WO2020258159A1

WO2020258159A1 - Method and device for indicating spatial relation information

Info

Publication number: WO2020258159A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/093274
Authority: WO
Inventors: Li Guo
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd.
Priority date: 2019-06-27
Filing date: 2019-06-27
Publication date: 2020-12-30
Also published as: CN112789925A; CN112789925B

Abstract

There are methods and devices for indicating spatial relation information. In a method for indicating spatial relation information, a terminal device receives spatial relation information indicated by a network device (210), and the terminal device applies the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources (220).

Description

Method and Device for Indicating Spatial Relation Information

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the communication field, and more particularly, to methods and devices for indicating special relation information.

Background

In New Radio (NR) 3GPP specification release 15, beam indication is conducted per physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource. For a given bandwidth part (BWP) in a serving cell, a terminal device may be configured with 4 PUCCH resource sets and in each PUCCH resource set, the terminal device is configured with one or more PUCCH resources. For the transmission on each PUCCH resource, the terminal device is configured with spatial relation information such as the parameter PUCCH-spatialRelationInfo, which may contain one or more reference signal resource IDs. Each of those reference signal resource is used to provide information on which transmission beam the terminal device shall use for the transmission on that PUCCH resource. For example, if the reference signal resource is a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource, the terminal device shall use the same transmission beam used to transmit that SRS resource on the transmission on that PUCCH resource. If the reference signal resource is a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource or synchronization signal /physical broadcast channel (SS/PBCH) block, the terminal device shall use the uplink transmission beam corresponding to the reception beam used to receive the CSI-RS resource transmission or SS/PBCH block transmission on the transmission on that PUCCH resource. A base station (e.g., gNB) may configure only one PUCCH-spatialRelationInfo value to a PUCCH resource and when the gNB wants to switch the transmission beam of that PUCCH resource, the gNB may re-configure that parameter. The base station may also configure multiple PUCCH-spatialRelationInfo values to a PUCCH resource in radio resource control (RRC) and then use media access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling to activate one of those configured PUCCH-spatialRelationInfo values as the current transmission beam for that PUCCH resource. If the base station wants to switch the transmission beam of one PUCCH resource, the base station may use a MAC CE message to indicate another PUCCH-spatialRelationInfo value for that PUCCH resource. The base station may use the MAC CE message to indicate the PUCCH-spatialRelationInfo value for each individual PUCCH resource. The advantage of that method is flexibility and the base station is allowed to apply different transmission beams on different PUCCH resources. But the drawback is MAC CE signaling overhead. A terminal device may be configured with up to 128 PUCCH resources in a given BWP. Generally, all the PUCCH resources in the same band could use the same ‘best’ transmission beam for transmission. To update transmission beam for all those PUCCH resources, 128 MAC CE messages need to be transmitted because the above method only allows beam indication per PUCCH resource. Thus, new methods for beam indication for PUCCH resources are needed for lower signaling overhead.

Summary

Implementations of the present disclosure provide methods and devices for indicating special relation information.

In a first aspect, a method for indicating spatial relation information is provided. The method includes: receiving, by a terminal device, spatial relation information indicated by a network device; and applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources.

In an exemplary implementation, the spatial relation information at least includes first spatial relation information and second spatial relation information, and the terminal device is configured with a first higher layer parameter, values of which at least include a first value and a second value, the first spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the first value, and the second spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the second value.

In an exemplary implementation, applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources includes: for a transmission on a PUCCH resource, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on uplink control information (UCI) carried in the transmission.

In an exemplary implementation, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission includes: when the UCI includes a scheduling request (SR) , selecting, by the terminal device, the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission includes: when the UCI includes hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission that is scheduled by a downlink control information (DCI) format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, selecting, by the terminal device, the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, that the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value includes: the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format that is detected in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to be the first value.

In an exemplary implementation, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission includes: when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission that is scheduled by a DCI format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, selecting, by the terminal device, the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, that the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value includes: the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format that is detected in a PDCCH in a search space associated with a CORESET that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to be the second value.

In an exemplary implementation, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission includes: when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) PDSCH transmission and an SPS configuration for the SPS PDSCH transmission is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, selecting, by the terminal device, the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission includes: when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH transmission and an SPS configuration for the SPS PDSCH transmission is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, selecting, by the terminal device, the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission includes: when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH transmission and a PDCCH where a DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, selecting, by the terminal device, the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, that the PDCCH where the DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value includes: the DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected in the PDCCH in a search space associated with a CORESET that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value.

In an exemplary implementation, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission includes: when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH transmission and a PDCCH where a DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, selecting, by the terminal device, the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, that the PDCCH where the DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value includes: the DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected in the PDCCH in a search space associated with a CORESET that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value.

In an exemplary implementation, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission includes: when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission or a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and a PDCCH where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, selecting, by the terminal device, the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, that the PDCCH where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value includes: the DCI format is detected in the PDCCH in a search space associated with a CORESET that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value.

In an exemplary implementation, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission includes: when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission or a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and a PDCCH where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, selecting, by the terminal device, the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, that the PDCCH where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value includes: the DCI format is detected in the PDCCH in a search space associated with a CORESET that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value.

In an exemplary implementation, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission includes: when the UCI includes channel state information (CSI) , selecting, by the terminal device, from the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information, spatial relation information that corresponds to a value of the first higher layer parameter that is associated with a CSI report configuration that configures the CSI reporting.

In an exemplary implementation, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission includes: selecting, by the terminal device, the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource in any one or more of the following situations: the UCI includes CSI, and a CSI report configuration is not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission, and the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by a DCI format not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH transmission, and the SPS PDSCH transmission is not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter.

In an exemplary implementation, the first higher layer parameter is used for identifying a transmission/reception point (TRP) in a multi-TRP transmission.

In an exemplary implementation, the spatial relation information is indicated by a higher layer signaling, the higher layer signaling including indication of a value of the first higher layer parameter and corresponding spatial relation information.

In an exemplary implementation, receiving, by the terminal device, spatial relation information indicated by the network device includes: receiving, by the terminal device, spatial relation information for a first PUCCH group identification (ID) indicated by the network device; and applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources includes: applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources configured with the first PUCCH group ID.

In an exemplary implementation, the spatial relation information is indicated by a higher layer signaling, the higher layer signaling including indication of the first PUCCH group ID and corresponding spatial relation information.

In an exemplary implementation, receiving, by the terminal device, spatial relation information indicated by the network device includes: receiving, by the terminal device, spatial relation information for a group of PUCCH resource IDs indicated by the network device; and applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources includes: applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources corresponding to the group of PUCCH resource IDs.

In an exemplary implementation, the spatial relation information is indicated by a higher layer signaling, the higher layer signaling including indication of the group of PUCCH resource IDs and corresponding spatial relation information.

In a second aspect, a method for indicating spatial relation information is provided. The method includes: transmitting, by a network device, indication of spatial relation information to a terminal device, wherein the spatial relation information is used for transmissions of the terminal device on a plurality of PUCCH resources.

In an exemplary implementation, the method further includes: configuring, by the network device, a first higher layer parameter, wherein the spatial relation information at least includes first spatial relation information and second spatial relation information, and values of the first higher layer parameter at least include a first value and a second value, the first spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the first value, and the second spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the second value.

In an exemplary implementation, the method further includes: instructing, by the network device, the terminal device to apply the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to a transmission of an SR on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the method further includes: configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET.

In an exemplary implementation, configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET includes: configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a DCI format scheduling a PDSCH transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of HARQ-ACK information for the PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET includes: configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a DCI format activating an SPS PDSCH transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of HARQ-ACK information for the SPS PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET includes: configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a DCI format activating an SPS PDSCH transmission or a DCI format indicating an SPS PDSCH transmission release, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of HARQ-ACK information for the DCI format on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and the CORESET includes: configuring, by the network device, the CORESET, with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value or the second value in the configuration information of the CORESET.

In an exemplary implementation, the method further includes: configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and an SPS configuration for a SPS PDSCH transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of HARQ-ACK information for the SPS PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the method further includes: configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CSI report configuration for CSI reporting, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of the CSI on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the method further includes: instructing, by the network device, the terminal device to apply the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to a transmission of UCI on a PUCCH resource in any one or more of the following situations: the UCI includes CSI, and a CSI report configuration is not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission, and the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by a DCI format not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH transmission, and the SPS PDSCH transmission is not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter.

In an exemplary implementation, the first higher layer parameter is used for identifying a TRP in a multi-TRP transmission.

In an exemplary implementation, transmitting, by the network device, indication of spatial relation information to the terminal device includes: transmitting, by the network device, a higher layer signaling to the terminal device, the higher layer signaling including indication of a value of the first higher layer parameter and corresponding spatial relation information.

In an exemplary implementation, transmitting, by the network device, indication of spatial relation information to the terminal device includes: transmitting, by the network device, a higher layer signaling to the terminal device, wherein the higher layer signaling includes indication of a first PUCCH group ID and corresponding spatial relation information, and the spatial relation information is used for transmissions of the terminal device on a plurality of PUCCH resources configured with the first PUCCH group ID.

In an exemplary implementation, transmitting, by the network device, indication of spatial relation information to the terminal device includes: transmitting, by the network device, a higher layer signaling to the terminal device, wherein the higher layer signaling includes indication of a group of PUCCH resource IDs and corresponding spatial relation information, and the spatial relation information is used for transmissions of the terminal device on a plurality of PUCCH resources corresponding to the group of PUCCH resource IDs.

In a third aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device is configured to perform the method in the above first aspect or any exemplary implementation of the first aspect. Specifically, the terminal device includes modules configured to perform the method in the above first aspect or any exemplary implementation of the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device is configured to perform the method in the above second aspect or any exemplary implementation of the second aspect. Specifically, the network device includes modules configured to perform the method in the above second aspect or any exemplary implementation of the second aspect.

In a fifth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include a memory, a transceiver, and a processor. The memory is configured to store instructions executable by the processor, and the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to control the transceiver to receive and/or send signals. Particularly, the transceiver may be configured to implement the functions/operations of the aforementioned receiving module, and the processor may be configured to implement the functions/operations of the aforementioned processing module.

In a sixth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include a memory, a transceiver, and a processor. The memory is configured to store instructions executable by the processor, and the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to control the transceiver to receive and/or send signals. Particularly, the transceiver may be configured to implement the functions/operations of the aforementioned transmitting module, and the processor may be configured to implement the functions/operations of the aforementioned processing module.

In a seventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided. The computer readable storage medium is configured to store instructions that are executable by a computer or processor to implement the method of the first aspect or second aspect and/or any exemplary implementation thereof.

A better understanding of the nature and advantages of implementations of the present disclosure may be gained with reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary application scenario where an implementation of the present disclosure may be applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a method for indicating spatial relation information according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of structure of a MAC CE message indicating/activating spatial relation information for PUCCH resources in an example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of structure of a MAC CE message indicating/activating spatial relation information for PUCCH resources in another example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of structure of a terminal device according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of structure of a network device according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions of exemplary implementations of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the exemplary implementations are intended for better understanding of the technical solutions of the present disclosure, rather than limiting the scope of the application, and skilled artisans would understand that the exemplary implementations and features herein may be combined according to actual needs.

The acts shown in the flowchart of the accompanying drawings may be performed at least in part by a computer system storing a set of computer-executable instructions. In addition, although a logical sequence is shown in the flowchart, in some cases the acts shown or described may be performed in a different sequence, or some acts may not be performed at all.

The technical solutions of the implementations of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems, such as a Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, a LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) system, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, a New Radio (NR) system or fifth-generation (5G) system, or a further communication system.

A terminal device in implementations of the present disclosure may refer to user equipment (UE) , an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a rover station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. The access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a handheld device with a wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, an on-board device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, or a terminal device in an evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) , etc., which are not restricted in the implementations of the present disclosure.

A network device (e.g., a base station) in implementations of the present disclosure may be a device for communicating with a terminal device, and the network device may be a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in the GSM or CDMA system, a NodeB (NB) in the WCDMA system, an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in the LTE system, or a wireless controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN) scenario, or the network device may be a relay station, an access point, an on-board device, a wearable device, a network device (e.g., gNB) in a 5G network, or a network device in an evolved PLMN, etc., which are not restricted in the implementations of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary application scenario where an implementation of the present disclosure may be applied. A communication system shown in FIG. 1 may include a terminal device 10 and a network device 20. The network device 20 is configured to provide a communication service for the terminal device 10 and is connected to a core network (not shown) . The terminal device 10 accesses the network by searching for a synchronization signal, or a broadcast signal, etc., transmitted by the network device 20 to communicate with the network. Arrows shown in FIG. 1 may indicate uplink/downlink transmission through cellular links between the terminal device 10 and the network device 20.

A 5G wireless system is generally a multi-beam based system in frequency range 2 (FR2) , where multiplex transmission and reception analog beams are employed by a base station and/or a terminal device to combat large path loss in a high frequency band. In a high frequency band system, for example a mmWave system, the base station and the terminal device may be deployed with a large number of antennas so that large gain beamforming can be used to defeat the large path loss and signal blockage. Due to the hardware limitation and cost, the base station and the terminal device might only be equipped with a limited number of transmission and reception units (TXRUs) . Therefore, hybrid beamforming mechanisms can be utilized in both the base station and the terminal device. To get the best link quality between the base station and the terminal device, the base station and the terminal device need to align the analog beam directions for particular downlink or uplink transmission. For downlink transmission, they need to find the best pair of base station transmission beam and terminal device reception beam, while for uplink transmission, they need to find the best pair of terminal device transmission beam and base station reception beam.

For the communication between a terminal device and a base station, the base station and the terminal device need to determine which transmission and reception beams are going to be used. When the terminal device moves, the beams used by the base station and the terminal device for communication might change. In 3GPP 5G specification, functions of beam measurement and reporting, beam indication, and beam switch are defined to support such multi-beam-based operation.

In the function of beam measurement and reporting, the terminal device may measure one or multiple transmission beams of the base station and then the terminal device may select the best transmission beam and report its selection to the base station. By measuring the transmission beams of the base station, the terminal device may also measure one or more reception beams and then select the best reception beam for one particular transmission beam of the base station. In this function, the base station may also measure one or multiple transmission beams of the terminal device and then select the best transmission beam of the terminal device for an uplink transmission. To support measuring transmission beams of the base station, the base station may transmit multiple reference signal (RS) resources and then configures the terminal device to measure those RS resources. Then the terminal device may report the index of one or more selected RS resources that are selected based on some measurement metric, for example, the Layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) . To support measuring transmission beams of the terminal device used for uplink transmission, the base station may configure the terminal device to transmit one or more uplink RS resources (for example, sounding reference signal (SRS) resources) and then the base station may measure those RS resources. The base station may figure out which transmission beam of the terminal device is the best for uplink transmission based on measuring, for example, L1-RSRP of them.

In the function of beam indication, for a downlink transmission, the base station may indicate the terminal device of which transmission beam of the base station is used for transmission so that the terminal device may use a proper reception beam to receive that downlink transmission. For physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission, the base station may indicate the identification (ID) of one transmission beam of the base station to the terminal device. For physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, the base station may use downlink control channel (DCI) in PDCCH to indicate the ID of one transmission beam that is used to transmit the corresponding PDSCH. For an uplink transmission from the terminal device, the base station may also indicate the terminal device of which transmission beam of the terminal device shall be used. For example, for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission, the terminal device shall use the transmission beam that is indicated by the base station through the configuration of spatial relation information (e.g., PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo) . For a sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission, the terminal device shall use the transmission beam that is indicated by the base station through the configuration of spatial relation information. For a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission, the terminal device shall use the transmission beam that is indicated by the information element contained in the scheduling DCI.

The function of beam switch is used by the base station to switch the transmission beam used for a downlink or uplink transmission. This function is useful when the transmission beam used for transmission currently is out of date due to for example the movement of terminal device. When the base station finds the transmission beam currently used for downlink transmission is not good or the base station finds another transmission beam that is better than the current transmission beam, the base station may send signaling to the terminal device to inform the change of transmission beam. Similarly, the base station may switch the uplink transmission beam of the terminal device used to transmit some uplink transmission.

In a communication system, such as a new radio (NR) system, downlink (DL) signals may include control signaling conveying DL control information (DCI) through PDCCH channel, data signals conveying information packets through PDSCH channel, and some types of reference signals. The DCI may indicate the information of how the PDSCH is transmitted, including for example the resource allocation and transmission parameters for the PDSCH. The base station may transmit one or more types of reference signals for different purposes, including a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) that is transmitted along with a PDSCH and can be used by the terminal device to demodulate the PDSCH, a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) that can be used by the terminal device to measure base station’s transmission beam or CSI of the downlink channel between the base station and the terminal device, and a phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS) that is also transmitted along with a PDSCH and can be used by the terminal device to estimate the phase noise caused by imperfection in radio frequency (RF) part in the transmitter and receiver and then compensate it when decoding the PDSCH. In NR, DL resource allocation for PDCCH, PDSCH and reference signals is performed in a unit of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols and a group of physical resource blocks (PRBs) . Each PRB contains a few resource elements (REs) , for example 12, in frequency domain. A transmission bandwidth (BW) of one downlink transmission consists of frequency resource units called as resource blocks (RBs) and each RB consists of a few, for example 12, subcarriers, or REs.

The uplink (UL) signals transmitted by the terminal device to the base station may include data signals conveying data packets through PUSCH channel, uplink control signals conveying UL control information (UCI) which may be transmitted in PUSCH or PUCCH channel, and UL reference signals. The UCI may carry a scheduling request (SR) used by the terminal device to request uplink transmission resource, hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback for a PDSCH transmission or a CSI report. The terminal device may transmit one or more types of uplink reference signals for different purposes, including a DM-RS that is transmitted along with a PUSCH transmission and can be used by the base station to demodulate the PUSCH, a PT-RS that is also transmitted along with a PUSCH and can be used by the base station to estimate the phase noise caused by imperfection in RF parts and the base station then can compensate it when decoding the PUSCH, and SRS signals that are used by the base station to measure one or more terminal device transmission beams or CSI of the uplink channel between the terminal device and the base station. Similarly, UL resource allocation for PUSCH, PUCCH and UL reference signals is also performed in a unit of OFDM symbols and a group of PRBs.

A transmission interval for DL or UL channels/signals is referred to as a slot and each slot contains a few, for example 14, symbols in time domain. In NR system, the duration of one slot may be 1, 0.5, 0.25 or 0.123 millisecond, for the subcarrier spacing 15KHz, 30KHz, 60KHz and 120 KHz, respectively. NR systems support flexible numerologies and proper OFDM subcarrier spacing may be selected based on the deployment scenario and service requirement. In NR system, DL and UL transmission may use different numerologies.

In current design, the spatial relation information is updated/indicated per PUCCH resource. In one BWP, a terminal device may be configured with up to 128 PUCCH resources. Therefore, even though in general deployment, most of PUCCH resources in one BWP might use the same transmission beam, the base station (e.g., gNB) would have to transmit up to 128 MAC CE messages to update the transmission beam for those PUCCH resources according to the current design, which result in unnecessarily large signaling overhead.

For multiple transmission/reception points (multi-TRP) transmission, the terminal device might apply different transmission beams on PUCCH resources that are targeted to different TRPs. The design in release 15 can support that. However, unnecessary large signaling overhead is still an issue here because all the PUCCH targeted to the same TRP usually use a same transmission beam and the number of TRPs in multi-TRP transmission is generally not large, for example 2.

In this disclosure, methods and devices for indicating spatial relation information for beam indication for PUCCH channels are proposed. In the present disclosure, a ‘beam’ may correspond to an RS resource, which may be a CSI-RS resource, an SRS resource, an SS/PBCH block or any other type of RS.

As shown in FIG. 2, a method for indicating spatial relation information according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure may include

acts

210 and 220.

In act 210, a network device transmits indication of spatial relation information to a terminal device.

In act 220, the terminal device applies the spatial relation information indicated by the network device to transmissions on multiple PUCCH resources.

In an exemplary implementation, the spatial relation information may at least include first spatial relation information and second spatial relation information, and the network device may configure a first higher layer parameter. Values of the first higher layer parameter may at least include a first value and a second value, the first spatial relation information may correspond to the first higher layer parameter being the first value, and the second spatial relation information may correspond to the first higher layer parameter being the second value

In an exemplary implementation, it is assumed that there are two TRPs in a multi-TRP transmission scenario. Skilled artisans could understand that there may be another number of TRPs in the multi-TRP transmission scenario, and the two TRPs are merely taken as an example herein. A terminal device may be configured with the first higher layer parameter, for example, called PDCCH group ID, which may take two possible values, a first value and a second value and the first higher layer parameter may be configured to a control resource set (CORESET) that is configured to the terminal device. The first higher layer parameter may be used to identify the TRPs in the multi-TRP transmission. An example of the value of the higher layer parameter may be 0 or 1. For example, the first value may be 0 and the second value may be 1, or alternatively, the first value may be 1 and the second value may be 0, which is not restricted in implementations of the present disclosure. In another example of identifying the TRPs through the first higher layer parameter, in the configuration of a CORESET, the first higher layer parameter may be present or absent, where the CORESET (s) with configuration with the first higher layer parameter being present may be used by one TRP and the CORESET (s) with configuration with the first higher layer parameter being absent may be used by another TRP. The specific manner of identifying the TRPs via the first higher layer parameter is not restricted in implementations of the present disclosure, and for ease of description and as an example, different values (e.g., two values) of the first higher layer parameter are used to identify the TRPs in the multi-TRP transmission in the following exemplary implementations.

The terminal device may be indicated first spatial relation information (e.g., a first PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo value) for the first higher layer parameter being the first value and second spatial relation information (e.g., a second PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo value) for the first higher layer parameter being the second value. Then for a transmission on a PUCCH resource, the terminal device may be requested to choose one from the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on that PUCCH resource based on the UCI reporting content carried in that transmission.

In an exemplary implementation, applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on multiple PUCCH resources may include: for a transmission on a PUCCH resource, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission.

In an exemplary implementation, the UCI content carried in the transmission on one PUCCH resource may be any one or more of the following: a positive scheduling request (SR) ; HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission or for a DCI format that activates a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) PDSCH reception or for a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH releasing; HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH without corresponding PDCCH using a higher layer parameter sps-Config; a CSI report instance.

In an exemplary implementation, for transmission on a first PUCCH resource, if UCI carried in the transmission is an SR or contains an SR, the terminal device may be requested to apply the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information on the transmission in the first PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, if a first PUCCH resource is configured for SR transmission, the terminal device may be requested to apply the first spatial relation information on the transmission in the first PUCCH resource. In other words, if the first PUCCH resource is configured by a higher layer paremater (e.g., SchedulingRequestResourceConfig) in the set of configuration for SR in a PUCCH transmisison using either PUCCH format 0 or PUCCH format 1, the terminal device may be requested to apply the first spatial relation information on the transmission in the first PUCCH resource. Alternatively, the terminal device may be requested to apply the second spatial relation information on the transmission in the first PUCCH resource in such a situation. It is not restricted in implementations of the present disclosure.

In an exemplary implementation, for the transmission on a second PUCCH resource, if UCI carried in the transmission contains HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission that is scheduled by a DCI format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, the terminal device may be requested to apply the first spatial relation information on the transmission in the second PUCCH resource; if UCI carried in the transmission contains HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission that is scheduled by a DCI format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, the terminal device may be requested to apply the second spatial relation information on the transmission in the second PUCCH resource.

For example, for a CORESET, the terminal device may be configured with an association between the CORESET and the first higher layer parameter. The CORESET configuration may be associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value. The CORESET configuration may be associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value. For example, the terminal device may be configured with a CORESET and in the configuration information of the CORESET, the first higher layer parameter may be set to the first value or the second value.

In an exemplary implementation, the network device may configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a DCI format scheduling a PDSCH transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of HARQ-ACK information for the PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.

For example, if the HARQ-ACK information is for a PDSCH that is scheduled by a DCI format (e.g., a DCI format 0_1 or 1_1) that is detected in a PDCCH in a search space associated with a CORESET that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to be the first value, the terminal device may be requested to apply the first spatial relation information on the transmission in the second PUCCH resource. If the HARQ-ACK information is for a PDSCH that is scheduled by a DCI format (e.g., a DCI format 0_1 or 1_1) that is detected in a PDCCH in a search space associated with a CORESET that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to be the second value, the terminal device may be requested to apply the second spatial relation information on the transmission in the second PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the network device may configure association between the first higher layer parameter and an SPS configuration for a SPS PDSCH transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of HARQ-ACK information for the SPS PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.

In an example, for the HARQ-ACK information of an SPS PDSCH transmission, the SPS configuration may be associated with a value of the first higher layer parameter. The terminal device may be requested to use the associated value of the first higher layer parameter to determine which spatial relation information shall be applied to the PUCCH transmission.

For example, by a higher layer parameter sps-config, the terminal device may be configured with an SPS PDSCH transmission. In the sps-config, an association with the first higher layer parameter may be configured. The sps-config may be associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value. The sps-config may be associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value.

For a transmission in a PUCCH resource with UCI containing HARQ-ACK information for PDSCH transmission without corresponding PDCCH transmission using the higher layer parameter sps-config, the terminal device may be requested to apply the first spatial relation information if the sps-config is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value.

For a transmission in a PUCCH resource with UCI containing HARQ-ACK information for PDSCH transmission without corresponding PDCCH transmission using the higher layer parameter sps-config, the terminal device may be requested to apply the second spatial relation information if the sps-config is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value.

In an exemplary implementation, for the HARQ-ACK information of an SPS PDSCH transmission, the terminal device may be requested to determine the spatial relation information for the PUCCH transmission according to the PDCCH where the DCI format activating that SPS transmission is detected. The PDCCH may be associated with the first higher layer parameter. If the PDCCH where the DCI format activating the SPS transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, the terminal device may be requested to apply the first spatial relation information on the PUCCH transmission. If the PDCCH where the DCI format activating the SPS transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, the terminal device may be requested to apply the second spatial relation information on the PUCCH transmission.

In an exemplary implementation, the network device may configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a DCI format activating an SPS PDSCH transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of HARQ-ACK information for the SPS PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.

For example, for a CORESET, the terminal device may be configured with an association between the CORESET and the first higher layer parameter. The CORESET configuration may be associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value. The CORESET configuration may be associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value.

For a transmission in a PUCCH resource with UCI containing HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission without corresponding PDCCH transmission, which is activated by a DCI format (e.g., DCI format 0_1 or DCI format 1_1) that is detected in PDCCH in a search space associated with a CORESET that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, the terminal device may be requested to apply the first spatial relation information.

For a transmission in a PUCCH resource with UCI containing HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission without corresponding PDCCH transmission, which is activated by a DCI format (e.g., DCI format 0_1 or DCI format 1_1) that is detected in PDCCH in a search space associated with a CORESET that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, the terminal device may be requested to apply the second spatial relation information.

In an exemplary implementation, for the HARQ-ACK information in a PUCCH resource for a DCI format (e.g., DCI format 1_0 or DCI format 1_1) that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission or a DCI format (e.g., DCI format 1_0 or DCI format 1_1) that indicates an SPS transmission release, the terminal device may be requested to determine the spatial relation information for the PUCCH transmission according to the PDCCH where the DCI format is detected. If the PDCCH where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, the terminal device may be requested to apply the first spatial relation information on the PUCCH transmission. If the PDCCH where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, the terminal device may be requested to apply the second spatial relation information on the PUCCH transmission.

In an exemplary implementation, the network device may configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission or a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of HARQ-ACK information for the DCI format on a PUCCH resource.

For a transmission in a PUCCH resource with UCI containing HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format (e.g., DCI format 0_1 or DCI format 1_1) activating SPS PDSCH transmission or for a DCI format (e.g., DCI format 0_1 or DCI format 1_1) indicating an SPS PDSCH transmission release, if the DCI format is detected in PDCCH in a search space associated with a CORESET that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, the terminal device may be requested to apply the first spatial relation information. If the DCI format is detected in PDCCH in a search space associated with a CORESET that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, the terminal device may be requested to apply the second spatial relation information.

In an exemplary implementation, the network device may configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a CSI report configuration for CSI reporting, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of the CSI on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, for a CSI reporting on a PUCCH resource, the terminal device may be requested to determine the spatial relation information for the PUCCH transmission according to the CSI reporting setting that configures the CSI reporting. In the configuration of CSI reporting setting, the CSI report configuration may be associated with the first higher layer parameter. For the CSI reporting on a PUCCH resource, the terminal device shall apply the spatial relation information that corresponds to the value of the first higher layer parameter that is associated with the CSI report configuration that configures that CSI reporting.

In an exemplary implementation, for a CSI reporting on a PUCCH resource, if the CSI report configuration is not associated with the first higher layer parameter, the terminal device may be requested to apply the spatial relation information that corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, or the spatial relation information that corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value.

In an exemplary implementation, for a transmission on a PUCCH resource, if the UCI carries HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission that is scheduled by a DCI format not associated with the first higher layer parameter or for an SPS transmission not associated with the first higher layer parameter or for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission but is not associated with the first higher layer parameter or for a DCI format that indicates an SPS release but is not associated with the first higher layer parameter, the terminal device may be requested to apply the spatial relation information that corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, or the spatial relation information that corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value.

In an exemplary implementation, the spatial relation information may be indicated by a higher layer signaling, and the higher layer signaling may include indication of a value of the first higher layer parameter and corresponding spatial relation information.

As an example, a MAC CE message indicating/activating spatial relation information (e.g., a PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo value) for PUCCH resources may be designed as shown in FIG. 3, where:

The field “Serving Cell ID” indicates the identity of the Serving Cell for which the MAC CE applies.

The field “BWP ID” indicates a UL BWP for which the MAC CE applies.

The field “P” indicates the value of the first higher layer parameter for which the MAC CE applies.

The field of the bits S ₇ S ₆ S ₅ S ₄ S ₃ S ₂ S ₁ S ₀ indicates spatial relation information for PUCCH resources.

In an exemplary implementation, a PUCCH resource may be configured with a PUCCH group ID. A network device (e.g., gNB) may signal spatial relation information for a first PUCCH group ID and then the terminal device may be requested to apply the indicated spatial relation information to all the PUCCH resources configured with the first PUCCH group ID.

In an exemplary implementation, in configuration for a PUCCH resource, a terminal device may be configured with a higher layer parameter PUCCH group ID. For example, the higher layer parameter PUCCH group ID may take value 0 or 1.

The network device (e.g., gNB) may use higher layer signaling, for example, one MAC CE message, to signal spatial relation information (e.g., a PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo value) and one PUCCH group ID value. After receiving the message, the terminal device may be requested to apply the indicated spatial relation information to all the PUCCH resources configured with PUCCH group IDs having the indicated PUCCH group ID value.

In an exemplary implementation, in configuration of PUCCH for a BWP, a terminal device may be configured with one or more groups of PUCCH resource IDs. The gNB may use higher layer signaling, for example, one MAC CE message, to signal spatial relation information (e.g., a PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo value) and the group ID of a group of PUCCH resource IDs. After receiving the message, the terminal device may be requested to apply the indicated spatial relation information to all the PUCCH resources whose PUCCH resource IDs are included in the indicated PUCCH resource ID group.

In an exemplary implementation, the network device (e.g., gNB) may signal spatial relation information (e.g., a PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo value) and also a group of one or multiple PUCCH resource ID information to the terminal device and the terminal device may be requested to assume the indicated spatial relation information shall be applied to all PUCCH resources as indicated in the signaled group of one or multiple PUCCH resource IDs. As an example, a MAC CE indicating/activating spatial relation information (e.g., a PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo value) for PUCCH resources may be designed as shown in FIG. 4, where:

The field “BWP ID” indicates a UL BWP for which the MAC CE applies.

The field of bits S ₇ S ₆ S ₅ S ₄ S ₃ S ₂ S ₁ S ₀ indicates spatial relation information for PUCCH resources.

The field of bits P ₀P ₁…P _(N-3) ×8+7: each of those bit corresponds to one active PUCCH resource in one UL BWP specified by the “Serving Cell ID” and “BWP ID” in the same MAC CE message. Bit P ₀ corresponds to the PUCCH resource with lowest resource ID, Bit P ₁ corresponds to the PUCCH resource with second lowest resource ID, so on so forth. Each bit indicates whether the indicated spatial relation information shall be applied to the corresponding PUCCH resource or not. If the P _i field is set to 1, the indicated spatial relation information shall be applied to the corresponding PUCCH resource. If the P _i field is set to 0, the indicated spatial relation information shall not be applied to the corresponding PUCCH resource

The value of N may be:

where the M is the total number of active PUCCH resources in a given UL BWP.

Skilled artisans could understand that for updating spatial relation information, a similar procedure as those of the above exemplary implementations may be applied to indicate an updated value of the spatial relation information to the terminal device.

An advantage of the implementations of the disclosure is flexibility. The network device (e.g., gNB) has full flexibility to ‘group’ the PUCCH resources for uplink beam indication according to the deployment scenario. The network device is able dynamically change the grouping of PUCCH resources.

According to implementations of the disclosure, the terminal device may be configured with, for example, two pieces of spatial relation information (e.g., two values of PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo) for PUCCH resources, and for one transmission on one PUCCH resource, the terminal device may dynamically determine which spatial relation information shall be applied based on the UCI contents and association with PDCCH transmission carried in that transmission. The proposed method may avoid static partition of PUCCH resources into two groups, which would cause PUCCH resource waste.

According to implementations of the disclosure, in a multi-TRP system, the PUCCH resources may be shared by all the TRPs. Therefore, the configuration of PUCCH resources has more flexibility and is more efficient.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a terminal device 500 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal device 500 may include a receiving module 510 and a processing module 520.

The receiving module 510 is configured to receive spatial relation information indicated by a network device. The processing module 520 is configured to apply the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 520 is configured to, for a transmission on a PUCCH resource, select one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 520 is configured to, when the UCI includes an SR, select the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 520 is configured to, when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission that is scheduled by a DCI format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, select the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, that the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value includes: the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format that is detected in a PDCCH in a search space associated with a CORESET that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to be the first value.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 520 is configured to, when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission that is scheduled by a DCI format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, select the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 520 is configured to, when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH transmission and an SPS configuration for the SPS PDSCH transmission is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, select the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 520 is configured to, when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH transmission and an SPS configuration for the SPS PDSCH transmission is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, select the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 520 is configured to, when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH transmission and a PDCCH where a DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, select the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 520 is configured to, when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH transmission and a PDCCH where a DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, select the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 520 is configured to, when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission or a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and a PDCCH where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, select the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 520 is configured to, when the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission or a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and a PDCCH where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, select the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 520 is configured to, when the UCI includes CSI, select, from the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information, spatial relation information that corresponds to a value of the first higher layer parameter that is associated with a CSI report configuration that configures the CSI reporting.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 520 is configured to select the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource in any one or more of the following situations: the UCI includes CSI, and a CSI report configuration is not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission, and the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by a DCI format not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH transmission, and the SPS PDSCH transmission is not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter.

In an exemplary implementation, the receiving module 510 is configured to receive spatial relation information for a first PUCCH group ID indicated by the network device; and the processing module 520 is configured to apply the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources configured with the first PUCCH group ID.

In an exemplary implementation, the receiving module 510 is configured to receive spatial relation information for a group of PUCCH resource IDs indicated by the network device; and the processing module 520 is configured to apply the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources corresponding to the group of PUCCH resource IDs.

It should be understood that the terminal device 500 in the above exemplary implementations may correspond to the terminal device in the exemplary implementations relating to the method of FIG. 2, and the operations and/or functions of the various modules in the terminal device 500 are respectively for the purpose of implementing corresponding acts of the terminal device in the exemplary method implementations relating to FIG. 2, and relevant details and technical effects may be similar as those described in the exemplary method implementations and will not be repeated here for conciseness.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a network device 600 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the network device 600 may include a transmitting module 610.

The transmitting module 610 is configured to transmit indication of spatial relation information to a terminal device; wherein the spatial relation information is used for transmissions of the terminal device on a plurality of PUCCH resources.

In an exemplary implementation, the network device further includes a processing module 620, configured to configure a first higher layer parameter; wherein the spatial relation information at least includes first spatial relation information and second spatial relation information, and values of the first higher layer parameter at least include a first value and a second value, the first spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the first value, and the second spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the second value.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 620 is further configured to instruct the terminal device to apply the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to a transmission of an SR on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 620 is further configured to configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 620 is configured to configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a DCI format scheduling a PDSCH transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of HARQ-ACK information for the PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 620 is configured to configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a DCI format activating an SPS PDSCH transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of HARQ-ACK information for the SPS PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 620 is configured to configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a DCI format activating an SPS PDSCH transmission or a DCI format indicating an SPS PDSCH transmission release, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of HARQ-ACK information for the DCI format on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 620 is configured to configure the CORESET, with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value or the second value in the configuration information of the CORESET.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 620 is further configured to configure association between the first higher layer parameter and an SPS configuration for a SPS PDSCH transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of HARQ-ACK information for the SPS PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 620 is further configured to configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a CSI report configuration for CSI reporting, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of the CSI on a PUCCH resource.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 620 is further configured to instruct the terminal device to apply the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to a transmission of UCI on a PUCCH resource in any one or more of the following situations: the UCI includes CSI, and a CSI report configuration is not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a PDSCH transmission, and the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by a DCI format not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH transmission, and the SPS PDSCH transmission is not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter; the UCI includes HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter.

In an exemplary implementation, the transmitting module 610 is configured to transmit a higher layer signaling to the terminal device, the higher layer signaling including indication of a value of the first higher layer parameter and corresponding spatial relation information.

In an exemplary implementation, the transmitting module 610 is configured to transmit a higher layer signaling to the terminal device, the higher layer signaling including indication of a first PUCCH group ID and corresponding spatial relation information, and the spatial relation information is used for transmissions of the terminal device on a plurality of PUCCH resources configured with the first PUCCH group ID.

In an exemplary implementation, the transmitting module 610 is configured to transmit a higher layer signaling to the terminal device, the higher layer signaling including indication of a group of PUCCH resource IDs and corresponding spatial relation information, and the spatial relation information is used for transmissions of the terminal device on a plurality of PUCCH resources corresponding to the group of PUCCH resource IDs.

It should be understood that the network device 600 in the above exemplary implementations may correspond to the network device in the exemplary implementations relating to the method of FIG. 2, and the operations and/or functions of the various units in the network device 600 are respectively for the purpose of implementing corresponding acts of the network device in the exemplary method implementations relating to FIG. 2, and relevant details and technical effects may be similar as those described in the exemplary method implementations and will not be repeated here for conciseness.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of structure of a terminal device 700 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, the terminal device 700 may include a memory 710, a transceiver 720, and a processor 730. The memory 710 may be configured to store data and/or information. The memory 710 may be further configured to store instructions executable by the processor 730, and the processor 730 may be configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 710 to control the transceiver 720 to receive and/or send signals. Particularly, the transceiver 720 may be configured to implement the functions/operations of the aforementioned receiving module 510, and the processor 730 may be configured to implement the functions/operations of the aforementioned processing module 520. Functions/operations of those modules are already described in the above and will not be repeated here for conciseness. The terminal device 700 may further include a bus system 740, which may be configured to connect the components, such as the memory 710, the transceiver 720, and the processor 730, of the terminal device 700.

Herein, it should be understood that the memory 710 may include a read only memory and a random access memory, and may provide instructions and data to the processor 730. A portion of the memory 710 may further include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory 710 may further store device type information and/or other information.

The processor 730 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or other general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or a transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

The bus system 740 may include, in addition to a data bus, a power bus, a control bus, a status signal bus, etc. However, for the sake of clarity, various buses are illustrated as the bus system 740 in FIG. 7.

The various acts of the terminal device in the exemplary implementations relating to the method of FIG. 2 may be implemented by instructions of software or integrated logic circuits of hardware or combination of software and hardware. The software modules may be located in a typical storage medium in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium may be located in the memory 710, and the processor 730 may read the information in the memory 710 and control the transceiver 720 to send and/or receive signals.

It should be understood that the terminal device 700 may correspond to the terminal device in the exemplary implementations relating to the method of FIG. 2. The terminal device 700 may implement corresponding acts of the terminal device in the exemplary method implementations relating to FIG. 2, and relevant details and technical effects are similar as those described in the exemplary method implementations and will not be repeated here for conciseness.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of structure of a network device 800 according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, the network device 800 may include a memory 810, a transceiver 820, and a processor 830. The memory 810 may be configured to store instructions executable by the processor 830, and the processor 830 may be configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 810 to control the transceiver 820 to receive and/or send signals. Particularly, the transceiver 820 may be configured to implement the functions/operations of the aforementioned transmitting module 610, and the processor 830 may be configured to implement the functions/operations of the aforementioned processing module 620. Functions/operations of those modules are already described in the above and will not be repeated here for conciseness. The network device 800 may further include a bus system 840, which may be configured to connect the components, such as the memory 810, the transceiver 820, and the processor 830, of the network device 800.

Herein, it should be understood that the memory 810 may include a read only memory and a random access memory, and may provide instructions and data to the processor 830. A portion of the memory 810 may further include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory 810 may further store device type information and/or other information.

The processor 830 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or other general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or a transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

The bus system 840 may include, in addition to a data bus, a power bus, a control bus, a status signal bus, etc. However, for the sake of clarity, various buses are illustrated as the bus system 840 in FIG. 8.

The various acts of the network device in the exemplary implementations relating to the method of FIG. 2 may be implemented by instructions of software or integrated logic circuits of hardware or combination of software and hardware. The software modules may be located in a typical storage medium in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium may be located in the memory 810, and the processor 830 may read the information in the memory 810 and control the transceiver 820 to send and/or receive signals.

It should be understood that the network device 800 may correspond to the network device in the exemplary implementations relating to the method of FIG. 2. The network device 800 may implement corresponding acts of the network device in the exemplary method implementations relating to FIG. 2, and relevant details and technical effects may be similar as those described in the exemplary method implementations and will not be repeated here for conciseness.

Further, a computer readable storage medium is provided in the present disclosure. The computer readable storage medium may store instructions that are executable by a computer or processor to implement any of the aforementioned method for indicating spatial relation information and/or any exemplary implementation thereof.

It should be understood that in various implementations of the present disclosure, the term "and/or" is used to describe an association relationship between associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships, for example, a and/or b may indicate three situations: A alone, A and B, and B alone. In addition, the symbol "/" in the present disclosure generally indicates that objects of the former and the latter connected by "/" has an "or" relationship.

Those skilled in the art should understand that the elements and acts in the various implementations disclosed herein may be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the electronic hardware and the computer software. In order to clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the composition and acts in the implementations have been described in general terms by functions in the above description. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Skilled artisans may use different methods to implement the described functions for each particular application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present disclosure.

Those skilled in the art should understand that the specific working processes of the devices and units described above may correspond to the corresponding processes in the method implementations and may not be repeated for convenience and conciseness of description.

In various implementations of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed methods and devices may be implemented in other ways. For example, the device implementations described above are merely illustrative, the division of units is only a logical function division, and there may be other ways of division in actual implementations. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or communication connection between the elements shown or discussed may be a direct coupling or indirect coupling, or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, or may be an electrical, mechanical or other form of connection.

The units described as separate units may or may not be physically separated, and the unit may or may not be a physical unit, i.e., it may be located in one place or may be distributed over multiple network units. Some or all of the elements may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the implementations of the present disclosure.

In addition, various units in various implementations of the present disclosure may be integrated in one processing module, or the various units may be physically separate, or two or more units may be integrated in one module. The units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

The units may be stored in a computer readable storage medium if they are implemented in the form of software function modules and sold or used as an independent product. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present disclosure may be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a terminal device, or a network device, etc. ) to perform all or part of the acts of the method in various implementations of the present disclosure. The storage media may include a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or other media capable of storing program codes.

What are described above are merely exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. Although the exemplary implementations have been described in considerable detail above, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

A method for indicating spatial relation information, comprising:

receiving, by a terminal device, spatial relation information indicated by a network device; and

applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources.
The method of claim 1, wherein the spatial relation information at least comprises first spatial relation information and second spatial relation information, and the terminal device is configured with a first higher layer parameter, values of which at least comprise a first value and a second value, the first spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the first value, and the second spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the second value.
The method of claim 2, wherein applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources comprises:

for a transmission on a PUCCH resource, selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on uplink control information (UCI) carried in the transmission.
The method of claim 3, wherein selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission comprises:

when the UCI comprises a scheduling request (SR) , selecting, by the terminal device, the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission comprises:

when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission that is scheduled by a downlink control information (DCI) format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, selecting, by the terminal device, the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The method of claim 5, wherein that the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value comprises: the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format that is detected in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to be the first value.
The method of any one of claims 3-6, wherein selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission comprises:

when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission that is scheduled by a downlink control information (DCI) format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, selecting, by the terminal device, the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The method of claim 7, wherein that the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value comprises: the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format that is detected in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to be the second value.
The method of any one of claims 3-8, wherein selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission comprises:

when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission and an SPS configuration for the SPS PDSCH transmission is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, selecting, by the terminal device, the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The method of any one of claims 3-9, wherein selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission comprises:

when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission and an SPS configuration for the SPS PDSCH transmission is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, selecting, by the terminal device, the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The method of any one of claims 3-10, wherein selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission comprises:

when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) where a downlink control information (DCI) format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, selecting, by the terminal device, the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The method of claim 11, wherein that the PDCCH where the DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value comprises: the DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected in the PDCCH in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value.
The method of any one of claims 3-12, wherein selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission comprises:

when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) where a downlink control information (DCI) format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, selecting, by the terminal device, the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The method of claim 13, wherein that the PDCCH where the DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value comprises: the DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected in the PDCCH in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value.
The method of any one of claims 3-14, wherein selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission comprises:

when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a downlink control information (DCI) format that activates a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, selecting, by the terminal device, the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The method of claim 15, wherein that the PDCCH where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value comprises: the DCI format is detected in the PDCCH in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value.
The method of any one of claims 3-16, wherein selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission comprises:

when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a downlink control information (DCI) format that activates a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, selecting, by the terminal device, the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The method of claim 17, wherein that the PDCCH where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value comprises: the DCI format is detected in the PDCCH in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value.
The method of any one of claims 3-18, wherein selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission comprises:

when the UCI comprises channel state information (CSI) , selecting, by the terminal device, from the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information, spatial relation information that corresponds to a value of the first higher layer parameter that is associated with a CSI report configuration that configures the CSI reporting.
The method of any one of claims 3-19, wherein selecting, by the terminal device, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on UCI carried in the transmission comprises:

selecting, by the terminal device, the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource in any one or more of the following situations:

the UCI comprises channel state information (CSI) , and a CSI report configuration is not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, and the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by a downlink control information (DCI) format not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises HARQ-ACK information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) PDSCH transmission, and the SPS PDSCH transmission is not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter.
The method of any one of claims 2-20, wherein the first higher layer parameter is used for identifying a transmission/reception point (TRP) in a multi-TRP transmission.
The method of any one of claims 2-21, wherein the spatial relation information is indicated by a higher layer signaling, wherein the higher layer signaling comprises indication of a value of the first higher layer parameter and corresponding spatial relation information.
The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, by the terminal device, spatial relation information indicated by the network device comprises: receiving, by the terminal device, spatial relation information for a first PUCCH group identification (ID) indicated by the network device; and

applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources comprises: applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources configured with the first PUCCH group ID.
The method of claim 23, wherein the spatial relation information is indicated by a higher layer signaling, wherein the higher layer signaling comprises indication of the first PUCCH group ID and corresponding spatial relation information.
The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, by the terminal device, spatial relation information indicated by the network device comprises: receiving, by the terminal device, spatial relation information for a group of PUCCH resource identifications (IDs) indicated by the network device; and

applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources comprises: applying, by the terminal device, the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources corresponding to the group of PUCCH resource IDs.
The method of claim 25, wherein the spatial relation information is indicated by a higher layer signaling, wherein the higher layer signaling comprises indication of the group of PUCCH resource IDs and corresponding spatial relation information.
A method for indicating spatial relation information, comprising:

transmitting, by a network device, indication of spatial relation information to a terminal device;

wherein the spatial relation information is used for transmissions of the terminal device on a plurality of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources.
The method of claim 27, further comprising: configuring, by the network device, a first higher layer parameter;

wherein the spatial relation information at least comprises first spatial relation information and second spatial relation information, and values of the first higher layer parameter at least comprise a first value and a second value, the first spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the first value, and the second spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the second value.
The method of claim 28, further comprising: instructing, by the network device, the terminal device to apply the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to a transmission of a scheduling request (SR) on a PUCCH resource.
The method of claim 28 or 29, further comprising: configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a control resource set (CORESET) .
The method of claim 30, wherein configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET comprises:

configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a downlink control information (DCI) format scheduling a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for the PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.
The method of claim 30 or 31, wherein configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET comprises:

configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a downlink control information (DCI) format activating a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for the SPS PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.
The method of any one of claims 30-32, wherein configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET comprises:

configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a downlink control information (DCI) format activating a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a DCI format indicating an SPS PDSCH transmission release, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for the DCI format on a PUCCH resource.
The method of any one of claims 30-33, wherein configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and the CORESET comprises:

configuring, by the network device, the CORESET, with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value or the second value in the configuration information of the CORESET.
The method of any one of claims 28-34, further comprising: configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration for a SPS physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for the SPS PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.
The method of any one of claims 28-35, further comprising: configuring, by the network device, association between the first higher layer parameter and a channel state information (CSI) report configuration for CSI reporting, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of the CSI on a PUCCH resource.
The method of any one of claims 28-36, further comprising: instructing, by the network device, the terminal device to apply the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to a transmission of uplink control information (UCI) on a PUCCH resource in any one or more of the following situations:

the UCI comprises channel state information (CSI) , and a CSI report configuration is not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, and the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by a downlink control information (DCI) format not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises HARQ-ACK information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) PDSCH transmission, and the SPS PDSCH transmission is not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter.
The method of any one of claims 28-37, wherein the first higher layer parameter is used for identifying a transmission/reception point (TRP) in a multi-TRP transmission.
The method of any one of claims 28-38, wherein transmitting, by the network device, indication of spatial relation information to the terminal device comprises:

transmitting, by the network device, a higher layer signaling to the terminal device, wherein the higher layer signaling comprises indication of a value of the first higher layer parameter and corresponding spatial relation information.
The method of claim 27, wherein transmitting, by the network device, indication of spatial relation information to the terminal device comprises:

transmitting, by the network device, a higher layer signaling to the terminal device, wherein the higher layer signaling comprises indication of a first PUCCH group identification (ID) and corresponding spatial relation information, and the spatial relation information is used for transmissions of the terminal device on a plurality of PUCCH resources configured with the first PUCCH group ID.
The method of claim 27, wherein transmitting, by the network device, indication of spatial relation information to the terminal device comprises:

transmitting, by the network device, a higher layer signaling to the terminal device, wherein the higher layer signaling comprises indication of a group of PUCCH resource identifications (IDs) and corresponding spatial relation information, and the spatial relation information is used for transmissions of the terminal device on a plurality of PUCCH resources corresponding to the group of PUCCH resource IDs.
A terminal device, comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive spatial relation information indicated by a network device; and

a processing module, configured to apply the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources.
The terminal device of claim 42, wherein the spatial relation information at least comprises first spatial relation information and second spatial relation information, and the terminal device is configured with a first higher layer parameter, values of which at least comprise a first value and a second value, the first spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the first value, and the second spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the second value.
The terminal device of claim 43, wherein the processing module is configured to, for a transmission on a PUCCH resource, select one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource based on uplink control information (UCI) carried in the transmission.
The terminal device of claim 44, wherein the processing module is configured to, when the UCI comprises a scheduling request (SR) , select the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The terminal device of claim 44 or 45, wherein the processing module is configured to, when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission that is scheduled by a downlink control information (DCI) format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, select the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The terminal device of claim 46, wherein that the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value comprises: the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format that is detected in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to be the first value.
The terminal device of any one of claims 44-47, wherein the processing module is configured to, when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission that is scheduled by a downlink control information (DCI) format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, select the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The terminal device of claim 48, wherein that the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value comprises: the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by the DCI format that is detected in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to be the second value.
The terminal device of any one of claims 44-49, wherein the processing module is configured to, when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission and an SPS configuration for the SPS PDSCH transmission is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, select the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The terminal device of any one of claims 44-50, wherein the processing module is configured to, when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission and an SPS configuration for the SPS PDSCH transmission is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, select the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The terminal device of any one of claims 44-51, wherein the processing module is configured to, when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) where a downlink control information (DCI) format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, select the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The terminal device of claim 52, wherein that the PDCCH where the DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value comprises: the DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected in the PDCCH in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value.
The terminal device of any one of claims 44-53, wherein the processing module is configured to, when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) where a downlink control information (DCI) format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, select the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The terminal device of claim 54, wherein that the PDCCH where the DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value comprises: the DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH transmission is detected in the PDCCH in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value.
The terminal device of any one of claims 44-55, wherein the processing module is configured to, when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a downlink control information (DCI) format that activates a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value, select the first spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The terminal device of claim 56, wherein that the PDCCH where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value comprises: the DCI format is detected in the PDCCH in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value.
The terminal device of any one of claims 44-57, wherein the processing module is configured to, when the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a downlink control information (DCI) format that activates a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value, select the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource.
The terminal device of claim 58, wherein that the PDCCH where the DCI format is detected is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value comprises: the DCI format is detected in the PDCCH in a search space associated with a control resource set (CORESET) that is associated with the first higher layer parameter being set to the second value.
The terminal device of any one of claims 44-59, wherein the processing module is configured to, when the UCI comprises channel state information (CSI) , select, from the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information, spatial relation information that corresponds to a value of the first higher layer parameter that is associated with a CSI report configuration that configures the CSI reporting.
The terminal device of any one of claims 44-60, wherein the processing module is configured to select the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to apply to the transmission on the PUCCH resource in any one or more of the following situations:

the UCI comprises channel state information (CSI) , and a CSI report configuration is not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, and the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by a downlink control information (DCI) format not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises HARQ-ACK information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) PDSCH transmission, and the SPS PDSCH transmission is not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter.
The terminal device of any one of claims 43-61, wherein the first higher layer parameter is used for identifying a transmission/reception point (TRP) in a multi-TRP transmission.
The terminal device of any one of claims 43-62, wherein the spatial relation information is indicated by a higher layer signaling, wherein the higher layer signaling comprises indication of a value of the first higher layer parameter and corresponding spatial relation information.
The terminal device of claim 42, wherein the receiving module is configured to receive spatial relation information for a first PUCCH group identification (ID) indicated by the network device; and

the processing module is configured to apply the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources configured with the first PUCCH group ID.
The terminal device of claim 64, wherein the spatial relation information is indicated by a higher layer signaling, wherein the higher layer signaling comprises indication of the first PUCCH group ID and corresponding spatial relation information.
The terminal device of claim 42, wherein the receiving module is configured to receive spatial relation information for a group of PUCCH resource identifications (IDs) indicated by the network device; and

the processing module is configured to apply the spatial relation information to transmissions on a plurality of PUCCH resources corresponding to the group of PUCCH resource IDs.
The terminal device of claim 66, wherein the spatial relation information is indicated by a higher layer signaling, wherein the higher layer signaling comprises indication of the group of PUCCH resource IDs and corresponding spatial relation information.
A network device, comprising:

a transmitting module, configured to transmit indication of spatial relation information to a terminal device;

wherein the spatial relation information is used for transmissions of the terminal device on a plurality of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources.
The network device of claim 68, further comprising a processing module, configured to configure a first higher layer parameter;

wherein the spatial relation information at least comprises first spatial relation information and second spatial relation information, and values of the first higher layer parameter at least comprise a first value and a second value, the first spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the first value, and the second spatial relation information corresponds to the first higher layer parameter being the second value.
The network device of claim 69, wherein the processing module is further configured to instruct the terminal device to apply the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to a transmission of a scheduling request (SR) on a PUCCH resource.
The network device of claim 69 or 70, wherein the processing module is further configured to configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a control resource set (CORESET) .
The network device of claim 71, wherein the processing module is configured to configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a downlink control information (DCI) format scheduling a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for the PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.
The network device of claim 71 or 72, wherein the processing module is configured to configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a downlink control information (DCI) format activating a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for the SPS PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.
The network device of any one of claims 71-73, wherein the processing module is configured to configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a CORESET for transmitting a downlink control information (DCI) format activating a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or a DCI format indicating an SPS PDSCH transmission release, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for the DCI format on a PUCCH resource.
The network device of any one of claims 71-74, wherein the processing module is configured to configure the CORESET, with the first higher layer parameter being set to the first value or the second value in the configuration information of the CORESET.
The network device of any one of claims 69-75, wherein the processing module is further configured to configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration for a SPS physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for the SPS PDSCH transmission on a PUCCH resource.
The network device of any one of claims 69-76, wherein the processing module is further configured to configure association between the first higher layer parameter and a channel state information (CSI) report configuration for CSI reporting, to enable the terminal device to select, based on the association, one of the first spatial relation information and the second spatial relation information to apply to a transmission of the CSI on a PUCCH resource.
The network device of any one of claims 69-77, wherein the processing module is further configured to instruct the terminal device to apply the first spatial relation information or the second spatial relation information to a transmission of uplink control information (UCI) on a PUCCH resource in any one or more of the following situations:

the UCI comprises channel state information (CSI) , and a CSI report configuration is not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, and the PDSCH transmission is scheduled by a downlink control information (DCI) format not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises HARQ-ACK information for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) PDSCH transmission, and the SPS PDSCH transmission is not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that activates an SPS PDSCH transmission, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter;

the UCI comprises HARQ-ACK information for a DCI format that indicates an SPS PDSCH transmission release, and the DCI format is not associated with the first higher layer parameter.
The network device of any one of claims 69-78, wherein the first higher layer parameter is used for identifying a transmission/reception point (TRP) in a multi-TRP transmission.
The network device of any one of claims 69-79, wherein the transmitting module is configured to transmit a higher layer signaling to the terminal device, wherein the higher layer signaling comprises indication of a value of the first higher layer parameter and corresponding spatial relation information.
The network device of claim 68, wherein the transmitting module is configured to transmit a higher layer signaling to the terminal device, wherein the higher layer signaling comprises indication of a first PUCCH group identification (ID) and corresponding spatial relation information, and the spatial relation information is used for transmissions of the terminal device on a plurality of PUCCH resources configured with the first PUCCH group ID.
The network device of claim 68, wherein the transmitting module is configured to transmit a higher layer signaling to the terminal device, wherein the higher layer signaling comprises indication of a group of PUCCH resource identifications (IDs) and corresponding spatial relation information, and the spatial relation information is used for transmissions of the terminal device on a plurality of PUCCH resources corresponding to the group of PUCCH resource IDs.