Method and apparatus for group-based physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)-acknowledgement (ACK) feedback in wireless communications

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) is disclosed. The UE includes a processor configured to perform operations including: receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request process group (HPG) configuration signal from a base station associated with the UE, wherein the HPG configuration signal includes information of multiple HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE. The operations also include: receiving downlink control information (DCI) from the base station, wherein the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs in the multiple HPGs, and HARQ‑ACK feedback information of the one or more HPGs will be included in a HARQ‑ACK feedback signal triggered by the DCI. In addition, these operations include: generating the HARQ‑ACK feedback signal, the HARQ‑ACK feedback signal including the HARQ‑ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs; and sending the HARQ‑ACK feedback signal to the base station.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication systems, and in particular, to a system and method for group-based Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ)-Acknowledgement (ACK) feedback in wireless communications. Background Art

[0002] Networks need to deliver data quickly and reliably without overburdening their resources. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) technology enables this. HARQ uses a stop-and-wait protocol. After a transmission has been made, the transmitting entity stops and waits until it receives an acknowledgment (ACK) or negative acknowledgment (NACK) from the destination before transmitting the next data block or retransmitting the same data block. This type of transmission / reception process that relies on ACK / NACK feedback is sometimes called a HARQ process. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment UE is provided, which includes a processor configured to perform operations including: receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ process group HPG configuration signal from a base station, wherein the HPG configuration signal configures multiple HPGs, each of the multiple HPGs including one or more HARQ processes for a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH; receiving downlink control information DCI from the base station, wherein the DCI includes an HPG request field identifying one or more HPGs in the multiple HPGs, the HPG request field having a number of bits depending on the amount of the multiple HPGs; and generating a HARQ-ACK feedback signal triggered by the DCI and based on the one or more HPGs for transmission to the base station.

[0004] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a base station BS is provided, which includes a processor configured to perform the following operations: sending a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ process group HPG configuration signal to a user equipment UE, wherein the HPG configuration signal configures multiple HPGs, each of the multiple HPGs including one or more HARQ processes for a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH; sending downlink control information DCI to the UE, wherein the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE and includes an HPG request field identifying one or more HPGs in the multiple HPGs, the HPG request field having a number of bits depending on the amount of the multiple HPGs; and receiving the HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal includes the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs.

[0005] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a baseband BB processor for user equipment UE is provided, and the BB processor is configured to perform the following operations: receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ process group HPG configuration signal from a base station, wherein the HPG configuration signal configures multiple HPGs, and each of the multiple HPGs includes one or more HARQ processes for a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH; receiving downlink control information DCI from the base station, wherein the DCI indicates one or more HPGs among the multiple HPGs; and generating a HARQ-ACK feedback signal triggered by the DCI and based on the one or more HPGs for transmission to the base station.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a baseband BB processor for a base station BS is provided, wherein the BB processor is configured to perform operations including: sending a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ process group HPG configuration signal to a user equipment (UE), wherein the HPG configuration signal configures multiple HPGs, each of the multiple HPGs including one or more HARQ processes for a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH; sending downlink control information DCI to the UE, wherein the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE and indicate one or more HPGs among the multiple HPGs; and receiving the HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal includes the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Some examples of circuits, devices and / or methods will be described below by way of example only.In this context, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings.

[0008] Figure 1 A simplified block diagram of a wireless communication system supporting SPS release along with Type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook configuration according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0009] Figure 2a A simplified block diagram of a wireless communication system supporting group-based HARQ-ACK feedback according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0010] Figure 2b and Figure 2c HARQ process grouping for HARQ feedback according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0011] Figure 3a and Figure 3bDepicted are two possible signal configurations for the HPG configuration signals according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 4a and Figure 4b Two possible configurations of the HARQ reassembly MAC CE according to one embodiment of the present disclosure are shown.

[0013] Figure 5 A simplified block diagram of a wireless communication system that facilitates providing a new data indicator (NDI) as part of HARQ-ACK feedback is shown in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 6 A block diagram is shown of an apparatus that can be employed at a base station (BS), eNodeB, gNodeB, or other network device in accordance with various aspects described herein.

[0015] Figure 7 A block diagram is shown of an apparatus that can be employed at a user equipment (UE) or other network device (eg, an IoT device) in accordance with various aspects described herein.

[0016] Figure 8 A flow chart of a method for a UE associated with a wireless communication system supporting SPS release together with a Type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook configuration according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0017] Figure 9 A flowchart of a method for a base station (BS) associated with a wireless communication system supporting SPS release together with a Type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook configuration according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0018] Figure 10 A flow chart of a method for a UE associated with a wireless communication system supporting group-based HARQ-ACK feedback according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0019] Figure 11 A flow chart of a method for a base station associated with a wireless communication system supporting group-based HARQ-ACK feedback according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Figure 12 A flow chart of a method for a UE associated with a wireless communication system that supports a New Data Indicator (NDI) as part of HARQ-ACK feedback according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0021] Figure 13A flow chart of a method for a base station associated with a wireless communication system that supports a New Data Indicator (NDI) as part of HARQ-ACK feedback according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0022] Figure 14 The architecture of a system including a core network (CN), such as a fifth generation (5G) CN (5GC), according to various embodiments is shown.

[0023] Figure 15 Exemplary components of an apparatus according to some embodiments are shown.

[0024] Figure 16 An exemplary interface of a baseband circuit according to some embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) is disclosed. The UE includes a processor (or processing circuit) configured to perform operations including: receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request process group (HPG) configuration signal from a base station associated with the UE. In some embodiments, the HPG configuration signal includes information of multiple HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE. The operations also include: determining multiple HPGs associated with the set of HARQ processes configured for the UE based on processing the HPG configuration signal and receiving downlink control information (DCI) from the base station. In some embodiments, the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, and the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs in the multiple HPGs, and the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the one or more HPGs is to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal. Additionally, the operations include generating a HARQ-ACK feedback signal comprising HARQ-ACK feedback information for HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs; and transmitting the HARQ-ACK feedback signal to a base station.

[0026] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a base station (BS) is disclosed. The BS includes a processor (or processing circuit) configured to perform operations including: sending a hybrid automatic repeat request processing group (HPG) configuration signal to a user equipment (UE) associated with the BS. In some embodiments, the HPG configuration signal includes information of multiple HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE. The operations also include: sending downlink control information (DCI) to the UE. In some embodiments, the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, and the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs in the multiple HPGs, and the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the one or more HPGs is to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal. In addition, the operations include: receiving a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE. In some embodiments, the HARQ-ACK feedback signal includes HARQ-ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs.

[0027] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a baseband (BB) processor for a user equipment (UE) is disclosed. The BB processor is configured to perform operations including: receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request processing group (HPG) configuration signal from a base station associated with the UE. In some embodiments, the HPG configuration signal includes information of a plurality of HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE. The operations also include: determining a plurality of HPGs associated with the set of HARQ processes configured for the UE based on processing the HPG configuration signal. In addition, the operations include: receiving downlink control information (DCI) from the base station. In some embodiments, the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, and the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs in the plurality of HPGs, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the one or more HPGs to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal. Additionally, the operations include generating a HARQ-ACK feedback signal comprising HARQ-ACK feedback information for HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs; and transmitting the HARQ-ACK feedback signal to a base station.

[0028] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a baseband (BB) processor for a base station (BS) is disclosed. The BB processor is configured to perform operations including: sending a hybrid automatic repeat request processing group (HPG) configuration signal to a user equipment (UE) associated with the BS. In some embodiments, the HPG configuration signal includes information of multiple HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE. These operations also include: sending downlink control information (DCI) to the UE. In some embodiments, the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, and the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs in the multiple HPGs, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the one or more HPGs to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal. In addition, these operations include: receiving a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE. In some embodiments, the HARQ-ACK feedback signal includes HARQ-ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs.

[0029] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein similar figures are used to refer to similar elements throughout the text, and the structures and devices shown therein need not be drawn to scale. As used herein, the terms "component", "system", "interface", "circuit" and the like are intended to refer to entities, hardware, software (e.g., in execution) and / or firmware related to a computer. For example, a component can be a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, a controller or other processing device), a process running on a processor, a controller, an object, an executable file, a program, a storage device, a computer, a tablet computer and / or a user equipment (e.g., a mobile phone, etc.) with a processing device. By way of example, an application and a server running on a server can also be a component. One or more components can reside in a process, and a component can be located on a computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. This article can describe a set of elements or other component sets, wherein the term "set" can be interpreted as "one or more".

[0030] In addition, the components can execute from various computer-readable storage media having various data structures stored thereon, such as using modules, for example. The components can communicate via local and / or remote processes, such as according to signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacts with another component in a local system, a distributed system, and / or across a network, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or a similar network with other systems via signals).

[0031] As another example, a component may be a device that has a specific functionality provided by a mechanical component that operates through electrical or electronic circuitry, where the electrical or electronic circuitry may be operated by a software application or firmware application executed by one or more processors. The one or more processors may be internal or external to the device and may execute at least a portion of the software or firmware application. As another example, a component may be a device that provides a specific functionality through an electronic component without the need for a mechanical component; the electronic component may include one or more processors therein to execute at least a portion of the software and / or firmware that provides the functionality of the electronic component.

[0032] The use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless specified otherwise or clear from the context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing cases. In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to the singular form. Moreover, to the extent that the terms "comprising," "including," "having," "having," "with," or variations thereof are used in the detailed description and claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising."

[0033] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals may be used to identify the same or similar elements in different figures. In the following description, specific details, such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, technologies, etc., are set forth for the purpose of illustration and not limitation, so as to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of the various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art who benefit from this disclosure that various aspects of the various embodiments can be practiced in other examples that deviate from these specific details. In some cases, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the various embodiments due to unnecessary details.

[0034] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0035] As noted above, the HARQ process relies on receiving ACK / NACK for data packets. When the base station (BS) sends data / transmission to the user equipment (UE) via the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), the UE determines its correctness by checking the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) and reports it to the base station via the ACK / NACK bits. If the UE also has data to send and it is granted permission, the UE will send an ACK / NACK along with the data on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), otherwise the UE will send the ACK / NACK on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). The HARQ-ACK codebook defines the format used to signal a set of HARQ acknowledgements (ACKs) to the base station. The codebook allows the UE to multiplex HARQ ACKs from multiple time slots, multiple carriers, multiple transport blocks, and multiple code block groups (CBGs) within a single transmission. It is important that both the UE and the base station share the same understanding of the codebook format to ensure that each acknowledgement is linked to the appropriate transmission. The base station uses the pdsch-HARQ-ACK-codebook information element via radio resource control signaling to configure the use of a specific codebook class. Different categories of HARQ-ACK codebooks are defined in 3GPP. For example, the type 1 HARQ-ACK codebook includes a semi-static codebook, where the size of the codebook is fixed by information provided by radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and the type 2 HARQ-ACK codebook includes a dynamic codebook, where the size of the codebook changes according to the number of resource allocations. In addition, a type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook is defined, which is triggered on demand by the one-time HARQ-ACK frequent field in the DCI.

[0036] There are two types of scheduling for the downlink. One scheduling is called 'dynamic scheduling', while the other scheduling is called semi-persistent scheduling (SPS). Dynamic scheduling is a mechanism in which each PDSCH is scheduled by DCI (e.g., DCI 1_0 or DCI 1_1). SPS is a mechanism in which PDSCH transmission is configured by radio resource control (RRC) messages. SPS is a feature that significantly reduces the control channel overhead for applications such as VoIP that require persistent radio resource allocation. In dynamic scheduling, both the downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) are fully scheduled because the DL and UL traffic channels are dynamic shared channels. This means that the physical DL control channel (PDCCH) must provide access grant information to indicate which users should decode the physical DL shared channel (PDSCH) in each subframe and which users are allowed to transmit on the physical UL shared channel (PUSCH) in each subframe. In the absence of SPS, each DL or UL physical resource block (PRB) allocation must be granted via an access grant message on the PDCCH. This is sufficient for most bursty best-effort type applications, which typically have large packet sizes and therefore typically only require scheduling of a few users per subframe. However, for applications that require continuous allocation of smaller packets (i.e., VoIP), SPS can be used to greatly reduce access grant control channel overhead. Once SPS is configured via an RRC message, the base station activates SPS using the downlink control information (DCI) of the PDCCH. When SPS is activated, transmission of SPS in UL and DL is performed. In some embodiments, due to SPS activation, SPS release or SPS PDSCH release is also indicated by DCI. Alternatively, in other embodiments, SPS release can be indicated to the UE via RRC signaling or higher layer signaling.

[0037] It is expected that the latest wireless communication technologies such as 5G will support a wide range of emerging applications based on conventional cellular mobile broadband services. One of the key usage scenarios within 5G is ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC). URLLC will play an important role in providing connectivity for new services and applications from vertical domains such as factory automation, autonomous driving, etc. The most important key performance indicators (KPIs) related to URLLC are latency, reliability and availability. SPS-based PDSCH transmission is widely used for URLLC service types to reduce signaling overhead and improve reliability. For example, for a given BWP of a serving cell, up to 8 DL SPS configurations are supported. In addition, joint release in the DCI for two or more SPS configurations is supported by means of M least significant bits (LSB) HARQ process number (HPN) bits to minimize signaling overhead.

[0038] In the current specific implementation, the type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook does not support HARQ-ACK feedback for SPS release. Specifically, when the type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook is triggered in the same time slot in which the SPS release indication is provided by the BS to the UE, the HARQ-ACK information corresponding to the SPS release will be discarded because the type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook does not support HARQ-ACK feedback for SPS release. When the URLLC service utilizes SPS-based PDSCH transmission, this greatly affects the reliability of the URLLC service. Therefore, enhancements to support SPS release together with type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook configuration are important for efficiently operating URLLC traffic on unlicensed bands in a controlled environment. This document discloses systems, circuits, and techniques for supporting SPS release together with type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook configuration.

[0039] In addition, in the current specific implementation, HARQ-ACK information for multiple DL HARQ processes configured for the UE is included in the HARQ-ACK codebook. For example, HARQ-ACK information for all DL HARQ processes configured for the UE is included in the type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook. However, when one or more of the DL HARQ processes configured for the UE include URLLC services, this affects the reliability of HARQ-ACK feedback for high-reliability services such as URLLC services. To overcome this shortcoming, this document discloses systems, circuits, and techniques for providing a flexible process for controlling the HARQ-ACK codebook based on grouping HARQ processes to improve reliability, for example, to meet the reliability requirements of the URLLC service type.

[0040] Figure 1 A simplified block diagram of a wireless communication system 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In some embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 supports SPS release in conjunction with a type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook configuration. The wireless communication system 100 includes a user equipment (UE) 102 and a base station (BS) 104. However, in other embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may include multiple UEs and, for clarity, are not shown here. In some embodiments, the base station 104 is equivalent to an eNodeB in an LTE system, a gNodeB in a 5G New Radio (NR) system, or the like. In some embodiments, the UE 102 may include a mobile phone, a tablet, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) UE, or the like. The UE 102 and the base station 104 are configured to communicate with each other via a communication medium (e.g., air). In some embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 supports semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) release in conjunction with a type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook configuration, as will be more fully understood below.

[0041] In some embodiments, BS 104 is configured to provide downlink control information (DCI) 106 to UE 102. DCI 106 is provided to UE 102 as part of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). In some embodiments, DCI 106 is configured to trigger a type-3 hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) ACK feedback signal 108 from UE 102. In such embodiments, DCI 106 includes an indication for triggering type-3 HARQ ACK feedback signal 108. Specifically, DCI 106 includes a single-slot HARQ-ACK frequent field, and a value associated with this field provides an indication to UE 102 that type-3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 is triggered. For example, when the one-time HARQ-ACK frequent field includes a value of 1, UE 102 is configured to trigger type-3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108. Alternatively, when the One-Time HARQ-ACK Frequent field includes a value of 0, the UE 102 is configured not to trigger a Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108. In some embodiments, the DCI 106 also includes information on physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) / physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resources to be used by the UE 102 to transmit the Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108.

[0042] UE 102 is configured to receive and process DCI 106. After processing DCI 106, when DCI 106 includes an indication for triggering a Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal, UE 102 is configured to generate a Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108. In some embodiments, Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 may be further referred to as Type 3 HARQ-ACK CB 108 or Type 3 HARQ-ACK CB feedback signal 108. In some embodiments, Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 is configured to include HARQ-ACK information associated with a set of HARQ processes configured for UE 102. In some embodiments, the set of HARQ processes configured for UE 102 may include one or more SPS PDSCHs. In some embodiments, Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 also includes one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release. In some embodiments, each of the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release is adapted to include HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH release associated with the one or more SPS PDSCHs. In some embodiments, the UE 102 is further configured to determine whether to send a type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 triggered by the DCI 106 and the HARQ-ACK information associated with the SPS release to the base station 104 in the same time slot before generating the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal 108. In such embodiments, the UE 102 is further configured to include the HARQ-ACK information for the SPS release in the HARQ-ACK bits corresponding to the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release in the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108.

[0043] More specifically, in embodiments in which UE 102 is configured with one or more SPS PDSCHs, upon receiving an SPS PDSCH release indication for a selected SPS PDSCH of the one or more SPS PDSCHs at UE 102 or upon releasing a selected SPS PDSCH of the one or more SPS PDSCHs and determining that UE 102 is to send HARQ-ACK information for the selected SPS PDSCH release in the same time slot when type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 is triggered, UE 102 is configured to provide HARQ-ACK information for the SPS PDSCH release for the HARQ-ACK bits in the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release within type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108. In some embodiments, UE 102 is configured to receive an indication of releasing the SPS PDSCH within DCI 106. Alternatively, in other embodiments, UE 102 is configured to receive an indication of releasing the SPS PDSCH via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. After generating the Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108, the UE 102 is further configured to provide the Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 to the BS 104. The BS 204 is configured to receive and process the Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108.

[0044] In some embodiments, the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release within the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 include one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release, which are reserved to include HARQ-ACK information for one or more SPS PDSCH releases, respectively. In such embodiments, no information other than the HARQ-ACK information for SPS PDSCH release may be included within the one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release. In some embodiments, the one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release are appended to the end of the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release are appended to the beginning of the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108. In some embodiments, the location / place where the one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release are to be appended is preconfigured and provided to the UE 102 via higher layer signaling.

[0045] In some embodiments, the number of reserved bits including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 is indicated to the UE 102 by the BS 104. In some embodiments, the BS 104 is configured to provide an indication of the number of reserved bits including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release via the DCI 106 (e.g., DCI format 1_1, DCI format 1_2, etc.). In some embodiments, the BS 104 is configured to directly provide the number of reserved bits including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release via the DCI 106. In other embodiments, the DCI 106 includes a total SPS release indicator (T-SRI) field (i.e., a dedicated field) that includes information that enables identification of the total number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal 108.

[0046] Specifically, in one embodiment, the T-SRI field includes a 1-bit field that includes a 1-bit SPS release indicator value that indicates whether a reserved bit for SPS PDSCH release is included in the Type-3 HARQ ACK feedback signal 108. For example, a "1" for the SPS release indicator value means that the reserved bit for SPS PDSCH release is present in the Type-3 HARQ ACK feedback signal 108, and a "0" for the SPS release indicator value means that the reserved bit for SPS PDSCH release is not present in the Type-3 HARQ ACK feedback signal 108. If the SPS release indicator value within the T-SRI field indicates that the reserved bit for SPS PDSCH release is present, the UE 102 is configured to determine the total number of reserved bits based on the total number of HARQ processes configured for downlink (DL) SPS for the UE. For example, if the total number of HARQ processes configured for DL ​​SPS for the UE is 2, the total number of reserved bits is 2, and if the total number of HARQ processes configured for DL ​​SPS for the UE is 4, the total number of reserved bits is 4, and so on.

[0047] Alternatively, in another embodiment, the T-SRI field includes a 2-bit field that includes a 2-bit SPS release indicator value that identifies the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release. In some embodiments, the 2-bit SPS release indicator value identifies the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release according to a predefined mapping between the 2-bit SPS release indicator value and the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release, as shown in Table 1 below.

[0048] T-SRI field Number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release 0,0 1 or 5 or 9 or 13 0,1 2 or 6 or 10 or 14 1,0 3 or 7 or 11 or 15 1,1 0 or 4 or 8 or 12

[0049] Table 1: Predefined mapping between the 2-bit T-SRI field and the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release

[0050] Table 1 indicates a one-to-many mapping between a 2-bit SPS release indicator value and the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release. Specifically, each value of the T-SRI field is associated with multiple values ​​of the number of reserved bits. In some embodiments, the UE 102 is configured to determine a selected value of the number of reserved bits for the 2-bit SPS release indicator value (within the T-SRI field) from multiple values ​​of the number of reserved bits based on the total number of HARQ processes configured for DL ​​SPS for the UE, and in some embodiments further based on the actual number of SRS PDSCH release indications received at the UE 102. In some embodiments, the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release is selected to be less than or equal to the total number of HARQ processes configured for DL ​​SPS for the UE. Referring to Table 1, in an exemplary embodiment, if the T-SRI field includes 0, 1 and the total number of HARQ processes configured for DL ​​SPS for the UE is 4, the number of reserved bits is selected to be 2. However, if the T-SRI field includes 0, 1 and the total number of HARQ processes configured for UE 102 for DL ​​SPS is 8, then based on Table 1, the number of reserved bits may be 2 or 6. In such an embodiment, if the actual number of SRS PDSCH release indications received at UE 102 is 4, then the number of reserved bits is selected to be 6.

[0051] As explained above, appending the reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to the type-3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 increases the HARQ-ACK payload of the type-3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108. Thus, in some embodiments, one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release are included within the type-3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 without appending the additional bits. For example, in one embodiment, the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release within the type-3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 correspond to bit positions associated with the HARQ process of the corresponding SPS PDSCH within the type-3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108. More particularly, when the UE 102 is configured with a set of HARQ processes for DL ​​SPS, the type-3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 includes a set of bit positions configured to convey HARQ-ACK information for the set of SPS PDSCHs respectively associated with the feedback signal. In some embodiments, the HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release of the set of SPS PDSCHs are respectively mapped to bit positions associated with the set of SPS PDSCHs. In another embodiment, the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release within the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108 correspond to bit positions associated with one or more HARQ processes, each HARQ process being identified by a corresponding HARQ process identifier (HPI). In some embodiments, the HPI associated with the one or more HARQ processes is indicated to the UE 202 via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and the bit positions of the one or more HARQ processes are to be used to provide HARQ-ACK information for the SPS PDSCH release.

[0052] Figure 2a A simplified block diagram of a wireless communication system 200 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In some embodiments, the wireless communication system 200 supports group-based HARQ-ACK feedback. The wireless communication system 200 includes a user equipment (UE) 202 and a base station (BS) 204. However, in other embodiments, the wireless communication system 200 may include multiple UEs and are not shown here for clarity. In some embodiments, the base station 204 is equivalent to an eNodeB in an LTE system, a gNodeB in a 5G New Radio (NR) system, etc. In some embodiments, the UE 202 may include a mobile phone, a tablet computer, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) UE, etc. The UE 202 and the base station 204 are configured to communicate with each other via a communication medium (e.g., air).

[0053] In some embodiments, BS 204 is configured to configure a set of HARQ processes for UE 202. In some embodiments, each HARQ process in the set of HARQ processes is identified by a corresponding HARQ process identifier (HPI). In some embodiments, BS 204 is further configured to group the set of HARQ processes into a plurality of HARQ process groups (HPGs). In some embodiments, each HPG in the plurality of HPGs includes one or more HARQ processes in the set of HARQ processes configured for UE 202. For example, Figure 2b A set of 16 HARQ processes identified by HPI 0 to 15 is shown. In addition, the 16 HARQ processes are grouped into 3 HPGs: HPG#0, HPG#1, and HPG#3. The HPIs included in each HPG and the number of configured HPGs may be different in different embodiments. In some embodiments, the set of HARQ processes is grouped to form multiple HPGs according to the reliability requirements of the associated service type. For example, HPG#0 includes HPI 0 / 1 / 2 / 3, which may be intended for ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) with the highest reliability requirements. Similarly, HPG#1 and HPG#2 may be associated with other reliability requirements. In some embodiments, each HPG may be restricted for data streams or logical channel IDs with the same priority.

[0054] Furthermore, in some embodiments, as Figure 2c As shown, a set of HARQ processes may be grouped to form multiple HPGs based on the priority class assigned to each HARQ process in the set of HARQ processes associated with the UE. In such embodiments, each HPG is associated with a corresponding priority class index. In some embodiments, the priority class index of an HPG corresponds to the priority class index associated with one or more HARQ processes within the HPG. For example, HPIs 0 / 1 / 8 / 9 have the same priority class, e.g., priority class index 0, and are grouped into one HPG with priority class index 0. Similarly, HPIs 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 have the same priority class, e.g., priority class index 1, and are grouped into another HPG with priority class index 1. Furthermore, other different criteria for grouping a set of HARQ processes to form multiple HPGs are also contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, each HPG in the multiple HPGs is identified by an HPG identifier (ID). In embodiments where the grouping is based on priority class, the HPG ID may include the corresponding priority class index.

[0055] After configuring the set of HARQ processes into a plurality of HPGs, BS 204 is configured to generate an HPG configuration signal 206. In some embodiments, HPG configuration signal 206 includes information configuring a plurality of HARQ process groups (HPGs) for UE 202. BS 204 is further configured to send HPG configuration signal 206 to UE 202. Figure 3a and Figure 3b Two possible signal configurations for the HPG configuration signal 206 are depicted. Specifically, Figure 3a In the UE 202, a plurality of HARQProcessGroup fields are used to indicate a plurality of HPGs and the HARQ processes associated with the plurality of HPGs. In some embodiments, the HARQProcessGroup field identifies the HPG ID and indicates which HARQ processes are included in the HARQ process group (HPG). Each HARQProcessGroup field includes bits corresponding to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE 202. Each bit has a value of 0 (indicating that the corresponding HARQ process is not included in the HPG) or a value of 1 (indicating that the corresponding HARQ process is included in the HPG).

[0056] In addition, Figure 3b In the example, a plurality of PriorityList fields are used to indicate a plurality of HPGs and the HARQ processes associated with the plurality of HPGs. This type of signaling is applicable when a plurality of HPGs are formed based on the priority levels of the associated HARQ processes, as described above in Figure 2c . In some embodiments, the PriorityList field identifies the HPG having the selected priority index and one or more HARQ processes associated with the priority index. However, other configurations for the HPG configuration signal 206 are also contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure. After receiving the HPG configuration signal 206 from the BS 204, the UE 202 is configured to receive and process the HPG configuration signal 206. In some embodiments, the UE 202 is configured to determine information of a plurality of HARQ process groups (HPGs) configured for the UE 202 based on processing the HPG configuration signal 206.

[0057] Return Reference Figure 2aIn some embodiments, BS 204 is further configured to provide downlink control information (DCI) 208 to UE 202. In some embodiments, DCI 208 is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210 from UE 202. In some embodiments, HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210 is configured to include HARQ-ACK information associated with one or more HARQ processes configured for UE 202. In some embodiments, DCI 208 includes information of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) / physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resources to be used by UE 102 to transmit HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210. In some embodiments, HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210 includes Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback or Type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook. In such embodiments, DCI 208 includes a one-time HARQ-ACK frequent field, and the value associated with this field provides an indication to UE 102 that Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback is triggered. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210 may include other types of HARQ-ACK signals, such as a Type 1 HARQ-ACK feedback signal or a Type 1 HARQ-ACK codebook. In some embodiments, the Type 1 HARQ-ACK feedback signal may be configured via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. In some embodiments, the DCI 208 is configured to trigger the HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210 from the UE 202 in response to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the DCI 208. Alternatively, in other embodiments, for example, with respect to Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback, the DCI 208 may trigger the HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210 without scheduling a PDSCH to the UE 202. In some embodiments, the DCI 208 also includes information identifying (via the HPG configuration signal 206) one or more HPGs among the multiple HPGs configured for the UE 202, whose HARQ-ACK feedback information is to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210 triggered by the DCI 208.

[0058] Once BS 202 provides / sends DCI 208 to UE 202, UE 202 is configured to receive and process DCI 208. After processing DCI 208, UE 202 is configured to identify one or more HPGs identified in DCI 208. In addition, UE 202 is configured to generate a HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210 that includes HARQ-ACK feedback information for HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs (indicated by DCI 208). In such embodiments, HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210 will not include HARQ-ACK feedback information for HARQ processes associated with other HPGs within the plurality of HPGs that are different from the one or more HPGs indicated in DCI 208. Subsequently, UE 202 is configured to provide / send HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210 to BS 204.

[0059] DCI 208 can be configured to indicate to UE 202 information identifying one or more HPGs among a plurality of HPGs configured for UE 202 in different manners in different implementations. In a first implementation, an HPG request field including HPG request field values ​​identifying one or more HPGs is included as part of DCI 208. In some implementations, the HPG request field values ​​are mapped to one or more HPGs and serving cells according to a predefined mapping as shown in Table 2 below. Specifically, Table 2 indicates a predefined mapping between an HPG request field value and a pair of serving cell HPGs.

[0060] The value of the HPG request field DETAILED DESCRIPTION 00 The first set {serving cell, HPG} configured by higher layers 01 The second set {serving cell, HPG} configured by higher layers 10 The third set {Serving cell, HPG} configured by higher layers 11 The 4th set {Serving cell, HPG} configured by higher layers

[0061] Table 2: Predefined mapping between HPG request field values ​​and HPGs.

[0062] Table 2 above indicates a 2-bit value for the HPG request field. However, in other embodiments, the value of the HPG request field may have more or less than 2 bits, depending on the number of HPGs configured. Furthermore, the HPG associated with each set may be different in different embodiments. In such embodiments, the UE 202 is configured to determine one or more HPGs based on processing the DCI 208 according to a predefined mapping between the HPG request field value and one or more HPGs, as given in Table 2 above. For example, if the HPG request field value indicated in the DCI 208 is 01, the UE 202 is configured to provide HARQ-ACK information associated with the second set of HPGs from Table 2 as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210.

[0063] In a second embodiment, the DCI 208 includes cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a predefined HPG sequence, e.g., [w0, w1 ... w15]. In some embodiments, the predefined HPG sequence identifies one or more HPGs whose HARQ-ACK feedback information is to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210. In some embodiments, the predefined HPG sequence identifies the one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between a predetermined HPG sequence and one or more HPGs in a plurality of HPGs. Table 3 shows an exemplary mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and the one or more HPGs.

[0064] HPG sequence value [w0,w1,w2,w3……w15] 00 [0,0,0,0....,0] 01 [0,1,0,1....,0] 10 [1,0,1,0....,1] 11 [1,1,1,1....,1]

[0065] Table 3: Predefined mappings between predefined HPG sequences and HPG sequence values

[0066] Specifically, Table 3 provides a mapping between predefined sequences and corresponding HPG sequence values. In some embodiments, the HPG sequence values ​​are mapped to one or more HPGs based on the predefined mappings in Table 4 below.

[0067] HPG sequence value DETAILED DESCRIPTION 00 The first set {serving cell, HPG} configured by higher layers 01 The second set {serving cell, HPG} configured by higher layers 10 The third set {Serving cell, HPG} configured by higher layers 11 The 4th set {Serving cell, HPG} configured by higher layers

[0068] Table 4: Predefined mappings between predefined HPG sequences and HPGs .

[0069] In such an embodiment, the UE 202 is configured to descramble the CRC bits to determine a predefined HPG sequence, and based on the predefined HPG sequence, determine one or more HPGs according to a predefined mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and the one or more HPGs. For example, if the predefined sequence is determined to be [0, 1, 0, 1 ...., 0], the UE 202 identifies the corresponding HPG sequence value as "01" according to Table 3 above, and determines one or more HPGs associated with the HPG sequence value "01" according to Table 4 above. However, in other embodiments, Table 3 may include a direct mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and the one or more HPGs.

[0070] In a third embodiment, when grouping is based on a priority class index, the DCI 208 also includes a priority indicator field that includes information about a selected priority class index associated with the HPG configured for the UE 202 (e.g., Figure 2c In such an embodiment, the UE 202 is configured to determine, based on processing the DCI 208, one or more HARQ processes associated with the HPG identified by the selected priority class index (e.g., Figure 2cIn addition, the UE 202 is configured to generate a HARQ-ACK feedback signal 210 that includes HARQ feedback information for one or more HARQ processes associated with the selected priority class index.

[0071] Return Reference Figure 2a In some embodiments, the BS 204 is further configured to generate a HARQ process reassembly signal 212 and provide it to the UE 202. In some embodiments, the HARQ process reassembly signal 212 includes information for reassembling HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs among a plurality of HPGs configured for the UE 202 (e.g., via the HPG configuration signal 206). In some embodiments, the reassembly information is included in a HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) within the HARQ process reassembly signal 208. In some embodiments, a dedicated logical channel ID (LCID) in a MAC header or subheader is used to identify the HARQ reassembly MAC CE. In a first embodiment, the HARQ process reassembly signal 212 includes one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs, each HARQ reassembly MAC CE being associated with a corresponding HPG identifier (ID) identifying the HPG among a plurality of HPGs configured for the UE 202. Each HARQ reassembly MAC CE (e.g., Figure 4a ) has a fixed size and includes a plurality of octets containing a corresponding HPGID and a set of H fields corresponding to the set of HARQ processes configured for the UE. In some embodiments, each H field in the set of H fields identifies a HARQ process in the set of HARQ processes configured for the UE 202. In some embodiments, the value associated with each H field in the set of H fields identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the HPG identified by the corresponding HPGID.

[0072] Figure 4a An exemplary HARQ reassembly MAC CE 400 associated with the first embodiment is shown. The HARQ reassembly MAC CE 400 is associated with a selected HPG identified by an HPGID. The HARQ reassembly MAC CE 400 has three octets: octet #1, octet #2, and octet #3. The HARQ reassembly MAC CE 400 also includes 16 H fields corresponding to the set of 16 HARQ processes configured for the UE 202 (which may be different in other embodiments). Each of the H fields is identified as an H i , where i identifies the corresponding HARQ process. If H iIf the field is set to '1', it can be identified that the corresponding HARQ process is included in the HPG identified by HPGID. i If the field is set to "0", it may indicate that the corresponding HARQ process is excluded from the HPG identified by HPGID. In some embodiments, the excluded HARQ process is to be added to the default HPG. In some embodiments, the default HPG is configured by a higher layer.

[0073] In a second embodiment, the HARQ process reassembly signal 212 includes a HARQ reassembly MAC CE that includes one or more sets of H fields associated with one or more HPGs in a plurality of HPGs configured for the UE 202. The HARQ reassembly MAC CE has a fixed size and includes a plurality of octets that include one or more sets of H fields. Each H field set in the one or more sets of H fields corresponds to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE. Specifically, each H field in a set of H fields in the one or more sets of H fields identifies a HARQ process in the set of HARQ processes configured for the UE 202. In some embodiments, the value associated with each H field in the set of H fields associated with the HPG identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the HPG.

[0074] Figure 4b An exemplary HARQ reassembly MAC CE 450 associated with the second embodiment is shown. The HARQ reassembly MAC CE 450 is associated with N HPGs identified by HPG IDs HPG#0...HPG#N-1. The HARQ reassembly MAC CE 400 also includes 16 H fields per HPG ID (which may be different in other embodiments), where the 16 H fields (which may be different in other embodiments) correspond to a set of 16 HARQ processes configured for the UE 202. Each of the H fields is identified as an H g,i, , where g identifies the HPGID and i identifies the corresponding HARQ process. g,i, If the field is set to '1', it can be identified that the HARQ process i is included in the HPG g. Alternatively, if the H g,i, If the field is set to "0", it can be indicated that the HARQ process i is excluded from the HPG g. Return to reference Figure 2a , the UE 202 is further configured to receive and process the HARQ process reassembly signal 208. After processing the HARQ process reassembly signal 208, the UE 202 is configured to determine a plurality of updated HPGs configured for the UE 202.

[0075] Figure 5A simplified block diagram of a wireless communication system 500 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In some embodiments, the wireless communication system 500 facilitates providing a new data indicator (NDI) as part of HARQ-ACK feedback. The wireless communication system 500 includes a user equipment (UE) 502 and a base station (BS) 504. However, in other embodiments, the wireless communication system 500 may include multiple UEs and, for the sake of clarity, are not shown here. In some embodiments, the base station 504 is equivalent to an eNodeB in an LTE system, a gNodeB in a 5G New Radio (NR) system, etc. In some embodiments, the UE 502 may include a mobile phone, a tablet computer, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) UE, etc. The UE 502 and the base station 504 are configured to communicate with each other via a communication medium (e.g., air).

[0076] In some embodiments, the UE 502 is configured with a set of HARQ processes. In some embodiments, the set of HARQ processes is configured via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. In some embodiments, the BS 504 is configured to send / provide a new data indicator (NDI) configuration signal 506 to the UE 502. In some embodiments, the NDI configuration signal 506 is configured to configure the UE 502 to include the latest NDI value detected by the UE 502 for one or more HARQ processes as part of a HARQ-ACK feedback signal (e.g., HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510) along with the HARQ-ACK information for the corresponding HARQ process. In some embodiments, the NDI configuration signal 506 includes radio resource configuration (RRC) signaling. The UE 502 is configured to receive and process the NDI configuration signal 506.

[0077] In some embodiments, BS 504 is further configured to provide downlink control information (DCI) 508 to UE 502. DCI 508 is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510 from UE 502. In some embodiments, DCI 508 includes information about physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) / physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resources to be used by UE 502 to transmit HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510. In some embodiments, HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510 includes type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback / codebook. In such embodiments, DCI 508 includes a one-time HARQ-ACK frequent field, and the value associated with this field provides an indication to UE 502 that type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback is triggered. Alternatively, in other embodiments, HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510 may include other types of HARQ-ACK signals, such as type 1 HARQ-ACK feedback signal / type 1 HARQ-ACK codebook. In some embodiments, the DCI 508 is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510 from the UE 502 in response to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the DCI 508. Alternatively, in other embodiments, for example, in the case of Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback, the DCI 508 may trigger the HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510 without scheduling a PDSCH to the UE 502. The UE 502 is configured to receive and process the DCI 508. In some embodiments, the UE 502 is further configured to generate the HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510 in response to processing the DCI 508. In some embodiments, the HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510 includes HARQ-ACK feedback information for one or more HARQ processes associated with the UE 502, as well as NDI values ​​detected by the UE 502 for the corresponding one or more HARQ processes (i.e., the latest NDI values). Subsequently, the UE 502 is configured to provide / send a HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510 to the BS 504. The BS 504 is further configured to receive and process the HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510.

[0078] In some embodiments, the NDI value for a corresponding HARQ process is detected by the UE 502 from the DCI (or PDSCH for the HARQ process) that schedules the corresponding HARQ process. In some embodiments, including the NDI value as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510 facilitates the BS 504 to identify any mismatch between the data provided by the BS 504 and the corresponding HARQ-ACK information provided by the UE 502. In some embodiments, the UE 502 may be configured with multiple HARQ process groups (HPGs), as described above with respect to Figure 2a In such embodiments, if DCI 508 includes information identifying one or more HPGs of a plurality of HPGs (similar to Figure 2a 208 in the DCI 208), the HARQ-ACK feedback signal 510 is configured to include the latest data indicator (NDI) value detected by the UE 502 for each of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs identified by the DCI 508.

[0079] refer to Figure 6 , shows a block diagram of an apparatus 600 that can be employed at a base station (BS), eNodeB, gNodeB, or other network device in accordance with various aspects described herein. In some embodiments, apparatus 900 may be included within BS 104, BS 204, and BS 504 in the above embodiments. However, in other embodiments, apparatus 600 may be included within any gNodeB associated with a New Radio (NR) system. Apparatus 600 may include: one or more processors 610 (e.g., one or more baseband processors, such as a processor in conjunction with a baseband processor). Figure 15 and / or Figure 16 One or more baseband processors discussed), including processing circuitry and associated interfaces (e.g., in conjunction with Figure 16 1506, which may include one or more transmitter circuits (e.g., associated with one or more transmit chains) or receiver circuits (e.g., associated with one or more receive chains), where the transmitter circuits and the receiver circuits may employ common circuit elements, different circuit elements, or a combination thereof); and memory 630 (which may include any of a variety of storage media and may store instructions and / or data associated with one or more of the processor 610 or the transceiver circuits 620).

[0080] Specifically, the term memory is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, magnetic media, such as hard drives or optical storage devices; registers, or other similar types of memory elements; etc. The memory medium may also include other types of memory or a combination thereof. In various aspects, the apparatus 900 may be included within an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (evolved Node B, eNodeB, or eNB), a next generation Node B (gNodeB or gNB), or other base station or TRP (transmit / receive point) in a wireless communication network. In some aspects, the processor 610, transceiver circuitry 620, and memory 630 may be included in a single device, while in other aspects, they may be included in different devices, such as part of a distributed architecture.

[0081] refer to Figure 7 , shows a block diagram of an apparatus 700 that can be employed at a user equipment (UE) or other network device (e.g., an IoT device) in accordance with various aspects described herein. In some embodiments, the apparatus 1000 may be included within the UE 102, UE 202, and UE 502 of the above embodiments. However, in other embodiments, the apparatus 700 may be included within any UE associated with a new radio (NR) system. The apparatus 700 may include one or more processors 710 (e.g., one or more baseband processors, such as a processor in conjunction with a UE). Figure 15 and / or Figure 16 One or more baseband processors discussed), including processing circuitry and associated interfaces (e.g., in conjunction with Figure 161000 ); transceiver circuitry 720 (e.g., including part or all of RF circuitry 1506, which may include transmitter circuitry (e.g., associated with one or more transmit chains) and / or receiver circuitry (e.g., associated with one or more receive chains), which may employ common circuit elements, different circuit elements, or a combination thereof); and memory 730 (which may include any of a variety of storage media and may store instructions and / or data associated with one or more of processor 710 or transceiver circuitry 720). Specifically, the term memory is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, such as hard drives or optical storage devices; registers, or other similar types of memory elements; etc. The memory medium may also include other types of memory or a combination thereof. In various aspects, apparatus 1000 may be included within user equipment (UE).

[0082] In various aspects discussed herein, signals and / or messages may be generated and output for transmission, and / or transmitted messages may be received and processed. Depending on the type of signal or message generated, outputting for transmission (e.g., by processor 710) may include one or more of: generating a set of associated bits indicating the content of the signal or message, encoding (e.g., which may include adding a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) and / or encoding via a turbo code, a low-density parity-check (LDPC) code, a tail-biting convolutional code (TBCC), etc.), scrambling (e.g., based on a scrambling seed), modulation (e.g., via one of binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), or some form of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), etc.), and / or resource mapping (e.g., mapping to a set of scheduled resources, mapping to a set of time and frequency resources permitted for uplink transmission, etc.). Depending on the type of signal or message received, processing (e.g., by processor 710) may include one or more of the following operations: identifying physical resources associated with the signal / message, detecting the signal / message, resource element group deinterleaving, demodulation, descrambling, and / or decoding.

[0083] Figure 8 A flow chart illustrating a method 800 of a UE associated with a wireless communication system supporting SPS release along with a type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook configuration according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7 In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include: Figure 1 Therefore, further reference is made to Figure 1 The method 800 is explained with reference to the wireless communication system 100 in FIG. At 802, one or more processors 710 are used to process a data packet received from a base station associated with a UE (e.g., Figure 1 BS104 in the received downlink control information (DCI) (e.g., Figure 1 In some embodiments, the DCI includes a DCI for triggering a type 3 hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) feedback signal (e.g., Figure 1 Indication of type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal 108).

[0084] At 804, one or more processors 710 are used to generate a type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal based on processing the DCI. In some embodiments, the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal includes one or more HARQ-ACK bits for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) release. In some embodiments, each of the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for an SPS PDSCH release is adapted to include HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH release associated with the UE. At 806, the one or more processors 710 are used to provide the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal to a base station.

[0085] Figure 9 A flow chart of a method 900 of a base station (BS) associated with a wireless communication system supporting SPS release along with type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook configuration according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6 In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may include: Figure 1 Therefore, further reference is made to Figure 1 The method 900 is explained with reference to the wireless communication system 100 in FIG. At 902, one or more processors 610 are used to transmit downlink control information (DCI) (e.g., Figure 1 The DCI 106 in the UE is provided to a user equipment (UE) associated with the base station (e.g., Figure 1 In some embodiments, the DCI includes a trigger type 3 hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) feedback signal to the UE (e.g., Figure 1At 904, one or more processors 610 are used to process a type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal received from the UE in response to providing the DCI. In some embodiments, the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal includes one or more HARQ-ACK bits for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) release. In some embodiments, each of the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for an SPS PDSCH release is adapted to include HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH release associated with the UE.

[0086] Figure 10 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1000 of a UE associated with a wireless communication system supporting group-based HARQ-ACK feedback according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include: Figure 2a Therefore, further reference is made to Figure 2a The method 1000 is explained with reference to the wireless communication system 200 in FIG. At 1002, one or more processors 710 are used to receive a hybrid automatic repeat request process group (HPG) configuration signal (e.g., Figure 2a In some embodiments, the HPG configuration signal includes information of a plurality of HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE.

[0087] At 1004, based on processing the HPG configuration signal, one or more processors 710 are used to determine a number of HPGs associated with a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE. At 1006, downlink control information (DCI) (e.g., Figure 2a In some embodiments, the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs among the plurality of HPGs whose HARQ-ACK feedback information is to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal triggered by the DCI (e.g., Figure 2a At 1008, one or more processors 710 are used to generate a HARQ-ACK feedback signal including HARQ-ACK feedback information for the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs. At 1010, one or more processors 710 are used to send the HARQ-ACK feedback signal to the base station.

[0088] Figure 11 A flow chart illustrating a method 1100 of a base station (BS) associated with a wireless communication system supporting group-based HARQ-ACK feedback according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6 In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may include: Figure 2a Therefore, further reference is made to Figure 2a The method 1100 is explained with reference to the wireless communication system 200 in FIG. At 1102, one or more processors 610 are used to transmit a hybrid automatic repeat request processing group (HPG) configuration signal (e.g., Figure 2a HPG configuration signal 206 in the example is sent to a user equipment (UE) associated with the base station (e.g., Figure 2a In some embodiments, the HPG configuration signal includes information of a plurality of HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE.

[0089] At 1104, using one or more processors 610, downlink control information (DCI) (e.g., Figure 2a In some embodiments, the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs among the plurality of HPGs whose HARQ-ACK feedback information is to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal triggered by the DCI (e.g., Figure 2a At 1106, a HARQ-ACK feedback signal is received from the UE using one or more processors 610. In some embodiments, the HARQ-ACK feedback signal includes HARQ-ACK feedback information for HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs.

[0090] Figure 12 A flow chart illustrating a method 1200 of a UE associated with a wireless communication system supporting a new data indicator (NDI) as part of HARQ-ACK feedback according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7 In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include: Figure 5 Therefore, further reference is made to Figure 5 The method 1200 is explained with reference to the wireless communication system 500 in FIG. At 1202, one or more processors 710 are used to receive a signal from a base station (e.g., Figure 5BS 504 in receives a new data indicator (NDI) configuration signal (e.g., Figure 5 In some embodiments, the NDI configuration signal is configured to configure the UE to include the latest NDI value detected by the UE for one or more HARQ processes as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal along with the HARQ-ACK information for the corresponding HARQ process. At 1204, downlink control information (DCI) (e.g., Figure 5 In some embodiments, the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal (e.g., Figure 5 At 1206, one or more processors 710 are used to generate a HARQ-ACK feedback signal. In some embodiments, the HARQ-ACK feedback signal includes HARQ-ACK feedback information for one or more HARQ processes associated with the UE, as well as NDI values ​​detected by the UE for the corresponding one or more HARQ processes. At 1208, the one or more processors 710 are used to send the HARQ-ACK feedback signal to the base station.

[0091] Figure 13 A flow chart illustrating a method 1300 of a base station (BS) associated with a wireless communication system that supports a new data indicator (NDI) as part of HARQ-ACK feedback according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6 In some embodiments, the apparatus 1300 may include: Figure 5 Therefore, further reference is made to BS 504. Figure 5 The method 1300 is explained with reference to the wireless communication system 500 in FIG. At 1302, one or more processors 610 are used to configure a new data indicator (NDI) signal (e.g., Figure 5 NDI configuration signal 506 in the UE) is sent to the user equipment (UE) (e.g., Figure 5 In some embodiments, the NDI configuration signal is configured to configure the UE to include the latest NDI value detected by the UE for one or more HARQ processes as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal along with the HARQ-ACK information for the corresponding HARQ process. At 1304, using one or more processors 610, downlink control information (DCI) (e.g., Figure 5 In some embodiments, the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE (e.g., Figure 5At 1306, a HARQ-ACK feedback signal is received from the UE using one or more processors 610. In some embodiments, the HARQ-ACK feedback signal includes HARQ-ACK feedback information for one or more HARQ processes associated with the UE, and an NDI value detected by the UE for the corresponding one or more HARQ processes.

[0092] Although method is shown and described as a series of actions or events above, it should be understood that the order of such actions or events shown should not be interpreted as having a limiting meaning. For example, some actions can occur in different orders and / or with other actions or events except those actions or events shown and / or described herein. In addition, all shown actions may not be needed to realize one or more aspects or embodiments disclosed herein. In addition, one or more actions in the action shown herein can be carried out in one or more separate actions and / or stages.

[0093] The embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configured hardware and / or software. Figure 14 The architecture of a system 1400 including a core network (CN) 1420, such as a fifth generation (5G) CN (5GC), according to various embodiments is shown. The system 1400 is shown to include a UE 1401, which can be the same as or similar to one or more other UEs discussed herein; a third generation partnership project (3GPP) radio access network (wireless AN or RAN) or other (e.g., non-3GPP) AN, (R) AN 210, which can include one or more RAN nodes (e.g., evolved Node B (eNB)), next generation Node B (gNB and / or other nodes) or other nodes or access points; and a data network (DN) 203, which can be, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services; and a fifth generation core network (5GC) 1420. 5GC 1420 may include one or more of the following functions and network components: authentication server function (AUSF) 1422; access and mobility management function (AMF) 1421; session management function (SMF) 1424; network exposure function (NEF) 1423; policy control function (PCF) 1426; network repository function (NRF) 1425; unified data management (UDM) 1427; application function (AF) 1428; user plane (UP) function (UPF) 1402; and network slice selection function (NSSF) 1429.

[0094] UPF 1402 can serve as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point interconnected with DN 1403, and a branching point to support multi-homed PDU sessions. UPF 1402 can also perform packet routing and forwarding, perform packet inspection, enforce the user plane portion of policy rules, perform lawful interception of packets (UP collection), perform traffic usage reporting, perform QoS processing for the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, uplink (UL) / downlink (DL) rate enforcement), perform uplink traffic validation (e.g., service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, and perform downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. UPF 1402 may include an uplink classifier to support routing of traffic to the data network. DN 1403 may represent various network operator services, internet access, or third-party services. DN 1403 may include or be similar to an application server. UPF 1402 may interact with SMF 1424 via an N4 reference point between SMF 1424 and UPF 1402.

[0095] The AUSF 1422 may store data used to authenticate the UE 1401 and handle authentication-related functions. The AUSF 1422 may facilitate a common authentication framework for various access types. The AUSF 1422 may communicate with the AMF 1421 via the N12 reference point between the AMF 1421 and the AUSF 1422; and may communicate with the UDM 1427 via the N13 reference point between the UDM 1427 and the AUSF 1422. In addition, the AUSF 1422 may present an interface based on the NAUSF service.

[0096] The AMF 1421 may be responsible for registration management (e.g., responsible for registering the UE 1401, etc.), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, and lawful interception of AMF-related events, as well as access authentication and authorization. The AMF 1421 may be the termination point of the N11 reference point between the AMF 1421 and the SMF 1424. The AMF 1421 may provide transport for SM messages between the UE 1401 and the SMF 1424 and act as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. The AMF 1421 may also provide a communication channel between the UE 1401 and the Short Message Service (SMS) Function (SMSF) ( Figure 14401). The AMF 1421 may act as a security anchor function (SEAF), which may include interaction with the AUSF 1422 and the UE 1401 and / or receiving intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 1401 authentication process. In the case of using universal subscriber identity module (USIM)-based authentication, the AMF 1421 may retrieve security material from the AUSF 1422. The AMF 1421 may also include a single connection mode (SCM) function that receives keys from the SEA for deriving access network-specific keys. In addition, the AMF 1421 may be a termination point for the RAN control plane (CP) interface, which may include or may be an N2 reference point between the (R)AN 1410 and the AMF 1421; and the AMF 1421 may be a termination point for non-access stratum (NAS) (N1) signaling, and perform NAS encryption and integrity protection.

[0097] The AMF 1421 may also support NAS signaling with the UE 1401 over a non-3GPP (N3) interworking function (IWF) interface. The N3 IWF may be used to provide access to untrusted entities. The N3 IWF may be the termination point for the N2 interface between the (R)AN 1410 and the AMF 1421 for the control plane, and may be the termination point for the N3 reference point between the (R)AN 1410 and the UPF 1402 for the user plane. Thus, the AMF 1421 may process N2 signaling for PDU sessions and QoS from the SMF 1424 and the AMF 1421, encapsulate / decapsulate packets for Internet Protocol (IP) Security (IPSec) and N3 tunnels, mark N3 user plane packets in the uplink, and perform QoS corresponding to N3 packet markings, thereby taking into account QoS requirements associated with such markings received over N2. The N3IWF may also relay uplink and downlink control plane NAS signaling between the UE 1401 and the AMF 1421 via the N1 reference point between the UE 1401 and the AMF 1421, and relay uplink and downlink user plane packets between the UE 1401 and the UPF 1402. The N3IWF also provides a mechanism for establishing an IPsec tunnel with the UE 1401. The AMF 1421 may present an interface based on Namf services and may be an N14 reference point between the two AMFs 1421 and an interface between the AMF 1421 and the 5G Equipment Identity Register (5G-EIR) ( Figure 14 The termination point of the N17 reference point between (not shown).

[0098] UE 1401 may register with AMF 1421 to receive network services. Registration Management (RM) is used to register or deregister UE 1401 with the network (e.g., AMF 1421) and establish a UE context in the network (e.g., AMF 1421). UE 1401 may operate in the RM-REGISTERED state or the RM-DEREGISTERED state. In the RM-DEREGISTERED state, UE 1401 is not registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 1421 does not hold valid location or routing information for UE 1401, so UE 1401 is not accessible to AMF 1421. In the RM-REGISTERED state, UE 1401 is registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 1421 may hold valid location or routing information for UE 1401, so UE 1401 is accessible to AMF 1421. In the RM-registered state, UE 1401 can perform a mobility registration update procedure, perform a periodic registration update procedure triggered by the expiration of a periodic update timer (for example, to notify the network that UE 1401 is still active), and perform a registration update procedure to update UE capability information or renegotiate protocol parameters with the network, etc.

[0099] The AMF 1421 may store one or more RM contexts for the UE 1401, where each RM context is associated with a specific access right of the network. The RM context may be a data structure, a database object, etc., which in particular indicates or stores the registration status and periodic update timer for each access type. The AMF 1421 may also store a 5GC Mobility Management (MM) context that is the same as or similar to the (Enhanced Packet System (EPS)) MM ((E)MM) context. In various embodiments, the AMF 1421 may store the Coverage Enhancement (CE) Mode B restriction parameters of the UE 1401 in the associated MM context or RM context. The AMF 1421 may also derive values ​​from the UE's usage setting parameters already stored in the UE context (and / or MM / RM context) when necessary.

[0100] Connection Management (CM) can be used to establish and release a signaling connection between UE 1401 and AMF 1421 over the N1 interface. Signaling connections are used to enable NAS signaling exchanges between UE 1401 and CN 1420, and include both signaling connections between the UE and the AN (e.g., an RRC connection for non-3GPP access or a UE-N3IWF connection) and UE 1401's N2 connection between the AN (e.g., RAN 1410) and AMF 1421. UE 1401 can operate in one of two CM states: CM-Idle mode or CM-Connected mode. When UE 1401 is operating in the CM-Idle state / mode, UE 1401 may not have a NAS signaling connection established with AMF 1421 over the N1 interface, and a (R)AN 1410 signaling connection (e.g., an N2 and / or N3 connection) may exist for UE 1401. When the UE 1401 is operating in the CM-Connected state / mode, the UE 1401 may have a NAS signaling connection established with the AMF 1421 through the N1 interface, and there may be a (R)AN 1410 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connection) for the UE 1401. Establishment of the N2 connection between the (R)AN 1410 and the AMF 1421 may cause the UE 1401 to transition from the CM-Idle mode to the CM-Connected mode, and when the N2 signaling between the (R)AN 1410 and the AMF 1421 is released, the UE 1401 may transition from the CM-Connected mode to the CM-Idle mode.

[0101] The SMF 1424 may be responsible for session management (SM) (e.g., session establishment, modification, and release, including tunnel maintenance between the UPF and AN nodes); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP functions; configuring the UPF's traffic steering to route traffic to the correct destination; terminating the interface towards the policy control function; the control portion of policy enforcement and QoS; lawful interception (for SM events and the interface with the lawful interception (LI) system); terminating the SM portion of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiating AN-specific SM information sent to the AN via the AMF over N2; and determining the session and service continuity (SSC) mode for the session. SM may refer to the management of a PDU session, and a PDU session or "session" may refer to a PDU connection service that provides or enables the exchange of PDUs between the UE 1401 and the data network (DN) 1403 identified by the data network name (DNN). A PDU session can be established at the request of UE 1401, modified at the request of UE 1401 and 5GC 1420, and released at the request of UE 1401 and 5GC 1420 using NAS SM signaling exchanged over the N1 reference point between UE 1401 and SMF 1424. Upon request from an application server, 5GC 1420 can trigger a specific application in UE 1401. In response to receiving the trigger message, UE 1401 can deliver the trigger message (or relevant parts / information of the trigger message) to one or more identified applications in UE 1401. The identified applications in UE 1401 can establish a PDU session with a specific DNN. SMF 1424 can check whether the UE 1401 request complies with user subscription information associated with UE 1401. In this regard, SMF 1424 can retrieve and / or request notification of updates regarding SMF 1424-level subscription data from UDM 1427.

[0102] SMF 1424 may include the following roaming functions: handling local execution to apply QoS service level agreements (SLAs) (visited public land mobile network (VPLMN)); charging data collection and billing interfaces (VPLMN); lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces with LI systems, in VPLMN); and support for interaction with external DNs to transport signaling for PDU session authorization / authentication through external DNs. In roaming scenarios, an N16 reference point between two SMFs 1424 may be included in system 1400, which may be located between another SMF 1424 in the visited network and an SMF 1424 in the home network. In addition, SMF 1424 may present an interface based on Nsmf services.

[0103] NEF 1423 can provide components for securely exposing services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions to third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, application functions (e.g., AF 1428), edge computing or fog computing systems, and the like. In such implementations, NEF 1423 can authenticate, authorize, and / or restrict the AF. NEF 1423 can also convert information exchanged with AF 1428 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, NEF 1423 can convert between AF service identifiers and internal 5GC information. NEF 1423 can also receive information from other network functions (NFs) based on their exposed capabilities. This information can be stored in NEF 1423 as structured data or in a data storage NF using standardized interfaces. The stored information can then be re-exposed by NEF 1423 to other NFs and AFs and / or used for other purposes such as analysis. In addition, NEF 1423 can present an interface based on NNEF services.

[0104] NRF 1425 can support service discovery functionality, receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances and providing information about discovered NF instances to NF instances. NRF 1425 also maintains information about available NF instances and the services they support. As used herein, the term "instantiation" and the like can refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" can refer to the specific occurrence of an object, which can occur, for example, during the execution of program code. In addition, NRF 1425 can present an interface based on Nnrf services.

[0105] PCF 1426 can provide control plane functions for enforcing their policy rules and can also support a unified policy framework for managing network behavior. PCF 1426 can also implement FEs to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDM 1427's UDR. PCF 1426 can communicate with AMF 1421 via the N15 reference point between PCF 1426 and AMF 1421, which can include the PCF 1426 in the visited network and the AMF 1421 in roaming scenarios. PCF 1426 can communicate with AF 1428 via the N5 reference point between PCF 1426 and AF 1428, and with SMF 1424 via the N7 reference point between PCF 1426 and SMF 1424. System 1400 and / or CN 1420 can also include an N24 reference point between PCF 1426 (in the home network) and PCF 1426 in the visited network. Additionally, PCF 1426 may present an interface based on Npcf services.

[0106] The UDM 1427 may process subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions and may store subscription data for the UE 1401. For example, subscription data may be transferred between the UDM 1427 and the AMF 1421 via the N8 reference point between the UDM 1427 and the AMF. The UDM 1427 may include two parts: an application function entity (FE) and a unified data repository (UDR). Figure 1 FE and UDR are not shown in the figure). The UDR can store subscription data and policy data of the UDM 1427 and PCF 1426, and / or structured data for exposure and application data of the NEF 1423 (including packet flow descriptions (PFDs) for application detection, application request information of multiple UEs 1401). An interface based on Nudr services can be presented by the UDR 221 to allow the UDM 1427, PCF 1426 and NEF 1423 to access specific sets of stored data, as well as read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete and subscribe to notifications of changes to related data in the UDR. The UDM may include a UDM-FE, which is responsible for handling credentials, location management, subscription management, etc. In different transactions, several different FEs may serve the same user. The UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management and subscription management. The UDR may interact with the SMF 1424 via the N10 reference point between the UDM 1427 and the SMF 1424. The UDM 1427 may also support SMS management, where the SMS-FE implements similar application logic as discussed elsewhere herein. Additionally, the UDM 1427 may present an interface based on Nudm services.

[0107] AF 1428 can provide application influence on traffic routing, provide access to NEF 1423, and interact with the policy framework for policy control. 5GC 1420 and AF 1428 can provide information to each other via NEF 1423, which can be used for edge computing implementations. In such implementations, network operators and third-party services can be hosted near the UE 1401 access point to achieve efficient service delivery with reduced end-to-end latency and load on the transport network. For edge computing implementations, the 5GC can select a UPF 1402 near the UE 1401 and perform traffic steering from the UPF 1402 to the DN 1403 via the N6 interface. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by AF 1428. In this way, AF 1428 can influence UPF (re)selection and traffic routing. Based on operator deployment, when AF 1428 is considered a trusted entity, the network operator may allow AF 1428 to interact directly with the relevant NF. Additionally, the AF 1428 may present an interface based on Naf services.

[0108] NSSF 1429 may select a set of network slice instances to serve UE 1401. NSSF 1429 may also determine the allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) and the mapping to the subscribed single NSSAI (S-NSSAI), as appropriate. NSSF 1429 may also determine the set of AMFs to serve UE 1401, or a list of candidate AMFs 1421, based on appropriate configuration and possibly by querying NRF 1425. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE 1401 may be triggered by AMF 1421, where UE 1401 registers by interacting with NSSF 1429, which may result in a change in AMF 1421. NSSF 1429 may interact with AMF 1421 via the N22 reference point between AMF 1421 and NSSF 1429; and may communicate via the N31 reference point ( Figure 14 (not shown) and communicate with another NSSF 1429 in the visited network. In addition, the NSSF 1429 may present an interface based on the Nnssf service.

[0109] As previously discussed, CN 1420 may include an SMSF, which may be responsible for SMS subscription checking and verification, and relaying SM messages to / from UE 1401 to / from other entities, such as an SMS-Gateway Mobile Services Switching Center (GMSC) / Interworking MSC (IWMSC) / SMS-Router. The SMSF may also interact with AMF 1421 and UDM 1427 for notification procedures, making UE 1401 available for SMS transmission (e.g., setting a UE unreachable flag and notifying UDM 1427 when UE 1401 is available for SMS).

[0110] CN 1420 may also include Figure 14 Other elements not shown in the figure, such as data storage system / architecture, 5G-EIR, security edge protection agent (SEPP), etc. The data storage system may include structured data storage function (SDSF), unstructured data storage function (UDSF), etc. Any NF can communicate with any NF and UDSF ( Figure 1 The N18 reference point between the NF and the NF (not shown) stores or retrieves unstructured data into or from the UDSF (e.g., UE context). Each NF may share a UDSF for storing its respective unstructured data, or each NF may have its own UDSF located at or near each NF. In addition, the UDSF may present an interface based on Nudsf services ( Figure 1 ). The 5G-EIR may be a NF that checks the status of the Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI) to determine whether to blacklist a specific equipment / entity from the network; and the SEPP may be a non-transparent proxy that performs topology hiding, message filtering, and policing on the inter-PLMN control plane interface.

[0111] Additionally, there may be more reference points and / or service-based interfaces between NF services in a NF; however, for clarity, Figure 14 These interfaces and reference points are omitted. In one example, the CN 1420 may include an Nx interface, which is an inter-CN interface between an MME (e.g., a non-5G MME) and an AMF 1421, to enable interworking between the CN 1420 and a non-5G CN. Other exemplary interfaces / reference points may include an interface based on N5g-EIR services presented by the 5G-EIR, an N27 reference point between a network repository function (NRF) in a visited network and an NRF in a home network; and an N31 reference point between an NSSF in a visited network and an NSSF in a home network.

[0112] Figure 15Exemplary components of a device 1500 according to some embodiments are shown. In some embodiments, the device 1500 may include application circuitry 1502, baseband circuitry 1504, radio frequency (RF) circuitry 1506, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 1508, one or more antennas 1510, and power management circuitry (PMC) 1512 (at least coupled together as shown). The components of the illustrated device 1500 may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device 1500 may include fewer elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 1502, but instead include a processor / controller to process IP data received from a CN such as a 5GC 1420 or an evolved packet core (EPC)). In some embodiments, the device 1500 may include additional elements such as memory / storage, a display, a camera, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other embodiments, the following components may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuitry may be separately included in more than one device for a cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementation).

[0113] Application circuitry 1502 may include one or more application processors. For example, application circuitry 1502 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processors may include any combination of general-purpose processors and specialized processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupled to or include memory / storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on device 1500. In some embodiments, the processors of application circuitry 1502 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0114] The baseband circuitry 1504 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 1504 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1506 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1506. The baseband circuitry 1504 may interact with the application circuitry 1502 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of the RF circuitry 1506. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1504 may include a third-generation (3G) baseband processor 1504A, a fourth-generation (4G) baseband processor 1504B, a fifth-generation (5G) baseband processor 1504C, or other baseband processors 1504D of other existing, developing, or future generations (e.g., second-generation (2G), sixth-generation (6G), etc.). Baseband circuitry 1504 (e.g., one or more baseband processors 1504A-D) can handle various radio control functions, which can communicate with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry 1506. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of baseband processors 1504A-D may be included in modules stored in memory 1504G and executed via central processing unit (CPU) 1504E. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of baseband circuitry 1504 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of baseband circuitry 1504 may include convolution, tail-biting, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. The implementation of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions is not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functions in other embodiments.

[0115] In some embodiments, baseband circuitry 1504 may include one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 1504F. Audio DSPs 1504F may include components for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other embodiments may include other suitable processing elements. In some embodiments, components of the baseband circuitry may be appropriately combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of baseband circuitry 1504 and application circuitry 1502 may be implemented together, such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0116] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1504 can provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1504 can support communications with NG-RAN, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN), or other wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless personal area network (WPAN), etc. Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 1504 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0117] RF circuitry 1506 can communicate with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, RF circuitry 1506 can include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 1506 can include a receive signal path, which can include circuitry for down-converting RF signals received from FEM circuitry 1508 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuitry 1504. RF circuitry 1506 can also include a transmit signal path, which can include circuitry for up-converting baseband signals provided by baseband circuitry 1504 and providing an RF output signal to FEM circuitry 1508 for transmission.

[0118] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of RF circuitry 1506 may include mixer circuitry 1506a, amplifier circuitry 1506b, and filter circuitry 1506c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of RF circuitry 1506 may include filter circuitry 1506c and mixer circuitry 1506a. RF circuitry 1506 may also include synthesizer circuitry 1506d for synthesizing frequencies used by mixer circuitry 1506a in the receive and transmit signal paths. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1506a in the receive signal path may be configured to downconvert the RF signal received from FEM circuitry 1508 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 1506d. Amplifier circuitry 1506b may be configured to amplify the downconverted signal, and filter circuitry 1506c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or a band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the downconverted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuitry 1504 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal can be a zero-frequency baseband signal, although this is not required.In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1506a of the receive signal path can include a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0119] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1506a of the transmit signal path can be configured to upconvert an input baseband signal based on a synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 1506d to generate an RF output signal for FEM circuit 1508. The baseband signal can be provided by baseband circuit 1504 and can be filtered by filter circuit 1506c.

[0120] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1506a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1506a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1506a of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1506a of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0121] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, RF circuitry 1506 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and baseband circuitry 1504 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with RF circuitry 1506.

[0122] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0123] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1506d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1506d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0124] Synthesizer circuit 1506d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by mixer circuit 1506a of RF circuit 1506. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1506d may be a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0125] In some embodiments, the frequency input can be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not required. The divider control input can be provided by baseband circuitry 1504 or application circuitry 1502 depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) can be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by application circuitry 1502.

[0126] The synthesizer circuit 1506d of the RF circuit 1506 may include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-modulus frequency divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable set of delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0127] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 1506d can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases relative to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency can be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuit 1506 can include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0128] The FEM circuitry 1508 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 1510, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the RF circuitry 1506 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 1508 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by the RF circuitry 1506 for transmission via one or more of the one or more antennas 1510. In various embodiments, amplification by either the transmit or receive signal path may be performed only in the RF circuitry 1506, only in the FEM circuitry 1508, or in both the RF circuitry 1506 and the FEM circuitry 1508.

[0129] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 1508 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit and receive modes of operation. The FEM circuitry may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry may include an LNA to amplify a received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 1506). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 1508 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify an input RF signal (e.g., provided by the RF circuitry 1506), and one or more filters to generate an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., via one or more of the one or more antennas 1510).

[0130] In some embodiments, PMC 1512 can manage the power provided to baseband circuitry 1504. Specifically, PMC 1512 can control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. PMC 1512 is typically included when device 1500 is capable of being powered by a battery, such as when the device is included in a UE. PMC 1512 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing desired implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

[0131] Although Figure 15 PMC 1512 is shown coupled only to baseband circuitry 1504. However, in other embodiments, PMC 1512 may additionally or alternatively be coupled to other components (such as, but not limited to, application circuitry 1502, RF circuitry 1506, or FEM circuitry 1508) and perform similar power management operations.

[0132] In some embodiments, the PMC 1512 can control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the device 1500. For example, if the device 1500 is in the RRC_Connected state, where the device is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic immediately, then after a period of inactivity, the device can enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the device 1500 can be powered down for short intervals, thereby saving power.

[0133] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the device 1500 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handovers, etc. The device 1500 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device periodically wakes up again to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 1500 may not receive data in this state; to receive data, the device may transition back to the RRC_Connected state.

[0134] An additional power saving mode can disable the device from using the network for periods exceeding the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to several hours). During this period, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered down. Any data sent during this period will incur significant latency, assuming that latency is acceptable.

[0135] The processor of the application circuitry 1502 and the processor of the baseband circuitry 1504 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuitry 1504 can be used alone or in combination to perform Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1 functions, while the processor of the application circuitry 1502 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further perform Layer 4 functions (e.g., Transport Communication Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, Layer 3 may include a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, which is described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, Layer 2 may include a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, which are described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, Layer 1 may include a Physical (PHY) layer of a UE / RAN node, which is described in further detail below.

[0136] Figure 16 1 shows an exemplary interface of a baseband circuit according to some embodiments. As discussed above, Figure 15 The baseband circuit 1504 may include processors 1504A-1504E and a memory 1504G utilized by the processors. Each of the processors 1504A-1504E may include a memory interface 1604A-1604E, respectively, for sending / receiving data to / from the memory 1504G.

[0137] The baseband circuit 1504 may also include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuits / devices, such as a memory interface 1612 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 1504); an application circuit interface 1614 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 1504); Figure 15 RF circuit interface 1616 (for example, for sending / receiving data to / from the application circuit 1502); Figure 15 an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a RF circuit 1506); a wireless hardware connection interface 1618 (e.g., for sending / receiving data to / from a near field communication (NFC) component, Components (e.g. Low power consumption), components and other communication components to send / receive data); and a power management interface 1620 (eg, an interface for sending / receiving power or control signals to / from the PMC 1512).

[0138] In various aspects, the embodiments discussed herein may facilitate inter-cell BM (beam management) techniques via L1 (Layer 1) through one or more variations of the first and / or second set of techniques. The first set of techniques discussed herein may facilitate L1 inter-cell BM via SSB (synchronization signal blocks). The second set of techniques discussed herein may facilitate L1 inter-cell BM via synchronization CSI (channel state information)-RS (reference signal).

[0139] Embodiments may include subject matter such as a method, an apparatus for performing the actions or blocks of the method, and at least one machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform the actions of a method or apparatus or system for concurrent communication using multiple communication technologies according to the embodiments and examples described herein.

[0140] Embodiment 1 is a user equipment (UE) including a processor (or processing circuit), which is configured to perform operations including receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request process group (HPG) configuration signal from a base station associated with the UE, wherein the HPG configuration signal includes information of multiple HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE; determining multiple HPGs based on processing the HPG configuration signal; receiving downlink control information (DCI) from the base station, wherein the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, and wherein the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs in the multiple HPGs, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the one or more HPGs to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal; generating a HARQ-ACK feedback signal, which includes HARQ-ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs; and sending the HARQ-ACK feedback signal to the base station.

[0141] Embodiment 2 is a UE including the subject matter of embodiment 1, wherein a plurality of HPGs are associated with a corresponding plurality of priority category indices, wherein each priority category index in the plurality of priority category indices corresponds to a priority index associated with one or more HARQ processes of the corresponding HPG.

[0142] Embodiment 3 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 1-2, wherein the DCI includes an HPG request field, the HPG request field including an HPG request field value identifying one or more HPGs, and wherein the processor is configured to determine the one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the HPG request field value and the one or more HPGs.

[0143] Embodiment 4 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 1-3, wherein the DCI includes cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a predefined HPG sequence, wherein the predefined HPG sequence identifies one or more HPGs, and wherein the processor is configured to descramble the CRC bits to determine the predefined HPG sequence and determine the one or more HPGs based on the predefined HPG sequence according to a predefined mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and the one or more HPGs.

[0144] Embodiment 5 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 1-4, wherein the DCI includes a priority indicator field, which priority indicator field includes a selected priority category index from a plurality of priority category indexes, wherein the selected priority category index identifies a selected HPG, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the selected HPG is to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0145] Embodiment 6 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 1-5, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal further includes a latest data indicator (NDI) value detected by the UE for each of the HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs.

[0146] Embodiment 7 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 1-6, wherein the operations further include receiving an NDI configuration signal from the BS, wherein the NDI configuration signal is suitable for configuring the UE to include NDI as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0147] Embodiment 8 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 1-7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive a HARQ process reorganization signal from a base station, wherein the HARQ process reorganization signal includes information for reorganizing HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs among a plurality of HPGs.

[0148] Embodiment 9 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 1-8, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal includes one or more HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control elements (CEs), wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs is associated with an HPG identifier (ID) of a selected HPG among a plurality of HPGs, wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs includes a set of H fields corresponding to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein the value associated with each H field in the set of H fields identifies one or more HARQ processes included within the selected HPG identified by the HPGID.

[0149] Embodiment 10 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 1-9, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal includes a HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the CE including one or more H field sets respectively associated with one or more HPGs in a plurality of HPGs, wherein each H field set in the one or more H field sets corresponds to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein the value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the corresponding HPG.

[0150] Embodiment 11 is a base station (BS) including a processor (or processing circuit) configured to perform operations including sending a hybrid automatic repeat request process group (HPG) configuration signal to a user equipment (UE) associated with the BS, wherein the HPG configuration signal includes information of multiple HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE; sending downlink control information (DCI) to the UE, wherein the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, and wherein the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs in the multiple HPGs, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the one or more HPGs to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal; and receiving a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal includes HARQ-ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs.

[0151] Embodiment 12 is a BS including the subject matter of embodiment 11, wherein a plurality of HPGs are associated with a corresponding plurality of priority class indices, wherein each priority class index in the plurality of priority class indices corresponds to a priority index associated with one or more HARQ processes of the corresponding HPG.

[0152] Embodiment 13 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 11-12, wherein the DCI includes an HPG request field, the HPG request field including an HPG request field value, the HPG request field value identifying one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the HPG request field value and the one or more HPGs.

[0153] Embodiment 14 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 11-13, wherein the DCI includes cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a predefined HPG sequence, wherein the predefined HPG sequence identifies one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and one or more HPGs.

[0154] Embodiment 15 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 11-14, wherein the DCI includes a priority indicator field, which priority indicator field includes a selected priority category index from multiple priority category indexes, wherein the selected priority category index identifies a selected HPG, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the selected HPG is to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0155] Embodiment 16 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 11-15, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal further includes a latest data indicator (NDI) value detected by the UE for each of the HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs.

[0156] Embodiment 17 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 11-16, wherein the operations further include generating an NDI configuration signal to be provided to a UE, wherein the NDI configuration signal is suitable for configuring the UE to include NDI as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal; and sending the NDI configuration signal to the UE.

[0157] Embodiment 18 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 11-17, wherein the operations further include generating a HARQ process reorganization signal to be provided to a UE, wherein the HARQ process reorganization signal includes information for reorganizing HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs among a plurality of HPGs; and sending the HARQ process reorganization signal to the UE.

[0158] Embodiment 19 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 11-18, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal includes one or more HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control elements (CEs), wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs is associated with an HPG identifier (ID) of a selected HPG among a plurality of HPGs, wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs includes a set of H fields corresponding to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein the value associated with each H field in the set of H fields identifies one or more HARQ processes included within the selected HPG identified by the HPGID.

[0159] Embodiment 20 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 11-19, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal includes a HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the CE including one or more H field sets respectively associated with one or more HPGs in a plurality of HPGs, wherein each H field set in the one or more H field sets corresponds to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein the value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the corresponding HPG.

[0160] Embodiment 21 is a baseband (BB) processor for a user equipment (UE), the BB processor being configured to perform operations including receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request process group (HPG) configuration signal from a base station associated with the UE, wherein the HPG configuration signal includes information of multiple HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE; determining multiple HPGs based on processing the HPG configuration signal; receiving downlink control information (DCI) from the base station, wherein the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, and wherein the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs in the multiple HPGs, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the one or more HPGs to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal; generating a HARQ-ACK feedback signal, the HARQ-ACK feedback signal including HARQ-ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs; and sending the HARQ-ACK feedback signal to the base station.

[0161] Embodiment 22 is a BB processor including the subject matter of embodiment 21, wherein a plurality of HPGs are associated with a corresponding plurality of priority class indices, wherein each priority class index in the plurality of priority class indices corresponds to a priority index associated with one or more HARQ processes of the corresponding HPG.

[0162] Embodiment 23 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 21-22, wherein the DCI includes an HPG request field, the HPG request field including an HPG request field value identifying one or more HPGs, and wherein the processor is configured to determine the one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the HPG request field value and the one or more HPGs.

[0163] Embodiment 24 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 21-23, wherein the DCI includes cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a predefined HPG sequence, wherein the predefined HPG sequence identifies one or more HPGs, and wherein the processor is configured to descramble the CRC bits to determine the predefined HPG sequence and determine the one or more HPGs based on the predefined HPG sequence according to a predefined mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and the one or more HPGs.

[0164] Embodiment 25 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 21-24, wherein the DCI includes a priority indicator field, which priority indicator field includes a selected priority category index from a plurality of priority category indexes, wherein the selected priority category index identifies a selected HPG, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the selected HPG is to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0165] Embodiment 26 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 21-25, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal further includes a latest data indicator (NDI) value detected by the UE for each of the HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs.

[0166] Embodiment 27 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 21-26, wherein the operations further include receiving an NDI configuration processor signal from the BS, wherein the NDI configuration signal is adapted to configure the UE to include NDI as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0167] Embodiment 28 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 21-27, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive a HARQ process reorganization processor signal from a base station, wherein the HARQ process reorganization signal includes information for reorganizing HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs among a plurality of HPGs.

[0168] Embodiment 29 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 21-28, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal includes one or more HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control elements (CEs), wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs is associated with an HPG identifier (ID) of a selected HPG among a plurality of HPGs, wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs includes a set of H fields corresponding to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein the value associated with each H field in the set of H fields identifies one or more HARQ processes included within the selected HPG identified by the HPGID.

[0169] Embodiment 30 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 21-29, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal includes a HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the CE including one or more H field sets respectively associated with one or more HPGs in a plurality of HPGs, wherein each H field set in the one or more H field sets corresponds to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein the value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the corresponding HPG.

[0170] Embodiment 31 is a baseband (BB) processor for a base station (BS), the BB processor being configured to perform operations including sending a hybrid automatic repeat request process group (HPG) configuration signal to a user equipment (UE) associated with the BS, wherein the HPG configuration signal includes information of a plurality of HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE; sending downlink control information (DCI) to the UE, wherein the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, and wherein the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs among the plurality of HPGs, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the one or more HPGs to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal; and receiving a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal includes HARQ-ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs.

[0171] Embodiment 32 is a BB processor including the subject matter of embodiment 31, wherein a plurality of HPGs are associated with a corresponding plurality of priority class indices, wherein each priority class index in the plurality of priority class indices corresponds to a priority index associated with one or more HARQ processes of the corresponding HPG.

[0172] Embodiment 33 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 31-32, wherein the DCI includes an HPG request field, the HPG request field including an HPG request field value, the HPG request field value identifying one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the HPG request field value and the one or more HPGs.

[0173] Embodiment 34 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 31-33, wherein the DCI includes cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a predefined HPG sequence, wherein the predefined HPG sequence identifies one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and one or more HPGs.

[0174] Embodiment 35 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 31-34, wherein the DCI includes a priority indicator field, which priority indicator field includes a selected priority category index from a plurality of priority category indexes, wherein the selected priority category index identifies a selected HPG, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the selected HPG is to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0175] Embodiment 36 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 31-35, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal further includes a latest data indicator (NDI) value detected by the UE for each of the HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs.

[0176] Embodiment 37 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 31-36, wherein the operations further include generating an NDI configuration signal to be provided to the UE, wherein the NDI configuration signal is suitable for configuring the UE to include NDI as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal; and sending the NDI configuration signal to the UE.

[0177] Embodiment 38 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 31-37, wherein the operations further include generating a HARQ process reorganization signal to be provided to a UE, wherein the HARQ process reorganization signal includes information for reorganizing HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs among a plurality of HPGs; and sending the HARQ process reorganization signal to the UE.

[0178] Embodiment 39 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 31-38, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal includes one or more HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control elements (CEs), wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs is associated with an HPG identifier (ID) of a selected HPG among a plurality of HPGs, wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs includes a set of H fields corresponding to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein the value associated with each H field in the set of H fields identifies one or more HARQ processes included within the selected HPG identified by the HPGID.

[0179] Embodiment 40 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 31-39, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal includes a HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the CE including one or more H field sets respectively associated with one or more HPGs in a plurality of HPGs, wherein each H field set in the one or more H field sets corresponds to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein the value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the corresponding HPG.

[0180] Embodiment 41 is a method for a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: using one or more processors to receive a hybrid automatic repeat request process group (HPG) configuration signal from a base station associated with the UE, wherein the HPG configuration signal includes information of multiple HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE; using one or more processors to determine multiple HPGs based on processing the HPG configuration signal; using one or more processors to receive downlink control information (DCI) from the base station, wherein the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, and wherein the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs in the multiple HPGs, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the one or more HPGs to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal; using one or more processors to generate a HARQ-ACK feedback signal including HARQ-ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs; and using one or more processors to send the HARQ-ACK feedback signal to the base station.

[0181] Embodiment 42 is a method including the subject matter of embodiment 41, wherein a plurality of HPGs are associated with a corresponding plurality of priority class indices, wherein each priority class index in the plurality of priority class indices corresponds to a priority index associated with one or more HARQ processes of the corresponding HPG.

[0182] Example 43 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of Examples 41-42, wherein the DCI includes an HPG request field, the HPG request field including an HPG request field value identifying one or more HPGs, and wherein the processor is configured to determine the one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the HPG request field value and the one or more HPGs.

[0183] Example 44 includes a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of Examples 41-43, wherein the DCI includes cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a predefined HPG sequence, wherein the predefined HPG sequence identifies one or more HPGs, and wherein the processor is configured to descramble the CRC bits to determine the predefined HPG sequence and determine the one or more HPGs based on the predefined HPG sequence according to a predefined mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and the one or more HPGs.

[0184] Embodiment 45 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 41-44, wherein the DCI includes a priority indicator field, which priority indicator field includes a selected priority category index from a plurality of priority category indexes, wherein the selected priority category index identifies a selected HPG, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the selected HPG is to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0185] Embodiment 46 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 41-45, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal further includes a latest data indicator (NDI) value detected by the UE for each of the HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs.

[0186] Embodiment 47 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 41-46, further comprising receiving an NDI configuration signal from the BS, wherein the NDI configuration signal is suitable for configuring the UE to include NDI as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0187] Embodiment 48 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 41-47, the method further comprising receiving a HARQ process reorganization signal from a base station using one or more processors, wherein the HARQ process reorganization signal includes information for reorganizing HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs among a plurality of HPGs.

[0188] Embodiment 49 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 41-48, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal includes one or more HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control elements (CEs), wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs is associated with an HPG identifier (ID) of a selected HPG among a plurality of HPGs, wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs includes a set of H fields corresponding to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein the value associated with each H field in the set of H fields identifies one or more HARQ processes included within the selected HPG identified by the HPGID.

[0189] Embodiment 50 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 41-49, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal includes a HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the CE including one or more H field sets respectively associated with one or more HPGs in a plurality of HPGs, wherein each H field set in the one or more H field sets corresponds to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein the value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the corresponding HPG.

[0190] Embodiment 51 is a method for a base station (BS), the method comprising: using one or more processors to send a hybrid automatic repeat request process group (HPG) configuration signal to a user equipment (UE) associated with the BS, wherein the HPG configuration signal includes information of multiple HARQ process groups (HPGs), each HPG including one or more HARQ processes in a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE; using one or more processors to send downlink control information (DCI) to the UE, wherein the DCI is configured to trigger a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, and wherein the DCI includes information identifying one or more HPGs in the multiple HPGs, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the one or more HPGs to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal; and using one or more processors to receive a HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal includes HARQ-ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs.

[0191] Embodiment 52 is a method including the subject matter of embodiment 51, wherein a plurality of HPGs are associated with a corresponding plurality of priority category indices, wherein each priority category index in the plurality of priority category indices corresponds to a priority index associated with one or more HARQ processes of the corresponding HPG.

[0192] Example 53 is a method of including or omitting elements including the subject matter of Examples 51-52, wherein the DCI includes an HPG request field, the HPG request field including an HPG request field value, the HPG request field value identifying one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the HPG request field value and one or more HPGs.

[0193] Embodiment 54 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 51-53, wherein the DCI includes cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a predefined HPG sequence, wherein the predefined HPG sequence identifies one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and one or more HPGs.

[0194] Embodiment 55 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 51-54, wherein the DCI includes a priority indicator field, the priority indicator field including a selected priority category index from a plurality of priority category indexes, wherein the selected priority category index identifies a selected HPG, the HARQ-ACK feedback information of the selected HPG to be included in the HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0195] Embodiment 56 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 51-55, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal also includes a latest data indicator (NDI) value detected by the UE for each HARQ process in the HARQ process associated with one or more HPGs.

[0196] Embodiment 57 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 51-56, the method further comprising generating an NDI configuration signal to be provided to a UE, wherein the NDI configuration signal is suitable for configuring the UE to include NDI as part of a HARQ-ACK feedback signal; and sending the NDI configuration signal to the UE using one or more processors.

[0197] Example 58 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of Examples 51-57, the method further comprising generating, using one or more processors, a HARQ process reorganization signal to be provided to a UE, wherein the HARQ process reorganization signal includes information for reorganizing HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs in a plurality of HPGs; and sending the HARQ process reorganization signal to the UE using one or more processors.

[0198] Embodiment 59 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 51-58, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal includes one or more HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control elements (CEs), wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs is associated with an HPG identifier (ID) of a selected HPG among a plurality of HPGs, wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs includes a set of H fields corresponding to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein the value associated with each H field in the set of H fields identifies one or more HARQ processes included within the selected HPG identified by the HPGID.

[0199] Embodiment 60 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 51-59, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal includes a HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the CE including one or more H-field sets respectively associated with one or more HPGs in a plurality of HPGs, wherein each H-field set in the one or more H-field sets corresponds to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein the value associated with each H-field in the H-field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the corresponding HPG.

[0200] Embodiment 61 is a user equipment (UE) device comprising a processor (or processing circuit) configured to perform operations including receiving downlink control information (DCI) from a base station associated with the UE, wherein the DCI includes an indication for triggering a type 3 hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) feedback signal; receiving a type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal based on processing the DCI, wherein the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal includes one or more HARQ-ACK bits for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) release, and wherein each of the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release is suitable for including HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH release associated with the UE; and sending the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal to the base station.

[0201] Embodiment 62 is a UE including the subject matter of embodiment 61, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release include one or more reserved bits reserved to respectively include HARQ-ACK information for the one or more SPS PDSCH releases.

[0202] Embodiment 63 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 61-62, wherein the DCI further includes information on the number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0203] Embodiment 64 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 61-63, wherein the DCI further includes a total SPS release indicator (T-SRI) field, the T-SRI field including information enabling identification of the total number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0204] Embodiment 65 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 61-64, wherein the T-SRI field comprises a 1-bit field that includes an SPS release indicator value indicating whether a reserved bit for SPS PDSCH release is included in the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal.

[0205] Embodiment 66 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 61-65, wherein when the SPS release indicator value indicates that reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release are included, the total number of reserved bits is determined based on the total number of HARQ processes configured for downlink (DL) SPS for the UE.

[0206] Embodiment 67 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 61-66, wherein the T-SRI field includes a 2-bit field, the 2-bit field including an SPS release indicator value, the SPS release indicator value identifying the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release according to a predefined mapping between the SPS release indicator value and the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release.

[0207] Embodiment 68 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 61-67, wherein one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release are appended to the end of the Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0208] Embodiment 69 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 61-68, wherein one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release are appended to the beginning of the Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0209] Embodiment 70 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 61-69, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release correspond to bit positions associated with the HARQ process of the corresponding SPS PDSCH within the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0210] Embodiment 71 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 61-70, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release correspond to bit positions associated with a HARQ process identified by a HARQ process identifier (HPI), wherein the HPI is indicated to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0211] Embodiment 72 is a base station (BS) comprising a processor (or processing circuit) configured to perform operations comprising sending downlink control information (DCI) to a user equipment (UE) associated with the BS, wherein the DCI comprises an indication to the UE for triggering a type 3 hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) feedback signal; and receiving a type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal from the UE in response to providing the DCI, wherein the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal comprises one or more HARQ-ACK bits for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) release, and wherein each of the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release is suitable for comprising HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH release associated with the UE.

[0212] Embodiment 73 is a BS including the subject matter of embodiment 72, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release include one or more reserved bits reserved to respectively include HARQ-ACK information for the one or more SPS PDSCH releases.

[0213] Embodiment 74 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 72-73, wherein the DCI further includes information on the number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the Type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal.

[0214] Embodiment 75 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 72-74, wherein the DCI also includes a total SPS release indicator (T-SRI) field, the T-SRI field including information enabling identification of the total number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0215] Embodiment 76 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 72-75, wherein the T-SRI field includes a 1-bit field that includes an SPS release indicator value indicating whether a reserved bit for SPS PDSCH release is included in a type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal.

[0216] Embodiment 77 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 72-76, wherein the T-SRI field includes a 2-bit field, the 2-bit field including an SPS release indicator value, the SPS release indicator value identifying the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release according to a predefined mapping between the SPS release indicator value and the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release.

[0217] Embodiment 78 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 72-77, wherein one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release are appended to the end of the Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0218] Embodiment 79 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 72-78, wherein one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release are appended to the beginning of the Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0219] Embodiment 80 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 72-79, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release correspond to bit positions associated with the HARQ process of the corresponding SPS PDSCH within the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0220] Embodiment 81 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 72-80, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release correspond to bit positions associated with a HARQ process identified by a predefined HARQ process identifier (HPI), wherein the HPI is indicated to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0221] Embodiment 82 is a baseband (BB) processor for a UE, the BB processor being configured to perform operations including receiving downlink control information (DCI) from a base station associated with the UE, wherein the DCI includes an indication for triggering a type 3 hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) feedback signal; receiving a type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal based on processing the DCI, wherein the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal includes one or more HARQ-ACK bits for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) release, and wherein each of the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release is suitable for including HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH release associated with the UE; and sending the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal to the base station.

[0222] Embodiment 83 is a BB processor including the subject matter of embodiment 82, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release include one or more reserved bits reserved to respectively include HARQ-ACK information for the one or more SPS PDSCH releases.

[0223] Embodiment 84 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 82-83, wherein the DCI also includes information on the number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0224] Embodiment 85 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 82-84, wherein the DCI also includes a total SPS release indicator (T-SRI) field, the T-SRI field including information enabling identification of the total number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0225] Embodiment 86 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 82-85, wherein the T-SRI field comprises a 1-bit field including an SPS release indicator value indicating whether a reserved bit for SPS PDSCH release is included in the Type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal.

[0226] Embodiment 87 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 82-86, wherein when the SPS release indicator value indicates that reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release are included, the total number of reserved bits is determined based on the total number of HARQ processes configured for downlink (DL) SPS for the UE.

[0227] Embodiment 88 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 82-87, wherein the T-SRI field includes a 2-bit field, the 2-bit field including an SPS release indicator value, the SPS release indicator value identifying the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release according to a predefined mapping between the SPS release indicator value and the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release.

[0228] Embodiment 89 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 82-88, wherein one or more reserved bits for SPSPDSCH release are appended to the end of the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0229] Embodiment 90 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 82-89, wherein one or more reserved bits for SPSPDSCH release are appended to the beginning of the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0230] Embodiment 91 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 82-90, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release correspond to bit positions associated with the HARQ process of the corresponding SPS PDSCH within the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0231] Embodiment 92 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 82-91, wherein one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPSPDSCH release correspond to bit positions associated with a HARQ process identified by a HARQ process identifier (HPI), wherein the HPI is indicated to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0232] Embodiment 93 is a baseband (BB) processor for a base station, the BB processor being configured to perform operations including sending downlink control information (DCI) to a user equipment (UE) associated with the base station, wherein the DCI includes an indication to the UE for triggering a type 3 hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) feedback signal; and receiving a type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal from the UE in response to providing the DCI, wherein the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal includes one or more HARQ-ACK bits for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) release, and wherein each of the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for an SPS PDSCH release is suitable for including HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH release associated with the UE.

[0233] Embodiment 94 is a BB processor including the subject matter of embodiment 93, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release include one or more reserved bits reserved to respectively include HARQ-ACK information for the one or more SPS PDSCH releases.

[0234] Embodiment 95 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 93-94, wherein the DCI also includes information on the number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal.

[0235] Embodiment 96 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 93-95, wherein the DCI also includes a total SPS release indicator (T-SRI) field, the T-SRI field including information enabling identification of the total number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0236] Embodiment 97 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 93-96, wherein the T-SRI field comprises a 1-bit field that includes an SPS release indicator value indicating whether a reserved bit for SPS PDSCH release is included in the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal.

[0237] Embodiment 98 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 93-97, wherein the T-SRI field includes a 2-bit field, the 2-bit field including an SPS release indicator value, the SPS release indicator value identifying the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release according to a predefined mapping between the SPS release indicator value and the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release.

[0238] Embodiment 99 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 93-98, wherein one or more reserved bits for SPSPDSCH release are appended to the end of the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0239] Embodiment 100 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 93-99, wherein one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release are appended to the beginning of the Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0240] Embodiment 101 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 93-100, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release correspond to bit positions associated with the HARQ process of the corresponding SPS PDSCH within the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0241] Embodiment 102 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 93-101, wherein one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release correspond to bit positions associated with a HARQ process identified by a predefined HARQ process identifier (HPI), wherein the HPI is indicated to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0242] Embodiment 103 is a method for a user equipment (UE), the method comprising receiving, using one or more processors, downlink control information (DCI) from a base station associated with the UE, wherein the DCI includes an indication for triggering a type 3 hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) feedback signal; receiving, using one or more processors based on processing the DCI, a type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal, wherein the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal includes one or more HARQ-ACK bits for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) release, and wherein each of the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release is suitable for including HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH release associated with the UE; and sending, using the one or more processors, the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal to the base station.

[0243] Embodiment 104 is a method including the subject matter of embodiment 103, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release include one or more reserved bits reserved to respectively include HARQ-ACK information for the one or more SPS PDSCH releases.

[0244] Embodiment 105 is a method of including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 103-104, wherein the DCI also includes information on the number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0245] Embodiment 106 is a method of including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 103-105, wherein the DCI further includes a total SPS release indicator (T-SRI) field, the T-SRI field including information enabling identification of the total number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0246] Embodiment 107 is a method of including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 103-106, wherein the T-SRI field comprises a 1-bit field that includes an SPS release indicator value indicating whether a reserved bit for SPS PDSCH release is included in the Type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal.

[0247] Embodiment 108 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 103-107, wherein when the SPS release indicator value indicates that reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release are included, the total number of reserved bits is determined based on the total number of HARQ processes configured for downlink (DL) SPS for the UE.

[0248] Embodiment 109 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 103-108, wherein the T-SRI field includes a 2-bit field, the 2-bit field including an SPS release indicator value, the SPS release indicator value identifying the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release according to a predefined mapping between the SPS release indicator value and the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release.

[0249] Embodiment 110 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 103-109, wherein one or more reserved bits for SPSPDSCH release are appended to the end of the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0250] Embodiment 111 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 103-110, wherein one or more reserved bits for SPSPDSCH release are appended to the beginning of the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0251] Embodiment 112 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 103-111, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release correspond to bit positions associated with the HARQ process of the corresponding SPS PDSCH within the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0252] Embodiment 113 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 103-112, wherein one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPSPDSCH release correspond to bit positions associated with a HARQ process identified by a HARQ process identifier (HPI), wherein the HPI is indicated to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0253] Embodiment 114 is a method for a base station, the method comprising sending, using one or more processors, downlink control information (DCI) to a user equipment (UE) associated with the base station, wherein the DCI includes an indication to the UE for triggering a type 3 hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) feedback signal; and receiving, using the one or more processors, a type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal from the UE in response to providing the DCI, wherein the type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal includes one or more HARQ-ACK bits for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) release, and wherein each of the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release is suitable for including HARQ-ACK information for an SPS PDSCH release associated with the UE.

[0254] Embodiment 115 is a method including the subject matter of embodiment 114, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release include one or more reserved bits reserved to respectively include HARQ-ACK information for the one or more SPS PDSCH releases.

[0255] Embodiment 116 is a method of including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 113-114, wherein the DCI also includes information on the number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0256] Embodiment 117 is a method of including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 113-116, wherein the DCI further includes a total SPS release indicator (T-SRI) field, the T-SRI field including information enabling identification of the total number of reserved bits, including one or more reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release to be included in the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0257] Embodiment 118 is a method of including or omitting elements including the subject matter of embodiments 113-117, wherein the T-SRI field comprises a 1-bit field that includes an SPS release indicator value indicating whether a reserved bit for SPS PDSCH release is included in the Type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal.

[0258] Embodiment 119 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 113-118, wherein the T-SRI field includes a 2-bit field, the 2-bit field including an SPS release indicator value, the SPS release indicator value identifying the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release according to a predefined mapping between the SPS release indicator value and the total number of reserved bits for SPS PDSCH release.

[0259] Embodiment 120 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 113-119, wherein one or more reserved bits for SPSPDSCH release are appended to the end of the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0260] Embodiment 121 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 113-120, wherein one or more reserved bits for SPSPDSCH release are appended to the beginning of the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0261] Embodiment 122 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 113-121, wherein the one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPS PDSCH release correspond to bit positions associated with the HARQ process of the corresponding SPS PDSCH within the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0262] Embodiment 123 is a method including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 113-122, wherein one or more HARQ-ACK bits for SPSPDSCH release correspond to bit positions associated with a HARQ process identified by a predefined HARQ process identifier (HPI), wherein the HPI is indicated to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0263] Embodiment 124 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 1-10, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal triggered by the DCI includes a type 1 HARQ-ACK codebook.

[0264] Embodiment 125 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 1-10, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal triggered by DCI includes a type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook.

[0265] Embodiment 126 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 11-20, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal triggered by the DCI includes a type 1 HARQ-ACK codebook.

[0266] Embodiment 127 is a BS including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 11-20, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal triggered by DCI includes a type 3 HARQ-ACK codebook.

[0267] Embodiment 128 is a UE including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 61-71, wherein the operations further include: determining whether to send a type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal and HARQ-ACK information associated with an SPS PDSCH release to a base station in the same time slot, and then generating a type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal based on the determination and including the HARQ-ACK information for the SPS PDSCH release in the HARQ-ACK bits corresponding to one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release within the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0268] Embodiment 129 is a BB processor including or omitting elements of the subject matter of embodiments 82-92, wherein the operations further include: determining whether to send a type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal and HARQ-ACK information associated with an SPS PDSCH release to a base station in the same time slot, and then generating a type 3 HARQ ACK feedback signal based on the determination and including the HARQ-ACK information for the SPS PDSCH release in the HARQ-ACK bits corresponding to one or more HARQ-ACK bits for the SPS PDSCH release within the type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

[0269] While the invention has been shown and described with respect to one or more specific embodiments, changes and / or modifications may be made to the illustrated examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the aforementioned components or structures (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), unless otherwise indicated, terms used to describe such components (including references to "means") are intended to correspond to any component or structure that performs the specified function of the component (e.g., functionally equivalent), even if not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure that performs the function in the exemplary implementations of the invention illustrated herein.

[0270] The above description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Although specific embodiments and examples are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications are contemplated within the scope of such embodiments and examples, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), the UE comprising a processor configured to perform operations including: receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ process group (HPG) configuration signal from a base station, wherein the HPG configuration signal configures a plurality of type-3 HPGs through a higher layer, each of the plurality of type-3 HPGs including a list of one or more type-3 HARQ processes for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); receiving downlink control information (DCI) from the base station, wherein the DCI includes a Type 3 HPG request field identifying one or more Type 3 HPGs of the plurality of Type 3 HPGs, the Type 3 HPG request field having a number of bits depending on the amount of the plurality of Type 3 HPGs; and Triggered by the DCI and based on the one or more type 3 HPGs, a type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal is generated for transmission to the base station.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the multiple HPGs are respectively associated with multiple priority category indexes, wherein each priority category index in the multiple priority category indexes corresponds to a priority index associated with the one or more HARQ processes of the corresponding HPG.

3. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the DCI includes an HPG request field, the HPG request field including an HPG request field value identifying the one or more HPGs, and wherein the processor is configured to determine the one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the HPG request field value and the one or more HPGs.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the DCI includes cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a predefined HPG sequence, wherein the predefined HPG sequence identifies the one or more HPGs, and wherein the processor is configured to descramble the CRC bits to determine the predefined HPG sequence, and determine the one or more HPGs based on the predefined HPG sequence according to a predefined mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and the one or more HPGs. 5 . The UE of claim 2 , wherein the DCI comprises a priority indicator field comprising a selected priority class index among the plurality of priority class indexes, wherein the selected priority class index identifies a selected HPG.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal further comprises a latest data indicator (NDI) value detected by the UE for each of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs.

7. The UE of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise receiving an NDI configuration signal from the base station, wherein the NDI configuration signal is adapted to configure the UE to include the NDI as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a HARQ process reorganization signal from the base station, wherein the HARQ process reorganization signal comprises information for reorganizing the HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs of the plurality of HPGs.

9. The UE according to claim 8, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal comprises one or more HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control elements (CEs), wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs is associated with an HPG identifier (ID) of a selected HPG among the multiple HPGs, wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs comprises an H field set corresponding to a set of the HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein a value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the selected HPG identified by the HPGID.

10. The UE according to claim 8, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal comprises a HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the HARQ reassembly MAC CE comprising one or more H field sets respectively associated with one or more HPGs in the multiple HPGs, wherein each H field set in the one or more H field sets corresponds to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein a value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the corresponding HPG.

11. A base station (BS), comprising a processor configured to perform operations comprising: Sending a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ process group (HPG) configuration signal to a user equipment (UE), wherein the HPG configuration signal configures a plurality of type-3 HPGs through a higher layer, each of the plurality of type-3 HPGs including a list of one or more type-3 HARQ processes for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); Sending downlink control information (DCI) to the UE, wherein the DCI is configured to trigger a Type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE and includes a Type 3 HPG request field identifying one or more Type 3 HPGs of the plurality of Type 3 HPGs, the Type 3 HPG request field having a number of bits depending on the amount of the plurality of Type 3 HPGs; and The type-3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal is received from the UE, wherein the type-3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal includes HARQ-ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more type-3 HPGs.

12. The BS of claim 11, wherein the plurality of HPGs are respectively associated with a plurality of priority class indexes, wherein each priority class index in the plurality of priority class indexes corresponds to a priority index associated with the one or more HARQ processes of the corresponding HPG.

13. The BS of claim 11, wherein the DCI comprises an HPG request field, the HPG request field comprising an HPG request field value, the HPG request field value identifying the one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the HPG request field value and the one or more HPGs.

14. The BS of claim 11, wherein the DCI comprises cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a predefined HPG sequence, wherein the predefined HPG sequence identifies the one or more HPGs according to a predefined mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and the one or more HPGs. 15 . The BS of claim 12 , wherein the DCI comprises a priority indicator field comprising a selected priority class index among the plurality of priority class indexes, wherein the selected priority class index identifies a selected HPG. 16 . The BS of claim 11 , wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal further includes a latest data indicator (NDI) value detected by the UE for each of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs.

17. The BS of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise: generating an NDI configuration signal to be provided to the UE, wherein the NDI configuration signal is adapted to configure the UE to include the NDI as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal; as well as The NDI configuration signal is sent to the UE.

18. The BS of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise: generating a HARQ process reorganization signal to be provided to the UE, wherein the HARQ process reorganization signal includes information for reorganizing the HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs of the plurality of HPGs; and The HARQ process reorganization signal is sent to the UE.

19. The BS of claim 18, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal comprises one or more HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control elements (CEs), wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs is associated with an HPG identifier (ID) of a selected HPG among the multiple HPGs, wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs comprises an H field set corresponding to a set of the HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein a value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the selected HPG identified by the HPG ID.

20. The BS of claim 18, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal comprises a HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the HARQ reassembly MAC CE comprising one or more H field sets respectively associated with one or more HPGs of the multiple HPGs, wherein each of the one or more H field sets corresponds to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein a value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the corresponding HPG.

21. A baseband (BB) processor for a user equipment (UE), the BB processor comprising: One or more interfaces; and a processing circuit coupled to a memory of the UE via the one or more interfaces and configured to perform operations comprising: receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ process group (HPG) configuration signal from a base station, wherein the HPG configuration signal configures a plurality of type-3 HPGs through a higher layer, each of the plurality of type-3 HPGs including a list of one or more type-3 HARQ processes for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); receiving downlink control information (DCI) from the base station, wherein the DCI indicates one or more type 3 HPGs among the plurality of type 3 HPGs; as well as Triggered by the DCI and based on the one or more type 3 HPGs, a type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal is generated for transmission to the base station.

22. The BB processor of claim 21, wherein the plurality of HPGs are respectively associated with a plurality of priority class indexes, wherein each priority class index of the plurality of priority class indexes corresponds to a priority index associated with the one or more HARQ processes of a corresponding HPG.

23. The BB processor of claim 21 , wherein the DCI includes an HPG request field including an HPG request field value identifying the one or more HPGs, and wherein the processor is configured to determine the one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the HPG request field value and the one or more HPGs.

24. The BB processor of claim 21 , wherein the DCI comprises cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a predefined HPG sequence, wherein the predefined HPG sequence identifies the one or more HPGs, and wherein the processor is configured to descramble the CRC bits to determine the predefined HPG sequence, and determine the one or more HPGs based on the predefined HPG sequence according to a predefined mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and the one or more HPGs.

25. The BB processor of claim 22, wherein the DCI comprises a priority indicator field comprising a selected priority class index among the plurality of priority class indexes, wherein the selected priority class index identifies a selected HPG.

26. The BB processor of claim 21, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal further comprises a latest data indicator (NDI) value detected by the UE for each of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs.

27. The BB processor of claim 26, wherein the operations further comprise receiving an NDI configuration signal from the base station, wherein the NDI configuration signal is adapted to configure the UE to include the NDI as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal.

28. The BB processor of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a HARQ process reorganization signal from the base station, wherein the HARQ process reorganization signal comprises information for reorganizing the HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs of the plurality of HPGs.

29. The BB processor of claim 28, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal comprises one or more HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control elements (CEs), wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs is associated with an HPG identifier (ID) of a selected HPG among the multiple HPGs, wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs comprises an H field set corresponding to a set of the HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein a value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the selected HPG identified by the HPGID.

30. The BB processor of claim 28, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal comprises a HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the HARQ reassembly MAC CE comprising one or more H field sets respectively associated with one or more HPGs of the plurality of HPGs, wherein each of the one or more H field sets corresponds to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein a value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the corresponding HPG.

31. A baseband (BB) processor for a base station (BS), the BB processor comprising: One or more interfaces; and a processing circuit coupled to a memory of the BS via the one or more interfaces and configured to perform operations comprising: Sending a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ process group (HPG) configuration signal to a user equipment (UE), wherein the HPG configuration signal configures a plurality of type 3 HPGs through a higher layer, each of the plurality of type 3 HPGs including a list of one or more type 3 HARQ processes for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); Sending downlink control information (DCI) to the UE, wherein the DCI is configured to trigger a type 3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal from the UE and indicate one or more type 3 HPGs among the multiple type 3 HPGs; and The type-3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal is received from the UE, wherein the type-3 HARQ-ACK feedback signal includes HARQ-ACK feedback information of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more type-3 HPGs.

32. The BB processor of claim 31, wherein the plurality of HPGs are respectively associated with a plurality of priority class indexes, wherein each priority class index of the plurality of priority class indexes corresponds to a priority index associated with the one or more HARQ processes of a corresponding HPG.

33. The BB processor of claim 31, wherein the DCI comprises an HPG request field comprising an HPG request field value, the HPG request field value identifying the one or more HPGs based on a predefined mapping between the HPG request field value and the one or more HPGs.

34. The BB processor of claim 31, wherein the DCI comprises cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a predefined HPG sequence, wherein the predefined HPG sequence identifies the one or more HPGs according to a predefined mapping between the predefined HPG sequence and the one or more HPGs.

35. The BB processor of claim 32, wherein the DCI comprises a priority indicator field comprising a selected priority class index of the plurality of priority class indexes, wherein the selected priority class index identifies a selected HPG.

36. The BB processor of claim 31, wherein the HARQ-ACK feedback signal further comprises a latest data indicator (NDI) value detected by the UE for each of the HARQ processes associated with the one or more HPGs.

37. The BB processor of claim 36, wherein the operations further comprise: generating an NDI configuration signal to be provided to the UE, wherein the NDI configuration signal is adapted to configure the UE to include the NDI as part of the HARQ-ACK feedback signal; as well as The NDI configuration signal is sent to the UE.

38. The BB processor of claim 31 , wherein the operations further comprise: generating a HARQ process reorganization signal to be provided to the UE, wherein the HARQ process reorganization signal includes information for reorganizing the HARQ processes associated with one or more HPGs of the plurality of HPGs; and The HARQ process reorganization signal is sent to the UE.

39. The BB processor of claim 38, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal comprises one or more HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control elements (CEs), wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs is associated with an HPG identifier (ID) of a selected HPG among the multiple HPGs, wherein each of the one or more HARQ reassembly MAC CEs comprises an H field set corresponding to a set of the HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein a value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the selected HPG identified by the HPGID.

40. The BB processor of claim 38, wherein the HARQ process reassembly signal comprises a HARQ reassembly medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the HARQ reassembly MAC CE comprising one or more H field sets respectively associated with one or more HPGs in the plurality of HPGs, wherein each H field set in the one or more H field sets corresponds to a set of HARQ processes configured for the UE, and wherein a value associated with each H field in the H field set identifies one or more HARQ processes included in the corresponding HPG.

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