateway (230) may be located on the ground, and a feeder link may be established between satellite #1 (211) and the gateway (230), and a feeder link may be established between satellite #2 (212) and the gateway (230). The feeder link may be a wireless link. If an ISL is not established between satellite #1 (211) and satellite #2 (212), a feeder link between satellite #1 (211) and the gateway (230) may be established mandatorily. Communication between each of satellite #1 (211) and satellite #2 (212) and the gateway (230) may be performed based on an NR-Uu interface, a 6G-Uu interface, or SRI. The gateway (230) may be connected to a data network (240).

[0080] As in the embodiments of FIGS. 2b and 2c below, a “core network” may exist between the gateway (230) and the data network (240).

[0081] Figure 2b is a conceptual diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of a non-terrestrial network, and Figure 2c is a conceptual diagram illustrating a fifth embodiment of a non-terrestrial network.

[0082] Referring to FIGS. 2B and 2C, a gateway may be connected to a core network, and the core network may be connected to a data network. The core network may support 4G communication technology, 5G communication technology, and / or 6G communication technology. For example, the core network may include AMF, UPF, SMF, etc. Communication between the gateway and the core network may be performed based on an NG-C / U interface or a 6G-C / U interface. The function of a base station may be performed by a satellite. That is, a base station may be located on a satellite. Payloads may be processed by a base station located on a satellite. Base stations located on different satellites may be connected to the same core network. A single satellite may have one or more base stations. In the non-terrestrial network of FIG. 2B, an ISL between satellites may not be established, and in the non-terrestrial network of FIG. 2C, an ISL between satellites may be established.

[0083] Meanwhile, entities (e.g., satellites, base stations, UEs, communication nodes, gateways, etc.) constituting the non-terrestrial network illustrated in FIGS. 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, and / or 2c may be configured as follows. In the present disclosure, entities may be referred to as communication nodes.

[0084] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a communication node constituting a non-terrestrial network.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 3, a communication node (300) may include at least one processor (310), a memory (320), and a transmission / reception device (330) that is connected to a network and performs communication. In addition, the communication node (300) may further include an input interface device (340), an output interface device (350), a storage device (360), etc. Each component included in the communication node (300) may be connected by a bus (370) and communicate with each other.

[0086] However, each component included in the communication node (300) may be connected through an individual interface or individual bus centered around the processor (310), rather than a common bus (370). For example, the processor (310) may be connected to at least one of a memory (320), a transmission / reception device (330), an input interface device (340), an output interface device (350), or a storage device (360) through a dedicated interface.

[0087] The processor (310) can execute program commands stored in at least one of the memory (320) and the storage device (360). The processor (310) may refer to a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor in which the methods according to the embodiments are performed. Each of the memory (320) and the storage device (360) may be configured with at least one of a volatile storage medium or a non-volatile storage medium. For example, the memory (320) may be configured with at least one of a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM).

[0088] Meanwhile, communication nodes performing communication in a communication network (e.g., a non-terrestrial network) may be configured as follows. The communication node illustrated in FIG. 4 may be a specific embodiment of the communication node illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0089] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of communication nodes performing communication.

[0090] Referring to FIG. 4, each of the first communication node (400a) and the second communication node (400b) may be a base station or a UE. The first communication node (400a) may transmit a signal to the second communication node (400b). The transmission processor (411) included in the first communication node (400a) may receive data (e.g., a data unit) from a data source (410). The transmission processor (411) may receive control information from a controller (416). The control information may include at least one of system information, RRC configuration information (e.g., information configured by RRC signaling), MAC control information (e.g., MAC CE), or PHY control information (e.g., DCI, SCI).

[0091] The transmitting processor (411) may perform a processing operation on data (e.g., an encoding operation, a symbol mapping operation, etc.) to generate data symbol(s). The transmitting processor (411) may perform a processing operation on control information (e.g., an encoding operation, a symbol mapping operation, etc.) to generate control symbol(s). In addition, the transmitting processor (411) may generate synchronization / reference symbol(s) for a synchronization signal and / or a reference signal.

[0092] The Tx MIMO processor (412) may perform spatial processing operations (e.g., precoding operations) on data symbol(s), control symbol(s), and / or synchronization / reference symbol(s). An output (e.g., a symbol stream) of the Tx MIMO processor (412) may be provided to modulators (MODs) included in the transceivers (413a to 413t). The modulators (MODs) may perform processing operations on the symbol streams to generate modulation symbols, and may perform additional processing operations (e.g., analog conversion operations, amplification operations, filtering operations, upconversion operations) on the modulation symbols to generate signals. The signals generated by the modulators (MODs) of the transceivers (413a to 413t) may be transmitted via the antennas (414a to 414t).

[0093] Signals transmitted by the first communication node (400a) may be received by antennas (464a to 464r) of the second communication node (400b). Signals received by the antennas (464a to 464r) may be provided to demodulators (DEMODs) included in transceivers (463a to 463r). The demodulator (DEMOD) may perform a processing operation (e.g., a filtering operation, an amplification operation, a downconversion operation, a digital conversion operation) on the signal to obtain samples. The demodulator (DEMOD) may perform an additional processing operation on the samples to obtain symbols. The MIMO detector (462) may perform a MIMO detection operation on the symbols. The receiving processor (461) may perform a processing operation (e.g., a deinterleaving operation, a decoding operation) on the symbols. The output of the receiving processor (461) may be provided to a data sink (460) and a controller (466). For example, data may be provided to the data sink (460) and control information may be provided to the controller (466).

[0094] Meanwhile, the second communication node (400b) can transmit a signal to the first communication node (400a). The transmitting processor (468) included in the second communication node (400b) can receive data (e.g., data units) from a data source (467) and perform a processing operation on the data to generate data symbol(s). The transmitting processor (468) can receive control information from the controller (466) and perform a processing operation on the control information to generate control symbol(s). In addition, the transmitting processor (468) can perform a processing operation on a reference signal to generate reference symbol(s).

[0095] The Tx MIMO processor (469) may perform spatial processing operations (e.g., precoding operations) on data symbol(s), control symbol(s), and / or reference symbol(s). The output (e.g., symbol stream) of the Tx MIMO processor (469) may be provided to modulators (MODs) included in the transceivers (463a to 463t). The modulators (MODs) may perform processing operations on the symbol streams to generate modulation symbols, and may perform additional processing operations (e.g., analog conversion operations, amplification operations, filtering operations, upconversion operations) on the modulation symbols to generate signals. The signals generated by the modulators (MODs) of the transceivers (463a to 463t) may be transmitted via the antennas (464a to 464t).

[0096] Signals transmitted by the second communication node (400b) may be received by the antennas (414a to 414r) of the first communication node (400a). The signals received by the antennas (414a to 414r) may be provided to demodulators (DEMODs) included in the transceivers (413a to 413r). The demodulator (DEMOD) may perform a processing operation (e.g., a filtering operation, an amplification operation, a downconversion operation, a digital conversion operation) on the signal to obtain samples. The demodulator (DEMOD) may perform an additional processing operation on the samples to obtain symbols. The MIMO detector (420) may perform a MIMO detection operation on the symbols. The receiving processor (419) may perform a processing operation (e.g., a deinterleaving operation, a decoding operation) on the symbols. The output of the receiving processor (419) may be provided to a data sink (418) and a controller (416). For example, data may be provided to the data sink (418) and control information may be provided to the controller (416).

[0097] Memories (415 and 465) can store data, control information, and / or program code. Scheduler (417) can perform scheduling operations for communication. Processors (411, 412, 419, 461, 468, 469) and controllers (416, 466) illustrated in FIG. 4 may be the processor (310) illustrated in FIG. 3 and may be used to perform the methods described in the present disclosure.

[0098] FIG. 5a is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a transmission path, and FIG. 5b is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a reception path.

[0099] Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a transmission path (510) may be implemented in a communication node that transmits a signal, and a reception path (520) may be implemented in a communication node that receives a signal. The transmission path (510) may include a channel coding and modulation block (511), a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block (512), an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (N IFFT) block (513), a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block (514), a cyclic prefix (CP) addition block (515), and an up-converter (UC) (516). The receiving path (520) may include a DC (down-converter) (521), a CP removal block (522), an S-to-P block (523), an N FFT block (524), a P-to-S block (525), and a channel decoding and demodulation block (526). Here, N may be a natural number.

[0100] In the transmission path (510), information bits may be input to a channel coding and modulation block (511). The channel coding and modulation block (511) may perform a coding operation (e.g., a low-density parity check (LDPC) coding operation, a polar coding operation, etc.) and a modulation operation (e.g., a quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), etc.) on the information bits. The output of the channel coding and modulation block (511) may be a sequence of modulation symbols.

[0101] The S-to-P block (512) can convert modulation symbols in the frequency domain into parallel symbol streams to generate N parallel symbol streams. N can be an IFFT size or an FFT size. The N IFFT block (513) can perform an IFFT operation on the N parallel symbol streams to generate signals in the time domain. The P-to-S block (514) can convert the output (e.g., parallel signals) of the N IFFT block (513) into a serial signal to generate a serial signal.

[0102] The CP addition block (515) can insert a CP into a signal. The UC (516) can up-convert the frequency of the output of the CP addition block (515) to an RF (radio frequency) frequency. Additionally, the output of the CP addition block (515) can be filtered at the baseband before up-conversion.

[0103] A signal transmitted from a transmission path (510) may be input to a reception path (520). An operation in the reception path (520) may be the reverse operation of the operation in the transmission path (510). A DC (521) may down-convert the frequency of the received signal to a baseband frequency. A CP removal block (522) may remove a CP from a signal. The output of the CP removal block (522) may be a serial signal. An S-to-P block (523) may convert the serial signal into parallel signals. An NFFT block (524) may perform an FFT algorithm to generate N parallel signals. A P-to-S block (525) may convert the parallel signals into a sequence of modulation symbols. A channel decoding and demodulation block (526) may perform a demodulation operation on the modulation symbols and perform a decoding operation on the result of the demodulation operation to restore data.

[0104] In FIGS. 5A and 5B , Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and Inverse DFT (IDFT) may be used instead of FFT and IFFT. Each of the blocks (e.g., components) in FIGS. 5A and 5B may be implemented by at least one of hardware, software, or firmware. For example, some of the blocks in FIGS. 5A and 5B may be implemented by software, and the remaining blocks may be implemented by hardware or a “combination of hardware and software.” In FIGS. 5A and 5B , a single block may be subdivided into multiple blocks, multiple blocks may be integrated into a single block, some blocks may be omitted, and blocks supporting other functions may be added.

[0105] Meanwhile, NTN reference scenarios can be defined as shown in [Table 1] below.

[0106]

[0107] In the non-terrestrial network illustrated in FIG. 1a and / or FIG. 1b, if the satellite (110) is a GEO satellite (e.g., a GEO satellite supporting transparent functionality), this may be referred to as “Scenario A.” In the non-terrestrial network illustrated in FIG. 2a, FIG. 2b, and / or FIG. 2c, if each of satellite #1 (211) and satellite #2 (212) is a GEO satellite (e.g., a GEO supporting regeneration functionality), this may be referred to as “Scenario B.”

[0108] If the satellite (110) in the non-terrestrial network illustrated in FIG. 1a and / or FIG. 1b is a LEO satellite having steerable beams, this may be referred to as “Scenario C1.” If the satellite (110) in the non-terrestrial network illustrated in FIG. 1a and / or FIG. 1b is a LEO satellite having beams move with the satellite, this may be referred to as “Scenario C2.” If each of satellite #1 (211) and satellite #2 (212) in the non-terrestrial network illustrated in FIG. 2a, FIG. 2b, and / or FIG. 2c is a LEO satellite having steerable beams, this may be referred to as “Scenario D1.” In the non-terrestrial network illustrated in FIG. 2a, FIG. 2b, and / or FIG. 2c, if each of satellite #1 (211) and satellite #2 (212) is a LEO satellite having beams that travel with the satellite, this may be referred to as “Scenario D2.”

[0109] Parameters for the NTN reference scenarios defined in [Table 1] can be defined as shown in [Table 2] below.

[0110]

[0111] Additionally, in the NTN reference scenario defined in [Table 1], the delay constraint can be defined as in [Table 3] below.

[0112]

[0113] FIG. 6a is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a protocol stack of a user plane in a non-terrestrial network based on transparent payload, and FIG. 6b is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a protocol stack of a control plane in a non-terrestrial network based on transparent payload.

[0114] Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, user data may be transmitted and received between a UE and a core network (e.g., UPF), and control data (e.g., control information) may be transmitted and received between a UE and a core network (e.g., AMF). Each of the user data and the control data may be transmitted and received via a satellite and / or a gateway. The protocol stack of the user plane illustrated in FIG. 6A may be applied identically or similarly to a 6G communication network. The protocol stack of the control plane illustrated in FIG. 6B may be applied identically or similarly to a 6G communication network.

[0115] FIG. 7a is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a protocol stack of a user plane in a non-terrestrial network based on regenerative payload, and FIG. 7b is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a protocol stack of a control plane in a non-terrestrial network based on regenerative payload.

[0116] Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B , user data and control data (e.g., control information) may be transmitted and received through an interface between a UE and a satellite (e.g., a base station). User data may refer to a user protocol data unit (PDU). The protocol stack of the satellite radio interface (SRI) may be used to transmit and receive user data and / or control data between the satellite and the gateway. User data may be transmitted and received through a GTP (GPRS (general packet radio service) tunneling protocol)-U tunnel between the satellite and the core network.

[0117] Meanwhile, in a non-terrestrial network, a base station may transmit system information (e.g., SIB19) containing satellite assistance information for NTN access. A UE may receive system information (e.g., SIB19) from the base station, verify the satellite assistance information included in the system information, and perform communication (e.g., non-terrestrial communication) based on the satellite assistance information. SIB19 may include the information element(s) defined in [Table 4] below.

[0118]

[0119] NTN-Config defined in [Table 4] may include information element(s) defined in [Table 5] below.

[0120]

[0121] EphemerisInfo defined in [Table 5] may include information element(s) defined in [Table 6] below.

[0122]

[0123] Following meetings leading up to 3GPP RAN1 #114bis, most of the key approvals required to improve coverage for Release 18 5G NTN have been finalized. Among these, the topic of PUCCH repetition for Msg4 HARQ addresses repetition transmissions using common PUCCH resources before dedicated PUCCH resource configuration occurs. All descriptions below address repetition transmissions using common PUCCH resources.

[0124] Based on the contents of the approvals up to the recent meeting (RAN1 #114bis), PUCCH repeat transmission can be considered as follows.

[0125] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a procedure for setting up repeated transmission of an uplink control channel.

[0126] In step S810, the base station can set up to four repetition factors to the terminal via SIB. Each repetition factor can be expressed as four binary code points: 00, 01, 10, and 11. Furthermore, each repetition factor can be mapped to a PUCCH repetition count. Here, repetition factors can be sequentially assigned to each of the repetition factors 00 to 11. The PUCCH repetition factor can be 1, 2, 4, or 8.

[0127] And, at step S810, the base station can transmit RSRP_TH, which is information indicating a threshold value of RSRP for determining PUCCH repeated transmission, to the terminal through SIB.

[0128] If the terminal supports PUCCH repetition transmission and the RSRP measured by the terminal is less than (or less than or equal to) a threshold value, the terminal may transmit PUCCH repetition capability report information (e.g., PUCCH_REP_cap) to the base station via Msg3 in step S820.

[0129] At step S830, the base station, upon receiving PUCCH repetition performance report information, may transmit to the terminal information indicating a repetition factor via DCI for Msg4. This information indicating the repetition factor may be transmitted using the DAI (downlink allocation index) field. If the configured repetition factor is 2 or fewer, the DAI field may use 1 bit. Conversely, if the configured repetition factor is 3 to 4, the DAI field may use 2 bits.

[0130] In step S840, a terminal that has received information indicating a repetition factor may repeatedly transmit the PUCCH a number of times corresponding to the repetition factor. Here, the repeated PUCCH transmission may be, for example, the transmission of a HARQ feedback signal for Msg4, or the repeated transmission of an uplink control channel signal using common PUCCH resources after Msg4.

[0131]

[0132] In the above process, if repeated transmission is required (i.e., if the RSRP measured by the terminal is less than the value of RSRP_TH_PUCCH indicated by the base station), the terminal can report to the base station whether it supports repeated transmission (PUCCH repetition capability, PUCCH_REP_cap in FIG. 1). Matters related to whether it supports repeated transmission were decided at the RAN1 #114 meeting. Cases regarding whether the terminal reports support for PUCCH repeated transmission can be summarized as follows.

[0133]

[0134] According to Cases 1, 2, and 3 of Table 7, the terminal may be a terminal that does not support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals. Therefore, the terminal may not report information on whether it supports repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals.

[0135] According to Case 4 of Table 7, the terminal may support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals, but may not require repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals. Therefore, a terminal corresponding to Case 4 may not report whether it supports repeated PUCCH transmission.

[0136] According to Cases 5 and 6 of Table 7, the RSRP value measured by the UE may be less than RSRP_TH_PUCCH_REP. Since the measured RSRP is lower than RSRP_TH_PUCCH_REP, repeated PUCCH transmission may be required. Nevertheless, the UE may choose whether to report whether or not to support repeated transmission. Here, the UE in Case 5 may not report whether or not to support PUCCH repeated transmission. On the other hand, the UE in Case 6 may report whether or not to support PUCCH repeated transmission.

[0137] According to Case 7 of Table 7, in the SIB, there may be a situation where RSRP_TH_PUCCH_REP is not set by the base station. In this case, a terminal capable of PUCCH repeat transmission can report whether it supports repeat transmission.

[0138] In a situation where terminals that do not support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals and terminals that support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals are mixed, the operation of each terminal may be as described below.

[0139]

[0140] Figure 9 illustrates an example of the operation of terminals in a situation where terminals that do not support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals and terminals that support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals are mixed.

[0141] Referring to Figure 9, UE1, UE2, and UE3 may be serviced simultaneously in a communication system. Alternatively, UE1, UE2, and UE3 may not all be serviced simultaneously in the communication system. In other words, they can be considered as three types of terminals in different environments, as shown below.

[0142] The base station may transmit a message including information for setting up repeated transmission of an uplink control channel signal to UE1, UE2, and UE3. Here, the information for setting up repeated transmission of the uplink control channel signal may include RSRP_TH_PUCCH_REP, which is a threshold value of RSRP for setting up repeated transmission of the uplink control channel, and information about repetition factor candidates of the uplink control channel set in the SIB. In the SIB, the repetition number corresponding to PUCCH repetition factor 0 may be set to 1, and the repetition number corresponding to PUCCH repetition 1 may be set to 4.

[0143] Here, UE1 may be a terminal that does not support PUCCH repeated transmission. That is, UE1 may correspond to case 1 or case 2 in Table 7. Accordingly, UE1 may not transmit information regarding whether repeated transmission is supported (PUCCH_REP_cap).

[0144] UE2 may be a terminal that supports PUCCH repeated transmission. Furthermore, the RSRP measured by UE2 may be greater than RSRP_TH_PUCCH_REP. In other words, UE2 may be a terminal that does not request repeated transmission, corresponding to case 4 in Table 7. Therefore, UE2 may not transmit information regarding whether it supports repeated transmission (PUCCH_REP_cap).

[0145] UE3 may be a terminal that supports PUCCH repeated transmission. Furthermore, the RSRP measured by UE3 may be less than RSRP_TH_PUCCH_REP. In other words, UE3 may be a terminal requesting repeated transmission, corresponding to case 6 in Table 7. Therefore, UE3 may transmit information (PUCCH_REP_cap) regarding whether it supports repeated transmission.

[0146] Here, the base station may be in a situation where it has only received PUCCH_REP_cap from UE3. Therefore, the base station may transmit a message indicating a repetition factor of 0, which indicates a repetition count of 1, to UE1 and UE2, and a message indicating a repetition factor of 1, which indicates a repetition count of 4, to UE3.

[0147] As in the embodiment of Fig. 9, in a situation where terminals that support PUCCH repeated transmission and terminals that do not support it are mixed, if the number of repetitions set by the base station through SIB includes 1, the uplink control channel transmission operation of the terminals can be performed without any problems.

[0148] On the other hand, in a situation where terminals that support PUCCH repeated transmission and terminals that do not support it are mixed, if the number of repetitions set by the base station through SIB does not include 1, a problem may occur in the uplink control channel transmission operation of the terminals.

[0149]

[0150] Figure 10 illustrates an example of the operation of terminals in a mixed situation where terminals that do not support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals and terminals that support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals are present.

[0151] Referring to FIG. 10, a base station may transmit a message including information for setting up repeated transmission of an uplink control channel signal to UE1, UE2, and UE3. Here, the information for setting up repeated transmission of the uplink control channel signal may include RSRP_TH_PUCCH_REP, which is a threshold value of RSRP for setting up repeated transmission of the uplink control channel, and information about repetition factor candidates of the uplink control channel set in the SIB. In the SIB, the repetition count corresponding to PUCCH repetition factor 0 may be set to 2, and the repetition count corresponding to PUCCH repetition 1 may be set to 4.

[0152] Typically, a repetition factor can be set to indicate the number of PUCCH repetitions, which is 1. However, some NTN environments may require a repetition count of at least 2. Therefore, the repetition count can be set to a value other than 1; for example, the repetition count can be set to 2 or 4.

[0153] Here, UE1 may be a terminal that does not support PUCCH repeated transmission. That is, UE1 may correspond to case 1 or case 2 in Table 7. Accordingly, UE1 may not transmit information regarding whether repeated transmission is supported (PUCCH_REP_cap).

[0154] UE2 may be a terminal that supports PUCCH repeated transmission. Furthermore, the RSRP measured by UE2 may be greater than RSRP_TH_PUCCH_REP. In other words, UE2 may be a terminal that does not request repeated transmission, corresponding to case 4 in Table 7. Therefore, UE2 may not transmit information regarding whether it supports repeated transmission (PUCCH_REP_cap).

[0155] UE3 may be a terminal that supports PUCCH repeated transmission. Furthermore, the RSRP measured by UE3 may be less than RSRP_TH_PUCCH_REP. In other words, UE3 may be a terminal requesting repeated transmission, corresponding to case 6 in Table 7. Therefore, UE3 may transmit information (PUCCH_REP_cap) regarding whether it supports repeated transmission.

[0156] Here, the base station may be in a situation where it has only received PUCCH_REP_cap from UE3. Therefore, the base station may transmit a message indicating a repetition factor of 0, which indicates a repetition count of 2, to UE1 and UE2, and a message indicating a repetition factor of 1, which indicates a repetition count of 4, to UE3.

[0157] UE1 in Figure 10 may be a terminal that does not support PUCCH repeated transmission. Therefore, the terminal may ignore the repetition factor indicated by the base station and transmit the PUCCH once. Furthermore, UE3 may transmit the PUCCH four times repeatedly based on a repetition factor of 1.

[0158] On the other hand, for UE2 in FIG. 10, the base station may not be able to determine whether UE2 supports repeated PUCCH transmission. In this case, the base station may transmit a message indicating a repetition factor of 0. In this case, the base station may expect to receive the PUCCH from UE2 once. However, since UE2 is a terminal that supports repeated PUCCH transmission, the number of times the uplink control channel signal is transmitted may be determined to be 1 or 2. Accordingly, the terminal corresponding to UE2 may transmit the PUCCH according to the embodiments below.

[0159] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal (UE2) may not perform repeated transmission. On the other hand, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal (UE2) may repeatedly transmit the PUCCH for the minimum number of repetitions set by the SIB. The terminal described below may correspond to UE2 in FIG. 10, i.e., a terminal that supports repeated transmission but does not report to the base station whether or not it supports repeated transmission.

[0160] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal may transmit an uplink control channel signal to a base station once, regardless of the number of PUCCH repetitions set by the base station through an SIB and the PUCCH repetition factor indication information through a DAI field of DCI. In other words, the terminal may not perform repeated transmission of the uplink control channel signal.

[0161] Here, the base station may consider that it does not perform repeated transmission of an uplink control channel signal for a terminal that has not reported whether it supports PUCCH repeated transmission, regardless of whether the terminal supports repeated transmission and the number of PUCCH repeated transmissions set through SIB.

[0162] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the base station cannot determine whether the terminal supports repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals. Therefore, one embodiment of the present disclosure has the disadvantage of not being able to configure the terminal to repeatedly transmit uplink control channels in environments with poor communication conditions (e.g., an environment where a satellite is hovering near the horizon).

[0163] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal that supports repeated transmission of an uplink control channel can check information indicating a PUCCH repetition factor in an SIB and a PUCCH repetition transmission factor in a DCI. The terminal may not be able to check whether the repeated transmission setting set through the SIB and DCI is supported. To solve the above problem, the terminal can report information indicating whether PUCCH repeated transmission is supported and PUCCH repeated transmission request information indicating whether PUCCH repeated transmission is requested separately. The PUCCH repeated transmission support information and PUCCH repeated transmission request information can be reported separately as shown in the table below.

[0164]

[0165] According to Table 8, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 9, all terminals supporting repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals can report whether they support PUCCH repeated transmission. Furthermore, PUCCH repeated transmission request information, which is separate information from the information indicating whether PUCCH repeated transmission is supported, may be additionally defined. Here, the PUCCH repeated transmission request information may be a variable reported to the base station in the form of a 1-bit signal indicating whether repetition is requested or not (enable / disable). Alternatively, the PUCCH repeated transmission request information may be a variable reported to the base station only in situations where repeated transmission is requested.

[0166] According to the above embodiments of the present disclosure, a base station can receive information on whether or not it supports repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals from a terminal that supports repeated transmission. Accordingly, the base station can be configured to repeatedly transmit uplink control channels to the terminal in environments with poor communication conditions (e.g., an environment where a satellite is hovering near the horizon). However, this may increase the capacity of information signaled by the terminal.

[0167] Figure 11 illustrates an example of the operation of terminals in a mixed situation where terminals that do not support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals and terminals that support repeated transmission of uplink control channel signals are present.

[0168] Referring to FIG. 11, a base station may transmit a message including information for setting up repeated transmission of an uplink control channel signal to UE1, UE2, and UE3. Here, the information for setting up repeated transmission of the uplink control channel signal may include RSRP_TH_PUCCH_REP, which is a threshold value of RSRP for setting up repeated transmission of the uplink control channel, and information about repetition factor candidates of the uplink control channel set in the SIB. In the SIB, the number of repetitions corresponding to PUCCH repetition factor 0 may be set to 2, and the number of repetitions corresponding to PUCCH repetition factor 1 may be set to 4.

[0169] Here, UE1 may be a terminal that does not support PUCCH repeated transmission. That is, UE1 may correspond to case 1 or case 2 in Table 7. Accordingly, UE1 may not transmit information regarding whether repeated transmission is supported (PUCCH_REP_cap) and information regarding whether repeated transmission support is requested (PUCCH_REP_request).

[0170] UE2 may be a terminal that supports PUCCH repeated transmission. Furthermore, the RSRP measured by UE2 may be greater than RSRP_TH_PUCCH_REP. In other words, UE2 may be a terminal that does not request repeated transmission, corresponding to case 4 in Table 7. Accordingly, UE2 may transmit information regarding whether it supports repeated transmission (PUCCH_REP_cap) and may not transmit information regarding whether it requests repeated transmission support (PUCCH_REP_request).

[0171] UE3 may be a terminal that supports PUCCH repeated transmission. Furthermore, the RSRP measured by UE3 may be less than RSRP_TH_PUCCH_REP. In other words, UE3 may be a terminal requesting repeated transmission, corresponding to case 6 in Table 7. Accordingly, UE3 may transmit information regarding whether it supports repeated transmission (PUCCH_REP_cap) and information regarding whether it requests repeated transmission support (PUCCH_REP_request).

[0172] Here, the base station may be in a situation where it has only received information (PUCCH_REP_cap) regarding support for repeated transmission from UE3. Accordingly, the base station may transmit a message indicating a repetition factor of 0, which indicates a repetition count of 2, to UE1 and UE2, and a message indicating a repetition factor of 1, which indicates a repetition count of 4, to UE3.

[0173] UE1 in FIG. 10 may be a terminal that does not support PUCCH repeated transmission. Therefore, the terminal may ignore the repetition factor indicated by the base station and transmit the PUCCH once. UE3 may transmit the PUCCH twice based on a repetition factor of 0. Additionally, UE3 may transmit the PUCCH four times based on a repetition factor of 1.

[0174] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be modified as follows.

[0175] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal can repeatedly transmit a PUCCH for the minimum number of repetitions set by an SIB. Here, if the minimum value of the PUCCH repetitions set by the SIB is 1, the terminal can therefore transmit information (PUCCH_REP_cap) regarding whether repeated transmission is supported. On the other hand, if the minimum value of the PUCCH repetitions set by the SIB is 2, the terminal can therefore transmit information (PUCCH_REP_cap) regarding whether repeated transmission is supported and information (PUCCH_REP_request) regarding whether repeated transmission support is requested.

[0176] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a procedure for setting a repetition transmission factor of an uplink control channel according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0177] At step S1210, the terminal may receive a message including information about candidates of a threshold value of RSRP (reference signal received power) for setting up repeated transmission of an uplink control channel from a base station and a repetition factor indicating the number of times to repeat transmission of the uplink control channel.

[0178] At step S1220, the terminal can determine whether to repeatedly transmit the uplink control channel based on the comparison result between the RSRP value measured for the message from the base station and the RSRP threshold value.

[0179] At step S1230, the terminal may transmit a message including response information for setting up repeated transmission of the terminal's uplink control channel.

[0180] At step S1240, the terminal can receive information related to a repetition transmission factor of an uplink control channel from the base station.

[0181] At step S1250, the terminal can transmit an uplink control channel signal based on information related to a repetition transmission factor of the uplink control channel.

[0182] Here, the response information for setting up repeated transmission may include at least one of information indicating whether the terminal supports repeated transmission and information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of an uplink control channel.

[0183] Here, information indicating whether the terminal supports repeated transmission and information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the uplink control channel may be separate information.

[0184] Here, the number of repetitions indicated by the candidates of the repetition factor may be characterized as including integers greater than or equal to 2, excluding 1.

[0185] Here, if the response information for setting up repeated transmission does not include information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the uplink control channel, the step of transmitting the uplink control channel signal may be characterized by transmitting the uplink control channel signal once.

[0186] Here, if the response information for setting up repeated transmission does not include information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of an uplink control channel, the step of transmitting an uplink control channel signal may be characterized by repeatedly transmitting the uplink control channel signal a number of repetitions corresponding to the smallest value among candidates for repetition factors.

[0187] Here, the information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the uplink control channel may be characterized as 1-bit information indicating activation and deactivation of the repeated transmission request of the uplink control channel.

[0188] Here, the information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the uplink control channel may be information transmitted only when repeated transmission of the uplink control channel is requested.

[0189] Here, when the number of repetitions indicated by the candidates of the repetition factor includes 1, the response information for setting up repeated transmission may include information indicating whether the terminal supports repeated transmission.

[0190] Meanwhile, the base station can perform operations corresponding to the steps described in FIG. 12.

[0191] The operations of the method according to the present disclosure can be implemented as a computer-readable program or code on a computer-readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium includes any type of recording device that stores information readable by a computer system. Furthermore, a computer-readable recording medium can be distributed across network-connected computer systems, allowing the computer-readable program or code to be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0192] Additionally, the computer-readable recording medium may include hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc. The program instructions may include not only machine language codes produced by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc.

[0193] While some aspects of the present disclosure have been described in the context of a device, they may also represent a description of a corresponding method, wherein a block or device corresponds to a method step or a feature of a method step. Similarly, aspects described in the context of a method may also be described as a corresponding block or item or a feature of a corresponding device. Some or all of the method steps may be performed by (or using) a hardware device, such as, for example, a microprocessor, a programmable computer, or an electronic circuit. In some embodiments, at least one or more of the most significant method steps may be performed by such a device.

[0194] A programmable logic device (e.g., a field-programmable gate array) may be used to perform some or all of the functions of the methods described in the present disclosure. The field-programmable gate array may operate in conjunction with a microprocessor to perform one of the methods described in the present disclosure. In general, the methods are preferably performed by some hardware device.

[0195] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the claims below.

[0196] The present invention can be used in a device and a transmitter / receiver for transmitting and receiving signals.

Claims

1. In a method of operating a terminal in a wireless communication system, A step of receiving a message including information about candidates of a threshold value of reference signal received power (RSRP) for setting up repeated transmission of an uplink control channel from a base station and a repetition factor indicating the number of times of repeated transmission of the uplink control channel; A step of determining whether to repeat transmission of the uplink control channel based on a comparison result between the RSRP value measured for a message from the base station and a threshold value of the RSRP; A step of transmitting a message including response information for setting up repeated transmission of an uplink control channel of the terminal; A step of receiving information related to a repetition transmission factor of an uplink control channel from the base station; and Comprising a step of transmitting an uplink control channel signal based on information related to a repetition transmission factor of the above uplink control channel, The response information for setting the above repeated transmission is: A method comprising at least one of information indicating whether the terminal supports repeat transmission and information indicating whether to request repeat transmission of the uplink control channel.

2. In claim 1, A method, characterized in that information indicating whether the terminal supports repeat transmission and information indicating whether the uplink control channel requests repeat transmission are separate pieces of information.

3. In claim 1, The number of repetitions indicated by the candidates of the above repetition factor is, A method characterized by including integers greater than or equal to 2, excluding 1.

4. In claim 3, If the response information for setting the above repeated transmission does not include information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the above uplink control channel, The step of transmitting the above uplink control channel signal is: A method characterized by transmitting the above uplink control channel signal once.

5. In claim 3, If the response information for setting the above repeated transmission does not include information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the above uplink control channel, The step of transmitting the above uplink control channel signal is: A method characterized by repeatedly transmitting the uplink control channel signal a number of repetitions corresponding to the smallest value among candidates for the repetition factor.

6. In claim 1, Information indicating whether to request repeat transmission of the above uplink control channel is: A method, characterized in that the information is 1 bit for indicating activation and deactivation of a repeat transmission request of the above uplink control channel.

7. In claim 1, Information indicating whether to request repeat transmission of the above uplink control channel is: A method, characterized in that the information is transmitted only when repeat transmission of the above uplink control channel is requested.

8. In claim 1, If the number of repetitions indicated by the candidates of the above repetition factor includes 1, A method, characterized in that the response information for setting the above repeated transmission includes information indicating whether the terminal supports repeated transmission.

9. In a method of operating a base station in a wireless communication system, A step of transmitting to a terminal a message including information about candidates of a repetition factor indicating a threshold value of RSRP (reference signal received power) for setting up repeated transmission of an uplink control channel and a number of times of repeated transmission of the uplink control channel; A step of receiving, from the terminal, a message including response information set based on a comparison result between a measured RSRP value and a threshold value of the RSRP; A step of transmitting information related to a repetition transmission factor of an uplink control channel to the terminal; and A step of receiving an uplink control channel signal from the terminal based on information related to a repetition transmission factor of the uplink control channel, The response information for setting the above repeated transmission is: A method comprising at least one of information indicating whether the terminal supports repeat transmission and information indicating whether to request repeat transmission of the uplink control channel.

10. In claim 9, A method, characterized in that information indicating whether the terminal supports repeat transmission and information indicating whether the uplink control channel requests repeat transmission are separate pieces of information.

11. In claim 9, The number of repetitions indicated by the candidates of the above repetition factor is, A method characterized by including integers greater than or equal to 2, excluding 1.

12. In claim 11, If the response information for setting the above repeated transmission does not include information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the above uplink control channel, A method, characterized in that the above uplink control channel signal is transmitted once.

13. In claim 11, If the response information for setting the above repeated transmission does not include information indicating whether to request repeated transmission of the above uplink control channel, A method, characterized in that the above uplink control channel signal is repeatedly transmitted a number of repetitions corresponding to the smallest value among candidates for the repetition factor.

14. In claim 9, Information indicating whether to request repeat transmission of the above uplink control channel is: A method, characterized in that the information is 1 bit for indicating activation and deactivation of a repeat transmission request of the above uplink control channel.

15. In claim 9, Information indicating whether to request repeat transmission of the above uplink control channel is: A method, characterized in that the information is transmitted only when repeat transmission of the above uplink control channel is requested.

16. In claim 9, If the number of repetitions indicated by the candidates of the above repetition factor includes 1, A method, characterized in that the response information for setting the above repeated transmission includes information indicating whether the terminal supports repeated transmission.

17. In a terminal in a wireless communication system, At least one transmitter; At least one receiver; at least one processor; and At least one memory operably connected to said at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause said at least one processor to perform a specific operation; The above specific actions are: Receive a message including information about candidates of a threshold value of reference signal received power (RSRP) for setting up repeated transmission of an uplink control channel from a base station and a repetition factor indicating the number of times of repeated transmission of the uplink control channel; Determine whether to repeat transmission of the uplink control channel based on the comparison result between the measured RSRP value for the message from the base station and the threshold value of the RSRP; Transmitting a message including response information for setting up repeated transmission of an uplink control channel of the terminal; Receive information related to repetition transmission factors of an uplink control channel from the above base station; and Transmitting an uplink control channel signal based on information related to the repetition transmission factor of the above uplink control channel, The response information for setting the above repeated transmission is: A terminal characterized by including at least one of information indicating whether the terminal supports repeat transmission and information indicating whether to request repeat transmission of the uplink control channel.

18. In a base station operating in a wireless communication system, At least one transmitter; At least one receiver; at least one processor; and At least one memory operably connected to said at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause said at least one processor to perform a specific operation; The above specific actions are: Transmitting to a terminal a message including information about candidates for a threshold value of RSRP (reference signal received power) for setting up repeated transmission of an uplink control channel and a repetition factor indicating the number of times of repeated transmission of the uplink control channel; Receive a message including response information set based on a comparison result between a measured RSRP value and a threshold value of the RSRP from the terminal; Transmitting information related to the repetition transmission factor of the uplink control channel to the above terminal; and Based on the information related to the repetition transmission factor of the above uplink control channel, an uplink control channel signal is received from the terminal, The response information for setting the above repeated transmission is: A base station, characterized in that it includes at least one of information indicating whether the terminal supports repeat transmission and information indicating whether the uplink control channel requests repeat transmission.

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