Method and apparatus for handling sidelink and uplink HARQ-ACK feedback in a wireless communication system

1. A method of a first device, in Sidelink network scheduling mode, configured with a second set of slot offsets by a network, wherein each value in the second set of slot offsets indicates a slot offset from a slot for receiving sidelink hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (SL HARQ-ACK) feedback corresponding to a sidelink transmission to a slot for transmitting to the network at least one SL HARQ-ACK that is at least one of set, derived or determined, the method comprising:

receiving, from the network, a second Downlink Control Information (DCI) scheduling a sidelink resource;

performing a sidelink transmission, to a second device, on the sidelink resource;

monitoring or receiving a SL HARQ-ACK feedback from the second device in a fourth slot, wherein the SL HARQ-ACK feedback is associated with the sidelink transmission to the second device; and

deriving, based on the fourth slot and a second slot offset value indicated by the second DCI, a third slot for transmitting a SL HARQ-ACK to the network, wherein the second set of slot offsets comprises the second slot offset value, and wherein the SL HARQ-ACK is at least one of set, derived or determined based on the received SL HARQ-ACK feedback.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the second DCI is indicative of a value of a second counter Downlink Assignment Index (DAI); and

the second counter DAI corresponds to a count of one or more DCIs that schedule one or more sidelink resources and that are indicative of the third slot.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

receiving, from the network, one or more second DCIs scheduling one or more sidelink resources; and

performing one or more sidelink transmissions on the one or more sidelink resources, wherein the one or more second DCIs are indicative of the third slot for transmitting one or more SL HARQ-ACKs to the network, and wherein the one or more SL HARQ-ACKs have a second number of SL HARQ-ACK bits and are associated with the one or more sidelink transmissions.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:

the receiving the one or more second DCIs comprises the receiving the second DCI; and

the performing the one or more sidelink transmissions comprises the performing the sidelink transmission to the second device.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein:

each DCI of the one or more second DCIs is indicative of a value of a second counter Downlink Assignment Index (DAI); and

the second counter DAI corresponds to a count of one or more DCIs that schedule one or more sidelink resources and that are indicative of the third slot for transmitting one or more SL HARQ-ACKs to the network.

6. The method of claim 5 , comprising:

deriving the second number of SL HARQ-ACK bits based on at least one of:

the second counter DAI; or

an indication, of a value of the second counter DAI, in a last received DCI of the one or more second DCIs.

7. The method of claim 3 , comprising:

deriving the second number of SL HARQ-ACK bits based on a cardinality of the second set of slot offsets.

8. The method of claim 3 , comprising at least one of:

transmitting the one or more SL HARQ-ACKs in an uplink resource in the third slot; or

deriving the uplink resource based on a last received DCI of the one or more second DCIs.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

receiving a first DCI scheduling a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), wherein the first DCI is indicative of a first slot offset value; and

deriving a first slot for transmitting hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) associated with the PDSCH based on the first slot offset value.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of:

the first device is configured with a first set of slot offsets by the network; or

the first set of slot offsets comprises the first slot offset value.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein:

the receiving the first DCI is performed in a second slot; and

the deriving the first slot is performed based on the second slot.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein

the first DCI is indicative of a value of a first counter Downlink Assignment Index (DAI); and

the first counter DAI corresponds to a count of one or more DCIs that schedule one or more PDSCHs and that are indicative of the first slot.

13. The method of claim 9 , comprising:

receiving, from the network, one or more first DCIs scheduling one or more PDSCHs, wherein the one or more first DCIs are indicative of the first slot for transmitting one or more HARQ-ACKs to the network, and wherein the one or more HARQ-ACKs have a first number of HARQ-ACK bits and are associated with the one or more PDSCHs.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein:

the receiving the one or more first DCIs comprises the receiving the first DCI.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein:

each DCI of the one or more first DCIs is indicative of a value of a first counter Downlink Assignment Index (DAI); and

the first counter DAI corresponds to a count of one or more DCIs that schedule one or more PDSCHs and that are indicative of the first slot.

16. The method of claim 15 , comprising:

deriving the first number of HARQ-ACK bits based on at least one of:

at least one of the first counter DAI or a cardinality of the first set of slot offsets; or

at least one of the cardinality of the first set of slot offsets or an indication, of a value of the first counter DAI, in a last received DCI of the one or more first DCIs.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein:

the first DCI is indicative of a value of a first counter Downlink Assignment Index (DAI); and

at least one of:

the first counter DAI corresponds to a count of one or more DCIs that schedule one or more PDSCHs and that are indicative of the first slot wherein:

the second DCI is indicative of a value of a second counter DAI;

the second counter DAI corresponds to a count of one or more DCIs that schedule one or more sidelink resources and are indicative of the third slot; and

the first counter DAI and the second counter DAI are counted independently; or

the first slot is the same as the third slot and the first counter DAI corresponds to a count of one or more DCIs that at least one of:

schedule one or more sidelink resources and are indicative of the third slot; or

schedule one or more PDSCHs and are indicative of the third slot.

18. The method of claim 6 , wherein:

the second number of SL HARQ-ACK bits corresponds to one bit if the one or more second DCIs comprises merely the second DCI and a value of the second counter DAI, indicated by the second DCI, is one.

19. The method of claim 5 , wherein:

the second number of SL HARQ-ACK bits corresponds to a cardinality of the second set of slot offsets or a value of the second counter DAI if at least one of the one or more second DCIs comprise more than one DCI or a value of the second counter DAI, indicated by the second DCI, is greater than one.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first slot is the same as the third slot, the method comprising:

receiving, from the network, one or more second DCIs scheduling one or more sidelink resources;

performing one or more sidelink transmissions on the one or more sidelink resources, wherein the one or more second DCIs are indicative of the third slot for transmitting one or more SL HARQ-ACKs to the network, wherein the one or more SL HARQ-ACKs have a second number of SL HARQ-ACK bits and are associated with the one or more sidelink transmissions;

generating an Uplink Control Information (UCI) payload comprising:

one or more first bits, having the first number of HARQ-ACK bits, indicative of the one or more HARQ-ACKs; and

one or more second bits, having the second number of SL HARQ-ACK bits, indicative of the one or more SL HARQ-ACKs, wherein the one or more first bits are at least one of followed by or concatenated by the one or more second bits; and

at least one of:

deriving an uplink resource based on a last received DCI of the one or more first DCIs and the one or more second DCIs; or

transmitting the UCI payload in the uplink resource in the third slot.

21. A method of a network, the method comprising:

configuring a first device with a second set of slot offsets, wherein each value in the second set of slot offsets indicates a slot offset from a slot for at least one sidelink hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (SL HARQ-ACK) feedback corresponding to a sidelink transmission to a slot for receiving at least one SL HARQ-ACK from the first device;

transmitting, to the first device, a second Downlink Control Information (DCI) scheduling a sidelink resource; and

receiving a SL HARQ-ACK on a third slot from the first device, wherein the third slot is derived based on a fourth slot and a second slot offset value indicated by the second DCI, and wherein the second set of slot offsets comprises the second slot offset value, and wherein the fourth slot is a slot for a SL HARQ-ACK feedback associated with a sidelink transmission in the sidelink resource.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein:

the second DCI is indicative of a value of a second counter Downlink Assignment Index (DAI); and

the second counter DAI corresponds to a count of one or more DCIs that schedule one or more sidelink resources and that are indicative of the third slot.

23. The method of claim 21 , comprising:

transmitting, to the first device, one or more second DCIs scheduling one or more sidelink resources, wherein the one or more second DCIs are indicative of the third slot, wherein the third slot is associated with receiving one or more SL HARQ-ACKs from the first device, and wherein the one or more SL HARQ-ACKs have a second number of SL HARQ-ACK bits.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein:

each DCI of the one or more second DCIs is indicative of a value of a second counter Downlink Assignment Index (DAI); and

the second counter DAI corresponds to a count of one or more DCIs that schedule one or more sidelink resources and that are indicative of the third slot.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the second number of SL HARQ-ACK bits is based on at least one of:

the second counter DAI; or

an indication, of a value of the second counter DAI, in a last received DCI of the one or more second DCIs.

26. The method of claim 23 , wherein the second number of SL HARQ-ACK bits is based on a cardinality of the second set of slot offsets.

27. The method of claim 23 , comprising:

receiving the one or more SL HARQ-ACKs in an uplink resource in the third slot.