Dynamic downlink rate matching with repetitions

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to dynamic downlink rate matching with repetitions A method comprises receiving, from a second apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; and receiving the set of downlink repetitions from the second apparatus based on the configuration.

Description

DYNAMIC DOWNLINK RATE MATCHING WITH REPETITIONSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority from, and the benefit of, US Provisional Application No.63 / 749373, filed January 24, 2025, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD

[0002] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunication and in particular, to methods, devices, apparatuses and computer readable storage medium for dynamic downlink rate matching with repetitions.BACKGROUND

[0003] Low-Power Wide Area (LPWA) communication technologies play an important role in modern communication systems by enabling efficient connectivity for Internet of Things (loT) devices with minimal power consumption. LPWA devices are designed with low complexity and cost, extended battery life, and enhanced coverage, making LPWA technologies ideal for applications with infrequent data transmissions and small payloads. The low data throughput requirements and tolerance to delay allow reliable operation in challenging environments, including deep indoor and remote locations.

[0004] Although LPWA communication technologies provide significant advantages, optimizing resource allocation and managing data transmissions under varying network conditions remain challenging. Developing advanced techniques to improve efficiency and adaptability is essential to further enhance the performance of LPWA systems.SUMMARY

[0005] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to: receive, from a second apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; and receive the set of downlink repetitions from the second apparatus based on the configuration.

[0006] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a second apparatus. The second apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to: transmit, to a first apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a setof downlink repetitions; and transmit the set of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus based on the configuration.

[0007] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method. The method comprises: receiving, from a second apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; and receiving the set of downlink repetitions from the second apparatus based on the configuration.

[0008] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method. The method comprises: transmitting, to a first apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; and transmitting the set of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus based on the configuration.

[0009] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a second apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; and means for receiving the set of downlink repetitions from the second apparatus based on the configuration.

[0010] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a second apparatus. The second apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to a first apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; and means for transmitting the set of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus based on the configuration.

[0011] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the third aspect.

[0012] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0013] It is to be understood that the Summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, where:

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a transmission of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) repetitions for coverage enhancement in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates PDSCH repetitions overlapping with control resource set (CORESET) in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG. 4A illustrates a rate matching method in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 4B illustrates a rate matching method to PDSCH in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG. 5 illustrates a signaling flow for dynamic PDSCH rate matching in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG. 6 illustrates two DMRS sequences in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 7 illustrates a signaling flow for dynamic PDSCH rate matching in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 8 illustrates a signaling flow for dynamic PDSCH rate matching in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 9 illustrates a signaling flow for dynamic PDSCH rate matching in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a first apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a second apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 12 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0028] FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure,without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Embodiments described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

[0031] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0032] References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0033] It shall be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,”..., etc. in front of noun(s) and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another and they do not limit the order of the noun(s). For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0034] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0035] As used herein, unless stated explicitly, performing a step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs and one or more intervening steps may be included.

[0036] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “has”, “having”, “includes” and / or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0037] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry) and(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable):(i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and(ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0038] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0039] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-loT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, the sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

[0040] As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU),a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (I AB) node, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-ground network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology. In some example embodiments, radio access network (RAN) split architecture comprises a Centralized Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. An IAB node comprises a Mobile Terminal (IAB-MT) part that behaves like a UE toward the parent node, and a DU part of an IAB node behaves like a base station toward the next-hop IAB node.

[0041] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. The terminal device may also correspond to a Mobile Termination (MT) part of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms “terminal device”, “communication device”, “terminal”, “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0042] As used herein, the term “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” may refer to any resource for performing a communication, for example, a communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as a resource in time domain, a resource in frequency domain, a resource in space domain, a resource in code domain, or any other combination of the time, frequency, space and / or code domain resource enabling a communication, and the like. In the following, unless explicitly stated, a resource in both frequency domain and time domain will be used as an example of a transmission resource for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It is noted that example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0043] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example communication environment 100 inwhich example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. In the communication environment 100, a plurality of communication devices, including a terminal device 110, and a network device 120 which may communicate with each other.

[0044] In the example of FIG. 1, the terminal device 110 may be a UE and a network device 120 may be a base station serving the UE. The serving area of the network device 120 may be called a cell. The network device 120 is operating in a radio access network (RAN) and thus is also referred to as a RAN network device.

[0045] It is to be understood that the number of devices and their connections shown in FIG. 1 are only for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitation. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it would be appreciated that one or more additional devices may be located in the cell 102, and one or more additional cells may be deployed in the communication environment 100. It is noted that although illustrated as a network device, the network device 120 may be another device than a network device. Although illustrated as a terminal device, the terminal device 110 may be another device than a terminal device.

[0046] In the following, for the purpose of illustration, some example embodiments are described with a terminal device 110 operating as a UE and a network device 120 operating as a base station, e.g., gNB. However, in some example embodiments, operations described in connection with a terminal device may be implemented at a network device or other device, and operations described in connection with a network device may be implemented at a terminal device or other device.

[0047] In some example embodiments, a communication direction from the network device 120 to the terminal device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), while a communication direction from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In DL, the network device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or a transmitter) and the terminal device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or a receiver). In UL, the terminal device 110 is a TX device (or a transmitter) and the network device 120 is a RX device (or a receiver).

[0048] Communications in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any proper communication protocol(s), comprising, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), the fifth generation (5G), the sixth generation (6G), and the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD),Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0049] A new communication system may support loT devices that may facilitate LPWA communications. LPWA devices may be characterized by low complexity and cost, low power consumption to enable extended battery life, enhanced coverage, infrequent data transmissions, small payload sizes, low data rates, and the ability to tolerate transmission delays.

[0050] Conventionally, LPWA communications may be supported by LTE for machine type communication (LTE-M) and narrowband (NB)-loT, which differ in terms of device complexity and capabilities. NB-loT, as the lower-tier technology, may offer reduced complexity and cost. However, no new LPWA technology was introduced in the new generation of communication systems such as 5G. The existing LPWA technologies may need to be adapted to meet the requirements in the new generation of communication systems.

[0051] The development of a dedicated new solution for LPWA applications in the next generation of communication systems such as 6G may become increasingly relevant and has attracted attentions from both mobile network vendors and operators. The new technology may provide a cost-effective alternative to existing solutions while addressing the limitations that may have hindered the broader adoption of existing LPWA technologies. Defining a single solution with stable and streamlined features in an initial release may help mitigate market fragmentation. Additionally, support for nonterrestrial networks (NTN) may be beneficial in extending coverage to remote and underserved areas.

[0052] A scalable radio design capable of supporting multiple device types with varying capabilities may be essential to achieving cost efficiency and widespread adoption. A tiered approach may be implemented, where the lowest tier may focus on basic LPWA devices, while the higher tiers may focus on broadband and extended broadband chipsets to accommodate more demanding application requirements.

[0053] The existing technologies for LPWA communications may support coverage enhancement of up to 20 dB over the baseline. This feature may be important for devices used in various LPWA applications, such as utility meters and sensors, which may often be deployed in challenging environments, including deep indoor locations, basements, and underground areas. The additional penetration loss experienced by these devices may necessitate enhanced coverage support, which may come at the cost of reduced data throughput and increased latency, both of which may be acceptable for such applications. A similar level of coverage enhancement may be desirable for new-generation LPWA devices.

[0054] One of the primary methods that may enable coverage enhancement in legacy technologies is the repetition of signals and physical channels. These repetitions may be combined at the receiverto mitigate additional loss and achieve the required signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) necessary for reliable coverage. For downlink data reception, repetitions of the PDSCH may be transmitted. Since PDSCH transmission may be scheduled via the PDCCH, repetitions of the PDCCH may also be transmitted to ensure the device may successfully decode the DCI, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0055] The scheduling information contained in the DCI may typically include parameters such as transport block size (TBS), modulation and coding scheme (MCS), time-domain resource allocation, and frequency-domain resource allocation. To support coverage enhancement, the DCI may also indicate the number of PDSCH repetitions, enabling the device to correctly receive and combine all repetitions before decoding the data. The maximum number of PDCCH repetitions may be configured via radio resource control (RRC), while the actual number of repetitions transmitted may be dynamically determined by the base station based on the requirements of UEs. This number may also be indicated in the DCI, allowing the UE to determine when PDCCH transmission ends and when PDSCH transmission begins.

[0056] As illustrated in an example 200 of FIG. 2, PDSCH repetitions may typically be scheduled to begin only after the completion of all PDCCH repetitions. The reason of this scheduling may be to ensure that the UE can begin receiving the PDSCH only after successfully decoding the scheduling information provided in the DCI.

[0057] In resource allocation from the network device to the terminal device, the parameters rateMatchPatternGroupI and rateMatchPatternGroup2 may indicate resource allocations with resource block (RB) and symbol-level granularity. These parameters may be configured to correspond to the resources of a control resource set (CORESET) and are determined by higher-layer signaling. They specify resource elements (REs) that may be declared as unavailable for the PDSCH. The rate matching indicator field in the DCI may dynamically indicate whether the resource sets defined by the rate matching patterns configured in rateMatchPatternGroupI or rateMatchPatternGroup2 are available for PDSCH transmission. When the corresponding bit of the rate matching indicator is set to 1, the REs within these resource sets may not be available for the PDSCH scheduled by the DCI. Additionally, resource sets configured by rate matching patterns that are not included in either rateMatchPatternGroupI or rateMatchPatternGroup2 may also be unavailable for the PDSCH scheduled by the DCI.

[0058] A limitation of using this dynamic indication directly in the DCI for PDSCH repetitions is that it may implicitly apply to all repetitions. In other words, the resource sets defined by the rate matching patterns configured in rateMatchPatternGroupI or rateMatchPatternGroup2 may either be available for PDSCH across all repetitions or unavailable across all repetitions, without the flexibility to adjust availability on a per-repetition basis.

[0059] The limitation of adopting this dynamic indication in DCI in the case of PDSCH repetitionsis that it may implicitly apply to all PDSCH repetitions. In other words, the resource sets defined by rate matching pattern(s) configured in rateMatchPatternGroupI or rateMatchPatternGroup2 may either be available for PDSCH across all repetitions or unavailable across all repetitions, without the flexibility to adjust availability dynamically on a per-repetition basis.

[0060] The PDCCH may be transmitted within the region defined by the CORESET and the search space configured for the active bandwidth part (BWP), where the active BWP may lie within the UE bandwidth. If the search space period is set to two slots, alternate PDSCH repetitions, each spanning a slot, may overlap with a configured CORESET, as shown in FIG. 3. One possible approach may be to avoid using the CORESET for PDCCH transmission during the period of the PDSCH repetitions. However, this approach may not be preferred, as it may lead to PDCCH blocking for UEs configured with the overlapping CORESET, meaning that no PDCCH may be transmitted to those UEs during the repetition duration. As indicated in FIG. 3, the overlapping CORESET is shown within the PDSCH repetitions, where the search space starts at the beginning of the slot in alternate slots.

[0061] As shown in an example 300 of FIG. 3, avoiding PDCCH transmission during PDSCH repetitions may make resource management easier by preventing conflicts between PDCCH and PDSCH transmissions. However, one downside of this method may be the complete blocking of PDCCH transmission for affected UEs, which may reduce scheduling flexibility and overall system efficiency.

[0062] As illustrated in an example 400A of FIG. 4A, one approach to address the complete blocking of PDCCH transmission may be to apply rate matching patterns define a time-frequency region that may not be used for PDSCH transmission. A rate matching pattern matching the CORESET may be configured and enabled or disabled through the DCI that schedules the PDSCH transmission, ensuring the CORESET region is excluded from PDSCH. However, using this approach directly for PDSCH repetitions may apply the rate matching pattern to the entire PDSCH transmission, including all repetitions, even when a particular PDSCH repetition does not overlap with a CORESET. As shown in FIG. 4A, the search space starts at the beginning of the slot in alternate slots, and the overlapping CORESET is managed by applying a rate-matching pattern that blocks out the CORESET region in all PDSCH repetitions.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 4A, when the DCI, which may indicate whether the rate matching pattern is enabled, is sent in PDCCH, which happens before the PDSCH transmission, the scheduler may not know whether another PDCCH will need to be transmitted during any or all PDSCH repetitions. As a result, the scheduler may choose to enable the rate matching pattern as a precaution. However, in a case the CORESET may not be frequently used for PDCCH transmission, blocking the CORESET region may waste resources. This approach may allow dynamic control of rate matching patterns for each PDSCH transmission comprising one or more repetitions but may result in inefficient use ofresources if the CORESET is not fully utilized.

[0064] An alternative option, shown in an example 400B of FIG. 4B, based on base station implementation, may be for the scheduler to reserve the entire block of physical resource blocks (PRBs) used by the CORESET and allocate remaining resources while excluding these reserved PRBs. This approach may ensure that the CORESET is always available for PDCCH transmission. However, as shown in FIG. 4B, reserving PRBs for a long time may waste resources if the CORESET region is not heavily used for PDCCH transmission. Additionally, reserving PRBs may fragment available radio resources for PDSCH, potentially reducing efficiency. FIG. 4B illustrates the concept of reserving PRBs for the overlapping CORESET, with the remaining PRBs allocated for PDSCH transmission.

[0065] As illustrated in FIG. 4B, this approach may guarantee the availability of CORESET resources for PDCCH transmission without requiring frequent adjustments. However, the disadvantages may include inefficient use of resources and increased fragmentation of available radio resources, which may lower overall system performance.

[0066] In summary, the problem to be addressed may be how to enable the scheduler to dynamically determine when the CORESET may be required for PDCCH transmissions during PDSCH transmissions with repetitions and to selectively apply rate matching only to the PDSCH transmissions that may overlap with the CORESET.

[0067] In some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution is introduced to dynamically select and apply rate matching patterns or puncturing to CORESET during downlink repetition transmission. An apparatus, such as a network device, sends a configuration for downlink repetition transmission to a terminal device and the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied during a subset of continuous downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions. The network device performs transmission of the set of downlink repetitions based on the configuration. An apparatus, such as a terminal device, receives from the network device, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission. The configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied during a subset of continuous downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions. The terminal device performs reception of the set of downlink repetitions based on the configuration.

[0068] The proposed solution enables dynamic selection and application of rate matching or puncturing to downlink repetitions, effectively avoiding the scheduling flexibility issue and the resource allocation inefficiency caused by legacy rate matching approached as described in the abovementioned sections.

[0069] FIG. 5 illustrates a signaling flow 500 for dynamic PDSCH rate matching in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The signaling flow 500 will be described with respect to FIG. 1. The signaling flow involves a terminal device 110 and a network device 120.

[0070] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the network device 120 transmits (506) to the terminal device 110 a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions. Correspondingly, the terminal device 110 receives (508) the configuration for downlink repetition transmission. As an example, the downlink repetitions may include PDSCH repetitions. In the following, for the purpose of illustration, PDSCH repetitions are described in some example embodiments, as an example of the downlink repetitions.

[0071] The network device 120 may attempt to transmit a total of R PDSCH repetitions to the terminal device 110. In some example embodiments, a PDCCH may be transmitted to the terminal device 110, where the DCI in the PDCCH may indicate a number of PDSCH repetitions, R, which may be determined based on the assumption that rate matching is applied to all the R PDSCH repetitions.

[0072] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the network device 120 may configure whether some repetitions among all the downlink repetitions may have no rate matching or puncturing applied, while some other repetitions among all the downlink repetitions may have the rate matching or puncturing applied. A subset of downlink repetitions with rate matching or puncturing to be applied may be configured as a certain number of downlink repetitions, such as 2 or more, while another subset of downlink repetitions without rate matching or puncturing applied may be configured as the same or different number of downlink repetitions, such as 2 or any other value.

[0073] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission is transmitted from the network device 120 to the terminal device 110 via a radio source control, RRC signaling. In this way, the network device 120 may enable or disable dynamic rate matching or puncturing for the terminal device 110 via RRC.

[0074] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission is transmitted via a media access control element control element, MAC CE or downlink control information DCI.

[0075] It is to be understood that the configuration for downlink repetition transmission may be transmitted via any other signaling. The semi-static configuration via RRC may offer the advantage of reducing resource allocation overhead while the use of MAC CE and DCI may allow for faster and more flexible adaptation.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission may indicate at least one of the following: that a first rate matching pattern is to be applied to a first subset of downlink repetitions; that a second rate matching pattern is to be applied to a second subset of downlink repetitions; that no rate matching is to be applied to a third subset of downlink repetitions; or that a puncturing pattern is to be applied a fourth subset of downlink repetitions. In some examples, multiple rate matching patterns may be configured for the terminal device 110 and a subset of thedownlink repetitions may be associated with each of the rate matching patterns or a combination of some rate matching patterns.

[0077] In transmission of the downlink repetition transmission, a downlink repetition may be encoded with a DMRS sequence. By decoding the DMRS sequence, the terminal device 110 may be able to decode the corresponding downlink repetitions. In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission may indicate a mapping for a plurality of DMRS sequences and in the mapping a DMRS sequence may be mapped to one of the following: no rate matching to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, rate matching to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, puncturing to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence or no puncturing to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

[0078] In some example embodiments, the configuration may indicate a mapping for a plurality of DMRS sequences and in the mapping a DMRS sequence may be mapped to a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence. Therefore, based on whether the rate matching is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions or not, the network device 120 may apply the corresponding DMRS sequence to the subset of downlink repetitions. By decoding the DMRS sequence, the terminal device 110 may determine, based on the configured mapping, whether the rate matching is to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions from which the DMRS sequence is decoded.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission may indicate a mapping for a plurality of DMRS sequences and in the mapping, a DMRS sequence may be mapped to a puncturing pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

[0080] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission may indicate a mapping for a plurality of DMRS sequences and in the mapping a DMRS sequence may be mapped to a number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence. For a subset of downlink repetitions that is configured with or without rate matching, the number of downlink repetitions in the subset may be referred to as a rate matching length parameter or rate matching length (represented as M), which indicates to the terminal device how long the rate matching or no rate matching lasts.

[0081] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit (510) to the terminal device 110 a further configuration indicating a number of downlink repetitions (i.e., the rate matching length parameter, M) in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence. Correspondingly, in some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive (512) from thenetwork device 120 the further configuration indicating a number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

[0082] In some examples, the network device 120 may configure the rate matching length M semi-statically via RRC or may indicate the value of the rate matching length via DCI.

[0083] In some examples, the rate matching length M may be the length of each subset of PDSCH repetitions in which rate matching pattern(s) may or may not be applied. In some examples, the network device 120 may determine an appropriate value for M based on various factors related to PDCCH transmission requirements and DMRS sequence detection reliability.

[0084] In some examples, from the perspective of the network device 120, it may be desirable to configure the value of M to be as small as possible to more accurately determine or predict whether PDCCH transmission may be required during the M repetitions. Ideally, the network device 120 may configure M to be equal to 1. However, since the terminal device 110 may operate under coverage enhancement, it may need to process the DMRS across multiple PDSCH repetitions to reliably detect the DMRS sequence being used. Therefore, from the perspective of the terminal device 110, it may be preferable to have a larger value of M during which the same DMRS sequence is used. The number of repetitions required to achieve a high probability of successful sequence detection may be significantly smaller than the number of repetitions required for data decoding. As such, the number of PDSCH repetitions processed for sequence detection may be smaller than the total number of repetitions R scheduled for PDSCH transmission. Furthermore, this number may depend on the CE level of the terminal device 110, which may be known to the network device 120. Accordingly, the network device 120 may balance the need for accurate PDCCH transmission determination and reliable DMRS sequence detection when configuring the value of M for the terminal device 110.

[0085] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of downlink PDSCH repetition transmission with different DMRS sequences and their association with either applying the matching pattern or not applying the rate matching pattern. FIG. 6 demonstrates how DMRS sequences may be used to control the application of rate matching around CORESET to avoid interference with PDCCH transmissions. As shown in FIG. 6, DMRS sequence 1 may be configured to correspond to no rate matching pattern and DMRS sequence 2 may be configured to correspond to a rate matching pattern. DMRS sequence 2 may indicate the application of rate matching around the CORESET area, ensuring that PDSCH transmission does not interfere with PDCCH resources. The M= 2 shown in FIG. 6 may indicate that the rate matching pattern shall either be applied or not applied in two consecutive PDSCH repetitions. The search space starting symbol within the slot may indicate the point at which searching for a PDCCH transmission may begin.

[0086] In some examples, in addition to mapped to an individual rate matching pattern as illustrated for DMRS sequence 2, certain DMRS sequences may be mapped to a combination of multiple ratematching patterns applied concurrently. DMRS sequence 3 (not shown in FIG. 6) for example may correspond to the simultaneous application of two different rate matching patterns.

[0087] In some examples, the combination of rate matching patterns associated with a PDSCH DMRS sequence may include any suitable combination of rate matching patterns, and the examples provided herein are for illustration purposes only and should not be considered as limiting. This approach may allow the network device 120 to flexibly allocate resources, ensuring optimal performance under various network environments. These aspects, although not shown in FIG. 6, further highlight the adaptability and scalability of the proposed solution in managing PDSCH transmission through dynamic DMRS sequence mapping.

[0088] For example, prior to each subset of M consecutive PDSCH repetitions, the network device 120 may determine the DMRS sequence to be used based on the rate matching pattern to be applied, as illustrated in FIG. 6, where M = 2. If the network device 120 determines that the next subset of M PDSCH repetitions shall not apply the rate matching pattern, a first PDSCH DMRS sequence may be selected for those PDSCH repetitions. Conversely, if the scheduler determines that the next subset of M PDSCH repetitions shall apply the rate matching pattern, a second PDSCH DMRS sequence may be selected for those PDSCH repetitions. For example, the network device 120 may determine that the rate matching pattern shall be applied if a PDCCH transmission to another terminal device is expected to occur within the CORESET during at least one of the M PDSCH repetitions.

[0089] In some examples, the network device 120 may initially configure or indicate the value of M based on the coverage enhancement (CE) level of the terminal device 110 determined during initial access. For example, the network device 120 may update the previously configured value of M, for example, via RRC reconfiguration, MAC CE, or DCI, for any subsequently scheduled PDSCH transmission based on measurement reports, channel quality information signaled by the terminal device 110, or channel quality estimated by the network device 120 based on uplink transmissions. In another variant, the network device 120 may update the value of M based on negative acknowledgment (NACK) feedback. For instance, if the network device 120 receives a negative acknowledgment for N successive (re)transmissions, it may determine that incorrect DMRS sequence detection is the cause and, accordingly, increase the value of M to improve detection reliability.

[0090] Considering that LPWA devices may often handle SDT, the value of M may play a crucial role in optimizing the transmission of such data. In some examples, dynamic PDSCH rate matching may be applied to mobile terminated small data transmission (MT-SDT) for a terminal device 110 operating in the RRCJNACTIVE state. In such cases, the value of M may be configured in the RRC Release message and stored by the terminal device 110 for subsequent use. Alternatively or additionally, the value of M may be indicated to the terminal device 110 in the DCI during Msg4 of a 4-step procedure for random access small data transmission (RA-SDT) or through dedicated signalingthat configures the configured grant (CG) resources for configured grant small data transmission (CG-SDT).

[0091] In some examples, to further enhance the flexibility of the network device 120 in adapting to varying transmission conditions, the network device 120 may configure more than one ratematching length parameter, such as two parameters M1 and M2, where each parameter is associated with a different DMRS sequence. The network device 120 may then provide a mapping table of DMRS sequences, where each sequence may indicate (1) the number of PDSCH repetitions within a subset of repetitions and (2) whether rate matching is applied.

[0092] In some examples, two rate matching length parameters M1 and M2 may be configured such that M1 is smaller than M2. An example mapping table may be provided in the following:M1 PDSCH repetitions with no rate matching may correspond to DMRS sequence 1,M1 PDSCH repetitions with rate matching may correspond to DMRS sequence 2,M2 PDSCH repetitions with no rate matching may correspond to DMRS sequence 3, andM2 PDSCH repetitions with rate matching may correspond to DMRS sequence 4.

[0093] The network device 120 may determine the values of the M1 and M2 parameters such that the terminal device 110 can detect the DMRS sequence used in the current subset of consecutive repetitions using a number of PDSCH repetitions equal to the smaller value, M1. After detecting the DMRS sequence, the terminal device 110 may determine whether rate matching is applied and whether the current subset consists of M1 or M2 PDSCH repetitions. If fewer than M1 PDSCH repetitions remain at the end of the transmission, the terminal device 110 may assume that no rate matching is applied to those PDSCH repetitions.

[0094] In an example of the above variant, M1 may be set to 2 and M2 may be set to 3. This configuration may enable the network device 120 to apply the rate-matching pattern in three successive PDSCH repetitions if it determines in advance that the CORESET may be used for transmitting PDCCH in only three out of the next four successive PDSCH repetitions. Consequently, the fourth PDSCH repetition may be transmitted without rate matching as part of the next subset of M1 or M2 repetitions. Thus, configuring multiple rate-matching length parameters may provide the network device 120 with increased flexibility in determining the size of the next subset of PDSCH repetitions and whether or not to apply rate matching.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit configuration for downlink repetition transmission based on capability information transmitted from the terminal device 110.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit (502), to the network device 120, capability information indicating whether the terminal device 110 supports dynamic rate matching for downlink repetition transmission. Correspondingly, the network device 120 mayreceive(504), from the terminal device 110, capability information indicating whether the terminal device 110 supports dynamic rate matching for downlink repetition transmission.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the capability information may indicate whether the terminal device 110 supports reception of downlink repetitions using different DMRS sequences, with or without a specified data transmission mode. In some example embodiments, the capability information may further indicate whether the terminal device 110 supports reception of downlink repetitions with a combination of rate matching and no rate matching, with or without a specified data transmission mode.

[0098] For example, the specified data transmission mode may be a small data transmission (SDT) mode, which is defined as a procedure that allows a certain amount of data and / or signaling transmission while the terminal device remains in the RRCJNACTIVE state, without transitioning to the RRC_CONNECTED state. For a further example, the specified data transmission mode may be a legacy RRC-connected mode.

[0099] In some examples, the network device 120 may configure the terminal device 110 with the above-mentioned configuration for downlink repetition transmission with a combination of rate matching and no rate matching to be applied, based on the received capability information indicating that the terminal device 110 supports this type of dynamic downlink repetition transmission. In some examples, the network device 120 may configure the terminal device 110 with the above-mentioned configuration for downlink repetition transmission under a specified data transmission mode of the terminal device 110, if the capability information indicating that the dynamic downlink repetition transmission is supported with the specified data transmission mode.

[0100] In some further examples, if the capability information indicates that the terminal device 110 supports reception of downlink repetitions using different DMRS sequences, the network device 120 may configure the terminal device 110 with the above-mentioned mapping for the different DMRS sequences.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may further indicate a capability for dynamic PDSCH rate matching or puncturing. For example, the terminal device 110 may indicate a capability to receive PDSCH using different DMRS sets, a capability to receive PDSCH transmissions with a combination of rate matching pattern and no rate matching pattern, and a capability to support the reception of either of these capabilities in the context of SDT or legacy RRC-connected mode.

[0102] With the configuration for downlink repetition transmission provided to the terminal device 110, the network device 120 further transmits (514) the set of downlink repetitions to the terminal device 110 based on the configuration. Correspondingly, the terminal device 110 receives (516) the set of downlink repetitions to the terminal device 110 based on the configuration.

[0103] In some example embodiments, before transmission of a subset of downlink repetitions, thenetwork device 120 may determine whether the rate matching pattern or puncturing is to be applied and then select a corresponding DMRS sequence.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may firstly determine whether rate matching or puncturing is applicable to a subset of downlink repetitions among the set of downlink repetitions based on the configuration.

[0105] Based on the selected rate matching pattern or puncturing, the network device 120 may determine the appropriate DMRS sequence which is configured to be mapped to the selected rate matching pattern or puncturing, to ensure reliable decoding by the terminal device 110.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may determine whether a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern is applicable to a subset of downlink repetitions among the set of downlink repetitions based on the configuration.

[0107] If the network device 120 determines, based on the configuration, that a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, the network device 120 may determine a DMRS sequence mapped to the rate matching pattern or the combination of more than one rate matching pattern and transmit the subset of downlink repetitions to the terminal device 110 by applying the rate matching pattern or the combination of more than one rate matching pattern.

[0108] If the network device 120 determines, based on the configuration, that a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern is inapplicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, the network device 120 may determine a DMRS sequence mapped to no rate matching pattern and transmit the subset of downlink repetitions to the terminal device 110 without applying rate matching.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may determine whether a puncturing pattern is applicable to a subset of downlink repetitions among the set of downlink repetitions based on the configuration.

[0110] If the network device 120 determines, based on the configuration, that a puncturing pattern is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, the network device 120 may determine a DMRS sequence mapped to the puncturing pattern and transmit the subset of downlink repetitions to the terminal device 110 by applying the puncturing pattern.

[0111] At the terminal device side, the terminal device 110 may receive a DMRS sequence applied in a subset of downlink repetitions. Based on the mapping in the configuration for the downlink repetition transmission, if the terminal device 110 determines that the received DMRS sequence is mapped to a rate matching pattern, a puncturing pattern, or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern, the terminal device 110 may process and decode the subset of downlink repetitions by applying the corresponding rate matching pattern, puncturing pattern, or the combination of ratematching patterns. Alternatively, if the terminal device 110 determines, based on the configuration, that the received DMRS sequence is mapped to no rate matching, the terminal device 110 may process and decode the subset of downlink repetitions without applying rate matching.

[0112] In some examples, the mapping between each DMRS sequence and a corresponding rate matching pattern may allow the terminal device 110 to apply different PDSCH rate matching patterns to different downlink repetitions within the same PDSCH transmission for decoding. Such a configuration may enable the terminal device 110 to dynamically adapt to varying transmission conditions, enhancing flexibility and efficiency in the application of rate matching patterns.

[0113] In some examples, for each subset of M PDSCH repetitions received by the terminal device 110, the terminal device 110 may determine whether rate matching or puncturing has been applied based on the configured rate matching pattern. In an embodiment, this determination may be performed based on the configured association between the detected DMRS sequence and the rate matching pattern. For example, detection of DMRS sequence 1 in a subset of M repetitions may indicate that rate matching or puncturing is not applied, whereas detection of DMRS sequence 2 in a subset of M repetitions may indicate that rate matching or puncturing is applied.

[0114] In some examples, the determination of whether rate matching or puncturing is applied may be based on detecting a change in the DMRS sequence compared to the previous subset of M repetitions. In this case, the terminal device 110 may toggle rate matching or puncturing on or off, assuming that only one rate matching pattern is configured and that the initial rate matching pattern to be used was indicated in the DCI scheduling the PDSCH repetitions.

[0115] In some examples, the terminal device 110 may be configured to determine the redundancy version to be used for decoding PDSCH repetitions based on the DMRS sequence. For example, when puncturing is applied, it may be beneficial for the transmission to include more redundant bits to improve the decoding success rate when combining with previous transmissions. In one example implementation, the terminal device 110 may be configured to apply redundancy version rvO for decoding PDSCH repetitions without rate matching or puncturing, as indicated by a DMRS sequence 1, and to apply redundancy version rv3 for decoding PDSCH repetitions with rate matching or puncturing, as indicated by a DMRS sequence 2.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may be allowed to adjust the initially configured number, R, of downlink repetitions. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit, to the network device 120, a capability indicating whether the terminal device 110 supports reception of dynamically adjusted number of repetitions. Correspondingly, in some example embodiments, the network device 120 may receive the capability indicating whether the terminal device 110 supports reception of dynamically adjusted number of repetitions, and then may determine that the configured number is to be adjusted based on the capability indicating that the terminal device110 supports reception of dynamically adjusted number of repetitions.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit, to the terminal device 110, a second configuration indicating a mapping between first ratio of received downlink repetitions without rate matching to a predetermined number of received downlink repetitions, and second ratios of an adjusted number of downlink repetitions to a configured number, R, of downlink repetitions.

[0118] The first ratios may be referred to as a fraction of R downlink repetitions transmitted without rate matching after the predetermined number of downlink repetitions and the second ratios may be referred to as an adjusted fraction (r / R) of transmitted downlink repetitions. The predetermined downlink repetitions may be configured as a specified fraction of R, e.g., 3 / 4 R or any other suitable number.

[0119] In some examples, when a significant fraction of the configured number of downlink repetitions, R, are transmitted without applying rate matching, the network device 120 may determine that fewer than R downlink repetitions may be sufficient for the terminal device 110 to successfully decode the downlink information conveyed through the repetitions. Accordingly, the network device 120 may determine a reduced number of repetitions, r (where r < R), based on a predefined mapping table that may be optionally configured. In some examples, the mapping table may be configured via RRC signaling and may provide predefined mappings to optimize the number of downlink repetitions required for successful decoding. In some examples, the mapping table may be configured to the terminal device via a system information block (SIB) of the network device.

[0120] An example of such a mapping table is illustrated below.Table 1. Mapping table for adjust of number of PDSCH repetitions.<< << <

[0121] It would be appreciated that the configured values in Table 1 are provided for the purposes of examples, and there may be various other configured values, depending on the actual requirements.

[0122] In some examples, such a repetitions table may be configured separately for each number of PDSCH repetitions, R, that may be scheduled for the terminal device 110 based on its current CE level. For instance, if the terminal device 110 may be scheduled with R values from the set {64, 128, 256, 512}, a separate table may be configured for each value of R. An example of the mapping table for R = 64 is shown below, where the predetermined number of 3 / 4 R is equal to 48 repetitions.Table 2. Mapping table for adjustment of number of PDSCH repetitions for R=64.<< << <

[0123] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may be based on reception of the predetermined number of downlink repetitions among the configured number of downlink repetitions, determine a first ratio of the number of received downlink repetitions without rate matching to the predetermined number. The terminal device 110 may then determine an adjusted number of downlink repetitions based on the determined first ratio and the mapping indicated by the second configuration to one of the second ratios. Subsequently, the terminal device 110 may receive at least one remaining downlink repetition from the network device 120, wherein the number of the at least one remaining downlink repetition may be determined based on the adjusted number and the predetermined number of received downlink repetitions.

[0124] The term predetermined number of downlink repetitions may refer to the initially scheduled number of PDSCH repetitions, denoted as R, which serves as a baseline for assessing transmission efficiency and determining potential adjustments. The first ratio may refer to the fraction of R PDSCH repetitions transmitted without rate matching after % R repetitions, as illustrated in Table 1, and is used to evaluate the extent to which rate matching has been applied. The adjusted number of downlink repetitions may refer to the refined number of repetitions, denoted as r, which is determined based on the first ratio and the predefined mapping table to optimize transmission efficiency. The second ratio may refer to the adjusted fraction (r / R) of transmitted PDSCH repetitions corresponding to different possible ranges for the first ratio (f), which allows the network device 120 to dynamically adapt the number of repetitions based on observed transmission conditions.

[0125] In some examples, the terminal device 110 may use the configured table to determine the actual number of downlink repetitions, r, transmitted by the network device 120. Transmitting fewer repetitions than originally scheduled may improve network efficiency by reducing resource consumption and transmission latency. The efficiency gains may be more significant when the originally scheduled number of repetitions, R, is large. In the absence of such a configured table, the originally scheduled number of repetitions, R, may be transmitted without adjustment.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from the network device 120, a third configuration indicating that at least one DMRS sequence is associated with a last subset of downlink repetitions. Then the terminal device 110 based on receiving one of the at least one DMRS sequence in a downlink repetition, may receive a last subset of downlink repetition from the network device 120. Subsequently, the terminal device 110 may terminate receiving of a downlinkrepetition after reception of the last subset of downlink repetitions.

[0127] Correspondingly, in some example embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit, to the terminal device 110, a third configuration indicating that at least one DMRS sequence is associated with a last subset of downlink repetitions. And based on the third configuration, the network device 120 may transmit to the terminal device 110, a last subset of downlink repetitions using one of the at least one DMRS sequence

[0128] In an alternative variant, the network device 120 may utilize a different DMRS sequence to implicitly indicate to the terminal device 110 that the corresponding subset of M PDSCH repetitions is the last subset of repetitions. Upon detecting the different DMRS sequence in the last subset, the terminal device 110 may determine to stop receiving further PDSCH repetitions. This indication may also be provided through a redefined or preconfigured mapping table of DMRS sequences. For example, the mapping table may be extended to include DMRS sequence 3 and DMRS sequence 4 to indicate that the current subset of M repetitions is the last subset either without or with rate matching applied, respectively.

[0129] Alternatively, DMRS sequence 3 or DMRS sequence 4 may be configured to be used only within the last n subsets of M repetitions, where the value of n may be indicated along with the value of R. In this case, the terminal device 110 may monitor only DMRS sequences 1 and 2 for the first R - nM repetitions, and it may monitor DMRS sequences 1, 2, 3, and 4 for the last nM repetitions. Once the terminal device 110 detects DMRS sequence 3 or DMRS sequence 4, it may determine to stop receiving the PDSCH repetitions after the subset of M repetitions and may decide whether to apply PDSCH rate matching based on the received DMRS sequence.

[0130] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an example method 700 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 700 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 in FIG. 1.

[0131] In the example of FIG. 7 and the example of following FIGS. 8-9, it is assumed that the downlink repetitions are PDSCH repetitions. The example method illustrated in FIG. 7 outlines the process of dynamic PDSCH rate matching between the terminal device 110 and the network device 120. In this example, the value of M may be configured via RRC. Furthermore, no table for adjusting the transmitted number of repetitions may be configured, and accordingly, all R PDSCH repetitions may be transmitted.

[0132] At step 701, the terminal device 110 may indicate its capability to support dynamic rate matching to the network device 120.

[0133] At step 702, the network device 120 may determine the rate matching length, M, which may define the number of consecutive PDSCH repetitions with the same rate matching pattern applied.

[0134] At step 703, the network device 120 may transmit an RRC configuration to the terminaldevice 110. This configuration may include the rate matching pattern corresponding to a CORESET, multiple DMRS sequences, and the rate matching length M. The configuration may configure DMRS sequence 1 to be mapped to no rate matching, and configure and DMRS sequence 2 to be mapped to applying rate matching.

[0135] At step 704, the network device 120 may transmit a PDCCH to the terminal device 110. The DCI within the PDCCH may indicate the number of PDSCH repetitions, R, assuming that rate matching is applied in all slots.

[0136] At step 705, the transmission of the R PDSCH repetitions may begin.

[0137] During the transmission of the R PDSCH repetitions, at step 705A, the network device 120 may determine whether a PDCCH needs to be transmitted in the next M PDSCH repetitions.

[0138] At step 705B, the network device 120 may transmit the first subset of M PDSCH repetitions using either DMRS sequence 1 or DMRS sequence 2, depending on whether the rate matching pattern is applicable. For example, if a PDCCH needs to be transmitted in the first M PDSCH repetitions, the network device 120 may determine to apply DMRS sequence 2 in the first M PDSCH repetitions. If the network device 120 determine not to transmit PDCCH in the first M PDSCH repetitions, it may determine to apply DMRS sequence 1 in the first M PDSCH repetitions.

[0139] At step 705C, the terminal device 110 may receive the DMRS sequence and may determine whether rate matching is applicable for the first subset of M PDSCH repetitions. For example, if the terminal device 110 receive DMRS sequence 1, then it may determine that no rate matching is applicable for the first M PDSCH repetitions. Otherwise, if the terminal device 110 receive DMRS sequence 2, then it may determine that rate matching is applicable for the first M PDSCH repetitions.

[0140] At step 705D, the network device 120 may again determine whether a PDCCH needs to be transmitted in the next M PDSCH repetitions.

[0141] At step 705E, the network device 120 may transmit the second subset of M PDSCH repetitions, using DMRS sequence 1 or 2 based on whether the rate matching pattern is applied.

[0142] At step 705F, the terminal device 110 may receive the DMRS sequence for the second subset and may determine whether rate matching is applicable.

[0143] At step 705X, the network device 120 may evaluate whether PDCCH transmission is required for the next subset of M repetitions.

[0144] The transmission of the downlink repetition continues. At step 705Y, the network device 120 may transmit the last subset of M PDSCH repetitions using DMRS sequence 1 or 2, depending on whether the rate matching pattern is applied.

[0145] At step 705Z, the terminal device 110 may receive the DMRS sequence for the last subset and may determine whether rate matching is applicable.

[0146] At step 706, the terminal device 110 may process and decode the received PDSCHrepetitions based on the determined rate matching patterns.

[0147] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of an example method 800 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 800 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 in FIG. 1.

[0148] The method 800 illustrated in FIG. 8 differs from the method shown in FIG. 7 in that the total number of transmissions, r, may be reduced based on the adjustment indicated by Table 2. Thus, this table, along with other similar tables for different values of R, may be configured via RRC. In one example, after for example 48 repetitions have been transmitted, the network device 120 may check, prior to each subset of M consecutive repetitions, whether the number of transmitted repetitions has exceeded r. If the number of transmitted repetitions has not exceeded r, the network device 120 may proceed with transmitting the next subset of M PDSCH repetitions. Otherwise, the network device 120 may terminate the PDSCH transmission. Similarly, the terminal device 110 may use the same table to determine whether to continue receiving PDSCH repetitions or to stop reception. Upon receiving r repetitions, the terminal device 110 may process and decode the PDSCH.

[0149] For steps that are the same as those shown in FIG. 7, the detailed description of those steps will not be repeated here.

[0150] At step 803, the network device 120 may transmit an RRC configuration to the terminal device 110. The RRC configuration may include information related to the rate matching pattern corresponding to a CORESET, multiple DMRS sequences, the rate matching length M, and repetition adjustment tables.

[0151] At step 805, the network device 120 may initiate the transmission of R PDSCH repetitions.

[0152] At step 805A, the network device 120 may determine whether a PDCCH needs to be transmitted in the next M repetitions.

[0153] At step 805B, the network device 120 may transmit the first subset of M repetitions of PDSCH, selecting DMRS sequence 1 or 2 based on whether the rate matching pattern is applicable.

[0154] At step 805C, the terminal device 110 may receive the DMRS sequence and determine whether rate matching is applicable.

[0155] At step 805D, the network device 120 may again determine whether a PDCCH needs to be transmitted in the next M repetitions.

[0156] At step 805E, the network device 120 may transmit the second subset of M repetitions of PDSCH, selecting DMRS sequence 1 or 2 based on whether the rate matching pattern is applicable.

[0157] At step 805F, the terminal device 110 may receive the DMRS sequence and determine whether rate matching is applicable.

[0158] At step 805G, the network device 120 may determine whether a PDCCH needs to be transmitted in the next M repetitions.

[0159] At step 805H, the network device 120 may transmit the next subset of M repetitions of PDSCH, selecting DMRS sequence 1 or 2 based on whether the rate matching pattern is applicable.

[0160] At step 805I, the terminal device 110 may receive the DMRS sequence and determine whether rate matching is applicable.

[0161] At step 805 J, after transmitting N repetitions, the network device 120 may check if the number of repetitions transmitted exceeds r.

[0162] At step 805K, if the number of transmitted repetitions is less than r, the network device 120 may determine whether a PDCCH needs to be transmitted in the next M repetitions.

[0163] At step 805L, the network device 120 may transmit the next subset of M repetitions of PDSCH, selecting DMRS sequence 1 or 2 based on whether the rate matching pattern is applicable.

[0164] At step 805M, the terminal device 110 may receive the DMRS sequence and determine whether rate matching is applicable.

[0165] FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of an example method 900 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 900 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 in FIG. 1.

[0166] The method 900 shown in FIG. 9 differs from the method in FIG. 7 in that the value of M may be indicated in the DCI (i.e., in the PDCCH) at step 904, instead of being configured via RRC. This approach may allow the network device 120 to dynamically update the value of M based on changing network conditions and transmission requirements. Since the steps are similar to those described with reference to FIG. 7, a detailed description will not be repeated.

[0167] It would be appreciated that the methods 700 to 900 are illustrated as some examples of the present disclosure. The specific signaling and messages shown in those methods may be varied in other examples, as long as those variant signaling and messages can be applied to convey the configuration / information required by the example embodiments.

[0168] FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of an example method 1000 implemented at a first apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 1000 will be described from the perspective of the first apparatus, where the first apparatus is or is comprised in the terminal device 110 in FIG. 1.

[0169] At block 1010, the first apparatus receives, from a second apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions.

[0170] At block 1020, the first apparatus receives the set of downlink repetitions from the second apparatus based on the configuration.

[0171] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission indicates at least one of the following: that a first rate matching pattern is to be applied to a first subsetof downlink repetitions; that a second rate matching pattern is to be applied to a second subset of downlink repetitions; that no rate matching is to be applied to a third subset of downlink repetitions; or that a puncturing pattern is to be applied a fourth subset of downlink repetitions.

[0172] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further comprises: receiving, from the second apparatus, a further configuration indicating a number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission indicates a mapping for a plurality of demodulation reference signal, DMRS, sequences, and wherein in the mapping, a DMRS sequence is mapped to at least one of the following: no rate matching to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, no puncturing to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, a puncturing pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, or a number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

[0174] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further comprises: receiving a DMRS sequence applied in a subset of downlink repetitions; in accordance with a determination, based on the configuration, that the received DMRS sequence is mapped to a rate matching pattern, a puncturing pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern or puncturing pattern, decode the subset of downlink repetitions by applying the rate matching or the combination to the subset of downlink repetitions; or in accordance with a determination, decoding on the configuration, that the received DMRS sequence is mapped to no rate matching, decode the subset of downlink repetitions by applying apply no rate matching to the subset of downlink repetitions.

[0175] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission is transmitted from the second apparatus to the first apparatus via one of the following: radio resource control, RRC, signaling, media access control element control element, or downlink control information, DCI.

[0176] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further comprises: transmitting, to the second apparatus, capability information indicating whether the first apparatus supports dynamic rate matching for downlink repetition transmission.

[0177] In some example embodiments, the capability information indicates at least one of the following: whether the first apparatus supports reception of downlink repetitions using different DMRS sequences, with or without a specified data transmission mode, whether the first apparatus supports reception of downlink repetitions with a combination of rate matching and no rate matching, with or without a specified data transmission mode.

[0178] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further comprises: receiving, from the second apparatus, a second configuration indicating a mapping between first ratio of received downlink repetitions without rate matching to a predetermined number of received downlink repetitions, and second ratios of an adjusted number of downlink repetitions to a configured number of downlink repetitions.

[0179] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further comprises: based on reception of the predetermined number of downlink repetitions among the configured number of downlink repetitions, determining a first ratio of the number of received downlink repetitions without rate matching to the predetermined number; determining an adjusted number of downlink repetitions based on the determined first ratio and the mapping indicated by the second configuration to one of the second ratios; and receiving at least one remaining downlink repetition from the second apparatus, the number of the at least one remaining downlink repetition being determined based on the adjusted number and the predetermined number of received downlink repetitions.

[0180] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further comprises: transmitting, to the second apparatus, a capability indicating whether the first apparatus supports reception of dynamically adjusted number of repetitions.

[0181] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further comprises: receiving, from the second apparatus, a third configuration indicating that at least one DMRS sequence is associated with a last subset of downlink repetitions; based on receiving one of the at least one DMRS sequence in a downlink repetition, receiving a last subset of downlink repetition from the second apparatus; and terminating receiving of a downlink repetition after reception of the last subset of downlink repetitions.

[0182] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus is or is comprised in a terminal device, and wherein the second apparatus is or is comprised in a network device.

[0183] FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of an example method 1100 implemented at a second apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 1100 will be described from the perspective of the second apparatus, where the second apparatus is or is comprised in the network device 120 in FIG. 1.

[0184] At block 1110, the second apparatus transmits, to a first apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions.

[0185] At block 1120, the second apparatus transmits the set of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus based on the configuration.

[0186] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission indicates at least one of the following: that a first rate matching pattern is to be applied to a first subset of downlink repetitions; that a second rate matching pattern is to be applied to a second subset ofdownlink repetitions; that no rate matching is to be applied to a third subset of downlink repetitions; or that a puncturing pattern is to be applied a fourth subset of downlink repetitions.

[0187] I n some example embodiments, the method 1100 further comprises: transmitting, to the first apparatus, a further configuration indicating a number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

[0188] In some example embodiments, the method 1100 further comprises: determining whether rate matching or puncturing is applicable to a subset of downlink repetitions among the set of downlink repetitions based on the configuration; in accordance with a determination, transmitting on the configuration, that the rate matching is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, transmit the subset of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus by applying the rate matching; in accordance with a determination, transmitting on the configuration, that the rate matching or puncturing is inapplicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, transmit the subset of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus by applying no rate matching; or in accordance with a determination, transmitting on the configuration, that the puncturing is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, transmit the subset of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus by applying puncturing.

[0189] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission indicates a mapping for a plurality of demodulation reference signal, DMRS, sequences, and wherein in the mapping, a DMRS sequence is mapped to at least one of the following: no rate matching to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, no puncturing to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, a puncturing pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, or a number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

[0190] In some example embodiments, the method 1100 further comprises: determining whether a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern is applicable to a subset of downlink repetitions; in accordance with a determination that a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, determining, based on the configuration, a DMRS sequence mapped to the rate matching pattern or the combination of more than one rate matching pattern, and transmitting the subset of downlink repetitions with the DMRS sequence by applying the rate matching pattern or the combination of more than one rate matching pattern; and in accordance with a determination that a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern is inapplicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, determining, based on the configuration, a DMRS sequence mapped to the no rate matching pattern, and transmitting the subset of downlink repetitions with the DMRS sequence withoutapplying rate matching.

[0191] In some example embodiments, the method 1100 further comprises: determining whether a puncturing pattern is applicable to a subset of downlink repetitions; in accordance with a determination that a puncturing pattern is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, determining, based on the configuration, a DMRS sequence mapped to the puncturing pattern, and transmitting the subset of downlink repetitions with the DMRS sequence by applying the puncturing pattern.

[0192] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission is transmitted from the second apparatus to the first apparatus via one of the following: radio resource control, RRC, signaling, media access control element control element, or downlink control information, DCI.

[0193] In some example embodiments, the method 1100 further comprises: receiving, from the first apparatus, capability information indicating whether the first apparatus supports dynamic rate matching for downlink repetition transmission; and transmitting the configuration for downlink repetition transmission based on the capability information.

[0194] In some example embodiments, the capability information indicates at least one of the following: whether the first apparatus supports reception of downlink repetitions using different DMRS sequences, with or without a specified data transmission mode, whether the first apparatus supports reception of downlink repetitions with a combination of rate matching and no rate matching, with or without a specified data transmission mode.

[0195] In some example embodiments, a number of downlink repetitions in the set of downlink repetitions is configured for the first apparatus based on an assumption that rate matching or puncturing is to be applied in each subset of downlink repetitions among the set of downlink repetitions.

[0196] In some example embodiments, the method 1100 further comprises: transmitting, to the first apparatus, a second configuration indicating a mapping between first ratio of transmitted downlink repetitions without rate matching to a predetermined number of received downlink repetitions, and second ratios of an adjusted number of downlink repetitions to the configured number of downlink repetitions.

[0197] In some example embodiments, the method 1100 further comprises: based on the predetermined number of downlink repetitions among the configured number of downlink repetitions being transmitted to the first apparatus, determining a first ratio of the number of downlink repetitions transmitted without rate matching to the predetermined number; determining an adjusted number of downlink repetitions based on the determined first ratio and the mapping indicated by the further configuration; and transmitting at least one remaining downlink repetitions to the first apparatus, the number of the at least one remaining downlink repetition being determined based on the adjusted number and the predetermined number of transmitted downlink repetitions.

[0198] In some example embodiments, the method 1100 further comprises: receiving, from the first apparatus, a capability indicating whether the first apparatus supports reception of dynamically adjusted number of repetitions; and determining that the configured number is to be adjusted based on the capability indicating that the first apparatus supports reception of dynamically adjusted number of repetitions.

[0199] In some example embodiments, the method 1100 further comprises: transmitting, to the first apparatus, a third configuration indicating that at least one DMRS sequence is associated with a last subset of downlink repetitions; and based on the third configuration, transmitting to the first apparatus, a last subset of downlink repetitions using one of the at least one DMRS sequence.

[0200] In some example embodiments, a first apparatus capable of performing any of the method 1000 (for example, the terminal device 110 in FIG. 1 may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 1000. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The first apparatus may be implemented as or included in the terminal device 110 in FIG. 1.

[0201] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a second apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; and means for receiving the set of downlink repetitions from the second apparatus based on the configuration.

[0202] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission indicates at least one of the following: that a first rate matching pattern is to be applied to a first subset of downlink repetitions; that a second rate matching pattern is to be applied to a second subset of downlink repetitions; that no rate matching is to be applied to a third subset of downlink repetitions; or that a puncturing pattern is to be applied a fourth subset of downlink repetitions.

[0203] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the second apparatus, a further configuration indicating a number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

[0204] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission indicates a mapping for a plurality of demodulation reference signal, DMRS, sequences, and wherein in the mapping, a DMRS sequence is mapped to at least one of the following: no rate matching to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, no puncturing to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, a puncturing pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, or a number of downlink repetitions in the subset ofdownlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

[0205] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a DMRS sequence applied in a subset of downlink repetitions; means for in accordance with a determination, based on the configuration, that the received DMRS sequence is mapped to a rate matching pattern, a puncturing pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern or puncturing pattern, decoding the subset of downlink repetitions by applying the rate matching or the combination to the subset of downlink repetitions; or means for in accordance with a determination, decoding on the configuration, that the received DMRS sequence is mapped to no rate matching, decode the subset of downlink repetitions by applying apply no rate matching to the subset of downlink repetitions.

[0206] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission is transmitted from the second apparatus to the first apparatus via one of the following: radio resource control, RRC, signaling, media access control element control element, or downlink control information, DCI.

[0207] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting, to the second apparatus, capability information indicating whether the first apparatus supports dynamic rate matching for downlink repetition transmission.

[0208] In some example embodiments, the capability information indicates at least one of the following: whether the first apparatus supports reception of downlink repetitions using different DMRS sequences, with or without a specified data transmission mode, whether the first apparatus supports reception of downlink repetitions with a combination of rate matching and no rate matching, with or without a specified data transmission mode.

[0209] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the second apparatus, a second configuration indicating a mapping between: first ratio of received downlink repetitions without rate matching to a predetermined number of received downlink repetitions, and second ratios of an adjusted number of downlink repetitions to a configured number of downlink repetitions.

[0210] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for based on reception of the predetermined number of downlink repetitions among the configured number of downlink repetitions, determining a first ratio of the number of received downlink repetitions without rate matching to the predetermined number; means for determining an adjusted number of downlink repetitions based on the determined first ratio and the mapping indicated by the second configuration to one of the second ratios; and means for receiving at least one remaining downlink repetition from the second apparatus, the number of the at least one remaining downlink repetition being determined based on the adjusted number and the predetermined number of received downlink repetitions.

[0211] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting, to the second apparatus, a capability indicating whether the first apparatus supports reception of dynamically adjusted number of repetitions.

[0212] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the second apparatus, a third configuration indicating that at least one DMRS sequence is associated with a last subset of downlink repetitions; means for based on receiving one of the at least one DMRS sequence in a downlink repetition, receiving a last subset of downlink repetition from the second apparatus; and means for terminating receiving of a downlink repetition after reception of the last subset of downlink repetitions.

[0213] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus is or is comprised in a terminal device, and wherein the second apparatus is or is comprised in a network device.

[0214] In some example embodiments, a second apparatus capable of performing any of the method 1100 (for example, the network device 120 in FIG. 1 ) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 1100. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The second apparatus may be implemented as or included in the network device 120 in FIG. 1.

[0215] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to a first apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; and means for transmitting the set of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus based on the configuration.

[0216] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission indicates at least one of the following: that a first rate matching pattern is to be applied to a first subset of downlink repetitions; that a second rate matching pattern is to be applied to a second subset of downlink repetitions; that no rate matching is to be applied to a third subset of downlink repetitions; or that a puncturing pattern is to be applied a fourth subset of downlink repetitions.

[0217] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a further configuration indicating a number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

[0218] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for determining whether rate matching or puncturing is applicable to a subset of downlink repetitions among the set of downlink repetitions based on the configuration; means for in accordance with a determination, transmitting on the configuration, that the rate matching is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, transmit the subset of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus by applying the rate matching; means for in accordance with a determination, transmitting on the configuration, that therate matching or puncturing is inapplicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, transmitting the subset of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus by applying no rate matching; or means for in accordance with a determination, transmitting on the configuration, that the puncturing is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, transmitting the subset of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus by applying puncturing.

[0219] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission indicates a mapping for a plurality of demodulation reference signal, DMRS, sequences, and wherein in the mapping, a DMRS sequence is mapped to at least one of the following: no rate matching to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, no puncturing to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, a puncturing pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, or a number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

[0220] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for determining whether a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern is applicable to a subset of downlink repetitions; in accordance with a determination that a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, means for determining, based on the configuration, a DMRS sequence mapped to the rate matching pattern or the combination of more than one rate matching pattern, and means for transmitting the subset of downlink repetitions with the DMRS sequence by applying the rate matching pattern or the combination of more than one rate matching pattern; and in accordance with a determination that a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern is inapplicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, means for determining, based on the configuration, a DMRS sequence mapped to the no rate matching pattern, and means for transmitting the subset of downlink repetitions with the DMRS sequence without applying rate matching.

[0221] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for determining whether a puncturing pattern is applicable to a subset of downlink repetitions; in accordance with a determination that a puncturing pattern is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, means for determining, based on the configuration, a DMRS sequence mapped to the puncturing pattern, and means for transmitting the subset of downlink repetitions with the DMRS sequence by applying the puncturing pattern.

[0222] In some example embodiments, the configuration for downlink repetition transmission is transmitted from the second apparatus to the first apparatus via one of the following: radio resource control, RRC, signaling, media access control element control element, or downlink control information,DCI.

[0223] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the first apparatus, capability information indicating whether the first apparatus supports dynamic rate matching for downlink repetition transmission; and means for transmitting the configuration for downlink repetition transmission based on the capability information.

[0224] In some example embodiments, the capability information indicates at least one of the following: whether the first apparatus supports reception of downlink repetitions using different DMRS sequences, with or without a specified data transmission mode, whether the first apparatus supports reception of downlink repetitions with a combination of rate matching and no rate matching, with or without a specified data transmission mode.

[0225] In some example embodiments, a number of downlink repetitions in the set of downlink repetitions is configured for the first apparatus based on a assumption that rate matching or puncturing is to be applied in each subset of downlink repetitions among the set of downlink repetitions.

[0226] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a second configuration indicating a mapping between: first ratio of transmitted downlink repetitions without rate matching to a predetermined number of received downlink repetitions, and second ratios of an adjusted number of downlink repetitions to the configured number of downlink repetitions.

[0227] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for based on the predetermined number of downlink repetitions among the configured number of downlink repetitions being transmitted to the first apparatus, determining a first ratio of the number of downlink repetitions transmitted without rate matching to the predetermined number; means for determining an adjusted number of downlink repetitions based on the determined first ratio and the mapping indicated by the further configuration; and means for transmitting at least one remaining downlink repetitions to the first apparatus, the number of the at least one remaining downlink repetition being determined based on the adjusted number and the predetermined number of transmitted downlink repetitions.

[0228] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the first apparatus, a capability indicating whether the first apparatus supports reception of dynamically adjusted number of repetitions; and means for determining that the configured number is to be adjusted based on the capability indicating that the first apparatus supports reception of dynamically adjusted number of repetitions.

[0229] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a third configuration indicating that at least one DMRS sequence is associated with a last subset of downlink repetitions; and means for based on the third configuration, transmitting to the first apparatus, a last subset of downlink repetitions using one of the at least one DMRSsequence.

[0230] FIG. 12 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1200 that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 1200 may be provided to implement a communication device, for example, the terminal device 110 or the network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the device 1200 includes one or more processors 1210, one or more memories 1220 coupled to the processor 1210, and one or more communication modules 1240 coupled to the processor 1210.

[0231] The communication module 1240 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 1240 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interfaces may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 1240 may include at least one antenna.

[0232] The processor 1210 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 1200 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

[0233] The memory 1220 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 1224, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disk (DVD), an optical disk, a laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random-access memory (RAM) 1222 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

[0234] A computer program 1230 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 1210. The instructions of the program 1230 may include instructions for performing operations / acts of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 1230 may be stored in the memory, e.g., the ROM 1224. The processor 1210 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 1230 into the RAM 1222.

[0235] The example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 1230 so that the device 1200 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 11. The example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0236] In some example embodiments, the program 1230 may be tangibly contained in a computerreadable medium which may be included in the device 1200 (such as in the memory 1220) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 1200. The device 1200 may load the program 1230 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 1222 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may include any types of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e. , tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0237] FIG. 13 shows an example of the computer readable medium 1300 which may be in form of CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 1300 has the program 1230 stored thereon.

[0238] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. Although various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0239] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, to carry out any of the methods as described above. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machineexecutable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0240] Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on themachine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[0241] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

[0242] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0243] Further, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, although several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated, certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in a plurality of embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0244] Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A first apparatus comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to:receive, from a second apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; andreceive the set of downlink repetitions from the second apparatus based on the configuration.

2. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration for downlink repetition transmission indicates at least one of the following:that a first rate matching pattern is to be applied to a first subset of downlink repetitions; that a second rate matching pattern is to be applied to a second subset of downlink repetitions; that no rate matching is to be applied to a third subset of downlink repetitions; orthat a puncturing pattern is to be applied a fourth subset of downlink repetitions.

3. The first apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first apparatus is further caused to: receive, from the second apparatus, a further configuration indicating a number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

4. The first apparatus of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the configuration for downlink repetition transmission indicates a mapping for a plurality of demodulation reference signal, DMRS, sequences, and wherein in the mapping, a DMRS sequence is mapped to at least one of the following:no rate matching to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence,no puncturing to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence,a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence,a puncturing pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence, ora number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRSsequence.

5. The first apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first apparatus is further caused to:receive a DMRS sequence applied in a subset of downlink repetitions;in accordance with a determination, based on the configuration, that the received DMRS sequence is mapped to a rate matching pattern, a puncturing pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern or puncturing pattern, decode the subset of downlink repetitions by applying the rate matching or the combination to the subset of downlink repetitions; orin accordance with a determination, based on the configuration, that the received DMRS sequence is mapped to no rate matching, decode the subset of downlink repetitions by applying apply no rate matching to the subset of downlink repetitions.

6. The first apparatus of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the configuration for downlink repetition transmission is transmitted from the second apparatus to the first apparatus via one of the following:radio resource control, RRC, signaling,media access control element control element, ordownlink control information, DCI.

7. The first apparatus of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first apparatus is further caused to: transmit, to the second apparatus, capability information indicating whether the first apparatus supports dynamic rate matching for downlink repetition transmission.

8. The first apparatus of claim 7, wherein the capability information indicates at least one of the following:whether the first apparatus supports reception of downlink repetitions using different DMRS sequences, with or without a specified data transmission mode,whether the first apparatus supports reception of downlink repetitions with a combination of rate matching and no rate matching, with or without a specified data transmission mode.

9. The first apparatus of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first apparatus is further caused to: receive, from the second apparatus, a second configuration indicating a mapping between: first ratio of received downlink repetitions without rate matching to a predetermined number of received downlink repetitions, andsecond ratios of an adjusted number of downlink repetitions to a configured number of downlink repetitions.

10. The first apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first apparatus is further caused to: based on reception of the predetermined number of downlink repetitions among the configured number of downlink repetitions, determine a first ratio of the number of received downlink repetitions without rate matching to the predetermined number;determine an adjusted number of downlink repetitions based on the determined first ratio and the mapping indicated by the second configuration to one of the second ratios; andreceive at least one remaining downlink repetition from the second apparatus, the number of the at least one remaining downlink repetition being determined based on the adjusted number and the predetermined number of received downlink repetitions.

11. The first apparatus of claim 9 or 10, wherein the first apparatus is further caused to: transmit, to the second apparatus, a capability indicating whether the first apparatus supports reception of dynamically adjusted number of repetitions.

12. The first apparatus of any of claims 1 to 11 , the first apparatus is further caused to: receive, from the second apparatus, a third configuration indicating that at least one DMRS sequence is associated with a last subset of downlink repetitions;based on receiving one of the at least one DMRS sequence in a downlink repetition, receive a last subset of downlink repetition from the second apparatus; andterminate receiving of a downlink repetition after reception of the last subset of downlink repetitions.

13. The first apparatus of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the first apparatus is or is comprised in a terminal device, and wherein the second apparatus is or is comprised in a network device.

14. A second apparatus comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to:transmit, to a first apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; andtransmit the set of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus based on the configuration.

15. The second apparatus of claim 14, wherein the configuration for downlink repetition transmission indicates at least one of the following:that a first rate matching pattern is to be applied to a first subset of downlink repetitions; that a second rate matching pattern is to be applied to a second subset of downlink repetitions; that no rate matching is to be applied to a third subset of downlink repetitions; orthat a puncturing pattern is to be applied a fourth subset of downlink repetitions.

16. The first apparatus of claim 14 or 15, wherein the second apparatus is further caused to: transmit, to the second apparatus, a further configuration indicating a number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

17. The second apparatus of any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the second apparatus is caused to:determine whether rate matching or puncturing is applicable to a subset of downlink repetitions among the set of downlink repetitions based on the configuration;in accordance with a determination, based on the configuration, that the rate matching is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, transmit the subset of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus by applying the rate matching;in accordance with a determination, based on the configuration, that the rate matching or puncturing is inapplicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, transmit the subset of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus by applying no rate matching; orin accordance with a determination, based on the configuration, that the puncturing is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions, transmit the subset of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus by applying puncturing.

18. The second apparatus of any of claims 14 to 17, wherein the configuration for downlink repetition transmission indicates a mapping for a plurality of demodulation reference signal, DMRS, sequences, and wherein in the mapping, a DMRS sequence is mapped to at least one of the following:no rate matching to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence,no puncturing to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence,a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence,a puncturing pattern to be applied to the subset of downlink repetitions associated with theDMRS sequence, ora number of downlink repetitions in the subset of downlink repetitions associated with the DMRS sequence.

19. The second apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second apparatus is caused to: determine whether a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern is applicable to a subset of downlink repetitions;in accordance with a determination that a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions,determine, based on the configuration, a DMRS sequence mapped to the rate matching pattern or the combination of more than one rate matching pattern, andtransmit the subset of downlink repetitions with the DMRS sequence by applying the rate matching pattern or the combination of more than one rate matching pattern; andin accordance with a determination that a rate matching pattern or a combination of more than one rate matching pattern is inapplicable to the subset of downlink repetitions,determine, based on the configuration, a DMRS sequence mapped to the no rate matching pattern, andtransmit the subset of downlink repetitions with the DMRS sequence without applying rate matching.

20. The second apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second apparatus is caused to: determine whether a puncturing pattern is applicable to a subset of downlink repetitions; in accordance with a determination that a puncturing pattern is applicable to the subset of downlink repetitions,determine, based on the configuration, a DMRS sequence mapped to the puncturing pattern, andtransmit the subset of downlink repetitions with the DMRS sequence by applying the puncturing pattern.

21. The second apparatus of any of claims 14 to 19, wherein the configuration for downlink repetition transmission is transmitted from the second apparatus to the first apparatus via one of the following:radio resource control, RRC, signaling,media access control element control element, ordownlink control information, DCI.

22. The second apparatus of any of claims 14 to 21, wherein the second apparatus is further caused to:receive, from the first apparatus, capability information indicating whether the first apparatus supports dynamic rate matching for downlink repetition transmission; andtransmit the configuration for downlink repetition transmission based on the capability information.

23. The second apparatus of claim 22, wherein the capability information indicates at least one of the following:whether the first apparatus supports reception of downlink repetitions using different DMRS sequences, with or without a specified data transmission mode,whether the first apparatus supports reception of downlink repetitions with a combination of rate matching and no rate matching, with or without a specified data transmission mode.

24. The second apparatus of any of claims 14 to 23, wherein a number of downlink repetitions in the set of downlink repetitions is configured for the first apparatus based on an assumption that rate matching or puncturing is to be applied in each subset of downlink repetitions among the set of downlink repetitions.

25. The second apparatus of claim 24, wherein the second apparatus is further caused to: transmit, to the first apparatus, a second configuration indicating a mapping between:first ratio of transmitted downlink repetitions without rate matching to a predetermined number of received downlink repetitions, andsecond ratios of an adjusted number of downlink repetitions to the configured number of downlink repetitions.

26. The second apparatus of claim 25, wherein the set of downlink repetitions is configured to be a first number, and wherein the second apparatus is further caused to:based on the predetermined number of downlink repetitions among the configured number of downlink repetitions being transmitted to the first apparatus, determine a first ratio of the number of downlink repetitions transmitted without rate matching to the predetermined number;determine an adjusted number of downlink repetitions based on the determined first ratio and the mapping indicated by the second configuration to one of the second ratios; andtransmit at least one remaining downlink repetitions to the first apparatus, the number of the atleast one remaining downlink repetition being determined based on the adjusted number and the predetermined number of transmitted downlink repetitions.

27. The second apparatus of claim 25 or 26, wherein the second apparatus is further caused to: receive, from the first apparatus, a capability indicating whether the first apparatus supports reception of dynamically adjusted number of repetitions; anddetermine that the configured number is to be adjusted based on the capability indicating that the first apparatus supports reception of dynamically adjusted number of repetitions.

28. The second apparatus of any of claims 14 to 24, wherein the second apparatus is further caused to:transmit, to the first apparatus, a third configuration indicating that at least one DMRS sequence is associated with a last subset of downlink repetitions; andbased on the third configuration, transmit, to the first apparatus, a last subset of downlink repetitions using one of the at least one DMRS sequence.

29. A method comprising:receiving, by a first apparatus and from a second apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; andreceiving the set of downlink repetitions from the second apparatus based on the configuration.

30. A method comprising:transmitting, by a second apparatus and to a first apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; and transmitting the set of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus based on the configuration.

31. A first apparatus comprising:means for receiving, from a second apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; andmeans for receiving the set of downlink repetitions from the second apparatus based on the configuration.

32. A second apparatus comprising:means for transmitting, to a first apparatus, a configuration for downlink repetition transmission, wherein the configuration indicates whether rate matching or puncturing is to be applied to a subset of downlink repetitions among a set of downlink repetitions; andmeans for transmitting the set of downlink repetitions to the first apparatus based on the configuration.

33. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus at least to perform the method of claim 29 or the method of claim 30.

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