Method and apparatus with multi-configuration HARQ messages

Abstract

The wireless communication device is a UE and a base station. The base station may generate a control signal including a HARQ configuration and send the control signal to the UE. The HARQ configuration may include timing information and / or a transmission method. The HARQ configuration may include a first configuration for ACK and a second configuration for NACK. The UE may apply the corresponding HARQ configuration to an ACK or NACK message in response to a control signal to the base station. The base station may also send the HARQ configuration before the control signal.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefits of the following applications: U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 036,937, filed on June 9, 2020 and entitled “Method And Apparatus With Multi-Configuration HARQ Message”; and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 302,128, filed on April 23, 2021 and entitled “Method And Apparatus With Multi-Configuration HARQ Message”, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to communication systems, and more particularly, to wireless communication networks with multi-configuration hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) messages. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0005] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at a city, country, region, and even global level. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continuous mobile broadband evolution released by the Third Generation Partnership (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., together with the Internet of Things (IoT)) and other requirements. 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC). Some aspects of 5G NR may be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. There is a need for further improvements in 5G NR technology. These improvements may also be applicable to other multiple access technologies and telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. Summary of the invention

[0006] A brief summary of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all expected aspects, and is neither intended to identify the key or important elements of all aspects, nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description that will be given later.

[0007] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a user equipment (UE) and / or a base station. The base station may generate a control signal including a HARQ configuration and send the control signal to the UE. The HARQ configuration may include timing information and / or a transmission method. The HARQ configuration may include a first configuration for an acknowledgment (ACK) message and a second configuration for a negative acknowledgment (NACK) message. The UE may apply the corresponding HARQ configuration to an ACK or NACK message in response to a control signal to the base station. The base station may also send the HARQ configuration before the control signal.

[0008] To accomplish the foregoing and related purposes, one or more aspects include features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are indicative of only some of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network.

[0010] Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 2C and Figure 2D Diagrams showing examples of a first 5G / NR frame, a DL channel within a 5G / NR subframe, a second 5G / NR frame, and a UL channel within a 5G / NR subframe, respectively.

[0011] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a base station and a user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0012] Figure 4 It is a call flow diagram for wireless communication.

[0013] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication.

[0014] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication.

[0015] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example apparatus.

[0016] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The specific embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings are intended to be descriptions of various configurations and are not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. For the purpose of providing a comprehensive understanding of the various concepts, the specific embodiments include specific details. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in the form of block diagrams to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0018] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various devices and methods. These devices and methods will be described in the detailed description below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0019] For example, an element, or any part of an element, or any combination of multiple elements can be implemented as a "processing system" including one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform various functions described throughout the present disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other names, software should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, processes, functions, etc.

[0020] Accordingly, in one or more example embodiments, the described functions may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored or encoded on a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Computer-readable media include computer storage media. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, a combination of computer-readable media of the above types, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code that can be accessed by a computer in the form of instructions or data structures.

[0021] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an example of a wireless communication system and access network 100. The wireless communication system (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes a base station 102, a UE 104, an evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., a 5G core (5GC)). The base station 102 may include a macro cell (a high-power cellular base station) and / or a small cell (a low-power cellular base station). A macro cell includes a base station. A small cell includes a femto cell, a pico cell, and a micro cell.

[0022] The base station 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) can interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). The base station 102 configured for 5G NR (collectively referred to as the Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) can interface with the core network 190 via a second backhaul link 184. Among other functions, the base station 102 can also perform one or more of the following functions: transmission of user data, wireless channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), user and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. Base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (eg, through EPC 160 or core network 190) over a third backhaul link 134 (eg, an X2 interface). First backhaul link 132, second backhaul link 184, and third backhaul link 134 may be wired or wireless.

[0023] The base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with the UE 104. Each of the base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. There can be overlapping geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell 102' can have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network including both small cells and macro cells can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network can also include a home evolved Node B (eNB) (HeNB), which can provide services to a restricted group called a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 can include an uplink (UL) (also referred to as a reverse link) transmission from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmission from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 can use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, which includes spatial multiplexing, beamforming and / or transmit diversity. The communication link may be through one or more carriers. The base station 102 / UE 104 may use a spectrum of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400, etc. MHz) bandwidth per carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation of up to Yx MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction. The carriers may be adjacent to each other or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​compared to UL). The component carrier may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell), and the secondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0024] Some UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). The D2D communication may be through a variety of wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0025] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum via a communication link 154. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) prior to communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0026] The small cell 102' may operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102' may employ NR and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as used by the Wi-Fi AP 150. The small cell 102' employing NR in the unlicensed spectrum may improve coverage and / or increase capacity of the access network.

[0027] The base station 102 (whether a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station)) may include and / or be referred to as an eNB, a gNodeB (gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations (e.g., gNB 180) may operate in the traditional sub 6 GHz spectrum, in millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies, and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 104. When the gNB 180 operates in mmW or near mmW frequencies, the gNB 180 may be referred to as a mmW base station. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and has a wavelength between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near mmW may extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and is also referred to as centimeter waves. The frequency range bands include frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2), wherein frequency range 1 includes frequency bands below 7.225 GHz and frequency range 2 includes frequency bands above 24.250 GHz. Communications using mmW / near mmW radio frequency (RF) bands (e.g., 3 GHz–300 GHz) have extremely high path loss and short distances. The base station / UE may operate within one or more frequency range bands. The mmW base station 180 may utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short distance. The base station 180 and the UE 104 may each include multiple antennas (such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays) to facilitate beamforming.

[0028] The base station 180 may transmit beamformed signals in one or more transmit directions 182' to the UE 104. The UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from the base station 180 in one or more receive directions 182". The UE 104 may also transmit beamformed signals to the base station 180 in one or more transmit directions. The base station 180 may receive beamformed signals from the UE 104 in one or more receive directions. The base station 180 / UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the best receive and transmit directions for each of the base station 180 / UE 104. The transmit direction and receive direction for the base station 180 may be the same or may be different. The transmit direction and receive direction for the UE 104 may be the same or may be different.

[0029] The EPC 160 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a serving gateway 166, a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) gateway 168, a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 170, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway 172. The MME 162 may communicate with a home subscriber server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. Generally speaking, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through the serving gateway 166, which itself is connected to the PDN gateway 172. The PDN gateway 172 provides IP address allocation and other functions to the UE. The PDN gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to IP services 176. The IP services 176 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), a PS streaming service, and / or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service setup and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a public land mobile network (PLMN), and may be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS services to base stations 102 belonging to a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) area broadcasting a particular service, and may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and for collecting eMBMS-related charging information.

[0030] The core network 190 may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a session management function (SMF) 194, and a user plane function (UPF) 195. The AMF 192 may communicate with a unified data management unit (UDM) 196. The AMF 192 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the core network 190. Typically, the AMF 192 provides QoS flow and session management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through the UPF 195. The UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The UPF 195 is connected to an IP service 197. The IP service 197 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), a packet switching (PS) stream (PSS) service, and / or other IP services.

[0031] A base station may include and / or be referred to as a gNB, a Node B, an eNB, an access point, a base transceiver, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a transmit receive point (TRP), or some other appropriate term. The base station 102 provides an access point to the EPC 160 or the core network 190 for the UE 104. Examples of UE 104 include a cellular phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio unit, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, a tablet computer, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a healthcare device, an implant, a sensor / actuator, a display, or any other similarly functional device. Some of the UEs 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., a parking meter, a gas pump, an oven, a vehicle, a heart monitor, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, a mobile station, a user station, a mobile unit, a user unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile user station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handheld device, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0032] Refer again Figure 1 In certain aspects, UE 104 and / or base station 102 / 180 may be configured to manage multi-configuration HARQ messages (198). Although the following description may focus on 5G NR, the concepts described herein may be applicable to other similar fields, such as LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, GSM, and other wireless technologies.

[0033] Figure 2Ais a diagram 200 showing an example of a first subframe within a 5G / NR frame structure. Figure 2B is a diagram 230 showing an example of DL channels within a 5G / NR subframe. Figure 2C 250 is a diagram illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G / NR frame structure. Figure 2D 280 is a diagram showing an example of UL channels within a 5G / NR subframe. The 5G / NR frame structure can be frequency division duplex (FDD) (wherein, for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), a subframe within a subcarrier set is dedicated to either DL or UL), or can be time division duplex (TDD) (wherein, for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), a subframe within a subcarrier set is dedicated to both DL and UL). Figure 2A , 2C In the example provided, the 5G / NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, where subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (most of which are DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and F is flexible between DL / UL, and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 34 (most of which are UL). Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown as having slot formats 34 and 28, respectively, any particular subframe can be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are full DL and full UL, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61 include a mix of DL, UL and flexible symbols. The UE is configured with a slot format (dynamically configured by DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured by radio resource control (RRC) signaling) through the received slot format indicator (SFI). Note that the following description also applies to the 5G / NR frame structure as TDD.

[0034] Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels. A frame (10ms) may be divided into 10 subframes (1ms) of equal size. Each subframe may include one or more time slots. A subframe may also include a mini time slot, which may include 7, 4 or 2 symbols. Each time slot may include 7 or 14 symbols, depending on the time slot configuration. For time slot configuration 0, each time slot may include 14 symbols, and for time slot configuration 1, each time slot may include 7 symbols. The symbol on DL may be a cyclic prefix (CP) OFDM (CP-OFDM) symbol. The symbol on UL may be a CP-OFDM symbol (for high throughput scenarios) or a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol (also referred to as a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbol) (for power-limited scenarios; limited to single stream transmission). The number of time slots in a subframe may be based on the time slot configuration and numerology. For slot configuration 0, different digital schemes μ0 to 4 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. For slot configuration 1, different digital schemes 0 to 2 allow 2, 4, and 8 slots per subframe, respectively. Accordingly, for slot configuration 0 and digital scheme μ, there are 14 symbols / slot and 2 μ time slots / subframe. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of the digital scheme. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to 2 μ *15kHz, where μ is digital scheme 0 to 4. Thus, digital scheme μ=0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz, and digital scheme μ=4 has a subcarrier spacing of 240kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. Figures 2A-2D An example is provided for slot configuration 0 (with 14 symbols per slot) and digital scheme μ=2 (with 4 slots per subframe). The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs. Within a frame set, there may be one or more different bandwidth parts (BWPs) that are frequency-division multiplexed (see Figure 2B ). Each BWP can have a specific numbering scheme.

[0035] The resource grid can be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also called a physical RB (PRB)), which includes 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0036] As in Figure 2AAs shown in , some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. The RS may include a demodulation RS (DM-RS) for channel estimation at the UE (indicated as R for a specific configuration). x , where 100x is the port number, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). RS may also include a beam measurement RS (BRS), a beam refinement RS (BRRS), and a phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0037] Figure 2B Examples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are shown. A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE including nine RE groups (REGs), each REG including four consecutive REs in one OFDM symbol. A PDCCH within a BWP may be referred to as a control resource set (CORESET). Additional BWPs may be located at larger and / or lower frequencies across the channel bandwidth. A primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be within symbol 2 of a particular subframe of a frame. PSS is used by UE 104 to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification. A secondary synchronization signal (SSS) may be within symbol 4 of a particular subframe of a frame. SSS is used by UE to determine physical layer cell identification group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identification and physical layer cell identification group number, the UE may determine a physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE may determine the position of the above-mentioned DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block (also referred to as an SS block (SSB)). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information that is not sent through the PBCH (e.g., system information block (SIB)), and paging messages.

[0038] As in Figure 2CAs shown in , some of the REs carry DM-RS for channel estimation at the base station (indicated as R for a specific configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible). The UE can send DM-RS for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and DM-RS for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS can be sent in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DM-RS can be sent in different configurations depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent and depending on the specific PUCCH format used. The UE can send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS can be sent in the last symbol of the subframe. The SRS can have a comb structure, and the UE can send the SRS on one of the combs. The SRS can be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to achieve frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0039] Figure 2D An example of various UL channels within one subframe of a frame is shown. The PUCCH may be located as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0040] Figure 33 is a block diagram of a base station 310 in an access network communicating with a UE 350. In the DL, IP packets from the EPC 160 may be provided to the controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functions. Layer 3 includes a radio resource control (RRC) layer, and layer 2 includes a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides: RRC layer functions associated with: broadcasting of system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with: header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and switching support functions; RLC layer functions associated with: transmission of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with: mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0041] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and the receive (RX) processor 370 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1 including the physical (PHY) layer may include error detection of the transmission channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transmission channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-order quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be divided into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time domain and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 374 may be used to determine coding and modulation schemes, and for spatial processing. Channel estimates may be derived based on reference signals and / or channel condition feedback sent by the UE 350. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0042] At the UE 350, each receiver 354RX receives a signal through its corresponding antenna 352. Each receiver 354RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to a receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream destined for the UE 350. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 350, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the RX processor 356. The RX processor 356 then uses a fast Fourier transform (FFT) to convert the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier and the reference signal are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point sent by the base station 310. These soft decisions can be based on the channel estimate calculated by the channel estimator 358. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally sent on the physical channel by base station 310. The data and control signals are then provided to controller / processor 359, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functions.

[0043] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with a memory 360 that stores program codes and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a computer readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transport channels and logical channels to recover IP packets from the EPC 160. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK and / or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

[0044] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with DL transmissions performed by the base station 310, the controller / processor 359 provides: RRC layer functions associated with: system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) capture, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with: header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with: transmission of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with: mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0045] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator 358 based on a reference signal or feedback sent by the base station 310 may be used by the TX processor 368 to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 368 may be provided to different antennas 352 via separate transmitters 354TX. Each transmitter 354TX may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0046] UL transmissions are processed at the base station 310 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at the UE 350. Each receiver 318RX receives a signal through its respective antenna 320. Each receiver 318RX recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to a RX processor 370.

[0047] The controller / processor 375 may be associated with a memory 376 that stores program codes and data. The memory 376 may be referred to as a computer readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing between transport channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 350. The IP packets from the controller / processor 375 may be provided to the EPC 160. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0048] At least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 may be configured to perform operations related to Figure 1 198. At least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 may be configured to perform operations related to Figure 1 198 related aspects.

[0049] During the HARQ process, the receiver may receive a signal from the transmitter and send a HARQ message (or response) to the transmitter based on the signal received from the transmitter. The HARQ process may be associated with signal transmission between a UE (e.g., UE 104) and a base station (e.g., base station 102 / 180). Thus, based on the direction of signal transmission, the UE and the base station may be a receiver and a transmitter, respectively, and vice versa.

[0050] The HARQ message may include an ACK message or a NACK message. The receiver may send an ACK message based on determining that the signal packet sent from the transmitter is successfully received. The receiver may send a NACK message based on determining that the signal packet sent from the transmitter is not successfully received. In some aspects, the ACK message may also indicate that the content of the signal packet sent from the transmitter is successfully received by the receiver. In other words, for a specific signal transmission, the receiver may send an ACK message to the transmitter to confirm the reception of the signal packet from the transmitter and the content of the signal. Here, the confirmation of the reception of the content of the signal refers to the successful parsing of the signal from the recovered signal packet sent by the transmitter. That is, in some cases, the receiver may need to confirm in the ACK message that the content of the signal from the transmitter is successfully parsed from the signal packet, as well as the successful reception of the signal packet. In such a case, the receiver may need to spend more time to respond, because it may take more time to confirm the successful reception of the content of the signal and to confirm the successful reception of the signal. In addition, the ACK message may need to be more reliable than the NACK message to increase the stability of the 5G network. Therefore, for signal transmission in which an ACK message indicates successful reception of a signal packet and successful reception of the content of the signal by the receiver, the timeline of the HARQ process may need to be configured differently.

[0051] For example, the base station may send a control signal to the UE with an instruction to switch the beamforming signal from the first beam to the second beam. As described above, in a 5G network using the mmW frequency band, transmissions may be beamformed to mitigate the high path loss due to the high frequency and short distance of mmW transmissions. The base station and the UE may perform beam training to determine the optimal reception and transmission directions for each of the base station and the UE. A beamformed signal in the optimal reception direction and / or the optimal transmission direction may be referred to as an optimal beam, and the optimal beam may vary over time for various reasons, including the location of the UE, CQI, etc. The base station may provide a set of possible beams in a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state via RRC or DCI, and the base station may select one of the beams via a MAC control element (CE) (MAC-CE) or DCI.

[0052] When the base station determines to change from the current beam to another beam, the base station can send a beam switching signal to the UE via MAC-CE or DCI, which instructs the UE to change from the current beam to another beam. The current beam can be used to send a MAC-CE or DCI instructing the UE to change the beam.

[0053] In order to verify that the network connection between the base station and the UE is maintained after the base station sends the beam switching signal to the UE, the base station may need to ensure that the UE has successfully received the beam changing instruction before changing the beam configuration. In one example, in order to ensure that the UE has successfully received the beam changing instruction, the base station may wait for an ACK message from the UE before switching to the new beam. That is, the base station may switch to the new beam after receiving the ACK message from the UE in response to the beam switching signal instructing the UE to change the beamforming signal from the current beam to the new beam.

[0054] The UE may confirm successful reception of the beam switching signal packet and the content of the beam switching signal from the base station, and send an ACK message to the base station, the ACK message indicating successful reception of the beam switching signal packet and the content of the beam switching signal from the base station. The UE may send an ACK message to the base station via the PDSCH. The base station may receive the ACK message, and then switch the beamforming signal and communicate with the UE using the second beamforming signal.

[0055] However, if the UL beam is blocked or does not have sufficient range / coverage (e.g., the gNB does not receive the ACK signal), the above process of switching the beamforming signal after the ACK may not be applicable to the PUCCH beam switching. That is, if the base station fails to receive the ACK message from the UE, the data transmission after the ACK message may not work between the base station and the UE because the base station may not change the beamforming signal to the second beamforming signal before receiving the ACK message from the UE, while the UE may switch to the second beamforming signal after sending the ACK.

[0056] Therefore, coverage enhancement may be required for the ACK response to the beam switching signal. For example, repetition of ACK transmission may be used for PDSCH transmission containing confirmation of the beam switching signal MAC-CE, because the ACK message for the beam switching signal may require higher reliability than the PDSCH NACK message. The examples of the present disclosure are not limited thereto, and in other examples, the NACK message may require higher reliability than the ACK message.

[0057] Therefore, different levels of reliability may be required for ACK messages and NACK messages. In addition, the processing time for ACK messages and NACK messages may be different, depending on the application and specific meaning of the ACK / NACK message.

[0058] Thus, the UE may be configured to follow separate timelines for ACK and NACK messages. For example, different timelines for ACK and NACK messages may be configured and / or predefined by the base station. Different timelines for ACK and NACK messages may be used depending on the associated process and the corresponding interpretation of the ACK and NACK messages. For example, different timelines for ACK and NACK messages may be used when the ACK message implies a confirmation of the reception of both the signal packet and the content of the signal packet. The base station may dynamically indicate to the UE the activation of a preconfigured separate timeline for ACK and NACK messages.

[0059] In addition, when different timelines are applied to ACK / NACK messages, the UE may use different transmission methods for ACK messages and NACK messages. That is, for an ACK message that implies confirmation of the content of a control signal via DCI and / or MAC-CE, the UE may apply a timeline different from that of a NACK message. The UE may also use a different repetition configuration and / or a different transmission configuration for an ACK message compared to a NACK message.

[0060] Figure 4 4 is a call flow diagram 400 for wireless communication between a UE 402 and a base station 404. At 406, the base station 404 may generate a control signal for transmission to the UE 402. The base station 404 may associate a HARQ configuration with the control signal. For example, the base station 404 may determine to instruct the UE 402 to apply different timelines to ACK / NACK messages in the HARQ configuration. In particular, the base station 404 may determine to instruct the UE 402 to apply a first timeline to the ACK message and a second timeline to the NACK message based on the associated process and the corresponding interpretation of the ACK message. For example, the base station 404 may determine to instruct the UE 402 to apply different timelines to the ACK / NACK message in response to determining that the base station 404 may continue the associated process after receiving the ACK message.

[0061] At 408, the base station 404 may send a control signal with a HARQ message configuration to the UE 402 to instruct the UE 402 to use a different timeline for ACK / NACK messages.

[0062] At 418, the base station 404 may semi-statically send a HARQ message configuration. That is, the base station 404 may send a HARQ message configuration to the UE 402 via an RRC message to define different timelines for ACK / NACK messages. The base station 404 may then send a control signal 408 to the UE 402 to instruct the UE 402 to select a different timeline for the ACK / NACK message, as semi-statically defined at 418.

[0063] Furthermore, different timelines for ACK / NACK messages may be predefined between base station 404 and UE 402. In such a case, base station 404 may send control signal 408 to UE 402 to instruct UE 402 to select different timelines for ACK / NACK messages, as predefined between base station 404 and UE 402.

[0064] At 410, UE 402 may determine alternative timing information for the ACK / NACK message based on the different timelines of the ACK / NACK message. In certain aspects, the alternative timing information may be different from the default timing information for the ACK / NACK message. That is, UE 402 may receive HARQ message configuration 408 from base station 404 and determine that the alternative timing information is different from the default timing information for the ACK / NACK message.

[0065] At 412, UE 402 may apply the HARQ message configuration to the ACK / NACK message. That is, UE 402 may apply a first configuration including a first timeline to the ACK message and a second configuration including a second timeline to the NACK message based on alternative timing information determined for the ACK / NACK message. The first configuration may be different from the second configuration, and the first timeline may be different from the second timeline. The first configuration and the second configuration may also include a first transmission configuration for the ACK / NACK message and a second transmission configuration different from the first transmission configuration. UE 402 may send an ACK / NACK message to base station 404 using the first transmission configuration and the second configuration, respectively. For example, UE 402 may have different repetitions for sending ACK / NACK messages or different channel configurations for sending ACK / NACK messages.

[0066] At 416, UE 402 may use the second configuration to send a NACK message to base station 404. That is, UE 402 may use the second configuration to send a NACK message to base station 404 in response to determining that the signal packet and / or the content of the signal was not successfully retrieved.

[0067] At 414, UE 402 may send an ACK message to base station 404 in response to successfully receiving the signal packet and the content of the signal using the first configuration. That is, when sending an ACK message to base station 404 in response to successfully receiving the signal packet and the content of the signal using the first timeline and the first transmission configuration, UE 402 may use the first configuration. The first configuration may be different from the second configuration. Therefore, the first timeline may be different from the second timeline, and the first transmission configuration may be different from the second transmission configuration.

[0068] Figure 5 500 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication. The method may be performed by a UE (e.g., UE 104 / 402; device 702). At 502, the UE may receive a control signal and a HARQ message configuration (408) from a base station (e.g., base station 404) to send a HARQ message in response to the control signal. For example, 502 may be performed by Figure 7 The HARQ message configuration component 742 executes.

[0069] At 512, the UE may semi-statically receive a HARQ message configuration (418). That is, the UE may receive a HARQ message configuration from a base station via an RRC message that defines different timelines for ACK / NACK messages. For example, 512 may be Figure 7 The HARQ message configuration component 742 executes.

[0070] At 504, the UE may determine alternative timing information (410) for the ACK / NACK message based on a different timeline for the ACK / NACK message. That is, the UE may receive a HARQ message configuration (408) from the base station and determine alternative timing information different from the default timing information for the ACK / NACK message to apply a different timeline to the ACK / ACK message. For example, 504 may be determined by Figure 7 The HARQ message configuration component 742 is executed.

[0071] At 506, the UE may apply the HARQ message configuration (412). That is, the UE may apply a first configuration including a first timeline and / or a first transmission configuration to the ACK message and a second configuration including a second timeline and / or a second transmission configuration to the NACK message based on the alternative timing information determined for the ACK / NACK message. For example, 506 may be performed by Figure 7 The HARQ message configuration component 742 executes.

[0072] At 508, the UE may send an ACK message (414). That is, the UE may send an ACK message to the base station using a first configuration including a first timeline and / or a first transmission configuration. For example, 508 may be Figure 7 The HARQ component 740 performs.

[0073] Finally, at 510, the UE may send a NACK message (416). That is, the UE may send a NACK message to the base station using the second configuration. For example, 510 may be Figure 7 The HARQ component 740 performs.

[0074] Figure 6600 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication. The method may be performed by a base station (e.g., base station 102 / 404 / 180; apparatus 802). At 602, the base station may generate a control signal (406) having a HARQ configuration. That is, the base station 404 may determine to instruct the UE to apply different timelines to ACK / NACK messages in the HARQ configuration. For example, 602 may be performed by Figure 8 The HARQ message configuration component 842 executes.

[0075] At 604, the base station may send a control signal with a HARQ message configuration to the UE (408). That is, the base station may send a control signal with a HARQ message configuration to the UE to instruct the UE to apply a different timeline to the ACK / NACK message. For example, 604 may be Figure 8 The HARQ message configuration component 842 executes.

[0076] At 610, the base station may semi-statically send a HARQ message configuration. That is, the base station may send a HARQ message configuration to the UE via an RRC message to define different timelines for ACK / NACK messages. For example, 610 may be Figure 8 The HARQ message configuration component 842 executes.

[0077] At 606, the base station may receive an ACK message (414) based on the control signal from the UE. That is, the base station may receive an ACK message from the UE after the first configuration including the first timeline and / or the first transmission configuration. For example, 606 may be Figure 8 The HARQ component 840 performs.

[0078] Finally, at 608, the base station may receive a NACK message (416) based on the control signal from the UE. That is, the base station may receive a NACK message to the base station using the second configuration. For example, 608 may be performed by Figure 8 The HARQ component 840 performs.

[0079] Figure 7700 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 702. The apparatus 702 is a UE and includes a cellular baseband processor 704 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to a cellular RF transceiver 722 and one or more subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards 720, an application processor 706 coupled to a secure digital (SD) card 708 and a screen 710, a Bluetooth module 712, a wireless local area network (WLAN) module 714, a global positioning system (GPS) module 716, and a power supply 718. The cellular baseband processor 704 communicates with the UE 104 and / or the BS 102 / 180 through the cellular RF transceiver 722. The cellular baseband processor 704 may include a computer-readable medium / memory. The cellular baseband processor 704 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on a computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the cellular baseband processor 704, causes the cellular baseband processor 704 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data that is manipulated by the cellular baseband processor 704 when executing software. The cellular baseband processor 704 also includes a receiving component 730, a communication manager 732, and a transmitting component 734. The communication manager 732 includes one or more of the components shown. The components within the communication manager 732 may be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the cellular baseband processor 704. The cellular baseband processor 704 may be a component of the UE 350 and may include a memory 360 and / or at least one of a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 357. In one configuration, the device 702 may be a modem chip and include only the baseband processor 704, and in another configuration, the device 702 may be the entire UE (e.g., see Figure 3 350) and includes the above-mentioned additional modules of device 702.

[0080] The communication manager 732 includes a HARQ component 740 configured to send an ACK / NACK message to a base station using a first / second configuration, e.g., as described in conjunction with 508 and 510. The communication manager 732 also includes a HARQ message configuration component 742 configured to receive a control signal with a HARQ message configuration from a base station (dynamically or semi-statically), determine alternative timing information for the ACK / NACK message, and apply the HARQ message configuration, e.g., as described in conjunction with 502, 504, 506, and 512. Components 740 and 742 may be configured to communicate with each other.

[0081] The apparatus may include executing Figure 4 and Figure 5 Each of the blocks in the algorithm in the above flowchart has an additional component. Therefore, it can be performed by the component Figure 4 and Figure 5 Each block in the above flowchart of the present invention may include one or more of those components. The components may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0082] In one configuration, the device 702 (and specifically, the cellular baseband processor 704) includes: a unit for receiving a control signal from a base station; a unit for applying a configuration for a HARQ message based on the control signal received from the base station, the configuration for the HARQ message including a first configuration for sending an ACK message and a second configuration for sending a NACK message, the first configuration being different from the second configuration; and a unit for sending the HARQ message based on timing information configured based on the control signal; a unit for determining alternative timing information defining a timeline for the UE to send the HARQ message from the control signal, the alternative timing information being different from the default timing information of the HARQ message; and a unit for receiving a configuration for the HARQ message before the control signal, the configuration including instructions for the UE to activate the configuration for the HARQ message. The above-mentioned units may be one or more components of the above-mentioned components of the device 702 configured to perform the functions recorded by the above-mentioned units. As described above, the device 702 may include a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359. Thus, in one configuration, the aforementioned means may be the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0083] Figure 8800 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 802. The apparatus 802 is a BS and includes a baseband unit 804. The baseband unit 804 can communicate with the UE 104 via a cellular RF transceiver. The baseband unit 804 may include a computer-readable medium / memory. The baseband unit 804 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the baseband unit 804, causes the baseband unit 804 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by the baseband unit 804 when executing the software. The baseband unit 804 also includes a receiving component 830, a communication manager 832, and a sending component 834. The communication manager 832 includes one or more components shown. The components within the communication manager 832 may be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the baseband unit 804. The baseband unit 804 may be a component of the BS 310 and may include the memory 376 and / or at least one of the TX processor 316 , the RX processor 370 , and the controller / processor 375 .

[0084] The communication manager 832 includes a HARQ component 840 configured to receive an ACK / NACK message based on a control signal from the UE, e.g., as described in conjunction with 606 and 608. The communication manager 832 also includes a HARQ message configuration component 842 configured to generate a control signal with a HARQ configuration and dynamically or semi-statically send the control signal with a HARQ message to the UE, e.g., as described in conjunction with 602, 604, and 610. Components 840 and 842 may be configured to communicate with each other.

[0085] The apparatus may include executing Figure 4 and Figure 6 Each of the blocks in the algorithm in the above flowchart is an additional component. Therefore, it can be performed by the component Figure 4 and Figure 6 Each block in the above flowchart of the present invention may include one or more of those components. The components may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0086] In one configuration, the apparatus 802 (and specifically, the baseband unit 804) includes: a unit for generating a control signal, the control signal including an instruction to apply a configuration for a HARQ message to a UE, the configuration for the HARQ message including a first configuration for sending an ACK message and a second configuration for sending a NACK message, the first configuration being different from the second configuration; a unit for sending a control signal to the UE; and a unit for receiving a HARQ message from the UE based on timing information based on the configuration of the control signal sent to the UE. The above-mentioned units may be one or more components of the above-mentioned components of the apparatus 802 configured to perform the functions described by the above-mentioned units. As described above, the apparatus 802 may include a TX processor 316, an RX processor 370, and a controller / processor 375. Therefore, in one configuration, the above-mentioned units may be a TX processor 316, an RX processor 370, and a controller / processor 375 configured to perform the functions recited by the above-mentioned units.

[0087] Refer again Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the UE and / or the base station may be configured to manage multi-configuration HARQ messages. The base station may generate a control signal including the HARQ configuration and send the control signal to the UE. The HARQ configuration may include timing information and / or a transmission method. The HARQ configuration may include a first configuration for an ACK message and a second configuration for a NACK message. The UE may apply the corresponding HARQ configuration to the ACK and / or NACK message in response to a control signal to the base station. The base station may also send the HARQ configuration before the control signal. The first configuration may be different from the second configuration. An ACK message generated and sent based on a first configuration different from the second configuration may have improved reliability to increase the stability of the 5G network.

[0088] It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart is an illustration of an exemplary method. It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the blocks in the process / flowchart may be rearranged based on design preferences. In addition, some blocks may be merged or omitted. The attached method claims provide the elements of each block in an exemplary order and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy provided.

[0089] The foregoing description is provided so that any person skilled in the art can implement the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects shown herein, but are given the full scope consistent with the textual claims, wherein, unless explicitly stated as such, reference to the singular element is not intended to mean "one and only one", but "one or more". Terms such as "if", "when ..." and "while ..." should be interpreted as "under the condition of ...", rather than meaning an immediate time relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases (e.g., "when ...") do not mean immediate action in response to the occurrence of an action or during the occurrence of an action, but only mean that the action will occur if the condition is met, but do not require a specific or immediate time constraint for the occurrence of the action. The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "used as an example, instance or illustration". Any aspect described as "exemplary" herein is not necessarily interpreted as being preferred to or having advantages over other aspects. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the term "some" refers to one or more. Combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” include any combination of A, B, and / or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” may be only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, wherein any such combination may include one or more members or several members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout the disclosure that are known or later become known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Furthermore, no disclosure herein is intended to be dedicated to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. The words "module," "mechanism," "element," "device," etc. may not be substitutes for the word "unit." Thus, no claim element is to be interpreted as a unit-plus-function unless the element is explicitly recited using the phrase "unit for..."

[0090] The following examples are merely illustrative and may be combined with other embodiments or aspects of the teachings described herein, but are not limited thereto.

[0091] Example 1 is a method for wireless communication of a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a control signal from a base station; applying a configuration for a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message based on the control signal received from the base station, the configuration for the hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message comprising a first configuration for sending an acknowledgment (ACK) message and a second configuration for sending a negative acknowledgment (NACK) message, the first configuration being different from the second configuration; and sending the HARQ message based on timing information of the configuration based on the control signal.

[0092] Example 2 is a method according to Example 1, further comprising: determining alternative timing information of the HARQ message based on the control signal, wherein the alternative timing information is different from the default timing information of the HARQ message, and wherein the timing information defines the timeline when the UE sends the HARQ message.

[0093] Example 3 is a method according to any one of Examples 1 and 2, wherein the first configuration includes a first timeline for the ACK, and the second configuration includes a second timeline for the NACK, and wherein the UE sends an ACK message based on the first timeline or sends the NACK message based on the second timeline.

[0094] Example 4 is a method according to any one of Examples 1-3, further comprising: receiving the configuration for the HARQ message before the control signal, wherein the control signal includes an instruction for the UE to activate the configuration for the HARQ message.

[0095] Example 5 is a method according to any one of Examples 1-4, wherein the configuration is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0096] Example 6 is a method according to any one of Examples 1-5, comprising: the control signal for the instruction to apply the configuration is received in at least one of downlink control information (DCI) or medium access control-control element (MAC-CE).

[0097] Example 7 is a method according to any one of Examples 1-6, wherein the first configuration includes a first transmission method for sending the ACK message, and the second configuration includes a second transmission method for sending the NACK message, and the first transmission method is different from the second transmission method.

[0098] Example 8 is a device for wireless communication of a user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: receive a control signal from a base station; apply a configuration for a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message based on the control signal received from the base station, the configuration for the hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message comprising a first configuration for sending an acknowledgment (ACK) message and a second configuration for sending a negative acknowledgment (NACK) message, the first configuration being different from the second configuration; and, sending the HARQ message based on timing information of the configuration based on the control signal.

[0099] Example 9 is an apparatus according to Example 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine alternative timing information of the HARQ message based on the control signal, wherein the alternative timing information is different from the default timing information of the HARQ message, and wherein the timing information defines a timeline for the UE to send the HARQ message.

[0100] Example 10 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 8 and 9, wherein the first configuration includes a first timeline for the ACK, and the second configuration includes a second timeline for the NACK, and wherein the UE sends an ACK message based on the first timeline or sends the NACK message based on the second timeline.

[0101] Example 11 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 8-10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive the configuration for the HARQ message before the control signal, wherein the control signal includes instructions for the UE to activate the configuration for the HARQ message.

[0102] Example 12 is an apparatus according to any of Examples 8-11, wherein the configuration is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0103] Example 13 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 8-12, wherein the control signal including the instruction for applying the configuration is received in at least one of downlink control information (DCI) or a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE).

[0104] Example 14 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 8-13, wherein the first configuration includes a first transmission method for sending the ACK message, and the second configuration includes a second transmission method for sending the NACK message, and the first transmission method is different from the second transmission method.

[0105] Example 15 is a computer-readable medium storing computer executable code, which, when executed by a processor of a user equipment (UE), causes the processor to perform the following operations: receive a control signal from a base station; apply a configuration for a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message based on the control signal received from the base station, the configuration for the hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message including a first configuration for sending an acknowledgment (ACK) message and a second configuration for sending a negative acknowledgment (NACK) message, the first configuration being different from the second configuration; and, send the HARQ message based on timing information of the configuration based on the control signal.

[0106] Example 16 is a computer-readable medium according to Example 15, wherein the code further causes the processor to perform the following operations: determine alternative timing information for the HARQ message based on the control signal, wherein the alternative timing information is different from the default timing information of the HARQ message, and wherein the timing information defines a timeline for the UE to send the HARQ message.

[0107] Example 17 is a computer-readable medium according to any one of Examples 15 and 16, wherein the first configuration includes a first timeline for the ACK, and the second configuration includes a second timeline for the NACK, and wherein the UE sends the ACK message based on the first timeline or sends the NACK message based on the second timeline.

[0108] Example 18 is a computer-readable medium according to any one of Examples 15-17, wherein the code further causes the processor to perform the following operations: receiving the configuration for the HARQ message before the control signal, wherein the control signal includes instructions for the UE to activate the configuration for the HARQ message.

[0109] Example 19 is a computer-readable medium according to any of Examples 15-18, wherein the configuration is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0110] Example 20 is a computer-readable medium according to any one of Examples 15-19, wherein the control signal including the instructions for applying the configuration is received in at least one of downlink control information (DCI) or a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE).

[0111] Example 21 is a computer-readable medium according to any one of Examples 15-20, wherein the first configuration includes a first transmission method for sending the ACK message, and the second configuration includes a second transmission method for sending the NACK message, and the first transmission method is different from the second transmission method.

[0112] Example 22 is a device for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: generate a control signal, the control signal comprising an instruction for applying a configuration for a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message to a user equipment (UE), the configuration for the hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message comprising a first configuration for sending an acknowledgment (ACK) message and a second configuration for sending a negative acknowledgment (NACK) message, the first configuration being different from the second configuration; send the control signal to the UE; and receive the HARQ message from the UE based on timing information based on the configuration of the control signal sent to the UE.

[0113] Example 23 is an apparatus according to Example 22, wherein the control signal includes an instruction to activate alternative timing information for the HARQ message, wherein the alternative timing information is different from default timing information for the HARQ message.

[0114] Example 24 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 22 and 23, wherein the control signal instructing the UE to apply the configuration is sent via at least one of downlink control information (DCI) or medium access control-control element (MAC-CE).

[0115] Example 25 is an apparatus according to any one of Examples 22-24, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: send a configuration to the UE via a radio resource control (RRC) message before sending the control signal to define different timelines for the UE to use when sending the HARQ message to the base station.

[0116] Example 26 is an apparatus according to any of Examples 22-25, wherein the control signal also includes instructions for the UE to confirm successful reception of the transmission and successful reception of content of the information in the transmission.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication of a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a control signal from a base station, the control signal associated with a configuration for a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message, the configuration comprising a first configuration for sending an acknowledgement (ACK) message and a separate second configuration for sending a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message, the first configuration being different from the second configuration, the first configuration comprising a first timeline for sending the ACK message, the second configuration comprising a second timeline for sending the NACK message, and wherein the second timeline is different from the first timeline; as well as The HARQ message is sent based on the first timeline in the first configuration for the ACK message or based on the second timeline in the second configuration for the NACK message.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Alternative timing information for the HARQ message is determined based on the control signal, wherein the alternative timing information includes the first timeline and the second timeline, and wherein the alternative timing information is different from default timing information for the HARQ message.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The configuration for the HARQ message is received prior to the control signal, wherein the control signal includes an instruction for a UE to activate the configuration for the HARQ message.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The configuration is received in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The control signal including the instruction to apply the configuration is received in at least one of downlink control information (DCI) or a medium access control - control element (MAC-CE).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first configuration includes a first transmission method for sending the ACK message, and the second configuration includes a second transmission method for sending the NACK message, the first transmission method being different from the second transmission method.

7. An apparatus for wireless communication of a user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: receiving a control signal from a base station, the control signal associated with a configuration for a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message, the configuration comprising a first configuration for sending an acknowledgement (ACK) message and a separate second configuration for sending a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message, the first configuration being different from the second configuration, the first configuration comprising a first timeline for sending the ACK message, the second configuration comprising a second timeline for sending the NACK message, and wherein the second timeline is different from the first timeline; as well as The HARQ message is sent based on the first timeline in the first configuration for the ACK message or based on the second timeline in the second configuration for the NACK message.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: Alternative timing information for the HARQ message is determined based on the control signal, wherein the alternative timing information includes the first timeline and the second timeline, and wherein the alternative timing information is different from default timing information for the HARQ message.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: The configuration for the HARQ message is received prior to the control signal, wherein the control signal includes an instruction for a UE to activate the configuration for the HARQ message.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The configuration is received in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein: The control signal including the instruction to apply the configuration is received in at least one of downlink control information (DCI) or a medium access control - control element (MAC-CE).

12. The device according to claim 7, wherein: The first configuration includes a first transmission method for sending the ACK message, and the second configuration includes a second transmission method for sending the NACK message, the first transmission method being different from the second transmission method.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable code, which, when executed by a processor of a user equipment (UE), causes the processor to: receiving a control signal from a base station, the control signal associated with a configuration for a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message, the configuration comprising a first configuration for sending an acknowledgement (ACK) message and a separate second configuration for sending a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message, the first configuration being different from the second configuration, the first configuration comprising a first timeline for sending the ACK message, the second configuration comprising a second timeline for sending the NACK message, and wherein the second timeline is different from the first timeline; and The HARQ message is sent based on the first timeline in the first configuration for the ACK message or based on the second timeline in the second configuration for the NACK message.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein: The code also causes the processor to perform the following operations: Alternative timing information for the HARQ message is determined based on the control signal, wherein the alternative timing information includes the first timeline and the second timeline, and wherein the alternative timing information is different from default timing information for the HARQ message.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein: The code also causes the processor to perform the following operations: The configuration for the HARQ message is received prior to the control signal, wherein the control signal includes an instruction for a UE to activate the configuration for the HARQ message.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein: The configuration is received in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein: The control signal including the instruction to apply the configuration is received in at least one of downlink control information (DCI) or a medium access control - control element (MAC-CE).

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein: The first configuration includes a first transmission method for sending the ACK message, and the second configuration includes a second transmission method for sending the NACK message, the first transmission method being different from the second transmission method.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication of a base station, comprising: Memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: sending a control signal including an instruction to apply, for a user equipment (UE), a configuration for a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message, the configuration including a first configuration for sending an acknowledgement (ACK) message and a separate second configuration for sending a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message, the first configuration being different from the second configuration, the first configuration including a first timeline for sending the ACK message, the second configuration including a second timeline for sending the NACK message, and wherein the second timeline is different from the first timeline; as well as The HARQ message is received from the UE based on the first timeline in the first configuration for the ACK message or based on the second timeline in the second configuration for the NACK message.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein The control signal includes instructions to activate alternate timing information for the HARQ message, wherein the alternate timing information includes the first timeline and the second timeline, and wherein the alternate timing information is different from default timing information for the HARQ message.

21. The device according to claim 19, wherein The control signal instructing the UE to apply the configuration is sent via at least one of downlink control information (DCI) or medium access control-control element (MAC-CE).

22. The device according to claim 19, wherein The at least one processor is further configured to send the configuration to the UE via a radio resource control (RRC) message prior to sending the control signal.

23. The device according to claim 19, wherein: The control signal also includes instructions for the UE to acknowledge successful receipt of a transmission and successful receipt of content of information in the transmission.

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