IP Library Granted Patent US 11,057,179
Granted Patent B2
US 11,057,179 · App. 16/446,860 · Granted Jul 6, 2021

User equipment and methods for physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource allocation and communication

Inventors: Wenting Chang (Beijing, CN); Yuan Zhu (Beijing, CN); Yushu Zhang (Beijing, CN); Gang Xiong (Beaverton, OR); Seunghee Han (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
H04L5/0051H04L1/00H04L5/0037H04L5/0053H04L5/0094H04W28/0289H04W72/0413H04W72/0493H04W72/1284H04W72/0446
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,057,179
App. No.
16/446,860
Granted
Jul 6, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of a User Equipment (UE), an Evolved Node-B (eNB), and methods for communication of uplink messages are generally described herein. The UE may receive, from an eNB, one or more downlink control messages that may indicate an allocation of PUCCH channel resources. The UE may transmit an uplink control message in at least a portion of the allocated PUCCH channel resources. When the PUCCH channel resources are allocated according to an edge configuration, the PUCCH channel resources may be restricted to a lower edge portion and an upper edge portion of the network channel resources. When the PUCCH channel resources are allocated according to a distributed configuration, the PUCCH channel resources may include one or more middle portions of the network channel resources. The middle portions may be exclusive to the lower edge and upper edge portions.

Claims (49)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured to cause a user equipment device (UE) to:

decode a control message from a base station configured to be received within a bandwidth of network resources;

determine a set of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources from the control message

determine, from among the set of PUCCH resources, first PUCCH resources, the first PUCCH resources indicated by a resource index in downlink control information (DCI) of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) from the base station; and

encode, for transmission to the base station, an uplink control message using the first PUCCH resources, wherein the first PUCCH resources are allocated according to a first configuration in which:

when the first configuration is an edge configuration the PUCCH resources are restricted to a lower edge portion and an upper edge portion of the bandwidth of network resources, and

when the first configuration is-not an edge configuration the PUCCH resources include a portion of

the bandwidth of network resources, wherein the first PUCCH resources are associated with a first mode or a second mode, wherein in the first mode a first portion of the first PUCCH resources comprises first frequency resources during a first time and a second portion of the first PUCCH resources comprises second frequency resources during a second time, and wherein in the second mode the first and second portions of the first PUCCH resources are transmitted in the same frequency resources.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to split a first PUCCH transmission on at least one of multiple slots or multiple resource blocks (RBs).

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to repeat a first PUCCH transmission on at least one of multiple slots or multiple resource blocks (RBs).

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first PUCCH resources are dependent on channel quality indicator (CQI) measurements of transmissions from the UE.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

a second set of PUCCH resources are allocated in the edge configuration.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein first resource blocks (RBs) are dependent on a PUCCH format of a first PUCCH transmission.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to:

determine an intermediate variable from the DCI; and

encode the uplink control message for transmission:

in a localized configuration according the second mode: in a first resource block (RB) during multiple slots if a valueof an intermediate variable m is zero and in a second RB during multiple slots if the value of the intermediate variable m is one, and

in a non-localized configuration according the first mode: in the first RB during a first slot of the multiple slots and the second RB during a second slot of the multiple slots if the value of the intermediate variable m is zero and in the second RB during the first slot and the first RB during the second slot if the value of the intermediate variable m is one.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , the processor is further configured to cause the UE to:

determine an intermediate variable m′ from the DCI; and

encode the uplink control message for transmission using a non-contiguous pair-wise allocation that uses a pair of slots of a sub-frame on respective resource block (RBs) each RB, in which if the intermediate variable m′ has a value of n, the uplink control message is transmitted in an RB dependent on n during both slots, and a PRB index of the RB has a value of: floor (n/8 * N UL-RB ), in which N UL-RB is a number of RBs in the bandwidth of network resources.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured to cause a base station to:

encode, for transmission to a User Equipment (UE), a control message within a bandwidth of network resources, the control message configured to indicate a set of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources;

encode, for transmission to the UE, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the PDCCH comprising downlink control information (DCI) that indicates a resource index indicating PUCCH resources from among the set of PUCCH resources to use for a PUCCH of the UE; and

decode, from the UE, an uplink control message using the PUCCH resources, wherein the PUCCH resources are allocated according to a configuration in which:

when the configuration is an edge configuration the PUCCH resources are restricted to a lower edge portion and an upper edge portion of the bandwidth of network resources, and when the configuration is not an edge configuration the PUCCH resources include a portion of the bandwidth of network resources, wherein the PUCCH resources are associated with a first mode or a second mode, wherein in the first mode a first portion of the PUCCH resources comprises first frequency resources during a first time and a second portion of the PUCCH resources comprises second frequency resources during a second time, and wherein in the second mode the first and second portions of the PUCCH resources are transmitted in the same frequency resources.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the PUCCH is split or repeated on at least one of multiple slots or multiple resource blocks (RBs).

11. A user equipment device (UE), comprising:

a radio; and

a processor operably connected to the radio and configured to cause the UE to:

decode a control message from a base station configured to be received within a bandwidth of network resources;

determine a set of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources from the control message;

determine, from among the set of PUCCH resources, first PUCCH resources indicated by a resource index in downlink control information (DCI) of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) from the base station; and

transmit, to the base station, an uplink control message using the first PUCCH resources, wherein the first PUCCH resources are allocated according to a first configuration that is not restricted to edges of the bandwidth of network resources, wherein the first PUCCH resources are associated with a first mode or a second mode, wherein in the first mode a first portion of the first PUCCH resources comprises first frequency resources during a first time and a second portion of the first PUCCH resources comprises second frequency resources during a second time, and wherein in the second mode the first and second portions of the first PUCCH resources are transmitted in the same frequency resources.

12. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the first PUCCH resources comprise a plurality of contiguous resource blocks (RBs).

13. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to split a first PUCCH transmission on at least one of multiple slots or multiple resource blocks (RBs).

14. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to repeat a first PUCCH transmission on at least one of multiple slots or multiple resource blocks (RBs) RBs.

15. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the first PUCCH resources are dependent on channel quality indicator (CQI) measurements.

16. The UE of claim 11 , wherein:

a second set of PUCCH resources are allocated in an edge configuration.

17. The UE of claim 11 , wherein first resource blocks (RBs) are dependent on a PUCCH format of a first PUCCH transmission.

18. The UE of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to:

determine an intermediate variable from the DCI; and

encode the uplink control message for transmission:

in a localized configuration according the second mode: in a first resource block (RB) during multiple slots if a value of an intermediate variable m is zero and in a second RB during multiple slots if the value of the intermediate variable m is one, and

in a non-localized configuration according the first mode: in the first RB during a first slot of the multiple slots and the second RB during a second slot of the multiple slots if the value of the intermediate variable m is zero and in the second RB during the first slot and the first RB during the second slot if the value of the intermediate variable m is one.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 26, 2020
From: INTEL CORPORATION
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 053307/0500 →
CONFIRMATORY ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jun 25, 2020
From: INTEL IP CORPORATION
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053051/0139 →