Cross-carrier Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) process sharing
By allowing devices to share the HARQ process pool across multiple component carriers in a carrier aggregation configuration, the problems of HARQ process management complexity and performance degradation are solved, and efficient use of HARQ process is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202180043369.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2021-06-24
- Filing Date
- 2021-06-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-24
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-06-25
AI Technical Summary
In the prior art, under carrier aggregation configuration, the management complexity of the HARQ process increases, resulting in a degradation in the performance of the communication system.
Efficient use of the HARQ process is achieved by allowing the device to share the HARQ process pool across multiple component carriers. The specific method includes identifying a CA configuration, receiving a HARQ configuration indicating that it is shared by the multiple CCs, and performing communications on one or more CCs based on the configuration.
Simplifies HARQ process management, reduces system complexity, and improves communication performance.
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Figure CN115943589B_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications
[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 356,969, filed on June 24, 2021, which claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 044,187, filed on June 25, 2020. Both of these applications are hereby assigned to their assignee and are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties for all applicable purposes as set forth below. Technical Field
[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communication and, more particularly, to techniques for sharing a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process pool across component carriers (CCs). Background Art
[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. A typical wireless communication system may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access systems include the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE - Advanced (LTE - A) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) system, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) system, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) system, Single - Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC - FDMA) system, and Time Division - Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD - SCDMA) system, among others.
[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 the urban, national, regional, and even global levels. New Radio (e.g., 5G NR) is an example of an emerging telecommunication standard. NR is an enhanced set of the LTE mobile standard released by 3GPP. NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, reducing costs, enhancing services, utilizing new spectrums, and using OFDM with cyclic prefix (CP) on the downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) to better integrate with other open standards. For these purposes, NR supports beamforming, multiple - input multiple - output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation.
[0006] However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, there is a need for further improvements to LTE and NR technologies. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multiple access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. Summary of the Invention
[0007] The systems, methods, and devices of the present disclosure each have several aspects, none of which alone is responsible for their desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the present disclosure as expressed by the claims below, some features will now be briefly discussed. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled "Detailed Description," one will understand how the features of the present disclosure provide advantages including an improved use of HARQ processes in a network.
[0008] Particular aspects of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented in a method for wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE). The method generally includes identifying a carrier aggregation (CA) configuration in which at least a first component carrier (CC) among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs. The method further includes receiving, from a base station (BS), a HARQ configuration indicating a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC. The method further includes performing communication with the BS on at least one of the first CC or the second CC at least in part based on the HARQ configuration.
[0009] Particular aspects of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented in a device for wireless communication. The device may include a processing system that includes: a memory that includes computer-executable instructions, and one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the processing system to identify a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs. The device may further include a receiver configured to receive, from the BS, a HARQ configuration indicating a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC. The one or more processors are further configured to cause the processing system to perform communication with the BS on at least one of the first CC or the second CC at least in part based on the HARQ configuration.
[0010] Certain aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include units for identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs. The apparatus also includes a unit for receiving from a BS a HARQ configuration indicating a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC. The apparatus further includes a unit for performing communication with the BS on at least one of the first CC or the second CC, at least in part based on the HARQ configuration.
[0011] Certain aspects may be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium used by a UE for wireless communication. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a processing system, cause the processing system to: identify a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; receive from a BS a HARQ configuration indicating a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC; and perform communication with the BS on at least one of the first CC or the second CC, at least in part based on the HARQ configuration.
[0012] Certain aspects may be implemented in a computer program product used by a UE for wireless communication and embodied on a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may include code for: identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; receiving from a BS a HARQ configuration indicating a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC; and performing communication with the BS on at least one of the first CC or the second CC, at least in part based on the HARQ configuration.
[0013] Certain aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in a method used by a base station (BS) for wireless communication. The method generally includes identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs. The method also includes determining a HARQ configuration including a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC. The method further includes signaling an indication of the HARQ configuration to a UE.
[0014] Certain aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include a processing system that includes: a memory including computer-executable instructions, and one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the processing system to: identify a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; and determine a HARQ configuration including a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC. The apparatus further includes a transmitter configured to send an indication of the HARQ configuration to a UE.
[0015] Certain aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented in an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include means for identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs. The apparatus further includes means for determining a HARQ configuration including a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC. The apparatus further includes means for signaling an indication of the HARQ configuration to a UE.
[0016] Certain aspects may be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium for use by a UE in wireless communication. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a processing system, cause the processing system to: identify a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; determine a HARQ configuration including a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC; and signal an indication of the HARQ configuration to a UE.
[0017] Certain aspects may be implemented in a computer program product for use by a base station in wireless communication implemented on a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may include code for: identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; determining a HARQ configuration including a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC; and signaling an indication of the HARQ configuration to a UE.
[0018] The features and technical advantages of examples in accordance with the present disclosure have been outlined rather extensively above so that the following detailed description may be better understood. Other features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The disclosed concepts and specific examples can be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent structures do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. When considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the features (both their organization and method of operation) of the concepts disclosed herein, as well as the associated advantages, will be better understood. Each of the drawings is provided for the purpose of illustration and description and is not to be construed as a definition of the limits of the claims.
[0019] While aspects are described in this disclosure by way of illustration of some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that these aspects can be implemented in many different arrangements and scenarios. The techniques described herein can be implemented using different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and / or packaging arrangements. For example, some aspects can be implemented via integrated chip embodiments or other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial devices, retail / purchase devices, medical devices, and / or artificial intelligence devices). Aspects can be implemented in chip-level components, modular components, non-modular components, non-chip-level components, device-level components, or system-level components. Devices incorporating the described aspects and features can include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described aspects. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals can include one or more components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, radio frequency (RF) chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders, and / or summers). It is contemplated that the aspects described herein can be practiced in a wide variety of devices, components, systems, distributed arrangements, and / or end-user devices of different sizes, shapes, and configurations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] To obtain a more specific description of the inventive concept briefly outlined above, reference is made to the aspects, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the drawings only illustrate certain typical aspects of the present disclosure and are not to be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, since the description can be adapted to other equally effective aspects.
[0021] Figure 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example telecommunications system in accordance with a particular aspect of the present disclosure.
[0022] Figure 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating the design of an example base station (BS) and user equipment (UE) in accordance with a particular aspect of the present disclosure.
[0023] Figure 3 is an example frame format for New Radio (NR) according to a particular aspect of the present disclosure.
[0024] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example operation for wireless communication by a UE according to a particular aspect of the present disclosure.
[0025] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example operation for wireless communication by a BS according to a particular aspect of the present disclosure.
[0026] Figure 6 shows a communication device, which may include various components configured to perform operations for the techniques disclosed herein according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0027] Figure 7 shows a communication device, which may include various components configured to perform operations for the techniques disclosed herein according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0028] For ease of understanding, wherever possible, the same reference numerals have been used to denote the same elements in the drawings. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one aspect may be beneficially utilized in other aspects without specific recitation. Detailed Description
[0029] Aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for sharing a pool of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes across multiple component carriers (CCs).
[0030] NR may support carrier aggregation (CA) configurations having component carriers (CCs) in different operating bands or frequency ranges. For example, NR may support one or more operating bands in frequency range 1 (FR1) and one or more operating bands in frequency range 2 (FR2). FR1 may be between approximately 410 megahertz (MHz) and 7125 MHz, while FR2 may be between approximately 24250 MHz and 52600 MHz. In certain cases, NR may also support operation in higher frequency bands (e.g., the ~60 gigahertz (GHz) band).
[0031] NR can support CA configurations with FR1 operating bands, FR2 operating bands, and higher frequency bands. As an example, NR can support a CA configuration in which one or more CCs (or cells) in a higher frequency band (e.g., ~60 GHz) are combined (or aggregated) with one or more CCs (or cells) in a lower frequency band (e.g., FR1 / FR2). Each operating band may have a different numerology. As used herein, the term numerology generally refers to a set of parameters that define the structure of the time and frequency resources used for communication. Such parameters can include, for example, subcarrier spacing, type of cyclic prefix, and transmission time interval (TTI) (e.g., such as subframe or (mini) slot duration).
[0032] In some CA scenarios, the different numerologies used for the aggregated CCs can involve different maximum numbers of HARQ processes for each CC, which leads to an increase in the complexity of the communication system. Additionally, if the maximum number of processes for each CC is restricted to reduce complexity, the performance of the communication system may be impaired.
[0033] To address this issue, aspects provide techniques for allowing a device (e.g., gNB and / or UE) to share a HARQ process pool across multiple CCs. In aspects, a common DL / UL HARQ process pool can be shared across all CCs or within one or more groups of CCs. The group of CCs can depend on a particular frequency band, frequency range, spectrum type (e.g., licensed / unlicensed), subcarrier spacing, numerology, etc. By enabling a device to share a HARQ process pool, aspects allow for an efficient use of HARQ processes in a communication network.
[0034] The following description provides examples of sharing HARQ processes and does not limit the scope, applicability, or examples described in the claims. Changes can be made to the functionality and arrangement of the elements discussed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Various examples can be appropriately omitted, replaced, or additional processes or components can be added. For example, the methods described can be performed in a different order than described, and individual steps can be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with respect to some examples can be combined in some other examples. For example, any number of aspects described herein can be used to implement an apparatus or practice a method. Further, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such apparatus or methods practiced using other structures, functionality, or a combination of structures and functionality in addition to the various aspects of the disclosure described herein. It should be understood that any aspect disclosed herein can be implemented by one or more elements of the claims. In this document, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects.
[0035] Generally, any number of wireless networks can be deployed within a given geographical area. Each wireless network can support a specific radio access technology (RAT) and can operate on one or more frequencies. The RAT can also be referred to as radio technology, air interface, etc. The frequency can also be referred to as carrier, sub - carrier, frequency channel, tone, sub - band, etc. Each frequency can support a single RAT in a given geographical area to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs.
[0036] The techniques described herein can be used in a variety of wireless networks and radio technologies. Although terms commonly associated with 3G, 4G, and / or new radio (e.g., 5G NR) wireless technologies may be used herein to describe aspects, aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to communication systems based on other generations.
[0037] NR access can support various wireless communication services, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) for broadband (e.g., 80 MHz or above), millimeter wave (mmW) for high carrier frequencies (e.g., 25 GHz or above), massive machine - type communication MTC (mMTC) for non - backward - compatible MTC technologies, and / or mission - critical targeting ultra - reliable low - latency communication (URLLC). These services can include latency and reliability requirements. These services can also have different transmission time intervals (TTIs) to meet their respective quality - of - service (QoS) requirements. In addition, these services can co - exist in the same sub - frame.
[0038] NR can support beamforming, and the beam direction can be dynamically configured. MIMO transmission using precoding can also be supported. The MIMO configuration in DL can support up to 8 transmit antennas with multi - layer DL transmission of up to 8 streams, up to 2 streams per UE. Multi - layer transmission with up to 2 streams per UE can be supported. Aggregation of multiple cells can be supported with up to 8 serving cells.
[0039] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network 100 in which aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown. For example, the wireless communication network 100 can be an NR system (e.g., 5G NR network). As Figure 1 shown, the wireless communication network 100 can communicate with a core network 132. The core network 132 can communicate with one or more base stations (BSs) 110 and / or user equipment (UEs) 120 in the wireless communication network 100 via one or more interfaces. As Figure 1As shown, the wireless communication network 100 may include multiple BSs 110a-z (also individually referred to herein as BS 110 or collectively as BS 110) and other network entities. The BS 110 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area (sometimes referred to as a “cell”), which may be stationary or may move according to the location of the mobile BS 110. In some examples, the BSs 110 may use any suitable transmission network and may be interconnected with each other and / or connected to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless communication network 100 through various types of backhaul interfaces (e.g., direct physical connections, wireless connections, virtual networks, etc.). In Figure 1 the example shown, BSs 110a, 110b, and 110c may be macro BSs of macro cells 102a, 102b, and 102c, respectively. For the pico cell 102x, BS 110x may be a pico BS. For the femto cells 102y and 102z, BSs 110y and 110z may be femto BSs, respectively. A BS may support one or more cells. The network controller 130 may be coupled to a set of BSs 110 and provide coordination and control for these BSs 110 (e.g., via the backhaul).
[0040] The BS 110 communicates with user equipment UEs 120a-y in the wireless communication network 100 (each UE is also individually referred to herein as UE 120 or collectively as UE 120). The UEs 120 (e.g., 120x, 120y, etc.) may be dispersed throughout the wireless communication network 100, and each UE 120 may be stationary or mobile. The wireless communication network 100 may also include relay stations (e.g., relay station 110r), also referred to as relays, etc., which receive transmissions of data and / or other information from an upstream station (e.g., BS 110a or UE 120r) and send transmissions of data and / or other information to a downstream station (e.g., UE 120 or BS 110), or relay transmissions between UEs 120 to facilitate communication between devices.
[0041] According to a particular aspect, the BS 110 and the UE 120 may be configured to share a HARQ process pool across multiple CCs. As Figure 1As shown, BS 110a includes a HARQ component 170, which is configured to implement one or more techniques described herein for sharing a HARQ process pool across multiple CCs. Using the HARQ component 170, BS 110a can identify a CA configuration in which a first CC (or cell) is aggregated with at least a second CC (or cell). BS 110a (via the HARQ component 170) can determine a HARQ configuration that includes a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC. BS 110a (via the HARQ component 170) can signal an indication of the HARQ configuration to a UE (e.g., UE 120a).
[0042] As shown, UE 120a includes a HARQ component 160, which is configured to implement one or more techniques described herein for sharing a HARQ process pool across multiple CCs. Using the HARQ component 160, UE 120a can identify a CA configuration in which a first CC (or cell) is aggregated with at least a second CC (or cell). UE 120a (via the HARQ component 160) can receive a HARQ configuration from a BS (e.g., BS 110a) that indicates a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC. UE 120a (via the HARQ component 160) can perform communication with the BS on at least one of the first CC or the second CC based at least in part on the HARQ configuration.
[0043] Figure 2 Illustrated are (e.g., in a Figure 1 wireless communication network) example components of BS 110a and UE 120a, which can be used to implement aspects of the present disclosure.
[0044] At BS 110a, a transmit processor 220 can receive data from a data source 212 and control information from a controller / processor 240. The control information can be used for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), a physical hybrid ARQ indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a group common PDCCH (GC-PDCCH), etc. The data can be used for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), etc. A media access control (MAC)-control element (MAC-CE) is a MAC layer communication structure that can be used for the exchange of control commands between wireless nodes. The MAC-CE can be carried in a shared channel such as a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH).
[0045] The processor 220 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmitting processor 220 may also generate reference symbols, such as for the primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols (if applicable) and may provide an output symbol stream to the modulators (MOD) in 232a - 232t. Each modulator 232 may process its respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from the modulators in 232a - 232t may be transmitted via antennas 234a - 234t, respectively.
[0046] At the UE 120a, antennas 252a - 252r may receive the downlink signals from the BS 110a and may provide the received signals to the demodulators (DEMOD) in transceivers 254a - 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, down-convert, and digitize) the respective received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. The MIMO detector 256 may obtain the received symbols from all the demodulators in 254a - 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide the detected symbols. The receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate, de-interleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide the decoded data of the UE 120a to the data sink 260, and provide the decoded control information to the controller / processor 280.
[0047] On the uplink, at UE 120a, the transmit processor 264 can receive and process data from the data source 262 (e.g., for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)) and control information from the controller / processor 280 (e.g., for the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)). The transmit processor 264 can also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., for the Sounding Reference Signal (SRS)). Symbols from the transmit processor 264 can be precoded by the TX MIMO processor 266 (if applicable), further processed by the demodulator in the transceiver 254a - 254r (e.g., for SC - FDM, etc.) and transmitted to BS110a. At BS 110a, the uplink signal from UE 120a can be received by the antenna 234, processed by the modulator 232, detected by the MIMO detector 236 if applicable, and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain the decoded data and control information sent by UE 120a. The receive processor 238 can provide the decoded data to the data sink 239 and the decoded control information to the controller / processor 240.
[0048] The memories 242 and 282 can store data and program codes for BS 110a and UE 120a, respectively. The scheduler 244 can schedule the UE for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.
[0049] The antenna 252, processors 266, 258, 264 and / or the controller / processor 280 of UE 120a and / or the antenna 234, processors 220, 230, 238 and / or the controller / processor 240 of BS 110a can be used to perform the various techniques and methods described herein. The controller / processors 240 and 280 can direct the operations at BS 110a and UE 120a, respectively. For example, as Figure 2 shown, the controller / processor 240 of BS 110a has a HARQ module 170, which can be configured to implement one or more of the techniques described herein. In one aspect, the HARQ module 170 can be used to perform Figure 4 one or more operations. As Figure 2 shown, the controller / processor 280 of UE 120a has a HARQ module 160, which can be configured to implement one or more of the techniques described herein. In one aspect, the HARQ module 160 can be used to perform Figure 5 one or more operations. Although shown at the controller / processor, other components of UE 120a and BS 110a can be used to perform the operations described herein.
[0050] NR can utilize Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with a Cyclic Prefix (CP) on both the uplink and downlink. NR can support half-duplex operation using Time Division Duplex (TDD). OFDM and Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing (SC-FDM) divide the system bandwidth into multiple orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Modulation symbols can be transmitted in the frequency domain using OFDM and in the time domain using SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers can depend on the system bandwidth. The minimum resource allocation (also known as a Resource Block (RB)) can be 12 consecutive subcarriers. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband can cover multiple RBs. NR can support a basic Subcarrier Spacing (SCS) of 15KHz, and other SCSs (e.g., 30KHz, 60KHz, 120KHz, 240KHz, etc.) can be defined for the basic SCS.
[0051] Figure 3 FIG. is an example showing Frame Format 300 for NR. The transmission timeline for each of the downlink and uplink can be divided into units of radio frames. Each radio frame can have a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 ms), and can be divided into 10 subframes, each subframe being 1 ms, indexed from 0 to 9. Depending on the SCS, each subframe can include a variable number of time slots (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, 16... time slots). Depending on the SCS, each time slot can include a variable number of symbol periods (e.g., 7 or 14 symbols). The symbol periods in each time slot can be assigned indices. A mini-slot (which can be referred to as a sub-slot structure) refers to a transmission time interval having a duration less than that of a time slot (e.g., 2, 3, or 4 symbols). Each symbol in a time slot can indicate the link direction of data transmission (e.g., DL, UL, or flexible), and the link direction of each subframe can be switched dynamically. The link direction can be based on the time slot format. Each time slot can include DL / UL data as well as DL / UL control information.
[0052] In NR, the MAC entity (for each device) typically includes HARQ entities for each serving cell, which maintain multiple parallel HARQ processes. Each HARQ process can be associated with a HARQ process identifier (ID). In NR, each cell can support up to 16 parallel DL (UL) HARQ processes. For DL, the higher layer parameter "nrofHARQ-ProcessesForPDSCH" indicates the number of HARQ processes for each serving cell. For URLLC operations, the higher layer parameters "HARQProcessNumberSize-ForDCIFormat0_2" and "HARQProcessNumberSize-ForDCIFormat1_2" can indicate the number of HARQ processes for UL and DL respectively. The number of HARQ processes required is typically related to the round-trip time of data scheduling. For example, this round-trip time can include the time from the initial transmission to the potential retransmission after receiving the HARQ-ACK feedback. A longer round-trip time typically means a larger number of HARQ processes required.
[0053] As described above, some combinations of digital schemes using CCs aggregated across different frequency bands can result in providing different maximum numbers of HARQ processes for each CC. This in turn increases the complexity of the communication system and may affect the performance of the communication system. For example, in a higher frequency band NR deployment (e.g., at or near 60 GHz), a higher subcarrier spacing can be used to prevent severe phase noise. However, since the slot duration typically decreases with a larger subcarrier spacing, the processing timeline (or round-trip time) (in terms of the number of slots) is relatively larger for a larger subcarrier spacing compared to a lower subcarrier spacing. Therefore, a higher subcarrier spacing may use a larger number of HARQ processes compared to a lower subcarrier spacing. In a specific example of using a higher frequency band NR deployment, a larger number of HARQ processes may be required compared to a lower frequency band deployment.
[0054] Therefore, techniques may be needed to allow a device to mitigate the performance impact associated with a larger number of HARQ processes in a higher frequency band NR deployment.
[0055] Example HARQ process sharing across carriers
[0056] Aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for sharing a HARQ process pool across multiple CCs. In aspects, a common DL / UL HARQ process pool can be shared across all CCs or within one or more groups of CCs. The group of CCs can depend on a particular frequency band, frequency range, spectrum type (e.g., licensed / unlicensed), subcarrier spacing, numerology, etc. By enabling a device to share a HARQ process pool, aspects allow for an efficient use of HARQ processes in a communication network.
[0057] In some aspects, the total number of HARQ processes (per group of CCs) can depend on the UE's capabilities. For example, the UE can send a UE capability message indicating the total number of HARQ processes supported within the HARQ process pool. Additionally or alternatively, the UE can send another UE capability message indicating the maximum and / or minimum number of HARQ processes supported by each CC or group of CCs.
[0058] In some aspects, the UE capability message can provide an implicit indication of the number of supported HARQ processes (e.g., total number in the pool, max / min per CC). For example, the UE capability message can provide an abstract number representing the parallel number of supported HARQ processes. The abstract number can indicate a processing capability class, which implies a specific number of supported HARQ processes (e.g., processing capability class A = 4 supported HARQ processes, processing capability class B = 6 supported HARQ processes, etc.).
[0059] In some aspects, the techniques presented herein can provide semi-static sharing of HARQ processes across CCs. Here, the BS (or network entity) can assign (or allocate) a fixed number of HARQ processes to each CC in a CA configuration. The total number of assigned HARQ processes across all CCs can not exceed the UE capabilities. In some aspects, different weights can be used to count the number of HARQ processes for different CCs. Each weight for a given CC can be determined based on the frequency band, frequency range, spectrum type, subcarrier spacing, or other numerology parameters associated with the CC. For example, a HARQ process for a CC with a subcarrier spacing of 240 kHz or higher can be considered equivalent to two HARQ processes for a CC with a subcarrier spacing of 120 kHz or lower. Thus, in this example, a weight = 2 can be used to count the HARQ processes for the CC with a 240 kHz subcarrier spacing, and a weight = 1 can be used to count the HARQ processes for the CC with a 120 kHz subcarrier spacing.
[0060] In addition to UE capability signaling, the UE may also signal a request (or provide a suggestion for the number) for the number of HARQ processes for each CC. The UE may provide this request via uplink control information (UCI), medium access control control element (MAC-CE) signaling, UE assisted information feedback, etc. In response to this request, the BS may (re)-assign a specific number of HARQ processes for each CC. The BS may provide this (re)-assignment via radio resource control (RRC) signaling (e.g., RRC reconfiguration), MAC-CE signaling, or downlink control information (DCI) signaling. After re-assigning the number of HARQ processes for each CC, the size of the HARQ process number ID field in the scheduling DCI for a given CC may be determined according to the number of assigned HARQ processes for that CC.
[0061] In some aspects, the techniques proposed herein may provide for dynamic sharing of HARQ processes across CCs (also referred to as HARQ process overbooking). Here, similar to semi-static sharing techniques, the BS may assign a number of HARQ processes for each CC, but the total number of assigned HARQ processes across CCs (or cells) may be greater than the maximum number of supported HARQ processes (based on UE capabilities). However, at a given moment, the total number of "active" HARQ processes may always be less than or equal to the maximum number of supported HARQ processes.
[0062] In such a case, if the scheduling DCI (e.g., by assigning a HARQ process ID) assigns a number of active HARQ processes that exceeds the maximum number of supported HARQ processes, the UE may ignore the DCI (e.g., discard the DCI). In some cases, if multiple scheduling DCIs across different CCs assign a number of active HARQ processes that exceeds the maximum number of supported HARQ processes, the UE may use a priority ordering rule to discard one or more scheduling DCIs. In one aspect, the priority ordering rule may be a function of the cell ID, HARQ process ID, etc. For example, assuming the priority rule is based on the HARQ process ID, when multiple new HARQ processes are assigned simultaneously, they may be counted starting from the CC with the lowest ID and the lowest HARQ process ID. Once the maximum supported number is reached, the remaining HARQ processes may be ignored.
[0063] In some aspects, the techniques presented herein may allow for a hybrid mode approach between semi-static techniques and dynamic sharing techniques. For example, some CCs in a CA configuration may use semi-static techniques (as described above), while other CCs in the CA configuration may use dynamic sharing techniques (as described above). In another example, one or more CCs in a CA configuration may be configured with multiple control resource set (CORESET) pool indices, where dynamic sharing techniques are used for a first CORESET pool index (e.g., CORESET pool index 0), and semi-static techniques are used for a second CORESET pool index (e.g., CORESET pool index 1). As used herein, a CORESET is generally a set of physical resources within a time and frequency resource grid (e.g., a downlink resource grid). A CORESET may be used to carry PDCCH or other control information.
[0064] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example operation 400 for wireless communication according to a particular aspect of the present disclosure. Operation 400 may be performed, for example, by a BS (e.g., BS 110a in wireless communication network 100 such as). Operation 400 may be a complementary operation of the BS to an operation 500 performed by a UE. Operation 400 may be implemented as a software component executed and run on one or more processors (e.g., Figure 2 the controller / processor 240). Additionally, the transmission and reception of signals by the BS in operation 400 may be implemented, for example, via one or more antennas (e.g., Figure 2 the antenna 234). In a particular aspect, the transmission and / or reception of signals by the BS may be implemented via a bus interface of one or more processors (e.g., controller / processor 240) to obtain and / or output signals.
[0065] Operation 400 may begin at 405, where the BS identifies a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs. The first CC may be in a first frequency range, and the second CC may be in a second frequency range. In some cases, the second frequency range (e.g., the ~60 GHz band) may be higher than the first frequency range (such as, FR1 / FR2). The first CC may be associated with a first digital scheme, while the second CC may be associated with a different second digital scheme. For example, the first digital scheme may use a first subcarrier spacing, while the second digital scheme may use a different second subcarrier spacing. The second subcarrier spacing may be greater than the first subcarrier spacing.
[0066] At 410, the BS determines a HARQ configuration that includes a HARQ process pool shared by at least a first CC and a second CC. The HARQ process pool can include at least one of a number of downlink HARQ processes or a number of uplink HARQ processes. In one aspect, the HARQ process pool can be shared by multiple CCs. In one aspect, the HARQ process pool can be shared by a set of CCs within multiple CCs that includes the first CC and the second CC. Here, the set of CCs can include CCs associated with a frequency band, a frequency range, licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or subcarrier spacing.
[0067] In some aspects, operation 400 can further include receiving an indication of (first) UE capabilities that include the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE. The BS (at 410) can determine the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool based on the UE capabilities. Additionally or alternatively, operation 400 can further include receiving an indication of another (second) UE capabilities that include at least one of a minimum number of HARQ processes supported for each of the multiple CCs or a maximum number of HARQ processes. The BS (at 410) can further determine the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool based on the minimum / maximum information in the other UE capabilities. In some cases, the first UE capabilities or the second UE capabilities can include an implicit indication of the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE. For example, the implicit indication can include a processing capability class associated with the UE.
[0068] At 415, the BS signals an indication of the HARQ configuration to the UE. The HARQ configuration can allocate a first number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool to the first CC and a second number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool to the second CC. The BS can signal the indication via RRC signaling, MAC-CE signaling, or DCI signaling. In one aspect, the BS can use scheduling DCI that includes a HARQ process number ID field for each of the first CC and the second CC. The size of the HARQ process number ID field for the first CC can be based on the first number of HARQ processes, and the size of the HARQ process number ID for the second CC can be based on the second number of HARQ processes.
[0069] In the semi-static method, the BS (at 410) may determine a HARQ configuration such that the sum of a first number of HARQ processes and a second number of HARQ processes is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE. The first number of HARQ processes may be based on a first weight associated with a first CC, and the second number of HARQ processes may be based on a second weight associated with a second CC. The first weight may be based on at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a frequency band, a frequency range, or a spectrum type associated with the first CC, and the second weight may be based on at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a frequency band, a frequency range, or a spectrum type associated with the second CC.
[0070] In some aspects, operation 400 may further include receiving a request for a first number of HARQ processes and a second number of HARQ processes. The BS (at 410) may determine the HARQ configuration in response to the request. The request may be received via at least one of UCI, MAC-CE signaling, or UE assistance information feedback.
[0071] In the dynamic sharing method, the sum of a first number of HARQ processes and a second number of HARQ processes may be greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE. In one aspect, the number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool at a given moment may not be greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0072] In a first hybrid mode method, a first set of multiple CCs in a CA configuration may be allocated a number of HARQ processes in a HARQ process pool that is not greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and a second set of multiple CCs in the CA configuration may be allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool that is greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0073] In a second hybrid mode method, at least one CC of multiple CCs may be associated with a first CORESET pool index and a second CORESET pool index. A number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool that is not greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE may be allocated to the first CORESET pool index. A number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool that is greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE may be allocated to the second CORESET pool index.
[0074] Figure 5is a flowchart showing an example operation 500 for wireless communication according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. Operation 500 may be performed, for example, by a UE (e.g., UE 120a in wireless communication network 100 such as). Operation 500 may be a complementary operation to operation 400 performed by the BS for the UE. Operation 500 may be implemented as a software component executed and run on one or more processors (e.g., Figure 2 the controller / processor 280). Additionally, the transmission and reception of signals by the UE in operation 500 may be implemented, for example, via one or more antennas (e.g., Figure 2 the antenna 252). In certain aspects, the transmission and / or reception of signals by the UE may be implemented via the bus interface of one or more processors (e.g., the controller / processor 280) for obtaining and / or outputting signals.
[0075] Operation 500 may begin at 505, where the UE identifies a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs. The first CC may be in a first frequency range, and the second CC may be in a second frequency range. In some cases, the second frequency range (e.g., the ~60 GHz band) may be higher than the first frequency range (such as, FR1 / FR2). The first CC may be associated with a first numerology, while the second CC may be associated with a different second numerology. For example, the first numerology may use a first subcarrier spacing, while the second numerology may use a different second subcarrier spacing. The second subcarrier spacing may be greater than the first subcarrier spacing.
[0076] At 510, the UE receives from the BS a HARQ configuration that indicates a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC. The HARQ process pool may include at least one of the number of downlink HARQ processes or the number of uplink HARQ processes. In one aspect, the HARQ process pool may be shared by multiple CCs. In one aspect, the HARQ process pool may be shared by a set of CCs within multiple CCs that includes the first CC and the second CC. Here, the set of CCs may include CCs associated with a frequency band, a frequency range, licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or subcarrier spacing. At 515, the UE performs communication with the BS on at least one of the first CC or the second CC based at least in part on the HARQ configuration.
[0077] In some aspects, operation 500 may further include signaling an indication of a first UE capability, where the first UE capability includes the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE. The number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool may be based on the first UE capability. Additionally or alternatively, operation 500 may further include signaling an indication of a second UE capability, where the second UE capability includes at least one of a minimum number of HARQ processes supported for each of a plurality of CCs or a maximum number of HARQ processes. The number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool may be further based on the second UE capability. In some cases, the first UE capability or the second UE capability may include an implicit indication of the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE. For example, the implicit indication may include a processing capability class associated with the UE.
[0078] The HARQ configuration may allocate a first number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool to a first CC and a second number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool to a second CC. The UE may receive the indication via RRC signaling, MAC-CE signaling, or DCI signaling. In one aspect, the UE may receive a scheduling DCI that includes a HARQ process number ID field for each of the first CC and the second CC. The size of the HARQ process number ID field for the first CC may be based on the first number of HARQ processes, and the size of the HARQ process number ID field for the second CC may be based on the second number of HARQ processes.
[0079] In a semi-static method, the UE (at 510) may receive a HARQ configuration, where the sum of the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE. The first number of HARQ processes may be based on a first weight associated with the first CC, and the second number of HARQ processes may be based on a second weight associated with the second CC. The first weight may be based on at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a frequency band, a frequency range, or a spectrum type associated with the first CC, and the second weight may be based on at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a frequency band, a frequency band range, or a spectrum type associated with the second CC.
[0080] In some aspects, operation 500 may further include signaling a request for the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes. The UE (at 510) may receive a HARQ configuration in response to the request. The request may be signaled via at least one of UCI, MAC-CE, or UE assistance information feedback.
[0081] In a dynamic sharing method, the sum of a first quantity of HARQ processes and a second quantity of HARQ processes can be greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by a UE. In one aspect, the number of active HARQ processes in a HARQ process pool at a given time can be no greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE. In some aspects, when it is determined that the number of active HARQ processes at a given time is greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE, the UE can discard one or more of the number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool. In one aspect, the UE can discard one or more of the number of active HARQ processes based on a predetermined rule. For example, the predetermined rule can be based on at least one of a cell ID, a HARQ process ID, or a CC ID.
[0082] In a first hybrid mode method, a first set of multiple CCs in a CA configuration can be assigned a quantity of HARQ processes in a HARQ process pool, the quantity being no greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and a second set of multiple CCs in the CA configuration can be assigned a quantity of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the quantity being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0083] In a second hybrid mode method, at least one CC of multiple CCs can be associated with a first CORESET pool index and a second CORESET pool index. A quantity of HARQ processes in a HARQ process pool, the quantity being no greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE, can be assigned to the first CORESET pool index. A quantity of HARQ processes in a HARQ process pool, the quantity being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE, can be assigned to the second CORESET pool index.
[0084] Figure 6 A communication device 600 is shown, and the communication device 600 can include various components (e.g., corresponding to functional module components) configured to perform operations for the techniques disclosed herein (such as the operations shown in Figure 4 ). The communication device 600 includes a processing system 602 coupled to a transceiver 608 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). The transceiver 608 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communication device 600 via an antenna 610, such as the various signals described herein. The processing system 602 can be configured to perform processing functions for the communication device 600, including processing signals received and / or transmitted by the communication device 600.
[0085] The processing system 602 includes a processor 604 coupled via a bus 606 to a computer-readable medium / memory 612. In certain aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 612 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the processor 604, cause the processor 604 to perform the operations shown in Figure 4 or other operations for performing the various techniques discussed herein. In certain aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 612 stores: code 614 for identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; code 616 for determining a HARQ configuration including a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC; and code 618 for signaling an indication of the HARQ configuration to a UE. In certain aspects, the processor 604 has circuitry configured to implement the code stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 612. The processor 604 includes: code 620 for identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; code 622 for determining a HARQ configuration including a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC; and code 624 for signaling an indication of the HARQ configuration to a UE.
[0086] Figure 7 A communication device 700 is shown, which may include various components (e.g., corresponding to functional module components) configured to perform operations for the techniques disclosed herein, such as the operations shown in Figure 5 . The communication device 700 includes a processing system 702 coupled to a transceiver 708 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). The transceiver 708 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communication device 700 via an antenna 710, such as the various signals described herein. The processing system 702 may be configured to perform processing functions for the communication device 700, including processing signals received and / or transmitted by the communication device 700.
[0087] The processing system 702 includes a processor 704 coupled via a bus 706 to a computer-readable medium / memory 712. In certain aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 712 is configured to store instructions that, when executed by the processor 704, cause the processor 704 to perform the operations in Figure 5The operations shown in [description] or instructions for performing other operations for implementing the various techniques discussed herein (e.g., computer-executable code). In a particular aspect, the computer-readable medium / memory 712 stores: code 714 for identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; code 716 for receiving a HARQ configuration that includes a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC; and code 718 for performing communication based on the HARQ configuration. In a particular aspect, the processor 704 has circuitry configured to implement the code stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 712. The processor 704 includes: circuitry 720 for identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; circuitry 722 for determining a HARQ configuration that includes a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC; and circuitry 724 for performing communication based on the HARQ configuration.
[0088] Example Clauses
[0089] Examples of implementations are described in the following numbered clauses:
[0090] Clause 1: A method for a UE to perform wireless communication, including: identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; receiving, from a BS, a HARQ configuration that indicates a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC; and performing communication with the BS on at least one of the first CC or the second CC at least in part based on the HARQ configuration.
[0091] Clause 2: The method according to Clause 1, wherein the HARQ process pool is shared by the plurality of CCs.
[0092] Clause 3: The method according to any one of Clauses 1-2, wherein the HARQ process pool is shared by a group of CCs within the plurality of CCs, the group of CCs including the first CC and the second CC.
[0093] Clause 4: The method according to Clause 3, wherein the group of CCs includes CCs associated with a frequency band, a frequency range, licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or subcarrier spacing.
[0094] Clause 5: The method according to any of Clauses 1-4 further includes: signaling an indication of a first UE capability, the first UE capability including the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is based on the first UE capability.
[0095] Clause 6: The method according to any of Clauses 1-5 further includes: signaling an indication of a second UE capability, the second UE capability including at least one of a minimum number of HARQ processes supported for each of the plurality of CCs or a maximum number of HARQ processes, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is further based on the second UE capability.
[0096] Clause 7: The method according to any of Clauses 1-5, wherein the first UE capability includes an implicit indication of the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0097] Clause 8: The method according to any of Clauses 1-7, wherein the implicit indication includes a processing capability class associated with the UE.
[0098] Clause 9: The method according to any of Clauses 1-8, wherein the HARQ configuration (i) allocates a first number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool to the first CC, and (ii) allocates a second number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool to the second CC.
[0099] Clause 10: The method according to Clause 9, wherein the sum of the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0100] Clause 11: The method according to Clause 9, wherein the first number of HARQ processes is based on a first weight associated with the first CC, and the second number of HARQ processes is based on a second weight associated with the second CC.
[0101] Article 12: The method according to Clause 11, wherein the first weight is based on at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a frequency band, a frequency range, or a spectrum type associated with the first CC, and the second weight is based on at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a frequency band, a frequency range, or a spectrum type associated with the second CC.
[0102] Clause 13: The method according to any of Clauses 9 - 12 further comprises: signaling a request for the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes, wherein the HARQ configuration is received in response to the request.
[0103] Clause 14: The method according to Clause 13, wherein the request is signaled via at least one of UCI, MAC-CE, or UE assistance information feedback.
[0104] Clause 15: The method according to Clause 13, wherein the HARQ configuration is received via RRC signaling, MAC-CE, or DCI signaling.
[0105] Clause 16: The method according to Clause 15, wherein: the DCI includes a HARQ process number ID field for each of the first CC and the second CC; the size of the HARQ process number ID field for the first CC is based on the first number of HARQ processes; and the size of the HARQ process number ID field for the second CC is based on the second number of HARQ processes.
[0106] Clause 17: The method according to any of Clauses 9 and 11 - 16, wherein the sum of the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes is greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0107] Clause 18: The method according to Clause 17, wherein the number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool at a given moment is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0108] Clause 19: The method according to any of Clauses 17 - 18 further comprises: discarding one or more of the number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool when it is determined that the number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool at the given moment is greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0109] Clause 20: The method according to Clause 19, wherein one or more of the number of active HARQ processes are discarded based on a predetermined rule.
[0110] Clause 21: The method according to Clause 20, wherein the predetermined rule is based on at least one of a cell identifier (ID), a HARQ process ID, or a CC ID.
[0111] Clause 22: The method according to any of Clauses 1-21, wherein: a first set of the plurality of CCs in the CA configuration is assigned a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being no greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and a second set of the plurality of CCs in the CA configuration is assigned a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0112] Clause 23: The method according to any of Clauses 1-21, wherein: at least one of the CCs among the plurality of CCs is associated with a first CORESET pool index and a second CORESET pool index; the first CORESET pool index is assigned a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being no greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and the second CORESET pool index is assigned a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0113] Clause 24: The method according to any of Clauses 1-23, wherein the HARQ process pool includes at least one of a number of downlink HARQ processes or a number of uplink HARQ processes.
[0114] Clause 25: The method according to any of Clauses 1-24, wherein the first CC is in a first frequency range and the second CC is in a second frequency range.
[0115] Clause 26: The method according to Clause 25, wherein the second frequency range is higher than the first frequency range.
[0116] Clause 27: The method according to any of Clauses 25-26, wherein the second frequency range includes 60 gigahertz (GHz).
[0117] Clause 28: The method according to any of Clauses 1-27, wherein the first CC is associated with a first digital scheme and the second CC is associated with a different second digital scheme.
[0118] Clause 29: The method according to Clause 28, wherein the first digital scheme includes a first subcarrier spacing and the second digital scheme includes a second subcarrier spacing.
[0119] Clause 30: The method according to Clause 29, wherein the second subcarrier spacing is greater than the first subcarrier spacing.
[0120] Clause 31: A method used by a BS for wireless communication, comprising: identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; determining a HARQ configuration including a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC; and signaling an indication of the HARQ configuration to a UE.
[0121] Clause 32: The method according to Clause 31, wherein the HARQ process pool is shared by the plurality of CCs.
[0122] Clause 33: The method according to any one of Clauses 31-32, wherein the HARQ process pool is shared by a set of CCs within the plurality of CCs, the set of CCs including the first CC and the second CC.
[0123] Clause 34: The method according to Clause 33, wherein the set of CCs includes CCs associated with a frequency band, a frequency range, licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or subcarrier spacing.
[0124] Clause 35: The method according to any one of Clauses 31-34, further comprising: receiving an indication of a first UE capability including the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is determined based on the first UE capability.
[0125] Clause 36: The method according to any one of Clauses 31-35, further comprising: receiving an indication of a second UE capability, the second UE function including at least one of a minimum number of HARQ processes supported for each CC among the plurality of CCs or a maximum number of HARQ processes, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is further determined based on the second UE capability.
[0126] Clause 37: The method according to any one of Clauses 31-35, wherein the first UE capability includes an implicit indication of the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0127] Clause 38: The method according to any one of Clauses 31-37, wherein the implicit indication includes a processing capability class associated with the UE.
[0128] Clause 39: The method according to any one of Clauses 31-38, wherein the HARQ configuration (i) assigns a first number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool to the first CC, and (ii) assigns a second number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool to the second CC.
[0129] Clause 40: The method according to Clause 39, wherein the sum of the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0130] Clause 41: The method according to Clause 39, wherein the first number of HARQ processes is based on a first weight associated with the first CC, and the second number of HARQ processes is based on a second weight associated with the second CC.
[0131] Clause 42: The method according to Clause 41, wherein the first weight is based on at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a frequency band, a frequency range, or a spectrum type associated with the first CC, and the second weight is based on at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a frequency band, a frequency range, or a spectrum type associated with the second CC.
[0132] Clause 43: The method according to any one of Clauses 39 - 42, further comprising: receiving requests for the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes, wherein the HARQ configuration is determined in response to the requests.
[0133] Clause 44: The method according to Clause 43, wherein the requests are received via at least one of UCI, MAC-CE, or UE assistance information feedback.
[0134] Clause 45: The method according to Clause 43, wherein the HARQ configuration is signaled via RRC signaling, MAC-CE, or DCI signaling.
[0135] Clause 46: The method according to Clause 45, wherein: the DCI includes a HARQ process number ID field for each of the first CC and the second CC; the size of the HARQ process number ID field for the first CC is based on the first number of HARQ processes; and the size of the HARQ process number ID field for the second CC is based on the second number of HARQ processes.
[0136] Clause 47: The method according to any one of Clauses 39 and 41 - 46, wherein the sum of the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes is greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0137] Clause 48: The method according to Clause 47, wherein the number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool at a given moment is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0138] Clause 49: A method according to any of Clauses 31 - 48, wherein: a first set of the plurality of CCs in the CA configuration is allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being no greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and a second set of the plurality of CCs in the CA configuration is allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0139] Clause 50: A method according to any of Clauses 31 - 48, wherein: at least one of the CCs among the plurality of CCs is associated with a first CORESET pool index and a second CORESET pool index; the first CORESET pool index is allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being no greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and the second CORESET pool index is allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0140] Clause 51: A method according to any of Clauses 31 - 50, wherein the HARQ process pool includes at least one of a number of downlink HARQ processes or a number of uplink HARQ processes.
[0141] Clause 52: A method according to any of Clauses 31 - 50, wherein the first CC is in a first frequency range and the second CC is in a second frequency range.
[0142] Clause 53: The method according to Clause 52, wherein the second frequency range is higher than the first frequency range.
[0143] Clause 54: The method according to any of Clauses 52 - 53, wherein the second frequency range includes 60 gigahertz (GHz).
[0144] Clause 55: A method according to any of Clauses 31 - 54, wherein the first CC is associated with a first digital scheme and the second CC is associated with a different second digital scheme.
[0145] Clause 56: The method according to Clause 55, wherein the first digital scheme includes a first subcarrier spacing and the second digital scheme includes a second subcarrier spacing.
[0146] Clause 57: The method according to Clause 56, wherein the second subcarrier spacing is greater than the first subcarrier spacing.
[0147] Clause 58: A method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), comprising: identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; receiving, from a BS, a HARQ configuration that indicates a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC; and performing communication with the BS on at least one of the first CC or the second CC at least partially based on the HARQ configuration.
[0148] Clause 59: The method according to Clause 58, wherein: the HARQ process pool is shared by a set of CCs within the plurality of CCs, the set of CCs including the first CC and the second CC; and the set of CCs includes CCs associated with a frequency band, a frequency range, licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or subcarrier spacing.
[0149] Clause 60: The method according to Clause 58, further comprising: signaling an indication of a first UE capability that includes the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is based on the first UE capability.
[0150] Clause 61: The method according to Clause 60, further comprising: signaling an indication of a second UE capability that includes at least one of a minimum number of HARQ processes supported for each CC among the plurality of CCs or a maximum number of HARQ processes, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is further based on the second UE capability.
[0151] Clause 62: The method according to Clause 60, wherein: the first UE capability includes an implicit indication of the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and the implicit indication includes a processing capability class associated with the UE.
[0152] Clause 63: The method according to Clause 58, wherein the HARQ configuration (i) assigns a first number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool to the first CC, and (ii) assigns a second number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool to the second CC.
[0153] Clause 64: The method according to Article 63, wherein the sum of the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0154] Clause 65: The method according to Clause 63, wherein: the first quantity of HARQ processes is based on a first weight associated with the first CC, and the second quantity of HARQ processes is based on a second weight associated with the second CC; the first weight is based on at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a frequency band, a frequency range, or a spectrum type associated with the first CC, and the second weight is based on at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a frequency band, a frequency range, or a spectrum type associated with the second CC.
[0155] Clause 66: The method according to Clause 63, further comprising: signaling a request for the first quantity of HARQ processes and the second quantity of HARQ processes, wherein: the HARQ configuration is received in response to the request; and the request is signaled via at least one of UCI, MAC-CE, or UE assistance information feedback.
[0156] Clause 67: The method according to Clause 66, wherein: the HARQ configuration is received via RRC signaling, MAC-CE, or DCI signaling; the DCI includes a HARQ process number ID field for each of the first CC and the second CC; the size of the HARQ process number ID field for the first CC is based on the first quantity of HARQ processes; and the size of the HARQ process number ID field for the second CC is based on the second quantity of HARQ processes.
[0157] Clause 68: The method according to Clause 63, wherein the sum of the first quantity of HARQ processes and the second quantity of HARQ processes is greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0158] Clause 69: The method according to Clause 68, wherein the number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool at a given time is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0159] Clause 70: The method according to Clause 68, further comprising: when it is determined that the number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool at the given time is greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE, discarding one or more of the number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, wherein: one or more of the number of active HARQ processes are discarded based on a predetermined rule; and the predetermined rule is based on at least one of a cell ID, a HARQ process ID, or a CC ID.
[0160] Clause 71: The method according to Clause 58, wherein: at least one CC among the plurality of CCs is associated with a first CORESET pool index and a second CORESET pool index; the first CORESET pool index is assigned a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being no greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and the second CORESET pool index is assigned a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0161] Clause 72: A method for wireless communication by a base station (BS), comprising: identifying a CA configuration in which at least a first CC among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; determining a HARQ configuration including a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC; and signaling an indication of the HARQ configuration to a UE.
[0162] Clause 73: The method according to Clause 72, wherein: the HARQ process pool is shared by a set of CCs within the plurality of CCs, the set of CCs including the first CC and the second CC; and the set of CCs includes CCs associated with a frequency band, a frequency range, licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or subcarrier spacing.
[0163] Clause 74: The method according to Clause 72, further comprising: receiving an indication of a first UE capability, the first UE capability including the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is determined based on the first UE capability.
[0164] Clause 75: The method according to Clause 74, further comprising: receiving an indication of a second UE capability, the second UE capability including at least one of a minimum number of HARQ processes supported by each CC among the plurality of CCs or a maximum number of HARQ processes, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is further determined based on the second UE capability.
[0165] Clause 76: The method according to Clause 74, wherein: the first UE capability includes an implicit indication of the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and the implicit indication includes a processing capability class associated with the UE.
[0166] Clause 77: The method according to Clause 72, wherein the HARQ configuration (i) assigns a first number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool to the first CC, and (ii) assigns a second number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool to the second CC.
[0167] Clause 78: The method according to Clause 77, wherein the sum of the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0168] Clause 79: The method according to Clause 77, wherein: the first number of HARQ processes is based on a first weight associated with the first CC, and the second number of HARQ processes is based on a second weight associated with the second CC; the first weight is based on at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a frequency band, a frequency range, or a spectrum type associated with the first CC, and the second weight is based on at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a frequency band, a frequency range, or a spectrum type associated with the second CC.
[0169] Clause 80: The method according to Clause 77, further comprising: receiving a request for the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes, wherein: the HARQ configuration is determined in response to the request; and the request is received via at least one of UCI, MAC-CE, or UE assistance information feedback.
[0170] Clause 81: The method according to Clause 80, wherein: the HARQ configuration is received via RRC signaling, MAC-CE, or DCI signaling; the DCI includes a HARQ process number ID field for each of the first CC and the second CC; the size of the HARQ process number ID field for the first CC is based on the first number of HARQ processes; and the size of the HARQ process number ID field for the second CC is based on the second number of HARQ processes.
[0171] Clause 82: The method according to Clause 77, wherein the sum of the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes is greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0172] Clause 83: The method according to Clause 82, wherein the number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool at a given moment is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0173] Clause 84: The method according to Clause 72, wherein: a first set of the plurality of CCs in the CA configuration is allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being no greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and a second set of the plurality of CCs in the CA configuration is allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0174] Clause 85: The method according to Clause 72, wherein: at least one of the CCs among the plurality of CCs is associated with a first CORESET pool index and a second CORESET pool index; the first CORESET pool index is allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being no greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and the second CORESET pool index is allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
[0175] Clause 86: An apparatus, comprising a processing system, a receiver, and a transmitter, the apparatus being configured to perform the method according to any one of Clauses 1 - 30 and 58 - 71.
[0176] Clause 87: An apparatus, comprising a processing system, a receiver, and a transmitter, the apparatus being configured to perform the method according to any one of Clauses 31 - 57 and 72 - 85.
[0177] Clause 88: An apparatus, comprising units for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 1 - 30 and 58 - 71.
[0178] Clause 89: An apparatus, comprising units for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 31 - 57 and 72 - 85.
[0179] Clause 90: A non - transitory computer - readable medium, comprising computer - executable instructions, the computer - executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a processing system, cause the UE to perform the method according to any one of Clauses 1 - 30 and 58 - 71.
[0180] Clause 91: A non - transitory computer - readable medium, comprising computer - executable instructions, the computer - executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a processing system, cause the BS to perform the method according to any one of Clauses 31 - 57 and 72 - 85.
[0181] Clause 92: A computer program product for use by a UE in wireless communication, implemented on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium including code for performing a method according to any one of Clauses 1-30 and 58-71.
[0182] Clause 93: A computer program product for use by a BS in wireless communication, implemented on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium including code for performing a method according to any one of Clauses 31-57 and 72-85.
[0183] The techniques described herein can be used for various wireless communication technologies such as, NR (e.g., 5G NR), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), and other networks. The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably. CDMA networks may implement radio technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. cdma2000 includes the IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. TDMA networks may implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). OFDMA networks may implement radio technologies such as NR (e.g., 5G RA), evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash OFDMA, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). LTE and LTE-A are releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). cdma2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). NR is an emerging wireless communication technology under development.
[0184] In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to the Node B (NB) and / or NB subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. In the NR system, the terms "cell" and BS, Next Generation Node B (gNB or g-node B), Access Point (AP), Distributed Unit (DU), carrier, or Transmission and Reception Point (TRP) can be used interchangeably. The BS can provide communication coverage for macro cells, pico cells, femto cells, and / or other types of cells. A macro cell can cover a relatively large geographical area (e.g., with a radius of several kilometers) and can allow unrestricted access by UEs through service subscriptions. A pico cell can cover a relatively small geographical area and can allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions. A femto cell can cover a relatively small geographical area (e.g., a home) and can allow restricted access by UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), UEs of users in the home, etc.). The BS for a macro cell can be referred to as a macro BS. The BS for a pico cell can be referred to as a pico BS. The BS for a femto cell can be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS.
[0185] A UE can also be referred to as a mobile station, terminal, access terminal, subscriber unit, station, customer premise equipment (CPE), cellular phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, laptop computer, cordless phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, tablet computer, camera, gaming device, netbook, smartbook, ultrabook, instrument, medical device or apparatus, biometric sensor / device, wearable device (such as a smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet, etc.)), entertainment device (e.g., music device, video device, satellite radio unit, etc.), vehicle component or sensor, smart meter / sensor, industrial manufacturing device, global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via wireless or wired media. Some UEs can be considered Machine-Type Communication (MTC) devices or evolved MTC (eMTC) devices. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc. that can communicate with a BS, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node can provide a connection to or from a network, for example, via a wired or wireless communication link (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network). Some UEs can be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which can be NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT) devices.
[0186] In some examples, access to an air interface can be scheduled. A scheduling entity (e.g., a BS) allocates resources for communication between some or all of the devices and apparatuses within its serving area or cell. The scheduling entity can be responsible for scheduling, allocating, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more subordinate entities. That is, for the scheduled communication, the subordinate entities utilize the resources allocated by the scheduling entity. A base station is not the only entity that can be used as a scheduling entity. In some examples, a UE can be used as a scheduling entity and can schedule resources for one or more subordinate entities (e.g., one or more other UEs), and the other UEs can use the resources scheduled by the UE for wireless communication. In some examples, a UE can act as a scheduling entity in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network and / or in a mesh network. In a mesh network example, in addition to communicating with the scheduling entity, UEs can also communicate directly with each other.
[0187] The methods disclosed herein include one or more steps or acts for implementing the described methods. The steps and / or acts of a method can be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of the steps or acts is specified, the order and / or use of the specific steps and / or acts can be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.
[0188] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one" in a list of items means any combination of those items, including a single member. For example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination having multiple of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c, a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering of a, b, and c).
[0189] As used herein, the term "determine" covers a variety of actions. For example, "determine" can include calculating, estimating, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, a data pool, or other data structure), verifying, etc. Moreover, "determine" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), etc. Moreover, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.
[0190] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice 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 may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein the use of the singular form in reference to an element does not by itself mean "one and only one" but rather "one or more" unless expressly stated otherwise. The term "some," unless specifically stated otherwise, means one or more. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later become known to those of ordinary skill in the art are hereby expressly incorporated by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. An element that is not recited in a claim is not to be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for" or, in the case of a method claim, the phrase "step for."
[0191] The various operations of the foregoing method can be performed by any suitable unit capable of performing the corresponding functions. The unit can include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuitry, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a processor. Generally, where there are operations shown in the figures, these operations can have corresponding functional module components with similar numbers.
[0192] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but, alternatively, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.
[0193] If implemented in hardware, an example hardware configuration may include a processing system in a wireless node. The processing system may be implemented with a bus architecture. The bus may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, depending on the specific application of the processing system and overall design constraints. The bus may link together various circuits including a processor, a machine-readable medium, and a bus interface. The bus interface may also be used to connect, via the bus, a network adapter and the like to the processing system. The network adapter may be used to implement the signal processing functions of the PHY layer. In the case of a user terminal (see Figure 1 ), a user interface (e.g., a keyboard, a display, a mouse, a joystick, etc.) may also be connected to the bus. The bus may also link various other circuits such as a timing source, peripherals, a voltage regulator, a power management circuit, etc., which are well known in the art and thus will not be described further. The processor may be implemented with one or more general-purpose and / or special-purpose processors. Examples include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a DSP processor, and other circuits that can execute software. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functions for the processing system, depending on the specific application and overall design constraints imposed on the entire system.
[0194] If implemented in software, these functions may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Software should be interpreted broadly to mean instructions, data, or any combination thereof, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, a hardware description language, or otherwise. The computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, where the communication media includes any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. The processor may be responsible for managing the bus and general processing, including executing software modules stored on the machine-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. As an example, the machine-readable medium may include a transmission line, a carrier modulated by data, and / or a computer-readable storage medium separate from the wireless node that stores instructions thereon, all of which can be accessed by the processor via the bus interface. Alternatively or additionally, the machine-readable medium or any part thereof may be integrated into the processor, such as may be the case with a cache and / or a general register file. Examples of the machine-readable storage medium may include, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory), flash memory, ROM (Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), registers, magnetic disks, optical disks, a hard disk drive, or any other suitable storage medium, or any combination of the foregoing. The machine-readable medium may be embodied in a computer program product.
[0195] A software module can include a single instruction or many instructions and can be distributed over several different code segments, different programs, and among multiple storage media. A computer-readable medium can include multiple software modules. The software modules include instructions that, when executed by a device such as a processor, cause the processing system to perform various functions. The software modules can include a sending module and a receiving module. Each software module can reside in a single storage device or can be distributed among multiple storage devices. For example, when a trigger event occurs, the software module can be loaded from a hard disk into RAM. During the execution of the software module, the processor can load some instructions into the cache to improve access speed. Then one or more cache lines can be loaded into the general register file for the processor to execute. When the functions of the software module are mentioned below, it will be understood that such functions are implemented by the processor when the instructions from the software module are executed.
[0196] Moreover, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared (IR), radio, microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of the medium. As used herein, disks and discs include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and optical discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with a laser. Thus, in some aspects, a computer-readable medium can include a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., a tangible medium). Additionally, for other aspects, a computer-readable medium can include a transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., a signal). Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
[0197] Thus, certain aspects can include a computer program product for performing the operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product can include a computer-readable medium having (and / or encoded thereon) instructions that are executable by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein. For example, instructions for performing the operations described herein and illustrated in Figure 4 and / or Figure 5 are provided.
[0198] In addition, it should be understood that modules and / or other suitable units for performing the methods and techniques described herein may be appropriately downloaded and / or otherwise obtained by a user terminal and / or a base station. For example, such devices may be coupled to a server to facilitate the transfer of units for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, the various methods described herein may be provided via a storage unit (e.g., RAM, ROM, a physical storage medium such as a compact disc (CD) or a floppy disk, etc.), such that the user terminal and / or the base station may obtain the various methods when the storage unit is coupled to or provided to the device. In addition, any other suitable techniques for providing the methods and techniques described herein to the device may be used.
[0199] It should be understood that the claims are not limited to the exact configurations and components shown above. Various modifications, changes, and variations may be made to the arrangements, operations, and details of the methods and apparatuses described above without departing from the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), comprising: identifying a carrier aggregation (CA) configuration in which at least a first component carrier (CC) among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; signaling an indication of a first UE capability, the first UE capability including a number of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes supported by the UE; receiving from a base station (BS) a HARQ configuration indicating a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC, wherein: the first CC is associated with a first subcarrier spacing, and the second CC is associated with a second subcarrier spacing different from the first subcarrier spacing; the HARQ configuration (i) allocates a first number of HARQ processes from the HARQ process pool to the first CC based on the first subcarrier spacing, and (ii) allocates a second number of HARQ processes from the HARQ process pool to the second CC based on the second subcarrier spacing; and the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is based on the first UE capability; and performing communication with the BS on at least one of the first CC or the second CC at least partially based on the HARQ configuration.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the HARQ process pool is shared by a set of CCs within the plurality of CCs, the set of CCs including the first CC and the second CC; and the set of CCs includes CCs associated with a frequency band, a frequency range, licensed spectrum, or unlicensed spectrum.
3. The method according to claim 1 further comprises: signaling an indication of a second UE capability, the second UE capability including at least one of a minimum number of HARQ processes supported for each CC among the plurality of CCs or a maximum number of HARQ processes, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is further based on the second UE capability.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the first UE capability includes an implicit indication of the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and the implicit indication includes a processing capability class associated with the UE.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The sum of the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the first number of HARQ processes is further based on a first weight associated with the first CC, and the second number of HARQ processes is further based on a second weight associated with the second CC; the first weight is based on at least one of the first subcarrier spacing, frequency band, frequency range, or spectrum type associated with the first CC; and the second weight is based on at least one of the second subcarrier spacing, frequency band, frequency range, or spectrum type associated with the second CC.
7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Signaling a request for the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes, where: The HARQ configuration is received in response to the request; and The request is signaled via at least one of uplink control information (UCI), media access control control element (MAC-CE), or UE assisted information feedback.
8. The method according to claim 7, where: The HARQ configuration is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, media access control control element (MAC-CE), or downlink control information (DCI) signaling; The DCI includes a HARQ process number identifier (ID) field for each of the first CC and the second CC; The size of the HARQ process number ID field for the first CC is based on the first number of HARQ processes; And The size of the HARQ process number ID field for the second CC is based on the second number of HARQ processes.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein The sum of the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes is greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool at a given time is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
11. The method according to claim 9 further comprises: When it is determined that the number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool at a given time is greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE, discarding one or more of the number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, where: Discarding one or more of the number of active HARQ processes based on a predetermined rule; and The predetermined rule is based on at least one of a cell identifier (ID), a HARQ process ID, or a CC ID.
12. The method according to claim 1, where: At least one of the plurality of CCs is associated with a first CORESET pool index and a second CORESET pool index; The first CORESET pool index is assigned a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number not being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; And The second CORESET pool index is assigned a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
13. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: A processing system, comprising: A memory including computer-executable instructions; and One or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the processing system to identify a carrier aggregation (CA) configuration in which at least a first component carrier (CC) among a plurality of component carriers (CCs) is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; A transmitter, configured to send an indication of a first UE capability, the first UE capability including a number of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes supported by the device; and A receiver, configured to receive from a base station (BS) an HARQ configuration indicating an HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC, wherein the first CC is associated with a first subcarrier spacing, and the second CC is associated with a second subcarrier spacing different from the first subcarrier spacing, wherein the HARQ configuration (i) allocates a first number of HARQ processes from the HARQ process pool to the first CC based on the first subcarrier spacing, and (ii) allocates a second number of HARQ processes from the HARQ process pool to the second CC based on the second subcarrier spacing, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is based on the first UE capability, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the processing system to perform communication with the BS on at least one of the first CC or the second CC at least in part based on the HARQ configuration.
14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, The transmitter is further configured to send an indication of a second UE capability, the second UE capability including at least one of a minimum number of HARQ processes supported for each CC of the plurality of CCs or a maximum number of HARQ processes, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is further based on the second UE capability.
15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein: The first UE capability includes an implicit indication of the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and The implicit indication includes a processing capability class associated with the UE.
16. A method for wireless communication by a base station (BS), comprising: Identifying a carrier aggregation (CA) configuration in which at least a first component carrier (CC) among a plurality of CCs is aggregated with at least a second CC among the plurality of CCs; Receiving an indication of a first user equipment (UE) capability, the first UE capability including a number of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes supported by the UE; Determining an HARQ configuration including an HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC, wherein: The first CC is associated with a first subcarrier spacing, and the second CC is associated with a second subcarrier spacing different from the first subcarrier spacing; The HARQ configuration (i) allocates a first number of HARQ processes from the HARQ process pool to the first CC based on the first subcarrier spacing, and (ii) allocates a second number of HARQ processes from the HARQ process pool to the second CC based on the second subcarrier spacing; and The number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is determined based on the first UE capability; and signaling the indication of the HARQ configuration to the UE.
17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: the HARQ process pool is shared by a group of CCs within the plurality of CCs, the group of CCs including the first CC and the second CC; and the group of CCs includes CCs associated with a frequency band, a frequency range, licensed spectrum, or unlicensed spectrum.
18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: Receive an indication of second UE capabilities, the second UE capabilities including at least one of a minimum number of HARQ processes supported for each of the plurality of CCs or a maximum number of HARQ processes, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is further determined based on the second UE capabilities.
19. The method according to claim 16, wherein: the first UE capabilities include an implicit indication of the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and the implicit indication includes a processing capability class associated with the UE.
20. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The sum of the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
21. The method according to claim 16, wherein: the first number of HARQ processes is further based on a first weight associated with the first CC, and the second number of HARQ processes is further based on a second weight associated with the second CC; the first weight is based on at least one of the first subcarrier spacing, frequency band, frequency range, or spectrum type associated with the first CC; and the second weight is based on at least one of the second subcarrier spacing, frequency band, frequency range, or spectrum type associated with the second CC.
22. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: Receive a request for the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes, wherein: the HARQ configuration is determined in response to the request; and the request is received via at least one of uplink control information (UCI), medium access control control element (MAC-CE), or UE assistance information feedback.
23. The method according to claim 22, wherein: the HARQ configuration is signaled via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control control element (MAC-CE), or downlink control information (DCI) signaling; the DCI includes a HARQ process number identifier (ID) field for each of the first CC and the second CC; the size of the HARQ process number ID field for the first CC is based on the first number of HARQ processes; and the size of the HARQ process number ID field for the second CC is based on the second number of HARQ processes.
24. The method according to claim 16, wherein The sum of the first number of HARQ processes and the second number of HARQ processes is greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
25. The method according to claim 24, wherein, The number of active HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool at a given time is not greater than the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
26. The method according to claim 16, wherein: A first set of the plurality of CCs in the CA configuration is allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being no greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and A second set of the plurality of CCs in the CA configuration is allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
27. The method according to claim 16, wherein: At least one CC of the plurality of CCs is associated with a first CORESET pool index and a second CORESET pool index; The first CORESET pool index is allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being no greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and The second CORESET pool index is allocated a number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool, the number being greater than the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the UE.
28. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: A receiver configured to receive an indication of first user equipment (UE) capabilities, the first UE capabilities including the number of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes supported by the UE; A processing system, comprising: A memory including computer-executable instructions; and One or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the processing system to: Identify a carrier aggregation (CA) configuration in which at least a first CC of a plurality of component carriers (CCs) is aggregated with at least a second CC of the plurality of CCs; and Determine a HARQ configuration including a HARQ process pool shared by at least the first CC and the second CC, wherein: The first CC is associated with a first subcarrier spacing, and the second CC is associated with a second subcarrier spacing different from the first subcarrier spacing; The HARQ configuration (i) allocates a first number of HARQ processes from the HARQ process pool to the first CC based on the first subcarrier spacing, and (ii) allocates a second number of HARQ processes from the HARQ process pool to the second CC based on the second subcarrier spacing; and The number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is determined based on the first UE capabilities; and A transmitter configured to send an indication of the HARQ configuration to the UE.
29. The device according to claim 28, wherein, The receiver is further configured to: receive an indication of second UE capabilities, the second UE capabilities including at least one of a minimum number of HARQ processes supported for each CC of the plurality of CCs or a maximum number of HARQ processes, wherein the number of HARQ processes in the HARQ process pool is further determined based on the second UE capabilities.
30. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein: The first UE capabilities include an implicit indication of the number of HARQ processes supported by the UE; and The implicit indication includes a processing capability class associated with the UE.
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