Terminal, and communication method

Abstract

This terminal comprises: a control unit that determines, within a plurality of cells in multi-cell scheduling, a reference downlink data channel on the basis of the subcarrier interval and the time of the last scheduled downlink data channel in each cell; and a transmission unit that transmits a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) to a base station on the basis of the transmission timing of the HARQ-ACK determined by the reference downlink data channel.

Description

Terminal and Communication Method

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal and a communication method in a wireless communication system.

[0002] In 3GPP (Registered Trademark) (3rd Generation Partnership Project), standardization of technologies for further increasing system capacity, further increasing data transmission speed, and further reducing latency in the radio section, etc. is being carried out (for example, Non-Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2).

[0003] Among such technologies, as multi-carrier enhancements (MCE: Multi-Carrier Enhancements), in 3GPP Release 18, for reducing the overhead of signaling, multi-carrier scheduling (which may also be called multi-cell scheduling) was defined. Multi-carrier scheduling enables scheduling of a plurality of cells with one downlink control information (DCI: Downlink Control Information) (for example, Non-Patent Document 3 and Non-Patent Document 4).

[0004] Also, in 3GPP Release-18, in multi-carrier scheduling, a plurality of cells that can be scheduled with one downlink control information were all restricted to the same subcarrier spacing (SubCarrier Spacing, SCS) and carrier type. In 3GPP Release-19, this restriction was relaxed, and co-scheduling for cells with different SCS and carrier types was supported.

[0005] 3GPP TS 38.300 V18.3.0 (2024-09) 3GPP TS 38.401 V18.3.0 (2024-09) 3GPP TS 38.212 V18.2.0 (2024-09) 3GPP TS 38.331 V18.3.0 (2024-09) 3GPP TS 38.214 V18.4.0 (2024-09)

[0006] The timing for sending HARQ-ACK is defined as the time elapsed since the last scheduled reference PDSCH, specifically after the processing time (Tproc,1) for that reference PDSCH has elapsed. Here, Tproc,1 will vary depending on the SCS.

[0007] Therefore, in co-scheduling for cells of different SCS and carrier types, as supported by 3GPP Rel-19, the latest time may not be reached after the processing time for the last PDSCH in multiple cells, meaning the last PDSCH may not be suitable as the reference PDSCH.

[0008] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to appropriately set the reference PDSCH in multi-carrier scheduling.

[0009] According to the disclosed technology, a terminal is provided having: a control unit that determines a reference downlink data channel in multiple cells in a multi-cell scheduling configuration based on the subcarrier interval and the time of the last scheduled downlink data channel in each cell; and a transmission unit that transmits a HARQ-ACK (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest-Acknowledgement) to a base station based on the transmission timing of the HARQ-ACK determined by the reference downlink data channel.

[0010] According to the disclosed technology, the reference PDSCH can be appropriately set in multi-carrier scheduling.

[0011] This figure shows an example of the configuration of the wireless communication system in this embodiment (1). This figure shows an example of the configuration of the wireless communication system in this embodiment (2). This figure illustrates the transmission timing of HARQ-ACK feedback in multi-carrier scheduling. This figure illustrates the processing time for the reference PDSCH. This is a figure (Case A) illustrating the last scheduled PDSCH in multi-carrier scheduling. This is a figure (Case B) illustrating the last scheduled PDSCH in multi-carrier scheduling. This is a figure (Case C) illustrating the last scheduled PDSCH in multi-carrier scheduling. This figure illustrates the method for determining the reference PDSCH in this embodiment. This figure shows an example of the functional configuration of the base station in this embodiment. This figure shows an example of the functional configuration of the terminal in this embodiment. This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of the base station and terminal in this embodiment. This figure shows an example of the configuration of the vehicle in this embodiment.

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are merely examples, and the embodiments to which the present invention is applied are not limited to the embodiments described below.

[0013] In the following explanation, " / " means "and / or" unless otherwise specified, or unless the context makes it clear that it has a different meaning.

[0014] In the operation of the wireless communication system of this embodiment, existing technologies will be used as appropriate. However, such existing technologies include, for example, existing LTE (Long Term Evolution), but are not limited to existing LTE. Furthermore, the term "LTE" as used herein has a broad meaning that includes LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced and later technologies (for example, NR (New Radio)), unless otherwise specified.

[0015] In the embodiments described below, terms such as Synchronization Signal (SS), Primary SS (PSS), Secondary SS (SSS), Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), which are used in existing LTE systems, will be used. This is for convenience of description, and similar signals, functions, etc., may be called by other names. The above terms in NR may also be called SS, PSS, SSS, PBCH, PRACH, etc., without any particular distinction from LTE.

[0016] In this embodiment, the duplex scheme may be a time division duplex (TDD) scheme, a frequency division duplex (FDD) scheme, or any other scheme (for example, a flexible duplex).

[0017] In this embodiment, "configuring" wireless parameters means either pre-configuring predetermined values, or configuring wireless parameters notified by a base station or terminal.

[0018] Figure 1 is a diagram (1) showing an example of the configuration of the wireless communication system in this embodiment. The wireless communication system in this embodiment includes a base station 10 and a terminal 20, as shown in Figure 1. Although Figure 1 shows one base station 10 and one terminal 20, this is an example, and there may be multiple base stations 10 and terminals 20.

[0019] Base station 10 is a communication device that provides one or more cells and communicates wirelessly with terminal 20. The physical resources of the radio signal are defined in the time domain and the frequency domain, the time domain may be defined by the number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and the frequency domain may be defined by the number of subcarriers or resource blocks. Base station 10 transmits synchronization signals (SS) and system information (SI) to terminal 20. Synchronization signals (SS) are, for example, PSS and SSS. System information is transmitted, for example, via PBCH or PDSCH, and is also called broadcast information. Synchronization signals (SS) and system information (SI) may be called a synchronization signal block (SSB: SS / PBCH Block). As shown in Figure 1, base station 10 transmits control signals or data to terminal 20 on the downlink (DL) and receives control signals or data from terminal 20 on the uplink (UL). Both the base station 10 and the terminal 20 are capable of transmitting and receiving signals using beamforming. Furthermore, both the base station 10 and the terminal 20 are capable of applying Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) communication to DL or UL. Both the base station 10 and the terminal 20 may also communicate via secondary cells (SCell) and primary cells (PCell) using carrier aggregation (CA). Additionally, the terminal 20 may communicate via the PCell of base station 10 and the primary secondary cell group cell (PSCell) of other base stations 10 using dual connectivity (DC).

[0020] Terminal 20 is a communication device equipped with wireless communication capabilities, such as a smartphone, mobile phone, tablet, wearable device, or M2M (Machine-to-Machine) communication module. As shown in Figure 1, Terminal 20 receives control signals or data from the base station 10 via DL and transmits control signals or data to the base station 10 via UL, thereby utilizing various communication services provided by the wireless communication system. Terminal 20 also receives various reference signals transmitted from the base station 10 and performs propagation path (channel) quality measurement based on the reception results of said reference signals.

[0021] Figure 2 is a diagram (2) showing an example of the configuration of the wireless communication system in this embodiment.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2, terminal 20 communicates with base station 10A and base station 10B provided by the NR system (hereinafter, when base station 10A and base station 10B are not distinguished, they may be referred to as "base station 10"). Furthermore, terminal 20 supports NR-NR dual connectivity, i.e., NR-DC, with base station 10A as the master node (MN) and base station 10B as the secondary node (SN). Terminal 20 can simultaneously transmit or receive with base station 10A and base station 10B by simultaneously utilizing multiple component carriers (CCs) provided by base station 10A (master node) and base station 10B (secondary node).

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, terminal 20 may communicate with base station 10A provided by the LTE system and base station 10B provided by the NR system. Furthermore, terminal 20 may support LTE-NR dual connectivity, i.e., EN-DC, where base station 10A is the MN and base station 10B is the SN. Terminal 20 can simultaneously transmit or receive with base station 10A, the master node, and base station 10B, the secondary node, by simultaneously utilizing multiple CCs provided by base station 10A, the master node, and base station 10B, the secondary node.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, terminal 20 may communicate with base station 10A provided by the NR system and base station 10B provided by the LTE system. Furthermore, terminal 20 may support NR-LTE dual connectivity, i.e., NE (NR-E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network))-DC, where base station 10A is the MN and base station 10B is the SN. Terminal 20 can simultaneously transmit or receive with base station 10A, the master node, and base station 10B, the secondary node, by simultaneously utilizing multiple CCs provided by base station 10A, the master node, and base station 10B, the secondary node.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, terminal 20 may communicate with base station 10A and base station 10B provided by the NR system. Furthermore, terminal 20 may support NR-NR dual connectivity, i.e., NR-DC, where base station 10A is the MN and base station 10B is the SN. Terminal 20 can simultaneously transmit or receive with base station 10A, the master node, and base station 10B, the secondary node, by simultaneously utilizing multiple CCs provided by base station 10A, the master node, and base station 10B, the secondary node.

[0026] In this embodiment, terminal 20 may perform communication using one serving cell, or it may perform communication using multiple serving cells (for example, CA or DC). The processing operation in this embodiment may be performed with the system configuration shown in Figure 1, the system configuration shown in Figure 2, or any other system configuration.

[0027] In the following explanation, "multiple" and "multi" may be used interchangeably. For example, "multiple PDSCH / PUSCH" and "multi-PDSCH / PUSCH" may be synonymous. Similarly, "one," "single," and "single" may be used interchangeably. For example, "one PDSCH / PUSCH," "single PDSCH / PUSCH," and "single PDSCH / PUSCH" may be synonymous.

[0028] In the following explanation, "HARQ-ACK feedback," "HARQ-ACK information," "HARQ-ACK feedback information," "HARQ-ACK bits," and "feedback information" may be used interchangeably. "Type 1 HARQ-ACK CB," "Type 1 HARQ CB," "Type 1 HARQ-ACK feedback," and "Type 1 CB" may be used interchangeably. "Type 2 HARQ-ACK CB," "Type 2 HARQ CB," "Type 2 HARQ-ACK feedback," and "Type 2 CB" may be used interchangeably.

[0029] In the following explanation, parameter settings may generally refer to parameter settings via Radio Resource Control (RRC). "Higher-layer parameters," "RRC parameters," and "Information Elements (IE)" may be used interchangeably.

[0030] The following outlines the agreements regarding MCE in 3GPP Release 19.

[0031] The following support is specified for multi-cell PDSCH / PUSCH scheduling using a single DCI:

[0032] (1) Different subcarrier spacing (SCS) / carrier types between cells simultaneously scheduled by a single DCI.

[0033] (2) One or more PDSCH / PUSCH per cell scheduled by a single DCI.

[0034] (2-1) The maximum number of PDSCH / PUSCH per scheduled cell is 4 or 8.

[0035] (2-2) Type 1 HARQ-ACK CB will not be extended for multi-carrier scheduling in 3GPP Release 19.

[0036] (2-3) The maximum number of sub-CBs for Type 2 HARQ-ACK CBs will not be increased for multi-carrier scheduling in 3GPP Release 19.

[0037] (2-4) Terminal 20 is not intended to configure both single-cell multi-PDSCH / PUSCH scheduling and multi-cell multi-PDSCH / PUSCH in the same cell or different cells within the same PUCCH group.

[0038] (3) No new DCI format will be introduced.

[0039] Regarding the multi-carrier scheduling supported by MCE in 3GPP Release 18, 3GPP Release 19 will extend it in the respects of the agreements (1) and (2) above. For example, as indicated in agreement (1), in 3GPP Release 18, multiple cells that could be scheduled with a single DCI (e.g., DCI format 1_3 / 0_3) were all restricted to having the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) / carrier type. However, in 3GPP Release 19, this restriction will be relaxed, allowing for co-scheduling of cells with different subcarrier spacings (SCS) / carrier types.

[0040] Figure 3 illustrates the transmission timing of HARQ-ACK feedback in multi-carrier scheduling. As shown in Figure 3, a PUCCH containing information about HARQ feedback is transmitted at a time specified by the time (PDSCH-to-HARQ-timing) elapsed from the last scheduled PDSCH (last-scheduled PDSCH) among all cells (CC#0 to CC#3) in a multi-cell system.

[0041] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the processing time for a reference PDSCH. The description in Figure 4 is the same as that described in Section 5.3 of Non-Patent Document 5. The HARQ-ACK transmission timing is such that the last scheduled PDSCH (last ending PDSCH) is used as the reference PDSCH, and the HARQ-ACK is transmitted on the PUCCH after the processing time (Tproc,1) calculated using the reference PDSCH has elapsed. This processing time is set by PDSCH-to-HARQ-timing. Furthermore, the value of the variable N1 that determines the processing time (Tproc,1) will be different depending on the subcarrier interval (SCS) of the reference PDSCH.

[0042] Therefore, in multi-carrier scheduling in 3GPP Rel-19, if different SCSs / carrier types exist within a co-scheduled cell scheduled from a single DCI format 0_3 / 1_3, the last-ending PDSCH does not necessarily have the largest processing time (Tproc,1); rather, the smaller the SCS, the larger the processing time (Tproc,1).

[0043] In other words, there are cases where it is inappropriate to use the last-ending PDSCH as the reference PDSCH.

[0044] In multi-carrier scheduling, there are the following three cases (Case A to Case C) for the last scheduled PDSCH.

[0045] Figure 5 is a diagram (Case A) for explaining the last scheduled PDSCH in multi-carrier scheduling. As shown in Figure 5, in Case A, when the PDSCH with the minimum SCS is the last one scheduled within the co-scheduled cell, the reference PDSCH can be set to the last scheduled PDSCH with the minimum SCS.

[0046] Figure 6 is a diagram (Case B) for explaining the last scheduled PDSCH in multi-carrier scheduling. As shown in Figure 6, in Case B, when the PDSCH that is not the minimum SCS is the last one scheduled within the co-scheduled cell, the reference PDSCH cannot be set to the last scheduled PDSCH with the minimum SCS. Here, when multiple PDSCHs are the last scheduled PDSCH within the co-scheduled cell, if the PDSCH with the minimum SCS is not included in the multiple PDSCHs, it is also included in Case B.

[0047] Figure 6 is a diagram (Case C) for explaining the last scheduled PDSCH in multi-carrier scheduling. As shown in Figure 6, in Case C, when multiple PDSCHs are the last scheduled PDSCH within the co-scheduled cell and the PDSCH with the minimum SCS is included in the multiple PDSCHs, the reference PDSCH can be set to the PDSCH with the minimum SCS among the multiple PDSCHs.

[0048] The following describes a method for appropriately setting the reference PDSCH in multi-carrier scheduling. Here, the PDSCH (downlink data channel) may be replaced with the PUSCH (uplink data channel). Also, "DCI 1_3" and "DCI 0_3", "DCI 1_1" and "DCI 0_1" may be read as each other. Also, "Cell", "CC", and "entry" may be read as each other. Also, "network (NW)" and "base station 10" may be read as each other. Also, "(set by NW)" may be read as "configured by RRC", "activated / deactivated / updated by MAC-CE", and "indicated by DCI", etc. Also, a plurality of methods shown below may be used in combination.

[0049] (Method 1) The base station 10 and the terminal 20 may assume that a reference PDSCH that determines the timing (HARQ-ACK timing) for transmitting HARQ-ACK is determined by the method shown below. The terminal 20 may transmit HARQ-ACK to the base station 10 at the timing calculated based on the determined reference PDSCH.

[0050] For example, in a plurality of cells in multi-cell scheduling, the terminal 20 determines a reference downlink data channel based on the subcarrier spacing and the time of the last scheduled downlink data channel in each cell, and based on the transmission timing of HARQ-ACK determined by the reference downlink data channel, may transmit the HARQ-ACK to the base station 10.

[0051] (Method 1-1) Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the method for determining the reference PDSCH in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the base station 10 and terminal 20 may assume that the reference PDSCH is determined by considering the value of the processing time (Tproc,1) of each cell within the joint scheduling cell. For example, the base station 10 and terminal 20 may determine the reference PDSCH as the PDSCH whose processing time (Tproc,1) is latest (last on the time axis) when each PDSCH in each cell has finished, or when the processing time (Tproc,1) of each PDSCH has finished in each cell.

[0052] (Method 1-2) The base station 10 and terminal 20 may determine the reference PDSCH based on the operation according to the existing specification (Rel-18) if certain preconditions are met. For example, as shown in Case A in Figure 5, the base station 10 and terminal 20 may determine the PDSCH of the smallest SCS as the reference PDSCH if the last scheduled PDSCH and the PDSCH of the smallest SCS are the same, or as shown in Case C in Figure 7, if the last scheduled PDSCH(s) in the joint scheduling cell includes the PDSCH with the smallest SCS (in the joint scheduling cell). In such cases, the processing according to Method 1-1 may be omitted, and the PDSCH of the smallest SCS may be determined as the reference PDSCH.

[0053] (Method 1-3) The base station 10 and terminal 20 may determine the reference PDSCH by performing a specified operation based on the operation according to the existing specification (Rel-18) when certain preconditions are met. For example, it may be assumed that the processing according to Method 1-1 will be performed when the ending last PDSCH and the PDSCH of the smallest SCS are different.

[0054] (Method 1-4) The base station 10 and terminal 20 may assume that they do not calculate the processing time (Tproc.1) for all carriers / cells (CC) when certain conditions are met. For example, if the number of scheduled PDSCHs between co-scheduled cells differs by a certain amount, the base station 10 and terminal 20 may narrow down the candidates for the reference PDSCH, that is, select a candidate PDSCH, and calculate the processing time (Tproc.1) for the selected candidate PDSCH. For example, it may be selected as the candidate for the last scheduled PDSCH in a cell with four or more PDSCHs.

[0055] The above method allows for the appropriate setting of the reference PDSCH in multi-carrier scheduling. <Device Configuration> An example of the functional configuration of the base station 10 and terminal 20 that perform the processes and operations described above will be explained. The base station 10 and terminal 20 include functions to implement the above-described embodiment. However, the base station 10 and terminal 20 may each have only some of the functions in the embodiment. <Base Station> Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the base station in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, the base station 10 has a transmitting unit 110, a receiving unit 120, a setting unit 130, and a control unit 140. The functional configuration shown in Figure 9 is just one example. The names of the functional categories and functional units can be anything as long as they can perform the operations according to this embodiment.

[0056] The transmitting unit 110 includes the function of generating a signal to be transmitted to the terminal 20 and transmitting the signal wirelessly. The receiving unit 120 includes the function of receiving various signals transmitted from the terminal 20 and obtaining, for example, information of a higher layer from the received signal. The receiving unit 120 receives capability information related to time-domain HARQ bundling for type 1 / 2 HARQ CB from the terminal 20. The transmitting unit 110 also has the function of transmitting PSS, SSS, PBCH, DL / UL control signals, etc. to the terminal 20. The receiving unit 120 also receives inter-network node messages from other network nodes.

[0057] The setting unit 130 stores pre-set setting information and various setting information to be transmitted to the terminal 20. The content of the setting information includes, for example, information related to measurements in low-power signals.

[0058] As described in the embodiment, the control unit 140 performs control related to setting, instructing, and notifying about HARQ-ACK feedback / HARQ-ACK bundling. The signal transmission function unit of the control unit 140 may be included in the transmission unit 110, and the signal reception function unit of the control unit 140 may be included in the reception unit 120. <Terminal> Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a terminal in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, the terminal 20 has a transmission unit 210, a reception unit 220, a setting unit 230, and a control unit 240. The functional configuration shown in Figure 10 is merely an example. Any name for the functional divisions and functional units is acceptable as long as they can perform the operations according to this embodiment. The transmission unit 210 and the reception unit 220 may be collectively referred to as the communication unit.

[0059] The transmitting unit 210 creates a transmission signal from the transmission data and transmits the transmission signal wirelessly. The transmitting unit 210 transmits capability information related to time-domain HARQ bundling for Type 1 / 2 HARQ CB to the base station 10. The transmitting unit 210 transmits feedback information such as HARQ-ACK information generated and bundled by the control unit 240. The transmitting unit 210 transmits PUSCH and the like based on the wireless resources identified by the control unit 240. The receiving unit 220 wirelessly receives various signals and acquires signals from higher layers from the received physical layer signals. The receiving unit 220 has the function of receiving PSS, SSS, PBCH, DL / UL / SL control signals, etc. transmitted from the base station 10. The receiving unit 220 receives setting information, instructions, and notifications related to HARQ-ACK feedback / HARQ-ACK bundling from the base station 10. The receiving unit 220 receives PDSCH and other information based on the radio resources identified by the control unit 240. The setting unit 230 stores various setting information received from the base station 10 by the receiving unit 220. The setting unit 230 also stores various pre-configured setting information.

[0060] As described in the embodiment, the control unit 240 performs control related to settings, instructions, and notifications regarding HARQ-ACK feedback / HARQ-ACK bundling. The control unit 240 generates feedback information such as HARQ-ACK information. The control unit 240 bundles the feedback information such as HARQ-ACK information. The control unit 240 identifies wireless resources based on setting information related to the TDRA table. The signal transmission function unit in the control unit 240 may be included in the transmission unit 210, and the signal reception function unit in the control unit 240 may be included in the reception unit 220. <Hardware Configuration> The block diagrams (Figures 9 and 10) used in the description of the above embodiment show functional units. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. In other words, each functional block may be implemented using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or it may be implemented using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wired or wireless connections). The functional block may also be implemented by combining the one or more devices with software.

[0061] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, decision, judgment, calculation, calculation, processing, derivation, investigation, exploration, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, assumption, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating (mapping), and assigning. For example, a functional block (configuration part) that enables transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. In all cases, as mentioned above, the method of implementation is not particularly limited.

[0062] Figure 11 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a base station and a terminal in this embodiment. For example, the base station 10 and terminal 20 in this embodiment may function as computers that process the wireless communication method of this embodiment. The base station 10 and terminal 20 described above may be physically configured as computer devices including a processor 1001, a storage device 1002, an auxiliary storage device 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, etc.

[0063] In the following explanation, the term "device" can be read as "circuit," "device," "unit," etc. The hardware configuration of the base station 10 and terminal 20 may include one or more of the devices shown in Figure 11, or it may be configured without some of the devices.

[0064] Each function in the base station 10 and terminal 20 is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and storage device 1002, which allows the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 1004, and control at least one of data reading and writing in the storage device 1002 and auxiliary storage device 1003.

[0065] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer, for example, by running an operating system (OS). The processor 1001 may consist of a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, control devices, arithmetic units, registers, etc. For example, the control unit 140, control unit 240, etc., described above may be implemented by the processor 1001.

[0066] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program code), software modules, or data from at least one of the auxiliary storage device 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the storage device 1002, and executes various processes accordingly. The program used is one that causes the computer to execute at least a part of the operations described in the above embodiment. For example, the control unit 140 of the base station 10 shown in Figure 9 may be implemented by a control program stored in the storage device 1002 and operated by the processor 1001. Also, for example, the control unit 240 of the terminal 20 shown in Figure 10 may be implemented by a control program stored in the storage device 1002 and operated by the processor 1001. Although the above-described processes have been explained as being executed by one processor 1001, they may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The program may also be transmitted from the network via a telecommunications line.

[0067] The storage device 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage device 1002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory, etc. The storage device 1002 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc., for implementing a communication method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0068] The auxiliary storage device 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital multipurpose disk, a Blu-ray® disk), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. The above-mentioned storage medium may also be a database, server, or other suitable medium that includes at least one of the storage device 1002 and the auxiliary storage device 1003.

[0069] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmitting / receiving device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc. The communication device 1004 may be configured to include, for example, a high-frequency switch, duplexer, filter, frequency synthesizer, etc., in order to implement at least one of FDD and TDD. For example, the transmitting / receiving antenna, amplifier section, transmitting / receiving section, transmission path interface, etc., may be implemented by the communication device 1004. The transmitting / receiving section may be implemented in a physically or logically separated manner, with a transmitting section and a receiving section.

[0070] The input device 1005 is an input device that accepts input from an external source (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, microphone, switch, button, sensor, etc.). The output device 1006 is an output device that outputs to an external source (e.g., a display, speaker, LED (Light-Emitting Diode) lamp, etc.). The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be configured as an integrated unit (e.g., a touch panel).

[0071] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and the storage device 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be configured for each device.

[0072] Furthermore, the base station 10 and terminal 20 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and some or all of each functional block may be realized by such hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware components.

[0073] Figure 12 shows an example of the configuration of a vehicle in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 12, the vehicle 2001 includes a drive unit 2002, a steering unit 2003, an accelerator pedal 2004, a brake pedal 2005, a shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, an axle 2009, an electronic control unit 2010, various sensors 2021 to 2029, an information service unit 2012, and a communication module 2013. Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be applied to a communication device mounted on the vehicle 2001, for example, to the communication module 2013.

[0074] The drive unit 2002 consists of, for example, an engine, a motor, or a hybrid of an engine and a motor. The steering unit 2003 includes at least a steering wheel (also called a handle) and is configured to steer at least one of the front wheels and the rear wheels based on the operation of the steering wheel, which is operated by the user.

[0075] The electronic control unit 2010 consists of a microprocessor 2031, memory (ROM, RAM) 2032, and communication ports (I / O (Input / Output) ports) 2033. Signals from various sensors 2021 to 2029 installed in the vehicle 2001 are input to the electronic control unit 2010. The electronic control unit 2010 may also be called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0076] Signals from various sensors 2021 to 2029 include current signals from current sensor 2021 for sensing motor current, front or rear wheel rotation speed signals acquired by rotation speed sensor 2022, front or rear wheel air pressure signals acquired by air pressure sensor 2023, vehicle speed signals acquired by vehicle speed sensor 2024, acceleration signals acquired by acceleration sensor 2025, accelerator pedal depression signals acquired by accelerator pedal sensor 2029, brake pedal depression signals acquired by brake pedal sensor 2026, shift lever operation signals acquired by shift lever sensor 2027, and detection signals acquired by object detection sensor 2028 for detecting obstacles, vehicles, pedestrians, etc.

[0077] The Information Service Unit 2012 consists of various devices for providing (outputting) various types of information such as driving information, traffic information, and entertainment information, including a car navigation system, audio system, speakers, television, and radio, and one or more ECUs that control these devices. The Information Service Unit 2012 uses information acquired from external devices via a communication module 2013, etc., to provide various multimedia information and multimedia services to the occupants of the vehicle 2001. The Information Service Unit 2012 may include input devices that accept input from the outside (e.g., keyboard, mouse, microphone, switch, button, sensor, touch panel, etc.) and output devices that perform output to the outside (e.g., display, speaker, LED lamp, touch panel, etc.).

[0078] The driver assistance system unit 2030 consists of various devices that provide functions to prevent accidents or reduce the driver's workload, such as millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), cameras, positioning locators (e.g., GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)), map information (e.g., high-definition (HD) maps, autonomous vehicle (AV) maps), gyro systems (e.g., IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), INS (Inertial Navigation System)), AI (Artificial Intelligence) chips, and AI processors, as well as one or more ECUs that control these devices. The driver assistance system unit 2030 also transmits and receives various information via the communication module 2013 to realize driver assistance functions or autonomous driving functions.

[0079] The communication module 2013 can communicate with the microprocessor 2031 and components of the vehicle 2001 via its communication port. For example, the communication module 2013 sends and receives data via the communication port 2033 between the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, axle 2009, the microprocessor 2031 and memory (ROM, RAM) 2032 in the electronic control unit 2010, and sensors 2021-29 provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0080] The communication module 2013 is a communication device that can be controlled by the microprocessor 2031 of the electronic control unit 2010 and can communicate with external devices. For example, it can send and receive various types of information with external devices via wireless communication. The communication module 2013 may be located either inside or outside the electronic control unit 2010. The external device may be, for example, a base station or a mobile station.

[0081] The communication module 2013 may transmit at least one of the following to an external device via wireless communication: signals from the various sensors 2021-2028 input to the electronic control unit 2010, information obtained based on said signals, and information based on input from an external source (user) obtained via the information service unit 2012. The electronic control unit 2010, the various sensors 2021-2028, the information service unit 2012, etc., may also be called input units that accept input. For example, the PUSCH transmitted by the communication module 2013 may include the information based on the above input.

[0082] The communication module 2013 receives various information (traffic information, signal information, inter-vehicle information, etc.) transmitted from an external device and displays it on the information service unit 2012 provided in the vehicle 2001. The information service unit 2012 may also be called an output unit, which outputs information (for example, outputs information to devices such as displays and speakers based on the PDSCH (or data / information decoded from the PDSCH) received by the communication module 2013). The communication module 2013 also stores the various information received from the external device in a memory 2032 that can be used by the microprocessor 2031. Based on the information stored in the memory 2032, the microprocessor 2031 may control the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, axles 2009, sensors 2021-2029, etc., provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0083] For example, embodiments of the present invention are as follows: <1> A terminal having: a control unit that determines a reference downlink data channel in a plurality of cells in multicell scheduling based on the subcarrier interval and the time of the last scheduled downlink data channel in each cell; and a transmission unit that transmits the HARQ-ACK (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest-Acknowledgement) to a base station based on the transmission timing of the HARQ-ACK determined by the reference downlink data channel. <2> The terminal according to <1>, wherein the control unit determines the downlink data channel with the latest time obtained by adding the processing time of the downlink data channel, which is determined based on the subcarrier interval, to the time of the downlink data channel as the reference downlink data channel. <3> The terminal according to <1>, wherein the control unit determines the last scheduled downlink data channel as the reference downlink data channel when the subcarrier interval for the last scheduled downlink data channel in the plurality of cells is the smallest in the plurality of cells. <4> The terminal according to <1>, wherein if the subcarrier interval for the last scheduled downlink data channel in the plurality of cells is not the smallest in the plurality of cells, the control unit determines the downlink data channel with the latest time obtained by adding the processing time of the downlink data channel determined based on the subcarrier interval to the time of the downlink data channel as the reference downlink data channel. <5> The terminal according to <1>, wherein the control unit calculates the processing time only for the last scheduled downlink data channel in a cell where the number of scheduled downlink data channels is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, and designates this as a candidate for the reference downlink data channel.<6> A communication method performed by a terminal having the steps of: determining a reference downlink data channel in each cell within a plurality of cells in multi-cell scheduling based on the subcarrier interval and the time of the last scheduled downlink data channel; and transmitting the HARQ-ACK (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest-Acknowledgement) to a base station based on the transmission timing of the HARQ-ACK determined by the reference downlink data channel.

[0084] In any of the above configurations, the reference PDSCH can be appropriately set in multi-carrier scheduling. <Supplement to Embodiments> Although this embodiment has been described above, the disclosed invention is not limited to such embodiments, and those skilled in the art will understand various modifications, alterations, alternatives, substitutions, etc. Specific numerical examples have been used to facilitate understanding of the invention, but unless otherwise specified, these numerical values ​​are merely examples, and any appropriate values ​​may be used. The division of items in the above description is not essential to the present invention, and matters described in two or more items may be combined as needed, and matters described in one item may be applied to matters described in another item (as long as they do not contradict each other). The boundaries of functional units or processing units in the functional block diagram do not necessarily correspond to the boundaries of physical parts. The operation of multiple functional units may be physically performed by one part, or the operation of one functional unit may be physically performed by multiple parts. The processing procedures described in the embodiments may be rearranged as long as they do not contradict each other. For the convenience of explaining the process, the base station 10 and terminal 20 have been described using functional block diagrams, but such devices may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The software operated by the processor of the base station 10 and the software operated by the processor of the terminal 20 according to this embodiment may be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), EPROM, EEPROM, registers, hard disk (HDD), removable disk, CD-ROM, database, server, or any other suitable storage medium.

[0085] Furthermore, notification of information is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be performed by other methods. For example, notification of information may be performed by physical layer signaling (e.g., DCI, UCI (Uplink Control Information)), higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling, MAC signaling), broadcast information (MIB (Master Information Block), SIB (System Information Block)), other signals, or combinations thereof. Information notified by higher layer signaling may be called configuration information. Information notified by physical layer signaling may be called control information. Also, RRC signaling may be called RRC messages, and may be, for example, RRC Connection Setup messages, RRC Connection Reconfiguration messages, etc.

[0086] Each aspect / embodiment described herein may be applied to at least one of systems utilizing LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR, W-CDMA®, GSM®, CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 (Wi-Fi®), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX®), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth®, and other appropriate systems, as well as next-generation systems extended based thereon. Furthermore, multiple systems may be applied in combination (for example, a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A and 5G).

[0087] The processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., of each aspect / embodiment described herein may be reordered, provided they are consistent with each other. For example, the methods described herein present various step elements in an exemplary order and are not limited to that specific order.

[0088] In this specification, specific operations performed by the base station 10 may, in some cases, be performed by its upper node. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having a base station 10, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with the terminal 20 can be performed by the base station 10 and at least one of the other network nodes (for example, an MME (Mobility Management Entity) or an S-GW (Serving Gateway), but not limited to these). Although the above example illustrates a case where there is one other network node besides the base station 10, the other network node may be a combination of multiple other network nodes (for example, an MME and an S-GW).

[0089] The information or signals described in this disclosure may be output from a higher layer (or lower layer) to a lower layer (or higher layer). They may also be input and output via multiple network nodes.

[0090] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or appended to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be transmitted to other devices.

[0091] The determination in this disclosure may be made by a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), by a Boolean value (true or false), or by a numerical comparison (for example, a comparison with a predetermined value).

[0092] Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, and so on, whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or by any other name.

[0093] Furthermore, software, instructions, information, etc., may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) and wireless technologies (such as infrared or microwave), then at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included in the definition of a transmission medium.

[0094] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of the various different techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0095] Furthermore, terms used in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of the channel and symbol may be a signal (signaling). Also, the signal may be a message. Also, CC may be called carrier frequency, cell, frequency carrier, etc.

[0096] The terms “system” and “network” as used in this disclosure are interchangeable.

[0097] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc., described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a given value, or other corresponding information. For example, wireless resources may be indicated by an index.

[0098] The names used for the parameters described above are not restrictive in any way. Furthermore, the formulas and other expressions using these parameters may differ from those expressly disclosed in this disclosure. Various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements can be identified by any suitable name, and therefore, the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not restrictive in any way.

[0099] In this disclosure, terms such as "Base Station (BS)", "wireless base station", "base station equipment", "fixed station", "NodeB", "eNodeB (eNB)", "gNodeB (gNB)", "access point", "transmission point", "reception point", "transmission / reception point", "cell", "sector", "cell group", "carrier", and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. Base stations may also be referred to by terms such as macrocell, small cell, femtocell, and picocell.

[0100] A base station can house one or more (e.g., three) cells. If a base station houses multiple cells, the entire coverage area of ​​the base station can be divided into several smaller areas, each of which may also be provided with communication services by a base station subsystem (e.g., a Remote Radio Head (RRH)). The terms “cell” or “sector” refer to part or all of the coverage area of ​​at least one of the base station and / or base station subsystems that provide communication services in that coverage.

[0101] In this disclosure, the transmission of information by a base station to a terminal may be interpreted as the base station instructing the terminal to perform control or operation based on the information.

[0102] In this disclosure, terms such as "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

[0103] A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or several other appropriate terms.

[0104] At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be called a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may also be a device mounted on a mobile body, the mobile body itself, etc. The mobile body refers to a movable object, and its speed of movement is arbitrary. This also includes the case when the mobile body is stationary. The mobile body includes, but is not limited to, vehicles, transport vehicles, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, connected cars, excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, dump trucks, forklifts, trains, buses, handcarts, rickshaws, ships and other watercraft, airplanes, rockets, satellites, drones (registered trademark), multicopters, quadcopters, balloons, and items mounted on them. The mobile body may also be a mobile body that moves autonomously based on operation commands. It may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned mobile body (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). Furthermore, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may include devices that do not necessarily move during communication operations. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an IoT (Internet of Things) device such as a sensor.

[0105] Furthermore, the term "base station" in this disclosure may be interpreted as "user terminal." For example, the various aspects / embodiments of this disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a user terminal is replaced with communication between multiple terminals 20 (which may be called, for example, D2D (Device-to-Device), V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything), etc.). In such a case, the terminals 20 may have the functions that the base station 10 has. Also, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be interpreted as terms corresponding to terminal-to-terminal communication (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., may be interpreted as side channel.

[0106] Similarly, the term "user terminal" in this disclosure may be replaced with "base station." In such a case, the base station may be configured to have the functions that the user terminal has.

[0107] As used in this disclosure, the terms “determining” and “determining” may encompass a wide variety of actions. “Determining” may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, or inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), or ascertaining. “Determining” may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), inputting, outputting, or accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory). Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after some action. Also, "judgment (decision)" can be reinterpreted as "assuming," "expecting," or "considering."

[0108] The terms “connected,” “coupled,” and any variations thereof mean any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are “connected” or “coupled” with each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, “connection” may be reinterpreted as “access.” As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be “connected” or “coupled” with each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, and, in some non-limiting and non-exclusive examples, electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency domain, microwave domain, and optical (both visible and invisible) domain.

[0109] The reference signal can also be abbreviated as RS (Reference Signal), and may be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

[0110] In this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based solely on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based solely on" and "based at least on."

[0111] Any reference to elements using the designations “first,” “second,” etc., as used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Accordingly, references to the first and second elements do not imply that only two elements may be employed, or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0112] In the configuration of each of the above devices, "means" may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0113] Where the terms “include,” “including,” and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term “comprising.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure is not intended to mean exclusive OR.

[0114] A wireless frame may consist of one or more frames in the time domain. Each of these frames in the time domain may be called a subframe. A subframe may further consist of one or more slots in the time domain. A subframe may have a fixed time length (e.g., 1 ms) that is independent of numerology.

[0115] Numerical logic may be communication parameters applied to at least one of the transmission and reception of a signal or channel. Numerical logic may include, for example, at least one of the following: subcarrier spacing (SCS), bandwidth, symbol length, cyclic prefix length, transmission time interval (TTI), number of symbols per TTI, radio frame configuration, specific filtering processes performed by the transceiver in the frequency domain, and specific windowing processes performed by the transceiver in the time domain.

[0116] A slot may consist of one or more symbols in the time domain (such as OFDM symbols or SC-FDMA (Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access) symbols). A slot may also be a time unit based on neurology.

[0117] A slot may include multiple minislots. Each minislot may consist of one or more symbols in the time domain. Minislots may also be called subslots. Minislots may consist of fewer symbols than a slot. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted in a time unit larger than a minislot may be called a PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type A. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted using a minislot may be called a PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type B.

[0118] Wireless frames, subframes, slots, minislots, and symbols all represent units of time when transmitting a signal. Different names may be used for each of these terms.

[0119] For example, one subframe may be called a transmission time interval (TTI), multiple consecutive subframes may be called a TTI, or one slot or one minislot may be called a TTI. In other words, at least one of a subframe and a TTI may be a subframe in existing LTE (1 millisecond (ms)), a period shorter than 1 ms (e.g., 1-13 symbols), or a period longer than 1 ms. Note that the unit representing the TTI may be called a slot, minislot, etc., instead of a subframe.

[0120] Here, TTI refers to, for example, the smallest time unit for scheduling in wireless communication. For example, in an LTE system, the base station schedules each terminal 20 to allocate wireless resources (such as the frequency bandwidth and transmission power available to each terminal 20) in TTI units. However, the definition of TTI is not limited to this.

[0121] TTI may be a transmission time unit for channel-encoded data packets (transport blocks), code blocks, code words, etc., or it may be a processing unit for scheduling, link adaptation, etc. When a TTI is given, the actual time interval (e.g., number of symbols) in which the transport block, code block, code word, etc. are mapped may be shorter than the TTI.

[0122] Furthermore, if one slot or one mini-slot is referred to as a TTI, then one or more TTIs (i.e., one or more slots or one or more mini-slots) may constitute the minimum time unit for scheduling. In addition, the number of slots (number of mini-slots) that constitute this minimum time unit for scheduling may be controlled.

[0123] A TTI with a time length of 1 ms may be called a normal TTI (TTI in LTE Release 8-12), a normal TTI, a long TTI, a normal subframe, a long subframe, a slot, etc. A TTI shorter than a normal TTI may be called a shortened TTI, a short TTI, a partial or fractional TTI, a shortened subframe, a short subframe, a mini slot, a sub slot, a slot, etc.

[0124] Furthermore, long TTIs (e.g., normal TTIs, subframes, etc.) may be interpreted as TTIs with a time length exceeding 1 ms, and short TTIs (e.g., shortened TTIs, etc.) may be interpreted as TTIs with a TTI length less than that of a long TTI but 1 ms or more.

[0125] A resource block (RB) is a resource allocation unit in the time domain and frequency domain, and in the frequency domain, it may contain one or more consecutive subcarriers. The number of subcarriers in an RB may be the same regardless of the neurology, for example, 12. The number of subcarriers in an RB may be determined based on the neurology.

[0126] Furthermore, the time domain of the RB may contain one or more symbols and may be the length of one slot, one minislot, one subframe, or one TTI. One TTI, one subframe, etc., may each consist of one or more resource blocks.

[0127] One or more RBs may also be called a Physical RB (PRB), Subcarrier Group (SCG), Resource Element Group (REG), PRB pair, RB pair, etc.

[0128] Furthermore, a resource block may consist of one or more resource elements (REs). For example, one RE may be a radio resource area comprising one subcarrier and one symbol.

[0129] A Bandwidth Part (BWP), also known as a partial bandwidth, may represent a subset of consecutive common RBs (RBs) for a given neurology in a given carrier. Here, the common RBs may be identified by an index of RBs relative to a common reference point of the carrier. The PRBs may be defined and numbered within a given BWP.

[0130] A BWP may include a BWP for UL (UL BWP) and a BWP for DL ​​(DL BWP). One or more BWPs may be set within a single carrier for a UE.

[0131] At least one of the configured BWPs may be active, and the UE does not need to assume that it will transmit or receive a predetermined signal / channel outside of the active BWP. In this disclosure, terms such as "cell" and "carrier" may be read as "BWP".

[0132] The structures described above, such as wireless frames, subframes, slots, minislots, and symbols, are merely illustrative. For example, the number of subframes included in a wireless frame, the number of slots per subframe or wireless frame, the number of minislots included in a slot, the number of symbols and RBs included in a slot or minislot, the number of subcarriers included in an RB, and the number of symbols, symbol length, and cyclic prefix (CP) length within the TTI can be varied in various ways.

[0133] In this disclosure, if articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include the fact that the noun following these articles is plural.

[0134] In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combine" may be interpreted similarly to "different."

[0135] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used individually, in combination, or switched between as needed during implementation. Furthermore, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is") is not limited to explicit notification, but may also be implicit (e.g., by not providing such notification).

[0136] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the intent and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the descriptions in the present disclosure are illustrative and not intended to be restrictive in any way.

[0137] This patent application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-196086, filed on November 8, 2024, and the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-196086 are incorporated herein by reference.

[0138] 10 Base station 110 Transmitting unit 120 Receiving unit 130 Setting unit 140 Control unit 20 Terminal 210 Transmitting unit 220 Receiving unit 230 Setting unit 240 Control unit 1001 Processor 1002 Storage device 1003 Auxiliary storage device 1004 Communication device 1005 Input device 1006 Output device 2001 Vehicle 2002 Drive unit 2003 Steering unit 2004 Accelerator pedal 2005 Brake pedal 2006 Shift lever 2007 Front wheel 2008 Rear wheel 2009 Axle 2010 Electronic control unit 2012 Information service unit 2013 Communication module 2021 Current sensor 2022 Rotation speed sensor 2023 Air pressure sensor 2024 Vehicle speed sensor 2025 Acceleration sensor 2026 Brake pedal sensor 2027 Shift lever sensor 2028 Object detection sensor 2029 Accelerator pedal sensor 2030 Driver assistance system unit 2031 Microprocessor 2032 Memory (ROM, RAM) 2033 Communication port (I / O port)

Claims

1. A terminal having: a control unit that determines a reference downlink data channel in multiple cells in a multi-cell scheduling configuration based on the subcarrier interval and the time of the last scheduled downlink data channel in each cell; and a transmission unit that transmits a HARQ-ACK (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest-Acknowledgement) to a base station based on the transmission timing of the HARQ-ACK determined by the reference downlink data channel.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the reference downlink data channel to be the downlink data channel whose processing time, determined based on the subcarrier interval, is latest when the processing time of the downlink data channel is added to the time of the downlink data channel.

3. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the last scheduled downlink data channel to be the reference downlink data channel if the subcarrier interval for the last scheduled downlink data channel among the plurality of cells is the smallest among the plurality of cells.

4. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein, if the subcarrier interval for the last scheduled downlink data channel among the plurality of cells is not the smallest among the plurality of cells, the control unit determines the downlink data channel with the latest time obtained by adding the processing time of the downlink data channel, which is determined based on the subcarrier interval, to the time of the downlink data channel, as the reference downlink data channel.

5. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control unit calculates the processing time only for the last scheduled downlink data channel in a cell where the number of scheduled downlink data channels is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, and designates it as a candidate for the reference downlink data channel.

6. A communication method performed by a terminal having the steps of: determining a reference downlink data channel in multiple cells in a multi-cell scheduling, based on the subcarrier interval and the time of the last scheduled downlink data channel in each cell; and transmitting a HARQ-ACK (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest-Acknowledgement) to a base station based on the transmission timing of the HARQ-ACK determined by the reference downlink data channel.

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