Resource Selection for Transmission of Pending Data Units

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus, a method, a device, and a computer-readable storage medium for resource selection for transmission of outstanding data units. The method includes determining a set of allowed hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes for transmitting the data unit based on at least one condition if it is determined that the data unit is not successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original HARQ process; selecting additional resources associated with a target HARQ process from the set of allowed HARQ processes; and transmitting the data unit to a second device using the additional resources. In this way, a scheme for conditional HARQ switching is proposed, enabling fast retransmission of outstanding MAC PDUs. At the same time, retransmission of outstanding MAC PDUs does not affect other scheduled services.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to an apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for resource selection for transmission of outstanding data units. Background Art

[0002] If a terminal device includes two or more uplink grants with overlapping time resources, the terminal device may have some already generated MAC protocol data units (PDUs), and these MAC PDUs are eventually deprioritized and thus not fully transmitted. In addition, in unlicensed New Radio (NR-U), a similar situation may occur, that is, the generated PDUs cannot be transmitted due to Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) failure.

[0003] The "generated but not transmitted" MAC PDUs can be considered as outstanding MAC PDUs. For dynamically authorized deprioritized PUSCH, such MAC PDUs can be stored in the HARQ buffer, and the network device can be allowed to schedule retransmission resources associated with the same HARQ process, that is, the HARQ process associated with the original grant scheduled for this MAC PDU. For configured authorized deprioritized PUSCH, such MAC PDUs can be stored in the HARQ buffer of the corresponding HARQ process, and the network device can be allowed to schedule retransmission, or the terminal device can use subsequent radio resources associated with the same HARQ process, for example, to transmit this MAC PDU. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for resource selection for transmission of outstanding data units.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first apparatus is provided. The first 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 first apparatus to: if it is determined that a data unit is not successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) process, determine a set of allowed HARQ processes for transmitting the data unit based on at least one condition; select additional resources associated with a target HARQ process from the set of allowed HARQ processes; and transmit the data unit to a second apparatus using the additional resources.

[0006] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the second device to: generate at least one condition for the first device to determine a set of allowed hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes for transmitting a data unit that was not successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original HARQ process; and receive the data unit from the first device on additional resources associated with a target HARQ process, the target HARQ process being selected by the first device from the set of allowed HARQ processes.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: if it is determined that a data unit was not successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process, determining a set of allowed HARQ processes for transmitting the data unit based on at least one condition; selecting additional resources associated with a target HARQ process from the set of allowed HARQ processes; and transmitting the data unit to a second device using the additional resources.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: generating at least one condition for the first device to determine a set of allowed hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes for transmitting a data unit that was not successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original HARQ process; and receiving the data unit from the first device on additional resources associated with a target HARQ process, the target HARQ process being selected by the first device from the set of allowed HARQ processes.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a device is provided, the device including: means for determining a set of allowed HARQ processes for transmitting a data unit based on at least one condition if it is determined that the data unit was not successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process; means for selecting additional resources associated with a target HARQ process from the set of allowed HARQ processes; and means for transmitting the data unit to a second device using the additional resources.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a device is provided, the device including: means for generating at least one condition for the first device to determine a set of allowed hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes for transmitting a data unit that was not successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original HARQ process; and means for receiving the data unit from the first device on additional resources associated with a target HARQ process, the target HARQ process being selected by the first device from the set of allowed HARQ processes.

[0011] 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 the method according to the third aspect.

[0012] 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 the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0013] Other features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent when the following detailed description of the specific embodiments is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Embodiments of the present disclosure are presented by way of example and their advantages are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0015] Figure 1 there is shown an example communication network in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0016] Figure 2 there is shown a schematic diagram illustrating a process 200 for resource selection for transmission of a pending data unit according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 3 there is shown a flowchart of an example method 300 for resource selection for transmission of a pending data unit according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 4 there is shown a flowchart of an example method 400 for resource selection for transmission of a pending data unit according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 5 there is shown a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0020] Figure 6 there is shown a block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Throughout the drawings, like or similar reference numerals denote like or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The subject matter described herein will now be discussed with reference to several example embodiments. It should be understood that the discussion of these embodiments is only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and thus implement the subject matter described herein, and is not intended to imply any limitation on the scope of the subject matter.

[0023] The terms used in this document are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the 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" and / or "having", when used herein, specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof.

[0024] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the noted functions / actions may not occur in the order shown in the figures. For example, two consecutive functions or actions shown may actually be executed simultaneously, or sometimes in the reverse order, depending on the functions / actions involved.

[0025] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth generation (5G) communication protocol, and / or any other protocol known currently or developed in the future.

[0026] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will of course also be future types of communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure can be embodied. It should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to the above systems. For illustrative purposes, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to a 5G communication system.

[0027] The term "network device" used herein includes, but is not limited to, a base station (BS), a gateway, a registration management entity, and other suitable devices in a communication system. The term "base station" or "BS" refers to Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also referred to as gNB), remote radio unit (RRU), radio header (RH), remote radio head (RRH), relay, low power node (such as femto, pico), etc.

[0028] As used herein, the term "terminal device" includes, but is not limited to, "user equipment (UE)", and other suitable terminal devices capable of communicating with network devices. For example, the "terminal device" may refer to a terminal, a mobile terminal (MT), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT).

[0029] The term "circuitry" as used herein may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0030] (a) A pure hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation using only analog and / or digital circuitry), and

[0031] (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable):

[0032] (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and

[0033] (ii) Any part of (multiple) hardware processors (including digital signal processors), software, and (multiple) memories with software, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or a server) to perform various functions, and

[0034] (c) (Multiple) hardware circuitry and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or a part of (multiple) microprocessors, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when not needed for operation.

[0035] The definition of the circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses an implementation of only hardware circuitry or a processor (or processors) or a part of a hardware circuitry or a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also encompasses a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network devices.

[0036] Figure 1FIG. 0 shows an example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Network 100 includes a second device 120 (hereinafter may be referred to as network device 120) served by a network device 120, and first devices 110-1 and 110-2 (hereinafter collectively referred to as first device 110 or individually referred to as terminal device 110). The service area of network device 120 is referred to as cell 102. It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent any limitation. Network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices adapted to implement embodiments of the present invention. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more terminal devices may be in cell 102 and served by network device 120.

[0037] Depending on the communication technology, network 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, etc. The communication discussed in network 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including but not limited to New Radio Access (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), cdma2000, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc. In addition, the communication may be performed according to any generation of communication protocol known currently or 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) communication protocols. The techniques described herein may be used for the above wireless networks and radio technologies as well as other wireless networks and radio technologies. For clarity, certain aspects of these techniques are described below for LTE, and LTE terms are used in most of the following descriptions.

[0038] As described above, if a terminal device includes two or more uplink authorizations with overlapping time resources, the terminal device may have some MAC protocol data units (PDUs) that have been generated, and these MAC PDUs are ultimately deprioritized and thus not fully transmitted. In addition, in unlicensed New Radio (NR-U), a similar situation may occur, where the generated PDUs cannot be transmitted due to Listen Before Talk (LBT) failure.

[0039] The MAC PDUs that are "generated but not sent" can be considered as pending MAC PDUs. For the dynamically authorized deprioritized PUSCH, such MAC PDUs can be stored in the HARQ buffer, and the network device can be allowed to schedule retransmissions associated with the same HARQ process, i.e., the HARQ process associated with the original authorization of this MAC PDU. For the configured authorized deprioritized PUSCH, such MAC PDUs can be stored in the HARQ buffer, and the network device can be allowed to schedule retransmissions, or the terminal device can use subsequent radio resources associated with the same HARQ process, for example, to send this MAC PDU.

[0040] Generally, the pending MAC PDUs should be buffered in the HARQ buffer of the associated HARQ process and can be processed by relying on re-TX authorization or automatic transmission on subsequent resources with the same HARQ process.

[0041] In addition, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is building support for NR to operate on unlicensed spectrum, in which the transmitter needs to perform CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) / LBT (Listen Before Talk) operation before accessing the channel. For such operations, the terminal device may have constructed MAC PDUs at the MAC layer, and then the CCA process at L1 may fail.

[0042] If the pending MAC PDU is generated for a configured authorization, the network device may not know whether there is a MAC PDU generated for the configured authorization timing. This resource may have been skipped by the terminal device because there is no traffic in the logical channel buffer. Therefore, it is inefficient to rely on re-Tx authorization if the network device has to over-provision retransmission resources for each configured authorization timing where there may be pending MAC PDUs.

[0043] On the other hand, the automatic retransmission on subsequent resources of the same HARQ process is quite limited because such resources may not be immediately available since the HARQ process ID is calculated based on the SFN / subframe / symbol number. In NR-U where the terminal device indicates the HARQ process ID to the network, when the previous transmission fails due to CCA / LBT, the terminal device can assign the HARQ process ID (for example, if it is the only idle HARQ process ID) to the next TB.

[0044] To facilitate the faster transmission of pending MAC PDUs, it has been considered that the terminal device can automatically send the pending MAC PDUs on subsequent resources of a HARQ process different from the original HARQ process (if such resources are available). However, there are some problems to be solved.

[0045] For example, if some MAC control elements (CEs) have been embedded in the deprioritized MAC PDU, the network device may be confused about the reference timing of the information. If subsequent resources are reserved for other services with higher priorities, the retransmission of the pending MAC PDU may be blocked.

[0046] In addition, it cannot be guaranteed that subsequent radio resources have appropriate parameters for the pending MAC PDU, such as the TBS. Moreover, if the previous transmission has been completed procedurally, the previous transmission will be wasted because the network device cannot combine transmissions from different procedures.

[0047] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a solution for resource selection for the transmission of pending data units. Some conditions can be configured for the terminal device to determine the set of allowed HARQ processes for the transmission of the pending MAC PDU, and the terminal device can thus select resources associated with a suitable HARQ process from the set of allowed HARQ processes to send the pending MAC PDU.

[0048] Reference is made below to Figure 2 describe the principle and implementation of the present disclosure in detail, Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of resource selection for the transmission of pending data units. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 describe process 200. As Figure 1 shown, process 200 may involve network device 120 and terminal device 110.

[0049] As described above, it is possible that a pending MAC PDU has been generated in terminal device 110 but has not been successfully transmitted in the original HARQ process of the MAC PDU, and the pending MAC PDU can be stored in the original HARQ process buffer. To determine which subsequent radio resources can be used to send the pending MAC PDU, terminal device 110 obtains 210 at least one condition for determining the allowed HARQ processes. For example, the at least one condition can be obtained from network device 120 via appropriate signaling (e.g., RRC signaling).

[0050] Generally, one or more conditions may refer to the following aspects, namely, logical channel priority (LCH)-related conditions, authorization-related conditions, queuing / delivery time-related conditions, HARQ process-related conditions, and channel access priority class (CAPC)-related conditions.

[0051] Such conditions can indicate in which cases a switch to a new HARQ process different from the original HARQ process can be performed and in which cases the pending MAC PDU can only use the original HARQ. These conditions can include thresholds, threshold levels, ranges, and indicators of certain parameters associated with the data attributes of the MAC PDU, the grant character, or the attributes of the original HARQ process.

[0052] For example, by matching the above data attributes of the MAC PDU, the grant character, or the attributes of the original HARQ process with one or more obtained conditions, the terminal device 110 determines a set of allowed HARQ processes for transmitting the MAC PDU based on at least one condition. The process of selecting a target HARQ process will be described in detail below according to one or more conditions in the above aspects.

[0053] In some example embodiments, the condition can refer to the LCH priority. The terminal device 110 can determine at least one threshold level of the LCH priority based on the condition. The terminal device 110 can determine the highest LCH priority of the data in the pending MAC PDU. The terminal device 110 can determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the comparison between at least one threshold level and the highest LCH priority of the data.

[0054] In some example embodiments, if the terminal device 110 determines that the highest LCH priority of the data in the pending MAC PDU exceeds the threshold level of the LCH priority for HARQ process switching, the terminal device 110 can determine that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ. If the terminal device 110 determines that the highest LCH priority of the data is lower than the threshold level of the LCH priority, the terminal device 110 can determine that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

[0055] As an option, the terminal device 110 can determine multiple thresholds of the LCH priority. For example, the multiple thresholds of the LCH priority include a first threshold level and a second threshold level, and the second threshold level is higher than the first threshold level.

[0056] If the highest LCH priority is lower than the first threshold level, the allowed HARQ process set may include only the original HARQ processes. If the highest LCH priority exceeds the first threshold level and is lower than the second threshold level, the terminal device 110 may determine that the first allowed HARQ process set includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ. If the highest LCH priority exceeds the second threshold level, the terminal device 110 may determine that the second allowed HARQ process set includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ. The second allowed HARQ process set may include all existing HARQ processes, and the first allowed HARQ process set may be a subset of the first allowed HARQ process set. That is, depending on the highest LCH priority of the data in the MAC PDU, it may be transmitted on resources within different HARQ process ranges.

[0057] Whether to allow HARQ process switching for the pending MAC PDU may also depend on the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) replication state. For example, the activation / deactivation of the data radio bearer (DRB) corresponding to the LCH mapped to the MAC PDU and the number of active branches.

[0058] In some example embodiments, the condition may refer to an authorized characteristic, which may be related to the authorization configured when generating the MAC PDU or a later authorization to be considered. The authorized characteristic may be referred to as certain authorization parameters. For example, the parameters may include modulation and coding scheme (MCS), transport block size (TBS), and repetition, etc.

[0059] For example, the terminal device 110 may determine a threshold for at least one characteristic parameter associated with the reference authorization configuration, and the actual value of at least one characteristic parameter of the authorization already configured for the data unit. The terminal device 120 may determine the allowed HARQ process set based on the comparison between the threshold and the actual value.

[0060] In some example embodiments, if the actual value exceeds the threshold, the terminal device 110 determines that the allowed HARQ process set includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

[0061] For example, the authorized characteristic may also refer to an indicator of the authorization already configured for the data unit. For example, the authorized characteristic may refer to an indicator that the authorization can be used for automatic retransmission, or an indicator that the deprioritized MAC PDU generated for the authorization can be retransmitted on different HARQ processes, etc. The terminal device 120 may determine the allowed HARQ process set based on the indicator.

[0062] In some example embodiments, the condition may refer to certain timing criteria related to the data unit.

[0063] As an option, depending on how long a data unit has been queued, different sets of allowed HARQ processes can be determined (controlled by, for example, a timer). For example, a pending MAC PDU can start using other HARQ processes after a certain timer expires.

[0064] In this case, the condition can refer to a threshold data unit queuing time interval. The terminal device 110 can determine how long the data unit has been queued and determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a comparison between the threshold data unit queuing time interval and the duration for which the data unit has been queued.

[0065] For example, if the duration for which the data has been queued exceeds the threshold data queuing time interval, the terminal device 110 determines that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

[0066] As another option, depending on how much time is left until the delivery deadline of the data, different sets of allowed HARQ processes can be determined.

[0067] For example, the condition can refer to a threshold remaining time budget for data delivery. The terminal device 110 can determine how much time is left until the delivery deadline of the data and determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a comparison between the threshold remaining time budget for the data and the remaining time interval for delivering the data unit.

[0068] If the remaining time interval for delivering the data unit becomes shorter than the threshold remaining time budget for data delivery, the terminal device 110 determines that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

[0069] As another option, the determination of the set of allowed HARQ processes can be based on the number of attempts to send the data unit. For example, the terminal device 110 can determine a threshold number of attempts to send the data unit and determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a comparison between the threshold number and the actual number of attempts to send the data unit.

[0070] If the actual number of attempts to send the data unit exceeds the threshold number, the terminal device 110 determines that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

[0071] The threshold number of attempts to send the data unit can be set to zero, which means that the MAC PDU has never been sent over the air.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the condition may refer to an authorized configuration. The network device 120 may be pre-configured with a restricted subset of HARQ processes that can be used for automatic retransmission. That is, the terminal device 110 cannot use the resources of HARQ processes outside of this automatic retransmission subset.

[0073] If it is assumed that the deprioritized MAC PDU is carried by a configured grant (CG), then this subset may be the same as the subset of HARQ processes configured for this CG configuration. This subset may be equal to the HARQ processes of the configured grant configuration that are not configured for any of the configured grant configurations.

[0074] In this case, for example, the terminal device 110 may determine whether the data transmission is scheduled based on a configured grant. If so, the terminal device 110 may determine that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

[0075] As an option, the terminal device 110 may also determine the association between the original HARQ process and the corresponding HARQ process. For example, the network device 120 may pre-configure certain associations between the original HARQ process of the deprioritized MAC PDU and the HARQ processes of subsequent resources that can be considered. For example, if the deprioritized MAC PDU was initially scheduled in HARQ process 1, it can only be retransmitted in the resources of HARQ processes 1 and 2; if the deprioritized MAC PDU was initially in HARQ process 2, it can only be retransmitted in the resources of HARQ processes 2 and 4.

[0076] In addition, the determination of the set of allowed HARQ processes may also depend on whether the buffer of the HARQ process to be used for deprioritized MAC PDU transmission is empty, which means that no other MAC PDUs are delivered to this HARQ process. Therefore, the HARQ process with an empty buffer can be used for the pending MAC PDU.

[0077] In some example embodiments, the condition may refer to the CAPC value of the pending MAC PDU, which is similar to the LCH priority case.

[0078] The terminal device 110 may determine at least one threshold level of the CAPC based on this condition. The terminal device 110 may determine the highest CAPC of the pending MAC PDU. The terminal device 110 may determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the comparison of at least one threshold level and the highest CAPC of the pending MAC PDU.

[0079] In some example embodiments, if the terminal device 110 determines that the CAPC of the pending MAC PDU exceeds the threshold level of the CAPC for HARQ process switching, the terminal device 110 may determine that the allowed HARQ process set includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ. If the terminal device 110 determines that the CAPC of the MAC PDU is lower than the threshold CAPC, the terminal device 110 may determine that the allowed HARQ process set includes only the original HARQ process.

[0080] As an option, the terminal device 110 may determine multiple thresholds of the CAPC. For example, the multiple thresholds of the CAPC include a first threshold level and a second threshold level, and the second threshold level is higher than the first threshold level.

[0081] If the CAPC of the pending MAC PDU is lower than the first threshold level, the allowed HARQ process set may include only the original HARQ process. If the CAPC of the pending MAC PDU exceeds the first threshold level and is lower than the second threshold level, the terminal device 110 may determine that the first allowed HARQ process set includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ. If the CAPC of the pending MAC PDU exceeds the second threshold level, the terminal device 110 may determine that the second allowed HARQ process set includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ. The second allowed HARQ process set may include all existing HARQ processes, and the first allowed HARQ process set may be a subset of the first allowed HARQ process set. That is, depending on the pending MAC PDU, it may be transmitted on resources in different HARQ process ranges.

[0082] In addition, after switching the HARQ process, the transmission is considered a new transmission on the new HARQ process. The ConfiguredGrantTimer of the original HARQ process is stopped. In other words, the original HARQ process is released for a new transmission.

[0083] The number of HARQ process switches performed by the terminal device (i.e., using resources associated with the new HARQ process instead of the original HARQ process to transmit the pending MAC PDU) may also be specified or configurable by the network. As an option, the maximum number of HARQ process switches may be the maximum number of retransmission attempts of the MAC PDU (if configured as such).

[0084] In some example embodiments, if the terminal device 110 determines the allowed HARQ process set based on multiple conditions as described above, the terminal device 110 may determine the priorities of the multiple conditions and select a target HARQ process based on the priorities.

[0085] Specifically, if the terminal device 110 is configured with more than one condition that allows the terminal device 110 to switch HARQ processes for a pending MAC PDU. Since it is difficult to meet all the conditions for the terminal device 110 to perform HARQ process switching, a "priority level" or "importance level" can be assigned to each configured condition. Over time, some conditions can be discarded based on the order determined by the priority level. Therefore, the probability of using different HARQ processes increases with the amount of time such a MAC PDU has been pending, and thus it can be sent faster at an appropriate time. One implementation is that each configured condition is associated with a timer (with different timer periods), and all timers are started when the MAC PDU is generated. After the timer expires, the terminal device 110 discards the corresponding condition for using a different HARQ process for the pending MAC PDU. That is, the "less important" criteria are usually associated with shorter timer periods.

[0086] Since the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined, the terminal device 110 selects a resource associated with the target HARQ process, such as the next transmission opportunity, from the set of allowed processes. Then the terminal device 110 uses the resource associated with the target HARQ process to send the pending MAC PDU to the network device 120.

[0087] Here, a new timer can be introduced to indicate the validity of the data. For a MAC PDU containing a certain LCH, this timer can be called a "relevance timer". While the timer is running, the MAC PDU can be sent using the same or different HARQ processes. Once the timer expires, the terminal device 110 can discard the MAC PDU, for example, by flushing the buffer of the HARQ process storing the MAC PDU. The timer can be an explicit value configured in the terminal device 110, or can be obtained in the following manner based on the value configured by the network and the MAC PDU queuing time: T relevance = T configured - T queueing .

[0088] As an option, the timer can be started when the transmission using the resource associated with the original HARQ process is initiated. As another option, the timer can be started when the pending MAC PDU is generated or stored in the HARQ buffer. In this case, in some example embodiments, if the timer for indicating the validity of the data has not expired, the pending MAC PDU is sent.

[0089] In some example embodiments, although the resources for sending the pending MAC PDU are selected from the set of allowed HARQ processes, the selected resources may be reserved for other services. In this case, the terminal device 110 may compare the priority of the data unit and the priority of the reserved service (i.e., another data unit), and if the priority of the data unit is higher than the priority of the reserved service, the terminal device 110 may send the pending data unit.

[0090] In the case where a single MAC PDU contains MAC SDUs with traffic from different LCHs, the terminal device may start a timer that has the highest value among the timers configured for a specific LCH included in the MAC PDU. In this way, the MAC PDU will be discarded only when all the data carried by the MAC PDU has expired. If at least one of the included LCHs is not configured with a timer, the terminal device may not start a timer, which means that the MAC PDU will not be discarded based on the relevant timer. In some example embodiments, the relevant timer may not be configured as part of the LCH configuration, but as part of the configured grant configuration, and thus the relevant timer is the same regardless of which LCH the grant carries. In this case, the network device may separate the timer for the dynamic grant configuration, i.e., apply it to all dynamic grants regardless of which LCHs the grants carry.

[0091] In addition, new uplink control information (UCI) may be introduced and possibly multiplexed into the "new" PUSCH, which tells the network device to "ignore" or "consider" the timing of the MAC CE because they may be generated earlier and may not be correctly reflected in the PUSCH timing. For UE-internal priority division, it is also possible that a MAC PDU with de-prioritized grants is not generated because the priority division occurs in advance. After not receiving a transmission related to the grant, the network device may schedule a retransmission grant, which will be used by the terminal device to send the previously de-prioritized data. In this case, the MAC CE included in the MAC PDU will again have a time difference from the MAC CE expected by the network device because the MAC PDU will be generated when receiving the retransmission grant, rather than during the reception of the original grant. Therefore, the network device may misinterpret the timing of the MAC CE again. This can be covered by a similar indication in the UCI proposed above, or in this case, the terminal device may include in the MAC PDU a MAC CE that will be sent via the retransmission grant in order to notify the network device that the re-TX grant is used by the terminal device for a new transmission. Therefore, the network device will not be confused about the reference timing of the MAC CE information in the MAC PDU to be generated for the retransmission grant.

[0092] In this way, a resource selection scheme for the transmission of outstanding data units is proposed, enabling the rapid transmission of outstanding MAC PDUs. At the same time, the transmission of outstanding MAC PDUs may not affect other scheduled services.

[0093] Figure 3 A flowchart of an example method 300 for resource selection for the transmission of outstanding data units according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 300 may be implemented at a first device 110 as shown in Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, method 300 will be described with reference to Figure 1 the description of method 300.

[0094] As shown in Figure 3 at 310, if a data unit is not successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original HARQ process, the first device 110 determines a set of allowed HARQ processes for transmitting the data unit based on at least one condition.

[0095] In some example embodiments, determining a set of allowed HARQ processes based on at least one condition includes: determining at least one threshold level of logical channel priority; determining the level of logical channel priority of the data in the data unit; and determining the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a comparison between the level of logical channel priority of the data and the at least one threshold level.

[0096] In some example embodiments, if the level of logical channel priority of the data exceeds at least one threshold level, the first device 110 may determine that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ, and if the level of logical channel priority of the data is lower than the threshold level, the first device 110 may determine that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the at least one threshold level includes a first threshold level and a second threshold level, and the second threshold level is lower than the first threshold level. If the level of logical channel priority of the data exceeds the first threshold level, the first device 110 may determine that a first set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ. If the level of logical channel priority of the data is lower than the first threshold level and exceeds the second threshold level, the first device 110 may determine that a second set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ, and the second set is a subset of the first set. If the level of logical channel priority of the data is lower than the second threshold level, the first device 110 may also determine that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

[0098] In some example embodiments, determining an allowed HARQ process set based on at least one condition includes determining a threshold for at least one characteristic parameter associated with a reference grant configuration; determining an actual value of at least one characteristic parameter of a target grant that has been configured for a data unit; and determining the allowed HARQ process set based on a comparison between the threshold and the actual value.

[0099] In some example embodiments, determining an allowed HARQ process set based on at least one condition includes determining an indication of retransmission resources associated with a grant that has been configured for a data unit; and determining the allowed HARQ process set based on the indication.

[0100] In some example embodiments, determining an allowed HARQ process set based on at least one condition includes determining a threshold data unit queuing time interval; determining a first duration for which the data unit has been queued; and determining the allowed HARQ process set based on a comparison between the first duration for which the data unit has been queued and the threshold data unit queuing time interval.

[0101] In some example embodiments, determining an allowed HARQ process set based on at least one condition includes: determining a threshold remaining time budget for data delivery; determining a remaining time interval for delivering the data unit; and determining the allowed HARQ process set based on a comparison between the remaining time interval for delivering the data unit and the threshold remaining time budget for data delivery.

[0102] In some example embodiments, determining an allowed HARQ process set based on at least one condition includes: determining a threshold number of attempts for transmitting a data unit; and if it is determined that an actual number of attempts for transmitting the data unit exceeds the threshold number of attempts, determining that the allowed HARQ process set includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the threshold number of attempts is zero.

[0104] In some example embodiments, determining an allowed HARQ process set based on at least one condition includes: determining whether the transmission of a data unit is scheduled based on a configured grant; and if it is determined that the transmission of the data unit is scheduled based on a configured grant, determining that the allowed HARQ process set includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

[0105] In some example embodiments, determining an allowed HARQ process set based on at least one condition includes: determining at least one threshold level of a channel access priority level; determining a level of a channel access priority level of data in a data unit; and determining the allowed HARQ process set based on a comparison between the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit and the at least one threshold level.

[0106] In some example embodiments, if the level of the channel access priority level of a data unit exceeds the at least one threshold level, the first device 110 may determine that the allowed HARQ process set includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ, and if the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit is lower than the threshold level, the first device 110 may determine that the allowed HARQ process set includes only the original HARQ process.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the at least one threshold level includes a first threshold level and a second threshold level, and the second threshold level is lower than the first threshold level. If the level of the channel access priority level of a data unit exceeds the first threshold level, the first device 110 may determine that a first allowed HARQ process set includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ, and if the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit is lower than the first threshold level and exceeds the second threshold level, the first device 110 may determine that a second allowed HARQ process set includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ, and the second set is a subset of the first set. If the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit is lower than the second threshold level, the first device 110 may further determine that the allowed HARQ process set includes only the original HARQ process.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the at least one indication includes a plurality of conditions. Determining an allowed HARQ process set based on at least one condition includes: determining priorities of the plurality of conditions; and determining the allowed HARQ process set based on the priorities of the plurality of conditions.

[0109] At 320, the first device 110 selects additional resources associated with a target HARQ process from the allowed HARQ process set. At 330, the first device 110 uses the additional resources to send a data unit to the second device.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the sending data unit includes comparing a first priority of the data unit with a second priority of another data unit if the first device 110 determines that additional resources have been reserved for the another data unit, and the first device 110 compares the first priority of the data unit with the second priority of the another data unit. If the first device 110 determines based on the comparison that the first priority exceeds the second priority, the first device 110 uses the additional resources to send the data unit.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the sending data unit includes sending the data unit according to a timer for indicating the validity of the data unit not expiring.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the timer is started based on the initiation of a transmission using resources associated with an original HARQ process or based on the generation of the data unit.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may further generate an indicator for the transmission of the data unit using additional resources associated with a target HARQ process, the indicator including an indication of the validity of control information embedded in the data unit, and the first device 110 sends the indicator to the second device.

[0114] Figure 4 The flowchart of an example method 400 for resource selection for the transmission of a pending data unit according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 400 may be implemented at a second device 120 as shown in Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, method 400 will be described with reference to Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, method 400 will be described with reference to

[0115] As shown in Figure 4 As shown in

[0116] In some example embodiments, the at least one condition includes at least one threshold level of a logical channel priority such that the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between the level of the logical channel priority of the data and the at least one threshold level.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the at least one condition includes a threshold of at least one characteristic parameter associated with a reference grant configuration such that the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between the threshold and the actual value of at least one characteristic parameter of a target grant that has been configured for the data unit.

[0118] In some example embodiments, at least one condition includes an indication of retransmission resources associated with an authorization, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined based on the indication, and the authorization has been configured for a data unit.

[0119] In some example embodiments, at least one condition includes a threshold data unit queuing time interval, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between a first duration for which the data unit has been queued and the threshold data unit queuing time interval.

[0120] In some example embodiments, at least one condition includes a threshold remaining time budget for data delivery, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between a remaining time interval for delivering the data unit and the threshold remaining time budget for data delivery.

[0121] In some example embodiments, at least one condition includes a threshold number of attempts for transmitting a data unit, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ is determined based on determining that an actual number of attempts for transmitting the data unit exceeds the threshold number of attempts.

[0122] In some example embodiments, at least one condition includes an indication for determining the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a type of scheduling authorization for transmission of a data unit, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ is determined based on determining that the transmission of the data unit is scheduled based on a configured authorization.

[0123] In some example embodiments, at least one condition includes at least one threshold level of a channel access priority level, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between a level of the channel access priority level of the data unit and the at least one threshold level.

[0124] At 420, the second device 120 receives a data unit from the first device on additional resources associated with a target HARQ process, the target HARQ process being selected by the first device from the set of allowed HARQ processes.

[0125] In some example embodiments, if the target HARQ process is different from the original HARQ process, the second device 120 receives an indicator for the transmission of the data unit using the additional resources associated with the target HARQ process from the first device, the indicator including an indication of the validity of control information embedded in the data unit, and the second device 120 determines the validity of the control information based on the indicator.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may further determine a reference value of a timer for indicating the validity of data units in the first device, and provide the reference value to the first device.

[0127] In some example embodiments, a device capable of performing method 300 (e.g., implemented at the first device 110) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 300. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented using circuitry or software modules.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the device includes components for determining a set of allowed hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes for transmitting a data unit based on at least one condition if it is determined that the data unit was not successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original HARQ process; components for selecting additional resources associated with a target HARQ process from the set of allowed HARQ processes; and components for transmitting the data unit to a second device using the additional resources.

[0129] In some example embodiments, a device capable of performing method 400 (e.g., implemented at the second device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 400. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented using circuitry or software modules.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the device includes components for generating at least one condition at the second device to cause the first device to determine a set of allowed hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes for transmitting a data unit in the first device, where the data unit was not successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original HARQ process; and components for receiving the data unit from the first device on additional resources associated with a target HARQ process, the target HARQ process being selected by the first device from the set of allowed HARQ processes.

[0131] Figure 5 is a simplified block diagram of a device 500 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 500 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 as shown. As shown, the device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 540 coupled to the processors 510, and one or more transmitters and / or receivers (TX / RX) 540 coupled to the processors 510.

[0132] The TX / RX 540 is for two-way communication. The TX / RX 540 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communicating with other network elements.

[0133] The processor 510 can be of any type suitable for the local technical network and, by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. The device 500 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are subordinate in time to a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0134] The memory 520 can include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 524, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that do not persist during a power outage.

[0135] The computer program 530 includes computer-executable instructions executed by the associated processor 510. The program 530 can be stored in the ROM 520. The processor 510 can execute any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 530 into the RAM 520.

[0136] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by means of the program 530 such that the device 500 can execute any process of the present disclosure as discussed with reference to Figures 2 to 4 Embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0137] In some embodiments, the program 530 can be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which can be included in the device 500 (such as in the memory 520) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 500. The device 500 can load the program 530 from the computer-readable medium into the RAM 522 for execution. The computer-readable medium can include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 6 An example of a computer-readable medium 600 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The program 530 is stored on the computer-readable medium.

[0138] In general, the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented using hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented using hardware, while other aspects may be implemented using firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing devices. Although the various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as a non-limiting example, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0139] 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 the instructions included in program modules, which are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the methods 300 and 400 as described above with reference to Figures 3 to 4 description. In general, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules may be combined or split as needed among the program modules. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0140] The program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0141] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier so that the device, apparatus, or processor can perform the various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0142] A computer-readable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A 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 the computer-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, 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.

[0143] Moreover, although operations are described in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Also, while several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present 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 may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0144] Although the present 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 foregoing specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first apparatus for communication, 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, together with the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to at least: if it is determined that a data unit has not been successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) process, determine a set of allowed HARQ processes for transmitting the data unit based on at least one condition; select additional resources associated with a target HARQ process from the set of allowed HARQ processes; and transmit the data unit to a second apparatus using the additional resources; wherein the first apparatus is caused to determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the at least one condition by: determining at least one threshold level of a channel access priority level; determining the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit; and determining the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a comparison between the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit and the at least one threshold level; wherein the at least one threshold level includes a first threshold level and a second threshold level and the second threshold level is lower than the first threshold level, and wherein the first apparatus is further caused to: if it is determined that the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit exceeds the first threshold level, determine that a first set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

2. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is caused to transmit the data unit by: if it is determined that the additional resources have been reserved for another data unit, compare a first priority of the data unit and a second priority of the another data unit; and if it is determined based on the comparison that the first priority exceeds the second priority, transmit the data unit using the additional resources.

3. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the set of allowed HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

4. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is caused to determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the at least one condition by: determining at least one threshold level of a logical channel priority; determining the level of the logical channel priority of the data in the data unit; and determining the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a comparison between the level of the logical channel priority of the data and the at least one threshold level.

5. The first apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first apparatus is further caused to: if it is determined that the level of the logical channel priority of the data exceeds the at least one threshold level, determine that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ; and If it is determined that the level of the logical channel priority of the data is lower than the threshold level, determine that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

6. The first apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the at least one threshold level includes a first threshold level and a second threshold level and the second threshold level is lower than the first threshold level, and wherein the first apparatus is further caused to: If it is determined that the level of the logical channel priority of the data exceeds the first threshold level, determine that a first set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ; If it is determined that the level of the logical channel priority of the data is lower than the first threshold level and exceeds the second threshold level, determine that a second set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ, the second set of allowed HARQ processes being a subset of the first set of allowed HARQ processes; and If it is determined that the level of the logical channel priority of the data is lower than the second threshold level, determine that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

7. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is caused to determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the at least one condition by: Determine a threshold for at least one characteristic parameter associated with a reference grant configuration; Determine an actual value of the at least one characteristic parameter of the grant that has been configured for the data unit; and And Determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a comparison between the threshold and the actual value.

8. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is caused to determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the at least one condition by: Determine an indication associated with a grant that has been configured for the data unit; and Determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the indication.

9. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is caused to determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the at least one condition by: Determine a threshold data unit queuing time interval; Determine a first duration for which the data unit has been queued; and Determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a comparison between the first duration for which the data unit has been queued and the threshold data unit queuing time interval.

10. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is caused to determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the at least one condition by: Determine a threshold remaining time budget for data delivery; Determine a remaining time interval for delivering the data unit; and Determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a comparison between the remaining time interval for delivering the data unit and the threshold remaining time budget for data delivery.

11. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is caused to determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the at least one condition by: Determining a threshold number of attempts for transmitting the data unit; and If it is determined that the actual number of attempts for transmitting the data unit exceeds the threshold number of attempts, determining that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

12. The first apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the threshold number of attempts is zero.

13. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is caused to determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the at least one condition by: Determining whether the transmission of the data unit is scheduled based on a configured grant; and If it is determined that the transmission of the data unit is scheduled based on the configured grant, determining that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ and associated with resources configured with the same configured grant.

14. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is further caused to: If it is determined that the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit exceeds the at least one threshold level, determining that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ; and If it is determined that the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit is lower than the threshold level, determining that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

15. The first apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first apparatus is further caused to: If it is determined that the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit is lower than the first threshold level and higher than the second threshold level, determining that the second set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ, the second set of allowed HARQ processes being a subset of the first set of allowed HARQ processes; and If it is determined that the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit is lower than the second threshold level, determining that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

16. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is caused to transmit the data by: Transmitting the data unit if it is determined that a timer for indicating the validity of the data unit has not expired.

17. The first apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the timer is started based on one of the following: The initiation of a transmission using the resources associated with the original HARQ process; and The generation of the data unit.

18. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target HARQ process is different from the original HARQ process, and wherein the first apparatus is further caused to: Generate an indicator for the transmission of the data unit using the additional resources associated with the target HARQ process, the indicator including an indication of the validity of control information embedded in the data unit; and Send the indicator to the second device.

19. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one condition includes a plurality of conditions, and wherein the first device is caused to determine the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the at least one condition by:[[]] Determine the priorities of the plurality of conditions; and Based on the priorities of the plurality of conditions, determine the set of allowed HARQ processes.

20. A second device for communication, 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, together with the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least:[[]] Generate at least one condition for the first device to determine a set of allowed hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes for the first device to transmit a data unit, wherein the data unit has not been successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original HARQ process; and Receive the data unit from the first device on additional resources associated with a target HARQ process, the target HARQ process being selected by the first device from the set of allowed HARQ processes; Wherein the at least one condition includes at least one threshold level of a channel access priority level and the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit, wherein the at least one threshold level includes a first threshold level and a second threshold level and the second threshold level is lower than the first threshold level, Such that the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit and the at least one threshold level, including: if the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit exceeds the first threshold level, the first set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

21. The second device according to claim 20, wherein the at least one condition includes at least one threshold level of a logical channel priority, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between the level of the logical channel priority of the data and the at least one threshold level.

22. The second device according to claim 20, wherein the at least one condition includes a threshold of at least one characteristic parameter associated with a reference grant configuration, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between the threshold and the actual value of the at least one characteristic parameter of a target grant that has been configured for the data unit.

23. The second apparatus according to claim 20, wherein at least one condition includes an indication of retransmission resources associated with an authorization, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined based on the indication, and the authorization has been configured for the data unit.

24. The second apparatus according to claim 20, wherein at least one condition includes a threshold data unit queuing time interval, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between a first duration for which the data unit has been queued and the threshold data unit queuing time interval.

25. The second apparatus according to claim 20, wherein at least one condition includes a threshold remaining time budget for data delivery, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between a remaining time interval for delivering the data unit and the threshold remaining time budget for data delivery.

26. The second apparatus according to claim 20, wherein at least one condition includes a threshold number of attempts for transmitting the data unit, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes including at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ is determined based on determining that an actual number of attempts for transmitting the data unit exceeds the threshold number of attempts.

27. The second apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the threshold number of attempts is zero.

28. The second apparatus according to claim 20, wherein at least one condition includes an indication for determining the set of allowed HARQ processes based on whether transmission of the data unit is scheduled based on a configured authorization, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes including at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ is determined based on determining that the transmission of the data unit is scheduled based on the configured authorization.

29. The second apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the target HARQ process is different from the original HARQ process, and wherein the second apparatus is further caused to: receive an indicator for transmission of the data unit using the additional resources associated with the target HARQ process from the first apparatus, the indicator including an indication of validity of control information embedded in the data unit; and determine the validity of the control information based on the indicator.

30. The second apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the second apparatus is caused to: determine a reference value of a timer for indicating validity of the data unit in the first apparatus; and provide the reference value to the first apparatus.

31. A method for communication, comprising: if it is determined that a data unit has not been successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process, determining a set of allowed HARQ processes for transmitting the data unit based on at least one condition; selecting additional resources associated with a target HARQ process from the set of allowed HARQ processes; and transmitting the data unit to a second apparatus using the additional resources. Determining the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the at least one condition includes: Determining at least one threshold level of a channel access priority level; Determining a level of a channel access priority of data in the data unit; and Determining the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a comparison between the level of the channel access priority of the data unit and the at least one threshold level; Wherein the at least one threshold level includes a first threshold level and a second threshold level and the second threshold level is lower than the first threshold level, the method further includes: If it is determined that the level of the channel access priority of the data unit exceeds the at least one threshold level, determining that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein transmitting the data unit includes: If it is determined that the additional resource has been reserved for an additional data unit, comparing a first priority of the data unit and a second priority of the additional data unit; And If it is determined based on the comparison that the first priority exceeds the second priority, transmitting the data unit using the additional resource.

33. The method according to claim 31, wherein the set of allowed HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

34. The method according to claim 31, wherein determining the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the at least one condition includes: Determining at least one threshold level of a logical channel priority; Determining a level of a logical channel priority of data in the data unit; And Determining the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a comparison between the level of the logical channel priority of the data and the at least one threshold level.

35. The method according to claim 34, further includes: If it is determined that the level of the logical channel priority of the data exceeds the at least one threshold level, determining that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ; and If it is determined that the level of the logical channel priority of the data is lower than the threshold level, determining that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

36. The method according to claim 34, wherein the at least one threshold level includes a first threshold level and a second threshold level and the second threshold level is lower than the first threshold level, the method further includes: If it is determined that the level of the logical channel priority of the data exceeds the first threshold level, determining that a first set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ; If it is determined that the level of the logical channel priority of the data is lower than the first threshold level and exceeds the second threshold level, it is determined that the second set of permitted HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ, and the second set is a subset of the first set; And If it is determined that the level of the logical channel priority of the data is lower than the second threshold level, it is determined that the set of permitted HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

37. The method according to claim 31, wherein determining the set of permitted HARQ processes based on the at least one condition includes: Determining a threshold for at least one characteristic parameter associated with a reference authorization configuration; Determining an actual value of the at least one characteristic parameter of the target authorization, the authorization having been configured for the data unit; And Determining the set of permitted HARQ processes based on a comparison between the threshold and the actual value.

38. The method according to claim 31, wherein determining the set of permitted HARQ processes based on the at least one condition includes: Determining an indication of retransmission resources associated with the authorization, the authorization having been configured for the data unit; And Determining the set of permitted HARQ processes based on the indication.

39. The method according to claim 31, wherein determining the set of permitted HARQ processes based on the at least one condition includes: Determining a threshold data unit queuing time interval; Determining a first duration for which the data unit has been queued; And Determining the set of permitted HARQ processes based on a comparison between the first duration for which the data unit has been queued and the threshold data unit queuing time interval.

40. The method according to claim 31, wherein determining the set of permitted HARQ processes based on the at least one condition includes: Determining a threshold remaining time budget for data delivery; Determining a remaining time interval for delivering the data unit; And Determining the set of permitted HARQ processes based on a comparison between the remaining time interval for delivering the data unit and the threshold remaining time budget for data delivery.

41. The method according to claim 31, wherein determining the set of permitted HARQ processes based on the at least one condition includes: Determining a threshold number of attempts for transmitting the data unit; And If it is determined that the actual number of attempts for transmitting the data unit exceeds the threshold number of attempts, it is determined that the set of permitted HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the threshold number of attempts is zero.

43. The method according to claim 31, wherein determining the set of permitted HARQ processes based on the at least one condition includes: Determining whether the transmission of the data unit is scheduled based on a configured authorization; And If it is determined that the transmission of the data unit is scheduled based on the configured authorization, determine that the set of permitted HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

44. The method according to claim 31, further comprising: If it is determined that the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit exceeds the at least one threshold level, determine that the set of permitted HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ; and If it is determined that the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit is lower than the threshold level, determine that the set of permitted HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

45. The method according to claim 36, the method further comprising: If it is determined that the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit is lower than the first threshold level and exceeds the second threshold level, determine that the second set of permitted HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ, the second set of permitted HARQ processes being a subset of the first set of permitted HARQ processes; And If it is determined that the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit is lower than the second threshold level, determine that the set of permitted HARQ processes includes only the original HARQ process.

46. The method according to claim 31, wherein transmitting the data unit comprises: If it is determined that a timer for indicating the validity of the data unit has not expired, transmit the data unit.

47. The method according to claim 46, wherein the timer is started based on one of the following: Initiation of transmission using the resources associated with the original HARQ process; and Generation of the data unit.

48. The method according to claim 31, wherein the target HARQ process is different from the original HARQ process, the method further comprising: Generating an indicator for the transmission of the data unit using the additional resources associated with the target HARQ process, the indicator including an indication of the validity of control information embedded in the data unit; and Sending the indicator to the second device.

49. The method according to claim 31, wherein the at least one condition includes a plurality of conditions, and wherein determining the set of permitted HARQ processes based on the at least one condition includes: Determining the priority of the plurality of conditions; And Determining the set of permitted HARQ processes based on the priority of the plurality of conditions.

50. A method for communication, comprising: Generating at least one condition for a first device to determine a set of permitted hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes for transmitting a data unit by the first device, wherein the data unit has not been successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original HARQ process; and Receive the data unit on additional resources associated with a target HARQ process, the target HARQ process being selected by the first device from the set of permitted HARQ processes; wherein the at least one condition includes at least one threshold level of a channel access priority level and a level of the channel access priority level of the data unit, wherein the at least one threshold level includes a first threshold level and a second threshold level and the second threshold level is lower than the first threshold level, such that the set of permitted HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit and the at least one threshold level, including: if the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit exceeds the first threshold level, the first set of permitted HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

51. The method according to claim 50, wherein the at least one condition includes at least one threshold level of a logical channel priority, such that the set of permitted HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between the level of the logical channel priority of the data and the at least one threshold level.

52. The method according to claim 50, wherein the at least one condition includes a threshold of at least one characteristic parameter associated with a reference grant configuration, such that the set of permitted HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between the threshold and an actual value of the at least one characteristic parameter of a target grant, the target grant having been configured for the data unit.

53. The method according to claim 50, wherein the at least one condition includes an indication of retransmission resources associated with a grant, such that the set of permitted HARQ processes is determined based on the indication, the grant having been configured for the data unit.

54. The method according to claim 50, wherein the at least one condition includes a threshold data unit queuing time interval, such that the set of permitted HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between a first duration for which the data unit has been queued and the threshold data unit queuing time interval.

55. The method according to claim 50, wherein the at least one condition includes a threshold remaining time budget for data delivery, such that the set of permitted HARQ processes is determined based on a comparison between a remaining time interval for delivering the data unit and the threshold remaining time budget for data delivery.

56. The method according to claim 50, wherein the at least one condition includes a threshold number of attempts for transmitting the data unit, such that the set of permitted HARQ processes including at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ is determined according to determining that an actual number of attempts for transmitting the data unit exceeds the threshold number of attempts.

57. The method according to claim 56, wherein the threshold number of attempts is zero.

58. The method according to claim 50, wherein at least one condition includes an indication for determining the set of allowed HARQ processes based on whether the transmission of the data unit is scheduled based on a configured grant, such that the set of allowed HARQ processes including at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ is determined according to determining that the transmission of the data unit is scheduled based on the configured grant.

59. The method according to claim 50, wherein the target HARQ process is different from the original HARQ process, and wherein the method further comprises: receiving, from the first device, an indicator for the transmission of the data unit using the additional resources associated with the target HARQ process, the indicator including an indication of the validity of control information embedded in the data unit; and determining the validity of the control information based on the indicator.

60. The method according to claim 50, further comprising: determining a reference value of a timer for indicating the validity of the data unit in the first device; and providing the reference value to the first device.

61. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for communication, comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform: if it is determined that a data unit has not been successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process, determining a set of allowed HARQ processes for transmitting the data unit based on at least one condition; Select additional resources associated with a target HARQ process from the set of permitted HARQ processes; and transmitting the data unit to a second device using the additional resources; wherein determining the set of allowed HARQ processes based on the at least one condition includes: determining at least one threshold level of a channel access priority level; determining a level of a channel access priority level of data in the data unit; and determining the set of allowed HARQ processes based on a comparison between the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit and the at least one threshold level; wherein the at least one threshold level includes a first threshold level and a second threshold level and the second threshold level is lower than the first threshold level, and if it is determined that the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit exceeds the at least one threshold level, determining that the set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

62. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for communication, comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform: generating, at a second device, at least one condition for causing a first device to determine a set of allowed hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes for transmitting a data unit by the first device, wherein the data unit has not been successfully transmitted using resources associated with an original HARQ process; and Receive the data unit on additional resources associated with a target HARQ process, the target HARQ process being selected by the first device from the set of allowed HARQ processes; wherein the at least one condition includes at least one threshold level of a channel access priority level and a level of the channel access priority level of the data unit, wherein the at least one threshold level includes a first threshold level and a second threshold level and the second threshold level is lower than the first threshold level, Causing the set of allowed HARQ processes to be determined based on a comparison between a level of the channel access priority level of the data unit and the at least one threshold level, includes: if the level of the channel access priority level of the data unit exceeds the first threshold level, the first set of allowed HARQ processes includes at least one candidate HARQ process different from the original HARQ.

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