EP4695924A1

EP4695924A1 - Uci transmission mechanism

Info

Publication number: EP4695924A1
Application number: EP23932464.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Zexian Li; Margarita GAPEYENKO; Chunli Wu; Jorma Johannes Kaikkonen
Original assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2023-04-13
Filing date: 2023-04-13
Publication date: 2026-02-18
Also published as: CN121285973A; WO2024212177A1

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a terminal device, a network device, methods, apparatuses and a computer readable storage medium for UCI transmission. The terminal device may determine information indicating a rule for transmitting a UCI which is used for indicating at least one unused or used CG PUSCH transmission occasion in a CG period, where the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and the terminal device may transmit, to the network device, the UCI based on the information. As such, the UCI may be successfully transmitted, and accordingly the network device may be aware of the usage status in a CG period. Therefore, the communication efficiency may be improved.

Description

UCI TRANSMISSION MECHANISM

FIELD

Example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunication and in particular, to a terminal device, a network device, methods, apparatuses and a computer readable storage medium for uplink control information (UCI) transmission.

BACKGROUND

Extended reality (XR) refers to all real-and-virtual combined environments and associated human-machine interactions generated by computer technology and wearables, which may include augmented reality (AR) , mixed reality (MR) , virtual reality (VR) , and the areas interpolated among them.
A work item for the third generation partnership project (3GPP) release 18 (Rel-18) is on-going studying an enhancement for XR, in which further enhancement on configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) is introduced. For example, the physical channel that carries the UCI that provides information about unused CG PUSCH transmission occasions in a CG period. However, a specific transmission of the UCI is still further to be studied.
SUMMARY
In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for transmitting a UCI.
In a first aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to: determine information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and transmit, to a network device, the UCI based on the information.
In a second aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device at least to: determine information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and receive, from a terminal device, the UCI based on the information.
In a third aspect, there is provided a method performed by a terminal device. The method comprises: determining, at a terminal device, information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and transmitting, to a network device, the UCI based on the information.
In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method performed by a network device. The method comprises: determining, at a network device, information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and receiving, from a terminal device, the UCI based on the information.
In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus comprises: means for determining, at a terminal device, information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and means for transmitting, to a network device, the UCI based on the information.
In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus comprises: means for determining, at a network device, information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and means for receiving, from a terminal device, the UCI based on the information.
In a seventh aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device comprises: determining circuitry configured to determine at a terminal device, information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and transmitting circuitry configured to transmit, to a network device, the UCI based on the information.
In an eighth aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device comprises: determining circuitry configured to determine, at a network device, information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and receiving circuitry configured to receive, from a terminal device, the UCI based on the information.
In a ninth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method in the third or fourth aspect.
In a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus at least to perform the method in the third or fourth aspect.
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

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a network environment in which some example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;
FIG. 2 illustrates an example scenario in which some example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a process flow in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow that the network device configures a multiplexing rule of the UCI in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a network device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIG. 7 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a computer readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.
Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

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. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.
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.
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.
It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.
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. As used herein, “at least one of the following: <a list of two or more elements>” and “at least one of <a list of two or more elements>” 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.
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.
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.
As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) , LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) , New Radio (NR) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) , Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications 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) , 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.
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) , a new radio (NR) NB (also referred to as a gNB) , a Remote Radio Unit (RRU) , a radio header (RH) , a remote radio head (RRH) , an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology.
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 machine type communication (MTC) 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. In the following description, the terms “terminal device” , “communication device” , “terminal” , “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.
As mentioned above, a work item in 3GPP Rel-18 is on-going studying an enhancement for XR. The following text box describes some non-restrictive introduction information of the work item, however, it is noted that example embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to current definitions or features shown in the text box.
It is proposed that the physical channel that carries the UCI that provides information about unused CG PUSCH transmission occasions is CG PUSCH. Encoding and multiplexing for “the UCI that provides information about unused CG PUSCH transmission occasions” in a CG PUSCH applies encoding and multiplexing procedures for CG-UCI as baseline. Consider the following alternatives for “the UCI that provides information about unused CG PUSCH transmission occasions” for down-selection or revision.
● Alt. 1: “The UCI that provides information about unused CG PUSCH transmission occasions” is defined as a new UCI.
● Alt. 2: “The UCI that provides information about unused CG PUSCH transmission occasions” is added as new field (s) to the CG-UCI.
● Alt. 3: “The UCI that provides information about unused CG PUSCH transmission occasions” replaces/re-purposes some field (s) of the CG-UCI.
In the present disclosure, the term “UCI” may refer to a new UCI, a CG-UCI, or the like, the present disclosure does not limit this aspect.
While a CG PUSCH is used to carry the UCI, it may be overlapped with another physical channel which has a higher priority or a DG PUSCH of the same priority, in this case, the transmission of the UCI may be stopped (or dropped, cancelled) . Therefore, how to make sure that the UCI is successfully delivered is needed to be studied.
Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for a transmission of the UCI. In some embodiments, a terminal device may determine information which indicates a rule for transmitting the UCI. Accordingly, the terminal device may transmit the UCI based on the rule. For example, the rule may indicate that at least one CG PUSCH occasion may have higher priority, thus the UCI will not be cancelled or dropped because of the higher priority. For example, the rule may indicate that the UCI will be transmitted on a dynamic grant (DG) PUSCH which is scheduled by a DG. For example, the UCI will not be skipped even if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH. For example, the UCI may be transmitted in a later CG PUSCH occasion. As such, the UCI may be successfully transmitted, and accordingly the network device may be aware of the usage status in a CG period. Principles and some example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a network environment 100 in which some example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The environment 100, which may be a part of a communication network, comprises a terminal device 110 and a network device 120. The network environment 100 may also be called as a network system, a communication environment, a communication network, a communication system, or the like, the present disclosure does not limit this aspect.
The environment 100 may comprise any suitable number of devices and cells. In the environment 100, the network device 120 can provide services to the terminal device 110, and the network device 120 and the terminal device 110 may communicate data and control information with each other. In some embodiments, the network device 120 and the terminal device 110 may communicate with direct links/channels.
In the system 100, a link from the network device 120 to the terminal device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL) , while a link from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL) . In downlink, 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 uplink, the terminal device 110 is a transmitting TX device (or a transmitter) and the network device 120 is a RX device (or a receiver) . It is to be understood that the network device 120 may provide one or more serving cells. In some embodiments, the network device 120 can provide multiple cells.
Communications in the network 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 (1G) and the sixth generation (6G) and on 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.
It is to be understood that the numbers of devices (i.e., the terminal device 110 and the network device 120) and their connection relationships and types shown in FIG. 1 are only for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitation. For example, the environment 100 may include any suitable numbers of devices adapted for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, while FIG. 1 depicts the terminal device 110 as a mobile phone; the terminal device 110 may be any type of user equipment.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example scenario 200 in which some example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. A UCI carried on a CG PUSCH is supposed to be transmitted; however the CG PUSCH is overlapped with another PUSCH (such as a DG PUSCH) which has a higher priority.
According to the specified UE behavior, the CG PUSCH which is assumed to carry the UCI (either a new UCI or CG-UCI) needs to be dropped or cancelled. In other words, the UE will stop (or cancel) the transmission of the low priority CG PUSCH on which the UCI is supposed to be delivered.
Similarly, the CG PUSCH on which the UCI is supposed to be delivered will be stopped (or cancelled) due to inter-UE prioritization, e.g., the CG PUSCH resource is overlapped with a high priority channel for another UE.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a process flow 300 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process flow 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The process flow 300 involves the terminal device 110 and the network device 120. It would be appreciated that although the process flow 300 has been described in the network environment 100 of FIG. 1, this process flow may be likewise applied to other communication scenarios.
It is assumed that the network device 120 has configured a configure grant with a CG period for the terminal device 110, where the CG period includes multiple CG PUSCH occasions. In some examples, the CG PUSCH occasion may also be called as a CG PUSCH resource, a CG PUSCH time resource, or the like.
It is assumed that the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; in other words, the UCI is supposed to be or would be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period. For example, the at least one CG PUSCH occasion may include a first CG PUSCH occasion. In some examples, the network device 120 may have configured the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period for transmitting the UCI.
In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may have transmitted a CG configuration to the terminal device 110, where the CG configuration indicates that there are multiple CG PUSCH occasions in the CG period and at least one CG PUSCH occasion among the multiple CG PUSCH occasion is used for transmitting the UCI, where the UCI may be a CG UCI or a new UCI, and the UCI is used for indicating one or more used or unused CG PUSCH occasions in the CG period. In another embodiment, the UCI is used for indicating the total amount of used or unused CG PUSCH occasions in the CG period.
In the process flow 300, the terminal device 110 determines 310 information which indicates a rule for transmitting a UCI, and the network device 120 determines 315 information which indicates a rule for transmitting a UCI. In some examples, the UCI may be a CG UCI or a new UCI, which is used for indicating one or more used or unused CG PUSCH occasions in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, the information which indicates the rule may be predefined at the terminal device 110 and the network device 120, as such the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 may have a common knowledge of the information which indicates a rule for transmitting a UCI.
In some other example embodiments, the information which indicates the rule may be preconfigured. In some examples, the network device 120 may determine the information at 315, and the network device 120 may further transmit a configuration to the terminal device 110, where the configuration comprises the information indicating a rule for transmitting a UCI. And accordingly the terminal device 110 may receive the configuration and further determine the information which indicates the rule for transmitting the UCI.
In some examples, the information determined by the network device 120 may be specific to the terminal device 110, in other words, different information (indicates different rules) may be associated with different terminal devices. However, it is understood that different terminal devices may be configured with a same rule in some cases.
Alternatively, the configuration may be the same as the CG configuration stated above, or the configuration may be in a separate message different from the CG configuration stated above. In some examples, the configuration may be carried in a radio resource control (RRC) message or RRC signalling.
In some example embodiments, the rule may be associated with an overlapping of resources while transmitting the UCI. In some example embodiments, the rule may be a transmission rule while the resource supposed to transmit the UCI is overlapped with another resource. In some example embodiments, the rule may be used if the UCI is dropped or cancelled due to intra-UE prioritization or inter-UE prioritization.
In some example embodiments, the rule may be one of options 1-5 described below. For example, the information which indicates the rule may include an index of the rule. For example, the information which indicates the rule may include multiple indexes of the rules, i.e., the information may indicate multiple rules.
In some examples, the network device 120 may determine the rule based on one or more of: a transmission bandwidth, a channel condition, an urgency of the UCI, UE processing capability, etc. For example, if the UCI is used to indicate one or more used CG PUSCH occasions, the urgency level may be lower, and the dropping (or cancellation) may be allowed. For example, if the UCI is used to indicate one or more unused CG PUSCH occasions, and a time duration from the at least one CG PUSCH occasion (carrying the UCI) to the one or more unused CG PUSCH occasion is shorter or not longer than a time threshold, then the urgency level may be higher, e.g., option 1 below may be configured.
Option 1: the rule may include configuring the at least one CG PUSCH occasion with a higher priority level. For example, each of the at least one CG PUSCH occasion has a higher priority level than other CG PUSCH occasion without UCI. As a specific example, assume that the CG period includes a first CG PUSCH occasion and a second CG PUSCH occasion, if the UCI is to be transmitted in the first CG PUSCH occasion and there is no UCI will be transmitted in the second CG PUSCH occasion, then the priority of the first CG PUSCH occasion is configured higher than a priority of the second CG PUSCH occasion.
Option 2: the rule may include transmitting the UCI based on a dynamic grant (DG) . For example, the UCI was supposed to be transmitted in a first CG PUSCH occasion, and is dropped or cancelled due to a low priority.
In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may be aware of intra-UE or inter-UE overlapping situation, and the network device 120 may transmit a DG to the terminal device 110, where the DG may schedule a resource for a transmission of the UCI. For example, the network device 120 may proactively schedule a resource for a transmission of the UCI, e.g., the resource may be a UL DG resource. In this case, the UCI may be explicitly requested by the DG. This manner can be regarded as a proactive DG scheduling for compensating the dropped (or cancelled) UCI transmission.
In some other example embodiments, if the network device 120 fails to receive the UCI in the first CG PUSCH occasion, the network device 120 may further transmit a DG to the terminal device 110, where the DG may be a retransmission grant of the UCI. For example, once the network device 120 has not detected any signal from the first CG PUSCH occasion which is supposed to transmit the UCI, the network device 120 may transmit the DG (i.e., the retransmission grant) to request a retransmission of the UCI. This manner can be regarded as a reactive DG scheduling for transmitting the dropped (or cancelled) UCI.
In some other example embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit the DG to explicitly request aperiodic UCI transmission, e.g., on the resource usage of the coming CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
Option 3: the rule may be a CG PUSCH skipping rule.
In some example embodiments, the rule may include not skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is to be used for transmitting the UCI. In some examples, the rule may indicate that: once a CG PUSCH occasion (such as the first CG PUSCH occasion) in configured to transmit the UCI, it will not be skipped even there is no uplink data is to be transmitted. In other words, even there is no UL SCH at the moment, the CG PUSCH occasion is not skipped, e.g., the UL skipping is temporarily disabled.
In some examples, if there is only one CG PUSCH occasion for transmitting the UCI, e.g., the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is the first CG PUSCH occasion, then the first CG PUSCH occasion may be configured as non-skipped. In some other examples, if there are more than one CG PUSCH occasion for transmitting the UCI, e.g., the at least one CG PUSCH occasion includes several CG PUSCH occasion, then the last of the more than one CG PUSCH occasion may be configured as non-skipped when the previous CG PUSCH occasion (s) is cancelled, e.g., when the increased latency is tolerable.
In some other example embodiments, the rule may include skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI when no uplink data is to be transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion. In some examples, the at least one CG PUSCH occasion with the UCI and without UL data may be skipped, and accordingly it could be assumed that the following CG PUSCH occasions within the CG period are unused. In some other examples, if there are more than one CG PUSCH occasion for transmitting the UCI, e.g., the at least one CG PUSCH occasion includes several CG PUSCH occasion, then the UCI may be transmitted once without repeating it in the following CG PUSCH occasion (s) when there is no update information. For example, if the at least one CG PUSCH occasion includes a first CG PUSCH occasion and a third CG PUSCH occasion, the UCI has been transmitted in the first CG PUSCH occasion, the third CG PUSCH occasion may be skipped if there is no uplink data is to be transmitted in the third CG PUSCH occasion and the UCI is unchanged.
Option 4: the rule may include multiplexing the UCI in a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion. In some examples, option 4 may be applied for the case of intra-UE prioritization or multiplexing. In some examples, the transmission channel overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion may be a PUCCH or a PUSCH. In some examples, the UCI may be multiplexed with uplink information with higher priority carried in the PUCCH or PUSCH.
Option 5: the rule may include transmitting the UCI in a further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion when the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is cancelled or dropped due to an overlap with a transmission channel. For example, the further CG PUSCH occasion is an occasion after and nearest to the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period. In some examples, the UCI may be multiplexed in the immediate CG PUSCH occasion after the dropped (or cancelled) at least one CG PUSCH occasion. It is to be understood that an original rule may configure the at least one CG PUSCH occasion for transmitting the UCI, while the option 5 may override the original rule.
In some example embodiments, the options 1-5 may be predefined or preconfigured. In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may configure the options 1-5 in advance. In some example embodiments, the configuration may include an index of the option to indicate the rule, as such, the overhead can be reduced. In some other example embodiments, the configuration may indicate a combination of multiple rules. For example, the configuration may include multiple indexes of the multiple rules.
In the process flow 300, the terminal device 110 transmits 320 the UCI 322 indicating one or more unused or used CG PUSCH occasions in the CG period to the network device 120.
In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine that the UCI is to be (would be) transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period. In some examples, if the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is not overlapped with another channel, the terminal device 110 may transmit the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion. In some other examples, if the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is overlapped with another channel, the terminal device 110 may transmit the UCI based on the rule indicated by the information.
In some example embodiments, the rule may be option 1. In some examples, the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used to transmit the UCI has a higher priority, e.g., higher than a priority of the overlapped channel, and the terminal device 110 may transmit the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion. That is, the terminal device 110 may transmit the high priority UCI. In some examples, the transmission on the overlapped channel may be dropped or cancelled.
In some example embodiments, the rule may be option 2. In some examples, the terminal device 110 may receive a DG from the network device 120, where the DG schedules a resource for a transmission of the UCI; and then the terminal device 110 may transmit the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG. In other words, a proactive DG is transmitted by the network device 120. In some other examples, the terminal device 110 may drop (or cancel) a transmission of the UCI if the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is overlapped with another transmission channel (e.g., the at least one CG PUSCH occasion has a lower priority) ; the terminal device 110 may further receive a DG including a retransmission grant from the network device 120; and the terminal device 110 transmits the UCI based on the DG. In other words, a reactive DG is transmitted by the network device 120.
In some example embodiments, the rule may be option 3. In some examples, if the at least one CG PUSCH occasion includes a single CG PUSCH occasion, the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is not skipped, even if there is no UL data to be transmitted. The terminal device 110 transmits the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is not skipped. In some other examples, if the at least one CG PUSCH occasion includes several CG PUSCH occasions, the terminal device 110 may transmit the UCI in one of the at least one CG PUSCH occasion (e.g., the first CG PUSCH occasion) , and may skip another one of the at least one CG PUSCH occasion (e.g., a CG PUSCH occasion after the first CG PUSCH occasion) is there is no UL data to be transmitted in another one of the at least one CG PUSCH occasion and the UCI is not updated, e.g., the UCI is unchanged.
For example, the specification may be updated as shown in the following text box if option 3 is applied:
In some example embodiments, the rule may be option 4. In some examples, the terminal device 110 may multiplex the UCI into a transmission channel (e.g., a PUCCH or a PUSCH) which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule may be option 5. In some examples, the terminal device 110 may drop (or cancel) a transmission of the UCI if the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is overlapped with another transmission channel (e.g., the at least one CG PUSCH occasion has a lower priority) ; and the terminal device 110 may transmit the UCI in anther CG PUSCH occasion after the at least one CG PUSCH occasion. For example, the UCI may be transmitted in a nearest available CG PUSCH occasion after at least one CG PUSCH occasion. For example, the CG PUSCH occasion for transmitting the UCI may be the one immediately after the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some other example embodiments, the information may indicate a combination of multiple rules. In addition or alternatively, the terminal device 110 may determine (or select) one of the multiple rules. In some examples, the terminal device 110 may determine the rule based on, e.g., an urgency of the UCI. For examples, if the UCI is used to indicate one or more unused CG PUSCH occasions, and a time duration from the at least one CG PUSCH occasion (carrying the UCI) to the one or more unused CG PUSCH occasion is shorter or not longer than a time threshold, then the urgency level may be higher, e.g., option 1 may be used.
On the other side of communication, the network device 120 receives 324 the UCI 322 indicating one or more unused or used CG PUSCH occasions in the CG period.
In some examples, the rule may be option 1. The network device 120 may receive the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some examples, the rule may be option 2. If the network device 120 fails to receive the UCI successfully, the network device 120 may further transmit a DG (i.e., a retransmission grant) to the terminal device 110, so that the UCI may be retransmitted. In some other examples, the rule may be option 4. If the network device 120 fails to receive the UCI successfully, the network device 120 may further transmit a retransmission request to the terminal device 110, so that the UCI may be retransmitted.
In some examples, the rule may be option 3, for example, the rule may comprise skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion. For example, if the network device 120 does not detect the UCI in at least one CG PUSCH occasion, the network device 120 may determine that the following CG PUSCH occasions (after the at least one CG PUSCH occasion) within the CG period are unused. For example, the network device 120 may be aware of the overlapping, if the network device 120 does not detect the UCI in at least one CG PUSCH occasion, the network device 120 may determine that there is no uplink data from the terminal device 110, and the network device 120 may determine that the following CG PUSCH occasions (after the at least one CG PUSCH occasion) within the CG period are unused, e.g., based on a discrete transmission (DTX) detection.
In some examples, the rule may be option 4. The network device 120 may receive the UCI which is multiplexed on the overlapped high priority channel, such as a PUCCH or a PUSCH.
In some examples, the rule may be option 5. For example, if no UCI is detected in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, the network device 120 may detect the UCI in a further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period. For example, the further CG PUSCH occasion may be the one immediately after the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 that the network device configures a multiplexing rule of the UCI in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process flow 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The process flow 400 involves the terminal device 110 and the network device 120. In the process flow 400, an intra-UE multiplexing is taken as an example where it is assumed that the UCI is supposed to be delivered on a low priority CG PUSCH.
At 410, the network device 120 transmits a configuration to the terminal device 110. It is assumed that there are multiple CG PUSCH occasions in a CG period, and a UCI may be used to indicate one or more unused CG PUSCH occasions in the CG period.
As a specific example, the configuration in FIG. 4 may indicate a rule including multiplexing the UCI into an overlapped transmission channel. In some examples, the UCI is supposed to be transmitted on a CG PUSCH which has a lower priority than a PUCCH or a PUSCH. For example, at least one CG PUSCH occasion may be configured to transmit the UCI, when the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is overlapped with another transmission channel (such as a PUCCH or a PUSCH) , the rule may indicate multiplexing the UCI into the transmission channel (such as a PUCCH or a PUSCH) .
Alternatively, the configuration (or the indicated rule) may further include a limitation of the multiplexing, for example, the rule may indicate that the UCI may be multiplexed into a transmission channel other than Format 0 PUCCH. In other words, in case the at least one CG PUSCH occasion (for transmitting the UCI) is overlapped with Format 0 PUCCH, it is not allowed to multiple the UCI into the Format 0 PUCCH due to limited information can be carried on Format 0 PUCCH.
At 420, the terminal device 110 applies the rule by multiplexing the UCI into an overlapped high priority channel when the CG PUSCH is overlapped with the high priority channel. In some examples, once the overlapping CG PUSCH with other high priority channel is determined, the terminal device 110 will apply the configured rule to handle the UCI, e.g., multiplexing the UCI onto the high priority channel.
At 430, the terminal device 110 transmits the UCI. Specifically, the UCI is transmitted (or delivered) on a multiplexed high priority channel (such as PUCCH or PUSCH) .
At 440, the network device 120 decodes the UCI to determine one or more unused CG PUSCH occasions in the CG period. In some examples, upon receiving the UCI, the network device 120 may decode the UCI correctly to obtain the information about one or more unused CG PUSCH occasions in the CG period. In some examples, the network device 120 may further schedule another terminal device to use the resources associated with the one or more unused CG PUSCH occasions in the CG period.
It is to be understood that the embodiments described in FIG. 4 are only for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitation. For example, another rule or a combination of rules may be indicated by the configuration at 410. For example, the rule may be predefined at the network device 120 and the terminal device 110, and the configuration at 410 may be omitted. For example, more than one CG PUSCH occasion may be configured for transmitting the UCI. The present disclosure will not list herein.
According to the embodiments with reference to FIGS. 3-4, a solution of UCI transmission is proposed. According to the solution, the UCI may be transmitted to the network device even if an overlapping of the CG PUSCH carrying the UCI and a high priority channel is happened. As such, the network device can receive the UCI and accordingly be aware of which CG PUSCH occasion (s) would be used or unused. Therefore, the transmission efficiency may be guaranteed.
FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method 500 implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 with reference to FIG. 1.
At block 510, the terminal device 110 determines information indicating a rule for transmitting a UCI which is used for indicating at least one unused or used CG PUSCH transmission occasion in a CG period, where the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period. At block 520, the terminal device 110 transmits, to a network device, the UCI based on the information.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: configuring each of the at least one CG PUSCH occasion with a higher priority level if the UCI is transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, if the at least one CG PUSCH occasion has a higher priority level than a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, the terminal device 110 transmits the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: transmitting the UCI based on a dynamic grant (DG) .
In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 receives, from the network device, the DG scheduling a resource for a transmission of the UCI. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 transmits, to the network device, the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG.
In some example embodiments, if the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is overlapped with a transmission channel, the terminal device 110 cancels a transmission of the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion; the terminal device 110 receives, from the network device, the DG comprising a retransmission grant of the UCI; and the terminal device 110 transmits, to the network device, the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG.
In some example embodiments, the DG is used to indicate an aperiodic UCI transmission.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: not skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the at least one CG PUSCH occasion comprises a first CG PUSCH occasion and a second CG PUSCH occasion, and the rule comprises: skipping the second CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the second CG PUSCH occasion and the UCI has been transmitted in the first CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: multiplexing the UCI in a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: transmitting the UCI in a further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion when the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is cancelled or dropped due to an overlap with a transmission channel.
In some example embodiments, if the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is overlapped with the transmission channel, the terminal device 110 cancels a transmission of the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion; and transmits, to the network device, the UCI in the further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, the further CG PUSCH occasion is an occasion after and nearest to the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 receives, from the network device, a configuration comprising the information indicating the rule for transmitting the UCI.
FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method 600 implemented at a network device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 600 will be described from the perspective of the network device 120 with reference to FIG. 1.
At block 610, the network device 120 determines information indicating a rule for transmitting a UCI which is used for indicating at least one unused or used CG PUSCH transmission occasion in a CG period, where the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period. At block 620, the network device 120 receives, from a terminal device, the UCI based on the information.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: configuring each of the at least one CG PUSCH occasion with a higher priority level if the UCI is transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, the network device 120 receives the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, where the at least one CG PUSCH occasion has a higher priority level than a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: transmitting the UCI based on a dynamic grant (DG) .
In some example embodiments, the network device 120 transmits, to the terminal device, the DG scheduling a resource for a transmission of the UCI; and receives, from the terminal device, the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG.
In some example embodiments, if no UCI is detected in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, the network device 120 transmits, to the terminal device, the DG comprising a retransmission grant of the UCI; and receives, from the terminal device, the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG.
In some example embodiments, the DG is used to indicate an aperiodic UCI transmission.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: not skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the at least one CG PUSCH occasion comprises a first CG PUSCH occasion and a second CG PUSCH occasion, and the rule comprises: skipping the second CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the second CG PUSCH occasion and the UCI has been transmitted in the first CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: multiplexing the UCI in a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: transmitting the UCI in a further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion when the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is cancelled or dropped due to an overlap with a transmission channel.
In some example embodiments, if no UCI is detected in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, the network device 120 detects the UCI in the further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, the further CG PUSCH occasion is an occasion after and nearest to the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, the network device 120 transmits, to the terminal device, a configuration comprising the information indicating the rule for transmitting the UCI.
In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 500 (for example, the terminal device 110) may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for determining information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and means for transmitting, to a network device, the UCI based on the information.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: configuring each of the at least one CG PUSCH occasion with a higher priority level if the UCI is transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for based on a determination that the at least one CG PUSCH occasion has a higher priority level than a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, transmitting the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: transmitting the UCI based on a dynamic grant (DG) .
In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for receiving, from the network device, the DG scheduling a resource for a transmission of the UCI; and means for transmitting, to the network device, the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for based on a determination that the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is overlapped with a transmission channel, cancelling a transmission of the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion; means for receiving, from the network device, the DG comprising a retransmission grant of the UCI; and means for transmitting, to the network device, the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG.
In some example embodiments, the DG is used to indicate an aperiodic UCI transmission.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: not skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the at least one CG PUSCH occasion comprises a first CG PUSCH occasion and a second CG PUSCH occasion, and the rule comprises: skipping the second CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the second CG PUSCH occasion and the UCI has been transmitted in the first CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: multiplexing the UCI in a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: transmitting the UCI in a further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion when the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is cancelled or dropped due to an overlap with a transmission channel.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for based on a determination that the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is overlapped with the transmission channel, cancelling a transmission of the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion; and means for transmitting, to the network device, the UCI in the further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, the further CG PUSCH occasion is an occasion after and nearest to the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for receiving, from the network device, a configuration comprising the information indicating the rule for transmitting the UCI.
In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 600 (for example, the network device 120 may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 600. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for determining information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and means for receiving, from a terminal device, the UCI based on the information.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: configuring each of the at least one CG PUSCH occasion with a higher priority level if the UCI is transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for receiving the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, wherein the at least one CG PUSCH occasion has a higher priority level than a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: transmitting the UCI based on a dynamic grant (DG) .
In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for transmitting, to the terminal device, the DG scheduling a resource for a transmission of the UCI; and means for receiving, from the terminal device, the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for based on a determination that no UCI is detected in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, transmitting, to the terminal device, the DG comprising a retransmission grant of the UCI; and means for receiving, from the terminal device, the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG.
In some example embodiments, the DG is used to indicate an aperiodic UCI transmission.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: not skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the at least one CG PUSCH occasion comprises a first CG PUSCH occasion and a second CG PUSCH occasion, and the rule comprises: skipping the second CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the second CG PUSCH occasion and the UCI has been transmitted in the first CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: multiplexing the UCI in a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
In some example embodiments, the rule comprises: transmitting the UCI in a further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion when the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is cancelled or dropped due to an overlap with a transmission channel.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for based on a determination that no UCI is detected in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, detecting the UCI in the further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, the further CG PUSCH occasion is an occasion after and nearest to the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for transmitting, to the terminal device, a configuration comprising the information indicating the rule for transmitting the UCI.
FIG. 7 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device 700 that is suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 700 may be provided to implement the communication device, for example the terminal device 110 or the network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processor 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processor 710.
The communication module 740 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 740 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements.
The processor 710 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 700 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.
The memory 720 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) 724, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM) , a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD) , a digital video disk (DVD) , and other magnetic storage and/or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.
A computer program 730 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 710. The program 730 may be stored in the ROM 724. The processor 710 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 730 into the RAM 722.
The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 730 so that the device 700 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to FIGS. 3-6. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.
In some example embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 700 (such as in the memory 720) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 700. The device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 722 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any types of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like.
FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a computer readable medium 800 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer readable medium 800 has the program 730 stored thereon. It is noted that although the computer readable medium 800 is depicted in form of CD or DVD in FIG. 8, the computer readable medium 800 may be in any other form suitable for carry or hold the program 730.
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, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While 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.
The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out the method as described above with reference to any of FIGS. 5-6. 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. Machine-executable 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.
Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes 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 codes, 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 the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.
In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program codes 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.
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. 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) .
Further, while 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, while 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. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.
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

A terminal device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to:

determine information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and

transmit, to a network device, the UCI based on the information.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the rule comprises: configuring each of the at least one CG PUSCH occasion with a higher priority level if the UCI is transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the terminal device is caused to transmit the UCI by:

based on a determination that the at least one CG PUSCH occasion has a higher priority level than a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, transmitting the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the rule comprises: transmitting the UCI based on a dynamic grant (DG) .
The terminal device of claim 4, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

receive, from the network device, the DG scheduling a resource for a transmission of the UCI; and

transmit, to the network device, the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG.
The terminal device of claim 4, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

based on a determination that the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is overlapped with a transmission channel, cancel a transmission of the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion;

receive, from the network device, the DG comprising a retransmission grant of the UCI; and

transmit, to the network device, the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG.
The terminal device of claim 4, wherein the DG is used to indicate an aperiodic UCI transmission.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the rule comprises: not skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the rule comprises: skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the at least one CG PUSCH occasion comprises a first CG PUSCH occasion and a second CG PUSCH occasion, wherein the rule comprises: skipping the second CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the second CG PUSCH occasion and the UCI has been transmitted in the first CG PUSCH occasion.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the rule comprises: multiplexing the UCI in a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the rule comprises: transmitting the UCI in a further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion when the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is cancelled or dropped due to an overlap with a transmission channel.
The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

based on a determination that the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is overlapped with the transmission channel, cancel a transmission of the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion; and

transmit, to the network device, the UCI in the further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
The terminal device of claim 12 or 13, wherein the further CG PUSCH occasion is an occasion after and nearest to the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
The terminal device of any of claims 1-14, wherein the terminal device is caused to determine information indicating a rule for transmitting the UCI by:

receiving, from the network device, a configuration comprising the information indicating the rule for transmitting the UCI.
A network device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device at least to:

determine information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and

receive, from the terminal device, the UCI based on the information.
The network device of claim 16, wherein the rule comprises: configuring each of the at least one CG PUSCH occasion with a higher priority level if the UCI is transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
The network device of claim 17, wherein the network device is caused to transmit the UCI by:

receiving the UCI in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, wherein the at least one CG PUSCH occasion has a higher priority level than a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
The network device of claim 16, wherein the rule comprises: transmitting the UCI based on a dynamic grant (DG) .
The network device of claim 19, wherein the network device is further caused to:

transmit, to the terminal device, the DG scheduling a resource for a transmission of the UCI; and

receive, from the terminal device, the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG.
The network device of claim 19, wherein the network device is further caused to:

based on a determination that no UCI is detected in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, transmit, to the terminal device, the DG comprising a retransmission grant of the UCI; and

receive, from the terminal device, the UCI in a DG PUSCH based on the DG.
The network device of claim 19, wherein the DG is used to indicate an aperiodic UCI transmission.
The network device of claim 16, wherein the rule comprises: not skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI.
The network device of claim 16, wherein the rule comprises: skipping the at least one CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
The network device of claim 16, wherein the at least one CG PUSCH occasion comprises a first CG PUSCH occasion and a second CG PUSCH occasion, wherein the rule comprises: skipping the second CG PUSCH occasion which is used for transmitting the UCI if no uplink data is to be transmitted in the second CG PUSCH occasion and the UCI has been transmitted in the first CG PUSCH occasion.
The network device of claim 16, wherein the rule comprises: multiplexing the UCI in a transmission channel which is overlapped with the at least one CG PUSCH occasion.
The network device of claim 16, wherein the rule comprises: transmitting the UCI in a further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion when the at least one CG PUSCH occasion is cancelled or dropped due to an overlap with a transmission channel.
The network device of claim 27, wherein the network device is further caused to:

based on a determination that no UCI is detected in the at least one CG PUSCH occasion, detect the UCI in the further CG PUSCH occasion following the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
The network device of claim 27 or 28, wherein the further CG PUSCH occasion is an occasion after and nearest to the at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period.
The network device of any of claims 16-29, wherein the network device is further configured to:

transmit, to the terminal device, a configuration comprising the information indicating the rule for transmitting the UCI.
A method comprising:

determining, at a terminal device, information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and

transmitting, to a network device, the UCI based on the information.
A method comprising:

determining, at a network device, information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and

receiving, from a terminal device, the UCI based on the information.
An apparatus comprising:

means for determining, at a terminal device, information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and

means for transmitting, to a network device, the UCI based on the information.
An apparatus comprising:

means for determining, at a network device, information indicating a rule for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) which is used for indicating at least one unused or used configured grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasion in a CG period, wherein the UCI is to be transmitted in at least one CG PUSCH occasion in the CG period; and

means for receiving, from a terminal device, the UCI based on the information.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any of claims 31-32.