WO2023004551A1

WO2023004551A1 - Method, device and computer readable medium for communication

Info

Publication number: WO2023004551A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/108487
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gang Wang
Original assignee: Nec Corporation
Priority date: 2021-07-26
Filing date: 2021-07-26
Publication date: 2023-02-02

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods, devices and computer readable media for communication. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal device receives a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a network device. If a first resource for transmitting a NACK-only feedback corresponding the PDSCH overlaps with a second resource for transmitting UCI in time domain, the terminal device transmits at least one of: the NACK-only feedback or the UCIs to the network device. In this way, it achieves the multiplexing or dropping rules between the NACK-only feedback and the UCIs.

Description

METHOD, DEVICE AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM FOR COMMUNICATION

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunication, and in particular, to methods, devices and computer storage media for communication.

BACKGROUND

Hybrid automatic repeat request (hybrid ARQ or HARQ) has been proposed, which is a combination of high-rate forward error correction (FEC) and automatic repeat request (ARQ) error-control. The simplest version of HARQ, Type I HARQ, adds both ED and FEC information to each message prior to transmission. When the coded data block is received, the receiver first decodes the error-correction code. If the channel quality is good enough, all transmission errors should be correctable, and the receiver can obtain the correct data block. If the channel quality is bad, and not all transmission errors can be corrected, the receiver will detect this situation using the error-detection code, then the received coded data block is rejected and a re-transmission is requested by the receiver, similar to ARQ. In a more sophisticated form, Type II HARQ, the message originator alternates between message bits along with error-detecting parity bits and only FEC parity bits. When the first transmission is received error free, the FEC parity bits are never sent. Also, two consecutive transmissions can be combined for error correction if neither is error free. Moreover, it has been agreed that negative acknowledgment (NACK) -only based HARQ-ACK feedback should be supported for radio resource control (RRC) _CONNECTED UEs receiving multicast service.

SUMMARY

In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, devices and computer storage media for multiplexing non-acknowledgment (NACK) -only and uplink control information (UCI) .

In a first aspect, there is provided a method of communication. The method comprises: receiving, at a terminal device and from a network device, a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) ; and in accordance with a determination that a first resource for transmitting a first NACK-only feedback for the first PDSCH overlaps with a second resource for transmitting uplink control information in time domain, transmitting, to the network device, at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information.

In a second aspect, there is provided a method of communication. The method comprises: transmitting, at a network device and to a terminal device, a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) ; and in accordance with a determination that a first resource for transmitting a first NACK-only feedback for the first PDSCH overlaps with a second resource for transmitting uplink control information in time domain, receiving, from the terminal device, at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information.

In a third aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the terminal device to perform the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the network to perform the method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon. The instructions, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to the first, second, third or fourth aspect of the present disclosure.

Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Through the more detailed description of some embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent, wherein:

Fig. 1 illustrates an example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

Fig. 2 illustrates a signaling flow for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a transmission of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of selecting a resource in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figs. 5A-5G shows schematic diagrams of multiplexing between a first NACK-only feedback and a second NACK-only feedback in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of a transmission of PUCCH in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figs. 7A and 7B illustrate a schematic diagram of a transmission of PUCCH in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of a transmission of PUCCH in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 9 illustrates a schematic diagram of a transmission of PUCCH in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 10 illustrates a schematic diagram of a transmission of PUCCH in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 11 illustrates a flow chart of an example method of communication implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 12 illustrates a flow chart of an example method of communication implemented at a network device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

Fig. 13 is a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

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

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

As used herein, the term “terminal device” refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of the terminal device include, but not limited to, user equipment (UE) , personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) , portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, internet of things (IoT) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, device on vehicle for V2X communication where X means pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure/network, or image capture devices such as digital cameras, gaming devices, music storage and playback appliances, or Internet appliances enabling wireless or wired Internet access and browsing and the like. The term “terminal device” can be used interchangeably with a UE, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile terminal, a user terminal or a wireless device. In addition, the term “network device” refers to a device which is capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage where terminal devices can communicate. Examples of a network device include, but not limited to, a Node B (NodeB or NB) , an Evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a next generation NodeB (gNB) , a Transmission Reception Point (TRP) , a Remote Radio Unit (RRU) , a radio head (RH) , a remote radio head (RRH) , a low power node such as a femto node, a pico node, and the like.

In one embodiment, the terminal device may be connected with a first network device and a second network device. One of the first network device and the second network device may be a master node and the other one may be a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different radio access technologies (RATs) . In one embodiment, the first network device may be a first RAT device and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In one embodiment, the first RAT device is eNB and the second RAT device is gNB. Information related with different RATs may be transmitted to the terminal device from at least one of the first network device and the second network device. In one embodiment, first information may be transmitted to the terminal device from the first network device and second information may be transmitted to the terminal device from the second network device directly or via the first network device. In one embodiment, information related with configuration for the terminal device configured by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information related with reconfiguration for the terminal device configured by the second network device may be transmitted to the terminal device from the second network device directly or via the first network device.

As used herein, the singular forms ‘a’ , ‘an’ and ‘the’ are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term ‘includes’ and its variants are to be read as open terms that mean ‘includes, but is not limited to. ’ The term ‘based on’ is to be read as ‘at least in part based on. ’ The term ‘one embodiment’ and ‘an embodiment’ are to be read as ‘at least one embodiment. ’ The term ‘another embodiment’ is to be read as ‘at least one other embodiment. ’ The terms ‘first, ’ ‘second, ’ and the like may refer to different or same objects. Other definitions, explicit and implicit, may be included below.

In some examples, values, procedures, or apparatus are referred to as ‘best, ’ ‘lowest, ’ ‘highest, ’ ‘minimum, ’ ‘maximum, ’ or the like. It will be appreciated that such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection among many used functional alternatives can be made, and such selections need not be better, smaller, higher, or otherwise preferable to other selections.

The term “circuitry” used herein may refer to hardware circuits and/or combinations of hardware circuits and software. For example, the circuitry may be a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuits with software/firmware. As a further example, the circuitry may be any portions of hardware processors with software including digital signal processor (s) , software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a terminal device or a network device, to perform various functions. In a still further example, the circuitry may be hardware circuits and or processors, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software/firmware for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. As used herein, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (s) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor (s) and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware.

As mentioned above, it has been agreed that NACK-only based HARQ-ACK feedback should be supported for RRC_CONNECTED UEs receiving multicast service. A NACK-only protocol may be able to detect that a packet has been lost only when the receiver receives the subsequent packet. NACK-only protocol can realize that the packet is lost only when the receiver will receive the packet with the sequence number, which is out of order. The receiver may then send a NACK to lost packet to the sender. The term “NACK-only feedback” used herein can refer to a technology where only the negative acknowledgement is transmitted if a packet is lost.

Moreover, PUCCH format 0 and PUCCH format 1 can be used for NACK-only based HARQ-ACK feedback. PUCCH can carry a set of information called “UCI (Uplink Control Information) ” . PUCCH format 0 can occupy 1 or 2 orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, which is known as short PUCCH. PUCCH format 1 can occupy 4 to 14 OFDM symbols, which is known as long PUCCH. PUCCH format 0 and 1 can carry UCI payloads having 1 or 2 bits.

Further, NACK-only based HARQ-ACK feedback can be used at least for multicast SPS PDSCH without PDCCH scheduling. For ACK/NACK based HARQ-ACK feedback for multicast, the multiplexing/prioritizing rule between the HARQ-ACK for multicast and SR/CSI can reuse the conventional multiplexing/prioritizing rule between the HARQ-ACK for unicast and scheduling request (SR) /channel state information (CSI) . Therefore, it should consider the multiplexing method between NACK-only and other UCIs.

Thus, solutions on multiplexing NACK-only feedback and uplink control information (UCI) are needed. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal device receives a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a network device. If a first resource for transmitting a NACK-only feedback for the PDSCH overlaps with a second resource for transmitting UCI in time domain, the terminal device transmits at least one of: the NACK-only feedback or the UCI to the network device. In this way, it achieves the multiplexing between the NACK-only feedback and the UCI.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a communication system in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. The communication system 100, which is a part of a communication network, comprises a terminal device 110-1, a terminal device 110-2, ..., a terminal device 110-N, which can be collectively referred to as “terminal device (s) 110. ” The number N can be any suitable integer number.

The communication system 100 further comprises a network device 120. In the communication system 100, the network device 120 and the terminal devices 110 can communicate data and control information to each other. The numbers of devices shown in Fig. 1 are given for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations.

Communications in the communication system 100 may be implemented according to any proper communication protocol (s) , comprising, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) and the fifth generation (5G) and on the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and/or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Divided Multiple Address (CDMA) , Frequency Divided Multiple Address (FDMA) , Time Divided Multiple Address (TDMA) , Frequency Divided Duplexer (FDD) , Time Divided Duplexer (TDD) , Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) , Orthogonal Frequency Divided Multiple Access (OFDMA) and/or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to any suitable scenarios. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented at reduced capability NR devices. Alternatively, embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in one of the followings: NR multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) , NR sidelink enhancements, NR systems with frequency above 52.6GHz, an extending NR operation up to 71GHz, narrow band-Internet of Thing (NB-IOT) /enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC) over non-terrestrial networks (NTN) , NTN, UE power saving enhancements, NR coverage enhancement, NB-IoT and LTE-MTC, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) , NR Multicast and Broadcast Services, or enhancements on Multi-Radio Dual-Connectivity.

It is to be understood that the numbers of network devices, terminal devices and/or TRPs are only for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations to the present disclosure. The communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices, terminal devices and/or TRPs adapted for implementing implementations of the present disclosure.

In the following, the terms “transmission occasions” , “reception occasions” , “repetitions” , “transmission” , “reception” , “PDSCH transmission occasions” , “PDSCH repetitions” , “PUSCH transmission occasions” , “PUSCH repetitions” , “PUCCH occasions” , “PUCCH repetitions” , “repeated transmissions” , “repeated receptions” , “PDSCH transmissions” , “PDSCH receptions” , “PUSCH transmissions” , “PUSCH receptions” , “PUCCH transmissions” , “PUCCH receptions” , “RS transmission” , “RS reception” , “communication” , “transmissions” and “receptions” can be used interchangeably. The terms “TCI state” , “set of QCL parameter (s) ” , “QCL parameter (s) ” , “QCL assumption” and “QCL configuration” can be used interchangeably. The terms “TCI field” , “TCI state field” , and “transmission configuration indication” can be used interchangeably. The terms “transmission occasion” , “transmission” , “repetition” , “reception” , “reception occasion” , “monitoring occasion” , “PDCCH monitoring occasion” , “PDCCH transmission occasion” , “PDCCH transmission” , “PDCCH candidate” , “PDCCH reception occasion” , “PDCCH reception” , “search space” , “CORESET” , “multi-chance” and “PDCCH repetition” can be used interchangeably. In the following, the terms “PDCCH repetitions” , “repeated PDCCHs” , “repeated PDCCH signals” , “PDCCH candidates configured for same scheduling” , “PDCCH” , “PDCCH candidates” and “linked PDCCH candidates” can be used interchangeably. The terms “DCI” and “DCI format” can be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, the embodiments in this disclosure can be applied to PDSCH and PUSCH scheduling, and in the following, PDSCH scheduling is described as examples. For example, the embodiments in this disclosure can be applied to PUSCH by replacing “transmit” to “receive” and/or “receive” to “transmit” . The terms “PDSCH” and “PUSCH” can be used interchangeably. The terms “transmit” and “receive” can be used interchangeably.

Fig. 2 shows a signaling chart illustrating process 200 among devices according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Only for the purpose of discussion, the process 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The process 200 may involve the terminal device 110-1, the network device 120 in Fig. 1. It should be noted that the process 200 is only an example not limitation. It should be noted that the process 200 can also be applied to a scenario of sidelink communications, for example, vehicle to everything (V2X) .

In some embodiments, the network device 120 may transmit 2010 a first PDCCH to the terminal device 110-1. For example, the PDCCH may be multicast. The first PDCCH may schedule a group common PDSCH. In this case, the network device 120 transmits 2030 the first PDSCH which can be the group common PDSCH. Alternatively, the PDCCH may be unicast. In this case, the network device 120 also transmits the first PDSCH. It should be noted that the first PDSCH can be any suitable types.

In some embodiments, the network device 120 may also transmit 2020 a second PDCCH to the terminal device 110-1. For example, the PDCCH may be multicast. The second PDCCH may schedule a group common PDSCH. In this case, the network device 120 may transmit 2040 the second PDSCH which can be the group common PDSCH. Alternatively, the PDCCH may be unicast. In this case, the network device 120 may also transmit the second PDSCH. It should be noted that the second PDSCH can be any suitable types.

The terminal device 110-1 may determine a first resource for a NACK-only feedback for the first PDSCH. The terminal device may also determine a second resource for UCI. For example, the UCI can be a NACK-only feedback for the second PDSCH. Alternatively, the UCI can be a ACK/NAKC HARQ-ACK for the second PDSCH. In other embodiments, the UCI can be a scheduling request (SR) . As another example, the UCI can be channel state information (CSI) . The UCI can be any suitable types of information.

If the first resource overlaps with the second resource in time domain, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit at least one of: the NACK-only feedback or the UCI. In some embodiments, the first resource may fully overlap with the second resource. Alternatively, the first resource may partially overlap with the second resource. Example embodiments of how to transmit at least one of: the NACK-only feedback or the UCI are described with the reference to Figs. 3 to 10 below.

Fig. 3 shows an example where the UCI can be another NACK-only feedback. As shown in Fig. 3, the terminal device 110-1 may receive the PDCCH 310-1 (i.e., the first PDCCH) from the network device 120. The PDCCH 310-1 can schedule the PDSCH 320-1 (i.e., the first PDSCH) . In this case, if the terminal device 110-1 does not the decode PDSCH 320-1 correctly, the terminal device 110-1 need to feedback a first NACK on the PUCCH 330-1.

In addition, the terminal device 110-1 may receive the PDCCH 310-2 (i.e., the second PDCCH) from the network device 120. The PDCCH 310-2 can schedule the PDSCH 320-2 (i.e., the second PDSCH) . In this case, if the terminal device 110-1 does not decode the PDSCH 320-2 correctly, the terminal device 110-1 need to feedback a second NACK on the PUCCH 330-2.

As shown in Fig. 3, a first resource for transmitting the first NACK can be within the slot 340. In other words, the first resource allocated to the first PUCCH 330-1 can be within the slot 340. Further, a second resource for transmitting the second NACK can be within the slot 340. In other words, the second resource allocated to second PUCCH 330-2 can be within the slot 340. As depicted Fig. 3, the PUCCH 330-1 and the PUCCH 330-2 overlaps with each other in time, which means the first resource overlaps with the second resource in time domain.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may select a third resource which is different from the first and second resources. The terminal device 110-1 can transmit the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback on the third resource. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback can be transmitted in PUCCH 330-3. The network device 120 can determine which PDSCHs are not correctly decoded based on the time-frequency position of the third resource of the PUCCH 330-3. In some embodiments, the third resource can be determined based on the first PDCCH and the second PDCCH. For example, the third resource can be determined based on the PUCCH resource indicator (PRI) in the PDCCH 310-1 and the PRI in the PDCCH 310-2. Only as an example, the third resource can be determined by (PRI1+ PRI2) mod maxNrofPUCCH-ResourcesPerSet, where “PRI1” represents the PRI field in the first PDCCH, “PRI 2” represents the PRI field in the second PDCCH, and “maxNrofPUCCH-ResourcesPerSet” represents the maximum number of PUCCH resources per set. It should be noted that the third resource can be determined based on any proper parameters and the PRI is only an example not limitation. In this way, it avoids dropping the NACK-only feedbacks and misunderstanding of correctly receive these two PDSCHs between the terminal device and the network device.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may discard a portion of the NACK-only feedback. NACK-only can be transmitted on PUCCH format 0 and PUCCH format 1. At the receiving end, the network device 120 only needs to detect the pulse to determine whether the terminal device 110 feeds back NACK. PUCCH format 0 can be a short form resource, which occupies up to two OFDM symbols in the time domain. While, PUCCH format 1 can be a long format resource, which occupies for more than two OFDM symbols in the time domain. In some embodiments, if the overlapped PUCCH resource doesn’t contain PUCCH format 0 and PUCCH 1 simultaneously, the terminal device 110-1 may drop the overlapping part of PUCCH resources earlier in time domain among these two PUCCH resources.

For example, in some embodiments, both the first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback and the second PUCCH format for the second NACK-only feedback can be format 0. As an example, as shown in Fig. 5A, the first symbol of the PUCCH 330-1 is earlier than the first symbol of the PUCCH 330-2. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit symbols in the portion 3311 which does not overlap with the PUCCH 330-2, and drop symbols in the portion 3312 which overlaps with the PUCCH 330-2. The terminal device 110-1 may transmit all of the symbols in the PUCCH 330-2. As another example, as shown in Fig. 5B, the first symbol of the PUCCH 330-2 is earlier than the first symbol of the PUCCH 330-1. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit symbols in the portion 3321 which does not overlap with the PUCCH 330-1, and drop symbols in the portion 3322 which overlaps with the PUCCH 330-1. The terminal device 110-1 may transmit all of the symbols in the PUCCH 330-1.

In other embodiments, both the first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback and the second PUCCH format for the second NACK-only feedback can be format 1. As an example, as shown in Fig. 5C, the first symbol of the PUCCH 330-1 is earlier than the first symbol of the PUCCH 330-2. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit symbols in the portion 3313 which does not overlap with the PUCCH 330-2, and drop symbols in the portion 3314 which overlaps with the PUCCH 330-2. The terminal device 110-1 may transmit all of the symbols in the PUCCH 330-2. As another example, as shown in Fig. 5D, the first symbol of the PUCCH 330-2 is earlier than the first symbol of the PUCCH 330-1. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit symbols in the portion 3323 which does not overlap with the PUCCH 330-1, and drop symbols in the portion 3324 which overlaps with the PUCCH 330-1. The terminal device 110-1 may transmit all of the symbols in the PUCCH 330-1.

In some embodiments, the first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback can be format 0 and the second PUCCH format for the second NACK-only feedback can be format 1. As an example, as shown in Fig. 5E, the first symbol of the PUCCH 330-1 is earlier than the first symbol of the PUCCH 330-2. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit symbols in the portion 3315 which does not overlap with the PUCCH 330-2, and drop symbols in the portion 3316 which overlaps with the PUCCH 330-2. The terminal device 110-1 may transmit all of the symbols in the PUCCH 330-2. As another example, as shown in Fig. 5F, the first symbol of the PUCCH 330-2 is earlier than the first symbol of the PUCCH 330-1. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit symbols in the portion 3325 which does not overlap with the PUCCH 330-1, and drop symbols in the portion 3326 which overlaps with the PUCCH 330-1. The terminal device 110-1 may transmit all of the symbols in the PUCCH 330-1.

Alternatively, when PUCCH format 0 and PUCCH format 1 overlap in time domain, the symbol in the overlapped PUCCH format 1 may be dropped. For example, as shown in Fig. 5G, the first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback can be format 0 and the second PUCCH format for the second NACK-only feedback can be format 1. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may drop symbols in the portion 3327 which overlaps with the PUCCH 330-1, and transmit symbols in the portion 3328 which does not overlap with the PUCCH 330-1. The terminal device 110-1 may transmit all of the symbols in the PUCCH 330-1. In this way, it avoids the network device regarding the NACK-only feedback as noise.

Fig. 6 shows an example where the UCI can be a ACK/NACK HARQ-ACK feedback. As shown in Fig. 6, the terminal device 110-1 may receive the PDCCH 610-1 (i.e., the first PDCCH) from the network device 120. The PDCCH 610-1 can schedule the PDSCH 620-1 (i.e., the first PDSCH) . In this case, if the terminal device 110-1 does not the PDSCH 620-1 correctly, the terminal device 110-1 need to feedback a first NACK on the PUCCH 630-1.

In addition, the terminal device 110-1 may receive the PDCCH 610-2 (i.e., the second PDCCH) from the network device 120. The PDCCH 610-2 can schedule the PDSCH 620-2 (i.e., the second PDSCH) . In this case, if the terminal device 110-1 decodes the PDSCH 620-2 correctly, the terminal device 110-1 need to feedback an ACK on the PUCCH 630-2. If the terminal device 110-1 does not decode the PDSCH 620-2 correctly, the terminal device 110-1 need to feedback a NACK on the PUCCH 630-2.

As shown in Fig. 6, a first resource for transmitting the first NACK can be within the slot 640. In other words, the first resource allocated to the first PUCCH 630-1 can be within the slot 640. Further, a second resource for transmitting the ACK/NACK HARQ-ACK can be within the slot 640. In other words, the second resource allocated to second PUCCH 630-2 can be within the slot 640. As depicted Fig. 6, the PUCCH 630-1 and the PUCCH 630-2 overlaps with each other in time, which means the first resource overlaps with the second resource in time domain. For simplicity, the terminal device 110-1 can resolve this kind of overlapping by partial dropping. In order to facilitate the detection from the network device 120, the terminal device 110-1 may cancel the overlapping part of the earlier one of the first symbol among the two PUCCH resources. In this way, it achieves the multiplexing between the NACK-only feedback and the ACK/NACK HARQ-ACK feedback.

As an example, as shown in Fig. 7A, the first symbol of the PUCCH 630-1 is earlier than the first symbol of the PUCCH 630-2. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit symbols in the portion 6311 which does not overlap with the PUCCH 630-2, and drop symbols in the portion 6312 which overlaps with the PUCCH 630-2. The terminal device 110-1 may transmit all of the symbols in the PUCCH 630-2. As another example, as shown in Fig. 7B, the first symbol of the PUCCH 630-2 is earlier than the first symbol of the PUCCH 630-1. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit symbols in the portion 6321 which does not overlap with the PUCCH 630-1, and drop symbols in the portion 6322 which overlaps with the PUCCH 630-1. The terminal device 110-1 may transmit all of the symbols in the PUCCH 630-1.

Fig. 8 shows an example where the UCI can be a SR. As shown in Fig. 8, the terminal device 110-1 may receive the PDCCH 810-1 (i.e., the first PDCCH) from the network device 120. The PDCCH 810-1 can schedule the PDSCH 820-1 (i.e., the first PDSCH) . In this case, if the terminal device 110-1 does not the PDSCH 820-1 correctly, the terminal device 110-1 need to feedback a first NACK on the PUCCH 830-1. The terminal device 110-1 may transmit the SR on the PUCCH 830-2.

As shown in Fig. 8, a first resource for transmitting the first NACK can be within the slot 840. In other words, the first resource allocated to the first PUCCH 830-1 can be within the slot 840. Further, a second resource for transmitting the SR can be within the slot 840. In other words, the second resource allocated to second PUCCH 830-2 can be within the slot 840. As depicted Fig. 8, the PUCCH 830-1 and the PUCCH 830-2 overlaps with each other in time, which means the first resource overlaps with the second resource in time domain.

Since the SR can be transmitted on PUCCH format 0 or PUCCH format 1, in some embodiments, the SR can be transmitted in PUCCH format 0 and NACK-only can be transmitted in PUCCH format 0. Alternatively, the SR can be transmitted in PUCCH format 0, and NACK-only can be transmitted in PUCCH format 1. In other embodiments, the SR can be transmitted in PUCCH format 1, and NACK-only can be transmitted in PUCCH format 0. In some embodiments, the SR can be transmitted in PUCCH format 1, and NACK-only is transmitted in PUCCH format 1.

In some embodiments, if the NACK-only always may be detected by pulses in the network device 120 rather than detected sequences or bits, the SR and NACK-only can be converted into bits form and then transmitted the concatenated bits on the SR PUCCH resource. For example, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit the NACK-only feedback and the SR on the PUCCH 830-2.

In some embodiments, if the PUCCH formats of the PUCCH 830-1 and the PUCCH 830-2 are the same, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the PUCCH with an earlier start symbol. The PUCCH formats of the PUCCH 830-1 and the PUCCH 830-2 can be PUCCH format 0. Alternatively, the PUCCH formats of the PUCCH 830-1 and the PUCCH 830-2 can be PUCCH format 1. As shown in Fig. 8, since the first symbol of the PUCCH 830-1 is earlier than the first symbol of the PUCCH 830-2, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the PUCCH 830-1.

In other embodiments, since PUCCH format 1 has better reliability when transmitting the same bit (more OFDM symbols in time domain) , it can be considered to transmit the multiplexed information on PUCCH format 1. When both SR and NACK-only feedback are transmitted on PUCCH format 0/1, they are converted to 2 bits and then transmitted on the resource with earlier starting symbol.

For example, in some embodiments, the PUCCH format of the PUCCH 830-1 can be PUCCH format 0 and the PUCCH format of the PUCCH 830-2 can be PUCCH format 1. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the PUCCH 830-2. Alternatively, the PUCCH format of the PUCCH 830-1 can be PUCCH format 1 and the PUCCH format of the PUCCH 830-2 can be PUCCH format 0. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the PUCCH 830-1. In this way, it achieves the multiplexing between the NACK-only feedback and the SR.

Table 1 shows an example of multiplexing the NACK-only feedback and the SR.

Table 1

Fig. 9 shows an example where the UCI can be channel state information (CSI) . As shown in Fig. 9, the terminal device 110-1 may receive the PDCCH 910-1 (i.e., the first PDCCH) from the network device 120. The PDCCH 910-1 can schedule the PDSCH 920-1 (i.e., the first PDSCH) . In this case, if the terminal device 110-1 does not the PDSCH 920-1 correctly, the terminal device 110-1 need to feedback a first NACK on the PUCCH 930-1. The terminal device 110-1 may transmit the CSI on the PUCCH 930-2.

As shown in Fig. 9, a first resource for transmitting the first NACK can be within the slot 940. In other words, the first resource allocated to the first PUCCH 930-1 can be within the slot 940. Further, a second resource for transmitting the CSI can be within the slot 940. In other words, the second resource allocated to second first PUCCH 930-2 can be within the slot 940. As depicted Fig. 9, the PUCCH 930-1 and the PUCCH 930-2 overlaps with each other in time, which means the first resource overlaps with the second resource in time domain.

Since CSI has a large number of bits and needs to be transmitted with more symbols. If PUCCH carrying NACK-only overlaps PUCCH carrying CSI in time domain, the transmission of CSI with more bits should not be affected by NACK-only with only 1 bit. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 can drop the overlapped part of PUCCH carrying NACK-only, no matter whether the first symbol of the first resource is earlier than the first symbol of the second resource or not. For example, as shown in Fig. 10, the terminal device 110-1 may drop symbols in the portion 9311 which overlaps with the PUCCH 930-2, and transmit symbols in the portion 9312 which does not overlap with the PUCCH 630-2. The terminal device 110-1 may transmit all of the symbols in the PUCCH 930-2. In this way, it achieves the multiplexing between the NACK-only feedback and the CSI.

Fig. 11 shows a flowchart of an example method 1100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Only for the purpose of illustrations, the method 1100 can be implemented at a terminal device 110-1 as shown in Fig. 1.

At block 1110, the terminal device 110-1 receives, from the network device 120, a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) .

At block 1120, if a first resource for transmitting a first NACK-only feedback for the first PDSCH overlaps with a second resource for transmitting uplink control information in time domain, the terminal device 110-1 transmits, to the network device 120, at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is a second NACK-only feedback for a second PDSCH. In this case, in some embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback on a third resource which is different from the first resource and the second resource.

Alternatively or in addition, if physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback are the same and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit a portion of symbols of the first NAC-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource. The terminal device 110-1 may also transmit transmitting all symbols of the second NACK-only feedback on the second resource.

In other embodiments, if physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback are different and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit a portion of symbols of the first NAC-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource. The terminal device 110-1 may also transmit all symbols of the second NACK-only feedback on the second resource.

In some embodiments, a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) format for the first NACK-only feedback is shorter than a second PUCCH format for the second NACK-only feedback, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit all symbols of the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource. The terminal device 110-1 may also transmit a portion of symbols of the second NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the second resource.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is an ACK/NACK feedback for a second PDSCH. In this case, in some embodiments, if a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource. The terminal device 110-1 may also transmit the ACK/NACK feedback on the second resource.

Alternatively, if the first symbol the first resource is later than the first symbol of the second resource, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource. The terminal device 110-1 may also transmit a portion of symbols of the ACK/NACK feedback which is in a non-overlapped portion of the second resource.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is a SR. In this case, in some embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the second resource.

Alternatively or in addition, if PUCCH formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the SR are the same and a determination that the first symbol of the first resource is earlier than the first symbol of the second resource, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the first resource.

In some embodiments, if a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) format for the first NACK-only feedback is shorter than a second PUCCH format for the SR, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the second resource. Alternatively or in addition, if a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) format for the first NACK-only feedback is longer than a second PUCCH format for the SR, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the first resource.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is channel state information (CSI) . In this case, in some embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may transmit a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource. The terminal device 110-1 may also transmit the CSI on the second resource.

Fig. 12 shows a flowchart of an example method 1200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Only for the purpose of illustrations, the method 1200 can be implemented at a terminal device 110-1 as shown in Fig. 1.

At block 1210, the network device 120 transmits, to the terminal device 110-1, a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) .

At block 1220, if a first resource for transmitting a first NACK-only feedback for the first PDSCH overlaps with a second resource for transmitting uplink control information in time domain, the network device 120 receives, from the terminal device 110-1, at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is a second NACK-only feedback for a second PDSCH. In this case, in some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback on a third resource which is different from the first resource and the second resource.

In some embodiments, if physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback are the same and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, the network device 120 may receive a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource. The network device 120 may also receive all symbols of the second NACK-only feedback on the second resource.

In some embodiments, if PUCCH formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback are different and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, the network device 120 may receive a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource. The network device 120 may also receive all symbols of the second NACK-only feedback on the second resource.

In some embodiments, if a PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is shorter than a second PUCCH format for the second NACK-only feedback, the network device 120 may receive all symbols of the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource. The network device 120 may also receive a portion of symbols of the second NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the second resource.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is an ACK/NACK feedback for a second PDSCH. In this case, in some embodiments, if a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, the network device 120 may receive a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource. The network device 120 may also receive the ACK/NACK feedback on the second resource. Alternatively, if the first symbol of the first resource is later than the second symbol of the second resource, the network device 120 may receive the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource. The network device 120 may also receive a portion of symbols of the ACK/NACK feedback which is in a non-overlapped portion of the second resource.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is a SR. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the second resource. In some embodiments, if physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the SR are the same and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, the network device 120 may receive the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the first resource.

In some embodiments, if a first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is shorter than a second PUCCH format for the SR, the network device 120 may receive the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the second resource. Alternatively, if a first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is longer than a second PUCCH format for the SR, the network device 120 may receive the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the first resource.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is channel state information (CSI) . In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource. The network device 120 may also receive the CSI on the second resource.

In some embodiments, a terminal device comprises circuitry configured to receive, from a network device, a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) ; and in accordance with a determination that a first resource for transmitting a first NACK-only feedback for the first PDSCH overlaps with a second resource for transmitting uplink control information in time domain, transmit, to the network device, at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is a second NACK-only feedback for a second PDSCH.

In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises circuitry configured to transmit at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: transmitting the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback on a third resource which is different from the first resource and the second resource.

In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises circuitry configured to transmit at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that PUCCH formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback are the same and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, transmitting a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and transmitting all symbols of the second NACK-only feedback on the second resource.

In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises circuitry configured to transmit at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that PUCCH formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback are different and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, transmitting a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and transmitting all symbols of the second NACK-only feedback on the second resource.

In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises circuitry configured to transmit at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that a first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is shorter than a second PUCCH format for the second NACK-only feedback, transmitting all symbols of the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource; and transmitting a portion of symbols of the second NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the second resource.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is an ACK/NACK feedback for a second PDSCH.

In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises circuitry configured to transmit at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, transmitting a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and transmitting the ACK/NACK feedback on the second resource; or the terminal device comprising circuitry configured to transmit, at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that the first symbol the first resource is later than the first symbol of the second resource, transmitting the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource; and transmitting a portion of symbols of the ACK/NACK feedback which is in a non-overlapped portion of the second resource.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is a SR.

In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises circuitry configured to transmit at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: transmitting the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the second resource.

In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises circuitry configured to transmit at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the SR are the same and a determination that the first symbol of the first resource is earlier than the first symbol of the second resource, transmitting the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource.

In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises circuitry configured to transmit at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) format for the first NACK-only feedback is shorter than a second PUCCH format for the SR, transmitting the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the second resource; or in accordance with a determination that a first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is longer than a second PUCCH format for the SR, transmitting the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is channel state information (CSI) .

In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises circuitry configured to at least one of at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by:transmitting a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and transmitting the CSI on the second resource.

In some embodiments, a network device comprises circuitry configured to transmit to a terminal device, a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) ; and in accordance with a determination that a first resource for transmitting a first NACK-only feedback for the first PDSCH overlaps with a second resource for transmitting uplink control information in time domain, receive, from the terminal device, at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information.

In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to receive at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: receiving the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback on a third resource which is different from the first resource and the second resource.

In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to receive at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that PUCCH formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback are the same and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, receiving a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and receiving all symbols of the second NACK-only feedback on the second resource.

In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to receive at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that PUCCH formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback are different and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, receiving a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and receiving all symbols of the second NACK-only feedback on the second resource.

In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to receive at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that a PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is shorter than a second PUCCH format for the second NACK-only feedback, receiving all symbols of the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource; and receiving a portion of symbols of the second NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the second resource.

In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to receive at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, receiving a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and receiving the ACK/NACK feedback on the second resource; or wherein In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to receive at least one of the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that the first symbol of the first resource is later than the second symbol of the second resource, receiving the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource; and receiving a portion of symbols of the ACK/NACK feedback which is in a non-overlapped portion of the second resource.

In some embodiments, the uplink control information is a SR.

In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to receive at least one of the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: receiving the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the second resource.

In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to receive at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that PUCCH formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the SR are the same and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, receiving the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource.

In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to receive at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: in accordance with a determination that a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) format for the first NACK-only feedback is shorter than a second PUCCH format for the SR, receiving the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the second resource; or in accordance with a determination that a first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is longer than a second PUCCH format for the SR, receiving the SR and the NACK-only feedback on the first resource.

In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to receive at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information by: receiving a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and receiving the CSI on the second resource.

Fig. 13 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1300 that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 1300 can be considered as a further example implementation of the network device 120, or the terminal device 110 as shown in Fig. 1. Accordingly, the device 1300 can be implemented at or as at least a part of the terminal device 110, or the network device 120.

As shown, the device 1300 includes a processor 1310, a memory 1320 coupled to the processor 1310, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 1340 coupled to the processor 1310, and a communication interface coupled to the TX/RX 1340. The memory 1310 stores at least a part of a program 1330. The TX/RX 1340 is for bidirectional communications. The TX/RX 1340 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, though in practice an Access Node mentioned in this application may have several ones. The communication interface may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements, such as X2 interface for bidirectional communications between eNBs, S1 interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) /Serving Gateway (S-GW) and the eNB, Un interface for communication between the eNB and a relay node (RN) , or Uu interface for communication between the eNB and a terminal device.

The program 1330 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 1310, enable the device 1300 to operate in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to Figs. 2 to 10. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 1310 of the device 1300, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 1310 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, a combination of the processor 1310 and memory 1020 may form processing means adapted to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The memory 1320 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, semiconductor based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. While only one memory 1320 is shown in the device 1000, there may be several physically distinct memory modules in the device 1000. The processor 1310 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network, and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 1300 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it will be appreciated that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out the process or method as described above with reference to Figs. 2 to 12. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

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

The above program code may be embodied on a machine readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that may contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine readable medium may be a machine readable signal medium or a machine readable storage medium. A machine readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM) , a read-only memory (ROM) , an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) , an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) , an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

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

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

Claims

A communication method, comprising:

receiving, at a terminal device and from a network device, a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) ; and

in accordance with a determination that a first resource for transmitting a first NACK-only feedback for the first PDSCH overlaps with a second resource for transmitting uplink control information in time domain, transmitting, to the network device, at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information.
The method of claim 1, wherein the uplink control information is a second NACK-only feedback for a second PDSCH.
The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

transmitting the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback on a third resource which is different from the first resource and the second resource.
The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback are the same and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource,

transmitting a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and

transmitting all symbols of the second NACK-only feedback on the second resource.
The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that PUCCH formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback are different and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource,

transmitting a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and

transmitting all symbols of the second NACK-only feedback on the second resource.
The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that a PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is shorter than a second PUCCH format for the second NACK-only feedback,

transmitting all symbols of the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource; and

transmitting a portion of symbols of the second NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the second resource.
The method of claim 1, wherein the uplink control information is an ACK/NACK feedback for a second PDSCH.
The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource,

transmitting a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and

transmitting the ACK/NACK feedback on the second resource; or

wherein transmitting at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that the first symbol the first resource is later than the first symbol of the second resource,

transmitting the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource; and

transmitting a portion of symbols of the ACK/NACK feedback which is in a non-overlapped portion of the second resource.
The method of claim 1, wherein the uplink control information is a scheduling request (SR) .
The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

transmitting the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the second resource.
The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that PUCCH formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the SR are the same and a determination that the first symbol of the first resource is earlier than the first symbol of the second resource, transmitting the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource.
The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that a first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is shorter than a second PUCCH format for the SR, transmitting the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the second resource; or

in accordance with a determination that a first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is longer than a second PUCCH format for the SR, transmitting the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource.
The method of claim 1, wherein the uplink control information is channel state information (CSI) .
The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting at least one of at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

transmitting a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and

transmitting the CSI on the second resource.
A communication method, comprising:

transmitting, at a network device and to a terminal device, a first PDSCH; and

in accordance with a determination that a first resource for transmitting a first NACK-only feedback for the first PDSCH overlaps with a second resource for transmitting uplink control information in time domain, receiving, from the terminal device, at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information.
The method of claim 15, wherein the uplink control information is a second NACK-only feedback for a second PDSCH.
The method of claim 16, wherein receiving at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

receiving the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback on a third resource which is different from the first resource and the second resource.
The method of claim 16, wherein receiving at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that PUCCH formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback are the same and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource,

receiving a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and

receiving all symbols of the second NACK-only feedback on the second resource.
The method of claim 16, wherein receiving at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that PUCCH formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the second NACK-only feedback are different and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource,

receiving a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and

receiving all symbols of the second NACK-only feedback on the second resource.
The method of claim 16, wherein receiving at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that a first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is shorter than a second PUCCH format for the second NACK-only feedback,

receiving all symbols of the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource; and

receiving a portion of symbols of the second NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the second resource.
The method of claim 15, wherein the uplink control information is an ACK/NACK feedback for a second PDSCH.
The method of claim 21, wherein receiving at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource,

receiving a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and

receiving the ACK/NACK feedback on the second resource; or

wherein receiving at least one of the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that the first symbol of the first resource is later than the second symbol of the second resource,

receiving the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource; and

receiving a portion of symbols of the ACK/NACK feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the second resource.
The method of claim 15, wherein the uplink control information is a SR.
The method of claim 23, wherein receiving at least one of the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

receiving the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the second resource.
The method of claim 23, wherein receiving at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that PUCCH formats for the first NACK-only feedback and the SR are the same and a determination that a first symbol of the first resource is earlier than a first symbol of the second resource, receiving the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource.
The method of claim 23, wherein receiving at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

in accordance with a determination that a first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is shorter than a second PUCCH format for the SR, receiving the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the second resource; or

in accordance with a determination that a first PUCCH format for the first NACK-only feedback is longer than a second PUCCH format for the SR, receiving the SR and the first NACK-only feedback on the first resource.
The method of claim 15, wherein the uplink control information is CSI.
The method of claim 27, wherein receiving at least one of: the first NACK-only feedback or the uplink control information comprises:

receiving a portion of symbols of the first NACK-only feedback which are in a non-overlapped portion of the first resource; and

receiving the CSI on the second resource.
A terminal device comprising:

circuitry, configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-14.
A network device comprising:

circuitry, configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 15-28.
A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed on at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to perform the method according to any of claims 1-14 or any of claims 14-28.