CN118160382A

CN118160382A - Enhancement of HARQ process selection

Info

Publication number: CN118160382A
Application number: CN202180103657.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: P-H·阔; 吴春丽
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: 2021-10-27
Filing date: 2021-10-27
Publication date: 2024-06-07
Also published as: WO2023070391A1

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses, methods, devices, and computer-readable storage media for HARQ process selection. The method comprises the following steps: while processing the first configuration grant CG resources, at the first device, evaluating whether at least one hybrid automatic repeat request process HARQ process allowed on the first CG resource has been de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource preceding the first CG resource; selecting a HARQ process selection rule for the first CG resource from the set of candidate rules based on a result of the evaluating; and determining a target HARQ process for the first CG resource based on the selected HARQ process selection rule. The enhanced HARQ process selection mechanism is applicable to de-prioritized retransmissions. In handling CG resources, the UE can select HARQ process IDs not only based on data priority but also in consideration of de-prioritization of data retransmissions.

Description

Enhancement of HARQ process selection

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications and, in particular, relate to an apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for enhanced hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process selection.

Background

In the New Radio (NR) unlicensed band, a Configuration Grant (CG) resource is not associated with a deterministic HARQ Process ID (PID). Instead, the UE autonomously selects a HARQ PID for each CG resource, which may be outside of a preconfigured pool of allowable HARQ PIDs for that CG resource. In general, if there is any HARQ PID corresponding to retransmission, for example, a medium access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU) has been stored in the HARQ buffer and the CG retransmission timer of the HARQ process is not running, the UE should prioritize the HARQ PID corresponding to retransmission over the HARQ PID corresponding to new transmission.

As proposed in Rel-17, to ensure quality of service (QoS) requirements, the UE is allowed to prioritize data with higher data priority (e.g., logical Channel (LCH) priority) even though the HARQ process corresponds to a new transmission. New data with a relatively high LCH priority can always be transmitted faster due to such protocols. However, some retransmissions, which are also delay critical but have a relatively low LCH priority, may take longer to wait for a retransmission, which may result in reduced system performance. Thus, there is a need for a more flexible and efficient HARQ process selection mechanism.

Disclosure of Invention

Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for HARQ process selection.

In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; 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 at least to: evaluating, while processing the first configuration grant CG resources, whether at least one hybrid automatic repeat request process HARQ process that is allowed on the first CG resources has been de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource preceding the first CG resources; selecting a HARQ process selection rule for the first CG resource from the set of candidate rules based on a result of the evaluating; and determining a target HARQ process for the first CG resource based on the selected HARQ process selection rule. .

In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; 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 at least: transmitting a message including a configuration of a candidate rule set for HARQ process selection to a first device; and receiving, on the first configuration grant CG resource, a transport block from the first device, the transport block corresponding to a target HARQ process determined based on one of the candidate rules in the candidate rule set.

In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method comprises the following steps: at the first device, while processing the first configuration grant CG resources, evaluating whether at least one hybrid automatic repeat request process HARQ process allowed on the first CG resources has been de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource preceding the first CG resources; selecting a HARQ process selection rule for the first CG resource from the set of candidate rules based on a result of the evaluating; and determining a target HARQ process for the first CG resource based on the selected HARQ process selection rule.

In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method comprises the following steps: at the second device, sending a message to the first device including a configuration of a candidate rule set for HARQ process selection; and receiving, on the first configuration grant CG resource, a transport block from the first device, the transport block corresponding to a target HARQ process determined based on one of the candidate rules in the candidate rule set.

In a fifth aspect, a first apparatus is provided. The first device comprises: means for evaluating, at the first apparatus, whether at least one hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process allowed on the first CG resource has been de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource preceding the first CG resource while processing the first configured authorized CG resource; means for selecting a HARQ process selection rule for the first CG resource from the set of candidate rules based on a result of the evaluating; and means for determining a target HARQ process for the first CG resource based on the selected HARQ process selection rule.

In a sixth aspect, a second apparatus is provided. The second device includes: means for sending, at the second apparatus, a message to the first apparatus comprising a configuration of a candidate rule set for HARQ process selection; and means for receiving a transport block from the first apparatus on the first configuration grant CG resource, the transport block corresponding to a target HARQ process determined based on one candidate rule of the set of candidate rules.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to perform a method according to the third aspect.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to perform a method according to the fourth aspect.

Other features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent from the following description of the particular embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the embodiments of the disclosure.

Drawings

The embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth in an illustrative sense, and the advantages thereof will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings, in which

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

fig. 2 illustrates a signaling diagram of a HARQ process selection process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example HARQ process selection, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

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

FIG. 6 illustrates an example simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

Fig. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer-readable medium, according to some embodiments of the 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 merely for the purpose of illustrating and helping those skilled in the art understand and practice the present disclosure and are not meant to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various other ways besides 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 functions of the various elements. 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," "including," "includes" and/or "including" when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

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

(a) A pure hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation using only analog and/or digital circuitry), and

(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, and

(Ii) Any portion of the hardware processor(s) (including digital signal processor (s)), software, and memory(s) with software that work 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)

The operation is performed, but the software may not exist when the operation is not required.

The definition of circuitry is applicable to all uses of that term in the present application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuitry also encompasses hardware-only circuits or processors (or multiple processors) or an implementation of a hardware circuit or processor portion and its accompanying software and/or firmware. For example, if applicable to the particular claim elements, the term circuitry also encompasses a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other 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), wi-Fi, and the like. Furthermore, the communication between the terminal device and the network device 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, fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication protocols, future sixth generation (6G), and/or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communications, there will of course also be future types of communication technologies and systems that can be used to embody the present disclosure. It should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the above-described systems.

As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from the network. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, 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), a NR next generation NodeB (gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Head (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), a relay, a low power node (such as femto, pico), etc. The RAN split architecture includes a gNB-CU (centralized unit that hosts RRC, SDAP, and PDCP) that controls multiple gNB-DUs (distributed units that host RLC, MAC, and PHY). The relay node may correspond to the DU portion of the IAB node.

The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. 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 devices (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 electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. The terminal device may also correspond to a Mobile Terminal (MT) part of an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node (also referred to as a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

Although in various example embodiments, the functions described herein may be performed in fixed and/or wireless network nodes, in other example embodiments, the functions may be implemented in a user equipment device (such as a handset or tablet or laptop or desktop or mobile IoT device or fixed IoT device). For example, the user equipment device may be suitably equipped with corresponding capabilities as described in connection with the fixed and/or wireless network node(s). The user equipment device may be a user equipment and/or a control device, such as a chipset or a processor, configured to control the user equipment when installed in the user equipment. Examples of such functions include bootstrapping (bootstrapping) server functions and/or home subscriber servers, which may be implemented in user equipment devices by providing the user equipment devices with software configured to cause the user equipment devices to perform from the perspective of these functions/nodes.

As described above, in the conventional network, the UE prioritizes the HARQ PID corresponding to the retransmission over the HARQ PID corresponding to the new transmission. The significance of the design and adoption of this rule is that the retransmitted MAC PDU has been generated for a period of time as compared to the new transmission, and from the point of view of the packet delay budget, the retransmission should be prioritized to ensure QoS requirements. However, in Rel-17, ultra-reliable low-delay communications (URLLC) have been supported in the unlicensed band, and the UE may prioritize data with higher LCH priority over other data, regardless of whether the data is associated with a new transmission or a retransmission.

For a MAC entity there are a total of 16 LCH priorities and therefore, even if one LCH has priority over another LCH, it does not mean that the lower priority LCH is not delay critical, but is "relatively" less urgent. This is especially true for industrial internet of things (IIoT) devices, IIoT devices can handle multiple traffic flows for various industrial applications, ranging from motion control to augmented reality. However, simply considering data priority when selecting HARQ PIDs for CG resources may result in retransmissions being delayed too long.

Thus, there is a need to facilitate faster autonomous retransmissions or initial transmissions of HARQ PIDs that have been de-prioritized (de-prioritized) by other transmissions based on LCH priority on NR unlicensed configuration grants. It should be understood that the terms "new transmission" and "initial transmission" both refer to transport blocks or protocol data units that were originally sent on the channel, and that they are exchangeable in the context of the example embodiment.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example network system 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in fig. 1, the communication network 100 may include a first device 110 (hereinafter may also be referred to as a UE 110 or a terminal device 110) and a network device 120 (hereinafter may also be referred to as a gNB 120 or a network device 120).

The second device 120 may manage the serving cell 102 for the first device 110. The first device 110 and the second device 120 may communicate with each other within the coverage area of the cell 102. The second device 120 may allocate CG resources in an unlicensed band to the first device 110 and the first device 110 may use the CG resources for data transmission or retransmission on an uplink channel, e.g., a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

In the event that a MAC PDU has been initially transmitted on CG resources, a CG retransmission timer (CGRT) corresponding to the MAC PDU is started. While CGRT is running, the first device 110 may not receive any Downlink Feedback Information (DFI) from the second device 120 indicating the HARQ process state of the MAC PDU. If no DFI associated with the HARQ process state is received prior to CGRT expiring, then after CGRT expiring, the first device 110 may perform autonomous retransmission of the MAC PDU on subsequent CG resources.

In processing the subsequent CG resources, the first device 110 can determine HARQ PIDs based on different HARQ process selection rules. In particular, the HARQ process selection rules may comprise at least a first rule for selecting a HARQ process corresponding to the highest data priority and a second rule for selecting a HARQ process corresponding to a retransmission or initial transmission that has been de-prioritized on at least one previous CG resource. As such, the first device 110 may select the HARQ PID based on LCH priority or based on a de-prioritization (de-prioritized) state of at least one HARQ PID depending on certain conditions, as will be discussed in detail below.

In some example embodiments, the first device 110 determines whether changing rules for HARQ process selection should be considered based on whether at least two or more HARQ processes correspond to the same data priority, and alternative HARQ PID selection rules are required to resolve ambiguity.

It should be understood that the number of first devices 110 and second devices 120 is given for illustrative purposes and does not set forth any limitation of the present disclosure. The network system 100 may include any suitable number of devices and/or objects suitable for implementing implementations of the present disclosure, and the composite channel between the first device 110 and the second device 120 may be more complex or simpler. Although not shown, it is to be appreciated that one or more additional devices can be located in the environment 100.

Although shown as terminal devices and base stations, the first device 110 and the second device 120 may be other devices or part of base stations and terminal devices, e.g., at least part of land network devices or non-land network devices.

Depending on the communication technology, network system 100 may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network, or any other network. The communications discussed in network 100 may conform to any suitable standard including, but not limited to, new radio access (NR), long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE evolution, LTE-advanced (LTE-a), wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), CDMA2000, global system for mobile communications (GSM), and the like. Furthermore, the communication may be performed according to any generation communication protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), future sixth generation communication protocols. The techniques described herein may be used for the wireless networks and radio technologies described above as well as other wireless networks and radio technologies. For clarity, certain aspects of the technology are described in the following description with respect to NR and JCAS.

The principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 2 through 5. Fig. 2 illustrates a signaling diagram of a HARQ process selection process 200 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 200 may involve first device 110 and second device 120 as shown in fig. 1. For discussion purposes, the process 200 will be described with reference to fig. 1.

In process 200, first device 110 processes a first CG resource for an upcoming CG occasion. The first device 110 needs to select a target HARQ PID for the first CG resource from at least one candidate HARQ process allowed for the first resource. The candidate HARQ processes may include HARQ processes for new data transmission and/or HARQ processes for retransmission of data already stored in the HARQ buffer.

As previously described, in the conventional network 100, the first device 110 may select the target HARQ PID based on a data priority, which may be considered a default HARQ process selection rule. According to an example embodiment, the first device 110 is able to change the HARQ process selection rule if the retransmission or initial transmission has been de-prioritized for a certain number of times (e.g., n≡1) or a certain period of time.

To facilitate HARQ process selection, the second device 120 may provide the first device 110 with a HARQ process selection configuration. For example, the second device 120 may send 205 a message comprising a HARQ process selection configuration. For example, the HARQ process selection configuration may indicate a condition for changing from a data priority based rule to a rule for prioritizing retransmissions or new transmissions that have been de-prioritized over other new transmission(s) that have not been de-prioritized when CG resources are handled by the first device 110.

However, in some example embodiments, the HARQ process selection configuration may be preconfigured at the first device 110, and thus signaling of the configuration message is not necessary for the process 200.

The first device 110 evaluates 210 whether the de-prioritization status of at least one HARQ process meets a condition for changing a rule for HARQ process selection. The de-prioritization status may indicate that at least one HARQ process has been de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource prior to the first CG resource.

The de-prioritization status of HARQ processes may be characterized by one or more of the following parameters:

a number N, indicating the number of times for de-prioritizing the HARQ process,

The period of time that the HARQ process has been de-prioritized,

The state or time-to-live requirements of the data associated with the HARQ process,

Packet delay budget for data associated with HARQ processes,

QoS requirements or QoS flow identifiers of data associated with the HARQ process,

Traffic characteristics (e.g. periodicity and +.

Or burst arrival time),

Presence of at least one type of Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) allocated in a MAC PDU associated with a HARQ process, and

A MAC control element (MAC CE) allocated in a MAC PDU associated with the HARQ process.

The condition may be specified by a threshold associated with the de-prioritized state (e.g., a corresponding threshold for the above-described parameters). If the condition indicating that the HARQ process that has been de-prioritized at least once should not be re-prioritized is met, the first device 110 determines 215 that the corresponding retransmission or the corresponding new transmission should take precedence over the new transmission that has not been de-prioritized.

In an embodiment where this condition is met, the first device 110 may select one of the following as the target HARQ PID for the first CG resource:

HARQ PID corresponding to retransmission or new transmission with minimum remaining lifetime,

The highest or lowest HARQ PID corresponding to a retransmission or new transmission,

HARQ PID corresponding to retransmission or new transmission with highest or lowest LCH priority,

HARQ PID corresponding to retransmission or new transmission based on its preference or implementation, and

HARQ PID corresponding to retransmission or new transmission that has been de-prioritized for the maximum number of times or the longest period of time.

Otherwise, if the condition is not met, the first device 110 determines 220 that the target HARQ process should be selected from at least one candidate HARQ process based on the data priority, or simply any retransmission. In these embodiments, the first device 110 may select the HARQ PID corresponding to the new transmission or retransmission with the highest or lowest LCH priority.

The first device 110 then performs 225 a retransmission/transmission on the first resource corresponding to the selected HARQ PID. Configuration grant uplink control information (CG-UCI) indicating the HARQ PID selected by the first device 110 may be embedded on PUSCH. In this way, the second device 120 can appropriately process the transport block received on the CG PUSCH. Thus, the process 200 may enable synchronization between the first device 110 and the second device 120.

Fig. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example HARQ process selection, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 3, the first device 110 sends an initial transmission of a MAC PDU on the second resource 301 and starts with CGRT of the corresponding HARQ PID. While CGRT is running, the first device 110 may not receive any Downlink Feedback Information (DFI) from the second device 120 indicating the HARQ process state of the MAC PDU. After CGRT expires, the first device 110 may perform autonomous retransmission of the MAC PDU using subsequent CG resources.

However, for subsequent CG resources 304, the first device 110 may select a new transmission based on LCH priority, which means that retransmission of MAC PDUs is further delayed. In other words, retransmissions are de-prioritized on CG resource 304. According to process 200, when first device 110 selects a HARQ PID for the next CG resource 305, it may consider retransmissions that have been de-prioritized in its previous autonomous retransmission opportunity (i.e., CG resource 304) and thereby change the HARQ PID selection rules to prioritize retransmissions of that MAC PDU instead of making a decision using LCH priority-based rules. It should be appreciated that the change of rules for HARQ process selection may be applied to a specific CG resource 305, i.e. per (per) CG resource, or may be applied to a specific LCH, i.e. per (per) LCH. That is, the first device 110 determines whether it should consider changing the rules for HARQ process selection according to whether it is handling a specific CG resource or whether any HARQ process corresponds to a specific LCH.

According to the present embodiment, when the UE is processing CG resources and selects HARQ PIDs for the CG resources, it can check if there are any retransmissions or initial transmissions that were de-prioritized up to N times in the previous opportunity. If so, the UE may fall back to the HARQ PID selection rule that prioritizes retransmissions or initial transmissions over other initial transmissions that have not been de-prioritized. Otherwise, the UE may continue to apply HARQ PID selection rules based on LCH priority or prioritize any retransmissions. In this way, the UE may autonomously change the HARQ PID selection rule per CG resource or per logical channel, provided that there is a "selectable" HARQ PID for retransmission/initial transmission that has been de-prioritized for N times or a certain period of time. In this way, the UE may properly arrange initial transmissions and retransmissions on CG resources and thus system performance and QoS requirements may be guaranteed.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method 400 implemented at a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 may be implemented at the first device 110 shown in fig. 1. For discussion purposes, the method 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 400 may also include additional blocks not shown and/or omit some of the blocks shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

At 410, while processing the first CG resource, the first device 110 evaluates whether at least one HARQ process that is allowed on the first CG resource has been de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource that precedes the first CG resource.

In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may evaluate whether at least one HARQ process has been de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource based on at least one of:

mapped or to be mapped to at least one corresponding to at least one HARQ process

At least one parameter of at least one logical channel of the transport blocks;

At least one MAC CE of a transport block; and

At least one parameter of at least one second CG resource, such as a CG index.

In some example embodiments, the evaluation may be applied per (per) CG resource or per (per) LCH.

At 420, the first device 110 selects HARQ process selection rules for the first CG resource from the set of candidate rules based on the result of the evaluation.

In some example embodiments, the candidate rule set may include at least two of the following rules:

A first rule for selecting the HARQ process corresponding to the highest data priority as the target HARQ process,

A second rule for selecting as a target HARQ process a HARQ process corresponding to a retransmission or a new transmission de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource,

A third rule for selecting as a target HARQ process a HARQ process corresponding to a retransmission or a new transmission de-prioritized for a maximum number of times or a maximum period of time on at least one second CG resource,

A fourth rule for selecting as a target HARQ process a HARQ process corresponding to a highest data priority or a lowest data priority of a plurality of retransmissions and new transmissions de-prioritized over at least one second CG resource,

A fifth rule for selecting as a target HARQ process a HARQ process corresponding to any of the retransmissions or any of the new transmissions,

A sixth rule for selecting a HARQ process corresponding to a retransmission or a new transmission with the least time left for the retransmission, and

Seventh rule for selecting HARQ process corresponding to retransmission or new transmission that delivery failure may lead to violation of at least one QoS requirement, such as packet error rate, packet delay budget, or time to live.

In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a message from the second device 120, the message including a configuration of at least one of the candidate rules for HARQ process selection.

In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may select the first rule if the at least one HARQ process is assessed not to be de-prioritized on the at least one second CG resource. Otherwise, if at least one HARQ process is assessed to be de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource, the first device 110 may select a candidate rule of the candidate rule set other than the first rule.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, the first device 110 may select the fifth rule if the at least one HARQ process is assessed not to be de-prioritized on the at least one second CG resource. Otherwise, if at least one HARQ process is assessed as being de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource, the first device 110 may select a candidate rule of the candidate rule set other than the fifth rule.

At 430, the first device 110 determines a target HARQ process for the first CG resource based on the selected HARQ process selection rule.

In some example embodiments, the target HARQ process is determined from a plurality of HARQ processes corresponding to a plurality of transport blocks to be transmitted.

In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may transmit a transport block associated with the target HARQ process to the second device 120 on the first CG resource.

In some example embodiments, since CG-UCI indicating a HARQ PID selected by the first device 110 is embedded on PUSCH, the second device 120 can appropriately process transport blocks received on CG PUSCH. In this way, synchronization may be achieved between the first device 110 and the second device 120.

In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may be a terminal device and the second device 120 may be a network device.

According to an example embodiment, an enhanced HARQ process selection mechanism is provided that is applicable to de-prioritized retransmissions or initial transmissions. In handling CG resources, the UE can select HARQ process IDs not only based on data priority but also in consideration of the de-prioritized state of data retransmission/transmission. In this way, the UE may properly arrange initial transmission and retransmission on CG resources, and system performance and QoS requirements may be ensured.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method 500 implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 500 may be implemented at the second device 120 shown in fig. 1. For discussion purposes, the method 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 500 may also include additional blocks not shown and/or omit some of the blocks shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

At 510, the second device 120 sends a message to the first device 110 including a configuration of a candidate rule set for HARQ process selection.

In some example embodiments, the candidate rule set includes at least two of the following rules:

A fifth rule for selecting a HARQ process corresponding to any one of retransmission or new transmission as a target HARQ process,

In some example embodiments, the configuration may be applied per CG resource or per LCH.

At 520, the second device 120 receives a transport block from the first device 110 on the first CG resource. The transport block may correspond to a target HARQ process determined based on one candidate rule of the set of candidate rules.

According to an example embodiment, the enhanced HARQ process selection mechanism is adapted for de-prioritized retransmissions or new transmissions. In processing CG resources, the UE considers not only LCH priority but also de-prioritization status of at least one HARQ PID. Even if the UE is configured with LCH priority based HARQ PID selection according to the Rel-17 mechanism, the UE may still prioritize HARQ processes that meet certain conditions regardless of default rules (e.g. based on LCH priority) in case there is at least one retransmission or at least one new transmission has been de-prioritized for N times. Thus, the UE may properly arrange initial transmissions and retransmissions on CG resources, which guarantees system performance and QoS requirements.

In some example embodiments, a first apparatus (e.g., implemented at first device 110) capable of performing method 400 may include means for performing the respective steps of method 400. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

In some example embodiments, a first apparatus includes: means for evaluating, when processing the first configuration grant CG resources, whether at least one hybrid automatic repeat request process HARQ process that is allowed on the first CG resources has been de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource preceding the first CG resources; means for selecting a HARQ process selection rule for the first CG resource from the set of candidate rules based on a result of the evaluating; and means for determining a target HARQ process for the first CG resource based on the selected HARQ process selection rule.

In some example embodiments, the candidate rule set includes at least two of the following rules: a first rule for selecting an HARQ process corresponding to the highest data priority as a target HARQ process; a second rule for selecting, as a target HARQ process, a HARQ process corresponding to a retransmission or a new transmission de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource; a third rule for selecting, as a target HARQ process, a HARQ process corresponding to a retransmission or a new transmission that is de-prioritized for a maximum number of times or a maximum period of time on at least one second CG resource; a fourth rule for selecting, as a target HARQ process, a HARQ process corresponding to a highest data priority or a lowest data priority of a plurality of retransmissions and new transmissions de-prioritized over at least one second CG resource; a fifth rule for selecting, as a target HARQ process, a HARQ process corresponding to any of the retransmissions or any of the new transmissions; a sixth rule for selecting a HARQ process corresponding to a retransmission or a new transmission having a minimum time left for the retransmission; and a seventh rule for selecting a HARQ process corresponding to a retransmission or new transmission that failed delivery may result in violation of at least one QoS requirement, such as a packet error rate, a packet delay budget, or a time to live.

In some example embodiments, the means for selecting HARQ process selection rules comprises: means for selecting a first rule based on a determination that at least one HARQ process is assessed as not being de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource; and means for selecting one of the candidate rule sets other than the first rule based on a determination that the at least one HARQ process is evaluated as de-prioritized on the at least one second CG resource.

In some example embodiments, the means for selecting HARQ process selection rules comprises: means for selecting a fifth rule based on a determination that the at least one HARQ process is assessed as not being de-prioritized on the at least one second CG resource; and means for selecting one of the candidate rules of the candidate rule set other than the fifth rule based on the determination that the at least one HARQ process is evaluated as de-prioritized on the at least one second CG resource.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus is caused to evaluate whether the at least one HARQ process has been de-prioritized on the at least one second CG resource based on at least one of: at least one parameter of at least one LCH mapped or to be mapped to at least one transport block corresponding to at least one HARQ process; at least one MAC CE mapped or to be mapped to at least one transport block corresponding to at least one HARQ process; and at least one parameter of at least one second CG resource.

In some example embodiments, the evaluation is applied per configuration grant resource or per LCH.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a message from the second apparatus comprising a configuration of at least one of the candidate rules for HARQ process selection.

In some example embodiments, the candidate rule set for HARQ process selection is preconfigured at the first device.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting a transport block associated with the target HARQ process to the second apparatus on the first CG resource.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device.

In some example embodiments, a second apparatus (e.g., implemented at the second device 120) capable of performing the method 500 may include means for performing the respective steps of the method 500. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

In some example embodiments, the second apparatus includes: means for sending, at the second apparatus, a message to the first apparatus comprising a configuration of a candidate rule set for HARQ process selection; and means for receiving a transport block from the first apparatus on the first configuration grant CG resource, the transport block corresponding to a target HARQ process determined based on one candidate rule of the set of candidate rules.

In some example embodiments, the configuration is applied per CG resource or per LCH.

In some example embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

Fig. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 may be provided to implement communication devices such as the first device 110 and the second device 120 shown in fig. 1. As shown, device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to processors 610, and one or more transmitters and/or receivers (TX/RX) 640 coupled to processors 610.

TX/RX 640 may be configured for bi-directional communication. TX/RX 640 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

The processor 610 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 600 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock that is synchronized to the master processor.

Memory 620 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) 624, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact Disks (CDs), digital Video Disks (DVDs), and other magnetic and/or optical storage media. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random Access Memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memory that does not persist during power outages.

The computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions that can be executed by an associated processor 610. Program 630 may be stored in ROM 624. Processor 610 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 630 into RAM 622.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by program 630 such that device 600 may perform any of the processes of the present disclosure discussed with reference to fig. 4-5. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented in hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some embodiments, program 630 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in device 600 (such as in memory 620) or other storage device that device 600 may access. Device 600 may load program 630 from a computer readable medium into RAM 622 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any type of tangible, non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Fig. 7 shows an example of a computer readable medium 700 in the form of a CD or DVD. The computer readable medium has stored thereon the program 630.

Various embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented using 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 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 includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, that are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the methods 400 and 500 described above with reference to fig. 4-5. Generally, program modules may 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 the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the functions/operations specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

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

Further, while operations are described in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Also, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, 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 at least to:

Evaluating, while processing a first configuration grant CG resource, whether at least one hybrid automatic repeat request process, HARQ, process that is allowed on the first CG resource has been de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource preceding the first CG resource;

selecting a HARQ process selection rule for the first CG resource from a set of candidate rules for HARQ process selection based on a result of the evaluating; and

A target HARQ process for the first CG resource is determined based on the selected HARQ process selection rule.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the candidate rule set comprises at least two of the following rules:

A first rule for selecting a HARQ process corresponding to a highest data priority as the target HARQ process,

A second rule for selecting as the target HARQ process a HARQ process corresponding to a retransmission or a new transmission de-prioritized over at least one second CG resource,

A third rule for selecting as the target HARQ process a HARQ process corresponding to a retransmission or a new transmission de-prioritized for a maximum number of times or a maximum period of time on at least one second CG resource,

A fourth rule for selecting, as the target HARQ process, a HARQ process corresponding to a highest data priority or a lowest data priority of a plurality of retransmissions de-prioritized over at least one second CG resource,

A fifth rule for selecting, as the target HARQ process, a HARQ process corresponding to any of the retransmissions or any of the new transmissions,

A sixth rule for selecting a HARQ process corresponding to a retransmission having a minimum time left for the retransmission; and

A seventh rule for selecting a HARQ process corresponding to a retransmission or new transmission for which delivery failure would result in violation of at least one QoS requirement.

3. The first device of claim 2, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to select the HARQ process selection rule by:

Selecting the first rule according to a determination that the at least one HARQ process is assessed as not being de-prioritized on the at least one second CG resource; and

One of the set of candidate rules other than the first rule is selected based on a determination that the at least one HARQ process is assessed to be de-prioritized on the at least one second CG resource.

4. The first device of claim 2, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to select the HARQ process selection rule by:

Selecting the fifth rule according to a determination that the at least one HARQ process is assessed as not being de-prioritized on the at least one second CG resource; and

One of the set of candidate rules other than the fifth rule is selected based on a determination that the at least one HARQ process is assessed to be de-prioritized on the at least one second CG resource.

5. The first device of claim 3 or 4, wherein the target HARQ process is determined from among a plurality of HARQ processes corresponding to a plurality of transport blocks to be transmitted.

6. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to evaluate whether the at least one HARQ process has been de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource based on at least one of:

at least one parameter mapped or to be mapped to at least one logical channel of at least one transport block corresponding to the at least one HARQ process,

At least one MAC CE mapped to or to be mapped to the at least one transport block corresponding to the at least one HARQ process, and

At least one parameter of the at least one second CG resource.

7. The first device of claim 1, wherein the evaluation is applied by configuring grant resources or by logical channels.

8. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to:

receiving a message from a second device, the message comprising: configuration of at least one of the candidate rules for HARQ process selection.

9. The first device of claim 1, wherein the set of candidate rules for HARQ process selection is preconfigured at the first device.

10. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to:

And transmitting a transport block associated with the target HARQ process to a second device on the first CG resource.

11. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device.

12. 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 at least:

transmitting a message to a first device, the message comprising: configuration of a candidate rule set for HARQ process selection; and

On a first configuration grant CG resource, a transport block is received from the first device, the transport block corresponding to a target HARQ process determined based on one candidate rule of the set of candidate rules.

13. The second device of claim 12, wherein the candidate rule set comprises at least two of the following rules:

14. The second device of claim 12, wherein the configuration is applied per CG resource or per logical channel.

15. The second device of claim 12, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

16. A method, comprising:

At a first device, while processing a first configuration grant CG resource, evaluating whether at least one hybrid automatic repeat request process, HARQ, process that is allowed on the first CG resource has been de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource that precedes the first CG resource;

Selecting a HARQ process selection rule for the first CG resource from a set of candidate rules based on a result of the evaluating; and

17. A method, comprising:

at the second device, sending a message to the first device, the message comprising: configuration of a candidate rule set for HARQ process selection; and

18. A first apparatus, comprising:

Means for evaluating, while processing a first configuration grant CG resource at the first apparatus, whether at least one hybrid automatic repeat request process, HARQ, process that is allowed on the first CG resource has been de-prioritized on at least one second CG resource preceding the first CG resource;

means for selecting HARQ process selection rules for the first CG resource from a set of candidate rules based on a result of the evaluating; and

Means for determining a target HARQ process for the first CG resource based on the selected HARQ process selection rule.

19. A second apparatus, comprising:

Means for sending a message to a first device at the second device, the message comprising: configuration of a candidate rule set for HARQ process selection; and

Means for receiving a transport block from the first apparatus on a first configuration grant CG resource, the transport block corresponding to a target HARQ process determined based on one candidate rule of the set of candidate rules.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of claim 16 or 17.