CN114223159B

CN114223159B - Transmission of high-level ACK/NACK

Info

Publication number: CN114223159B
Application number: CN201980099052.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: M·希兰吉; 姚春海; R·拉塔素克; N·曼加尔维德赫; S·赛瓦加纳帕西
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2019-08-02
Filing date: 2019-08-02
Publication date: 2024-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-02
Also published as: CN114223159A; WO2021022422A1

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods, apparatuses, devices, and computer-readable storage media for high-level validation. The first device transmits data to the second device on the preconfigured uplink resources. The first device monitors physical layer ACK/NACKs for the transmitted data. The first device obtains information of a higher layer ACK/NACK based on the monitoring of the physical layer ACK/NACK. The first device receives a high-layer ACK/NACK from the second device based on the obtained information.

Description

Transmission of high-level ACK/NACK

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications and, more particularly, relate to methods, apparatuses, devices, and computer readable media for transmission of high-level ACK/NACK.

Background

With the standardization progress of the third generation partnership project (3 GPP), machine Type Communication (MTC)/narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) technology has evolved and is rapidly developing. One of the main advantages of MTC/NB-IoT is to provide low cost terminal devices, such as User Equipment (UE) with excellent battery life. In order to save power, the terminal device typically needs to switch between different operation modes, e.g. a connected mode, an idle mode, a power saving mode, etc.

Rel-16 approves new work items for further enhancement of MTC/NB-IoT technology. One of the goals of this work item is to support the transmission of terminal devices operating in idle mode or connected mode on pre-configured uplink resources (PUR) so that the terminal device will have an effective timing advance. Currently, only dedicated PUR (D-PUR) allocated for UEs operating in idle mode is supported. In this context, D-PUR refers to a unique or dedicated time-frequency resource reserved for a terminal device configured with PUR.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for high-level acknowledgement/negative acknowledgement.

In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to: transmitting data from the first device to the second device on the preconfigured uplink resources; monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK with respect to the transmitted data; based on the monitoring of the physical layer ACK/NACK, obtaining the information of the high layer ACK/NACK; and receiving a higher layer ACK/NACK from the second device based on the obtained information.

In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to: receiving data from a first device on a preconfigured uplink resource; and transmitting physical layer ACK/NACK with respect to the data to the first device to indicate information of the higher layer ACK/NACK.

In a third aspect, there is provided a method implemented at a device, the method comprising: transmitting, at the first device, data to the second device on the preconfigured uplink resources; monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK with respect to the transmitted data; based on the monitoring of the physical layer ACK/NACK, obtaining the information of the high layer ACK/NACK; and receiving a higher layer ACK/NACK from the second device based on the obtained information.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method implemented at a device, the method comprising: receiving data from a first device on a preconfigured uplink resource; and transmitting physical layer ACK/NACK with respect to the data to the first device to indicate information of the higher layer ACK/NACK.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for transmitting data from the first device to the second device on the preconfigured uplink resources; means for monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK with respect to the transmitted data; means for obtaining information of a higher layer ACK/NACK based on monitoring of the physical layer ACK/NACK; and means for receiving a higher layer ACK/NACK from the second device based on the obtained information.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for receiving data from a first device on pre-configured uplink resources; and means for transmitting physical layer ACK/NACK for the data to the first device to indicate information of the higher layer ACK/NACK.

In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the third aspect described above.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the fourth aspect described above.

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

Drawings

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

fig. 2 illustrates a signaling flow diagram of transmission of high-level ACK/NACK according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 illustrates another signaling flow diagram for transmission of high-level ACK/NACK according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 illustrates yet another signaling flow diagram for transmission of high-level ACK/NACK according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for use in practicing some other embodiments of the present disclosure; and

fig. 8 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer-readable medium, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

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

Detailed Description

Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

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

In this disclosure, references to "one embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an example embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It will be understood that, although the terms "first" and "second," etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish between elements. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," "includes" and/or "including," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

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

(a) Hardware-only circuit implementations (such as in analog-only and/or digital-circuit implementations)

(b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (as applicable):

(i) Combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit(s) and software/firmware

(ii) Any portion of the hardware processor(s) with software, including the digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s), working together to cause a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions, and

(c) Hardware circuit(s) and/or processor(s) such as microprocessor(s) or a portion of microprocessor(s) that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but software may not exist when software is not required to operate.

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

As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as a fifth generation (5G) system, long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-a), wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), high Speed Packet Access (HSPA), narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT), and so forth. Furthermore, the communication between the terminal device and the network devices in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol including, but not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication protocols and/or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of the communication field, there will of course be future types of communication technologies and systems that can be used to implement the present disclosure. It should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the foregoing systems.

As used herein, the term "first device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. In some embodiments, the first device may be a terminal device. By way of example, and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user Equipment (UE), subscriber Station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile Station (MS), or Access Terminal (AT). The terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), internet of things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head Mounted Displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., tele-surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or automated processing chain environment), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

The term "second device" refers to a node in the communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. In some embodiments, the second device may be a network device. A network device may refer to a Base Station (BS) or an Access Point (AP), e.g., a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Head (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), a relay, a low power node such as a femto, pico, etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied.

In a communication network in which a plurality of network devices are jointly deployed in a geographical area to serve individual cells, a terminal device may have an active connection with a network device when located within the respective cell. In an active connection, a terminal device may communicate with the network device on a frequency band in both Uplink (UL) and Downlink (DL). For various reasons, such as quality degradation in the UL, a terminal device may need to switch a link in one direction, such as the UL, to another network device.

Although the functionality described herein may be performed in fixed and/or wireless network nodes in various example embodiments, in other example embodiments, the functionality may be implemented in a user equipment device (such as a cellular phone or tablet or laptop or desktop or mobile IoT device or fixed IoT device). For example, the user equipment device may be equipped with the respective capabilities described in connection with the fixed and/or wireless network node(s), where appropriate. The user equipment device may be a user equipment and/or a control device, such as a chipset or processor, configured to control the user equipment when installed therein. Examples of such functions include a bootstrapping server function and/or a home subscriber server, which may be implemented in the user equipment device by providing the user equipment device with software configured to cause the user equipment device to execute from the point of view of these functions/nodes.

In MTC/IoT technology, a first device, e.g., a terminal device, may operate in a power save mode or discontinuous reception mode, so the first device does not need to constantly monitor the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and maintain a connection with a second device. In particular, a first device operating in discontinuous reception mode may periodically enter a sleep state and wake up and listen for PDCCH from the sleep state only if necessary. In the power saving mode, the first device may "sleep" for a longer period of time. During this time, the first device is equivalent to entering a power-off state and stopping detecting pages or performing any cell/PLMN selection, so the power saving mode is more power efficient.

Considering that a large number of first devices are deployed within the coverage of the second device, while the resources to be allocated are limited, transmissions on PUR are introduced to enable the UE to have an efficient time advance in idle mode/connected mode. After the first device transmits data on the PUR, the second device transmits a physical layer (i.e., layer 1) ACK/NACK to the first device on the downlink. Traditionally, NB-IoT only supports a single hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process. However, when the UE is not in the connected mode, there is no mechanism supporting a higher layer, e.g., a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer ACK/NACK for transmission on the D-PUR, and thus the security of transmission or retransmission on the D-PUR is not guaranteed.

To at least partially address the above and other potential problems, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for transmitting high-layer ACK/NACKs. In this solution, the higher layer ACK/NACK is transmitted based on monitoring the physical layer ACK/NACK. Thus, the first device may internally decide whether to enter a sleep state or remain awake until receiving an RLC ACK. Thus, the power usage of the first device is optimized.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example communication network 100 in which implementations of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication network 100 comprises a first device 110 and a second device 120. For example, the network 100 may provide one or more cells to serve the second device 120. It should be understood that the number of first devices, second devices, and/or batteries is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation to the present disclosure. Communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices, terminal devices, and/or cells suitable for implementing implementations of the present disclosure.

In the communication network 100, the first device 110 may transmit data, such as Protocol Data Units (PDUs), to the second device 120, and the second device 120 may allocate resources for the first device 110. As described above, the second device 120 may assign PURs, such as D-PURs or contention-free sharing PURs (CFS-PURs), to the first device 110. The link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 is referred to as the Uplink (UL) and the link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 is referred to as the Downlink (DL).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, after the first device 110 transmits RLC PDUs to the second device 120, the first device 110 may start monitoring physical layer ACK/NACKs with respect to the transmitted data and obtain information of higher layer ACK/NACKs based on the monitored conditions in order to determine at which occasion and where to receive the higher layer ACK/NACKs. The second device 120 in turn sends physical layer ACK/NACK to the first device 110 to indicate information of higher layer ACK/NACK. Thus, higher layer ACK/NACK may be transmitted with physical layer ACK/NACK.

The principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 2 through 8. Fig. 2 illustrates a signaling diagram of a process 200 for transmitting a high layer ACK/NACK according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the process 200 will be described with reference to fig. 1. Process 200 may include first device 110 and second device 120 as shown in fig. 1. It should be appreciated that although the process 200 has been described in the communication system 100 of fig. 1, the process is equally applicable to other communication scenarios.

As shown in fig. 2, the first device 110 transmits 205 data to the second device 120. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may send the PDU on PUR(s). PUR(s) may be assigned by the second device 120. The first device 110 monitors 210 physical layer ACK/NACKs for the transmitted data.

The second device 120 receives data from the first device 110 over the PUR(s). In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may determine whether to send a physical layer ACK or NACK based on the receipt of the data. The second device 120 then sends 215 a physical layer ACK/NACK for the data to the first device 110. In some example embodiments, the physical layer ACK/NACK indicates information of a higher layer ACK/NACK.

The first device 110 obtains 220 information of the higher layer ACK/NACK based on the monitoring of the physical layer ACK/NACK. In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may transmit a physical layer ACK/NACK included in Downlink Control Information (DCI) on the PDCCH. For example, a New Data Indicator (NDI) included in DCI may be used to indicate physical layer ACK/NACK. Specifically, the physical layer ACK is indicated by switching the value of NDI, for example, from a value of 0 to a value of 1, and the physical layer NACK is indicated by keeping the value of NDI from being switched, for example, at a value of 1. In this case, the first device 110 may determine that the physical layer ACK is received based on the NDI of the handover and receive the physical layer NACK based on the unchanged NDI. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that a physical layer NACK is received based on not detecting DCI on the PDCCH.

The process 200 as shown in fig. 2 may have various implementations. In some embodiments, higher layer ACK/NACKs for uplink transmissions on PUR(s) may be scheduled by using a new search space, as will be discussed in detail with reference to fig. 3. Alternatively, in some embodiments, higher layer ACK/NACKs for uplink transmissions on the PUR(s) may not be scheduled by using the search space, and thus the first device 110 may terminate uplink transmissions on the PUR(s) without having to wait for the search space. The relevant details will be discussed with reference to fig. 4.

Fig. 3 illustrates another signaling flow diagram for transmission of high-level ACK/NACK according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the process 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The process 300 may include the first device 110 and the second device 120 as shown in fig. 1. It should be appreciated that although the process 300 has been described in the communication system 100 of fig. 1, the process is equally applicable to other communication scenarios.

As shown in fig. 3, the second device 120 may allocate 305 PUR(s) for the first device 110 and optionally timing information for indicating a search space for high layer ACK/NACK. The first device 110 sends 310 data, such as PDUs, to the second device 120. As data is transmitted over the PUR(s), the first device 110 begins to monitor 315 for physical layer ACK/NACKs for the transmitted data. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may monitor the physical layer ACK/NACK by searching for DCI format N0 on the NPDCCH, which is used to schedule a narrow physical uplink search channel, and occurs at a specified time offset from the data transmission from the first device 110.

The second device 120 transmits 320 physical layer ACK/NACK, and the physical layer ACK/NACK may also indicate information of higher layer ACK/NCAK. As described above, if DCI format N0 is detected and NDI included in DCI format N0 is switched, the first device 110 may determine that the second device 120 transmits a physical layer ACK. If no DCI is detected, e.g., no DCI itself is transmitted, the first device 110 may assume that the second device 120 transmits a physical layer ACK.

In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may configure a newly defined search space for carrying higher layer ACK/NACKs, e.g., RLC layer acknowledgement information. The newly defined search space may be a periodically occurring Common Search Space (CSS). Alternatively, the newly defined search space may be a dedicated search space that is specific to the first device 110. In the event that a physical layer ACK is received or a physical layer NACK is not received, the first device 110 may obtain 325 a configuration of the search space from the second device 120 via, for example, system Information (SI) or Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine 330 a particular occasion to search the space based on the configuration. In this case, the first device 110 may receive 335 a higher layer ACK/NACK included in the DCI at a specific occasion of the search space. Alternatively, the first device 110 may monitor all opportunities of the search space. When receiving the high-layer ACK/NACK, the first device 110 may release the buffer by, for example, deleting the transmitted data, and enter the sleep state 340.

In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may obtain the high-layer ACK/NACK from the high-layer information in the dedicated field in the DCI. Likewise, upon receiving the higher layer ACK/NACK, the first device 110 may release the buffer by, for example, deleting the transmitted data and enter the sleep state 345.

In other embodiments, if DCI format N0 is detected and NDI included in DCI format N0 is not switched, the first device 110 may determine that the second device 120 transmits the physical layer NACK. In this case, the first device 110 may be authorized to retransmit 345 the data according to the direction indicated in the DCI or to redirect to a fallback to legacy/early data transmission procedure for retransmission.

Fig. 4 illustrates yet another signaling flow diagram for transmission of high-level ACK/NACK according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the process 400 will be described with reference to fig. 1. The process 400 may include the first device 110 and the second device 120 as shown in fig. 1. It should be appreciated that although the process 300 has been described in the communication system 100 of fig. 1, the process is equally applicable to other communication scenarios.

Instead of indicating a higher layer ACK/NACK in the search space, the second device 120 may send the higher layer ACK/NACK by using resources on the Physical Uplink Search Channel (PUSCH), which is scheduled in a fixed location relative to the transmission on the PUR, or from a search space location on the NPDCCH. In this case, uplink transmission on the PUR(s) may be terminated upon receipt of the higher layer ACK/NACK.

As shown in fig. 4, the second device 120 assigns 405 PUR(s) to the first device 110. The first device 110 sends 410 data, such as PDUs, to the second device 120. As data is transmitted over the PUR(s), the first device 110 begins to monitor 415 physical layer ACK/NACKs for the transmitted data. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may monitor for physical layer ACK/NACK by searching for DCI format N0 on NPDCCH, which is used to schedule a Narrow PUSCH (NPUSCH) and occurs at a specified time offset from the data transmission from the first device 110.

The second device 120 transmits 420 physical layer ACK/NACK in the first DCI, and the physical layer ACK/NACK may also indicate information of a higher layer ACK/NCAK. Likewise, upon receiving a physical layer ACK or without receiving a physical layer NACK, the first device 110 may obtain 425 an indication of a second DCI for carrying a higher layer ACK/NACK. Then, the first device 110 receives 430 the higher layer ACK/NACK in the second DCI.

Alternatively, the first device 110 may obtain the indication by decoding the NPDSCH, wherein the higher layer ACK/NACK is located in a fixed position relative to the NPDCCH search space.

In another example embodiment, the second device 120 may carry a higher layer ACK/NACK using data scheduled by the first DCI. In this case, the first device 110 may determine data scheduled by the first DCI when receiving the physical layer ACK or not receiving the physical layer NACK. The first device 110 may then receive a higher layer ACK/NACK in the data.

In yet another example embodiment, the second device may scramble DCI including a physical layer ACK/NACK by a sequence selected based on the first device context information and an RLC/PDCP sequence number (e.g., a Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI) such as a D-PUR-RNTI) for security purposes. The first device 110 may determine an RNTI from DCI monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK when receiving physical layer ACK or not receiving physical layer NACK. In this case, the first device 110 may perform Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) based on the RNTI and determine high-layer ACK/NACK based on the result of the CRC. Specifically, if the CRC fails, the first device 110 may descramble contents other than the CRC and perform the CRC again. If the CRC passes, the first device 110 may treat it as a secure high-layer ACK/NACK.

In some example embodiments, upon receiving the high-layer ACK/NACK, the first device 110 may release the buffer by, for example, deleting the transmitted data and enter 435 a sleep state.

In other embodiments, if a physical layer NACK is received, the first device 110 may be authorized to retransmit 440 the data in the direction indicated in the DCI or to redirect to a fallback to legacy/early data transmission procedure for retransmission.

In contrast to process 300 as described above, process 400 is not affected by the periodicity of the search space. For example, if the period of the search space is large, the first device 110 may need to monitor for a long time to wait for the search space. The process 400 may allow the second device 120 to send RLC layer ACK/NACK earlier, so the first device 110 may terminate transmissions on PUR(s) without waiting for a search space and enter a sleep state earlier.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method 500 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the first device 110 with reference to fig. 1.

At 510, the first device 110 sends data to the second device 120 over the PUR(s). At 520, the first device 110 monitors physical layer ACK/NACK for the transmitted data. The first device 110 may monitor the physical layer ACK/NACK in various ways.

For example, the first device 110 may monitor a downlink control channel between the first device 110 and the second device 120. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may obtain a new data indicator from the downlink control information if the downlink control information is detected on the downlink control channel. If the first device 110 determines that the new data indicator is switched, the first device 110 may determine that a physical layer ACK is received. On the other hand, if the new data indicator is not switched, the first device 110 may determine that the physical layer NACK is received.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, if no downlink control information is detected on the downlink control channel, the first device 110 may determine that the physical layer NACK is not received.

At 530, the first device 110 obtains information of the higher layer ACK/NACK based on the monitoring of the physical layer ACK/NACK. At 540, the first device 110 receives a high layer ACK/NACK from the second device based on the obtained information.

The first device 110 may obtain information of the higher layer ACK/NACK in various ways. In some embodiments, the first device 110 obtains a configuration of the search space carrying the higher layer ACK/NACK if a physical layer ACK is received or no physical layer NACK is received. In some embodiments, the search space may be a private search space, a public search space, and any other suitable search space.

In such embodiments, the first device 110 may determine the timing of the search space based on the configuration and receive the higher layer ACK/NACK in the downlink control information in the timing of the search space. In an alternative embodiment, the first device 110 may obtain the high-layer ACK/NACK from the high-layer information in the dedicated field in the downlink control information.

In some embodiments, if a physical layer ACK is received or a physical layer NACK is not received, the first device 110 obtains an indication of second downlink control information carrying a higher layer ACK/NACK from the first downlink control information in which the physical layer ACK/NACK is monitored. In such an embodiment, the first device 110 receives a higher layer ACK/NACK in the second downlink control information.

In some embodiments, if a physical layer ACK or no physical layer NACK is received, the first device 110 determines data scheduled by the first downlink control information where the physical layer ACK/NACK is monitored, the data carrying a higher layer ACK/NACK. In such an embodiment, the first device 110 receives a higher layer ACK/NACK in the data.

In some embodiments, if a physical layer ACK is received or no physical layer NACK is received, the first device 110 determines a radio network temporary identity from downlink control information monitoring for physical layer ACK/NACK. In such an embodiment, the first device 110 performs a cyclic redundancy check based on the radio network temporary identity and determines a higher layer ACK/NACK based on the result of the cyclic redundancy check.

Fig. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the first device 110 with reference to fig. 1.

At 610, the second device 120 receives data from the first device 110 over the PUR(s). At 620, the second device 120 transmits physical layer ACK/NACK for data to the first device 110 to indicate information of higher layer ACK/NACK.

In some embodiments, if the second device 120 determines that the data was successfully received, the second device 120 transmits downlink control information including a new data indicator that is switched to indicate a physical layer ACK. If the second device 120 determines that the data was not successfully received, the second device 120 transmits downlink control information including a new data indicator that was not switched to indicate the physical layer NACK.

In some embodiments, the second device 120 also transmits a configuration of a search space carrying high layer ACK/NACK, the search space comprising one of a private search space and a public search space. In such an embodiment, the configuration indicates whether the search space is a private search space or a public search space.

In some embodiments, the configuration of the search space includes a timing of the search space, and the second device 120 transmits physical layer ACK/NACK in the downlink control information in the timing of the search space.

In some embodiments, the second device 120 sends downlink control information carrying physical layer ACK/NACK to the first device. The downlink control information includes an indication of another downlink control information carrying a higher layer ACK/NACK.

In some embodiments, the second device 120 sends downlink control information carrying physical layer ACK/NACK to the first device. The downlink control information includes a radio network temporary identity for the first device to perform a cyclic redundancy check to determine a higher layer ACK/NACK.

In some embodiments, the second device 120 also transmits data scheduled by the downlink control information monitoring the physical layer ACK/NACK to the first device 110, the data carrying the higher layer ACK/NACK.

It should be understood that the description of the features with reference to fig. 1-4 also applies to methods 500 and 600 and has the same effect. Therefore, details of the features are omitted.

In some example embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., first device 110) capable of performing any of the methods 500 may include means for performing the various steps of the methods 500. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, these components may be implemented in circuits or software modules.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: means for transmitting data from the first device to the second device on the preconfigured uplink resources; means for monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK with respect to the transmitted data; means for obtaining information of a higher layer ACK/NACK based on monitoring of the physical layer ACK/NACK; and means for receiving a higher layer ACK/NACK from the second device based on the obtained information.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of the method 500. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause execution of the apparatus.

In some embodiments, the means for monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK comprises: means for monitoring a downlink control channel between the first device and the second device; and means for obtaining a new data indicator included in the downlink control information in response to detecting the downlink control information on the downlink control channel; means for determining that a physical layer ACK was received in response to determining that the new data indicator was switched; and means for determining that a physical layer NACK is received in response to determining that the new data indicator is not switched.

In some embodiments, the means for monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK comprises: means for determining that a physical layer NACK was not received in response to not detecting downlink control information on the downlink control channel.

In some embodiments, the means for obtaining information of the higher layer ACK/NACK comprises: means for obtaining a configuration of a search space carrying high layer ACK/NACK in response to receiving the physical layer ACK or not receiving the physical layer NACK, the search space comprising one of a private search space and a public search space.

In some embodiments, the means for receiving a higher layer ACK/NACK comprises: means for determining a timing of the search space based on the configuration; and means for receiving a higher layer ACK/NACK in the downlink control information in the opportunity of the search space.

In some embodiments, the means for receiving a higher layer ACK/NACK in the downlink control information comprises: means for obtaining a high layer ACK/NACK from the high layer information in the dedicated field in the downlink control information.

In some embodiments, the means for obtaining information of the higher layer ACK/NACK comprises: means for obtaining an indication of second downlink control information carrying a higher layer ACK/NACK from the first downlink control information in response to receiving the physical layer ACK or not receiving the physical layer NACK, wherein the physical layer ACK/NACK is monitored in the first downlink control information; and means for receiving a higher layer ACK/NACK includes: means for receiving a higher layer ACK/NACK in the second downlink control information.

In some embodiments, the means for obtaining information of the higher layer ACK/NACK comprises: means for determining data scheduled by the first downlink control information in response to receiving the physical layer ACK or not receiving the physical layer NACK, the data carrying a higher layer ACK/NACK, monitoring the physical layer ACK/NACK in the first downlink control information; and the means for receiving the higher layer ACK/NACK includes: means for receiving a higher layer ACK/NACK in the data.

In some embodiments, the means for obtaining information of the higher layer ACK/NACK comprises: means for determining a radio network temporary identity from downlink control information monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK in response to receiving the physical layer ACK or not receiving the physical layer NACK; and means for receiving a higher layer ACK/NACK includes: means for performing a cyclic redundancy check based on the radio network temporary identity; and means for determining a higher layer ACK/NACK based on the result of the cyclic redundancy check.

In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., second device 120) capable of performing any of method 600 may include means for performing the steps of method 600. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, these components may be implemented in circuits or software modules.

In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for receiving data from a first device on pre-configured uplink resources; and means for transmitting physical layer ACK/NACK for the data to the first device to indicate information of higher layer ACK/NACK.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps of some embodiments of the method 600. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause execution of the apparatus.

In some embodiments, the means for transmitting physical layer ACK/NACK comprises: means for transmitting downlink control information including the switched new data indicator to indicate a physical layer ACK in response to determining that the data was successfully received; and means for transmitting downlink control information including the new data indicator that is not switched to indicate the physical layer NACK in response to determining that the data was not successfully received.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for transmitting a configuration of a search space carrying high layer ACK/NACK, the search space comprising one of a private search space and a public search space.

In some embodiments, the means for transmitting physical layer ACK/NACK comprises: means for transmitting physical layer ACK/NACK in the downlink control information in the opportunity of the search space.

In some embodiments, the means for transmitting physical layer ACK/NACK comprises: means for transmitting downlink control information carrying physical layer ACK/NACK to the first device, the downlink control information comprising an indication of another downlink control information carrying higher layer ACK/NACK.

In some embodiments, the means for transmitting physical layer ACK/NACK comprises: means for transmitting downlink control information carrying physical layer ACK/NACK to the first device, the downlink control information comprising a radio network temporary identity, for the first device to perform a cyclic redundancy check to determine a higher layer ACK/NACK.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting data scheduled by downlink control information to the first device, the physical layer ACK/NACK being monitored in the downlink control information, the data carrying a higher layer ACK/NACK.

Fig. 7 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 700 suitable for use in implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 700 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as first device 710 or second device 720, as shown in fig. 1. As shown, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processors 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processors 710.

The communication module 740 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 740 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements.

Processor 710 may be of any type suitable to the local technology network and may include one or more of the following: by way of non-limiting example, general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 700 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock that is synchronized to the master processor.

Memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact Disks (CD), digital Video Disks (DVD), and other magnetic and/or optical storage. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random Access Memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memory that does not last for the duration of the power outage.

The computer program 730 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 710. Program 730 may be stored in ROM 724. Processor 710 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 730 into RAM 722.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by the program 730 such that the device 700 may perform any of the processes of the present disclosure discussed with reference to fig. 2-6. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented in hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some example embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 700 (such as in the memory 720) or other storage device accessible to the device 700. The device 700 may load the program 730 from a computer readable medium into the RAM 722 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any type of tangible, non-volatile storage device, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Fig. 8 shows an example of a computer readable medium 800 in the form of a CD or DVD. The computer readable medium has a program 730 stored thereon.

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

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product comprises computer executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, for execution in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the methods 500 or 600 as described above with reference to fig. 5 and 6. 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 split between program modules as desired. Machine-executable instructions of program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

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

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

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

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

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

Claims

1. A first device, comprising:

At least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to:

transmitting data from the first device to a second device on pre-configured uplink resources;

monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK with respect to the transmitted data;

based on the monitoring of the physical layer ACK/NACK, obtaining information of a high layer ACK/NACK; and

receiving the higher layer ACK/NACK from the second device based on the obtained information,

wherein the first device is caused to obtain information of a higher layer ACK/NACK by:

in response to the physical layer ACK being received or the physical layer NACK not being received, obtaining an indication of second downlink control information carrying the higher layer ACK/NACK from first downlink control information monitoring the physical layer ACK/NACK, and

wherein the first device is caused to receive the higher layer ACK/NACK by: and receiving the high-layer ACK/NACK in the second downlink control information.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to monitor physical layer ACK/NACKs by:

Monitoring a downlink control channel between the first device and the second device; and

in response to detecting downlink control information on the downlink control channel,

obtain a new data indicator included in the downlink control information,

in response to determining that the new data indicator is switched, determining that the physical layer ACK is received, and

in response to determining that the new data indicator is not switched, it is determined that the physical layer NACK is received.

3. The first device of claim 2, wherein the first device is caused to monitor physical layer ACK/NACK by:

in response to not detecting downlink control information on the downlink control channel, it is determined that the physical layer NACK was not received.

4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to obtain information of a higher layer ACK/NACK by:

in response to the physical layer ACK being received or the physical layer NACK not being received, a configuration of a search space carrying the higher layer ACK/NACK is obtained, the search space comprising one of a private search space and a public search space.

5. The first device of claim 4, wherein the first device is caused to receive the higher layer ACK/NACK by:

Determining a timing of the search space based on the configuration; and

the higher layer ACK/NACK in downlink control information is received in the occasion of the search space.

6. The first device of claim 5, wherein the first device is caused to receive the higher layer ACK/NACK in downlink control information by:

the high layer ACK/NACK is obtained from the high layer information in the dedicated field in the downlink control information.

7. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to obtain information of a higher layer ACK/NACK by:

determining data scheduled by first downlink control information in response to the physical layer ACK being received or the physical layer NACK not being received, monitoring the physical layer ACK/NACK in the first downlink control information, the data carrying the higher layer ACK/NACK, and

wherein the first device is caused to receive the higher layer ACK/NACK by: and receiving the high-layer ACK/NACK in the data.

8. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to obtain information of a higher layer ACK/NACK by:

Determining a radio network temporary identity from downlink control information in response to the physical layer ACK being received or the physical layer NACK not being received, monitoring the physical layer ACK/NACK in the downlink control information, and

wherein the first device is caused to receive the higher layer ACK/NACK by:

performing a cyclic redundancy check based on the radio network temporary identity, and

the higher layer ACK/NACK is determined based on the result of the cyclic redundancy check.

9. A second device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to:

receiving data from a first device on a preconfigured uplink resource; and

transmitting information about physical layer ACK/NACK of the data to the first device to indicate higher layer ACK/NACK,

wherein the second device is caused to send the physical layer ACK/NACK by:

and sending downlink control information carrying the physical layer ACK/NACK to the first equipment, wherein the downlink control information comprises an indication of another downlink control information carrying the high layer ACK/NACK.

10. The second device of claim 9, wherein the second device is caused to send the physical layer ACK/NACK by:

transmitting downlink control information including a switched new data indicator to indicate the physical layer ACK in response to determining that the data was successfully received; and

in response to determining that the data was not successfully received, downlink control information including a new data indicator that was not switched is sent to indicate the physical layer NACK.

11. A second device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second device is further caused to:

a configuration of a search space carrying the high-layer ACK/NACK is sent, the search space comprising one of a private search space and a public search space.

12. The second device of claim 11, wherein the configuration of the search space includes an opportunity for the search space, and causes the second device to transmit the physical layer ACK/NACK by:

and transmitting the physical layer ACK/NACK in downlink control information in the opportunity of the search space.

13. The second device of claim 9, wherein the second device is caused to send the physical layer ACK/NACK by:

And transmitting downlink control information carrying the physical layer ACK/NACK to the first equipment, wherein the downlink control information comprises a radio network temporary identifier and is used for the first equipment to execute cyclic redundancy check to determine the high layer ACK/NACK.

14. A second device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second device is further caused to:

and sending data scheduled by downlink control information to the first device, wherein the downlink control information carries the monitored physical layer ACK/NACK, and the data carries the high layer ACK/NACK.

15. A method, comprising:

transmitting, at the first device, data to the second device on the preconfigured uplink resources;

monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK with respect to the transmitted data;

based on the monitoring of the physical layer ACK/NACK, obtaining information of the high layer ACK/NACK; and

wherein the obtaining information of the higher layer ACK/NACK based on the monitoring of the physical layer ACK/NACK includes:

Wherein said receiving said higher layer ACK/NACK comprises: and receiving the high-layer ACK/NACK in the second downlink control information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK comprises:

obtain a new data indicator included in the downlink control information,

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK comprises:

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the obtaining information of higher layer ACK/NACKs comprises:

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the receiving the higher layer ACK/NACK comprises:

determining a timing of the search space based on the configuration; and

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the receiving the higher layer ACK/NACK in downlink control information comprises:

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the obtaining information of higher layer ACK/NACKs comprises:

wherein said receiving said higher layer ACK/NACK comprises: and receiving the high-layer ACK/NACK in the data.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the obtaining information of higher layer ACK/NACKs comprises:

Wherein said receiving said higher layer ACK/NACK comprises:

performing a cyclic redundancy check based on the radio network temporary identity

23. A method, comprising:

receiving, at the second device, data from the first device on the preconfigured uplink resources; and

transmitting physical layer ACK/NACK for the data to the first device to indicate information of higher layer ACK/NACK,

wherein the transmitting physical layer ACK/NACK for the data to the first device to indicate information of higher layer ACK/NACK includes:

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the sending the physical layer ACK/NACK comprises:

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the sending the physical layer ACK/NACK comprises:

and sending the physical layer ACK/NACK in the downlink control information in the opportunity of the search space.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the sending the physical layer ACK/NACK comprises:

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

29. An apparatus, comprising:

means for transmitting data from the first device to the second device on the preconfigured uplink resources;

Means for monitoring physical layer ACK/NACK for the transmitted data;

means for obtaining information of a higher layer ACK/NACK based on the monitoring of the physical layer ACK/NACK; and

means for receiving the higher layer ACK/NACK from the second device based on the obtained information,

wherein the information for obtaining the higher layer ACK/NACK includes:

30. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving data from a first device on a preconfigured uplink resource; and

means for transmitting physical layer ACK/NACK for the data to the first device to indicate information of higher layer ACK/NACK,

31. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any one of claims 15-22.

32. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any one of claims 23-28.