CN107809801B

CN107809801B - Method and device for transmitting UCI in NB-IoT and terminal equipment

Info

Publication number: CN107809801B
Application number: CN201610816385.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杨莉; 王河
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd
Current assignee: Nokia Communications (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2016-09-09
Filing date: 2016-09-09
Publication date: 2021-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2036-09-09
Also published as: CN107809801A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method, an apparatus, and a terminal device for transmitting Uplink Control Information (UCI) in narrowband-based internet of things (NB-IoT). The method comprises the following steps: mapping UCI into Resource Elements (REs) of at least one subframe of an allocated subcarrier resource block on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); and transmitting the at least one subframe containing the subcarrier resource block of the UCI. An efficient solution for terminal devices in NB-IoT to transmit UCI on PUSCH may thereby be provided.

Description

Method and device for transmitting UCI in NB-IoT and terminal equipment

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of wireless communication, and more particularly, to a method, an apparatus, and a terminal device for transmitting Uplink Control Information (UCI) in narrowband-based internet of things (NB-IoT).

Background

NB-IoT is an emerging technology in the field of internet of things (IoT) that supports cellular data connectivity for low power devices over wide area networks, also known as low power wide area networks (LPWA). The NB-IoT is constructed in a cellular network, only consumes about 180KHz of bandwidth, and can be directly deployed in a GSM network, a UMTS network or an LTE network so as to reduce the deployment cost and realize smooth upgrading.

Currently in the technical development of NB-IoT, some modifications of UCI are allowed, such as no need to support periodic Channel State Information (CSI) and dedicated Scheduling Requests (SRs), need to support transmission of ACK/NACK information corresponding to the NB-IoT's Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), and so on. Due to these modifications and the 180KHz bandwidth limitation of NB-IoT, conventional UCI transport mechanisms have been unable to efficiently meet these requirements.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and a terminal device for transmitting UCI in NB-IoT.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a method for transmitting UCI in an NB-IoT is provided. The method comprises the following steps: mapping UCI into Resource Elements (REs) of at least one subframe of an allocated subcarrier resource block on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); and transmitting the at least one subframe containing the subcarrier resource block of the UCI.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a terminal device in an NB-IoT is provided. The terminal device includes: a controller configured to map UCI into Resource Elements (REs) of at least one subframe of an allocated subcarrier resource block on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); and a transceiver configured for the at least one subframe of the subcarrier resource block containing the UCI.

In yet another aspect of the disclosure, a terminal device in an NB-IoT is provided. The terminal device includes: a processor, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the terminal device to perform the above method.

According to the scheme of the embodiment of the disclosure, an effective solution for transmitting UCI on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) by a terminal device in NB-IoT can be provided.

It should be understood that the statements herein reciting aspects are not intended to limit the critical or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The above and other features, advantages and aspects of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like or similar reference characters designate like or similar elements, and wherein:

fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an NB-IoT scenario in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a method for transmitting UCI in NB-IoT in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a method for transmitting UCI in NB-IoT in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of RE mapping of ACQI information and ACK/NACK information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of RE mapping of ACQI information and ACK/NACK information for single-frequency (single-tone)/multi-frequency (multi-tone) transmission according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of RE mapping of ACK/NACK information on PUSCH resources without uplink data transmission according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus implemented at a terminal device in an NB-IoT in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 8 shows a block diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While certain embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but rather are provided for a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the disclosure are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

The term "network device" as used herein refers to a base station or other entity or node having a particular function in a communication network. A "base station" may represent a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved node B (eNodeB or eNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Head (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), a relay, or a low power node such as a pico base station, a femto base station, or the like. In the context of the present disclosure, the terms "network device" and "base station" may be used interchangeably for ease of discussion purposes, and refer primarily to an eNB as an example of a network device.

The term "terminal device" as used herein refers to any terminal device or User Equipment (UE) capable of wireless communication with a base station or with each other. As an example, the terminal device may include a sensor having a communication function, a detector, a Mobile Terminal (MT), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station (PSS), a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT), and the above-described devices in a vehicle, and the like. In the context of the present disclosure, the terms "terminal device" and "user equipment" may be used interchangeably for purposes of discussion convenience, and UE is primarily taken as an example of a terminal device.

The terms "include" and variations thereof as used herein are inclusive and open-ended, i.e., "including but not limited to. The term "based on" is "based, at least in part, on". The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment". Relevant definitions for other terms will be given in the following description.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an NB-IoT scenario 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in fig. 1, eNB 110 communicates with n UEs 120(UE1-UEn, n being any positive integer) within its service range. It should be understood that several enbs and UEs may be involved in the NB-IoT scenario 100 and are not limited to what is shown in the figures. For convenience, an eNB is taken as an example for illustration. As shown, in the Uplink (UL) direction, UE 120 transmits UCI to eNB 110.

UCI is typically transmitted in a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) of the LET system, and includes positive acknowledgement/negative acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) information, a Scheduling Request (SR), a Channel Quality Indication (CQI), and a precoding matrix indication/rank indication (PMI/RI). As mentioned earlier, some modifications of UCI are currently allowed in the NB-IoT technological evolution. For example, in NB-IoT, closed loop feedback need not be supported in view of the tradeoff between UE complexity and limiting gain, and PMI/RI information is no longer needed. In addition, there is no need to support periodic CSI and dedicated SRs. Further, transmission of ACK/NACK information corresponding to a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) in NB-IoT needs to be supported, and so on. In such a case, the definition of a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) for NB-IoT becomes unnecessary, i.e., the PUCCH channel can be removed. Meanwhile, ACK/NACK information and aperiodic cqi (acqi) information may be transmitted on a PUSCH, and a periodic SR may be transmitted using a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) to request uplink resources. This may reduce UE complexity and transmission of ACK/NACK information and CQI information on the PUSCH has less impact on the technical criteria.

Therefore, the main idea of the embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an efficient solution for UE in NB-IoT to transmit UCI on PUSCH, considering the modification of UCI and 180KHz bandwidth limitation of NB-IoT. Detailed description is provided below in conjunction with fig. 2, which shows a schematic diagram of a method 200 for transmitting UCI in NB-IoT according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 200 may be implemented at any terminal device in the NB-IoT (e.g., the UE 120 shown in fig. 1). As shown in fig. 2, UCI is mapped into REs of at least one subframe of the allocated subcarrier resource block on PUSCH at 210. At 220, the at least one subframe of the block of subcarriers containing UCI is transmitted. Herein, the allocated subcarrier resource block refers to a subcarrier resource allocated by the eNB for the UE for UL data transmission according to the capability of the UE. For example, a subcarrier resource block may be one or more subcarriers, and the number of subcarriers does not exceed 12 (i.e., one Physical Resource Block (PRB)).

As is known, UCI can also be transmitted on PUSCH in a conventional LTE system, but where transmission is in a wideband manner, i.e. in a manner of multiple PRBs on the same subframe. This does not apply to NB-IoT with bandwidth limitations. The inventors therefore propose that the mechanism shown in fig. 2 can be utilized to map UCI into REs of and transmit at least one subframe of an allocated subcarrier resource block on PUSCH, thereby enabling time-domain narrowband transmission.

As mentioned previously, only the transmission of ACK/NACK information and ACQI information on PUSCH need be considered in an NB-IoT environment. Therefore, in an embodiment according to the present disclosure, UCI includes ACK/NACK information and ACQI information. Of course, the disclosed embodiments are not limited thereto, but are applicable to transmission of UCI that may also include any other suitable information. Exemplary embodiments for implementing the mechanism shown in fig. 2 are described below in conjunction with fig. 3-6.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a method 300 for transmitting UCI in NB-IoT in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 300 may be implemented at any terminal device in the NB-IoT (e.g., the UE 120 shown in fig. 1). As shown in fig. 3, when UCI needs to be transmitted to an eNB (e.g., eNB 110 shown in fig. 1), at 310, it is determined whether UL data is transmitted on a PUSCH.

In response to the transmission of UL data on the PUSCH, the UCI is multiplexed with the UL data to be transmitted to the eNB 110 with the resources allocated for the UL data. In one embodiment, as shown at 320, the ACQI information in UCI, the UL data, and the ACK/NACK information in UCI are sequentially mapped into REs of at least one subframe of a subcarrier resource block allocated for the UE, thereby ensuring continuity of UL data of PUSCH of the UE 120. For example, ACQI information is placed in REs of one or more subcarriers of an allocated subcarrier resource block for at least one subframe from a lowest-frequency subcarrier, UL data is then placed in the REs, and ACK/NACK information is repeatedly mapped onto two slots in such a manner as to be in REs around a modulation reference signal (DMRS) on each slot. Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of an RE mapping 400 of ACQI information and ACK/NACK information according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

The RE mapping manner of the ACQI information and the ACK/NACK information in the conventional LTE system is shown in the left part of fig. 4, wherein the allocated resource block for the UE may be one or more PRBs, and the ACQI information, UL data, and ACK/NACK information are sequentially mapped into the REs of the PRBs. In contrast, the RE mapping manner of the ACQI information and the ACK/NACK information according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in the right half of fig. 4. As an example, in embodiments of the present disclosure, one PRB RE is all allocated to one UE, i.e. the allocated subcarrier resource block is equal to one PRB. It should be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are not so limited. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ACQI information, the UL data, and the ACK/NACK information are sequentially mapped into REs of different subframes of a PRB. As shown in the right half of fig. 4, the ACQI information is mapped to the lowest frequency three subcarriers of subframe 0 of the PRB, as shown by 420 (diagonal lines). The ACK/NACK information is repeatedly mapped onto two slots of the two subcarriers of the highest frequency of subframe 1 of the PRB and both in REs around the DMRS of each slot, as shown by 430 (dark region), as shown by 440 (mesh). UL data is mapped into the remaining REs on subframe 0 and subframe 1 of the PRB, as shown at 410. In the transmission mechanism of the disclosed embodiment, UCI is still multiplexed with UL data in a similar manner to conventional LTE, and thus has less impact on the technical standard.

At 340, the at least one subframe of the block of subcarriers containing the UCI is transmitted. That is, a subcarrier resource block including UCI is transmitted over at least one subframe, thereby performing time-domain narrowband transmission.

In other cases, sub-PRBs may be supported in NB-IoT. That is, the eNB may allocate resource blocks of one or more subcarriers (less than 12 subcarriers) within one PRB for the UE for transmission of UL data according to the UE's capability. In this case, the ACQI information and the ACK/NACK information may follow the resources allocated by the eNB regardless of single frequency transmission or multi-frequency transmission. Single frequency transmission and multi-frequency transmission can be supported thereby. Single frequency transmission means that one subcarrier can be used for UEs in NB-IoT, and multi-frequency transmission means that less than 12 subcarriers can be used for UEs in NB-IoT. Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of an RE mapping 500 for ACQI information and ACK/NACK information for single/multiple frequency transmission according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the embodiment of fig. 5, the situation is described where TBS scheduling for PUSCH is e.g. 6 sub-carriers. In this case, as shown in fig. 5, the ACQI information, the UL data, and the ACK/NACK information are sequentially mapped into REs on subframes 0 to 3 of the allocated 6 subcarriers in a similar manner as described above with reference to fig. 4. As shown, the ACQI information is mapped to the three subcarriers of the lowest frequency of subframe 0 of the 6 subcarriers, as shown by 520 (diagonal lines). The ACK/NACK information is repeatedly mapped on two slots of the two subcarriers of the highest frequency of subframe 3 of 6 subcarriers and both in REs around DMRSs of each slot as shown by 530 (dark region), as shown by 540 (mesh line). UL data is mapped to the remaining REs on subframes 0-3 of 6 subcarriers, as shown at 510. According to the present embodiment, for a UE scheduled for single-frequency or multi-frequency transmission, the ACQI information and the ACK/NACK information may also be transmitted on available subcarriers in different subframes.

Generally, for UEs that need coverage enhancement, retransmission of UL data is needed. The ACQI information and ACK/NACK information also require coverage enhancement, so they will also be retransmitted along with the UL data. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the multiplexed UCI and UL data is retransmitted in response to the UL data needing to be retransmitted. For example, in the embodiment of fig. 4, in response to the UL data needing to be retransmitted, the ACQI information, the UL data, and the ACK/NACK information may be retransmitted in the manner of the subframe 0 and the subframe 1 shown in the right half of fig. 4. For example, in the embodiment of fig. 5, in response to UL data needing to be retransmitted, the ACQI information, UL data, and ACK/NACK information may be retransmitted in the manner of subframes 0-3 shown in fig. 5.

Returning now to 310, in response to there being no transmission of UL data on PUSCH, entry 330 is entered. At 330, UCI is mapped into respective REs of the allocated subcarrier resource blocks on the PUSCH based on the frequency domain resources and time domain resources allocated for UCI. In the case that there is no transmission of UL data on PUSCH, as specified by LTE, the ACQI information is scheduled by eNB, so when the ACQI information needs to be reported, the ACQI information has allocated uplink resources for transmission, and its transmission mechanism may adopt an existing LTE mechanism, and thus it is not described here again. When there is no UL data transmission on the PUSCH, the ACK/NACK information does not have dedicated resources, and therefore, the transmission thereof needs to be adjusted. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure describe only the transmission of ACK/NACK information in detail.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, ACK/NACK information is mapped to a predetermined symbol block on two slots of one subcarrier based on frequency domain resources and time domain resources allocated for the ACK/NACK information in UCI.

The size of the ACK/NACK information is typically very small, e.g. only one bit or two bits. The UL resource unit size for its transmission can be reduced to, for example, the symbol level. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the resource unit for ACK/NACK information is reduced to the level of one subcarrier and symbol block.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an additional DMRS is mapped in each slot such that ACK/NACK information is in REs around the additional DMRS. That is, some DMRSs are additionally added in addition to the DMRSs in the general LTE slot, so that ACK/NACK information mapped to a predetermined symbol block according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be located in REs around the DMRSs. The decoding robustness of the ACK/NACK information can thereby be increased, especially in case the UE is in poor channel conditions.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the UE 120 may acquire the number of repetitions for the ACK/NACK information from the received dedicated RRC signaling. In this case, the number of repetitions for the ACK/NACK information is configured by dedicated Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The number of repetitions may indicate how many subframes the ACK/NACK information needs to be repeated over. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the UE 120 may repeatedly map ACK/NACK information on the same number of subframes as the repetition number, thereby achieving coverage enhancement.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the UE 120 may acquire frequency domain resources and time domain resources for ACK/NACK information from DCI for scheduling a PDSCH. In this case, the frequency domain resources and the time domain resources for the ACK/NACK information are indicated by Downlink Control Information (DCI) for scheduling the PDSCH in NB-IoT. In one embodiment, the frequency domain resources may include subcarrier indices. For example, the value of the subcarrier index is from 1 to 11 or some fixed value. When the eNB allocates resources, subcarriers at the edge of one PRB may be used for transmission of ACK/NACK information in order to ensure the continuity of TBS of the PUSCH of other UEs. In one embodiment, the time domain resource may include a subframe index and a symbol block index. For example, the subframe index may be an offset from the scheduled PDSCH subframe. For example, the symbol block index may be "0" or "1", "0" means that ACK/NACK information is placed in symbols 0 and 2 in slot 0 and symbols 7 and 9 in slot 1, and the corresponding DMRSs are symbols 1 and 8. "1" means that ACK/NACK information is placed in symbols 4 and 6 in slot 0 and symbols 11 and 13 in slot 1, and the corresponding DMRSs are symbols 5 and 12.

In the present embodiment, the UL resource unit of the ACK/NACK information may be reduced to the level of subcarriers and symbols, which may increase the UE feedback capacity. Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of RE mapping 600 of ACK/NACK information on PUSCH resources without UL data transmission according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodiment of fig. 6, the ACK/NACK information for the UE1 (e.g., shown in fig. 1) is at symbols 0 and 2 of slot 0 and symbols 7 and 9 of slot 1 of the highest frequency subcarrier, as shown at 610 (vertical line) in the figure, and the corresponding DMRSs are at symbols 1 and 8. The ACK/NACK information for the UE2 is at symbols 4 and 6 of slot 0 and 11 and 13 of slot 1 of the highest frequency subcarrier, as shown at 620 (horizontal line) in the figure, and the corresponding DMRSs are at symbols 5 and 12. The ACK/NACK information for the UE3 is shown in the drawing at 630 (slashed) for symbols 0 and 2 of slot 0 and symbols 7 and 9 of slot 1 of the lowest frequency subcarrier, and the corresponding DMRSs are at symbols 1 and 8. The ACK/NACK information for the UE4 is at symbols 4 and 6 of slot 0 and 11 and 13 of slot 1 of the lowest frequency subcarrier, as shown at 640 (dotted line) in the figure, and the corresponding DMRSs are at symbols 5 and 12. The DMRS at symbol 3 of slot 0 and symbol 10 of slot 1 may increase decoding robustness of the ACK/NACK if the UE is in a poor channel condition. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in case of transmitting ACK/NACK information on a PUSCH without UL data, ACK/NACK information of a plurality of UEs may be transmitted on subcarrier resource blocks originally allocated for the UEs, thereby increasing UE feedback capacity.

The above describes a method for transmitting UCI in NB-IoT according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to the method of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a scheme for UE in NB-IoT to transmit UCI on PUSCH, which is efficient, has less impact on technical standards, and can increase UE feedback capacity, may be provided. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure may also provide an apparatus for transmitting UCI implemented at a UE in an NB-IoT. As described in detail below in conjunction with fig. 7.

Fig. 7 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 700 implemented at a UE in an NB-IoT in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. It is to be appreciated that apparatus 700 may be implemented on, for example, UE 120 shown in fig. 1. Alternatively, the apparatus 700 may be the UE itself.

As shown in fig. 7, the apparatus 700 may include a controller 710 and a transceiver 720. The controller 710 may be configured to map UCI into REs of at least one subframe of the allocated subcarrier resource block on the PUSCH. The transceiver 720 may be configured to transmit at least one subframe of a resource block of subcarriers containing UCI.

In one embodiment, the apparatus 700 may further include a multiplexer (not shown) configured to multiplex UCI with the uplink data to be transmitted in response to a presence of transmission of the uplink data on the PUSCH. In one embodiment, a multiplexer may be configured to sequentially map Aperiodic Channel Quality Indication (ACQI) information in the UCI, the uplink data, and ACK/NACK information in the UCI into REs of at least one subframe of the allocated subcarrier resource block such that the ACK/NACK information is mapped into REs around a modulation reference signal (DMRS).

In one embodiment, the transceiver 720 may be configured to retransmit the multiplexed UCI and UL data in response to UL data needing to be retransmitted.

In one embodiment, the controller 710 may be configured to map the UCI into respective REs of the allocated subcarrier resource blocks on the PUSCH based on frequency domain resources and time domain resources allocated for the UCI in response to an absence of transmission of UL data on PUSCH. In one embodiment, the controller 710 may be configured to map ACK/NACK information to a predetermined symbol block on two slots of one subcarrier based on frequency-domain resources and time-domain resources allocated for the ACK/NACK information in the UCI. In one embodiment, the controller 710 may be configured to map an additional DMRS in each of two slots such that ACK/NACK information is in REs around the additional DMRS.

In one embodiment, the transceiver 720 may be further configured to obtain the number of repetitions from dedicated Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. In one embodiment, the controller 710 may be further configured to repeatedly map the ACK/NACK information over the same number of subframes as the repetition number.

In one embodiment, the transceiver 720 may be further configured to acquire the frequency domain resources and the time domain resources from Downlink Control Information (DCI) for scheduling the PDSCH. In one embodiment, the frequency domain resources may include subcarrier indices and the time domain resources may include subframe indices and symbol block indices.

It should be understood that each unit or module or sub-module recited in the apparatus 700 corresponds to each action in the

methods

200 and 300 described with reference to fig. 2 and 3, respectively. Moreover, the operations and features of the apparatus 700 and the units or modules or sub-modules included therein all correspond to the operations and features described above in conjunction with fig. 2 and 3, and have the same effects, and detailed details are not repeated.

Fig. 8 illustrates a block diagram of a terminal device 800 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 800 includes a controller 810 that controls the operation and functions of the device 800. For example, in certain embodiments, the controller 810 may perform various operations by way of instructions 830 stored in a memory 820 coupled thereto. The memory 820 may be of any suitable type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, including but not limited to semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems. Although only one memory unit is shown in FIG. 8, there may be multiple physically distinct memory units within device 800.

The controller 810 may be of any suitable type suitable to the local technical environment and may include, but is not limited to, one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microcontrollers, digital signal controllers (DSPs), and controller-based multi-core controller architectures. The device 800 may also include a plurality of controllers 810.

Device 800 may be used to implement UE 120. When the device 800 is acting as a UE 120, the controller 810 and the memory 820 may operate in conjunction to implement the

methods

200 and 300 described above with reference to fig. 2 and 3. All of the features described above with reference to fig. 2 and 3 apply to the apparatus 800 and are not described in detail here.

In general, the various example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Certain 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 aspects of embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated or described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that the 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. Examples of hardware devices that may be used to implement embodiments of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to: field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Application Specific Standards (ASSPs), systems on a chip (SOCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and the like.

By way of example, embodiments of the disclosure may be described in the context of machine-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided between program modules as described. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed facility, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Computer program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages. These computer program codes may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, cause the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks to be performed. The program code may execute entirely on the computer, partly on the computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server.

In the context of this disclosure, a machine-readable medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More detailed examples of a machine-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 storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

Additionally, while 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 or parallel processing may be beneficial. Likewise, while the above discussion contains certain specific implementation details, this should not be construed as limiting the scope of any invention or claims, but rather as describing particular embodiments that may be directed to particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this specification 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 subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not 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 for transmitting uplink control information UCI in narrowband-based Internet of Things NB-IoT, comprising:

mapping the UCI into resource elements RE of at least one subframe of the allocated subcarrier resource block on the physical uplink shared channel PUSCH;

The aperiodic channel quality indication ACQI information, uplink data and ACK/NACK information in the UCI in the UCI are sequentially mapped to at least the allocated subcarrier resource blocks in the order of the subcarriers in REs of a subframe; and

transmitting the at least one subframe of the subcarrier resource block containing the UCI,

The ACK/NACK information is repeatedly mapped to two time slots of the two subcarriers of the highest frequency and mapped to REs around the modulation reference signal DMRS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ACQI information is mapped onto the lowest frequency three subcarriers.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

The multiplexed UCI and the uplink data are retransmitted in response to the uplink data needing to be retransmitted.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping of UCI to the REs of at least one subframe of the allocated subcarrier resource blocks on the PUSCH comprises:

In response to the absence of uplink data transmission on the PUSCH, the UCI is mapped to the allocated subcarrier resource blocks on the PUSCH based on the frequency domain resources and time domain resources allocated for the UCI in the corresponding RE.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the UCI is mapped to a corresponding one of an allocated subcarrier resource block on the PUSCH based on frequency domain resources and time domain resources allocated for the UCI Included in the RE are:

The ACK/NACK information is mapped to predetermined symbol blocks on two slots of one subcarrier based on frequency domain resources and time domain resources allocated for the ACK/NACK information in the UCI.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein mapping the ACK/NACK information to predetermined blocks of symbols on two slots of one subcarrier comprises:

An additional DMRS is mapped in each of the two slots so that the ACK/NACK information is in REs around the additional DMRS.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

obtain the number of repetitions for the ACK/NACK information in the UCI from dedicated radio resource control RRC signaling, and

The ACK/NACK information is repeatedly mapped on the same number of subframes as the repetition number.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

The frequency domain resource and the time domain resource are obtained from downlink control information DCI for scheduling PDSCH.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the frequency domain resources comprise subcarrier indices and the time domain resources comprise subframe indices and symbol block indices.

10. An apparatus for operating in a narrowband based Internet of Things NB-IoT, comprising:

a controller configured to map the UCI into a resource element RE of at least one subframe of the allocated subcarrier resource block on the physical uplink shared channel PUSCH;

a multiplexer configured to sequentially map the aperiodic channel quality indication ACQI information, uplink data and ACK/NACK information in the UCI to the allocated in REs of at least one subframe of a subcarrier resource block; and

a transceiver configured to transmit the at least one subframe of the subcarrier resource block containing the UCI,

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the ACQI information is mapped onto the lowest frequency three subcarriers.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the transceiver is configured to retransmit the multiplexed UCI and the uplink data in response to the uplink data needing to be retransmitted.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to: in response to the absence of transmission of uplink data on the PUSCH, based on frequency domain resources and time domain allocated for the UCI resources, the UCI is mapped into the corresponding REs of the allocated subcarrier resource blocks on the PUSCH.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to:

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to map an additional DMRS in each of the two slots such that the ACK/NACK information is in the additional DMRS in REs around DMRS.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the transceiver is further configured to obtain a repetition number from dedicated radio resource control RRC signaling, and

The controller is also configured to repeatedly map the ACK/NACK information on the same number of subframes as the number of repetitions.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the transceiver is further configured to obtain the frequency domain resource and the time domain resource from downlink control information DCI for scheduling PDSCH.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the frequency domain resources comprise subcarrier indices and the time domain resources comprise subframe indices and symbol block indices.

19. A terminal device, comprising:

processor, and

a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the terminal device to perform the method of any one of claims 1-9.