WO2023000129A1

WO2023000129A1 - Methods and apparatuses for physical uplink control channel transmission

Info

Publication number: WO2023000129A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/107041
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wei Ling; Chenxi Zhu; Bingchao LIU; Yi Zhang; Lingling Xiao
Original assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Current assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Priority date: 2021-07-19
Filing date: 2021-07-19
Publication date: 2023-01-26
Anticipated expiration: 2024-01-19

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission. An embodiment of the subject application provides a method performed by a user equipment. The method includes: receiving first configuration information indicating that no spatial relation information and no pathloss reference reference signal (RS) is configured for PUCCH transmission, and default spatial relation information and pathloss reference RS for PUCCH transmission is enabled; receiving second configuration information indicating a maximum number of default spatial relation information of at least one PUCCH resource; and determining at least one default spatial relation information and at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource based at least in part on the second configuration information, wherein each of the at least one default spatial relation information is associated with one of the at least one default power control parameter set.

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR PHYSICAL UPLINK CONTROL CHANNEL TRANSMISSION

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication technologies, and especially to methods and apparatuses for physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In Release 16 of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) , when a PUCCH is not configured with spatial relation information and pathloss reference reference signal (RS) , default spatial relation information (e.g., a default beam) and a default pathloss reference RS can be determined for the PUCCH according to a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state of a control resource set (CORESET) with a lowest index or identifier (ID) in a primary cell (PCell) . It can be noted that only one default beam and only one default pathloss reference RS can be determined for PUCCH transmission.

In 3GPP Release 17, to better support multiple transmit-receive points (TRPs) , reliability and robustness for channels (e.g., PUCCH) need to be improved. For example, up to 2 beams can be used for a PUCCH with repetition and up to 2 power control parameter sets can be determined for the PUCCH with repetition accordingly.

Therefore, the default beam determination and default power control parameter set determination should be enhanced considering the multiple-TRP (M-TRP) PUCCH scenario.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions related to the default beam determination and default power control parameter set determination for PUCCH transmission. In particular, the solutions are related to how to determine default beam (s) and default power control parameter set (s) for a PUCCH in a single downlink control information (DCI) based M-TRP deployment.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method includes: receiving first configuration information indicating that no spatial relation information and no pathloss reference RS is configured for PUCCH transmission, and default spatial relation information and pathloss reference RS for PUCCH transmission is enabled; receiving second configuration information indicating a maximum number of default spatial relation information of at least one PUCCH resource; and determining at least one default spatial relation information and at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource based at least in part on the second configuration information, wherein each of the at least one default spatial relation information is associated with one of the at least one default power control parameter set.

In some embodiments, the second configuration information is a radio resource control (RRC) parameter configured for PUCCH transmission which indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is one or two.

In some embodiments, determining the at least one default spatial relation information and the at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource includes: in response to that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is one or no beam mapping pattern is configured for the at least one PUCCH resource, determining only one default spatial relation information and only one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a TCI state with a lowest TCI index activated for a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index in a primary cell (PCell) .

In some embodiments, determining the at least one default spatial relation information and the at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource includes: in response to that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is two and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the at least one PUCCH resource, determining only one default spatial relation information and only one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a TCI state activated for a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index in a PCell in the case that CORESETs in the PCell are not configured with different CORESET group indexes and no CORESET in the PCell is activated with two TCI states.

In some embodiments, determining the at least one default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource includes: in response to that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is two and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the at least one PUCCH resource, in the case that two CORESET group indexes but not two CORESETPoolIndex values are configured for CORESETs in a PCell and each CORESET in the PCell is activated or configured with one TCI state, determining first default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a first CORESET group index in the PCell, and determining second default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a second CORESET group index in the PCell.

In some embodiments, determining the at least one default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource includes: in response to that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is two and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the at least one PUCCH resource, in the case that at least one CORESET in a PCell is activated with at least two TCI states, determining first default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a first TCI state activated for a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell, and determining second default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a second TCI state activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell.

In some embodiments, determining the at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource includes: in the case that first default spatial relation information and second default spatial relation information are determined for the at least one PUCCH resource, determining a first default power control parameter set including a first default pathloss reference RS, a first closed loop index, and a first expected transmitting power value, and a second default power control parameter set including a second default pathloss reference RS, a second closed loop index, and a second expected transmitting power value, wherein: the first default pathloss reference RS is determined according to the first default spatial relation information; the first closed loop index is a first predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE; the first expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a lowest index in a list of expected transmitting power values configured for the at least one PUCCH resource; the second default reference RS is determined according to the second default spatial relation information; the second closed loop index is the first closed loop index when the UE supports only one closed loop index, or is a second predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE when the UE supports more than one closed loop index; and the second expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a second lowest index in the list of expected transmitting power values configured for the at least one PUCCH resource.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: in the case that first default spatial relation information and second default spatial relation information are determined for the at least one PUCCH resource, transmitting the at least one PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information when the at least one PUCCH resource is configured without repetition.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: in the case that first default spatial relation information and second default spatial relation information are determined for the at least one PUCCH resource, transmitting repetitions of the at least one PUCCH resource using the at least one default spatial relation information and the at least one default power control parameter set according to a beam mapping pattern configured for the at least one PUCCH resource when the at least one PUCCH resource is configured with repetition.

In some embodiments, the second configuration information is configured by RRC signaling or activated by a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) for the at least one PUCCH resource, and wherein the second configuration information always indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is two.

In some embodiments, determining the at least one default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource includes: in the case that two CORESET group indexes but not two CORESETPoolIndex values are configured for CORESETs in a PCell and each CORESET in the PCell is activated with one TCI state, determining first default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a first CORESET group index in the PCell, and determining second default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a second CORESET group index in the PCell.

In some embodiments, determining the at least one default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource includes: in the case that at least one CORESET in a PCell is activated with at least two TCI states, determining first default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a first TCI state activated for a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell, and determining second default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a second TCI state activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell.

In some embodiments, determining the at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource includes: determining a first default power control parameter set including a first default pathloss reference RS, a first closed loop index, and a first expected transmitting power value, and a second default power control parameter set including a second default pathloss reference RS, a second closed loop index, and a second expected transmitting power value, wherein: the first default pathloss reference RS is determined according to the first default spatial relation information; the first closed loop index is a first predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE; the first expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a lowest index in a list of expected transmitting power values configured for the at least one PUCCH resource; the second default reference RS is determined according to the second default spatial relation information; the second closed loop index is the first closed loop index when the UE supports only one closed loop index, or is a second predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE when the UE supports more than one closed loop index; and the second expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a second lowest index in the list of expected transmitting power values configured for the at least one PUCCH resource.

In some embodiments, the second configuration information further indicates with which of the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information the at least one PUCCH resource is associated.

In some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting the at least one PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and a first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information in response to the second configuration information indicating that the at least one PUCCH resource is associated with the first default spatial relation information.

In some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting the at least one PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and a second default power control parameter set associated with the second default spatial relation information in response to the second configuration information indicating that the at least one PUCCH resource is associated with the second default spatial relation information.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: in response to the second configuration information indicating that the at least one PUCCH resource is associated with both the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information, transmitting repetitions of the at least PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information, a first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information, the second default spatial relation information, and a second default power control parameter set associated with the second default spatial relation information according to a beam mapping pattern configured for the at least one PUCCH resource when the at least one PUCCH resource is configured with repetition.

In some embodiments, the second configuration information further indicates which of the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information is used to transmit a first repetition of the at least one PUCCH resource.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method performed by a base station (BS) is provided. The method includes: transmitting first configuration information indicating that no spatial relation information and no pathloss reference RS is configured for PUCCH transmission, and default spatial relation information and pathloss reference RS for PUCCH transmission is enabled; transmitting second configuration information indicating a maximum number of default spatial relation information of at least one PUCCH resource; and determining at least one default spatial relation information and at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource based at least in part on the second configuration information, wherein each of the at least one default spatial relation information is associated with one of the at least one default power control parameter set.

In some embodiments, the second configuration information is an RRC parameter configured for PUCCH transmission which indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is one or two.

In some embodiments, determining the at least one default spatial relation information and the at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource includes: in response to that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is one or no beam mapping pattern is configured for the at least one PUCCH resource, determining only one default spatial relation information and only one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a TCI state with a lowest TCI index activated for a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index in a PCell.

In some embodiments, determining the at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource includes: in the case that first default spatial relation information and second default spatial relation information are determined for the at least one PUCCH resource, determining a first default power control parameter set including a first default pathloss reference RS, a first closed loop index, and a first expected transmitting power value, and a second default power control parameter set including a second default pathloss reference RS, a second closed loop index, and a second expected transmitting power value, wherein: the first default pathloss reference RS is determined according to the first default spatial relation information; the first closed loop index is a first predefined or configured closed loop index supported by a UE associated with the at least one PUCCH resource; the first expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a lowest index in a list of expected transmitting power values configured for the at least one PUCCH resource; the second default reference RS is determined according to the second default spatial relation information; the second closed loop index is the first closed loop index when the UE supports only one closed loop index, or is a second predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE when the UE supports more than one closed loop index; and the second expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a second lowest index in the list of expected transmitting power values configured for the at least one PUCCH resource.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: in the case that first default spatial relation information and second default spatial relation information are determined for the at least one PUCCH resource, receiving the at least one PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information when the at least one PUCCH resource is configured without repetition.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: in the case that first default spatial relation information and second default spatial relation information are determined for the at least one PUCCH resource, receiving repetitions of the at least one PUCCH resource using the at least one default spatial relation information and the at least one default power control parameter set according to a beam mapping pattern configured for the at least one PUCCH resource when the at least one PUCCH resource is configured with repetition.

In some embodiments, the second configuration information is configured by RRC signaling or activated by a MAC CE for the at least one PUCCH resource, and wherein the second configuration information always indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is two.

In some embodiments, determining the at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource includes: determining a first default power control parameter set including a first default pathloss reference RS, a first closed loop index, and a first expected transmitting power value, and a second default power control parameter set including a second default pathloss reference RS, a second closed loop index, and a second expected transmitting power value, wherein: the first default pathloss reference RS is determined according to the first default spatial relation information; the first closed loop index is a first predefined or configured closed loop index supported by a UE associated with the at least one PUCCH resource; the first expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a lowest index in a list of expected transmitting power values configured for the at least one PUCCH resource; the second default reference RS is determined according to the second default spatial relation information; the second closed loop index is the first closed loop index when the UE supports only one closed loop index, or is a second predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE when the UE supports more than one closed loop index; and the second expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a second lowest index in the list of expected transmitting power values configured for the at least one PUCCH resource.

In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving the at least one PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and a first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information in response to the second configuration information indicating that the at least one PUCCH resource is associated with the first default spatial relation information.

In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving the at least one PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and a second default power control parameter set associated with the second default spatial relation information in response to the second configuration information indicating that the at least one PUCCH resource is associated with the second default spatial relation information.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: in response to the second configuration information indicating that the at least one PUCCH resource is associated with both the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information, receiving repetitions of the at least PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information, a first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information, the second default spatial relation information, and a second default power control parameter set associated with the second default spatial relation information according to a beam mapping pattern configured for the at least one PUCCH resource when the at least one PUCCH resource is configured with repetition.

In some embodiments, the second configuration information further indicates which of the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information is used to receive a first repetition of the at least one PUCCH resource.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an apparatus includes: at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, at least one receiving circuitry, at least one transmitting circuitry, and at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiving circuitry and the at least one transmitting circuitry. The computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to implement various methods according to any embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which advantages and features of the present disclosure can be obtained, a description of the present disclosure is rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. These drawings depict only exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and are not therefore intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Figure 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary method performed by a UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary second configuration information according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 4 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary method performed by a BS according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 5 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an exemplary apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

Figure 6 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an exemplary apparatus according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description of the appended drawings is intended as a description of the currently preferred embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention may be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions may be accomplished by different embodiments that are intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

While operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, persons skilled in the art will readily recognize that such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that among all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results, sometimes one or more operations can be skipped. Further, the drawings can schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flow diagram. However, other operations that are not depicted can be incorporated in the example processes that are schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or between any of the illustrated operations. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous.

Figure 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 10 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system 10 includes a UE 12 and a BS 11. Although merely one BS is illustrated in Figure 1 for simplicity, it is contemplated that the wireless communication system 10 may include more BSs in some other embodiments of the present disclosure. Similarly, although merely one UE is illustrated in Figure 1 for simplicity, it is contemplated that the wireless communication system 10 may include more UEs in some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

The BS 11 may also be referred to as an access point, an access terminal, a base, a macro cell, a node-B, an enhanced node B (eNB) , a gNB, a home node-B, a relay node, or a device, or described using other terminology used in the art. The BS 11 is generally part of a radio access network that may include a controller communicably coupled to the BS 11. Furthermore, the BS 11 may be configured with one TRP (or panel) or multiple TRPs (or panels) . A TRP can act like a small BS.

In a wireless communication system, a single TRP can be used to serve one or more UEs under control of a BS. In different scenarios, TRP may be referred to as different terms. Persons skilled in the art should understand that as the 3GPP and the communication technology develop, the terminologies recited in the specification may change, which should not affect the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the TRP (s) (or panel (s) ) configured for the BS may be transparent to a UE.

The UE 12 may include computing devices, such as desktop computers, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) , tablet computers, smart televisions (e.g., televisions connected to the Internet) , set-top boxes, game consoles, security systems (including security cameras) , vehicle on-board computers, network devices (e.g., routers, switches, and modems) , or the like. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the UE 12 may include a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular telephone, a flip phone, a device having a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device that is capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network. In some embodiments, the UE 12 may include wearable devices, such as smart watches, fitness bands, optical head-mounted displays, or the like. Moreover, the UE 12 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, or a device, or described using other terminology used in the art.

The wireless communication system 10 is compatible with any type of network that is capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 10 is compatible with a wireless communication network, a cellular telephone network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) -based network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) -based network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) -based network, a long term evolution (LTE) network, a 3GPP-based network, a 3GPP 5G network, a satellite communications network, a high-altitude platform network, and/or other communications networks.

In one embodiment, the wireless communication system 10 is compatible with the 5G new radio (NR) of the 3GPP protocol, wherein the BS 12 transmits data using an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation scheme on the downlink and the UE 12 transmits data on the uplink using a single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) or OFDM scheme. More generally, the wireless communication system 10 may implement some other open or proprietary communication protocols, for example, WiMAX, among other protocols.

In other embodiments, the BS 11 may communicate using other communication protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless communication protocols. Further, in some embodiments, the BS 11 may communicate over licensed spectrums, whereas in other embodiments the BS 11 may communicate over unlicensed spectrums. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementation of any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol. In another embodiment, the BS 11 may communicate with the UE 12 using the 3GPP 5G protocols.

Figure 2 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary method 100 performed by a UE (e.g., the UE 12 in Figure 1) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the method 100 can also be performed by other device (s) having similar functionality.

As shown in Figure 2, in step 110, the UE receives first configuration information (e.g., from a BS) . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first configuration information indicates that no spatial relation information and no pathloss reference RS is configured for PUCCH transmission, and default spatial relation information and pathloss reference RS for PUCCH transmission is enabled. For example, in a PUCCH configuration (e.g., PUCCH-config) received by the UE from the BS, PUCCH-SpatialRelationInfo is not provided, pathlossReferenceRSs is not provided in PUCCH-PowerControl, and enableDefaultBeamPlForPUCCH is configured as ‘enabled. ’ In a single DCI based M-TRP deployment, the UE is not configured with two different CORESETPoolIndex values.

In step 120, the UE receives second configuration information for at least one PUCCH resource. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second configuration information indicates a maximum number of default spatial relation information (e.g., a maximum number of default beam) of the at least one PUCCH resource. The maximum number may be one or more than one.

In step 130, the UE determines at least one default spatial relation information and at least one default power control parameter set for transmitting the at least one PUCCH resource based at least in part on the second configuration information. Each of the at least one default spatial relation information is associated with one of the at least one default power control parameter set. In some embodiments, the number of default spatial relation information determined by the UE for a PUCCH resource is the same as the number of default power control parameter set (s) determined by the UE for the PUCCH resource. The maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is the same as the maximum number of default power control parameter set (s) for the at least one PUCCH resource.

The number of default spatial relation information (or the number of default power control parameter set (s) ) for a PUCCH resource determined by the UE is less than or equal to the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the PUCCH resource. In some embodiments, the UE may determine only one default spatial relation information (e.g., only one default beam) for the at least one PUCCH resource when the maximum number of default spatial relation information indicated in the second configuration information is one. In some other embodiments, the UE may determine one or two default spatial relation information (e.g., one or two default beams) for the at least one PUCCH resource when the maximum number of default spatial relation information indicated in the second configuration information is two.

In some embodiments, the method 100 may further include one or more additional steps, e.g., a step of transmitting the at least one PUCCH resource using the at least one default spatial relation information and the at least one default power control parameter set determined in step 130.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second configuration information is an RRC parameter configured for PUCCH transmission. For example, the second configuration information can be an RRC parameter configured in PUCCH-config, and thus is applied for all PUCCH resources of the UE, i.e., all PUCCH resources of the UE support the same maximum number of default spatial relation information. The RRC parameter may indicate that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is one or two.

Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary second configuration information, which is an RRC parameter configured in PUCCH-config, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in Figure 3, the second configuration information is an RRC parameter maxTwoBeamForPUCCH added in PUCCH-config. When maxTwoBeamForPUCCH is configured as ‘enabled, ’ the maximum number of default spatial relation information is two; otherwise, the maximum number of default spatial relation information is one. In some other embodiments, the second configuration information may be or include other RRC parameter, and can indicate the maximum number of default spatial relation information in other manners.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the second configuration information indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of a PUCCH resource is one or no beam mapping pattern is configured for the PUCCH resource, the UE may determine only one default spatial relation information (e.g., only one default beam) and only one default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to a TCI state with the lowest TCI index activated for a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in a PCell. For a PUCCH resource with repetition, all repetitions are transmitted using the default spatial relation information and the default power control parameter set.

When only one TCI state is activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the PCell, the UE may determine the default spatial relation information and the default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to the only one TCI state activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the PCell.

When two TCI states are activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the PCell, the UE may determine the default spatial relation information and the default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to the TCI state with a lower index of the two TCI states activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the PCell.

For example, when CORESET 0, CORESET 1, and CORESET 2 are configured in the PCell, the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index is CORESET 0. In the case that only one TCI state, i.e., TCI state 1, is activated for CORESET 0, the UE may determine the default spatial relation information and the default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to TCI state 1. In the case that two TCI states, i.e., TCI state 2 and TCI state 3, are activated for CORESET 0, the UE may determine the default spatial relation information and the default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to TCI state 2.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the default power control parameter set includes a default pathloss reference RS, a default closed loop index, and a default expected transmitting power value. The default pathloss reference RS is determined according to the default spatial relation information. For example, the default pathloss reference RS is determined as the ‘quasi-colocation type D’ (QCL-Type D) RS of the default beam. The default closed loop index is 0. The default expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power (e.g., P0) value with a lowest index in a list of expected transmitting power values (e.g., P0-PUCCH) configured for PUCCH.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the second configuration information indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of a PUCCH resource is two and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the PUCCH resource, the UE may determine one or two default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to the method described below.

In an embodiment, when the second configuration information indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of a PUCCH resource is two, and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the PUCCH resource, in the case that CORESETs in the PCell are not configured with different CORESET group indexes and no CORESET in the PCell is activated with two TCI states, the UE may determine only one default spatial relation information and only one default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to a TCI state activated for a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index in the PCell.

For example, when CORESET 0, CORESET 1, and CORESET 2 are configured in the PCell and no different CORESET group indexes are configured for these CORESETs, CORESET 0 is activated with TCI state 2, CORESET 1 is activated with TCI state 1, and CORESET 2 is activated with TCI state 3, the UE may determine only one default spatial relation information and only one default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to TCI state 2 activated for CORESET 0.

In another embodiment, when the second configuration information indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of a PUCCH resource is two, and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the PUCCH resource, in the case that two CORESET group indexes but not two CORESETPoolIndex values are configured for CORESETs in a PCell and each CORESET in the PCell is activated or configured with only one TCI state, the UE may determine first default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a first CORESET group index in the PCell, and may determine second default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a second CORESET group index in the PCell.

For example, when CORESET 0, CORESET 1, and CORESET 2 are configured in the PCell and they are not configured with two CORESETPoolIndex values, wherein CORESET 0 and CORESET 1 are configured to be associated with CORESET group 0, and CORESET 2 is configured to be associated with CORESET group 1, wherein CORESET 0, CORESET 1, and CORESET 2 are activated with TCI state 3, TCI state 2, and TCI state 1 respectively, the UE may determine first default spatial relation information according to TCI state 3 activated for CORESET 0 associated with CORESET group 0, and determine second default spatial relation information according to TCI state 1 activated for CORESET 2 associated with CORESET group 1.

In yet another embodiment, when the second configuration information indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of a PUCCH resource is two, and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the PUCCH resource, in the case that at least one CORESET in a PCell is activated with at least two TCI states, the UE may determine first default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to a first TCI state activated for a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell, and may determine second default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to a second TCI state activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell.

For example, when CORESET 0, CORESET 1, and CORESET 2 are configured in the PCell, wherein CORESET 0 is activated with TCI state 1, CORESET 1 is activated with TCI state 2 and TCI state 3, and CORESET 2 is activated with TCI state 5 and TCI state 6, the UE may determine first default spatial relation information and second default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to TCI state 2 and TCI state 3 activated for CORESET 1, respectively.

When the UE determines two default spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource, it also determines two default power control parameter sets for the PUCCH resource each associated with one default spatial relation information. The first default power control parameter set includes a first default pathloss reference RS, a first closed loop index, and a first expected transmitting power value. The second default power control parameter set includes a second default pathloss reference RS, a second closed loop index, and a second expected transmitting power value.

In some embodiments, the first default pathloss reference RS is determined according to the first default spatial relation information, the first closed loop index is a first predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE, and the first expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a lowest index in a list of expected transmitting power values configured for the PUCCH resource; and the second default reference RS is determined according to the second default spatial relation information, the second closed loop index is the first closed loop index when the UE supports only one closed loop index, or is a second predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE when the UE supports more than one closed loop index, and the second expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a second lowest index in the list of expected transmitting power values configured for the PUCCH resource.

For example, when a first default beam and a second default beam are determined according to a first TCI state and a second TCI state, respectively, the first default pathloss reference RS is determined as the QCL-Type D RS of the first TCI state, the first closed loop index is closed loop index 0, and the first expected transmitting power value is the P0 value with the lowest index in a P0-PUCCH configured for PUCCH, where P0-PUCCH is a list of P0 values; and the second default reference RS is determined as the QCL-Type D RS of the second TCI state, the second closed loop index is closed loop index 0 when the UE supports only one closed loop index, or is closed loop index 1 when the UE supports more than one closed loop index (the association between each closed loop index and each default beam can be determined according to a predefined rule or be configured via RRC signaling) , and the second expected transmitting power value is the P0 value with the second lowest index in the P0-PUCCH.

After determining first and second default spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource and first and second default power control parameter sets associated with the first and second default spatial relation information, the UE may transmit the PUCCH resource using the determined default spatial relation information and associated default power control parameter set (s) .

According to some embodiments, in the case that the PUCCH resource is configured without repetition (or the repetition number of the PUCCH resource equates one) , the UE may transmit the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first default power control parameter set.

In the case that the PUCCH resource is configured with repetition (i.e., the repetition number of the PUCCH resource is more than 1) , the UE may transmit repetitions of the PUCCH resource using the first and second default spatial relation information and the first and second default power control parameter sets according to a beam mapping pattern configured for the PUCCH resource.

For example, when the repetition number of a PUCCH resource is four and the beam mapping pattern specifies a cyclic mapping pattern, the UE transmits the first repetition of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first power control parameter set, transmits the second repetition of the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the associated second power control parameter set, transmits the third repetition of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first power control parameter set, and transmits the fourth repetition of the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the associated second power control parameter set.

For example, when the repetition number of a PUCCH resource is four and the beam mapping pattern specifies a sequential mapping pattern, the UE transmits the first and second repetitions of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first power control parameter set, and transmits the third and fourth repetitions of the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the associated second power control parameter set.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second configuration information received in step 120 of Figure 2 is configured by RRC signaling or activated by a MAC CE for the at least one PUCCH resource, and the second configuration information always indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is two. When receiving such second configuration information configured by RRC signaling or activated by a MAC CE associated with the at least one PUCCH resource, the UE may determine two default spatial relation information and two associated power control parameter sets for the at least one PUCCH resource according to any of the methods as described above.

For example, when two CORESET group indexes but not two CORESETPoolIndex values are configured for CORESETs in the PCell and each CORESET in the PCell is activated or configured with only one TCI state, the UE may determine first default spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a first CORESET group index in the PCell, and may determine second default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a second CORESET group index in the PCell.

For example, when at least one CORESET in a PCell is activated with at least two TCI states, the UE may determine first default spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource according to a first TCI state activated for a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell, and may determine second default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to a second TCI state activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell.

Likewise, when the UE determines two default spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource, it also determines two default power control parameter sets for the PUCCH resource each associated with one default spatial relation information. The first default power control parameter set includes a first default pathloss reference RS, a first closed loop index, and a first expected transmitting power value. The second default power control parameter set includes a second default pathloss reference RS, a second closed loop index, and a second expected transmitting power value.

After determining first and second default spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource and first and second default power control parameter sets associated with the first and second default spatial relation information, the UE may transmit the PUCCH resource using the determined default spatial relation information and associated default power control parameter set (s) . According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second configuration information may further indicate with which of the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information the PUCCH resource is associated.

In some embodiments, when the second configuration information indicates that a PUCCH resource is associated with the first default spatial relation information, the UE may transmit the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information, regardless of whether the PUCCH resource is configured with or without repetition.

In some embodiments, when the second configuration information indicates that a PUCCH resource is associated with the second default spatial relation information, the UE may transmit the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the second default power control parameter set associated with the second default spatial relation information, regardless of whether the PUCCH resource is configured with or without repetition.

In some embodiments, for a PUCCH resource configured with repetition, the second configuration information may indicate that the PUCCH resource is associated with both the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information. In this case, the UE may transmit repetitions of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information, the first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information, the second default spatial relation information, and the second default power control parameter set associated with the second default spatial relation information according to a beam mapping pattern configured for the PUCCH resource.

In some embodiments, the second configuration information may further indicate which of the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information is used to transmit a first repetition of the PUCCH resource.

In an embodiment, the second configuration information can be a two-bit indication. When the two-bit indication has a value of ‘00, ’ it indicates that the PUCCH resource is associated with the first default spatial relation information. When the two-bit indication has a value of ‘01, ’ it indicates that the PUCCH resource is associated with the second default spatial relation information. When the two-bit indication has a value of ‘10, ’ it indicates that the PUCCH resource is associated with both the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information, and the first default spatial relation information is used to transmit a first repetition of the PUCCH resource. When the two-bit indication has a value of ‘11, ’ it indicates that the PUCCH resource is associated with both the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information, and the second default spatial relation information is used to transmit a first repetition of the PUCCH resource.

For example, when the two-bit indication for a PUCCH resource has a value of ‘10, ’ the repetition number of the PUCCH resource is four, and the beam mapping pattern specifies a cyclic mapping pattern, the UE may transmit the first repetition of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first default power control parameter set, transmit the second repetition of the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the associated second power control parameter set, transmit the third repetition of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first power control parameter set, and transmit the fourth repetition of the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the associated second power control parameter set.

For example, when the two-bit indication for a PUCCH resource has a value of ‘11, ’ the repetition number of the PUCCH resource is four, and the beam mapping pattern specifies a sequential mapping pattern, the UE may transmit the first and second repetitions of the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the associated second default power control parameter set, and transmit the third and fourth repetitions of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first power control parameter set.

Figure 4 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary method 700 performed by a BS (e.g., the BS 11 in Figure 1) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the method 700 can also be performed by other device (s) , nodes, or networks having similar functionality.

As shown in Figure 4, in step 710, the BS transmits first configuration information to a UE (e.g., the UE 12 in Figure 1) . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first configuration information indicates to the UE that no spatial relation information and no pathloss reference RS is configured for PUCCH transmission, and default spatial relation information and pathloss reference RS for PUCCH transmission is enabled.

In step 720, the BS transmits second configuration information for at least one PUCCH resource. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second configuration information indicates a maximum number of default spatial relation information (e.g., a maximum number of default beam) of the at least one PUCCH resource. The maximum number may be one or more than one.

In step 730, the BS determines at least one default spatial relation information and at least one default power control parameter set for receiving the at least one PUCCH resource based at least in part on the second configuration information. Each of the at least one default spatial relation information is associated with one of the at least one default power control parameter set. In some embodiments, the number of default spatial relation information determined by the BS for a PUCCH resource is the same as the number of default power control parameter set (s) determined by the BS for the PUCCH resource. The maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is the same as the maximum number of default power control parameter set (s) for the at least one PUCCH resource.

The number of default spatial relation information (or the number of default power control parameter set (s) ) for a PUCCH resource determined by the BS is less than or equal to the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the PUCCH resource. In some embodiments, the BS may determine only one default spatial relation information (e.g., only one default beam) for the at least one PUCCH resource when the maximum number of default spatial relation information indicated in the second configuration information is one. In some other embodiments, the BS may determine one or two default spatial relation information (e.g., one or two default beams) for the at least one PUCCH resource when the maximum number of default spatial relation information indicated in the second configuration information is two.

In some embodiments, the method 700 may further include one or more additional steps, e.g., a step of receiving the at least one PUCCH resource using the at least one default spatial relation information and the at least one default power control parameter set determined in step 730. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the BS may determine the at least one default spatial relation information and the at least one default power control parameter set and determine which default spatial relation information and default power control parameter set are used to receive the at least one PUCCH resource using methods similar to those described above with respect to the UE.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second configuration information is an RRC parameter (e.g., maxTwoBeamForPUCCH in Figure 3) configured for PUCCH transmission which indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is one or two.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the second configuration information indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of a PUCCH resource is one or no beam mapping pattern is configured for the PUCCH resource, the BS may determine only one default spatial relation information (e.g., only one default beam) and only one default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to a TCI state with the lowest TCI index activated for a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in a PCell. For a PUCCH resource with repetition, all repetitions are received using the default spatial relation information and the default power control parameter set.

When only one TCI state is activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the PCell, the BS may determine the default spatial relation information and the default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to the only one TCI state activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the PCell.

When two TCI states are activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the PCell, the BS may determine the default spatial relation information and the default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to the TCI state with a lower index of the two TCI states activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the PCell.

For example, when CORESET 0, CORESET 1, and CORESET 2 are configured in the PCell, the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index is CORESET 0. In the case that only one TCI state, i.e., TCI state 1, is activated for CORESET 0, the BS may determine the default spatial relation information and the default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to TCI state 1. In the case that two TCI states, i.e., TCI state 2 and TCI state 3, are activated for CORESET 0, the UE may determine the default spatial relation information and the default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to TCI state 2.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the second configuration information indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of a PUCCH resource is two and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the PUCCH resource, the BS may determine one or two default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to the method described below.

In an embodiment, when the second configuration information indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of a PUCCH resource is two, and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the PUCCH resource, in the case that CORESETs in the PCell are not configured with different CORESET group indexes and no CORESET in the PCell is activated with two TCI states, the BS may determine only one default spatial relation information and only one default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to a TCI state activated for a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index in the PCell.

For example, when CORESET 0, CORESET 1, and CORESET 2 are configured in the PCell and no different CORESET group indexes are configured for these CORESETs, CORESET 0 is activated with TCI state 2, CORESET 1 is activated with TCI state 1, and CORESET 2 is activated with TCI state 3, the BS may determine only one default spatial relation information and only one default power control parameter set for the PUCCH resource according to TCI state 2 activated for CORESET 0.

In another embodiment, when the second configuration information indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of a PUCCH resource is two, and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the PUCCH resource, in the case that two CORESET group indexes but not two CORESETPoolIndex values are configured for CORESETs in the PCell and each CORESET in the PCell is activated or configured with only one TCI state, the BS may determine first default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a first CORESET group index in the PCell, and may determine second default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a second CORESET group index in the PCell.

For example, when CORESET 0, CORESET 1, and CORESET 2 are configured in the PCell and they are not configured with two CORESETPoolIndex values, wherein CORESET 0 and CORESET 1 are configured to be associated with CORESET group 0, and CORESET 2 is configured to be associated with CORESET group 1, wherein CORESET 0, CORESET 1, and CORESET 2 are activated with TCI state 3, TCI state 2, and TCI state 1 respectively, the BS may determine first default spatial relation information according to TCI state 3 activated for CORESET 0 associated with CORESET group 0, and determine second default spatial relation information according to TCI state 1 activated for CORESET 2 associated with CORESET group 1.

In yet another embodiment, when the second configuration information indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of a PUCCH resource is two, and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the PUCCH resource, in the case that at least one CORESET in a PCell is activated with at least two TCI states, the BS may determine first default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to a first TCI state activated for a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell, and may determine second default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to a second TCI state activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell.

For example, when CORESET 0, CORESET 1, and CORESET 2 are configured in the PCell, wherein CORESET 0 is activated with TCI state 1, CORESET 1 is activated with TCI state 2 and TCI state 3, and CORESET 2 is activated with TCI state 5 and TCI state 6, the BS may determine first default spatial relation information and second default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to TCI state 2 and TCI state 3 activated for CORESET 1, respectively.

When the BS determines two default spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource, it also determines two default power control parameter sets for the PUCCH resource each associated with one default spatial relation information. The first default power control parameter set includes a first default pathloss reference RS, a first closed loop index, and a first expected transmitting power value. The second default power control parameter set includes a second default pathloss reference RS, a second closed loop index, and a second expected transmitting power value.

In some embodiments, the first default pathloss reference RS is determined according to the first default spatial relation information, the first closed loop index is a first predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE associated with the PUCCH resource, and the first expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a lowest index in a list of expected transmitting power values configured for the PUCCH resource; and the second default reference RS is determined according to the second default spatial relation information, the second closed loop index is the first closed loop index when the UE supports only one closed loop index, or is a second predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE when the UE supports more than one closed loop index, and the second expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a second lowest index in the list of expected transmitting power values configured for the PUCCH resource.

After determining first and second default spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource and first and second default power control parameter sets associated with the first and second default spatial relation information, the BS may receive the PUCCH resource using the determined default spatial relation information and associated default power control parameter set (s) .

According to some embodiments, in the case that the PUCCH resource is configured without repetition (or the repetition number of the PUCCH resource equates one) , the BS may receive the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first default power control parameter set.

In the case that the PUCCH resource is configured with repetition (i.e., the repetition number of the PUCCH resource is more than 1) , the BS may receive repetitions of the PUCCH resource using the first and second default spatial relation information and the first and second default power control parameter sets according to a beam mapping pattern configured for the PUCCH resource.

For example, when the repetition number of a PUCCH resource is four and the beam mapping pattern specifies a cyclic mapping pattern, the BS receives the first repetition of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first power control parameter set, receives the second repetition of the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the associated second power control parameter set, receives the third repetition of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first power control parameter set, and receives the fourth repetition of the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the associated second power control parameter set.

For example, when the repetition number of a PUCCH resource is four and the beam mapping pattern specifies a sequential mapping pattern, the BS receives the first and second repetitions of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first power control parameter set, and receives the third and fourth repetitions of the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the associated second power control parameter set.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second configuration information transmitted in step 720 of Figure 4 is configured by RRC signaling or activated by a MAC CE for the at least one PUCCH resource, and the second configuration information always indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is two. When transmitting such second configuration information configured by RRC signaling or activated by a MAC CE associated with the at least one PUCCH resource, the BS may determine two default spatial relation information and two associated power control parameter sets for the at least one PUCCH resource according to any of the methods as described above.

For example, when two CORESET group indexes but not two CORESETPoolIndex values are configured for CORESETs in the PCell and each CORESET in the PCell is activated or configured with only one TCI state, the BS may determine first default spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a first CORESET group index in the PCell, and may determine second default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a second CORESET group index in the PCell.

For example, when at least one CORESET in a PCell is activated with at least two TCI states, the BS may determine first default spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource according to a first TCI state activated for a CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell, and may determine second default spatial relation information for the PUCCH resource according to a second TCI state activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell.

Likewise, when the BS determines two default spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource, it also determines two default power control parameter sets for the PUCCH resource each associated with one default spatial relation information. The first default power control parameter set includes a first default pathloss reference RS, a first closed loop index, and a first expected transmitting power value. The second default power control parameter set includes a second default pathloss reference RS, a second closed loop index, and a second expected transmitting power value.

After determining first and second default spatial relation information for a PUCCH resource and first and second default power control parameter sets associated with the first and second default spatial relation information, the BS may receive the PUCCH resource using the determined default spatial relation information and associated default power control parameter set (s) . According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second configuration information may further indicate with which of the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information the PUCCH resource is associated.

In some embodiments, when the second configuration information indicates that a PUCCH resource is associated with the first default spatial relation information, the BS may receive the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information, regardless of whether the PUCCH resource is configured with or without repetition.

In some embodiments, when the second configuration information indicates that a PUCCH resource is associated with the second default spatial relation information, the BS may receive the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the second default power control parameter set associated with the second default spatial relation information, regardless of whether the PUCCH resource is configured with or without repetition.

In some embodiments, for a PUCCH resource configured with repetition, the second configuration information may indicate that the PUCCH resource is associated with both the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information. In this case, the BS may receive repetitions of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information, the first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information, the second default spatial relation information, and the second default power control parameter set associated with the second default spatial relation information according to a beam mapping pattern configured for the PUCCH resource.

In some embodiments, the second configuration information may further indicate which of the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information is used to receive a first repetition of the PUCCH resource.

In an embodiment, the second configuration information can be a two-bit indication. When the two-bit indication has a value of ‘00, ’ it indicates that the PUCCH resource is associated with the first default spatial relation information. When the two-bit indication has a value of ‘01, ’ it indicates that the PUCCH resource is associated with the second default spatial relation information. When the two-bit indication has a value of ‘10, ’ it indicates that the PUCCH resource is associated with both the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information, and the first default spatial relation information is used to receive a first repetition of the PUCCH resource. When the two-bit indication has a value of ‘11, ’ it indicates that the PUCCH resource is associated with both the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information, and the second default spatial relation information is used to receive a first repetition of the PUCCH resource.

For example, when the two-bit indication for a PUCCH resource has a value of ‘10, ’ the repetition number of the PUCCH resource is four, and the beam mapping pattern specifies a cyclic mapping pattern, the BS may receive the first repetition of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first default power control parameter set, receive the second repetition of the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the associated second power control parameter set, receive the third repetition of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first power control parameter set, and receive the fourth repetition of the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the associated second power control parameter set.

For example, when the two-bit indication for a PUCCH resource has a value of ‘11, ’ the repetition number of the PUCCH resource is four, and the beam mapping pattern specifies a sequential mapping pattern, the BS may receive the first and second repetitions of the PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and the associated second default power control parameter set, and receive the third and fourth repetitions of the PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and the associated first power control parameter set.

The present disclosure is not limited to the various provided methods and signaling sequences, and these methods and signaling sequences may be reasonably and flexibly adjusted or changed.

Figure 5 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an exemplary apparatus 1100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1100 may be or include at least a part of a UE or similar device.

As shown in Figure 5, the apparatus 1100 may include at least one receiving circuitry 1110, at least one processor 1120, at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 1130 with computer-executable program code 1140 or instructions stored thereon, and at least one transmitting circuitry 1150. The at least one receiving circuitry 1110, the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 1130, and the at least one transmitting circuitry 1150 may be coupled to the at least one processor 1120. In some embodiments, the at least one receiving circuitry 1110, the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 1130, the at least one transmitting circuitry 1150, and the at least one processor 1120 may be coupled to each other via one or more local buses.

Although in Figure 5, elements such as receiving circuitry 1110, transmitting circuitry 1150, non-transitory computer-readable medium 1130, and processor 1120 are described in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one receiving circuitry 1110 and the at least one transmitting circuitry 1150 may be configured for wireless communication. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one receiving circuitry 1110 and the at least one transmitting circuitry 1150 can be integrated into at least one transceiver (e.g., wireless transceiver) . In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus 1100 may further include a memory and/or other components.

The computer-executable program code 1140 or instructions may be configured to be executable by the at least one processor 1120 to cause the apparatus 1100 at least to perform, with the at least one receiving circuitry 1110, the at least one transmitting circuitry 1150, and the at least one processor 1120, any one of the various methods described above which are performed by a UE according to the present disclosure. For example, the computer-executable program code 1140 or instructions, when executed by the at least one processor 1120, may cause the apparatus 1100 to: receive, with the at least one receiving circuitry 1110, first configuration information indicating that no spatial relation information and no pathloss reference RS is configured for PUCCH transmission, and default spatial relation information and pathloss reference RS for PUCCH transmission is enabled; receive, with the at least one receiving circuitry 1110, second configuration information indicating a maximum number of default spatial relation information of at least one PUCCH resource; and determine, with the at least one processor 1120, at least one default spatial relation information and at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource based at least in part on the second configuration information, wherein each of the at least one default spatial relation information is associated with one of the at least one default power control parameter set.

Figure 6 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an exemplary apparatus 1200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1200 may be or include at least a part of a BS or similar device.

As shown in Figure 6, the apparatus 1200 may include at least one receiving circuitry 1210, at least one processor 1220, at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 1230 with computer-executable program code 1240 or instructions stored thereon, and at least one transmitting circuitry 1250. The at least one receiving circuitry 1210, the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 1230, and the at least one transmitting circuitry 1250 may be coupled to the at least one processor 1220. In some embodiments, the at least one receiving circuitry 1210, the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 1230, the at least one transmitting circuitry 1250, and the at least one processor 1220 may be coupled to each other via one or more local buses.

Although in Figure 6, elements such as receiving circuitry 1210, transmitting circuitry 1250, non-transitory computer-readable medium 1230, and processor 1220 are described in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one receiving circuitry 1210 and the at least one transmitting circuitry 1250 may be configured for wireless communication. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one receiving circuitry 1210 and the at least one transmitting circuitry 1250 can be integrated into at least one transceiver (e.g., wireless transceiver) . In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus 1200 may further include a memory and/or other components.

The computer-executable program code 1240 or instructions may be configured to be executable by the at least one processor 1220 to cause the apparatus 1200 at least to perform, with the at least one receiving circuitry 1210, the at least one transmitting circuitry 1250, and the at least one processor 1220, any one of the various methods described above which are performed by a BS according to the present disclosure. For example, the computer-executable program code 1240 or instructions, when executed by the at least one processor 1220, may cause the apparatus 1200 to: transmit, with the at least one transmitting circuitry 1250, first configuration information indicating that no spatial relation information and no pathloss reference RS is configured for PUCCH transmission, and default spatial relation information and pathloss reference RS for PUCCH transmission is enabled; transmit, with the at least one transmitting circuitry 1250, second configuration information indicating a maximum number of default spatial relation information of at least one PUCCH resource; and determine, with the at least one processor 1220, at least one default spatial relation information and at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource based at least in part on the second configuration information, wherein each of the at least one default spatial relation information is associated with one of the at least one default power control parameter set.

In various example embodiments, the at least one

processor

1120 or 1220 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a CPU, a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) . Further, the at least one

processor

1120 or 1220 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in Figure 5 or Figure 6.

In various example embodiments, the at least one non-transitory computer-

readable medium

1130 or 1130 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, an RAM, a cache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, an ROM, a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. Further, the at least non-transitory computer-

readable medium

1130 or 1230 may include, but is not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

Further, in various example embodiments, the

example apparatus

1100 or 1200 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example antenna element, and the like.

In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the

example apparatus

1100 or 1200, including the at least one

processor

1120 or 1220 and the at least one non-transitory computer-

readable medium

1130 or 1230, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and/or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

The methods of the present disclosure can be implemented on a programmed processor. However, controllers, flowcharts, and modules may also be implemented on a general purpose or special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit elements, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit such as a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device, or the like. In general, any device that has a finite state machine capable of implementing the flowcharts shown in the figures may be used to implement the processing functions of the present disclosure.

While the present disclosure has been described with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added, or substituted in other embodiments. Also, all of the elements shown in each figure are not necessary for operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, one skilled in the art of the disclosed embodiments would be capable of making and using the teachings of the present disclosure by simply employing the elements of the independent claims. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present disclosure as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

The terms "includes, " "comprising, " "includes, " "including, " or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by "a, " "an, " or the like does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element. Also, the term "another" is defined as at least a second or more. The terms "including, " "having, " and the like, as used herein, are defined as "comprising. "

Claims

A method performed by a user equipment (UE) , comprising:

receiving first configuration information indicating that no spatial relation information and no pathloss reference reference signal (RS) is configured for physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission, and default spatial relation information and pathloss reference RS for PUCCH transmission is enabled;

receiving second configuration information indicating a maximum number of default spatial relation information of at least one PUCCH resource; and

determining at least one default spatial relation information and at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource based at least in part on the second configuration information, wherein each of the at least one default spatial relation information is associated with one of the at least one default power control parameter set.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the second configuration information is a radio resource control (RRC) parameter configured for PUCCH transmission which indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is one or two.
The method of Claim 2, wherein determining the at least one default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource comprises:

in response to that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is two and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the at least one PUCCH resource, in the case that two CORESET group indexes but not two CORESETPoolIndex values are configured for CORESETs in a PCell and each CORESET in the PCell is activated or configured with one TCI state, determining first default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a first CORESET group index in the PCell, and determining second default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a second CORESET group index in the PCell.
The method of Claim 2, wherein determining the at least one default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource comprises:

in response to that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is two and a beam mapping pattern is configured for the at least one PUCCH resource, in the case that at least one CORESET in a PCell is activated with at least two TCI states, determining first default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a first TCI state activated for a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell, and determining second default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a second TCI state activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell.
The method of Claim 2, wherein determining the at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource comprises:

in the case that first default spatial relation information and second default spatial relation information are determined for the at least one PUCCH resource, determining a first default power control parameter set comprising a first default pathloss reference RS, a first closed loop index, and a first expected transmitting power value, and a second default power control parameter set comprising a second default pathloss reference RS, a second closed loop index, and a second expected transmitting power value, wherein:

the first default pathloss reference RS is determined according to the first default spatial relation information;

the first closed loop index is a first predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE;

the first expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a lowest index in a list of expected transmitting power values configured for the at least one PUCCH resource;

the second default reference RS is determined according to the second default spatial relation information;

the second closed loop index is the first closed loop index when the UE supports only one closed loop index, or is a second predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE when the UE supports more than one closed loop index; and

the second expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a second lowest index in the list of expected transmitting power values configured for the at least one PUCCH resource.
The method of Claim 2, further comprising:

in the case that first default spatial relation information and second default spatial relation information are determined for the at least one PUCCH resource, transmitting the at least one PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information when the at least one PUCCH resource is configured without repetition.
The method of Claim 2, further comprising:

in the case that first default spatial relation information and second default spatial relation information are determined for the at least one PUCCH resource, transmitting repetitions of the at least one PUCCH resource using the at least one default spatial relation information and the at least one default power control parameter set according to a beam mapping pattern configured for the at least one PUCCH resource when the at least one PUCCH resource is configured with repetition.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the second configuration information is configured by RRC signaling or activated by a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) for the at least one PUCCH resource, and wherein the second configuration information always indicates that the maximum number of default spatial relation information of the at least one PUCCH resource is two.
The method of Claim 8, wherein determining the at least one default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource comprises:

in the case that two CORESET group indexes but not two CORESETPoolIndex values are configured for CORESETs in a PCell and each CORESET in the PCell is activated with one TCI state, determining first default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a first CORESET group index in the PCell, and determining second default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a TCI state of a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index of CORESETs associated with a second CORESET group index in the PCell.
The method of Claim 8, wherein determining the at least one default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource comprises:

in the case that at least one CORESET in a PCell is activated with at least two TCI states, determining first default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a first TCI state activated for a CORESET with a lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell, and determining second default spatial relation information for the at least one PUCCH resource according to a second TCI state activated for the CORESET with the lowest CORESET index in the at least one CORESET activated with at least two TCI states in the PCell.
The method of Claim 9 or 10, wherein determining the at least one default power control parameter set for the at least one PUCCH resource comprises:

determining a first default power control parameter set comprising a first default pathloss reference RS, a first closed loop index, and a first expected transmitting power value, and a second default power control parameter set comprising a second default pathloss reference RS, a second closed loop index, and a second expected transmitting power value, wherein:

the first default pathloss reference RS is determined according to the first default spatial relation information;

the first closed loop index is a first predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE;

the first expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a lowest index in a list of expected transmitting power values configured for the at least one PUCCH resource;

the second default reference RS is determined according to the second default spatial relation information;

the second closed loop index is the first closed loop index when the UE supports only one closed loop index, or is a second predefined or configured closed loop index supported by the UE when the UE supports more than one closed loop index; and

the second expected transmitting power value is an expected transmitting power value with a second lowest index in the list of expected transmitting power values configured for the at least one PUCCH resource.
The method of Claim 9 or 10, wherein the second configuration information further indicates with which of the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information the at least one PUCCH resource is associated.
The method of Claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting the at least one PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information and a first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information in response to the second configuration information indicating that the at least one PUCCH resource is associated with the first default spatial relation information; or

transmitting the at least one PUCCH resource using the second default spatial relation information and a second default power control parameter set associated with the second default spatial relation information in response to the second configuration information indicating that the at least one PUCCH resource is associated with the second default spatial relation information.
The method of Claim 12, further comprising:

in response to the second configuration information indicating that the at least one PUCCH resource is associated with both the first default spatial relation information and the second default spatial relation information, transmitting repetitions of the at least PUCCH resource using the first default spatial relation information, a first default power control parameter set associated with the first default spatial relation information, the second default spatial relation information, and a second default power control parameter set associated with the second default spatial relation information according to a beam mapping pattern configured for the at least one PUCCH resource when the at least one PUCCH resource is configured with repetition.
An apparatus, comprising:

at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon;

at least one receiving circuitry;

at least one transmitting circuitry; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiving circuitry and the at least one transmitting circuitry,

wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to implement the method of any of Claims 1-14 with the at least one receiving circuitry, the at least one transmitting circuitry, and the at least one processor.