Terminal, base station, communication method, and integrated circuit

Abstract

This terminal is provided with: a control circuit which, on the basis of information pertaining to orthogonal codes, controls mapping of one transport block to a plurality of slots; and a transmission circuit that transmits the transport block.

Description

Terminal, base station, communication method, and integrated circuit

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a terminal, a base station, a communication method, and an integrated circuit.

[0002] New Radio access technology (NR) for 5G has been specified by 3GPP, and specifications up to Release 18 (Rel.18) of NR have been published.

[0003] 3GPP, TR 38.821, V16.1.0 “Solutions for NR to support non-terrestrial networks (NTN) (Release 16)”3GPP, TS 38.214, V17.3.0 “NR; Physical layer procedures for data (Release 17)”

[0004] However, there is room for further consideration regarding the method of transmitting the upstream signal.

[0005] Non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure contribute to providing a terminal, a base station, a communication method, and an integrated circuit that can appropriately transmit an uplink signal.

[0006] A terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control circuit that controls mapping of one transport block to multiple slots based on information related to an orthogonal code, and a transmission circuit that transmits the transport block.

[0007] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, uplink signals can be transmitted appropriately.

[0009] Further advantages and benefits of an embodiment of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or benefits may be provided by some of the embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, respectively, but not necessarily all of them may be provided to obtain one or more identical features.

[0010] 1. Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a portion of a terminal. 2. Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a portion of a base station. 3. Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal. 4. Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a base station. 5. Diagram showing an example of the relationship between the sequence length of an OCC (Orthogonal Cover Code) and φ. 6. Diagram showing an example of an inter-slot OCC. 7. Diagram showing an example of an OCC between OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) symbols. 8. Diagram showing an example of an OCC within an OFDM symbol. 9. Diagram showing an example of OCC and TBoMS (Transport Block over Multiple Slots). 10. Diagram showing an example of OCC and TBoMS. 11. Diagram showing an example of OCC and Repetition. 12. Diagram of an exemplary architecture of a 3GPP NR system. 13. Diagram of an exemplary functional division in a 5G O-RAN.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] <Regarding Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs)> NR Rel. 15 is specified as a radio access technology for terrestrial networks. On the other hand, NR is being considered for extension to non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), such as communications using satellites or high-altitude platform stations (HAPSs) (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0013] In the case of communications via satellite, the distance between the satellite and the terminal (also called user equipment (UE)) is long, which means that propagation attenuation is likely to be large. To ensure a sufficiently high reception quality at the satellite, it is expected that the terminal will use methods such as repeatedly transmitting multiple pieces of data (e.g., repetition transmission).

[0014] In an NTN environment, satellite coverage areas (e.g., one or more cells) for terminals located on the ground, in the sky, such as aircraft or drones, or at sea are formed by beams from the satellite (also called satellite beams). The size of a single beam on the Earth's surface can be, for example, 50 to 1,000 km in diameter. For this reason, NTNs are expected to accommodate a large number of terminals.

[0015] Therefore, for example, for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) used for uplink data transmission, studies are being conducted to increase the number of terminals that can be accommodated by multiplying repeatedly transmitted data by orthogonal codes (e.g., orthogonal cover codes (OCCs)) that differ between terminals and multiplexing the data onto the same time-frequency resources.

[0016] Because OCC multiplication has the same effect as spreading, the number of bits that can be transmitted in a given time and frequency resource is reduced. Furthermore, for example, NTN requires longer-distance transmission compared to terrestrial networks, so transmission using a large number of frequency resources (e.g., resource blocks (RBs)) may be difficult from the perspective of coverage expansion. Therefore, when OCC is applied to NTN, the transport block size (TBS) tends to be small. The smaller the TBS, the less effective error correction coding such as low-density parity check (LDPC) codes becomes. Furthermore, if a TBS smaller than the minimum TBS specified in the existing specification (Rel. 18) (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2) is set, a new specification is required, and additional implementation is required to achieve this.

[0017] Therefore, in a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for suppressing the reduction in TBS and improving the effect of error correction coding even when OCC is used will be described.

[0018] [Overview of Communication System] A communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a terminal 100 and a base station 200.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a portion of a terminal 100. In the terminal 100 shown in Fig. 1, a control unit (e.g., corresponding to a control circuit) controls mapping of one transport block (TB) to multiple slots based on information related to an orthogonal code (e.g., OCC). A communication unit (e.g., corresponding to a transmission circuit) transmits the transport block.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a portion of a base station 200. In the base station 200 shown in Fig. 2, a control unit (e.g., corresponding to a control circuit) controls mapping of one transport block (TB) to multiple slots based on information related to an orthogonal code (e.g., OCC). A communication unit (e.g., corresponding to a receiving circuit) receives the transport block.

[0021] (Embodiment 1) In embodiment 1, terminal 100 may apply both OCC and TBoMS (Transport Block over Multiple Slots) to an uplink signal (e.g., PUSCH). For example, the length of OCC (e.g., OCC length) and TBoMS (e.g., number of slots, slot length) may be set independently.

[0022] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of terminal 100 according to embodiment 1. Terminal 100 has radio receiving section 101, data reception processing section 102, control section 103, timing adjustment section 104, data transmission processing section 105, and radio transmitting section 106.

[0023] At least one of the data reception processing unit 102, the control unit 103, the timing adjustment unit 104, and the data transmission processing unit 105 shown in Fig. 3 may be included in the control unit shown in Fig. 1. Also, at least one of the wireless reception unit 101 and the wireless transmission unit 106 shown in Fig. 3 may be included in the communication unit shown in Fig. 1.

[0024] The radio receiving unit 101 performs analog reception processing and digital reception processing such as down-conversion, A / D conversion, and filtering on a signal received from the base station 200 via an antenna, and outputs the result to the data reception processing unit 102. The radio receiving unit 101 outputs information on the reception timing of an SSB (Synchronization Signal (SS) / Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) Block) to the timing adjustment unit 104.

[0025] The data reception processing unit 102 demodulates and decodes downlink signals such as SSB, a downlink control channel (e.g., PDCCH), and a downlink shared channel (e.g., PDSCH) output from the radio reception unit 101. The PDCCH includes resource allocation information for the PDSCH, resource allocation information for the PUSCH, and resource allocation information for an uplink control channel (e.g., PUCCH) used for transmitting HARQ-ACK for the PDSCH. The PDSCH includes, in addition to user data, broadcast information such as system information, RRC control information, MAC CE control information, a RACH response (Msg2), a TA command, and the like.

[0026] Note that PDCCH is an abbreviation for Physical Downlink Control Channel. PDSCH is an abbreviation for Physical Downlink Shared Channel. HARQ-ACK is an abbreviation for Hybrid Automatic Repeat request-Acknowledgement. RRC is an abbreviation for Radio Resource Control. MAC CE is an abbreviation for Medium Access Control Control Element. RACH is an abbreviation for Random Access Channel. TA is an abbreviation for Timing Advance.

[0027] The data reception processing unit 102 performs reception processing on information about OCC, such as an OCC sequence length or an OCC number (index), and information about the number of slots, which are included in RRC control information (e.g., an RRC Reconfiguration message), and outputs the information to the control unit 103. The information about the number of slots may be, for example, information about the number of slots to which one TB (Transport Block) is mapped, information about the number of TBoMS slots (hereinafter also referred to as the "TBoMS slot number"), or information about the number of slots for repetition transmission. This information may be included in at least one of MAC CE, PDCCH (or DCI: Downlink Control Information), and Msg.2 (Message 2). For example, this information may be included in multiple pieces of control information, such as RRC control information and PDCCH (or DCI). For example, the OCC sequence length and the number of TBoMS slots may be included in the RRC control information, and the OCC number may be included in the PDCCH (or DCI).

[0028] Furthermore, the data reception processing unit 102 outputs information such as satellite ephemeris, common TA parameters, and Epoch time included in the broadcast information to the control unit 103 .

[0029] The control unit 103 acquires location information of the terminal 100 from the GNSS or the like. The control unit 103 also calculates the orbit and position of the satellite based on information such as satellite ephemeris and epoch time input from the data reception processing unit 102. The control unit 103 calculates a timing adjustment value (TA value) using the round-trip delay time between the terminal 100 and the satellite calculated from the location information and the round-trip delay time between the satellite and the base station calculated from the common TA parameters, and outputs the timing adjustment value to the timing adjustment unit 104.

[0030] The control unit 103 calculates the Doppler shift based on the satellite orbit information and the terminal position information of the terminal 100 , and outputs the Doppler shift to the timing adjustment unit 104 .

[0031] The control unit 103 calculates a transport block size (TBS), which is information about the number of transmission bits, based on the information about the OCC and the information about the number of slots input from the data reception processing unit 102, and outputs the calculated TBS to the data transmission processing unit 105. An example of a method for calculating the TBS will be described later. The control unit 103 also outputs information about time and frequency resources for PUSCH transmission notified from the base station 200 (input from the data reception processing unit 102 to the control unit 103) to the data transmission processing unit 105.

[0032] In addition, the control unit 103 outputs the capability (UE capability) related to OCC and / or TBoMS (or the number of slots) to the data transmission processing unit 105 (transmitting it as the UE capability via an RRC message), taking into consideration, for example, the supported functions or performance of the data transmission processing unit 105 and the radio transmission unit 106 of the terminal 100.

[0033] The timing adjustment unit 104 calculates the transmission timing based on the reception timing input from the data reception processing unit 102 and the timing adjustment value information input from the control unit 103, and outputs the calculated transmission timing to the radio transmission unit 106. The timing adjustment unit 104 calculates the frequency correction value based on the Doppler shift information input from the control unit 103, and outputs the calculated frequency correction value to the radio transmission unit 106. Here, it may be desirable to maintain the continuity of the phase or amplitude within the time interval in which multiplication of a certain OCC sequence is applied in order to maintain the orthogonality of the signal to which the OCC sequence is applied. For this reason, the timing adjustment unit 104 may adjust the transmission timing or frequency at a timing different from the time interval in which multiplication of the OCC sequence is applied.

[0034] The data transmission processing unit 105 may perform coding such as LDPC on the transmission data of a data size based on the TBS input from the control unit 103, perform modulation such as QPSK and 16QAM, DFT-s-OFDM modulation processing, etc., and map the data to time-frequency resources based on the PUSCH resource information or slot number information input from the control unit 103. Furthermore, the data transmission processing unit 105 may perform data repetition and OCC multiplication based on the information related to the OCC and the information related to the slot number. Note that an example of an OCC multiplication method will be described later.

[0035] Note that QAM is an abbreviation for Quadrature Amplitude Modulation.

[0036] The data transmission processing unit 105 performs the same coding and modulation as described above and time-frequency resource mapping on the RRC message including information on OCC and / or TBoMS (or the number of slots) or information on terminal capabilities output from the control unit 103, and outputs the result to the radio transmission unit 106.

[0037] The radio transmitting unit 106 performs analog transmission processing and digital transmission processing such as D / A conversion, filtering, up-conversion, and amplification on the signal input from the data transmission processing unit 105, and outputs the radio signal to an antenna. The radio transmitting unit 106 adjusts the timing based on the timing information (e.g., TA information) output from the timing adjusting unit 104.

[0038] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of base station 200 according to this embodiment. Base station 200 has radio receiving section 201, data reception processing section 202, control section 203, data transmission processing section 204, and radio transmitting section 205.

[0039] At least one of the data reception processing unit 202, the control unit 203, and the data transmission processing unit 204 shown in Fig. 4 may be included in the control unit shown in Fig. 2. Also, at least one of the wireless reception unit 201 and the wireless transmission unit 205 shown in Fig. 4 may be included in the communication unit shown in Fig. 2.

[0040] The radio receiving section 201 performs analog and digital receiving processes such as down-conversion, A / D conversion, and filtering on the signal received from the terminal 100 via the antenna, and outputs the processed signal to the data receiving processing section 202 .

[0041] The data reception processing unit 202 performs channel estimation and demodulation / decoding processing on uplink signals such as the PUSCH, PUCCH, and PRACH input from the radio receiving unit 201 to obtain a received data sequence. At this time, the data reception processing unit 202 may perform despreading processing (e.g., processing of adding signals multiplied by the complex conjugate or reciprocal of the OCC sequence) in the OCC application interval set by the control unit 203. When the OCC application interval spans multiple slots, the data reception processing unit 202 may perform joint channel estimation using multiple slots. Furthermore, the data reception processing unit 202 outputs the RRC message and MAC CE data included in the PUSCH to the control unit 203. The RRC message includes, for example, terminal capability information related to OCC and / or TBoMS (or the number of slots).

[0042] The control unit 203 generates system information (broadcast information) such as a Master Information Block (MIB) and a System Information Block (SIB), and control information such as an RRC message for each terminal. The system information may include, for example, satellite ephemeris information, common TA parameters used for terminal TA, and epoch time for the NTN. The RRC message includes, for example, information related to OCC, such as an OCC sequence length or an OCC number, and information related to the number of slots, such as TBoMS or Repetition.

[0043] The control unit 203 generates DCI or PDCCH associated with PDSCH transmission. The DCI includes, for example, information related to PDSCH retransmission control such as NDI and RV, information related to MCS of the PDSCH and PUSCH, resource allocation information for the PDSCH and PUSCH, and resource allocation information for the PUCCH used for HARQ-ACK transmission for the PDSCH.

[0044] NDI stands for New Data Indicator, MCS stands for Modulation Coding Scheme, and RV stands for Redundancy version.

[0045] Control unit 203 may include, for example, information such as the OCC sequence length, OCC sequence number, number of TBoMS slots, and number of repetitions in the resource allocation information. Control unit 203 may report this information in a MAC CE. Control unit 203 outputs the set information (e.g., OCC sequence length, sequence number, number of TBoMS slots, and number of repetitions) to data reception processing unit 202. Control unit 203 may also output information on a time interval (e.g., an OCC application interval) in which multiplication by one OCC sequence is applied to data reception processing unit 202.

[0046] The data transmission processing unit 204 performs coding such as LDPC on the transmission data and control information input from the control unit 203 , performs modulation such as QPSK and 16QAM, and outputs the result to the radio transmission unit 205 .

[0047] The radio transmitting section 205 performs transmission processing such as D / A conversion, filtering, up-conversion, and amplification on the signal input from the data transmission processing section 204, and outputs the radio signal to an antenna.

[0048] [Example of Operation of Terminal and Base Station] In the present embodiment, when OCC is applied, the terminal 100 maps one TB to multiple slots and transmits it.

[0049] An example of an OCC multiplication method, an example of a TBS calculation method, and an example of control information will be described below.

[0050] [OCC Multiplication Method] There are three possible OCC multiplication methods: Here, a case where DFT-s-OFDM modulation is performed on uplink PUSCH will be described, but the uplink signal waveform is not limited to this and may be, for example, CP-OFDM or single carrier transmission.

[0051] In the following description, for example, if the sequence length is n OCC OCC series w i (m) is expressed by the following formula (1) (see, for example, TS38.211 V15.10.0 Table 6.3.2.4.1-2).

[0052] Here, φ(m) takes the value shown in the table in FIG. 5. For example, if the sequence length is n OCC OCC series w = 4 i (m) has four possibilities: [1 1 1 1], [1 -1 1 -1], [1 1 -1 -1], and [1 -1 -1 1].

[0053] The OCC sequence may be a Walsh sequence or a DFT sequence.

[0054] <Inter-slot OCC> The terminal 100 performs modulation such as QPSK or 16QAM on a transmission data bit sequence, performs DFT (DFT-s-OFDM modulation), maps the result to frequency resources, and then performs IFFT to generate OFDM symbols (or DFT-s-OFDM symbols). The terminal 100 then forms slots in which the generated OFDM symbols and RS signals (e.g., DMRS and SRS) are allocated.

[0055] Note that RS is an abbreviation for Reference Signal, DMRS is an abbreviation for Demodulation Reference Signal, and SRS is an abbreviation for Sounding Reference Signal.

[0056] In inter-slot OCC, terminal 100 performs OCC multiplication on a slot-by-slot basis. That is, terminal 100 multiplies the same OCC sequence within a slot. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , terminal 100 multiplies RV0 data mapped to one slot by the OCC sequence length n OCC (In the example of Figure 6, n OCC = 4), and the OCC sequence w k (k=1,2,.., n OCCIn the following slot, data of a different RV (for example, RV2) is multiplied by the OCC sequence length n OCC The number of slots may be repeated corresponding to the number of slots.

[0057] Terminal 100 may multiply the time domain signal in the slot by the OCC, or may multiply the frequency domain signal by the OCC.

[0058] Furthermore, terminal 100 may or may not perform OCC multiplication on the DMRS or SRS.

[0059] Furthermore, terminal 100 may use TBoMS when OCC is applied. In this case, terminal 100 may perform the same process for multiple slots corresponding to TBoMS. For example, the method for using TBoMS when OCC is applied may be the method described in a second embodiment, which will be described later.

[0060] <Inter-OFDM Symbol OCC> The terminal 100 performs modulation such as QPSK or 16QAM on a transmission data bit string, performs DFT (DFT-s-OFDM modulation), maps the result to frequency resources, and then performs IFFT to generate OFDM symbols (or DFT-s-OFDM symbols). Then, as shown in FIG. 7 , the terminal 100 divides the generated OFDM symbol string (hereinafter also referred to as "OFDM symbol block") into n OCC times, and the OCC sequence w k (k=1,2,.., n OCC ) where n OCC is the OCC sequence length.

[0061] Here, the case where an OFDM symbol sequence is repeated in the OCC between OFDM symbols (in the example of FIG. 7, an OFDM symbol sequence including three OFDM symbols is repeated four times) has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the terminal 100 may repeat each OFDM symbol n OCCFor example, in the example of Fig. 7, terminal 100 may perform the process of multiplying each OFDM symbol by the OCC sequence four times for three OFDM symbols, thereby generating a total of 12 symbols of data.

[0062] Then, terminal 100 forms slots in which the generated OFDM symbols and RS signals (for example, DMRS and SRS) are allocated.

[0063] Furthermore, the terminal 100 may use TBoMS when OCC is applied. In this case, the terminal 100 may perform the same process for multiple slots corresponding to TBoMS. For example, the terminal 100 may perform the same process for a sequence length n OCC When using the OCC sequence of n OCC Do the same for slot n OCC The slot is used to transmit the TB.

[0064] Terminal 100 may multiply the time domain signal in the slot by the OCC, or may multiply the frequency domain signal by the OCC.

[0065] <OCC in OFDM Symbol> After modulating the transmission data bit string using QPSK, 16QAM, or the like, the terminal 100 divides the generated symbol string (hereinafter also referred to as "symbol block") into n OCC times, and the OCC sequence w k (k=1,2,..,n OCC ) where n OCC is the OCC sequence length.

[0066] Then, the terminal 100 generates OFDM symbols (or DFT-s-OFDM symbols) by performing DFT (DFT-s-OFDM modulation), mapping to frequency resources, and then performing IFFT.The terminal 100 then forms slots in which the generated OFDM symbols and RS signals (e.g., DMRS and SRS) are allocated.

[0067] Furthermore, the terminal 100 may use TBoMS when OCC is applied. In this case, the terminal 100 may perform the same process for multiple slots corresponding to TBoMS. For example, the terminal 100 may perform the same process for a sequence length n OCC When using the OCC sequence of n OCC Do the same for slot n OCC The slot is used to transmit the TB.

[0068] An example of the OCC multiplication method has been described above.

[0069] [TBS Calculation Method] Next, a method for calculating the TBS will be described.

[0070] In specifications prior to Rel. 18, TBS is generally calculated as follows (see, for example, TS38.214):

[0071] The number of PRBs used for transmission is "n PRB " and the number of TBoMS slots is "N", the amount of time-frequency resources used for TBS calculation (for example, the number of REs (Resource Elements) allocated to PUSCH)) N RE is expressed as follows: N RE = N・min(156, N' RE )・n PRB

[0072] where N' RE = N SC ・N symb - N DMRS - N oh N SC denotes the number of subcarriers per RB, and N symb denotes the number of symbols per slot, and N DMRS denotes the number of DMRS symbols per slot, and N oh denotes the overhead factor.

[0073] In this case, the number of bits that can be transmitted is given by N info = N RE ・R・Q m ・v

[0074] where R is the coding rate and Q mindicates the modulation level, and v indicates the number of layers.

[0075] And TBS is info is determined based on the

[0076] An example of a method for calculating the TBS according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0077] <TBS Calculation Method 1 When OCC is Applied> An example of a TBS calculation method when the OCC sequence length and the number of TBoMS slots are set independently will be described.

[0078] The OCC sequence length is "n OCC " and the number of TBoMS slots is "N". In this case, TBS is the amount of time-frequency resources N RE It is calculated using N RE = N / n OCC ・min(156, N' RE )・n PRB

[0079] In addition, N / n OCC In case where is not an integer, the above formula may be accompanied by a floor (round down to an integer value) or ceil (round up to an integer value) operator.

[0080] Or, as another example, N RE = N・min(156, N' RE )・n PRB (For example, the same as the specifications before Rel.18) and N info = N RE ・R・Q m ・v / n OCC N' may be info =N info / n OCC As, N' info The TBS may be determined using:

[0081] When OCC is used, the number of transmittable bits (or TBS) is reduced by the OCC sequence length. In contrast, for example, by applying TBoMS (setting the number of TBoMS slots N) when OCC is applied, the effect of the reduction in TBS due to OCC can be suppressed by increasing the number of slots due to TBoMS. For example, when the OCC sequence length is n OCC By independently setting the number of TBoMS slots N, it becomes possible to set a sufficiently large TBS, which improves the effect of error correction coding and enables a reduction in the error rate.

[0082] In addition, when OCC is used, the number of bits that can be transmitted is reduced by the length of the OCC sequence, so the TBS calculation (for example, the above-mentioned N RE , N info or N' info In the calculation of OCC sequence length n OCC By dividing by, for example, it is possible to prevent excessive TBS and a decrease in the effective coding rate. This makes it possible to set a TBS that can be transmitted using the coding rate R specified based on the MCS table.

[0083] <TBS Calculation Method 2 When OCC is Applied> An example of a TBS calculation method when the OCC sequence length and the number of TBoMS slots are set so as to be mutually dependent will be described.

[0084] OCC sequence length n OCC As examples of the dependency between the OCC sequence length and the number of TBoMS slots N, the following two cases will be explained: Case 1) When the OCC sequence length and the number of TBoMS slots are the same Case 2) When the number of TBoMS slots is M times the OCC sequence length In either case, the number of TBoMS slots is an integer multiple of the OCC sequence length.

[0085] For example, while the amount of available time-frequency resources increases by N times with TBoMS, the amount of time-frequency resources used per transmitted bit with the application of OCC is n OCC It will double.

[0086] For case 1, N= n OCC (i.e., N / n OCC= 1), TBS allocates the following time-frequency resource amount N RE It is calculated using N RE = min(156, N' RE )・n PRB

[0087] Also, in case 2, N = M n OCC (i.e., N / n OCC = M), TBS can allocate the following amount of time-frequency resources N RE It is calculated using N RE = M·min(156, N' RE )・n PRB

[0088] Also, in case 2, N RE = min(156, N' RE )・n PRB (For example, similar to the specifications before Rel.18) info = M.N. RE ・R・Q m ・v may be used, and N' info = M.N. info As, N' info The TBS may be determined using:

[0089] When OCC is used, the number of transmittable bits (or TBS) is reduced by the OCC sequence length. In contrast, for example, by applying TBoMS (setting the number of TBoMS slots N) when OCC is applied, the effect of the reduction in TBS due to OCC can be suppressed by increasing the number of slots due to TBoMS. For example, when the OCC sequence length is n OCC By setting the number of TBoMS slots N and the number of TBoMS slots N interdependently (for example, by setting M), it becomes possible to set a sufficiently large TBS, which improves the effect of error correction coding and enables a reduction in the error rate.

[0090] In addition, when OCC is used, the number of bits that can be transmitted is reduced by the length of the OCC sequence, so the TBS calculation (for example, the above-mentioned N RE , N info or N' info In the calculation of OCC sequence length n OCCBy dividing by , for example, it is possible to prevent excessive TBS and a decrease in the effective coding rate.

[0091] Furthermore, since there is a dependency between the OCC sequence length and the number of TBoMS slots, it is possible to reduce the overhead of reporting the OCC sequence length and the number of TBoMS slots, for example.

[0092] Although the case where the number of TBoMS slots is M times the OCC sequence length has been described above, the OCC sequence length may also be M times the number of TBoMS slots. In other words, one of the OCC sequence length and the number of TBoMS slots may be an integer multiple of the other of the OCC sequence length and the number of TBoMS slots.

[0093] An example of a method for calculating TBS has been described above.

[0094] It should be noted that the above TBS calculation method may be applied to any OCC multiplication method.

[0095] [Example of Control Information] Next, an example of a method for notifying parameters (control information) related to OCC will be described.

[0096] For example, combinations of OCC sequence lengths and the number of TBoMS slots may be reported to terminal 100 by at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE, and DCI. For example, candidate combinations of OCC sequence lengths and the number of TBoMS slots may be reported by RRC signaling, and information indicating one of the candidate combinations (e.g., an index) may be reported by MAC CE or DCI. Furthermore, for example, the combinations of OCC sequence lengths and the number of TBoMS slots may be limited to a subset of all combinations. This may potentially reduce the amount of information reported for the OCC sequence lengths and the number of TBoMS slots. For example, the OCC sequence length (number of candidates) may be limited to the same number as the number of TBoMS slots (number of candidates), a number greater than or equal to the number of TBoMS slots, or a number less than or equal to the number of TBoMS slots.

[0097] Alternatively, the OCC sequence length may be notified by RRC signaling and the number of TBoMS slots may be notified by DCI or MAC CE, or the number of TBoMS slots may be notified by RRC signaling and the OCC sequence length may be notified by DCI or MAC CE.

[0098] Furthermore, when there is a dependency between the OCC sequence length and the number of TBoMS slots (for example, when the number of TBoMS slots is M times the OCC sequence length), for example, the OCC sequence length may be reported by RRC signaling, and M may be reported by DCI. Alternatively, the number of TBoMS slots may be reported by RRC signaling, and M may be reported by DCI. This may allow for the amount of information to be reported to be reduced, since it is not necessary to explicitly report either the OCC sequence length or the number of TBoMS slots.

[0099] Alternatively, the value of the OCC sequence length may be specified by a specification, and M may be signaled by RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI. Alternatively, the value of the number of TBoMS slots may be specified by a specification, and M may be signaled by RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI. Alternatively, the value of M may be specified by a specification, and either the OCC sequence length or the number of TBoMS slots may be signaled by RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI.

[0100] The above-mentioned method of notifying parameters is an example, and the parameters may be notified by at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE, and DCI, or may be defined in the specifications.

[0101] Also, for example, as a notification of terminal capability (UE capability), a terminal 100 that supports OCC may notify that it also supports TBoMS, or may notify that the base station 200 can assume that a terminal 100 that supports OCC also supports TBoMS.

[0102] Furthermore, the above parameter notification method may be applied to any OCC multiplication method.

[0103] Examples of control information have been described above.

[0104] As described above, in this embodiment, the terminal 100 controls the mapping of one TB to multiple slots based on information related to the OCC, and transmits the one TB. Furthermore, the base station 200 controls (or assumes) the mapping of one TB to multiple slots based on information related to the OCC, and receives the one TB. For example, when applying OCC, the terminal 100 can transmit a sufficiently large TBS of data by transmitting one TB using multiple TBoMS slots. This improves the effectiveness of error correction coding and enables a reduction in the error rate. Furthermore, transmitting a TB using multiple TBoMS slots allows a given TBS of data to be transmitted using fewer RBs, thereby improving the transmission power spectral density (PSD) and improving coverage characteristics.

[0105] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even when OCC is applied, TBoMS can suppress TBS reduction, so that, for example, TBS defined in existing specifications (before Rel. 18) can be used, eliminating the need to define a new TBS table. For example, by reusing an existing TBS table, the complexity of the terminal 100 and / or the base station 200 and the number of development steps can be reduced.

[0106] Second Embodiment In this embodiment, a case where OCC and TBoMS are combined and applied in the case of OCC across slots will be described.

[0107] The configurations of the terminal 100 and the base station 200 are the same as those in the first embodiment. The operations of the data transmission processing unit 105 of the terminal 100 and the data reception processing unit 202 of the base station 200 are different from those in the first embodiment.

[0108] In the following explanation, the OCC sequence length is defined as "n OCC " and the number of TBoMS slots is "N".

[0109] In this embodiment, when OCC and TBoMS are applied, terminal 100 uses OCC sequence length nOCC and the number of TBoMS slots N (N・n OCC ) to multiple slots corresponding to N·n OCC Data (TB) is transmitted using slots.

[0110] When applying inter-slot OCC, the terminal 100 can transmit a sufficiently large TBS of data by transmitting one TB using multiple slots using TBoMS. This improves the effectiveness of error correction coding and reduces the error rate. Furthermore, since a given TBS of data can be transmitted using fewer RBs, the transmit power density (PSD) can be improved, and coverage characteristics can be improved.

[0111] Below, two examples of methods for using OCC and TBoMS in combination will be described.

[0112] <Method 1> In method 1, OCC is applied to data mapped to multiple slots by TBoMS processing.

[0113] FIG. 9 shows the number of TBoMS slots N=4 and the OCC sequence length n OCC An example for =2 is shown below.

[0114] As shown in Fig. 9, data symbols (or OFDM symbols of PUSCH) after error correction coding and modulation are mapped to multiple slots (four slots in the example of Fig. 9) by TBoMS. Then, for example, if a slot group consisting of four slots is n OCC The process is repeated times and multiplied by OCC (w1 and w2 in the example of FIG. 9) for each slot group.

[0115] As described above, in Method 1, terminal 100 applies OCC to TBoMS slot-by-slot data after applying TBoMS. That is, the OCC coefficients (w1 and w2 in FIG. 9 ) are multiplied for each TBoMS slot group. In other words, the same OCC coefficient is multiplied within a TBoMS slot group. Alternatively, a TBoMS slot group is composed of consecutive slots. In other words, the slots to which one OCC sequence is applied (i.e., the slots used for despreading one OCC sequence) are non-consecutive. Note that OCC coefficients are sometimes called OCC elements or chips. In Method 1, the processing up to TBoMS mapping is the same as that in existing specifications prior to Rel. 18, and therefore may be implemented with a simple configuration.

[0116] <Method 2> In method 2, data after applying OCC on a slot-by-slot basis is mapped to multiple slots by TBoMS processing.

[0117] FIG. 10 shows the number of TBoMS slots N=4 and the OCC sequence length n OCC An example for =2 is shown below.

[0118] As shown in Fig. 10, before the data symbols (or OFDM symbols of PUSCH) after error correction coding and modulation are mapped to multiple slots (four slots in the example of Fig. 10) by TBoMS, OCC is applied to each slot. For example, as shown in Fig. 10, the terminal 100 divides each slot into n OCC The OCC sequence is multiplied by the OCC (w1 and w2 in the example of FIG. 10) on a slot-by-slot basis, repeating the process (twice in FIG. 10). For example, the OCC coefficients (w1 and w2 in FIG. 10) are multiplied for each slot. As shown in FIG. 10, w1 and w2 may be applied to adjacent slots. In other words, a TBoMS slot group is made up of non-contiguous slots. In other words, the slots to which one OCC sequence is applied (i.e., the slots used for despreading for one OCC sequence) are contiguous.

[0119] In Method 2, terminal 100 applies OCC to data for each slot and then applies TBoMS. This makes it possible, for example, to multiply adjacent slots by OCC sequences. Because propagation path fluctuations are expected to be small in adjacent slots, the loss of orthogonality on the receiving side is small, and better error rate performance may be obtained.

[0120] Methods 1 and 2 have been described above.

[0121] In both Method 1 and Method 2, in contrast to the method of notifying TBoMS (for example, the number of slots N) and the number of repetitions (for example, the number of slots K) in specifications prior to Rel. 18, the OCC sequence length (for example, n OCC This allows the Repetition notification method to be reused, potentially enabling simple processing.

[0122] Third Embodiment In the present embodiment, a case where repetition is used for transmission using multiple slots will be described. For example, a case where OCC and repetition are combined and applied in the case of OCC across slots will be described.

[0123] The configurations of the terminal 100 and the base station 200 are the same as those in the first embodiment. The operations of the data transmission processing unit 105 of the terminal 100 and the data reception processing unit 202 of the base station 200 are different from those in the first embodiment.

[0124] For example, when OCC is applied, the TBS becomes small and it is difficult to obtain coding gain. However, by using repetition, it is possible to reduce the error rate by improving the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) through synthesis gain at the receiving side.

[0125] As in the second embodiment, two examples of a method for using OCC and Repetition in combination will be described below.

[0126] <Method 1> In method 1, OCC is applied to data that has been mapped to multiple slots by repetition processing.

[0127] FIG. 11 shows the number of repetition slots: 4, OCC sequence length: n OCC An example for =2 is shown below.

[0128] As shown in Fig. 11, data symbols (or OFDM symbols of PUSCH) after error correction coding and modulation are mapped to multiple slots (four slots in Fig. 11) by repetition. Note that, as shown in Fig. 11, different RVs may be transmitted in the slots that are repeated. For example, if there are n slot groups each consisting of four slots, OCC The process is repeated times and multiplied by OCC (w1 and w2 in the example of FIG. 11) for each slot group.

[0129] As described above, in Method 1, terminal 100 applies OCC to data in units of repetition slots after applying repetition. That is, the OCC coefficients (w1 and w2 in FIG. 11 ) are multiplied for each repetition slot group. In other words, the same OCC coefficient is multiplied within a repetition slot group. Alternatively, a repetition slot group is composed of consecutive slots. In other words, the slots to which one OCC sequence is applied (i.e., the slots used for despreading for one OCC sequence) are non-consecutive. In Method 1, the process of repetition for each slot is the same as that in specifications prior to Rel. 18, and therefore may be realized with a simple configuration.

[0130] <Method 2> In method 2, data after applying OCC on a slot-by-slot basis is mapped to multiple slots by repetition.

[0131] FIG. 12 shows the number of repetition slots: 4, OCC sequence length: n OCC An example for =2 is shown below.

[0132] As shown in Fig. 12, data symbols (or OFDM symbols of PUSCH) after error correction coding and modulation are subjected to OCC for each slot before being mapped to multiple slots (four slots in Fig. 12) by repetition. For example, as shown in Fig. 12, terminal 100 divides each slot into n OCC The OCC sequence is multiplied by OCC (w1 and w2 in the example of FIG. 12) on a slot-by-slot basis, repeating the process (twice in FIG. 12). For example, the OCC elements (w1 and w2 in FIG. 12) are multiplied for each slot. As shown in FIG. 12, w1 and w2 may be applied to adjacent slots. In other words, a Repetition slot group is made up of non-consecutive slots. In other words, the slots to which one OCC sequence is applied (i.e., the slots used for despreading for one OCC sequence) are consecutive.

[0133] Also, as shown in FIG. 12, the same RV may be used in slots spanning the OCC sequence length where the OCC (w1 and w2) is multiplied, and a different RV may be used in slots where the RV is repeated.

[0134] In Method 2, terminal 100 applies OCC to data for each slot and then applies repetition. This makes it possible, for example, to multiply adjacent slots by OCC sequences. Since it is assumed that propagation path fluctuations are small in adjacent slots, the loss of orthogonality on the receiving side is small, and better error rate performance may be obtained.

[0135] It is also possible to use OCC, TBoMS, and Repetition in combination.

[0136] The above describes each embodiment.

[0137] It is also possible to apply a combination of at least two of the first, second, and third embodiments. For example, in a combination of the second and third embodiments, data that is TBoMSed by the method of the second embodiment may be multiplied by an OCC, and the repetition of the third embodiment may be performed on the data multiplied by the OCC. When repetition is performed, a different RV may be transmitted.

[0138] Furthermore, OCC may be interpreted as an orthogonal code, a spreading code, a spreading sequence, a spreading code, etc. Furthermore, OCC sequence length may be interpreted as a spreading factor, a spreading code length, etc. Furthermore, the code used for multiplexing signals between terminals is not limited to OCC, and other orthogonal codes may be used. Furthermore, the OCC sequence may be a sequence such as a cyclic shift sequence.

[0139] In addition, for the multiplication of the OCC sequence, n is used for the data mapped to the slot. OCC Although it has been described that each slot is multiplied by an OCC sequence (for example, w1 or w2) after repetitions, it is also possible to multiply the OCC sequence by the slot after it has been repeated a number of times, N. Here, N is n OCC That's all.

[0140] Furthermore, the TBS calculation method in embodiment 1 and the mapping method in embodiments 2 and 3 may be defined as a method using the number of TBoMS or Repetition slots as a parameter, and may be applied when the number of TBoMS slots is 1 (N=1).

[0141] Furthermore, whether to apply TBoMS or a combination of Repetition and OCC may be determined based on the OCC sequence length. For example, when the OCC sequence length is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, terminal 100 may determine to apply TBoMS or a combination of Repetition and OCC (e.g., mapping one TB to multiple slots).

[0142] Furthermore, whether to apply a combination of TBoMS or Repetition and OCC may be determined based on the number of RBs or MCS level used for transmission, or a combination thereof.

[0143] Also, if the TBS calculated when transmitting data using one slot is less than the value supported in the existing table, or if N info If the threshold is less than a predetermined value, TBoMS or a combination of Repetition and OCC may be applied.

[0144] Furthermore, the base station may be read as a network or a RAN (Radio Access Network).

[0145] Furthermore, the parameter values ​​such as the number of OFDM symbols constituting the OFDM symbol string, the OCC sequence length, and the number of slots constituting the slot group (or the number of TBoMS slots, the number of repetitions) are merely examples, and other values ​​may be used.

[0146] Furthermore, a time unit (e.g., the number of OFDM symbols or the number of slots) to which one OCC sequence is applied may be referred to as an OCC interval or an OCC group. Furthermore, one PUSCH transmission may include multiple OCC intervals or OCC groups.

[0147] Furthermore, although the above embodiment shows an example in which the present invention is applied to an uplink, it may also be applied to a downlink.

[0148] Furthermore, the above embodiment may be applied to networks other than NTN.

[0149] An embodiment of the present disclosure can be used for different types of satellite communications, such as Low Earth Orbit satellites (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit satellites (MEO), Highly Elliptical Orbit satellites (HEO), or Geostationary Earth Orbit satellites (GEO), which are located at different altitudes above the Earth's surface.

[0150] In each of the above-described embodiments, satellite ephemeris information, which is information related to satellite positions, may be reported by system information or may be stored in advance by the terminal 100. Furthermore, the satellite ephemeris information may be updated when communication is possible. Furthermore, the terminal 100 may identify satellite positions using information other than the satellite ephemeris information.

[0151] In the above-described embodiments, examples have been described in which GNSS such as GPS (for example, position detection using satellite signals) is used, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, position detection may be performed using a terrestrial cellular base station, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) signal or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) signal, an acceleration sensor, or a combination of these detection methods. Furthermore, altitude information may be obtained from a barometric pressure sensor, etc.

[0152] In the above-described embodiments, "report" may be read as "notification," and "notification" may be read as "report." "Calculation" may be read as "determination" or "generation."

[0153] Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the transmission of an uplink signal from a terminal to a base station has been described, but the present invention may also be applied to the transmission of a downlink signal from a base station to a terminal.

[0154] An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied regardless of the type of satellite, such as GEO, MEO, LEO, or HEO. In addition, an embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to non-terrestrial communications, such as HAPS or drone base stations.

[0155] Although the above-described embodiment has been described using an NTN environment (e.g., a satellite communication environment) as an example, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The present disclosure may be applied to other communication environments (e.g., a terrestrial cellular environment of at least one of LTE and NR). For example, one embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to terrestrial communications in an environment where the cell size is large and the propagation delay between the base station 200 and the terminal 100 is longer (e.g., above a threshold).

[0156] In the above-described embodiment, the satellite communication may be in the form of a configuration in which the base station functions are located on a satellite (e.g., a "regenerative satellite"), or a configuration in which the base station functions are located on the ground and a satellite relays communication between the base station and a terminal (e.g., a "transparent satellite"). For example, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the downlink and the uplink may be links between a terminal and a satellite, or links via a satellite.

[0157] The method of notifying the control information from the base station 200 to the terminal 100 is not limited to the above-mentioned example, and may be notified (or reported, indicated, or set) by at least one of system information such as MIB and SIB, RRC control information, MAC control information, and downlink control information (DCI), or may be pre-set in the terminal 100 or may be pre-defined in a standard.

[0158] The base station may be referred to as a gNodeB or a gNB, and the terminal may be referred to as a UE.

[0159] The time resource units such as symbols and slots may be replaced with system frames, time slots, minislots, frames, subframes, and the like.

[0160] Furthermore, the notation "... section" in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with other notations such as "... circuitry," "... device," "... unit," or "... module."

[0161] (Supplementary Note) Information indicating whether the terminal 100 supports the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments may be transmitted (or notified) from the terminal 100 to the base station 200, for example, as capability information or capability parameters of the terminal 100.

[0162] The capability information may include an information element (IE) that individually indicates whether or not the terminal 100 supports at least one of the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments. Alternatively, the capability information may include an information element that indicates whether or not the terminal 100 supports a combination of any two or more of the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments.

[0163] For example, the base station 200 may determine (or decide or assume) the functions, operations, or processes that the terminal 100 that transmitted the capability information supports (or does not support) based on the capability information received from the terminal 100. The base station 200 may perform operations, processes, or controls according to the determination result based on the capability information. For example, the base station 200 may control communications based on the capability information received from the terminal 100.

[0164] Note that the fact that the terminal 100 does not support some of the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments may be interpreted as meaning that such some of the functions, operations, or processes are restricted in the terminal 100. For example, information or a request regarding such restrictions may be notified to the base station 200.

[0165] Information regarding the capabilities or limitations of the terminal 100 may, for example, be defined in a standard, or may be implicitly notified to the base station 200 in association with information known at the base station 200 or information transmitted to the base station 200.

[0166] (Control Signal) In the present disclosure, a downlink control signal (or downlink control information) related to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be, for example, a signal (or information) transmitted in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) of a physical layer, or a signal (or information) transmitted in a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) or Radio Resource Control (RRC) of a higher layer. Furthermore, the signal (or information) is not limited to being notified by a downlink control signal, but may be predefined in a specification (or standard) or preconfigured in a base station and a terminal.

[0167] In the present disclosure, an uplink control signal (or uplink control information) related to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be, for example, a signal (or information) transmitted in a PUCCH of a physical layer, or a signal (or information) transmitted in a MAC CE or RRC of a higher layer. Furthermore, the signal (or information) is not limited to being notified by an uplink control signal, but may be predefined in a specification (or standard) or preconfigured in a base station and a terminal. Furthermore, the uplink control signal may be replaced with, for example, uplink control information (UCI), 1st stage sidelink control information (SCI), or 2nd stage SCI.

[0168] (Base Station) In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the base station may be a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a cluster head, an access point, a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a Base Station (BS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a parent device, a gateway, or the like. In sidelink communication, a terminal may play the role of a base station. Instead of a base station, a relay device that relays communication between an upper node and a terminal may be used. Alternatively, a roadside unit may be used.

[0169] (Uplink / Downlink / Sidelink) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to, for example, any of the uplink, downlink, and sidelink. For example, an embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), or a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) in the uplink, a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), a PDCCH, or a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) in the downlink, or a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), or a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH) in the sidelink.

[0170] The PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, an uplink data channel, and an uplink control channel, respectively. The PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of a sidelink control channel and a sidelink data channel. The PBCH and PSBCH are examples of a broadcast channel, and the PRACH is an example of a random access channel.

[0171] (Data Channel / Control Channel) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to, for example, either a data channel or a control channel. For example, the channel in an embodiment of the present disclosure may be replaced with any of the data channels PDSCH, PUSCH, and PSSCH, or the control channels PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, and PSBCH.

[0172] (Reference Signal) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a reference signal is, for example, a signal known by both a base station and a mobile station, and may also be called a Reference Signal (RS) or a pilot signal. The reference signal may be any of a Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), a Channel State Information - Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), a Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), a Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS), or a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).

[0173] (Time Interval) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the unit of time resource is not limited to one or a combination of slots and symbols, but may be, for example, a time resource unit such as a frame, a superframe, a subframe, a slot, a time slot, a subslot, a minislot, a symbol, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (SC-FDMA) symbol, or another time resource unit. Furthermore, the number of symbols included in one slot is not limited to the number of symbols exemplified in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be another number of symbols.

[0174] (Frequency Band) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to either a licensed band or an unlicensed band.

[0175] (Communication) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu link communication), communication between terminals (Sidelink communication), or Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communication. For example, the channel in an embodiment of the present disclosure may be replaced with any of PSCCH, PSSCH, Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, or PBCH.

[0176] An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a terrestrial network, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) using a satellite or a high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS), or a terrestrial network in which transmission delay is large compared to the symbol length or slot length, such as a network with a large cell size or an ultra-wideband transmission network.

[0177] (SBFD) In ​​one embodiment of the present disclosure, operations on uplink, downlink, and sidelink symbols may be applied to symbols (e.g., SBFD symbols) on which SBFD (Subband Non-Overlapping Full Duplex, Subband Full Duplex) operations or controls are performed. In SBFD symbols, a frequency domain (or frequency resource, frequency band) is divided into multiple frequency domains (e.g., subbands, RB sets, subbands, or sub-BWPs (Bandwidth Parts)). A terminal transmits and receives in different directions (e.g., downlink or uplink) in units of subbands, which are the divided domains. In SBFD symbols, a terminal may transmit and receive in one direction, either uplink or downlink, but not in the other direction. On the other hand, a base station may be capable of transmitting and receiving on both the uplink and downlink simultaneously. SBFD symbols may have a smaller frequency domain available for downlink transmission than symbols that transmit and receive only downlink transmission. Also, SBFD symbols may have a smaller frequency domain available for uplink transmission than symbols that transmit and receive only uplink transmission.

[0178] In addition, in the SBFD symbol, a terminal may transmit and receive uplink and downlink simultaneously. In this case, the frequency domain in which the terminal transmits and the frequency domain in which the terminal receives may not be adjacent, but may be separated by a frequency interval (also called a frequency gap).

[0179] In addition, different transmission and reception directions in subband units, which are divided areas, may include transmission and reception of side links.

[0180] (XDD: Cross Division Duplex) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation for uplink, downlink, and sidelink symbols may be applied to symbols (e.g., full duplex symbols) where full duplex operation or control is performed. In a full duplex symbol, both the terminal and the base station can simultaneously transmit and receive on the uplink and downlink. In a full duplex symbol, the terminal and the base station may simultaneously transmit and receive in an available frequency region (or frequency resource, frequency band), or may simultaneously transmit and receive in a partial frequency region (i.e., transmission or reception may be performed in other frequency regions). In this case, the frequency region in which the base station or terminal transmits and receives may not be adjacent, but may have a frequency interval (also called a frequency gap). Furthermore, for the purpose of, for example, reducing interference, either the terminal or the base station may simultaneously transmit and receive (i.e., the other may transmit or receive).

[0181] In addition, full duplex operation may be applied to an operation in which a terminal can simultaneously transmit and receive sidelinks, or to an operation in which a terminal can simultaneously transmit and receive sidelinks and uplinks or downlinks.

[0182] (Antenna Port) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) consisting of one or more physical antennas. For example, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to a single physical antenna, but may refer to an array antenna consisting of multiple antennas. For example, the number of physical antennas that an antenna port is composed of is not specified, and the antenna port may be specified as the smallest unit by which a terminal station can transmit a reference signal. Furthermore, an antenna port may also be specified as the smallest unit by which a weighting of a precoding vector is multiplied.

[0183] <5G NR System Architecture and Protocol Stack> The 5G NR system architecture generally assumes an NG-RAN (Next Generation - Radio Access Network) including gNBs. The gNBs provide UE-side termination of the NG radio access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocols. The gNBs are connected to each other via an Xn interface. The gNBs are also connected to a Next Generation Core (NGC) via a Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (e.g., a specific core entity that performs AMF) via an NG-C interface, and to a User Plane Function (UPF) (e.g., a specific core entity that performs UPF) via an NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is shown in Figure 12 (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0, section 4).

[0184] <RRC connection setup and reconfiguration procedure> This shows the NAS part of the interaction between the UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entity) when the UE transitions from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED (see TS 38.300 v15.6.0).

[0185] RRC is a higher layer signaling protocol used to configure the UE and gNB. The AMF prepares UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities, UE security capabilities, etc.) and sends it to the gNB along with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST. The gNB then activates AS security together with the UE. This is done by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE, and the UE responding with a SecurityModeComplete message to the gNB. The gNB then sends an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE, and upon receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete from the UE, the gNB performs reconfiguration to set up Signaling Radio Bearer 2 (SRB2) and Data Radio Bearer (DRB). For signaling-only connections, the steps related to RRCReconfiguration are omitted because SRB2 and DRB are not set up. Finally, the gNB notifies the AMF that the setup procedure is complete with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE.

[0186] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a 5th Generation Core (5GC) entity (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) that includes: a control circuit that, upon operation, establishes a Next Generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB; and a transmitter that, upon operation, transmits an initial context setup message to the gNodeB via the NG connection so that a signaling radio bearer between the gNodeB and a user equipment (UE) is set up. Specifically, the gNodeB transmits Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, including a resource allocation configuration information element (IE), to the UE via the signaling radio bearer. The UE then transmits in uplink or receives in downlink based on the resource allocation configuration.

[0187] <QoS Control> The 5G Quality of Service (QoS) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (Guaranteed Bit Rate QoS flows (GBR)) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Thus, at the NAS level, a QoS flow is the finest granularity of QoS classification in a PDU session. A QoS flow is identified within a PDU session by a QoS Flow ID (QFI) carried in an encapsulation header over the NG-U interface.

[0188] For each UE, 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes, for example, at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) for each PDU session. Additional DRBs for the QoS flows of that PDU session can be configured later (when this is up to the NG-RAN). The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, while AS-level mapping rules in the UE and NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0189] (Open-RAN) The base station described in each embodiment (for example, a 5G NR base station called a gNB) may be configured with three functional modules: a Centralized Unit (CU), a Distributed Unit (DU), and a Radio Unit (RU).

[0190] A CU may be referred to as a centralized node, aggregation node, central station, aggregation station, or centralized unit. A DU may be referred to as an O-RAN Distributed Unit (O-DU), distributed node, distributed station, or distributed unit. An RU may be referred to as an O-RAN Radio Unit (O-RU), radio equipment, radio node, radio station, antenna unit, or radio unit.

[0191] There are several split options for the functional split configuration (or functional split point) between CU, DU, and RU. The term "functional split point" is sometimes referred to as "split," "option," or "split option."

[0192] Examples of "division options" include the following division options 1 to 8. The functions of the base station described in each embodiment may be divided into a CU, a DU, and an RU by any of the following division options 1 to 8. For example, the CU, DU, and RU may be functionally divided, or the functions may be divided only between the CU and DU or only between the DU and RU. (1) Segmentation option 1: Between RRC (radio resource control) and PDCP (2) Segmentation option 2: Between PDCP and RLC (High-RLC) (3) Segmentation option 3: Between High-RLC and Low-RLC (4) Segmentation option 4: Between RLC (Low-RLC) and MAC (High-MAC) (5) Segmentation option 5: Between High-MAC and Low-MAC (6) Segmentation option 6: Between MAC (Low-MAC) and PHY (High-PHY) (7) Segmentation option 7: Between High-PHY and Low-PHY (8) Segmentation option 8: Between PHY (Low-PHY) and RF

[0193] The functional split point between the CU and O-DU may be split option 2. The section between the CU and O-DU is called midhaul, and the F1 interface is specified by 3GPP. The section between the O-DU and O-RU is called fronthaul, and the functional split point may be split option 7-2x, which is adopted as the O-RAN fronthaul specification.

[0194] Figure 13 shows an example of functional division of the gNB base station functions into CU, O-DU, and O-RU using Split Option 2 and Split Option 7-2x.

[0195] The CU may have, for example, a radio resource control (RRC) function, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) function, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) function.

[0196] The O-DU may include, for example, a radio link control (RLC) function, a MAC function, and a higher physical layer (HIGH-PHY) function. The HIGH-PHY function may include an encoding function, a scrambling function, a modulation function, a layer mapping function, a precoding function, and a resource element (RE) mapping function for downlink (DL) transmission. The HIGH-PHY function may also include a decoding function, a descrambling function, a demodulation function, a layer demapping function, and a resource element (RE) demapping function for uplink (UL) reception.

[0197] The O-RU may have, for example, a LOW-PHY function and an RF function. The LOW-PHY function may also have, for downlink transmission, a beamforming function, an IFFT (Inverse First Fourier Transform) + CP (Cyclic Prefix) assignment function, and a D / A (Digital to Analog) conversion function. The LOW-PHY function may also have, for uplink reception, an A / D (Analog to Digital) conversion function, a CP removal + FFT (First Fourier Transform) function, and a beamforming function.

[0198] In addition, if the O-DU does not have a precoding function, the O-RU may have a precoding function.

[0199] The O-RU may have a function related to LBT (listen before talk). The evolving common public radio interface (eCPRI) is specified as the communication method between the O-DU and the O-RU in Split Option 7-2x. In Split Option 7-2x, eCPRI transmits and receives sampling sequences of the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components of the OFDM signal in the frequency domain, as well as information used for beamforming in the antenna and time synchronization signals.

[0200] Information transmitted by the signals described in each embodiment (PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, MAC CE, RRC, etc.) may be transmitted between the O-DU and the O-RU via the eCPRI User Plane (U-Plane) or Control Plane (C-Plane).

[0201] When the functions described in each embodiment are performed in the O-RU by functional division, the O-DU may control the O-RU by transmitting information for controlling the functions via a control signal (e.g., eCPRI) between the O-DU and the O-RU.

[0202] When the functions described in each embodiment are performed in the O-DU by functional division, the O-RU may receive the results of the functions performed in the O-DU via a control signal (e.g., eCPRI) and control the O-RU based on the received results.

[0203] The CU, O-DU, and O-RU may be deployed in physically different devices with their respective functions connected by optical fiber or the like, or some or all of their functions may be deployed in the same physical device.

[0204] The CU and O-DU may be logical entities implemented as software running on a server in the cloud or the like as a virtualized RAN (virtual Radio Access Network: vRAN). Also, some or all of the functions of the CU and O-DU may be provided as a virtualized network function (Network Functions Virtualization: NFV) service.

[0205] The transceiver does not have to be a radio transceiver, but may be, for example, a network transceiver, an optical transceiver, etc. The radio resources allocated by the O-DU may be resources for wireless communication between the O-RU and the UE.

[0206] The present disclosure can be realized in software, hardware, or software in conjunction with hardware.

[0207] Each functional block used in the description of the above embodiments may be partially or entirely realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above embodiments may be partially or entirely controlled by a single LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be composed of individual chips, or may be composed of a single chip that includes some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may have data input and output. Depending on the degree of integration, the LSI may also be called an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI.

[0208] The integrated circuit method is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a dedicated processor. Also, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of circuit cells within the LSI, may be used. The present disclosure may be realized as digital processing or analog processing.

[0209] Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, it is natural that such technology may be used to integrate functional blocks. The application of biotechnology, etc. is also a possibility.

[0210] The present disclosure may be implemented in any type of apparatus, device, or system (collectively referred to as a communications apparatus) that has a communications function. The communications apparatus may include a radio transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The radio transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, or both functions. The radio transceiver (transmitter and receiver) may include a radio frequency (RF) module and one or more antennas. The RF module may include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, or the like. Non-limiting examples of communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, notebooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (e.g., digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine devices, communication-enabled vehicles or mobile transportation (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), and combinations of the above devices.

[0211] The communication devices are not limited to portable or mobile devices, but also include any kind of non-portable or fixed equipment, devices, and systems, such as smart home devices (such as home appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or measuring devices, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and any other "things" that may exist on an IoT (Internet of Things) network.

[0212] Communications include data communications via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, communication satellite systems, and the like, as well as data communications via combinations of these.

[0213] A communications apparatus also includes devices such as controllers and sensors connected or coupled to a communications device that performs the communications functions described in this disclosure, such as controllers and sensors that generate control and data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications apparatus.

[0214] The communication apparatus also includes infrastructure facilities, such as base stations, access points, and any other apparatus, device, or system that communicates with or controls the various apparatuses listed above, but are not limited to these.

[0215] A terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control circuit that controls mapping of one transport block to multiple slots based on information related to an orthogonal code, and a transmission circuit that transmits the transport block.

[0216] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit maps the one transport block to the multiple slots when the orthogonal code is applied.

[0217] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sequence length of the orthogonal code and the number of the plurality of slots are set independently.

[0218] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sequence length of the orthogonal code and the number of the plurality of slots are set to be mutually dependent.

[0219] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sequence length and the number of the plurality of slots are the same number.

[0220] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, one of the sequence length and the number of the plurality of slots is an integer multiple of the other of the sequence length and the number of the plurality of slots.

[0221] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the orthogonal code and TBoMS (Transport Block over Multiple Slots) or repetition are applied, the control circuit maps the one transport block to the multiple slots corresponding to the product of the sequence length of the orthogonal code and the number of slots of the TBoMS or the repetition.

[0222] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit applies the orthogonal code to slot-by-slot data of the TBoMS or the repetition after applying the TBoMS or the repetition.

[0223] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit applies the orthogonal code to data for each slot, and then applies the TBoMS or the repetition.

[0224] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit maps the one transport block to the multiple slots when the sequence length of the orthogonal code is equal to or greater than a threshold.

[0225] A base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control circuit that controls mapping of one transport block to multiple slots based on information about an orthogonal code, and a receiving circuit that receives the transport block.

[0226] In a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal controls mapping of one transport block to multiple slots based on information related to an orthogonal code, and transmits the transport block.

[0227] In a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a base station controls mapping of one transport block to multiple slots based on information related to an orthogonal code, and receives the transport block.

[0228] The disclosures of the specification, drawings and abstract contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-061444, filed April 5, 2024, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0229] One aspect of the present disclosure is useful in wireless communication systems.

[0230] 100 Terminal 101 Radio receiving unit 102 Data reception processing unit 103 Control unit 104 Timing adjustment unit 105 Data transmission processing unit 106 Radio transmission unit 200 Base station 201 Radio receiving unit 202 Data reception processing unit 203 Control unit 204 Data transmission processing unit 205 Radio transmission unit

Claims

1. A terminal comprising: a control circuit that controls mapping of one transport block to multiple slots based on information about orthogonal codes; and a transmission circuit that transmits the transport block.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit maps the one transport block to the multiple slots when the orthogonal code is applied.

3. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the sequence length of the orthogonal code and the number of the plurality of slots are set independently.

4. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the sequence length of the orthogonal code and the number of the plurality of slots are set so as to be mutually dependent.

5. The terminal according to claim 4, wherein the sequence length and the number of the plurality of slots are the same number.

6. The terminal according to claim 4, wherein one of the sequence length and the number of the plurality of slots is an integer multiple of the other of the sequence length and the number of the plurality of slots.

7. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein, when the orthogonal code and TBoMS (Transport Block over Multiple Slots) or repetition are applied, the control circuit maps the one transport block to the plurality of slots corresponding to the product of the sequence length of the orthogonal code and the number of slots of the TBoMS or the repetition.

8. The terminal according to claim 7, wherein the control circuit applies the orthogonal code to slot-by-slot data of the TBoMS or the repetition after applying the TBoMS or the repetition.

9. The terminal according to claim 7, wherein the control circuit applies the orthogonal code to data for each slot, and then applies the TBoMS or the repetition.

10. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit maps the one transport block to the plurality of slots when the sequence length of the orthogonal code is equal to or greater than a threshold.

11. A base station comprising: a control circuit that controls mapping of one transport block to multiple slots based on information related to orthogonal codes; and a receiving circuit that receives the transport block.

12. A communication method, in which a terminal controls mapping of one transport block to multiple slots based on information about the orthogonal code, and transmits the transport block.

13. A communication method, in which a base station controls mapping of one transport block to multiple slots based on information about the orthogonal code, and receives the transport block.

14. An integrated circuit that controls processing in a terminal, the processing including: a process for controlling mapping of one transport block to multiple slots based on information related to an orthogonal code; and a process for transmitting the transport block.

15. An integrated circuit that controls processing in a base station, the processing including: processing for controlling mapping of one transport block to multiple slots based on information related to orthogonal codes; and processing for receiving the transport block.

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