Methods and apparatus for communicating uplink control information
Methods and apparatus related to HARQ feedback, e.g. delayed HARQ ACK/NACK, and uplink control information (UCI) multiplexing, in unlicensed spectrum are described. A base station transmits an UCI request to a UE, including: a request for ACK/NACK feedback corresponding to a set of HARQ identified processes, a request for channel state information report, and/or a scheduling request. The UCI request includes information which is used, by the UE, in determining the time and air link resources on which to send the UCI. The HARQ processes are communicated in a first Channel Occupancy Time (COT), while the ACK/NACK feedback is communicated in a later COT.
1. A communications method, the method comprising:
operating a user equipment (UE) to receive an uplink control information (UCI) request in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), said UCI request requesting transmission of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) acknowledgment information for one or more previously communicated transmission segments identified by HARQ identifiers (IDs) included in the UCI request and including an indication of information to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgement information; and
operating the UE to transmit HARQ acknowledgement information with the information to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgement information.
2. The communications method of claim 1 , wherein said UCI request includes a request for a scheduling request (SR) to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgement information; and
wherein operating the UE to transmit HARQ acknowledgement information with the information to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgement information includes transmitting a scheduling report multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgement information.
3. The communications method of claim 2 , wherein said UCI request is a command that is received by the UE.
4. The communications method of claim 2 , wherein said UCI request further includes a timing indicator indicating which slot of an uplink channel in which the requested UCI information is to be transmitted.
5. The communications method of claim 4 , wherein said indication of information to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgment information is a Channel State Information (CSI) request indicating what information is to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgment information to be communicated in response to the CSI request.
6. The communications method of claim 5 , wherein said CSI request is an indicator including 6 or fewer bits indicating format and content of the information to be multiplexed with the HARQ acknowledgment information to be communicated in a CSI report in response to the CSI request.
7. The communications method of claim 4 , further comprising, prior to operating a base station to transmit said uplink control information (UCI) request,
operating the base station to configure the UE with:
i) a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource set for delayed acknowledgment/negative acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) feedback; and
ii) a look-up table for UCI multiplexing rules.
8. The communications method of claim 1 , wherein said UCI request further includes indicators for activation of one of a plurality of configured grants.
9. The communications method of claim 8 , wherein said UCI request includes both a request for a channel state information (CSI) report and a scheduling request (SR).
10. The communications method of claim 2 , further comprising, prior to operating the UE to receive said uplink control information (UCI) request, operating the UE to receive:
i) sets of Configured Grant Physical Uplink Control Channel (CG PUCCH) resource for delayed acknowledgment/negative acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) feedback; and
ii) a look-up table for UCI multiplexing rules.
11. The communications method of claim 1 , wherein a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) is on a carrier wider than 20 MHz; and
wherein said UCI request requesting transmission of HARQ acknowledgment information indicates one or more LBT sub-bands to be used for communicating the requested information.
12. The communications method of claim 11 , further comprising:
operating the UE device to determine control information related to channel quality or channel occupancy to multiplex and transmit with HARQ acknowledgement information in response to the UCI Request.
13. The communications method of claim 12 , further comprising:
operating the UE to transmit said determined control information related to channel quality or channel occupancy multiplexed with the HARQ acknowledgement information.
14. User equipment (UE) comprising:
a wireless transmitter;
a wireless receiver; and
a processor configured to control the UE to:
receive an uplink control information (UCI) request in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), said UCI request requesting transmission of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) acknowledgment information for one or more previously communicated transmission segments identified by HARQ identifiers (IDs) included in the UCI request and including an indication of information to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgement information; and
transmit HARQ acknowledgement information with the information to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgement information.
15. The UE of claim 14 ,
wherein said UCI request includes a request for a scheduling request (SR) to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgement information; and
wherein said processor is further configured to control the UE to:
transmit a scheduling report multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgement information, as part of being configured to control the UE to transmit HARQ acknowledgement information with the information to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgement information.
16. The UE of claim 15 , wherein said UCI request is a command that is received by the UE.
17. The UE of claim 15 , wherein said UCI request further includes indicators for activation of one of a plurality of configured grants.
18. The UE of claim 17 , wherein said UCI request includes both a request for a channel state information (C SI) report and a scheduling request (SR).
19. The UE of claim 17 , wherein said indication of information to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgment information is a Channel State Information (CSI) request indicating what information is to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgment information to be communicated in response to the CSI request.
20. The UE of claim 14 ,
wherein a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) is on a carrier wider than 20 MHz; and
wherein said processor is configured to control the UE to transmit the HARQ acknowledgement information with the information to be multiplexed with HARQ acknowledgement information on one or more LBT sub-bands indicated in the received UCI request to be used for communicating the requested information.
21. The UE of claim 15 , wherein said UCI request is a command that is sent to the UE and wherein the UCI request further includes a timing indicator indicating which slot of an uplink channel in which the requested UCI information is to be transmitted.