WO2022000431A1

WO2022000431A1 - Method and apparatus for frequency hopping with multiple beams

Info

Publication number: WO2022000431A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/099967
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wei Ling; Chenxi Zhu; Bingchao LIU; Yi Zhang
Original assignee: Lenovo (Beijing) Limited
Priority date: 2020-07-02
Filing date: 2020-07-02
Publication date: 2022-01-06

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to a method and apparatus for frequency hopping with multiple beams. An exemplary method includes: receiving configuration information indicating a mapping pattern of a plurality of spatial relation information, a number of nominal PUSCH repetitions of a PUSCH transmission using the plurality of spatial relation information, wherein each single spatial relation information is associated with at least one nominal PUSCH repetition; for each single spatial relation information, determining a new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information; and transmitting all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within each single nominal PUSCH repetition using the associated spatial relation information, wherein a starting point in the frequency domain of all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the single nominal PUSCH repetition is determined by the new index of the single nominal PUSCH repetition. Embodiments of the present application can increase the robustness and reliability of PUSCH transmission.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FREQUENCY HOPPING WITH MULTIPLE BEAMS

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present application generally relate to wireless communication technology, especially to a method and apparatus for frequency hopping with multiple beams.

BACKGROUND

New radio (NR) R16 introduced a new type of physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) repetition scheme, i.e., PUSCH repetition type B transmission, wherein multiple actual repetitions can be in one slot.

In NR R17, it is proposed to identify and specify features to improve reliability and robustness for channels besides physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) , e.g., physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) , PUSCH, and physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) , using multiple transmission reception points (TRP) and/or multi-panel, with R16 reliability features. Specifically, regarding PUSCH, PUSCH repetitions with multiple beams, or multiple TRPs can utilize the spatial diversity of multiple beams or TRPs of PUSCH transmission to increase the reliability and robustness of PUSCH.

In addition, the PUSCH repetition type B transmission supports two types of frequency hopping, i.e., an inter-repetition frequency hopping and an inter-slot frequency hopping. When multiple beams and frequency hopping are both configured for the PUSCH repetition Type B transmission, how to enhance the frequency hopping to further increase the robustness and reliability of PUSCH transmission by multiple beams needs to be discussed.

Therefore, the industry desires an improved technology for frequency hopping with multiple beams, so as to increase the robustness and reliability of

SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION

Some embodiments of the present application at least provide a technical solution for frequency hopping with multiple beams.

According to some embodiments of the present application, a method may include: receiving configuration information indicating a mapping pattern of a plurality of spatial relation information and a number of nominal PUSCH repetitions of a PUSCH transmission using the plurality of spatial relation information, wherein each single spatial relation information of the plurality of spatial relation information is associated with at least one nominal PUSCH repetition, wherein the configuration information indicates that an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism is used for the PUSCH transmission; for said each single spatial relation information, determining a new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetitions associated with the single spatial relation information; and transmitting all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within each single nominal PUSCH repetition using the spatial relation information associated with the single nominal PUSCH repetition, wherein a starting point in the frequency domain of all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the single nominal PUSCH repetition is determined by the new index of the single nominal PUSCH repetition.

According to some other embodiments of the present application, a method may include: transmitting configuration information indicating a mapping pattern of a plurality of spatial relation information and a number of nominal PUSCH repetitions of a PUSCH transmission using the plurality of spatial relation information, wherein each single spatial relation information of the plurality of spatial relation information is associated with at least one nominal PUSCH repetition, wherein the configuration information indicates that an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism is used for the PUSCH transmission; for said each single spatial relation information, determining a new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetitions associated with the single spatial relation information; and receiving all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within each single nominal PUSCH repetition using the spatial relation information associated with the single nominal PUSCH repetition, wherein a starting point in the frequency domain of all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the single nominal PUSCH repetition is determined by the new index of the single nominal PUSCH repetition.

Some embodiments of the present application also provide an apparatus, include: at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions stored therein, at least one receiver; at least one transmitter; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiver and the at least one transmitter. The computer executable instructions are programmed to implement any method as stated above with the at least one receiver, the at least one transmitter and the at least one processor.

Embodiments of the present application provide a technical solution for frequency hopping with multiple beams. Accordingly, embodiments of the present application can increase the robustness and reliability of PUSCH transmission.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which advantages and features of the application can be obtained, a description of the application is rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. These drawings depict only example embodiments of the application and are not therefore to be considered limiting of its scope.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system 100 according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of applying an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism for PUSCH transmission using multiple beams according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for frequency hopping with multiple beams according to some other embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of applying an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism for PUSCH transmission using multiple beams according to some other embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of applying an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism for PUSCH transmission using multiple beams according to some other embodiments of the present application; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus for frequency hopping with multiple beams according to some embodiments of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

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

Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, embodiments are provided under specific network architecture and new service scenarios, such as 3GPP 5G, 3GPP LTE Release 8 and so on. Persons skilled in the art know very well that, with the development of network architecture and new service scenarios, the embodiments in the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system 100 according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in Fig. 1, the wireless communication system 100 includes a UE 102 and a BS 101. Although merely one BS is illustrated in Fig. 1 for simplicity, it is contemplated that the wireless communication system 100 may include more BSs in some other embodiments of the present application. Similarly, although merely one UE is illustrated in Fig. 1 for simplicity, it is contemplated that the wireless communication system 100 may include more UEs in some other embodiments of the present application.

The BS 101 may also be referred to as an access point, an access terminal, a base, a macro cell, a node-B, an enhanced node B (eNB) , a gNB, a home node-B, a relay node, or a device, or described using other terminology used in the art. The BS 101 is generally part of a radio access network that may include a controller communicably coupled to the BS 101.

The UE 102 may include computing devices, such as desktop computers, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) , tablet computers, smart televisions (e.g., televisions connected to the Internet) , set-top boxes, game consoles, security systems (including security cameras) , vehicle on-board computers, network devices (e.g., routers, switches, and modems) , or the like. According to an embodiment of the present application, the UE 102 may include a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular telephone, a flip phone, a device having a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device that is capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network. In some embodiments, the UE 102 may include wearable devices, such as smart watches, fitness bands, optical head-mounted displays, or the like. Moreover, the UE 102 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, or a device, or described using other terminology used in the art.

The wireless communication system 100 is compatible with any type of network that is capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with a wireless communication network, a cellular telephone network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) -based network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) -based network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) -based network, an LTE network, a 3GPP-based network, a 3GPP 5G network, a satellite communications network, a high altitude platform network, and/or other communications networks.

For PUSCH, PUSCH repetitions with multiple beams or TRPs can utilize the spatial diversity of multiple beams or TRPs of PUSCH transmission, and thus can greatly increase the reliability and robustness of uplink data transmissions. Different from PUSCH repetition Type A, wherein a PUSCH transmission in a slot of a multi-slot PUSCH transmission is omitted according to the conditions in Clause 11.1 of [6, TS38.213], a new type of PUSCH repetition scheme, i.e., PUSCH repetition type B transmission is specified in NR R16.

Specifically, in PUSCH repetition type B, concepts "nominal repetition" and "actual repetition" are introduced so that multiple repetitions within one slot will be identified. According to TS 38.214, for PUSCH repetition Type B, the number of nominal repetitions is given by the parameter numberofrepetitions, for the n ^th nominal repetition, wherein the value of n ranges from 0 to numberofrepetitions-1, the starting slot, starting symbol, ending slot, and ending symbol of the n ^th nominal repetition are calculated as follows:

i. the slot where the nominal repetition starts:

ii. the starting symbol relative to the start of the slot:

iii. the slot where the nominal repetition ends:

iv. the ending symbol relative to the start of the slot:

Wherein K _s is the slot where the PUSCH transmission starts, and

is the number of symbols per slot, S is the starting symbol S relative to the start of the slot, and L is the number of consecutive symbols L counting from the symbol S allocated for each nominal repetition of a PUSCH repetition Type B transmission. S and L are respectively provided by the parameters: startSymbol and length of the indexed row of the resource allocation table.

Meanwhile, for PUSCH repetition Type B, among the starting symbol to the ending symbol, there might be one or more invalid symbols. The UE determines these invalid symbols for PUSCH repetition Type B transmission based on the following rules:

i. A symbol that is indicated as downlink by tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon or tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated. Since the symbol is indicated to be used for downlink transmission, the UE considers that the symbol cannot be used for uplink transmission. Thus, the symbol is an invalid symbol for PUSCH repetition Type B transmission.

ii. The UE may be configured with the high layer parameter InvalidSymbolPattern, which provides a symbol level bitmap spanning one or two slots, e.g., high layer parameter symbols given by InvalidSymbolPattern. A bit value equal to 1 in the symbol level bitmap symbols indicates that the corresponding symbol is an invalid symbol for PUSCH repetition Type B transmission. The UE may be additionally configured with a time-domain pattern, e.g., high layer parameter periodicityAndPattern given by InvalidSymbolPattern, where each bit of periodicityAndPattern corresponds to a unit equal to a duration of the symbol level bitmap symbols, and a bit value equal to 1 indicates that the symbol level bitmap symbols is present in the unit. The periodicityAndPattern can be {1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 20 or 40} units long, but maximum of 40ms. The first symbol of periodicityAndPattern every 40ms/P periods is a first symbol in frame nf mod 4 = 0, where P is the duration of periodicityAndPattern in units of ms. When the parameter periodicityAndPattern is not configured, for a symbol level bitmap spanning two slots, the bits of the first and second slots correspond respectively to even and odd slots of a radio frame, and for a symbol level bitmap spanning one slot, the bits of the slot correspond to every slot of a radio frame. If the parameter InvalidSymbolPattern is configured, when the UE applies the invalid symbol pattern is determined as follows:

a) if the PUSCH is scheduled by DCI format 0_1, or corresponds to a Type 2 configured grant activated by DCI format 0_1, and if InvalidSymbolPatternIndicator-ForDCIFormat0_1 is configured, if invalid symbol pattern indicator field is set 1, the UE applies the invalid symbol pattern; otherwise, the UE does not apply the invalid symbol pattern;

b) if the PUSCH is scheduled by DCI format 0_2, or corresponds to a Type 2 configured grant activated by DCI format 0_2, and if InvalidSymbolPatternIndicator-ForDCIFormat0_2 is configured, if invalid symbol pattern indicator field is set 1, the UE applies the invalid symbol pattern; otherwise, the UE does not apply the invalid symbol pattern;

c) otherwise, the UE applies the invalid symbol pattern.

After determining the invalid symbol (s) for PUSCH repetition type B transmission for each nominal repetition, the remaining symbols are considered as potentially valid symbols for PUSCH repetition Type B transmission. If the number of potentially valid symbols for PUSCH repetition type B transmission is greater than zero for a nominal repetition, the nominal repetition consists of one or more actual repetitions, where each actual repetition consists of a consecutive set of potentially valid symbols that can be used for PUSCH repetition Type B transmission within a slot. An actual repetition with a single symbol is omitted except for the case of the number of consecutive symbols L is one, e.g., L=1. An actual repetition is omitted according to the conditions in Clause 11.1 of [6, TS38.213] . The redundancy version to be applied on the nth actual repetition (with the counting including the actual repetitions that are omitted) is determined according to table 6.1.2.1-2.

The above descriptions on nominal repetition and actual repetition are provided according to TS 38.214, which may be changed or updated as the evolution of 3GPP specifications or other related specifications/protocols, and thus should not be limited to the above.

For a PUSCH repetition Type B transmission, a frequency hopping mechanism may be configured by a BS or the like. The frequency hopping mechanism may be one of an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism and an inter-slot frequency hopping mechanism. The frequency hopping mechanism may be configured via a high layer parameter. The high layer may be one or more layers higher than a physical layer. For example, the high layer may be a radio resource control (RRC) layer. In an embodiment of the present application, for a PUSCH transmission scheduled by downlink control information (DCI) format 0_2, the frequency hopping mechanism may be configured by the high layer parameter frequencyHopping-ForDCIFormat0_2 in pusch-Config information element (IE) as specified in 3GPP standard documents. In another embodiment of the present application, for a PUSCH transmission scheduled by DCI format 0_1, the frequency hopping mechanism may be configured by the high layer parameter frequencyHopping-ForDCIFormat0_1 provided in pusch-Config IE as specified in 3GPP standard documents. In yet another embodiment of the present application, for a Type 1 configured PUSCH transmission, the frequency hopping mechanism may be configured by the high layer parameter frequencyHopping-PUSCHRepTypeB provided in rrc-ConfiguredUplinkGrant IE as specified in 3GPP standard documents. In yet another embodiment of the present application, for a Type 2 configured PUSCH transmission, the frequency hopping mechanism follows a configuration of the activating DCI format.

In the case that the inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism is configured, the starting resource block (RB) for an actual repetition within the n-th nominal repetition is given by the following equation (5) as drafted in 3GPP standard document TS38.214:

- Where RB _start (n) is the starting RB for an actual repetition within the n-th nominal repetition;

- Where

is the number of RBs in the UL bandwidth part (BWP) ;

- Where RB _start is the starting RB within the UL BWP, as calculated from the resource block assignment information of resource allocation type 1 (described in subclause 6.1.2.2.2 of TS38.214) ; and

- where RB _offset is the frequency offset in RBs between the two frequency hops.

The above equation (5) for determining the starting RB does not consider a situation of transmitting PUSCH transmissions using multiple beams, and thus it may bring some issues when using multiple beams to transmit PUSCH transmissions.

For example, FIG. 2 illustrates an example of applying an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism for PUSCH transmission using multiple beams according to some embodiments of the present application.

In FIG. 2, for simplification and clearness, only two spatial relation information and four nominal PUSCH repetitions of a PUSCH repetition Type B transmission are illustrated. The two spatial relation information may represent two beams, e.g., beam 201 and beam 202. Beam 201 may correspond to the link from a UE to a first TRP, while beam 2 may correspond to the link from the UE to a second TRP. The four nominal PUSCH repetitions shown in FIG. 2 are nominal PUSCH repetition 2000, nominal PUSCH repetition 2001, nominal PUSCH repetition 2002, and nominal PUSCH repetition 2003. The nominal PUSCH repetition 2000 may include two actual PUSCH repetitions numbered as 0 and 1. The nominal PUSCH repetition 2001 may include two actual PUSCH repetitions numbered as 2 and 3. The nominal PUSCH repetition 2002 may include one actual PUSCH repetition numbered as 4. The nominal PUSCH repetition 2002 may include two actual PUSCH repetitions numbered as 5 and 6.

A cyclical mapping pattern may be configured for the PUSCH repetition Type B transmission where it is applied per nominal repetition. For example, for two spatial relation information, e.g., spatial relation information #1, and spatial relation information #2, when the cyclical mapping pattern is configured, the first and second spatial relation information are applied to the first and second nominal PUSCH repetition, respectively, and the same mapping pattern continues to the remaining nominal PUSCH repetitions. Accordingly, the cyclical mapping pattern might be #1#2#1#2#1#2#1#2…for a sequence of nominal PUSCH repetitions.

That is, according to the cyclical mapping pattern, the spatial relation information #1 (e.g., beam 201) may be used for the nominal PUSCH repetition 2000, the spatial relation information #2 (e.g., beam 202) may be used for the nominal PUSCH repetition 2001, the spatial relation information #1 (e.g., beam 201) may be used for the nominal PUSCH repetition 2002, and the spatial relation information #2 (e.g., beam 202) may be used for the nominal PUSCH repetition 2003. Therefore, all actual PUSCH repetitions (e.g., actual PUSCH repetitions 0, 1, and 4) within nominal PUSCH repetition 2000 and nominal PUSCH repetition 2002 are transmitted with beam 201 and all actual PUSCH repetitions (e.g., actual PUSCH repetitions 2, 3, 5, and 6) within nominal PUSCH repetition 2001 and nominal PUSCH repetition 2003 are transmitted with beam 202 as shown in FIG. 2.

In the case that an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism is configured for the PUSCH repetition Type B transmission, the UE may determine the start RB of all actual PUSCH repetitions based on the above equation (5) . Based on the equation (5) , it can be determined that the start RB for actual PUSCH repetitions 0 and 1 within nominal PUSCH repetition 2000 and actual PUSCH repetitions 4 within nominal PUSCH repetition 2002 is RB _start in equation (5) , which is represented by RB _start1 in FIG. 2, while the start RB for actual PUSCH repetitions 2 and 3 within nominal PUSCH repetition 2001 and actual PUSCH repetitions 5 and 6 within nominal PUSCH repetition 2003 is

in equation (5) , which is represented by RB _start2 in FIG. 2. That is, all actual PUSCH repetitions transmitted by beam 201 occupy the same frequency resource while all actual PUSCH repetitions transmitted by beam 202 occupy the same frequency resource, as shown in FIG. 2.

Since beam 201 is received by the first TRP and beam 202 is received by the first TRP, all repetitions transmitted by the link between the UE and the first TRP and all repetitions transmitted by the link between the UE and the second TRP only occupy a part of the frequency resource allocated for the PUSCH repetition Type B transmission. That is, each link for the UE, i.e., the link between the UE and the first TRP, and the link between the UE and the second TRP cannot get the frequency diversity.

Accordingly, embodiments of the present application provides a technical solution for frequency hopping with multiple beams, especially, for inter-repetition frequency hopping for the PUSCH repetition Type B transmission, which can utilize the spatial diversity of multiple beams/TRPs of PUSCH transmission to increase the reliability and robustness. More details on embodiments of the present application will be illustrated in the following text in combination with the appended drawings.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for frequency hopping with multiple beams according to some embodiments of the present application. Although the method is illustrated in a system level by a UE and a BS (e.g., UE 102 and BS 101 as illustrated and shown in FIG. 1) , persons skilled in the art can understand that the method implemented in the UE and that implemented in the BS can be separately implemented and incorporated by other apparatus with the like functions.

In the exemplary method shown in FIG. 3, in step 301, a BS 101 as shown in FIG. 1 may transmit configuration information to a UE 102. Correspondingly, in step 302, the UE 102 may receive the configuration information from the BS 101. The configuration information may indicate a mapping pattern of a plurality of spatial relation information and a number of nominal PUSCH repetitions of a PUSCH transmission using the plurality of spatial relation information. Each single spatial relation information of the plurality of spatial relation information may be associated with at least one nominal PUSCH repetition. The configuration information may also indicate that an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism is used for the PUSCH transmission. According to some embodiments of the present application, the PUSCH transmission may be a PUSCH repetition Type B transmission.

The mapping pattern of the plurality of spatial relation information may be any mapping pattern, e.g., cyclical mapping pattern, or sequential mapping pattern, which have been agreed by 3GPP.

For example, for two spatial relation information, e.g., the first spatial relation information #1, and the second spatial relation information #2, when the cyclical mapping pattern is configured, the first and second spatial relation information are applied to the first and second nominal PUSCH repetitions, respectively, and the same mapping pattern continues to the remaining nominal PUSCH repetitions. Accordingly, the cyclical mapping pattern might be #1#2#1#2#1#2#1#2…for a sequence of nominal PUSCH repetitions. When the sequential mapping pattern is configured, the first spatial relation information is applied to the first and second nominal PUSCH repetitions, and the second spatial relation information is applied to the third and fourth nominal PUSCH repetitions, and the same mapping pattern continues to the remaining transmit units. Accordingly, the sequential mapping pattern might be #1#1#2#2#1#1#2#2…for a sequence of nominal PUSCH repetitions. Although this example illustrates two spatial relation information, persons skilled in the art can understand the above rules are also applied for other numbers of spatial relation information more than two spatial relation information.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the BS 101 may transmit the configuration information by at least one RRC signaling. Therefore, the UE may receive the configuration information via at least one RRC singling. In an embodiment of the present application, the configuration may be transmitted by only one RRC signaling. In another embodiment of the present application, the configuration information indicating the mapping pattern may be transmitted via one RRC signaling and the configuration information indicating the inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism is used for the PUSCH transmission may be transmitted via another RRC signaling.

After receiving the configuration information, the UE 102 may associate each nominal PUSCH repetition with a corresponding spatial relation information of the plurality of spatial relation information based on the mapping pattern. Once the association between a nominal PUSCH repetition and a corresponding spatial relation information is determined, all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the nominal PUSCH repetition may also be associated with the same corresponding spatial relation information. For example, the UE 102 may associate all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the each nominal PUSCH repetition to the corresponding spatial relation information associated with the single nominal PUSCH repetition.

For example, assuming that there are two spatial relation information numbered as #1 and #2 and four nominal PUSCH repetitions numbered as 0, 1, 2, and 3 for the UE 102. The spatial relation information #1 may represent beam 1 and the spatial relation information #2 may represent beam 2.

In the case that the mapping pattern indicated by the configuration information is the cyclical mapping pattern, the UE 102 may associate the nominal PUSCH repetitions 0, 1, 2, and 3 with the spatial relation information #1, #2, #1, and #2, respectively. Then, all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the nominal PUSCH repetition 0 may be associated with the spatial relation information #1, all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the nominal PUSCH repetition 1 may be associated with the spatial relation information #2, all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the nominal PUSCH repetition 2 may be associated with the spatial relation information #1, and all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the nominal PUSCH repetition 3 may be associated with the spatial relation information #2.

In the case that the mapping pattern indicated by the configuration information is the sequential mapping pattern, the UE 102 may associate the nominal PUSCH repetitions 0, 1, 2, and 3 with the spatial relation information #1, #1, #2, and #2, respectively. Then, all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the nominal PUSCH repetition 0 may be associated with the spatial relation information #1, all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the nominal PUSCH repetition 1 may be associated with the spatial relation information #1, all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the nominal PUSCH repetition 2 may be associated with the spatial relation information #2, and all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the nominal PUSCH repetition 3 may be associated with the spatial relation information #2.

The same operation may also be performed by the BS 101. For example, the BS 101 may also associate each nominal PUSCH repetition with a corresponding spatial relation information of the plurality of spatial relation information based on the mapping pattern. Once the association between a nominal PUSCH repetition and a corresponding spatial relation information is determined, all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the nominal PUSCH repetition may also be associated with the same corresponding spatial relation information. For example, the BS 101 may associate all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the each nominal PUSCH repetition to the corresponding spatial relation information associated with the single nominal PUSCH repetition.

In step 304, for each single spatial relation information, the UE 102 may determine a new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetitions associated with the single spatial relation information. A range of the new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information is from 0 to N, wherein N is a total number of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information minus 1.

According to some embodiments of the present application, in order to determine a new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetitions, at the UE 102, the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information may be indexed ascendingly in an order of original indexes of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition.

For example, as stated above, in the case that the mapping pattern indicated by the configuration information is the cyclical mapping pattern, the UE 102 may associate the nominal PUSCH repetitions 0, 1, 2, and 3 with the spatial relation information #1, #2, #1, and #2, respectively. That is, for the spatial relation information #1, the nominal PUSCH repetitions 0 and 2 may be associated with it. The nominal PUSCH repetition indexes "0" and "2" are the original indexes of the nominal PUSCH repetitions. The UE may determine the new indexes for the nominal PUSCH repetitions 0 and 2 associated with the spatial relation information #1 to be "0" and "1, " respectively. Similarly, for the spatial relation information #2, the nominal PUSCH repetitions 1 and 3 may be associated with it. The nominal PUSCH repetition indexes "1" and "3" are the original indexes of the nominal PUSCH repetitions. The UE may determine the new indexes for the nominal PUSCH repetitions 1 and 3 associated with the spatial relation information #2 to be "0" and "1, " respectively.

The same operation may be also performed by the BS 101. For example, in step 303, for each single spatial relation information, the BS 101 may determine a new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetitions associated with the single spatial relation information. A range of the new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information is from 0 to N, wherein N is a total number of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information minus 1.

According to some embodiments of the present application, in order to determine a new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetitions, at the BS 101, the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information may be indexed ascendingly in an order of original indexes of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition.

In step 306, the UE 102 may transmit all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within each single nominal PUSCH repetition using the spatial relation information associated with the single nominal PUSCH repetition. The starting point in the frequency domain of all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the single nominal PUSCH repetition is determined by the new index of the single nominal PUSCH repetition.

According to some embodiments of the present application, in the case that the new index is an even number, the starting point in the frequency domain may be determined based on resource block assignment information of resource allocation type 1. For example, the starting point in the frequency domain may be RB _start as specified in equation (5) , which is determined based on the resource block assignment information of resource allocation type 1. In the case that the new index is an odd number, the starting point in the frequency domain is determined based on resource block assignment information of resource allocation type 1 and a frequency offset. For example, the starting point in the frequency domain may be

in equation (5) .

In an embodiment of the present application, the starting point in the frequency domain (e.g., the starting RB) for an actual repetition within the m-th nominal repetition associated with a single spatial relation information (i.e., a single beam) may be determined by the following equation (6) .

- Where m is the new index of a nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetitions associated with a single spatial relation information as determined in step 304, and RB _start (m) is the starting RB for an actual repetition within the m-th nominal repetition associated with the single spatial relation information;

- Where

is the number of RBs in the UL bandwidth part (BWP) ;

- Where RB _start is the starting resource block (RB) within the UL BWP, as calculated from the resource block assignment information of resource allocation type 1 (described in subclause 6.1.2.2.2 of TS38.214) ; and

Consequently, in step 305, the BS 101 may receive all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within each single nominal PUSCH repetition using the spatial relation information associated with the single nominal PUSCH repetition. The starting point in the frequency domain of all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the single nominal PUSCH repetition may be determined by the new index of the single nominal PUSCH repetition. For example, the starting RB for an actual repetition within the n-th nominal repetition associated with a single spatial relation information (i.e., a single beam) may be determined by the above equation (6) .

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of applying an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism for PUSCH transmission using multiple beams according to some other embodiments of the present application.

In FIG. 4, for simplification and clearness, only two spatial relation information and four nominal PUSCH repetitions of a PUSCH repetition Type B transmission are illustrated. The two spatial relation information may represent two beams, e.g., beam 401 and beam 402. Beam 401 may correspond to the link from a UE to a first TRP, while beam 402 may correspond to the link from the UE to a second TRP. The four nominal PUSCH repetitions shown in FIG. 4 are nominal PUSCH repetition 4000, nominal PUSCH repetition 4001, nominal PUSCH repetition 4002, and nominal PUSCH repetition 4003. The nominal PUSCH repetition 4000 may include two actual PUSCH repetitions numbered as 0 and 1. The nominal PUSCH repetition 4001 may include two actual PUSCH repetitions numbered as 2 and 3. The nominal PUSCH repetition 4002 may include one actual PUSCH repetition numbered as 4. The nominal PUSCH repetition 4003 may include two actual PUSCH repetitions numbered as 5 and 6.

A cyclical mapping pattern may be configured for the PUSCH repetition Type B transmission. Therefore, the UE may determine that the spatial relation information #1 (e.g., beam 401) may be associated with the nominal PUSCH repetitions 4000 and 4002, the spatial relation information #2 (e.g., beam 402) may be associated with the nominal PUSCH repetition 4001 and 4003. That is, the actual PUSCH repetitions 0 and 1 within the nominal PUSCH repetitions 4000 and the actual PUSCH repetition 4 within the nominal PUSCH repetitions 4002 may be transmitted by beam 401, while the actual PUSCH repetitions 2 and 3 within the nominal PUSCH repetitions 4001 and the actual PUSCH repetitions 5 and 6 within the nominal PUSCH repetitions 4003 may be transmitted by beam 402.

In addition, an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism is configured for the PUSCH repetition Type B transmission. Therefore, the UE may determine the new indexes for the nominal PUSCH repetitions 4000 and 4002 associated with the spatial relation information #1 (e.g., beam 401) to be "0" and "1" , respectively. Similarly, the UE may determine the new indexes for the nominal PUSCH repetitions 4001 and 4003 associated with the spatial relation information #2 (e.g., beam 402) to be "0" and "1" , respectively.

Then, the UE 102 may use the new index to determine the starting RB of all actual PUSCH repetitions based on the above equation (6) . For example, the start RB for actual PUSCH repetitions 0 and 1 within nominal PUSCH repetition 4000 is RB _start (which is represented by RB _start1 in FIG. 4) by substituting the new index "0" of the nominal PUSCH repetition 4000 into equation (6) , the start RB for actual PUSCH repetitions 2 and 3 within nominal PUSCH repetition 4001 is RB _start by substituting the new index "0" of the nominal PUSCH repetition 4001 into the equation (6) , the start RB for actual PUSCH repetition 4 within nominal PUSCH repetition 4002 is

(which is represented by RB _start2 in FIG. 4) by substituting the new index "1" of the nominal PUSCH repetition 4002 into the equation (6) , the start RB for actual PUSCH repetitions 5 and 6 within nominal PUSCH repetition 4003 is

by substituting the new index "1" of the nominal PUSCH repetition 4003 into the equation (6) .

Consequently, the actual PUSCH repetitions 0 and 1 within the nominal PUSCH repetition 4000 and the actual PUSCH repetition 4 within the nominal PUSCH repetition 4002 transmitted using the same beam 401 may occupy the different frequency resource, and the actual PUSCH repetitions 2 and 3 within the nominal PUSCH repetition 4001 and the actual PUSCH repetitions 5 and 6 within the nominal PUSCH repetition 4003 transmitted using the same beam 402 may occupy the different frequency resource, thereby getting the frequency diversity.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of applying an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism for PUSCH transmission using multiple beams according to some other embodiments of the present application.

In FIG. 5, for simplification and clearness, only two spatial relation information and four nominal PUSCH repetitions of a PUSCH repetition Type B transmission are illustrated. The two spatial relation information may represent two beams, e.g., beam 501 and beam 502. Beam 501 may correspond to the link from a UE to a first TRP, while beam 502 may correspond to the link from the UE to a second TRP. The four nominal PUSCH repetitions shown in FIG. 5 are nominal PUSCH repetition 5000, nominal PUSCH repetition 5001, nominal PUSCH repetition 5002, and nominal PUSCH repetition 5003. The nominal PUSCH repetition 5000 may include two actual PUSCH repetitions numbered as 0 and 1. The nominal PUSCH repetition 5001 may include two actual PUSCH repetitions numbered as 2 and 3. The nominal PUSCH repetition 5002 may include one actual PUSCH repetition numbered as 4. The nominal PUSCH repetition 5003 may include two actual PUSCH repetitions numbered as 5 and 6.

A sequential mapping pattern may be configured for the PUSCH repetition Type B transmission. Therefore, the UE may determine that the spatial relation information #1 (e.g., beam 501) may be associated with the nominal PUSCH repetitions 5000 and 5001, the spatial relation information #2 (e.g., beam 502) may be associated with the nominal PUSCH repetition 5002 and 5003. That is, the actual PUSCH repetitions 0 and 1 within the nominal PUSCH repetitions 5000 and the actual PUSCH repetitions 2 and3 within the nominal PUSCH repetitions 5001 may be transmitted by beam 501, while the actual PUSCH repetition 4 within the nominal PUSCH repetitions 5002 and the actual PUSCH repetitions 5 and 6 within the nominal PUSCH repetitions 5003 may be transmitted by beam 502.

In addition, an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism is configured for the PUSCH repetition Type B transmission. Therefore, the UE may determine the new indexes for the nominal PUSCH repetitions 5000 and 5001 associated with the spatial relation information #1 (e.g., beam 501) to be "0" and "1" , respectively. Similarly, the UE may determine the new indexes for the nominal PUSCH repetitions 5002 and 5003 associated with the spatial relation information #2 (e.g., beam 502) to be "0" and "1" , respectively.

Then, the UE 102 may use the new index to determine the start RB of all actual PUSCH repetitions based on the above equation (6) . For example, the start RB for actual PUSCH repetitions 0 and 1 within nominal PUSCH repetition 5000 is RB _start (which is represented by RB _start1 in FIG. 5) by substituting the new index "0" of the nominal PUSCH repetition 5000 into equation (6) , the start RB for actual PUSCH repetitions 2 and 3 within nominal PUSCH repetition 5001 is

(which is represented by RB _start2 in FIG. 5) by substituting the new index "1" of the nominal PUSCH repetition 5001 into the equation (6) , the start RB for actual PUSCH repetition 4 within nominal PUSCH repetition 5002 is RB _start by substituting the new index "0" of the nominal PUSCH repetition 5002 into the equation (6) , the start RB for actual PUSCH repetitions 5 and 6 within nominal PUSCH repetition 5003 is

by substituting the new index "1" of the nominal PUSCH repetition 5003 into the equation (6) .

Consequently, the actual PUSCH repetitions 0 and 1 within the nominal PUSCH repetition 5000 and the actual PUSCH repetitions 2 and 3 within the nominal PUSCH repetition 5001 transmitted using the same beam 501 may occupy the different frequency resource, and the actual PUSCH repetition 4 within the nominal PUSCH repetition 5002 and the actual PUSCH repetitions 5 and 6 within the nominal PUSCH repetition 5003 transmitted using the same beam 502 may occupy the different frequency resource, thereby getting the frequency diversity.

FIG. 6 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 600 for frequency hopping with multiple beams according to some embodiments of the present application. The apparatus 600 may be a BS 101 or a UE 102 as shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 6, the apparatus 600 may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 602, at least one receiving circuitry 604, at least one transmitting circuitry 606, and at least one processor 608. In some embodiment of the present application, at least one receiving circuitry 604 and at least one transmitting circuitry 606 and be integrated into at least one transceiver. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 602 may have computer executable instructions stored therein. The at least one processor 608 may be coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 602, the at least one receiving circuitry 604 and the at least one transmitting circuitry 606. The computer executable instructions can be programmed to implement a method with the at least one receiving circuitry 604, the at least one transmitting circuitry 606 and the at least one processor 608. The method can be a method according to an embodiment of the present application, for example, the method shown in FIG. 3.

The method according to embodiments of the present application can also be implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controllers, flowcharts, and modules may also be implemented on a general purpose or special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit elements, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit such as a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device, or the like. In general, any device on which resides a finite state machine capable of implementing the flowcharts shown in the figures may be used to implement the processor functions of this application. For example, an embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus for emotion recognition from speech, including a processor and a memory. Computer programmable instructions for implementing a method for emotion recognition from speech are stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to perform the computer programmable instructions to implement the method for emotion recognition from speech. The method may be a method as stated above or other method according to an embodiment of the present application.

An alternative embodiment preferably implements the methods according to embodiments of the present application in a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing computer programmable instructions. The instructions are preferably executed by computer-executable components preferably integrated with a network security system. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium may be stored on any suitable computer readable media such as RAMs, ROMs, flash memory, EEPROMs, optical storage devices (CD or DVD) , hard drives, floppy drives, or any suitable device. The computer-executable component is preferably a processor but the instructions may alternatively or additionally be executed by any suitable dedicated hardware device. For example, an embodiment of the present application provides a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium having computer programmable instructions stored therein. The computer programmable instructions are configured to implement a method for emotion recognition from speech as stated above or other method according to an embodiment of the present application.

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

Claims

A method, comprising:

receiving configuration information indicating a mapping pattern of a plurality of spatial relation information and a number of nominal physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) repetitions of a PUSCH transmission using the plurality of spatial relation information, wherein each single spatial relation information of the plurality of spatial relation information is associated with at least one nominal PUSCH repetition, and wherein the configuration information indicates that an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism is used for the PUSCH transmission;

for said each single spatial relation information, determining a new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetitions associated with the single spatial relation information; and

transmitting all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within each single nominal PUSCH repetition using the spatial relation information associated with the single nominal PUSCH repetition, wherein a starting point in the frequency domain of all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the single nominal PUSCH repetition is determined by the new index of the single nominal PUSCH repetition.
The method of Claim 1, further comprising:

associating each nominal PUSCH repetition with a corresponding spatial relation information of the plurality of spatial relation information based on the mapping pattern; and

associating all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the each nominal PUSCH repetition to the corresponding spatial relation information associated with the single nominal PUSCH repetition.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the mapping pattern comprises a cyclical mapping pattern or a sequential mapping pattern.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the configuration information is received by at least one radio resource control (RRC) signaling.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the PUSCH transmission is a PUSCH repetition Type B transmission.
The method of claim 1, wherein a range of the new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information is from 0 to N wherein N is a total number of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information minus 1.
The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information is indexed ascendingly in an order of original indexes of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition.
The method of claim 1, in the case that the new index is an even number, the starting point in the frequency domain is determined based on resource block assignment information of resource allocation type 1.
The method of claim 1, in the case that the new index is an odd number, the starting point in the frequency domain is determined based on resource block assignment information of resource allocation type 1 and a frequency offset.
A method, comprising:

transmitting configuration information indicating a mapping pattern of a plurality of spatial relation information and a number of nominal physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) repetitions of a PUSCH transmission using the plurality of spatial relation information, wherein each single spatial relation information of the plurality of spatial relation information is associated with at least one nominal PUSCH repetition, wherein the configuration information indicates that an inter-repetition frequency hopping mechanism is used for the PUSCH transmission;

for said each single spatial relation information, determining a new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetitions associated with the single spatial relation information; and

receiving all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within each single nominal PUSCH repetition using the spatial relation information associated with the single nominal PUSCH repetition, wherein a starting point in the frequency domain of all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the single nominal PUSCH repetition is determined by the new index of the single nominal PUSCH repetition.
The method of Claim 10, further comprising:

associating each nominal PUSCH repetition with a corresponding spatial relation information of the plurality of spatial relation information based on the mapping pattern; and

associating all actual PUSCH repetition (s) within the each nominal PUSCH repetition to the corresponding spatial relation information associated with the single nominal PUSCH repetition.
The method of Claim 10, wherein the mapping pattern comprises a cyclical mapping pattern or a sequential mapping pattern.
The method of Claim 10, wherein the configuration information is transmitted by at least one radio resource control (RRC) signaling.
The method of Claim 10, wherein the PUSCH transmission is a PUSCH repetition Type B transmission.
The method of claim 10, wherein a range of the new index for each nominal PUSCH repetition of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information is from 0 to N, wherein N is a total number of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information minus 1.
The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition associated with the single spatial relation information is indexed ascendingly in an order of original indexes of the at least one nominal PUSCH repetition.
The method of claim 10, in the case that the new index is an even number, the starting point in the frequency domain is determined based on resource block assignment information of resource allocation type 1.
The apparatus of claim 10, in the case that the new index is an odd number, the starting point in the frequency domain is determined based on resource block assignment information of resource allocation type 1 and a frequency offset.
An apparatus, comprising:

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

at least one receiver;

at least one transmitter; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiver and the at least one transmitter;

wherein the computer executable instructions are programmed to implement a method according to any one of Claims 1-9 with the at least one receiver, the at least one transmitter and the at least one processor.
An apparatus, comprising:

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

at least one receiver;

at least one transmitter; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiver and the at least one transmitter;

wherein the computer executable instructions are programmed to implement a method according to any one of Claims 10-19 with the at least one receiver, the at least one transmitter and the at least one processor.