Hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement report triggered by semi-persistent scheduling data transmission

Abstract

The present invention relates to hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment reporting triggered by semi-persistently scheduled data transmission. The method includes: receiving, by a user equipment, from a network entity, a downlink control signal indicating activation of semi-persistent scheduling for a first group of downlink data transmissions, applicable hybrid automatic repeat request feedback timing for the first group of downlink data transmissions, and receiving one or more downlink data transmissions in the first group of downlink data transmissions. The user equipment may determine that applicable HARQ feedback timing for a previously received second group of downlink data transmissions is not provided. In response to the determination, the user equipment may determine HARQ feedback timing for one or more downlink data transmissions in the first group of downlink data transmissions based on a second downlink control signal indicating the applicable HARQ feedback timing received after reception of the one or more downlink data transmissions in the first group of downlink data transmissions.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 63 / 054,756, filed on July 21, 2020. Technical Field

[0002] Some example embodiments may generally relate to mobile or wireless telecommunication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), fifth generation (5G) radio access technology (RAT), new radio (NR) access technology, and / or other communication systems. For example, certain example embodiments may relate to systems and / or methods for reporting hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgments for downlink data transmissions. Background Art

[0003] Examples of mobile or wireless telecommunication systems may include 5G RAT, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), LTE Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-A Pro, NR access technology and / or Multimedia Alliance. 5G wireless systems refer to next generation (NG) radio systems and network architectures. 5G systems are typically built on 5G NR, but 5G (or NG) networks may also be built on E-UTRA radio. NR is expected to support service categories such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine type communications (mMTC). NR is expected to deliver ultra-wideband, ultra-robust, low-latency connections, and support large-scale networking for the Internet of Things (IoT). Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) represents the RAN for 5G, which can provide wireless access for NR, LTE, and LTE-A. Note that a node in 5G that provides radio access functionality to user equipment (e.g., similar to a Node B in UTRAN or an evolved Node B (eNB) in LTE) may be referred to as a next-generation Node B (gNB) when built on an NR radio, and a next-generation eNB (NG-eNB) when built on an E-UTRA radio. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to some aspects, the subject matter of the independent claims is provided. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. Embodiments not falling within the scope of the claims should be construed as examples that aid in understanding the present disclosure.

[0005] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving, by a user equipment, a first downlink (DL) control signal from a network entity, the first downlink control signal activating semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for a first group of downlink data transmissions, the downlink control signal indicating applicable hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback timing for the first group of downlink data transmissions; receiving one or more downlink data transmissions in the first group of downlink data transmissions; determining that applicable HARQ feedback timing is not provided for a second group of downlink data transmissions received with inapplicable HARQ feedback timing, the second group of downlink data transmissions being received before one or more downlink data transmissions in the first group of downlink data transmissions; and determining, in response to the determination, HARQ feedback timing for one or more downlink data transmissions in the first group of downlink data transmissions based on a second downlink control signal indicating applicable HARQ feedback timing received after reception of the one or more downlink data transmissions in the first group of downlink data transmissions.

[0006] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, another method is provided. The method includes: receiving, by a user equipment, a first downlink (DL) control signal from a network entity, the first downlink control signal activating semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for a group of downlink data transmissions, the downlink control signal indicating applicable hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback timing for the group of downlink data transmissions; receiving one or more downlink data transmissions from the group of downlink data transmissions; receiving a second downlink control signal triggering a HARQ feedback report for the one or more downlink data transmissions without scheduling further downlink data transmissions; and in response to receiving the second downlink control signal, sending, to the network entity, at least one HARQ feedback associated with the one or more downlink data transmissions based on the applicable HARQ feedback timing provided by the second downlink control signal.

[0007] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus 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, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a device is provided, comprising components configured to cause the device to perform the process according to any one of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon, the program instructions being configured to cause an apparatus to execute the process according to any one of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus includes circuitry configured to cause the apparatus to perform the process according to any one of the first or second aspects.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, wherein the computer program product is encoded with instructions for causing an apparatus to perform the process according to any one of the first aspect or the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] For a proper understanding of the exemplary embodiments, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 An example of delayed HARQ feedback without applicable timing indication is illustrated.

[0014] Figure 2 An example of out-of-order HARQ with non-valued K1 is illustrated.

[0015] Figure 3 Illustrated are examples of signaling diagrams according to various embodiments.

[0016] Figure 4 Another example of a signaling diagram in accordance with certain embodiments is illustrated.

[0017] Figure 5 Examples of alternatives with additional conditions according to various embodiments are illustrated.

[0018] Figure 6 Another example of an alternative with additional conditions according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0019] Figure 7 Illustrated are examples of the impact of a downlink assignment index (DAI) counter according to various embodiments.

[0020] Figure 8 An example of a flow chart of a method according to various embodiments is illustrated.

[0021] Figure 9 Another example of a flow chart of a method according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0022] Figure 10 Illustrated are examples of various network devices according to some embodiments.

[0023] Figure 11 Illustrated are examples of wireless networks and system architectures in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0024] Figure 12 An example of a signaling diagram according to some embodiments is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] It will be readily understood that the components of certain example embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Accordingly, the following detailed description of some example embodiments of systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for reporting hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)-acknowledgement (ACK) HARQ feedback for downlink (DL) semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) transmissions upon being triggered by a separate downlink control signal (e.g., downlink control information (DCI)) is not intended to limit the scope of certain embodiments but is representative of selected example embodiments.

[0026] Some communication systems, such as 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) Release (Rel)-16 systems, may desire to provide support for delayed HARQ feedback for downlink data transmissions, such as Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) transmissions. For example, a base station, such as a next generation Node B (gNB) or eNB, may indicate a non-numeric (NN)-K1 value in a first downlink control information (DCI) scheduling for a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). In contrast to a numeric K1 value that directly indicates the timing (which may include a positive acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK)) between the PDSCH and the HARQ feedback transmission (e.g., on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)), the NN-K1 value may only indicate that the actual feedback timing will be indicated subsequently. As Figure 1 As shown in , the base station may send a second DCI with a regular value K1 to facilitate determining the HARQ feedback timing for the first dynamically scheduled PDSCH.

[0027] The NN-K1 value may be referred to as a "not applicable" timing indicator, while the regular numeric K1 value may be referred to as an "applicable" timing indicator. These values ​​enable delayed HARQ feedback transmission to be used for at least one downlink data transmission, such as a PDSCH scheduled at the end of the channel occupancy time (COT), where the processing time of the user equipment (UE) is insufficient to report the HARQ feedback (e.g., ACK or NACK) in the PUCCH within the same COT as the corresponding PDSCH. Additionally, since the base station needs to perform another listen-before-talk (LBT) operation to obtain another COT, the timing of the next HARQ feedback transmission is unknown and cannot be indicated in the downlink (DL) assignment. However, based on the configuration of the base station, the NN-K1 value may be used anywhere in the COT, such as when the corresponding K1 value is not configured, allowing the NN-K1 value to be used as a K1 value that can be used in any time slot, in any time slot before the time slot of the PUCCH. It should be understood that some embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to any particular manner of using NN-K1 and K1 to indicate non-applicable timing and applicable timing. Other indications (eg, applicable indications) are also possible.

[0028] DL SPS is an operation that lacks a grant. In addition to dynamically scheduling each PDSCH transmission using a dedicated PDCCH DCI message, the base station can configure the UE (e.g., in the SPS configuration information element (IE) SPS-Configuration) with the periodicity of the downlink assignment, the number of HARQ processes, and the PUCCH resources used for HARQ feedback, such as provided below:

[0029] –SPS–Configuration

[0030] The IE SPS-Configuration is used to configure downlink semi-persistent transmission. Downlink SPS can be configured on both SpCells and SCells. The network ensures that SPS-Configuration is configured for at most one cell in a cell group.

[0031] SPS – Configuration Information Element

[0032]

[0033] DL SPS can be activated using an activation DCI that can provide various parameters for periodic transmission, such as physical resource block (PRB) resources and modulation and coding scheme (MCS). Some DL SPS parameters can be provided by radio resource control (RRC) configuration. Additionally, some unused DCI fields with DCI fields set to 0 can be used to verify the activation / deactivation of DCI. For example, for scheduling activation or scheduling release, the UE can verify the DL SPS assignment PDCCH or the configured UL grant type 2 PDCCH: whether the CRC of the corresponding DCI format is scrambled with the configured scheduling radio network temporary identifier (CS-RNTI) provided by the cs-RNTI, and whether the new data indicator field of the enabled transport block is set to "0". If all fields of the DCI format are set according to Table 1 or Table 2, then the verification of the DCI format can be achieved. If the verification is successful, the UE can regard the information in the DCI format as a valid activation or valid release of the DL SPS or the configured UL grant type 2. If the verification is unsuccessful, the UE can discard the information in all DCI formats.

[0034] Table 1: Special fields for DL ​​SPS and UL grant type 2 scheduling activation PDCCH validation

[0035]

[0036] Table 2: Special fields for DL ​​SPS and UL grant type 2 scheduling release PDCCH validation

[0037] DCI format 0_0 DCI format 1_0 HARQ process number Set to all '0' Set to all '0' Redundant version Set to '00' Set to '00' Modulation and coding schemes Set to all '1' Set to all '1' Frequency domain resource assignment Set to all '1' Set to all '1'

[0038] The UE may be expected to provide HARQ feedback information in response to an SPS PDSCH release N symbols after the last symbol of the PDCCH providing the SPS PDSCH release. For UE processing capability 1 and the subcarrier spacing (SCS) for PDCCH reception, N=10 for 15kHz, N=12 for 30kHz, N=22 for 60kHz, and N=25 for 120kHz. For UEs with capability 2 in frequency range (FR) 1 and the SCS for PDCCH reception, N=5 for 15kHz, N=55 for 30kHz, and N=11 for 60kHz.

[0039] Therefore, when DL SPS is activated, the UE may provide HARQ feedback K1 slots after each PDSCH transmission in the PUCCH resources when HARQ feedback for DL ​​SPS is sent, where the K1 value is indicated by a field in the activation DCI.

[0040] The PUCCH resources in the time slot or sub-time slot for SPS HARQ feedback can be provided by RRC parameters (such as n1PUCCH-AN in 3GPP Rel-15). In 3GPP Rel-16, when the UE can have more than one active SPS PDSCH configuration, a parameter (such as SPS-PDSCH-AN list) can provide the UE with a set of PDSCH resources, which will then determine the PDSCH resources to be used based on the payload size of the uplink control information (UCI). Alternatively, if the HARQ feedback for SPS PDSCH is multiplexed with the HARQ feedback for dynamic PDSCH, such as both feedback are sent in the same time slot, the PUCCH resources will be determined based on the DCI that schedules the dynamic PDSCH.

[0041] It should be noted that the PUCCH resources for DL ​​SPS PDSCH can be pre-configured and the K1 value can be indicated in the DL SPS PDSCH activation DCI. When the UE fails to correctly decode the SPS PDSCH, the UE can report a negative acknowledgment (NACK) to the base station. In response, the base station can dynamically schedule retransmissions for the SPS PDSCH. Therefore, when the UE activates the SPS PDSCH configuration, the UE can also receive dynamically scheduled SPS PDSCH. In 3GPP NR, out-of-order (OOO) HARQ is not supported; therefore, the UE is not expected to receive the first PDSCH in time slot i, where the corresponding HARQ feedback is assigned to be sent in time slot j, and the second PDSCH starts later than the first PDSCH, and its corresponding HARQ feedback is assigned to be sent in the time slot before time slot j.

[0042] As described above, when operating on unlicensed spectrum, the use of a non-applicable timing indication (e.g., NN-K1) can trigger subsequent PDSCH HARQ feedback when another COT is obtained at the base station. When DL SPS is configured, the use of transmissions with NN-K1 dynamic scheduling may result in some disadvantages. For example, if the UE does not receive the second DCI before the periodic instance of the DL SPS transmission because the second DCI was not scheduled by the UE and / or was lost by the UE, the UE may receive the dynamically scheduled PDSCH using NN-K1. Figure 2 As shown, this may result in an OOO HARQ process, which is an error condition / scenario from the UE's perspective as described above. Figure 2An example is shown where the base station can avoid scheduling the first DCI to avoid scheduling restrictions due to OOO HARQ. However, there may be a situation where the second DCI is sent before the DL SPS, but the UE misses the second DCI. In this case, the base station cannot prevent OOO transmission by scheduling. Furthermore, in the case of enhanced type 2 codebook (CB) with triggered HARQ feedback retransmissions, similar disadvantages may also occur regardless of whether NN-K1 is present. Additionally, with DL SPS, the PUCCH resources can be determined from the RRC configuration and the time slot of the PUCCH resources can be determined from the activation DCI. Such semi-static timing determination may not be suitable for unlicensed spectrum when the frame structure floats due to the LBT process and does not follow a simple periodic structure.

[0043] Certain embodiments described herein may enable a base station to avoid OOO HARQ and / or enable delayed HARQ for a DL SPS configuration, for example, based on the setting of a timing indication (e.g., activating a K1 value in a DL SPS DCI). Alternatively or additionally, certain embodiments may enable collecting HARQ feedback from multiple DL SPS configurations using the same HARQ feedback process ID from the past, thereby improving efficiency. For example, a UE may clear the soft buffer for old transport blocks for a HARQ process; when the HARQ process is running again, the UE may store the associated HARQ feedback until the feedback is reported. Accordingly, certain embodiments discussed below are directed to improvements in technology-related communications.

[0044] Figure 3 An example of a signaling diagram for HARQ feedback for reporting DL SPS after being triggered by a separate DCI is illustrated in accordance with some example embodiments. According to certain embodiments, the network entity (NE) 320 and the user equipment (UE) 330 may be similar to those discussed below. Figure 10 NE 1010 and UE 1020 are shown in FIG. In some embodiments, UE 330 may be configured to operate in an unlicensed spectrum and / or may be configured to receive an indication (e.g., parameter Not Applicable-DL-SPS Timing) configured to enable / activate HARQ feedback transmission for DL ​​SPS data transmission based on Applicable HARQ Feedback Timing provided by a subsequent second DL control signal.

[0045] At 301, UE 330 may receive a second set of DL data transmissions with at least one inapplicable HARQ feedback timing (e.g., non-value K1) from NE 320. The second set of DL data transmissions may include at least one dynamically scheduled DL data transmission and one or more SPS DL data transmissions of at least one SPS DL data transmission.

[0046] At 303, NE 320 may send a first downlink control signal (e.g., a first DCI) to UE 330 to activate semi-persistent scheduling for a first set of downlink data transmissions (e.g., DL SPS PDSCH transmissions). In some embodiments, the downlink control signal may indicate applicable hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback timing for the first set of downlink data transmissions. In some embodiments, the received first DL control signal may include applicable K1. Note that in some embodiments, the first DL control signal may additionally or alternatively be received before 301.

[0047] At 305, NE 320 may send at least one DL SPS data transmission (e.g., in a PDSCH) of at least one DL SPS configuration to UE 330. In some embodiments, the DL SPS configuration may be activated using a DL control signal (e.g., a first DL DCI signal) at 303. In some embodiments, at least one received DL SPS PDSCH service may be activated and / or configured with at least one applicable timing indication, such as a numerical K1 value.

[0048] At 307, UE 330 may determine that applicable HARQ feedback timing for the second set of downlink data transmissions with inapplicable HARQ feedback timing received at 301 is not provided or is not received. The second set of downlink data transmissions is received before one or more DL data transmissions in the first set of DL data transmissions. In some embodiments, at 301, UE 330 may have previously received a dynamically scheduled PDSCH and / or another DL SPS PDSCH that is activated or configured with at least one inapplicable timing indication (e.g., a non-numeric K1 value (discussed in detail below), such as NN-K1), and / or at least one scheduled PDSCH with at least one applicable K1 value that was not previously received.

[0049] At 309, NE 320 may send a second DL control signal (e.g., a second DCI) to UE 330. In some embodiments, the second DL control signal may include at least one applicable HARQ feedback timing indication (e.g., a value K1). In some embodiments, the second DL control signal may schedule a third DL data transmission (e.g., in a PDSCH).

[0050] At 311, the UE 330 may determine the timing for the DL SPS data transmission received at 305 based on the second DL control signal received at 309 (e.g., based on the applicable timing indicated in the second DL control signal, such as K1). In some embodiments, when the HARQ feedback transmission for DL ​​SPS data transmission is enabled / activated based on the applicable HARQ feedback timing provided by the second DL control signal, the UE 330 may perform operations 307 and 311, e.g., when the Inapplicable-DL-SPS-timing parameter is configured to enable / activate HARQ feedback transmission for DL ​​SPS data transmission based on the applicable HARQ feedback timing. It should be noted that this parameter is presented as an example only, and the solution for determining the HARQ feedback timing for DL ​​SPS data transmission may be enabled by any suitable signaling. In some embodiments, no enabling signaling is required, and the solution is enabled by default.

[0051] At 313, UE 330 may transmit at least one HARQ feedback associated with at least one received DL SPS PDSCH to NE 320. In various embodiments, the transmission at 313 may occur in response to a second DCI received by UE 330 at 309, and at least one applicable K1 value triggers HARQ feedback for at least one PDSCH configured for at least one DL SPS. In certain embodiments, where UE 330 has received at least one DL SPS PDSCH activation with an applicable K1 value at 303, UE 330 may be configured to transmit at least one HARQ feedback for the DL SPS PDSCH received at 305 to NE 320 after receiving the second DCI at 309, to trigger UE 330 to transmit HARQ feedback associated with a pending second set of DL data transmissions received at 301 (which may include a dynamically scheduled DL SPS PDSCH or one or more DL SPS PDSCHs). This may be based on the following condition: prior to receiving the first SPS PDSCH with an applicable K1 value at 305, the UE 330 has received at least one dynamically scheduled first SPS PDSCH indicated as NN-K1 (not applicable value) and / or a first DL SPS PDSCH opportunity activated / configured with NN-K1, but has not yet received a DCI providing HARQ feedback timing for the first SPS PDSCH or the first DL SPS PDSCH with NN-K1. The transmission may be performed according to the timing indicated by the triggering DCI (e.g., the second DCI received at 309). This may avoid the occurrence of an OOO-HARQ process.

[0052] In some embodiments, the second downlink control signal received at 309 may schedule further downlink data transmissions, such as PDSCH transmissions. In some embodiments, at 313, UE 330 may transmit HARQ feedback for one or more downlink SPS data transmissions in the first set of downlink SPS data transmissions received at 305, along with the HARQ feedback for the second set of downlink data transmissions received at 301 and HARQ feedback for the third downlink data transmission scheduled by the second downlink control signal received at 309. In some embodiments, the second downlink control signal received at 309 may indicate the number of downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions included in the HARQ feedback. This may enable a common understanding of the HARQ feedback payload and reduce blind detection by NE 320.

[0053] Figure 5 An example is shown, where something like Figure 3 In 305, before the UE receives DL SPS PDSCH 501 and 502, it has previously received at least one DL SPS PDSCH activation with an applicable K1 value. In this example, the UE also receives DCI 503 with an NN-K1 value before the DL SPS PDSCH 501 and 502 and is configured to dynamically schedule the SPS PDSCH. Alternatively, in some examples, DCI 503 can activate / configure the SPS PDSCH with an NN-K1 value. In some embodiments, if the UE has at least one pending scheduled PDSCH with NN-K1 (e.g., a PDSCH scheduled by DCI 503), that is, the UE has not sent HARQ feedback for the scheduled PDSCH with NN-K1 before receiving or being provided with another DL control signal with an applicable timing indication (e.g., DCI 504), then the NN-K1 in DCI 503 can also be applied to at least one DL SPS PDSCH 501 and 502. This may provide the advantage of being able to avoid OOO HARQ.

[0054] In some embodiments, if the UE 330 does not receive the DCI with the NN-K1 value for scheduling the second set of DL data transmissions at 301, the UE 330 may send at least one HARQ feedback for the DL SPS PDSCH received at 305 based on the DL SPS activation K1 and / or at least one RRC-configured PUCCH resource received at 303. This is because, in this case, the UE 330 is unaware that the pending DL data transmissions sent at 301 are not provided with HARQ feedback. In this case, the NE 320 may perform transmission detection and detect at 301 the DCI with the NN-K1 value for scheduling the second set of DL data transmissions that the UE 330 missed.

[0055] Figure 4 Another example of a signaling diagram for HARQ feedback for reporting DL SPS according to some example embodiments is illustrated. According to certain embodiments, the network entity (NE) 420 and the user equipment (UE) 430 may be similar to those discussed below. Figure 10 NE 1010 and UE 1020 are shown in FIG. In some embodiments, NE 420 may send at least one DL SPS PDSCH activation with an inapplicable NN-K1 value to UE 430 at 403, and UE 430 may send at least one HARQ feedback for the corresponding SPS PDSCH to NE 420 after receiving a DCI (dedicated to DL SPS HARQ feedback collection) triggering UE 420 to report pending DL SPS PDSCH HARQ feedback (dedicated to DL SPS PDSCH HARQ feedback collection) according to the timing indicated by the DCI. The DCI may trigger HARQ feedback for the c-most recent PDSCH opportunity configured for the DL SPS. Note that in this embodiment, the activation may not be performed. Figure 3 Operations 301 and 307 in Figure 4 In the example shown, the first DL control signal (eg, PDSCH) received at 403 for activating DL SPS data transmission may indicate an inapplicable HARQ timing (eg, NN-K1). Operation 405 may be similar to Figure 3 At 305 in 409 , NE 420 may send at least one second DL control signal to UE 430 , the second DL control signal indicating applicable HARQ feedback timing for the one or more DL SPS data transmissions received at 405 .

[0056] Note that in some embodiments, the second DL control signal received at 409 may be a DCI signal dedicated to triggering HARQ feedback without scheduling other DL data transmissions. Figure 3In operations 311 and 313, at 411 and 413, UE 420 may determine the HARQ timing of DL SPS data transmission based on the HARQ timing indicated in the second DL control signal received at 409, and send HARQ feedback for at least one DL SPS data transmission.

[0057] Figure 5 An example is shown in which the UE has previously received at least one DL SPS PDSCH activation with an inapplicable K1 value (such as NN-K1). The feedback timing for the DL SPS PDSCH is then determined based on the timing indicated in the subsequently received downlink control signal (e.g., DCI). The downlink control signal may trigger HARQ feedback for the DL SPS PDSCH and may not schedule any additional DL data transmission.

[0058] In various embodiments, the DCI that triggers the HARQ report may not be configured to schedule PDSCH, and / or its cyclic redundancy check (CRC) may be scrambled with at least one configured scheduling radio network temporary identifier (CS-RNTI). The UE 430 may interpret at least one triggering condition, such as a zero resource assignment (RA) and / or a new data indicator (NDI) set to 1, as being able to distinguish the DCI from the DL SPS release DCI. When verifying the DCI triggered HARQ report, the UE 430 may interpret the 2-bit counter downlink assignment indicator (C-DAI) c as trigger feedback for at least one latest c DL SPS PDSCH, where c is an integer. In addition, if the UE 430 receives another DCI signal that triggers a type 2 / e-type 2-CB in the same time slot, the UE 430 may be configured to connect the DL SPS PDSCH CB to the regular CB. As a result, as Figure 7 As shown, UE 430 may consider the C-DAI that triggers the DCI separately from the DAI process of the dynamically scheduled PDSCH. In this example, the C-DAI may indicate 2, for example, when LBT fails, such as due to WiFi interference, and / or indicates the first DL SPS PDSCH opportunity that is blocked. In some variants, the DCI may indicate the C-DAI for the scheduled PDSCH, and another unused field in the DCI may be used to trigger feedback for at least one latest c DL SPS PDSCH, where the field may be, for example, a redundancy version (RV) and a hybrid automatic request identification (HARQ ID).

[0059] In certain embodiments, if the UE 430 verifies a DCI trigger type 3 CB without scheduling a PDSCH and without scrambling with a C- or CS-RNTI, then as discussed above, the UE 430 may report HARQ feedback for HARQ processes that have not yet been reported, as well as at least one additional restriction imposed by the C-DAI c discussed above.

[0060] Figure 8 The diagram illustrates a method that can be used by a UE (such as Figure 10 An example of a flowchart of a method 800 performed by the UE 1020 shown.

[0061] At 801, the UE may receive a message from a NE such as Figure 10 NE 1010 in 801 receives a second set of DL data transmissions with at least one inapplicable HARQ feedback timing. In some embodiments, at 801, the UE may receive a dynamically scheduled PDSCH and / or another DL SPS PDSCH activated or configured with at least one inapplicable timing indication, such as a non-numeric K1 value (such as NN-K1).

[0062] At 803, the UE may receive a first DL control signal (e.g., DCI) from the NE configured to activate DL SPS for a first set of DL data transmissions. In some embodiments, the received first DL control signal may include applicable HARQ timing (e.g., value K1). In various embodiments, the first DL control signal may be received before 801.

[0063] At 805, the UE may receive at least one DL SPS data transmission (e.g., in a PDSCH) for at least one DL SPS configuration from the NE. In some embodiments, the DL SPS configuration may be activated using a DL control signal (e.g., a first DL DCI signal) at 803. In some embodiments, at least one received DL SPS PDSCH service may be activated and / or configured with at least one applicable timing indication, such as a numerical K1 value.

[0064] At 807, the UE may determine that applicable HARQ feedback timing for a second set of downlink data transmissions has not been provided or received. The second set of downlink data transmissions may be received before one or more downlink SPS data transmissions in the first set of downlink SPS data transmissions. The UE may determine that it has not previously received a downlink control signal providing an applicable K1 value for the second set of downlink data transmissions.

[0065] At 809, the UE may receive a second DL control signal (e.g., a second DCI) from the NE. The second DL control signal may include at least one applicable HARQ feedback timing indication (e.g., a numerical K1 value). In some embodiments, the second DL control signal may schedule a third DL data transmission (e.g., in a PDSCH).

[0066] At 811, the UE may determine timing for the DL SPS based on the second DL control signal received at 809 indicating applicable HARQ feedback timing. At 813, the UE may transmit to the NE at least one HARQ feedback associated with the at least one DL SPS PDSCH received at 805. In various embodiments, the transmission at 813 may occur in response to a second DCI received by the UE with at least one applicable K1 value to trigger HARQ feedback for at least one PDSCH of the at least one DL SPS configuration. In certain embodiments, where the UE has received at least one DL SPS PDSCH activation with an applicable K1 value at 805, the UE may be configured to transmit the at least one HARQ feedback for the DL SPS PDSCH to the NE after receiving at 809 a DCI triggering the UE to transmit at least one HARQ feedback associated with the pending DL SPS PDSCH or the DL SPS PDSCH received at 801. This may depend on the following conditions: before receiving the first SPS PDSCH with an applicable K1 value at 805, the UE has received a first SPS PDSCH indicating dynamic scheduling with NN-K1 (not applicable value) and / or a first DL SPS PDSCH opportunity activated / configured with NN-K1, and has not yet received a DCI providing HARQ feedback timing for the first SPS PDSCH or the first DL SPS PDSCH with NN-K1. The transmission may be performed according to the timing indicated by the triggering DCI received at 809.

[0067] In some embodiments, at 813, the UE may send HARQ feedback for one or more downlink SPS data transmissions in the first group of downlink SPS data transmissions received at 805, as well as HARQ feedback for the second group of downlink data transmissions, and HARQ feedback for the third downlink data transmission scheduled by the second downlink control signal.

[0068] In some embodiments, the UE may be configured as follows: Figure 3The UE operates in an unlicensed spectrum and / or can be configured to receive enabling signaling (e.g., parameter not applicable to DL-SPS timing) to enable the UE to determine HARQ feedback timing for a first set of DL data transmissions based on a second DL control signal received thereafter.

[0069] Figure 9 The diagram illustrates a method that can be used by a UE such as Figure 10 1020) is shown in FIG. 100. At 901, the UE may receive a request from a network entity such as Figure 10 NE 1010 shown in FIG1 receives a first downlink (DL) control signal activating semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for a first group of downlink data transmissions. The first downlink control signal indicates that hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback timing is not applicable for the first group of downlink data transmissions (e.g., NN-K1).

[0070] At 903, the UE may receive one or more downlink data transmissions in the first group of downlink data transmissions. At 905, the UE may receive the second DL control signal received at 903 that triggers HARQ feedback for the one or more DL data transmissions. The second DL control signal may indicate applicable HARQ feedback timing, but may not schedule further DL data transmissions.

[0071] At 907, in response to the second downlink control signal received at 905, the UE may determine the timing of received HARQ feedback for one or more downlink data transmissions in the first group of downlink data transmissions based on the received second downlink control signal. In various embodiments, the second downlink control signal may indicate a plurality of downlink data transmissions in the group of downlink data transmissions to be included in the HARQ feedback.

[0072] In some embodiments, the UE may be configured to operate in an unlicensed spectrum and / or configured to receive enabling signaling (e.g., parameter Not Applicable - DL-SPS Timing) to enable the UE to determine HARQ feedback timing for one or more DL SPS data transmissions in the first group of DL SPS data transmissions based on subsequent DL control signals as described above.

[0073] Figure 10 An example of a system according to certain example embodiments is illustrated. In an example embodiment, the system may include a plurality of devices, such as NE 1010 and / or UE 1020.

[0074] NE 1010 may be one or more base stations, such as eNBs or gNBs, servers and / or any other access nodes or a combination thereof. In addition, NE 1010 and / or UE 1020 may be one or more Citizens Broadband Radio Service Devices (CBSDs).

[0075] The NE 1010 may also include at least one gNB-CU, which may be associated with at least one gNB-DU. The at least one gNB-CU and the at least one gNB-DU may communicate via at least one F1 interface, at least one Xn-C interface, and / or at least one NG interface via 5G.

[0076] UE 1020 may include one or more mobile devices, such as mobile phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers or portable media players, digital cameras, camcorders, electronic game consoles, navigation units, such as global positioning system (GPS) devices, desktop or laptop computers, single location devices, such as sensors or smart meters, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, UE 1020 may include wearable terminal devices, portable computers, music storage and playback devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop-mounted devices (LMEs), universal serial bus (USB) encryption software, smart devices, wireless client equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated process chain environments), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc.

[0077] NE 1010 and / or UE 1020 may include at least one processor, indicated as 1011 and 1021, respectively. Processors 1011 and 1021 may be implemented by any computing or data processing device, such as a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or the like. The processor may be implemented as a single controller, or multiple controllers or processors.

[0078] As shown in 1012 and 1022, at least one memory may be provided in one or more devices. The memory may be fixed or removable. The memory may include computer program instructions or contained computer code. Memories 1012 and 1022 may independently be any suitable storage device, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A hard disk drive (HDD), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, or other suitable memory may be used. The memory may be combined on a single integrated circuit as a processor, or may be separated from one or more processors. In addition, the computer program instructions stored in the memory and that may be processed by the processor may be computer program code in any suitable form, such as a compiled or interpreted computer program written in any suitable programming language.

[0079] Processors 1011 and 1021, memories 1012 and 1022, and any subset thereof may be configured to provide corresponding Figures 3 to 9 Although not shown, the device may also include positioning hardware, such as GPS or micro-electromechanical system hardware, which can be used to determine the location of the device. Other sensors are also allowed and can be configured to determine position, altitude, speed, direction, etc., such as a barometer, compass, etc.

[0080] like Figure 10 As shown, transceivers 1013 and 1023 may be provided, and one or more devices may also include at least one antenna, shown as 1014 and 1024, respectively. The device may have multiple antennas, such as an antenna array configured for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or multiple antennas for multiple RATs. For example, other configurations of these devices may be provided. Transceivers 1013 and 1023 may be transmitters, receivers, both transmitters and receivers, or units or devices configured for both transmission and reception.

[0081] The memory and the computer program instructions may be configured to, together with the processor of a specific device, cause an apparatus (such as a UE) to perform any of the above processes (ie, Figures 3 to 9 ). Thus, in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may be encoded with computer instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a process such as one of the processes described herein. Alternatively, some embodiments may be implemented entirely in hardware.

[0082] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include a Figures 3 to 9The circuit system may be a pure hardware circuit implementation, such as an analog and / or numerical circuit. In another example, the circuit system may be a combination of hardware circuits and software, such as a combination of analog and / or numerical hardware circuit systems and software or firmware, and / or a combination of a hardware processor and software (including a digital signal processor), software, and any portion of at least one memory, which work together to enable the device to perform various processes or functions. In yet another example, the circuit system may be a hardware circuit system and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, including software for operation, such as firmware. When operation of the hardware is not required, the software may not be present in the circuit system.

[0083] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include means for executing (or causing execution of) a reference Figures 3 to 9 In some embodiments, the component may include at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and computer program code may be configured to cause the execution of the apparatus together with the at least one processor.

[0084] Figure 11 An example of a 5G network and system architecture according to certain embodiments is shown. The various network functions shown can be implemented as software operating as part of a network device or dedicated hardware, as a network device itself or dedicated hardware, or as virtual functions operating as a network device or dedicated hardware. Figure 11 The NE and UE shown may be similar to NE 1010 and UE 1020, respectively. The user plane function (UPF) may provide services such as intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, routing and forwarding of data packets, packet inspection, user plane quality of service (QoS) processing, buffering of downlink data packets, and / or triggering of downlink data notifications. The application function primarily interfaces with the core network to facilitate applications used for traffic routing and interacts with the policy framework.

[0085] Figure 12 Another example of a signaling diagram for reporting HARQ feedback according to some example embodiments is illustrated. According to certain embodiments, as discussed below Figure 10 As shown, a network entity (NE) 1210 and a user equipment (UE) 1220 may be similar to NE 1010 and UE 1020. At 1201, NE 1210 may configure UE 1220 with at least one DL SPS configuration having at least one unsuitable value and / or operation in an unlicensed spectrum.

[0086] At 1203, UE 1220 may receive one or more PDSCH opportunities for at least one DL SPS configuration and may not provide the DL SPS in a periodic PUCCH. At 1205, NE 1210 may transmit at least one DCI to UE 1220. The DCI may be configured to collect HARQ acknowledgments for the transmitted PDSCH opportunities for at least one DL SPS configuration. At 1207, UE 1220 may receive at least one further DCI-scheduled PUCCH transmission for at least one downlink packet service configuration and report HARQ acknowledgments for the most recent c DL SPS PDSCH opportunity for the at least one DL SPS configuration. In some embodiments, the value of c may be indicated in another DCI. At 1209, NE 1210 may receive at least one HARQ-ACK acknowledgment codebook from UE 1220.

[0087] The features, structures, or characteristics of the example embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments. For example, the phrases "various embodiments," "certain embodiments," "some embodiments," or other similar language used throughout this specification refer to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an example embodiment may be included in at least one example embodiment. Thus, the phrases "in various embodiments," "in various embodiments," "in certain embodiments," "in some embodiments," or other similar language appearing throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same set of example embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments.

[0088] Additionally, if desired, the different functions or procedures described above may be executed in a different order and / or concurrently with each other. Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the functions or procedures described above may be optional or may be combined. Therefore, the foregoing description should be considered as illustrative of the principles and guidance of certain example embodiments, and not as a limitation thereof.

[0089] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the above-described exemplary embodiments may be implemented using processes in a different order and / or hardware components configured differently than those disclosed. Therefore, although some embodiments have been described based on these exemplary embodiments, certain modifications, variations, and alternative configurations will be apparent to those skilled in the art while remaining within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments.

[0090] Partial Glossary

[0091] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0092] 5G fifth generation

[0093] 5GC Fifth Generation Core

[0094] 5GS Fifth Generation System

[0095] ACK

[0096] AMF Access and Mobility Management Function

[0097] ARQ Automatic Repeat Request

[0098] ASIC Application-Specific Integrated Circuit

[0099] BS Base Station

[0100] CB codebook

[0101] CBSD Civilian Broadband Wireless Service Device

[0102] C-DAI Counter Downlink Assignment Indicator

[0103] CN Core Network

[0104] COT channel occupancy time

[0105] CPU Central Processing Unit

[0106] CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check

[0107] CS-RNTI configured scheduling radio network temporary identifier

[0108] DAI Downlink Assignment Index

[0109] DCI Downlink Control Information

[0110] DL Downlink

[0111] eMBB Enhanced Mobile Broadband

[0112] eMTC Enhanced Machine Type Communication

[0113] eNB Evolved Node B

[0114] eOLLA Enhanced Outer Loop Link Adaptation

[0115] EPS Evolved Packet System

[0116] FR frequency range

[0117] gNB Next Generation Node B

[0118] GPS Global Positioning System

[0119] HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request

[0120] HDD Hard Drive

[0121] IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

[0122] LBT Listen before speaking

[0123] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0124] LTE-A Long Term Evolution Advanced

[0125] MAC Media Access Control

[0126] MBS Multicast and Broadcast System

[0127] MCS modulation and coding scheme

[0128] MEMS Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

[0129] MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output

[0130] MME Mobility Management Entity

[0131] mMTC massive machine type communication

[0132] MPDCCH Machine Type Communication Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0133] MTC Machine Type Communication

[0134] NACK Negative Acknowledgement

[0135] NAS Non-Access Stratum

[0136] NDI New Data Indicator

[0137] NE Network Entity

[0138] NG Next Generation

[0139] NG-eNB Next Generation Evolved Node B

[0140] NG-RAN Next Generation Radio Access Network

[0141] NN Not a Number

[0142] NR New Radio

[0143] NR-U Unlicensed New Radio

[0144] OOO disorder

[0145] PDA Personal Digital Assistant

[0146] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0147] PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0148] PDU Protocol Data Unit

[0149] PRACH Physical Random Access Channel

[0150] PRB Physical Resource Block

[0151] P-RNTI Paging Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0152] PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel

[0153] PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel

[0154] QoS Quality of Service

[0155] RAM Random Access Memory

[0156] RAN Radio Access Network

[0157] RAT Radio Access Technology

[0158] RLC Radio Link Control

[0159] RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0160] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0161] RS reference signal

[0162] RV Redundancy Version

[0163] SCS subcarrier spacing

[0164] SLIV start and length indicator

[0165] SMF session management functions

[0166] SPS Semi-Persistent Scheduling

[0167] SR Dispatch Report

[0168] TB Transfer Block

[0169] TR Technical Report

[0170] TS Technical Specification

[0171] Tx transmission

[0172] UCI Uplink Control Information

[0173] UE User Equipment

[0174] UL Uplink

[0175] UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0176] UPF User Plane Function

[0177] URLLC Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communications

[0178] UTRAN Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network

[0179] WLAN Wireless Local Area Network.

Claims

1. A communication method, comprising: receiving, by a user equipment from a network entity, a first downlink (DL) control signal activating semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for a first set of downlink data transmissions, the first downlink control signal indicating applicable hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback timing for the first set of downlink data transmissions; receiving one or more downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions; determining that applicable HARQ feedback timing is not provided for a received second set of downlink data transmissions, the second set of downlink data transmissions being scheduled by a further downlink control signal, the further downlink control signal indicating non-applicable HARQ feedback timing for the second set of downlink data transmissions, the second set of downlink data transmissions being received before the one or more downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions; responsive to the determining, determining HARQ feedback timing for the one or more downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions based on a second downlink control signal indicating an applicable HARQ feedback timing received after receipt of the one or more downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions and a number of downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions to include in HARQ feedback; as well as At least one HARQ feedback associated with the one or more downlink data transmissions for the indicated number of downlink data transmissions in the first group of downlink data transmissions, together with HARQ feedback for the second group of downlink data transmissions and HARQ feedback for a third downlink data transmission scheduled by the second downlink control signal, is sent by the user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of downlink data transmissions comprises one or more of: at least one dynamically scheduled DL data transmission, or at least one SPS DL data transmission.

3. An apparatus for communication, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receiving a first downlink (DL) control signal from a network entity, the first downlink control signal activating semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for a first set of downlink data transmissions, the first downlink control signal indicating applicable hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback timing for the first set of downlink data transmissions; receiving one or more downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions; determining that applicable HARQ feedback timing is not provided for a received second set of downlink data transmissions, the second set of downlink data transmissions being scheduled by a further downlink control signal, the further downlink control signal indicating non-applicable HARQ feedback timing for the second set of downlink data transmissions, the second set of downlink data transmissions being received before the one or more downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions; responsive to the determining, determining HARQ feedback timing for the one or more downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions based on a second downlink control signal indicating an applicable HARQ feedback timing received after receipt of the one or more downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions and a number of downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions to include in HARQ feedback; as well as At least one HARQ feedback associated with the one or more downlink data transmissions for the indicated number of downlink data transmissions in the first group of downlink data transmissions, as well as HARQ feedback for the second group of downlink data transmissions and HARQ feedback for the third downlink data transmission scheduled by the second downlink control signal are sent together.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second set of downlink data transmissions comprises one or more of: at least one dynamically scheduled DL data transmission, or at least one SPS DL data transmission.

5. An apparatus for communication, comprising components for: receiving a first downlink (DL) control signal from a network entity, the first downlink control signal activating semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for a first set of downlink data transmissions, the first downlink control signal indicating applicable hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback timing for the first set of downlink data transmissions; receiving one or more downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions; determining that applicable HARQ feedback timing is not provided for a received second set of downlink data transmissions, the second set of downlink data transmissions being scheduled by a further downlink control signal, the further downlink control signal indicating non-applicable HARQ feedback timing for the second set of downlink data transmissions, the second set of downlink data transmissions being received before the one or more downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions; responsive to the determining, determining HARQ feedback timing for the one or more downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions based on a second downlink control signal indicating an applicable HARQ feedback timing received after receipt of the one or more downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions and a number of downlink data transmissions in the first set of downlink data transmissions to include in HARQ feedback; as well as At least one HARQ feedback associated with the one or more downlink data transmissions for the indicated number of downlink data transmissions in the first group of downlink data transmissions, as well as HARQ feedback for the second group of downlink data transmissions and HARQ feedback for the third downlink data transmission scheduled by the second downlink control signal are sent together.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second set of downlink data transmissions comprises one or more of: at least one dynamically scheduled DL data transmission, or at least one SPS DL data transmission. 7 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon, wherein the program instructions are configured to cause a device to execute the method according to claim 1 .

8. An apparatus for communication, comprising a circuit configured to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 2.

9. A computer program product encoded with instructions for causing a device to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 2.

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