Terminal device and method therein for uplink transmission

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method (200) in a terminal device The method (200) includes: transmitting (210), in an earliest one of a number of Orthogonal Cover Code, OCC, occasions in an OCC cycle, Uplink Control Information, UCI, over a first set of resource elements; and puncturing (220) data or transmitting (220) the UCI, in a second set of resource elements having a same relative position as the first set of resource elements in each of remaining OCC occasions in the OCC cycle. The OCC cycle is at least a portion of Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, repetitions.

Description

[0001] T ERMINAL DEVICE AND METHOD THEREIN FOR UPLINK T RANSMISSION

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to communication technology, and more particularly, to a terminal device and a method therein for uplink transmission.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) has been introduced for New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution - Machine Type Communication (LTE-MTC), and Narrow Band - Internet of Things (NB-loT) in the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 17 (Rel-17). The description of the functionalities added to NR, LTE-MTC and NB-loT to operate as NTNs can be found in Reference

[0001] -[3],

[0006] NTN will continue to evolve in the 3GPP Release 19 (Rel-19), and as part of this evolution the industry is considering increasing the uplink capacity of the data channel known as Physical Uplink shared Channel (PUSCH). the justification behind increasing the uplink capacity of PUSCH for NR in Rel-19 has been described as follows, see Reference [4]:

[0007] Offer optimized capacity performance on uplink through multiplexing techniques, motivated by:

[0008] • The coverage of NTN satellites is very wide, and considering device density, it is expected that a large number of UEs will be within a satellite’s coverage. Especially for Low Earth Orbit (LEO), a large number of User Equipments (UEs) in coverage must succeed in transmitting desired data during a satellite coverage which means that rapid access to and release of satellite resources is required.

[0009] • The total spectrum resources available to the network will be limited especially in the early phases of NR NTN deployments.

[0010] • Some users will require higher resources than others, depending on their traffic patterns. Therefore, further granularity of resource multiplexing can significantly improve system capacity efficiency.

[0011] • Possibly to allocate higher per-UE resources to better support Voice over New Radio (VoNR) / Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services in coverage-limited scenarios.

[0012] As a result of several Rel-19 workshops and discussions during the 3GPP Radio Access Network (RAN) Plenary# 102, the Rel-19 objectives to increase the uplink capacity for PUSCH include, among others, PUSCH enhancements via Orthogonal Cover Codes (OCC) (see Reference [4]).

[0013] References:

[0014] [1], X. Lin et al., "5G from Space: An Overview of 3GPP", IEEE Communications Standards Magazine, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 147-153, December 2021.

[0015] [2], M. S. Hassan et al., "NTN: from 5G NR to 6G," 2023 IEEE International Conference on Wireless for Space and Extreme Environments (WiSEE), Aveiro, Portugal, 2023, pp. 173-178, doi: 10.1109 / WiSEE58383.2023.10289427.

[0016] [3], NTN & Satellite in Rel-17 & 18, Munira Jaffar & Nicolas Chuberre, [Online], Available: https: / / www.3gpp.org / news-events / partner-news / ntn-rel17.

[0017] [4], RP-234078, “New WID: Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) for NR Phase 3” 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #102, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 11-15, 2023.

[0018] SUMMARY

[0019] According to the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.212, V18.2.0, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, a UE may transmit Uplink Control Information (UCI) on PUSCH e.g., when it needs to transmit UCI but no Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) is available. The UCI may include Channel State Information (CSI) and / or Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) feedback.

[0020] When the feature UCI on PUSCH is enabled together with PUSCH repetition, the CSI is only transmitted in the first PUSCH repetition, and the HARQ feedback is transmitted in a slot having a slot index of n+k1 as scheduled in a slot having a slot index of n. The mapping of UCI to physical resources, e.g., Resource Elements (REs), is also defined in the 3GPP TS 38.212.

[0021] Fig. 1 shows an example of PUSCH repetition with UCI on PUSCH. In this example, assuming a repetition factor of 4, four PUSCH repetitions, denoted as Rep 1 ~ Rep 4, are shown (each PUSCH repetition may occupy one slot in time domain), and UCI is transmitted in the second PUSCH repetition, Rep 2, and uplink data is transmitted in the remaining dotted portion in Fig. 1. This, however, may be problematic when the OCC is applied. For example, an OCC sequence having a length of 4 may be one row of the following matrix, allowing multiplexing of 4 UEs:

[0022] Each element (e.g., 1 or -1 in the matrix) of the OCC sequence is applied to one or more symbols or slots in time domain and / or one or more subcarriers in frequency domain (or one or more REs). The time and / or frequency resource(s) to which one element is to be applied is referred to herein as an OCC occasion in an OCC cycle. The number of OCC occasions in an OCC cycle equals to the OCC length. In the example shown in Fig. 1 in particular, one OCC occasion corresponds to one PUSCH repetition (e.g., one slot) and four PUSCH repetitions (e.g., four slots) correspond to one OCC cycle. The principle of OCC requires the content to be OCC coded in all OCC occasions within one OCC cycle to be same, or in some of the OCC occasions the content to be OCC coded may be zero, in order for the decoder to successfully decode the OCC coded content. However, in the example shown in Fig. 1 , while the uplink data in Rep 1 ~ Rep 4 can be the same as each other, the UCI part in Rep 2 is different from the corresponding data part in other repetitions, which may cause failure in OCC decoding.

[0023] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a terminal device and a method therein for UCI transmission, capable of solving or at least mitigating the above problem.

[0024] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method in a terminal device is provided. The method includes transmitting, in an earliest one of a number of OCC occasions in an OCC cycle, UCI over a first set of resource elements. The method further includes puncturing data or transmitting the UCI, in a second set of resource elements having a same relative position as the first set of resource elements in each of remaining OCC occasions in the OCC cycle. Here, the OCC cycle is at least a portion of PUSCH repetitions.

[0025] In an example, the operation of transmitting the UCI may include waiting, when a scheduled time domain resource for transmitting the UCI is not within an earliest OCC occasion of an OCC cycle, for a next OCC cycle to transmit the UCI. In an example, each OCC occasion may occupy one or more symbols or one or more slots, to which one element of an OCC sequence is to be applied.

[0026] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method in a terminal device is provided. The method includes transmitting UCI in an earliest one of a number of OCC occasions in an OCC cycle. The method further includes discarding uplink data in each of remaining OCC occasions in the OCC cycle. Here, the OCC cycle is at least a portion of Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, repetitions.

[0027] In an example, the operation of transmitting the UCI may include waiting, when a scheduled time domain resource for transmitting the UCI is not within an earliest OCC occasion of an OCC cycle, for a next OCC cycle to transmit the UCI.

[0028] In an example, each OCC occasion may occupy one or more symbols or one or more slots, to which one element of an OCC sequence is to be applied.

[0029] In an example, the uplink data may be discarded in response to a priority of the data being lower than that of the UCI.

[0030] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method in a terminal device is provided. The method may include discarding UCI in an OCC cycle in response to PUSCH repetition being enabled.

[0031] In an embodiment, the UCI may be discarded in response to a priority of the UCI being lower than that of uplink data.

[0032] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a transceiver, a processor, and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processor whereby the terminal device is operative to perform the method according to any of the above first to third aspects.

[0033] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium has computer- readable instructions stored thereon. The computer-readable instructions, when executed by a processor of a terminal device, configure the terminal device to perform the method according to any of the above first to third aspects.

[0034] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a processor of a terminal device, configure the terminal device to perform the method according to any of the above first to third aspects.

[0035] With certain embodiments of the present disclosure, when UCI on PUSCH is enabled together with PUSCH repetition, the UCI can be transmitted in an earliest OCC occasion in an OCC cycle over a first set of resource elements, and in a second set of resource elements having a same relative position as the first set of resource elements in each of remaining OCC occasions in the OCC cycle, data can be punctured or the UCI can be transmitted. In this way, it can be guaranteed that the same content (data or UCI) is transmitted at same resource positions across all OCC occasions within the OCC cycle, or nothing (zero) is transmitted at some resource positions, such that the OCC decoding can be performed successfully.

[0036] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The above and other objects, features and advantages will be more apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the figures, in which:

[0038] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of PUSCH repetition with UCI on PUSCH;

[0039] Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for uplink transmission according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figs. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams each showing an example of PUSCH repetition with UCI on PUSCH according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagrams showing an example of uplink transmission in the earliest OCC occasion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for uplink transmission according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for uplink transmission according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] Fig. 8 is a block diagram of a terminal device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] Fig. 9 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0046] Fig. 10 shows an exemplary User Equipment (UE) in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0047] Fig. 11 shows an exemplary network node in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0048] Fig. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.

[0049] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The term "terminal device" or “UE” refers to any end device that can access a wireless communication network and receive services therefrom. By way of example and not limitation, the terminal device refers to a mobile terminal, user equipment (UE), or other suitable devices. The UE may be, for example, a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but not limited to, portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wearable terminal devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE) and the like. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably. As one example, a terminal device may represent a UE configured for communication in accordance with one or more communication standards promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 3GPP's Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or the 5th Generation (5G) standards. As used herein, a "user equipment" or "UE" may not necessarily have a "user" in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. In some embodiments, a terminal device may be configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a terminal device may be designed to transmit information to a network on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the wireless communication network. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but that may not initially be associated with a specific human user.

[0051] References in the specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0052] It shall be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms.

[0053] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes" and / or "including", when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0054] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0055] Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 200 can be performed by a terminal device or UE.

[0056] At block 210, the terminal device transmits, in an earliest one of a number of OCC occasions in an OCC cycle, UCI over a first set of resource elements.

[0057] Here, the OCC cycle is at least a portion of PUSCH repetitions. For example, assuming a PUSCH repetition factor of N (where N is a positive integer greater than 1), i.e., there are N PUSCH repetitions, the OCC cycle may correspond to e.g., N, N / 2, or N / 4 PUSCH repetitions. In other words, N PUSCH repetitions may correspond to a multiple of the OCC cycle. As an example, assuming a PUSCH repetition factor of 8 and each PUSCH repetition corresponding to one slot (14 symbols), the OCC cycle may correspond to 8 slots, 4 slots, or 2 slots. Here, each OCC occasion may occupy one or more symbols or one or more slots, to which one element of an OCC sequence (e.g., 1 or -1 in the above matrix (1)) is to be applied. In the example where the OCC cycle corresponds to 8 slots, 4 slots, or 2 slots, when the OCC length is 4 (i.e., one OCC cycle includes 4 OCC occasions), each OCC occasion may occupy 4 slots, 1 slot, or 7 symbols, respectively.

[0058] At block 220, the terminal device punctures data or transmits the UCI, in a second set of resource elements having a same relative position as the first set of resource elements in each of remaining OCC occasions in the OCC cycle. Here, the term “same relative position” means same time or frequency position relative to an OCC occasion where the resource elements are located, or relative to a boundary of the OCC occasion where the resource elements are located. In particular, “same time position relative to an OCC occasion” here may mean same position in a sequence of symbols or slots in the OCC occasion, and “same frequency position relative to an OCC occasion” here may mean same subcarrier index. For example, when each OCC occasion occupy one slot, a resource element at (symbol i, subcarrier j) in a first OCC occasion has a same relative position as a resource element at (symbol i, subcarrier j) in a second OCC occasion, where i and j are symbol index and subcarrier index, respectively (e.g., each slot includes symbols having indexes 0~13). As another example, when each OCC occasion occupy 7 symbols, a resource element at (symbol 1 , subcarrier j) in a first OCC occasion has a same relative position as a resource element at (symbol 8, subcarrier j) in a second OCC occasion (e.g., each slot includes two OCC occasions, one including symbols 0~6 and the other including symbols 7~13).

[0059] Figs. 3A and 3B each show an example of PUSCH repetition with UCI on PUSCH obtained according to the above method 200. For simplicity, it is assumed here that the PUSCH repetition factor is 4 and each PUSCH repetition correspond to one slot, and it is also assumed that the OCC length is 4 and each OCC occasion occupies one slot.

[0060] As shown in Fig. 3A, the UCI is transmitted in a set of REs in Rep 1 , which is the earliest OCC occasion in this case. Accordingly, uplink data at the same relative position as the set of REs in each of Rep 2, Rep 3, and Rep 4 are punctured, i.e. , set to zero. As shown in Fig. 3B, the UCI is transmitted in a set of REs in Rep 1 , which is the earliest OCC occasion in this case. Accordingly, the same UCI is transmitted at the same relative position as the set of REs in each of Rep 2, Rep 3, and Rep 4. In either case, the data and UCI transmitted in the 4 PUSCH repetitions can be OCC decoded successfully.

[0061] In an example, in the block 210, when a scheduled time domain resource for transmitting the UCI is not within an earliest OCC occasion of an OCC cycle, the terminal device may wait for a next OCC cycle to transmit the UCI.

[0062] Fig. 4 shows an example of UCI transmission in the earliest OCC occasion, it is assumed here that the PUSCH repetition factor is 8 and each PUSCH repetition correspond to one slot, and it is also assumed that the OCC length is 4 and each OCC occasion occupies one slot. As shown in Fig. 4, Rep 1 ~ Rep 4 correspond to a first OCC cycle and Rep 5 ~ Rep 8 correspond to a second OCC cycle. The UCI is scheduled to be transmitted in Rep 2, which is not the earliest OCC occasion of the first OCC cycle. In this case, the terminal device may wait for Rep 5, which is the earliest OCC occasion of the second OCC cycle, to transmit the UCI. In the example of Fig. 4, the same UCI is transmitted at the corresponding position in each of Rep 6 ~ Rep 8. Alternatively, data at these positions can be punctured, i.e., set to zero, as described above.

[0063] Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method 500 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 500 can be performed by a terminal device or UE.

[0064] At block 510, the terminal device transmits UCI in an earliest one of a number of OCC occasions in an OCC cycle. Here, the OCC cycle is at least a portion of PUSCH repetitions. Each OCC occasion may occupy one or more symbols or one or more slots, to which one element of an OCC sequence is to be applied. For further details of the OCC occasion and OCC cycle, reference can be made to the above description given in connection with the method 200.

[0065] At block 520, the terminal device discards uplink data in each of remaining OCC occasions in the OCC cycle. For example, the uplink data may be discarded in response to a priority of the data being lower than that of the UCI. Since the content in all of the remaining OCC occasions is set to zero, the UCI (and uplink data) transmitted in the earliest OCC occasion can be OCC decoded successfully. In an example, the uplink data in the earliest OCC occasion can also be discarded, e.g., set to zero.

[0066] In an example, in the block 510, when a scheduled time domain resource for transmitting the UCI is not within an earliest OCC occasion of an OCC cycle, the terminal device may wait for a next OCC cycle to transmit the UCI. This is similar to the method 200 as described above and details thereof will be omitted here.

[0067] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method 600 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 600 can be performed by a terminal device or UE. At block 610, the terminal device discarding UCI in an OCC cycle in response to PUSCH repetition being enabled. For example, the UCI may be discarded in response to a priority of the UCI being lower than that of uplink data.

[0068] In this case, the UCI is discarded, e.g., set to zero or not transmitted, such that the uplink data in PUSCH repetitions in the OCC cycle can be OCC decoded successfully.

[0069] Correspondingly to the method 200, 500, or 600 as described above, an terminal device is provided. Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a terminal device 700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0070] The terminal device 700 may be configured to perform the above method 200. As shown in Fig. 7, the terminal device 700 may include a transmitting unit 710 configured to transmit, in an earliest one of a number of OCC occasions in an OCC cycle, UCI over a first set of resource elements. The transmitting unit 710 is further configured to puncture data or transmit the UCI, in a second set of resource elements having a same relative position as the first set of resource elements in each of remaining OCC occasions in the OCC cycle. Here, the OCC cycle is at least a portion of PUSCH repetitions.

[0071] In an example, the transmitting unit 710 may be configured to wait, when a scheduled time domain resource for transmitting the UCI is not within an earliest OCC occasion of an OCC cycle, for a next OCC cycle to transmit the UCI.

[0072] In an example, each OCC occasion may occupy one or more symbols or one or more slots, to which one element of an OCC sequence is to be applied.

[0073] Alternatively, the terminal device 700 may be configured to perform the above method 500. As shown in Fig. 7, the terminal device 700 may include a transmitting unit 710 configured to transmit UCI in an earliest one of a number of OCC occasions in an OCC cycle. The transmitting unit 710 is further configured to discard uplink data in each of remaining OCC occasions in the OCC cycle. Here, the OCC cycle is at least a portion of Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, repetitions. In an example, the transmitting unit 710 may be configured to wait, when a scheduled time domain resource for transmitting the UCI is not within an earliest OCC occasion of an OCC cycle, for a next OCC cycle to transmit the UCI.

[0074] In an example, each OCC occasion may occupy one or more symbols or one or more slots, to which one element of an OCC sequence is to be applied.

[0075] In an example, the uplink data may be discarded in response to a priority of the data being lower than that of the UCI.

[0076] Alternatively, the terminal device 700 may be configured to perform the above method 600. As shown in Fig. 7, the terminal device 700 may include a transmitting unit 710 configured to discard UCI in an OCC cycle in response to PUSCH repetition being enabled.

[0077] In an embodiment, the UCI may be discarded in response to a priority of the UCI being lower than that of uplink data.

[0078] The unit 710 can be implemented as a pure hardware solution or as a combination of software and hardware, e.g., by one or more of: a processor or a micro-processor and adequate software and memory for storing of the software, a Programmable Logic Device (PLD) or other electronic component(s) or processing circuitry configured to perform the actions described above, and illustrated, e.g., in Fig. 2, 5, or 6.

[0079] Fig. 8 is a block diagram of a terminal device 800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0080] The terminal device 800 includes a transceiver 810, a processor 820 and a memory 830.

[0081] The memory 830 may contain instructions executable by the processor 820 whereby the terminal device 800 is operative to perform the actions, e.g., of the procedure described earlier in conjunction with Fig. 2. Particularly, the memory 830 may contain instructions executable by the processor 820 whereby the terminal device 800 is operative to transmit, in an earliest one of a number of OCC occasions in an OCC cycle, UCI over a first set of resource elements, and puncture data or transmit the UCI, in a second set of resource elements having a same relative position as the first set of resource elements in each of remaining OCC occasions in the OCC cycle. Here, the OCC cycle is at least a portion of PUSCH repetitions.

[0082] In an example, the operation of transmitting the UCI may include waiting, when a scheduled time domain resource for transmitting the UCI is not within an earliest OCC occasion of an OCC cycle, for a next OCC cycle to transmit the UCI.

[0083] In an example, each OCC occasion may occupy one or more symbols or one or more slots, to which one element of an OCC sequence is to be applied.

[0084] The memory 830 may contain instructions executable by the processor 820 whereby the terminal device 800 is operative to perform the actions, e.g., of the procedure described earlier in conjunction with Fig. 5. Particularly, the memory 830 may contain instructions executable by the processor 820 whereby the terminal device 800 is operative to transmit UCI in an earliest one of a number of OCC occasions in an OCC cycle, and discard uplink data in each of remaining OCC occasions in the OCC cycle. Here, the OCC cycle is at least a portion of Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, repetitions.

[0085] In an example, the operation of transmitting the UCI may include waiting, when a scheduled time domain resource for transmitting the UCI is not within an earliest OCC occasion of an OCC cycle, for a next OCC cycle to transmit the UCI.

[0086] In an example, each OCC occasion may occupy one or more symbols or one or more slots, to which one element of an OCC sequence is to be applied.

[0087] In an example, the uplink data may be discarded in response to a priority of the data being lower than that of the UCI.

[0088] The memory 830 may contain instructions executable by the processor 820 whereby the terminal device 800 is operative to perform the actions, e.g., of the procedure described earlier in conjunction with Fig. 6. Particularly, the memory 830 may contain instructions executable by the processor 820 whereby the terminal device 800 is operative to discard UCI in an OCC cycle in response to PUSCH repetition being enabled.

[0089] In an embodiment, the UCI may be discarded in response to a priority of the UCI being lower than that of uplink data.

[0090] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product in the form of a non-volatile or volatile memory, e.g., a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a flash memory and a hard drive. The computer program product includes a computer program. The computer program includes: code / computer readable instructions, which when executed by the processor 820 causes the terminal device 800 to perform the actions, e.g., of the procedure described earlier in conjunction with Fig. 2, 5, or 6.

[0091] The computer program product may be configured as a computer program code structured in computer program modules. The computer program modules could essentially perform the actions of the flow illustrated in Fig. 2, 5, or 6.

[0092] The processor may be a single CPU (Central Processing Unit), but could also comprise two or more processing units. For example, the processor may include general purpose microprocessors; instruction set processors and / or related chips sets and / or special purpose microprocessors such as Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). The processor may also comprise board memory for caching purposes. The computer program may be carried in a computer program product connected to the processor. The computer program product may comprise a non-transitory computer readable storage medium on which the computer program is stored. For example, the computer program product may be a flash memory, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read-Only Memory (ROM), or an EEPROM, and the computer program modules described above could in alternative embodiments be distributed on different computer program products in the form of memories.

[0093] Fig. 9 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments. In the example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunication network QQ102 that includes an access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes QQ110), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network QQ102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network QQ102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network QQ102, including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network nodes QQ108.

[0094] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1 , F1 , W1 , E1 , E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface.

[0095] Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes QQ110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c, and QQ112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs QQ112) to the core network QQ106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0096] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system QQ100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system QQ100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0097] The UEs QQ112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes QQ110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs QQ112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network QQ102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network QQ102.

[0098] In the depicted example, the core network QQ106 connects the network nodes QQ110 to one or more host computing systems, such as host QQ116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network QQ106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node QQ108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0099] The host QQ116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network QQ104 and / or the telecommunication network QQ102. The host QQ116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0100] As a whole, the communication system QQ100 of Fig. 9 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0101] In some examples, the telecommunication network QQ102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network QQ102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network QQ102. For example, the telecommunications network QQ102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0102] In some examples, the UEs QQ112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network QQ104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network QQ104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0103] In the example, the hub QQ114 communicates with the access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, the hub QQ114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub QQ114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network QQ106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes QQ110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub QQ114. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR device, display, loudspeaker, or other media delivery device, the hub QQ114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub QQ114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0104] The hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node QQ110b. The hub QQ114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub QQ114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d), and between the hub QQ114 and the core network QQ106. In other examples, the hub QQ114 is connected to the core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network QQ104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes QQ110 while still connected via the hub QQ114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node QQ110b. In other embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node QQ110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0105] Fig. 10 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments. The UE QQ200 presents additional details of some embodiments of the UE QQ112 of Fig. 9. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage / playback device, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), an Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehiclemounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE. A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short- Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0106] The UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ204 to an input / output interface QQ206, a power source QQ208, a memory QQ210, a communication interface QQ212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Fig. 10. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0107] The processing circuitry QQ202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory QQ210. The processing circuitry QQ202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry QQ202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0108] In the example, the input / output interface QQ206 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE QQ200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0109] In some embodiments, the power source QQ208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source QQ208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source QQ208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE QQ200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source QQ208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source QQ208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE QQ200 to which power is supplied.

[0110] The memory QQ210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory QQ210 includes one or more application programs QQ214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data QQ216. The memory QQ210 may store, for use by the UE QQ200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0111] The memory QQ210 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high- density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUlCC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory QQ210 may allow the UE QQ200 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory QQ210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0112] The processing circuitry QQ202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter QQ218 and / or a receiver QQ220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter QQ218 and receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately. In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface QQ212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11 , Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0113] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface QQ212, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0114] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0115] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE QQ200 shown in Fig. 10.

[0116] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-loT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0117] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators. Fig. 11 shows a network node QQ300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O- RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0118] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0119] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, SelfOrganizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0120] The network node QQ300 includes a processing circuitry QQ302, a memory QQ304, a communication interface QQ306, and a power source QQ308. The network node QQ300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node QQ300 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node QQ300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node QQ300.

[0121] The processing circuitry QQ302 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node QQ300 components, such as the memory QQ304, to provide network node QQ300 functionality.

[0122] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and the baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0123] The memory QQ304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry QQ302. The memory QQ304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry QQ302 and utilized by the network node QQ300. The memory QQ304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry QQ302 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 and memory QQ304 is integrated.

[0124] The communication interface QQ306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface QQ306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) QQ316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface QQ306 also includes radio front-end circuitry QQ318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna QQ310. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 comprises filters QQ320 and amplifiers QQ322. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may be connected to an antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters QQ320 and / or amplifiers QQ322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna QQ310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna QQ310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components. In certain alternative embodiments, the network node QQ300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry QQ318, instead, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna QQ310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 is part of the communication interface QQ306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ316, the radio front-end circuitry QQ318, and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface QQ306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry QQ314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0125] The antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna QQ310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna QQ310 is separate from the network node QQ300 and connectable to the network node QQ300 through an interface or port.

[0126] The antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna QQ310, the communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0127] The power source QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source QQ308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node QQ300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source QQ308. As a further example, the power source QQ308 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0128] Embodiments of the network node QQ300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Fig. 11 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node QQ300 and to allow output of information from the network node QQ300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node QQ300. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 108 of FIG. 9, some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 may be omitted.

[0129] Fig. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ400 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments QQ400 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment QQ400 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, UE, core network node, or host.

[0130] Applications QQ402 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0131] Hardware QQ404 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers QQ406 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs QQ408a and QQ408b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs QQ408), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer QQ406 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs QQ408.

[0132] The VMs QQ408 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer QQ406. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance QQ402 may be implemented on one or more of VMs QQ408, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0133] In the context of NFV, a VM QQ408 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs QQ408, and that part of hardware QQ404 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs QQ408 on top of the hardware QQ404 and corresponds to the application QQ402.

[0134] Hardware QQ404 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware QQ404 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware QQ404 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration QQ410, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications QQ402. In some embodiments, hardware QQ404 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system QQ412 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0135] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0136] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0137] The disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments thereof. It should be understood that various modifications, alternations and additions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirits and scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the disclosure is not limited to the above particular embodiments but only defined by the claims as attached.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A method (200) in a terminal device, comprising: transmitting (210), in an earliest one of a number of Orthogonal Cover Code, OCC, occasions in an OCC cycle, Uplink Control Information, UCI, over a first set of resource elements; and puncturing (220) data or transmitting (220) the UCI, in a second set of resource elements having a same relative position as the first set of resource elements in each of remaining OCC occasions in the OCC cycle, wherein the OCC cycle is at least a portion of Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, repetitions.

2. The method (200) of claim 1 , wherein said transmitting (210) the UCI comprises: waiting, when a scheduled time domain resource for transmitting the UCI is not within an earliest OCC occasion of an OCC cycle, for a next OCC cycle to transmit the UCI.

3. The method (200) of claim 1 or 2, wherein each OCC occasion occupies one or more symbols or one or more slots, to which one element of an OCC sequence is to be applied.

4. A method (500) in a terminal device, comprising: transmitting Uplink Control Information, UCI, in an earliest one of a number of Orthogonal Cover Code, OCC, occasions in an OCC cycle; and discarding uplink data in each of remaining OCC occasions in the OCC cycle, wherein the OCC cycle is at least a portion of Physical Uplink SharedChannel, PUSCH, repetitions.

5. The method (500) of claim 4, wherein said transmitting (510) the UCI comprises: waiting, when a scheduled time domain resource for transmitting the UCI is not within an earliest OCC occasion of an OCC cycle, for a next OCC cycle to transmit the UCI.

6. The method (500) of claim 4 or 5, wherein each OCC occasion occupies one or more symbols or one or more slots, to which one element of an OCC sequence is to be applied.

7. The method (500) of any of claims 4-6, wherein the uplink data is discarded in response to a priority of the data being lower than that of the UCI.

8. A method (600) in a terminal device, comprising: discarding (610) Uplink Control Information, UCI, in an Orthogonal Cover Code, OCC, cycle in response to Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, repetition being enabled.

9. The method (600) of claim 8, wherein the UCI is discarded in response to a priority of the UCI being lower than that of uplink data.

10. A terminal device (800), comprising a transceiver (810), a processor (820), and a memory (830), the memory (830) comprising instructions executable by the processor (820) whereby the terminal device (800) is operative to perform the method according to any of claims 1-9.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by a processor of a terminal device, configure the terminal device to perform the method according to any of claims 1-9.

12. A computer program product, comprising computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a processor of a terminal device, configure the terminal device to perform the method according to any of claims 1-9.

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