CN112369088B

CN112369088B - Sounding reference signal transmission in unlicensed spectrum

Info

Publication number: CN112369088B
Application number: CN201880093956.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陶涛; 刘建国; 骆喆; 武卓; 沈钢; 孟艳
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2018-05-29
Filing date: 2018-05-29
Publication date: 2024-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 2038-05-29
Also published as: CN112369088A; WO2019227316A1

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmission in an unlicensed spectrum. In an example embodiment, a method implemented at a terminal device is provided. According to the method, in response to determining that a transmission gap exists in the unlicensed spectrum, a configuration for transmitting SRS to the network device in the transmission gap is determined. Based on the configuration, SRS is transmitted to the network device in a transmission gap. Embodiments of the present disclosure enable SRS transmission in a transmission gap (e.g., within a self-contained COT) whether or not explicit triggers for SRS transmission are provided. By occupying the transmission gap for SRS transmission, the transmission opportunity of uplink control information can also be increased.

Description

Sounding reference signal transmission in unlicensed spectrum

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications and, in particular, relate to methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmission in an unlicensed spectrum.

Background

It is proposed that in the fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR), the concept of self-contained Channel Occupation Time (COT) or self-contained transmission opportunity (TXOP) can be used in unlicensed spectrum in order to improve system performance. The TXOP or COT may include a plurality of slots or subframes. In a self-contained TXOP or COT, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback for data received via one or more slots of the TXOP or COT may be transmitted within the same TXOP or COT. For example, in a self-contained slot, hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback for the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) of the slot may be provided at the end of the same slot (e.g., last symbol or last few symbols). Delay jitter and system complexity can be minimized if all HARQ feedback can be transmitted in the same COT as its associated PDSCH.

However, self-contained COTs place stringent demands on the processing capabilities of the terminal devices. Although the processing power of the terminal device has improved greatly in 5G NR, within self-contained COT, there may still be a transmission gap (e.g., at least two symbols) between the end of PDSCH and the earliest start of HARQ feedback for PDSCH. Such transmission gaps within the self-contained COT may pose a risk in unlicensed spectrum because channel access may be lost if other devices are also contending for channel access. It is therefore desirable to minimize such transmission gaps within the self-contained COT.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for SRS transmission in an unlicensed spectrum.

In a first aspect, a method implemented at a terminal device is provided. According to the method, in response to determining that a transmission gap exists in the unlicensed spectrum, a configuration for transmitting SRS to the network device in the transmission gap is determined. Based on the configuration, SRS is transmitted to the network device in the transmission gap.

In a second aspect, a method implemented at a network device is provided. According to the method, in response to determining that a transmission gap exists in the unlicensed spectrum, a configuration for receiving SRS from the terminal device in the transmission gap is determined. Based on the configuration, an SRS is received from the terminal device in the transmission gap.

In a third aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to perform actions. These actions include: in response to determining that a transmission gap exists in the unlicensed spectrum, determining a configuration for transmitting SRS to the network device in the transmission gap; and transmitting the SRS to the network device in the transmission gap based on the configuration.

In a fourth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to perform actions. These actions include: in response to determining that a transmission gap exists in the unlicensed spectrum, determining a configuration for receiving SRS from the terminal device in the transmission gap; and based on the configuration, receiving the SRS from the terminal device in the transmission gap.

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

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

It should be understood that this summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the more detailed description of some embodiments thereof in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an example of a self-contained COT;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a communication environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

fig. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for transmitting SRS, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 illustrates an example of frequency domain resource allocation for SRS transmission according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for receiving SRS, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

fig. 6 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

The same or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements.

Detailed Description

Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various ways, except as described below.

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

As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard or protocol, including, for example, multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), OFDM, time Division Multiplexing (TDM), frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), code Division Multiplexing (CDM), bluetooth, zigBee, machine Type Communication (MTC), emmbb, emtc, and ul lc technologies, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced, and fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR). For discussion purposes, in some embodiments, an LTE network, an LTE-a network, a 5G NR network, or any combination thereof is taken as an example of a communication network.

As used herein, the term "network device" refers to any suitable device on the network side of a communication network. The network devices may include any suitable devices in an access network of a communication network, including, for example, base Stations (BSs), relays, access Points (APs), node BS (nodebs or NB), evolved nodebs (eNodeB or eNB), gigabit nodebs (gNB), remote radio modules (RRU), radio Headers (RH), remote Radio Heads (RRH), low power nodes (such as femto nodes, pico nodes, etc.). For discussion purposes, in some embodiments, an eNB is taken as an example of a network device.

The network devices may also include any suitable devices in the core network, including, for example, multi-standard radio (MSR) radio devices such as MSR BS, network controllers such as Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) or Base Station Controllers (BSCs), multi-cell/Multicast Coordination Entities (MCEs), mobile Switching Centers (MSCs) and MMEs, operation and management (O & M) nodes, operation Support System (OSS) nodes, self-organizing network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes such as enhanced services mobile positioning centers (E-SMLCs), and/or Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs).

As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to a device that is capable of, configured for, arranged for and/or operable for communicating with a network device or another terminal device in a communication network. Communication may involve the transmission and/or reception of wireless signals using electromagnetic signals, radio waves, infrared signals, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information over the air. In some embodiments, the terminal device may be configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the terminal device may transmit information to the network device on a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from the network side.

Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to, user Equipment (UE), such as a smart phone, a wireless enabled tablet, a notebook embedded device (LEE), a notebook installation device (LME), and/or a wireless Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). For discussion purposes, some embodiments will be described below with reference to a UE as an example of a terminal device, and the terms "terminal device" and "user equipment" (UE) may be used interchangeably in the context of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the term "cell" refers to the area covered by radio signals transmitted by a network device. Terminal devices within a cell may be served by a network device and may access a communication network via the network device.

As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) Pure hardware circuit implementations (such as implementations in analog and/or digital circuitry only), and

(b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (as applicable): (i) A combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor, software, and memory having software (including digital signal processors) that work together to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions, and

(c) Hardware circuitry and/or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate but may not be present when software is not required to operate.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" also encompasses an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers (e.g., and where applicable to the particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "comprising" and variants thereof should be understood as open-ended terms, meaning "including, but not limited to. The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" should be understood as "at least one other embodiment". Other definitions (explicit and implicit) may be included below.

As described above, one of the main motivations for using self-contained COTs in unlicensed spectrum is to transmit HARQ-ACK feedback in the same COTs as the associated PDSCH. However, self-contained COTs place stringent demands on the processing capabilities of the terminal devices. Although the processing capability of the terminal device has improved greatly in 5G NR, within self-contained COT, there may still be a gap of at least two symbols between the end of PDSCH and the earliest start of HARQ feedback for PDSCH.

Fig. 1 shows an example of self-contained COT. Fig. 1 shows a self-contained COT 100 comprising four time slots 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, and 110-4 (collectively referred to as time slots 110), each time slot comprising 14 symbols. Slots 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3 are downlink-only slots, while slot 110-4 is a bi-directional slot. The 0 th to 2 nd symbols in slot 110-4 are used for Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission. The 3 rd through 8 th symbols in slot 110-4 are used for PDSCH transmission. However, the 12 th and 13 th symbols in the slot 110-4 are used to transmit uplink control information (such as HARQ feedback for PDSCH transmitted in the slot 110).

As shown in fig. 1, there is a transmission gap 120 (i.e., the 9 th to 11 th symbols in slot 110-4) between the end of the PDSCH (i.e., the 8 th symbol in slot 110-4) and the earliest start of HARQ feedback (i.e., the 12 th symbol in slot 110-4). The transmission gaps 120 within the self-contained COT 100 as shown in fig. 1 may be very dangerous in unlicensed spectrum because channel access may be lost if other devices are also contending for channel access. It is therefore desirable to minimize such transmission gaps within the self-contained COT.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a scheme for filling the above transmission gaps within a self-contained COT. The basic idea is to transmit a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) in a transmission gap. When the gap within the self-contained COT is not too large (e.g., no more than 4 Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols), SRS may be a good candidate for transmission because NR already supports SRS durations of 1, 2, and 4 symbols.

Such additional SRS transmission opportunities may bring additional benefits. For example, a network device (such as a gNB) may trigger aperiodic SRS transmission in a less frequent manner. SRS may have a higher transmission probability in shared COT initiated by the network device. Furthermore, more frequent and reliable SRS transmissions may result in better uplink channel quality estimation, finer timing advance estimation, and more reliable beam management.

The inventors have recognized that supporting SRS transmission in a self-contained COT gap may face some bottlenecks. For example, a gap between an end of PDSCH and a start of a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) may vary depending on a processing time of the terminal device. Without dynamic resource configuration for such SRS transmission, SRS transmissions from different terminal devices may collide. Thus, the main challenge is how to trigger SRS transmission and dynamically configure SRS resources.

It is known that SRS resources can be configured in NR via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. Configurations for SRS resources may include antenna ports, consecutive OFDM symbols, starting locations in time and frequency domains, bandwidths, cyclic shifts for SRS transmission, and so forth. Three types of resource configurations are supported in NR for SRS transmission.

One of these three types is used for periodic SRS transmission. When the higher layer parameter "SRS-ResourceConfigType" is set to "periodic", the terminal device will transmit SRS on SRS resources configured via higher layer signaling. Another of these three types is used for semi-persistent SRS transmission. When the high-layer parameter "SRS-ResourceConfigType" is set to "semi-persistent", SRS transmission will be activated by a high-layer command and deactivated by another high-layer command. If the terminal device receives a command to activate SRS transmission, the terminal device will transmit SRS on SRS resources configured via higher layer signaling. The remaining one of these three types is used for aperiodic SRS transmission. When the higher layer parameter "SRS-ResourceConfigType" is set to "aperiodic", SRS transmission will be triggered by downlink or uplink control information. The control information may include a field that may be used to select at least one SRS resource from the configured set of SRS resources.

It can be seen that in NR, SRS resources can only be configured via higher layer signaling. Currently, dynamic configuration of SRS resources is not supported in NR. This means that the current mechanism for SRS transmission in NR cannot support SRS transmission in the gap within the self-contained COT.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for SRS transmission in an unlicensed spectrum. With this solution, the terminal device can autonomously determine the SRS resource configuration and then perform SRS transmission accordingly, whether or not the terminal device receives an explicit trigger for SRS transmission.

The principles and several embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example communication network 200 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The network 200 includes a network device 210 and three terminal devices 220-1 and 220-3 (collectively referred to as terminal devices 220 or individually as terminal devices 220) served by the network device 210. The coverage of network device 210 is also referred to as cell 202. It should be understood that the number of base stations and terminal devices is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. Network 200 may include any suitable number of base stations and terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that there may be one or more neighboring cells adjacent to cell 202, with one or more corresponding network devices serving several terminal devices located therein.

In the communication network 200, the network device 210 may transmit data and control information to the terminal device 220, and the terminal device 220 may also transmit data and control information to the network device 210. The link from network device 210 to terminal device 220 is referred to as the Downlink (DL), and the link from terminal device 220 to network device 210 is referred to as the Uplink (UL).

The communications in the network 200 may conform to any suitable standard including, but not limited to, global System for Mobile communications (GSM), long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE evolution, LTE-advanced (LTE-A), wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), and the like. Further, the communication may be performed according to any generation communication protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols.

In addition to normal data communication, the network device 210 may transmit an RS to the terminal device 220 in the downlink. Similarly, the terminal device 220 may transmit an RS to the network device 210 in the uplink. In general, an RS is a signal sequence (also referred to as an "RS sequence") known to both the network device 210 and the terminal device 220. For example, an uplink RS may be generated and transmitted by the terminal device 220 based on some rule, and the network device 210 may derive the RS based on the same rule. Examples of RSs may include, but are not limited to, downlink or uplink demodulation reference signals (DMRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), sounding Reference Signals (SRS), phase Tracking Reference Signals (PTRS), tracking Reference Signals (TRS), fine time-frequency Tracking Reference Signals (TRS), and the like.

For transmission of downlink or uplink RSs, corresponding resources (also referred to as "RS resources") may be allocated for the transmission. In some scenarios, both network device 210 and terminal device 220 are equipped with multiple antenna ports (or antenna elements), and may utilize the antenna ports (antenna elements) to transmit a specified RS sequence. As used herein, RS resources may be referred to as allocating one or more resource elements for RS transmission in the time, frequency, and/or code domain.

In communication network 200, terminal device 220 can autonomously transmit SRS to network device 210 regardless of whether terminal device 220 receives an explicit trigger for transmission of SRS. For example, when the terminal device 220 finds a transmission gap in the unlicensed spectrum, it may perform SRS transmission. Specifically, the terminal device 220 may autonomously determine the SRS resource configuration and then perform SRS transmission accordingly.

Fig. 3 illustrates a flow chart of an example method 300 for transmitting SRS, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. The method 300 may be implemented at the terminal device 220 as shown in fig. 1. For discussion purposes, the method 300 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 220 with reference to fig. 1. It should be understood that method 300 may include additional blocks not shown, and/or that some of the blocks shown may be omitted, and the scope of the disclosure is not limited in this respect.

At block 310, the terminal device 220 determines whether there is a transmission gap in the unlicensed spectrum.

In some embodiments, a transmission gap may exist before the start of the uplink channel. For example, the uplink channel may be any one of PUCCH, physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and the like. In this case, for example, the terminal device 220 may determine the presence of a transmission gap based at least on the configuration from the network device 210 regarding the uplink channel.

Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, a transmission gap may exist in the COT between the end of the downlink channel and the beginning of the uplink channel. For example, the transmission gap may be located between the end of PDSCH and the start of PUCCH in the same self-contained COT as PDSCH. The terminal device 220 may determine the existence of a transmission gap based on the configuration from the network device 210 regarding the downlink channel and the uplink channel.

For illustration purposes only, in some examples below, transmission gaps may be shown as being within self-contained COTs in unlicensed spectrum. It should be understood that this is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. Indeed, embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to any transmission gap in the unlicensed spectrum, whether or not the transmission gap is within a self-contained COT.

If the terminal device 220 determines that there is a transmission gap (e.g., transmission gap 120 shown in fig. 1) in the unlicensed spectrum, the method 300 proceeds to block 320, where the terminal device 220 determines a configuration for transmitting SRS to the network device 210 in the transmission gap.

In some embodiments, instead of acquiring the configuration via RRC signaling, the terminal device 220 may implicitly determine the configuration for transmission of SRS. For example, the terminal device 220 may determine at least one resource to be used for transmission of the SRS, and then determine a configuration for transmission of the SRS based on the at least one resource.

In some embodiments, terminal device 220 may determine at least one resource to use for transmission of SRS based on at least one of: its processing capability, downlink Control Information (DCI) received from the network device 210, an indication of PUCCH resources received from the network device 210 (e.g., an acknowledgement/negative acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) resource indicator (ARI)), etc. The at least one resource for transmission of the SRS may include at least one of a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, and a code domain resource.

In some embodiments, the at least one resource for transmission of SRS may comprise a time domain resource. The terminal device 220 may determine the time domain resource by determining at least one of: the starting position of the transmission of the SRS in the time domain and the duration of the transmission of the SRS (e.g., the number of consecutive OFDM symbols).

In some embodiments, the terminal device 220 may determine the starting position and/or duration of the SRS transmission based on its own processing capabilities. For example, if the processing time from the end of the PDSCH to the earliest start of HARQ feedback is 4 OFDM symbols, the terminal device may determine the duration of SRS transmission as 4 OFDM symbols. Additionally, the terminal device 220 may determine that the start position of SRS transmission is 4 OFDM symbols before the start of PUCCH for transmitting HARQ feedback.

Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, when the transmission gap is located between the end of the downlink channel and the beginning of the uplink channel in the COT, the terminal device 220 may determine the time domain resource based on the location of the transmission gap in the COT. That is, the terminal device 220 may determine a starting position and/or duration of SRS transmission based on OFDM symbols occupied by the transmission gap.

Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, terminal device 220 may determine a starting position and/or duration of SRS transmission based on DCI received from network device 210. For example, the DCI may include a Slot Format Indication (SFI) indicating whether an OFDM symbol is uplink, downlink or flexible. The terminal device 220 may determine a starting position of the SRS transmission based at least on the SFI. In some embodiments, network device 210 may send an explicit SRS trigger to terminal device 220 via layer 1 signaling. For example, network device 210 may use the SRS request field in the DCI (e.g., with format 1_1) to trigger SRS transmission in the gap of the self-contained COT. In some embodiments, terminal device 220 may determine the duration of SRS transmission based on an SRS request field in the DCI.

In NR, the submitted SRS request typically contains two or three bits, indicating a selected set of SRS resources configured via higher layer signaling. In some embodiments, the SRS request field in the DCI may be used to support dynamic SRS transmission in the self-contained COT. For example, the 2-bit information may be used to indicate a duration (e.g., a number of consecutive OFDM symbols) of SRS transmission. Table 1 shows examples of SRS request fields according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Table 1: examples of SRS request field

Value of SRS request field	Description of the invention
		“00”	The SRS is not triggered.
“01”	The number of consecutive OFDM symbols for SRS transmission is 1.
		“10”	The number of consecutive OFDM symbols for SRS transmission is 2.
“11”	The number of consecutive OFDM symbols for SRS transmission is 4.

When terminal device 220 receives DCI including an SRS request field from network device 210 and the value of the SRS request field is not "00", terminal device 220 may determine a duration of SRS transmission based on the value of the SRS request field. In addition, the terminal device 220 may also determine that the start position of SRS transmission is X OFDM symbols before the start of PUCCH for transmitting HARQ feedback, where X may be 1, 2 or 4.

In some embodiments, the at least one resource for transmission of SRS may comprise a frequency domain resource. The terminal device 220 may determine the frequency domain resource by determining at least one of a position of the frequency domain resource in the frequency domain and a bandwidth for transmission of the SRS.

In some embodiments, terminal device 220 may receive an indication of PUCCH resources from network device 210. For example, the terminal device 220 may receive an ACK/NACK resource indicator (ARI) from the network device 210. The terminal device 220 may determine PUCCH resources based on the ARI and may also determine frequency domain resources for SRS transmission based on the PUCCH resources.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example of frequency domain resource allocation for SRS transmission according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the example shown in fig. 4, the bandwidth of the unlicensed spectrum may be divided into a plurality of consecutive Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs). The PRBs may be further divided into a plurality of interleaved units, each comprising several complete or partial PRBs separated by the same interval. It is assumed herein that frequency domain resources for SRS transmission may be allocated in units of PRBs or interleaving units. It should be understood that this is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation to the disclosure. In some other embodiments, the frequency domain resources may be allocated in different units.

As shown in fig. 4, self-contained COT 400 includes two slots 410-1 and 410-2, each slot including 14 symbols. Time slot 410-1 is a downlink-only time slot and time slot 410-2 is a bi-directional time slot. The 0 th to 1 st symbols in slot 410-2 are used for PDCCH transmission. The 2 nd to 7 th symbols in slot 410-2 are used for PDSCH transmission. The 8 th symbol in slot 410-2 is used for DL-UL handoff and Timing Advance (TA) adjustment. The 9 th to 12 th symbols in slot 410-2 are used for SRS transmission and the 13 th symbol in slot 410-2 is used for PUCCH transmission (e.g., transmission of HARQ feedback for PDSCH transmitted in slots 410-1 and 410-2).

In some embodiments, if one or more complete interleaving units are configured as PUCCH resources for transmitting HARQ feedback, the frequency domain resources for SRS transmission may be located in the same interleaving unit as the PUCCH resources. For example, as shown in fig. 4, interleaving unit 420 is allocated to terminal device 220-1 for PUCCH transmission. In this case, the terminal device 220-1 may determine the interleaving unit 420 as a frequency domain resource for SRS transmission. Additionally, terminal device 220-1 may also determine a bandwidth for SRS transmission based on the bandwidth of interleaving unit 420.

In some embodiments, if a portion of the full interleaving unit is configured as PUCCH resources for transmitting HARQ feedback, the frequency domain resources for SRS transmission may be located in the same portion of the interleaving unit as the PUCCH resources. For example, one interleaving unit may be shared by a plurality of terminal devices. In this case, code domain multiplexing can be utilized to avoid collisions from multiple terminal devices in the same interleaving unit. For example, as shown in fig. 4, interleaving unit 430 may be shared by terminal devices 220-2 and 220-3 for transmitting HARQ feedback, and each of terminal devices 220-2 and 220-3 may occupy a respective portion of PRBs in interleaving unit 430. In this case, both terminal devices 220-2 and 220-3 may perform SRS transmission in the interleaving unit 430, but with different cyclic shifts.

In some embodiments, the at least one resource for transmission of SRS may comprise a code domain resource. The terminal device 220 may determine the code domain resources by determining a cyclic shift to be used for transmission of the SRS. In some embodiments, terminal device 220 may receive an indication of PUCCH resources from network device 210. For example, the terminal device 220 may receive an ACK/NACK resource indicator (ARI) from the network device 210. The terminal device 220 may determine a PUCCH resource based on the ARI and further determine a cyclic shift to be used for transmission of the SRS based on the PUCCH resource.

In some embodiments, the mapping function may be predetermined based on a dependency between a cyclic shift to be used for transmission of SRS and a starting position of PUCCH resources or ACK/NACK resources in a frequency domain. The terminal device 220 may determine a cyclic shift to be used for transmission of the SRS based on the predetermined mapping function. For example, an example of a mapping function may be represented as follows:

wherein the method comprises the steps ofIndex representing cyclic shift to be used for SRS transmission,/-for>Index indicating a start cluster for PUCCH in interleaving unit,/->Representing use in interleaving unitsMaximum number of clusters in PUCCH.

In this manner, terminal device 220 can autonomously determine a resource configuration for transmission of SRS in a transmission gap, whether or not an explicit trigger for SRS transmission is received. Although in some examples as described above the transmission gap is shown within a self-contained COT, it should be understood that this is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. Indeed, embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to any transmission gap in the unlicensed spectrum, whether or not the transmission gap is within a self-contained COT.

Referring again to fig. 3, the method 300 proceeds to block 330, where the terminal device 220 transmits SRS to the network device 210 in a transmission gap based on the configuration.

In some embodiments, terminal device 220 may autonomously transmit SRS without explicit trigger from network device 210. For example, when the terminal device 220 is triggered to transmit HARQ feedback in the short PUCCH at the end of the self-contained COT and the terminal device 220 finds that there is a gap between the end of the PDSCH and the start of the short PUCCH, the terminal device 220 may transmit SRS in the transmission gap.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, the network device 210 may send an explicit SRS trigger to the terminal device 220 via layer 1 signaling. For example, network device 210 may use the SRS request field in the DCI (e.g., with format 1_1) to trigger SRS transmission in the gap of the self-contained COT. In some embodiments, terminal device 220 may transmit the SRS in response to receiving the explicit SRS trigger from network device 110.

In this way, SRS may be transmitted in transmission gaps in the unlicensed spectrum, thereby reducing the risk of losing channel access.

In some embodiments, the mechanism for transmitting SRS in the transmission gap of the unlicensed spectrum may be enabled at all times. That is, if the terminal device 220 finds a transmission gap in the unlicensed spectrum, SRS transmission may be performed. Specifically, the terminal device 220 may autonomously determine the SRS resource configuration and then perform SRS transmission accordingly.

Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the mechanism for transmitting SRS in transmission gaps in the unlicensed spectrum may be enabled by the network device 210 via RRC signaling. For example, method 300 may be performed in response to receiving RRC signaling from network device 210 to enable the mechanism. Similarly, the mechanism may also be disabled via RRC signaling from the network device 210. For example, if the terminal device 220 receives RRC signaling to disable the mechanism from the network device 210, the terminal device 220 may stop transmitting SRS in the transmission gap.

In some embodiments, if the mechanism for transmitting SRS in a transmission gap in the unlicensed spectrum is enabled, network device 110 may receive SRS from terminal device 120 in the transmission gap in a manner corresponding to method 300 as described above.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 500 for receiving SRS, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. The method 500 may be implemented at a network device 210 as shown in fig. 1. For discussion purposes, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the network device 210 with reference to fig. 1. It should be understood that method 500 may include additional blocks not shown, and/or that some blocks as shown may be omitted, and the scope of the disclosure is not limited in this respect.

At block 510, the network device 210 determines whether there is a transmission gap in the unlicensed spectrum. In some embodiments, the transmission gap is before the start of the uplink channel. In some embodiments, the transmission gap is located between the end of the downlink channel and the beginning of the uplink channel in the COT.

If network device 210 determines that there is a transmission gap in the unlicensed spectrum (e.g., transmission gap 120 as shown in fig. 1), method 500 proceeds to block 520 where network device 210 determines a configuration for receiving SRS from terminal device 220 in the transmission gap.

In some embodiments, network device 210 may determine at least one resource to be used for reception of SRS. The network device 210 may also determine a configuration based on the at least one resource.

In some embodiments, the network device 210 may determine the at least one resource based on at least one of: the processing capability of the terminal equipment; downlink Control Information (DCI) transmitted to the terminal device 220; an indication (e.g., ARI) of PUCCH resources transmitted to the terminal device 220.

In some embodiments, the at least one resource comprises a time domain resource to be used for reception of SRS. Network device 210 may determine the time domain resources by determining at least one of: receiving a starting position of SRS in a time domain; and the duration of reception of SRS.

In some embodiments, network device 210 may determine the time domain resources based on the processing capabilities of terminal device 220.

In some embodiments, if a transmission gap is located between the end of the downlink channel and the beginning of the uplink channel in the COT, network device 210 may determine the time domain resource based on the location of the transmission gap in the COT.

In some embodiments, network device 210 may transmit Downlink Control Information (DCI) including a trigger for transmission of SRS to terminal device 220. Network device 210 can determine time domain resources based on the trigger for SRS.

In some embodiments, the at least one resource comprises a frequency domain resource to be used for reception of SRS. The network device may determine the frequency domain resources by determining at least one of: the location of the frequency domain resource in the frequency domain; and a bandwidth for transmission of SRS.

In some embodiments, the network device 210 may transmit an indication of PUCCH resources (e.g., ARI) to the terminal device 220. The network device 210 may determine frequency domain resources based on PUCCH resources (e.g., ACK/NACK resources).

In some embodiments, the at least one resource comprises a code domain resource to be used for reception of SRS. Network device 210 may determine a cyclic shift associated with code domain resources to be used for reception of SRS.

In some embodiments, the network device 210 may transmit an indication of PUCCH resources to the terminal device 220. The network device 210 may determine a cyclic shift based on the PUCCH resource. In some embodiments, the mapping function may be predetermined based on a dependency between a cyclic shift to be used for transmission of SRS and a starting position of PUCCH resources or ACK/NACK resources in a frequency domain. Network device 210 may determine a cyclic shift to be used for reception of SRS based on the predetermined mapping function.

At block 530, the network device 210 receives the SRS from the terminal device 210 in the transmission gap based on the configuration described above.

In some embodiments, network device 210 may not transmit an explicit trigger for SRS transmission to terminal device 220. In this case, the terminal device 220 may autonomously transmit the SRS to the network device 210. For example, when the terminal device 220 is triggered to transmit HARQ feedback in the short PUCCH at the end of the self-contained COT and the terminal device 220 finds that there is a gap between the end of the PDSCH and the start of the short PUCCH, the terminal device 220 may transmit SRS in the transmission gap. Similarly, in this case, when the network device 210 finds that there is a gap between the end of PDSCH and the start of short PUCCH, it may attempt to receive SRS from the terminal device 220.

In some embodiments, network device 210 may transmit Downlink Control Information (DCI) to the terminal device including a trigger for transmission of the SRS. In response to the DCI being transmitted to terminal device 220, network device 210 may receive an SRS from terminal device 220.

It can be seen that embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for transmitting SRS in an unlicensed spectrum. Embodiments of the present disclosure enable SRS transmission in a transmission gap (e.g., within a self-contained COT) whether or not explicit triggers for SRS transmission are provided. By occupying the transmission gap for SRS transmission, the transmission opportunity of uplink control information can also be increased.

Additionally, such additional SRS transmission opportunities may bring additional benefits. For example, a network device (such as a gNB) may trigger aperiodic SRS transmission in a less frequent manner. SRS may have a higher transmission probability in shared COT initiated by the network device. Furthermore, more frequent and reliable SRS transmissions may result in better uplink channel quality estimation, finer timing advance estimation, and more reliable beam management.

In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., terminal device 220) capable of performing method 300 may include means for performing the respective steps of method 300. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for determining, in response to determining that a transmission gap exists in the unlicensed spectrum, a configuration for transmitting a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) to the network device in the transmission gap; and means for transmitting the SRS to a network device in the transmission gap based on the configuration.

In some embodiments, the transmission gap is before the start of the uplink channel.

In some embodiments, the transmission gap is located between the end of the downlink channel and the beginning of the uplink channel in a Channel Occupancy Time (COT).

In some embodiments, the means for determining the configuration comprises: means for determining at least one resource to be used for transmission of SRS; and means for determining the configuration based on the at least one resource.

In some embodiments, the means for determining the at least one resource comprises means for determining the at least one resource based on at least one of: the processing capability of the terminal equipment; downlink Control Information (DCI) received from a network device; and an indication of PUCCH resources received from the network device.

In some embodiments, the at least one resource comprises a time domain resource to be used for transmission of the SRS. The means for determining at least one resource comprises means for determining a time domain resource by determining at least one of: transmitting a start position of the SRS in a time domain; and a duration of transmission of the SRS.

In some embodiments, the means for determining time domain resources comprises: means for determining time domain resources based on processing capabilities of the terminal device.

In some embodiments, the transmission gap is located between the end of the downlink channel and the beginning of the uplink channel in the COT. The means for determining time domain resources comprises: means for determining time domain resources based on a position of the transmission gap in the COT.

In some embodiments, the means for determining time domain resources comprises: means for determining time domain resources based on a trigger for SRS in response to receiving Downlink Control Information (DCI) from a network device including the trigger for transmission of SRS.

In some embodiments, the at least one resource comprises a frequency domain resource to be used for transmission of the SRS. The means for determining at least one resource comprises means for determining a frequency domain resource by determining at least one of: the location of the frequency domain resource in the frequency domain; and a bandwidth for transmission of the SRS.

In some embodiments, the means for determining the frequency domain resources comprises: means for determining, in response to receiving an indication of PUCCH resources from a network device, PUCCH resources based on the indication; and means for determining frequency domain resources based on the PUCCH resources.

In some embodiments, the at least one resource comprises a code domain resource to be used for transmission of the SRS. The means for determining at least one resource comprises: means for determining a cyclic shift associated with a code domain resource to be used for transmission of the SRS.

In some embodiments, the means for determining the cyclic shift comprises: means for determining, in response to receiving an indication of PUCCH resources from a network device, PUCCH resources based on the indication; and means for determining a cyclic shift based on the PUCCH resource.

In some embodiments, the means for transmitting SRS includes: means for transmitting the SRS to a network device in response to receiving Downlink Control Information (DCI) from the network device including a trigger for transmission of the SRS.

In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., network device 210) capable of performing method 500 may include means for performing the respective steps of method 500. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for determining, in response to determining that there is a transmission gap in the unlicensed spectrum, a configuration for receiving SRS from the terminal device in the transmission gap; and means for receiving an SRS from the terminal device in the transmission gap based on the configuration.

In some embodiments, the transmission gap is located between the end of the downlink channel and the beginning of the uplink channel in the COT.

In some embodiments, the means for determining the configuration comprises: means for determining at least one resource to be used for reception of SRS; and means for determining the configuration based on the at least one resource.

In some embodiments, the means for determining the at least one resource comprises means for determining the at least one resource based on at least one of: the processing capability of the terminal equipment; downlink Control Information (DCI) transmitted to the terminal device; and an indication of PUCCH resources transmitted to the terminal device.

In some embodiments, the at least one resource comprises a time domain resource to be used for reception of the SRS. The means for determining at least one resource comprises means for determining a frequency domain resource by determining at least one of: the location of the frequency domain resource in the frequency domain; and a bandwidth for transmission of the SRS.

In some embodiments, the means for determining time domain resources comprises: means for transmitting DCI including a trigger for transmission of SRS to a terminal device; and means for determining time domain resources based on the trigger for SRS.

In some embodiments, the at least one resource comprises a frequency domain resource to be used for reception of SRS. The means for determining at least one resource comprises means for determining a frequency domain resource by determining at least one of: the location of the frequency domain resource in the frequency domain; and a bandwidth for transmission of SRS.

In some embodiments, the means for determining the frequency domain resources comprises: means for transmitting an indication of PUCCH resources to a terminal device; and means for determining frequency domain resources based on the PUCCH resources.

In some embodiments, the at least one resource comprises a code domain resource to be used for reception of SRS. The means for determining at least one resource comprises: means for determining a cyclic shift associated with a code domain resource to be used for reception of the SRS.

In some embodiments, the means for determining the cyclic shift comprises: means for transmitting an indication of PUCCH resources to a terminal device; and means for determining a cyclic shift based on the PUCCH resource.

In some embodiments, the means for transmitting SRS includes: means for transmitting Downlink Control Information (DCI) including a trigger for transmission of an SRS to a terminal device; and means for receiving an SRS from the terminal device in response to the DCI being transmitted to the terminal device.

Fig. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 may be implemented at the terminal device 220 as shown in fig. 1 or as at least a part of the terminal device 220.

As shown, device 600 includes a processor 610, a memory 620 coupled to processor 610, suitable Transmitters (TX) and Receivers (RX) 640 coupled to processor 610, and a communication interface coupled to TX/RX 640. Memory 620 stores at least a portion of program 630. TX/RX 640 is used for two-way communication. TX/RX 640 has at least one antenna to facilitate communications, although in practice the access nodes referred to in this application may have several antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 interface for bi-directional communication between enbs, an S1 interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME)/serving gateway (S-GW) and an eNB, a Un interface for communication between an eNB and a Relay Node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between an eNB and a terminal device.

The program 630 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 610, enable the device 600 to operate in accordance with implementations of the present disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to fig. 2-5. Implementations herein may be realized in computer software executable by the processor 610 of the device 600, or in hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware. The processor 610 may be configured to implement various implementations of the present disclosure. Further, the combination of processor 610 and memory 620 may form a processing device 650 suitable for implementing various implementations of the present disclosure.

Memory 620 may be of any type suitable to the local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as non-transitory computer readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. Although only one memory 620 is shown in device 600, there may be several physically distinct memory modules in device 600. The processor 610 may be of any type suitable to the local technology network and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 600 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock that is synchronized to the master processor.

The components included in the apparatus and/or devices of the present disclosure may be implemented in various ways, including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, one or more of the units may be implemented using software and/or firmware, for example, machine-executable instructions stored on a storage medium. Some or all of the elements of an apparatus and/or device may be implemented at least in part by one or more hardware logic components in addition to or in place of machine-executable instructions. By way of example, and not limitation, illustrative types of hardware logic components that may be used include Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), application Specific Standard Products (ASSPs), system-on-Chip Systems (SOCs), complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and the like.

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

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product comprises computer executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the method 300 described above with reference to fig. 3 or the method 500 described above with reference to fig. 5. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data types, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

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

In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable an apparatus, device, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, a computer-readable medium.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

Moreover, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Also, while the above discussion contains several specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

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

Claims

1. A method implemented at a terminal device, comprising:

in response to determining that a transmission gap exists in the unlicensed spectrum, autonomously determining a configuration for transmitting a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) to the network device in the transmission gap; and

transmitting the SRS to the network device in the transmission gap based on the configuration;

wherein determining the configuration comprises: determining at least one resource to be used for transmission of the SRS; wherein the at least one resource comprises a time domain resource to be used for transmission of the SRS, and wherein determining the at least one resource comprises determining the time domain resource by determining at least one of: a starting position of the SRS in a time domain and a duration of the SRS transmission;

wherein the transmission gap is located between an end of a downlink channel and a start of an uplink channel in the COT, and wherein determining the time domain resource comprises: the time domain resource is determined based on a position of the transmission gap in the COT.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission gap is before a start of an uplink channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission gap is located between an end of a downlink channel and a start of an uplink channel in a Channel Occupancy Time (COT).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the configuration comprises:

the configuration is determined based on the at least one resource.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the at least one resource comprises:

determining the at least one resource based on at least one of:

the processing capability of the terminal equipment;

downlink Control Information (DCI) received from the network device; and

an indication of Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resources received from the network device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the time domain resource comprises:

the time domain resources are determined based on processing capabilities of the terminal device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the time domain resource comprises:

in response to receiving Downlink Control Information (DCI) from the network device including a trigger for transmission of the SRS, the time domain resource is determined based on the trigger for the SRS.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one resource comprises a frequency domain resource to be used for transmission of the SRS, and wherein determining the at least one resource comprises:

determining the frequency domain resources by determining at least one of:

the position of the frequency domain resource in the frequency domain; and

bandwidth for transmission of the SRS.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the frequency domain resources comprises:

responsive to receiving an indication of PUCCH resources from the network device, determining the PUCCH resources based on the indication; and

the frequency domain resources are determined based on the PUCCH resources.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one resource comprises a code domain resource to be used for transmission of the SRS, and wherein determining the at least one resource comprises:

a cyclic shift associated with the code domain resource to be used for transmission of the SRS is determined.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the cyclic shift comprises:

the cyclic shift is determined based on the PUCCH resource.

12. The method of any of claims 1-11, wherein transmitting the SRS comprises:

the SRS is transmitted to the network device in response to receiving Downlink Control Information (DCI) from the network device including a trigger for transmission of the SRS.

13. A method implemented at a network device, comprising:

in response to determining that a transmission gap exists in the unlicensed spectrum, determining a configuration for receiving a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) from a terminal device in the transmission gap; and

based on the configuration, receiving the SRS from the terminal device in the transmission gap;

wherein determining the configuration comprises: determining at least one resource to be used for reception of the SRS; wherein the at least one resource comprises a time domain resource to be used for reception of the SRS; and wherein determining the at least one resource comprises determining the time domain resource by determining at least one of: a starting position of the SRS is received in a time domain, and a duration of the SRS reception;

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmission gap is before a start of an uplink channel.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmission gap is located between an end of a downlink channel and a start of an uplink channel in a Channel Occupancy Time (COT).

16. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the configuration comprises:

the configuration is determined based on the at least one resource.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the at least one resource comprises:

at least one resource is determined based on at least one of:

the processing capability of the terminal equipment;

downlink Control Information (DCI) transmitted to the terminal device; and

an indication of Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resources transmitted to the terminal device.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the time domain resource comprises:

19. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the time domain resource comprises:

transmitting Downlink Control Information (DCI) including a trigger for transmission of the SRS to the terminal device; and

The time domain resource is determined based on the trigger for the SRS.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one resource comprises a frequency domain resource to be used for reception of the SRS, and wherein determining the at least one resource comprises:

determining the frequency domain resources by determining at least one of:

the position of the frequency domain resource in the frequency domain; and

bandwidth for transmission of the SRS.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the frequency domain resources comprises:

transmitting an indication of PUCCH resources to the terminal device; and

the frequency domain resources are determined based on the PUCCH resources.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one resource comprises a code domain resource to be used for reception of the SRS, and wherein determining the at least one resource comprises:

a cyclic shift associated with the code domain resource to be used for reception of the SRS is determined.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein determining the cyclic shift comprises:

transmitting an indication of PUCCH resources to the terminal device; and

the cyclic shift is determined based on the PUCCH resource.

24. The method of any of claims 13-23, wherein transmitting the SRS comprises:

the SRS is received from the terminal device in response to the DCI being transmitted to the terminal device.

25. A terminal device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the terminal device to perform the method of any of claims 1-12.

26. A network device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the network device to perform the method of any of claims 13-24.

27. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 12.

28. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any of claims 13 to 24.