Method and apparatus for coordinating uplink grants

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to a method and apparatus for coordinating uplink grants. The method may include: determining a priority of at least one uplink grant; and determining a priority uplink grant among overlapping uplink grants. The priority of the at least one uplink grant is determined based on: a priority of a logical channel; and / or whether a media access control (MAC) packet data unit (PDU) is an initial transmission MAC PDU or a retransmission MAC PDU.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates generally to wireless communication techniques, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for coordinating uplink grants in unlicensed bands in New Radio Industrial Internet of Things (NR-IIoT). Background Art

[0002] In NR-IIoT, the network node can configure two types of uplink grants for the user equipment (UE) to perform uplink transmission. The uplink grant may indicate some specific radio resources (such as time and frequency resources) for the UE to perform uplink transmission. Different service types with different requirements are also introduced in NR-IIoT. For example, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) service or ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) service may be used depending on actual needs. In general, eMBB services can be used for massive data transmission and require wide bandwidth. URLLC services can be used for high-reliability transmission and require low latency.

[0003] However, in some cases, multiple resource allocations (e.g., uplink grants including configuration grants (CGs)) and / or different types of services may be configured for a UE. These resource allocations may overlap with each other. For example, the time domain and / or frequency domain resource allocations of two uplink grants may overlap. In addition, automatic retransmission on the same or different CG configurations is supported in 5G New Radio (NR-U) on unlicensed spectrum, but not in NR-IIoT (ReI-16). Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to coordinate uplink grants in NR-IIoT and NR-U (which is the purpose of this application), different priority rules between NR-IIoT and NR-U should be considered and therefore relevant solutions for applying the features of NR-IIoT in NR-U are needed. Embodiments of this application provide a method and apparatus for coordinating uplink grants.

[0005] An embodiment of the present application provides a method. The method may include: determining a priority of at least one uplink grant; and determining a priority uplink grant among overlapping uplink grants.

[0006] In an embodiment of the present application, the priority of at least one uplink grant is determined based on: the priority of the logical channel; and / or whether a media access control (MAC) packet data unit (PDU) is an initial transmission MAC PDU or a retransmission MAC PDU.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, if a retransmission can be transmitted on an uplink grant and the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU is higher than the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels with available data multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that can be transmitted on the uplink grant, then the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels with available data multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU. Otherwise, the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels with available data multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that can be transmitted on the uplink grant.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, the method may further include: determining whether the highest priority of the logical channels multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU and the logical channels multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that may be transmitted on the uplink grant is lower than a threshold. If yes, the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU. If no, the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU or the logical channels multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that may be transmitted on the uplink grant.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, determining the priority of at least one uplink grant may further include: determining whether any logical channel enters an emergency state, and if the logical channel enters an emergency state, determining the priority of the uplink grant of the multiplexed or multiplexable logical channel as the highest priority. In addition, the logical channel may have the same priority as other logical channels multiplexed in other uplink grants, or the difference between the priority of the logical channel and the priority of other logical channels is less than a threshold.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present application, the priority of uplink grants is determined based on potential retransmissions, and the potential retransmissions are determined based on logical channels having retransmission timers running before selecting a priority uplink grant.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, the method may further include determining whether a priority of a logical channel having a retransmission timer running is greater than a threshold.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present application, the method may further include performing Listen Before Talk (LBT) on all available uplink grants.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present application, the method may further include: performing LBT on all authorizations including configuration authorizations, dynamic scheduling authorizations, priority authorizations, and low priority authorizations; and determining whether the priority authorization is an LBT success or an LBT failure.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present application, the priority of the uplink grant that multiplexes only the LBT failure MAC CE and does not multiplex the data of the logical channel in the MAC PDU is determined as the highest priority or the lowest priority or configured by the network node.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present application, the priority of the uplink grant of the scheduling request (SR) for the LBT failure MAC CE is determined as the highest priority or the lowest priority or configured by the network node.

[0016] Another embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus. The apparatus may include: a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon; a receiving circuit system; a transmitting circuit system; and a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium, the receiving circuit system, and the transmitting circuit system. The computer-executable instructions cause the processor to implement the above method.

[0017] The embodiments of the present application propose some new rules to prioritize uplink grants among overlapping UL grants to coordinate uplink grants in NR-IIoT and NR-U. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present application can be obtained, the description of the present application is presented by reference to specific embodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only example embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be considered to limit its scope.

[0019] Figure 1 A wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present application is described.

[0020] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation in which a conflict occurs in NR-U.

[0021] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram illustrating another scenario of a conflict situation occurring in NR-U and NR-IIoT.

[0022] Figure 2C This is a schematic diagram illustrating another scenario of a conflict situation occurring between NR-U and NR-IIoT due to an emergency situation.

[0023] Figure 3 The method executed by the UE according to the preferred embodiment of the present application is described.

[0024] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Two scenarios for determining the priority of uplink grants according to some embodiments of the present application are described.

[0025] Figure 4C A scenario for determining a priority uplink grant among overlapping uplink grants according to some embodiments of the present application is described.

[0026] Figure 5 Devices according to some embodiments of the present application are described.

[0027] Figure 6 Devices according to some embodiments of the present application are described. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The detailed description of the accompanying drawings is intended to describe the preferred embodiments of the present application, but is not intended to represent the only form in which the present application can be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions can be implemented by different embodiments that are intended to be included in the spirit and scope of the present application.

[0029] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 A wireless communication system 100 according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated.

[0031] refer to Figure 1 , the wireless communication system 100 may include a UE 101 and a BS 102. Figure 1 A particular number of UEs 101 and BSs 102 are depicted in FIG. 1 , but it is contemplated that additional UEs and BSs may be employed in wireless communication system 100 .

[0032] BS 102 may be distributed over a geographic area and may communicate with a core network (CN) node. In some embodiments of the present application, BS 102 may also be referred to as an access point, an access terminal, a base station, a base station unit, a macro cell, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a gNB, a Home Node B, a relay node or a device or described using other terms used in the art. BS 102 is typically part of a radio access network that may include one or more controllers communicatively coupled to one or more corresponding BS 102.

[0033] UE 101 may communicate directly with BS 102 via uplink communication signals. UE 101 may be referred to as a user unit, a mobile device, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a user station, a user terminal or a device or other terms used in the art to describe the UE.

[0034] In some embodiments of the present application, UE 101 may include, for example but not limited to, a computing device such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including security cameras), an in-vehicle computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, and a modem), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) device, or the like.

[0035] According to some embodiments of the present application, UE 101 may include, for example but not limited to, a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a flip phone, a device with a subscriber identification module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network.

[0036] In addition, in some embodiments of the present application, UE 101 may include (for example but not limited to) a wearable device, such as a smart watch, a fitness band, an optical head-mounted display, or the like.

[0037] The wireless communication system 100 may be compatible with any type of network capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with networks and network topologies such as wireless communication networks, cellular telephone networks, time division multiple access (TDMA)-based networks, code division multiple access (CDMA)-based networks, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)-based networks, long term evolution (LTE) networks, 3GPP-based networks, 3GPP 5G networks, new radio (NR) networks, Internet of Things (IoT) networks, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) networks, and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks, satellite communication networks, high altitude platform networks, and / or other communication networks.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present application, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with the 5G New Radio of the 3GPP protocol, wherein the BS 102 transmits data using an OFDM modulation scheme on the DL and the UE 101 transmits data using a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) or OFDM scheme on the UL. However, more generally, the wireless communication system 100 may implement some other open or proprietary communication protocols, such as WiMAX, WiFi, and other protocols.

[0039] In some embodiments of the present application, BS 102 may communicate using other communication protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication protocols. In addition, in some embodiments of the present application, BS 102 may communicate via licensed spectrum, while in other embodiments, BS 102 may communicate via unlicensed spectrum. The present application does not wish to be limited to any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol implementation. In still other embodiments of the present application, BS 102 may communicate with UE 101 using 3GPP 5G protocols.

[0040] In NR-IIoT, BS 102 may configure different types of transmission opportunities (e.g., uplink grants) for UE 101 to perform uplink transmissions. An uplink grant may indicate some specific radio resources (e.g., time and / or frequency resources) for UE 101 to perform uplink transmissions. One type of uplink grant may include a dynamic grant. A dynamic grant may be configured based on a request from the UE. For example, the UE may transmit a previous request to BS 102. After receiving the request, BS 102 may configure a dynamic grant based on the request of the UE to enable UE 101 to perform uplink data transmission. Another type of uplink grant may include a configuration grant. A configuration grant may be configured by BS 102 without a request from the UE.

[0041] However, in some cases, multiple uplink grants and / or different types of services may be configured for UE 101. These uplink grants may overlap each other. For example, the time domain and / or frequency domain resource allocations of two uplink grants may overlap. When these uplink grants are available, UE 101 cannot perform transmissions on the overlapping uplink grants simultaneously. UE 101 needs to select one of them to perform uplink transmission and abandon / delay / remove other uplink grants. Therefore, some priority mechanisms are needed between overlapping uplink grants.

[0042] The premise of all embodiments of the present application is that NR-IIoT-related features (for example, the MAC entity of the UE is configured with priority rules based on logical channels, i.e., "lch-basedPrioritization") are configured to be applied in NR-U. In detail, the network can be configured to enable the function of coordinating uplink grants in NR-IIoT and NR-U. Or when the NR-IIoT function is enabled, the function of coordinating uplink grants in NR-IIoT and NR-U can be regarded as enabled, for example, when the MAC entity is configured with lch-basedPrioritization applied in NR-U, for example, it is enabled by being configured with cg-RetransmissionTimer to identify. The uplink grant or uplink resource mentioned below may be a configuration grant, a dynamically scheduled PUSCH grant and / or a PUCCH grant and / or a PRACH. When determining the priority of the grant in the following embodiments of the present application, only the configuration grant, the dynamically scheduled PUSCH grant or a combination of at least two of the configuration grant, the dynamically scheduled PUSCH grant, the PRACH and the PUCCH grant should be considered.

[0043] The first issue involves determining the priority of uplink grants when the UE's MAC entity is configured with lch-basedPrioritization rules in NR-U. Figure 2A , 2B Some conflict situations are shown in 2C, which are not specified in the uplink grant or priority in the logical channel when considering unlicensed bands in current URLLC / IIoT operations.

[0044] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating a scenario of a collision situation occurring in NR-U. A UE may be configured with multiple logical channels (LCHs). Each LCH may be associated with a priority based on the data it carries. Figure 2A , in this case, the priority of logical channels LCH1 and LCH2 is LCH1>LCH2. When considering the potential retransmission on uplink grant / uplink resources including the priority rules for configuring grant CG1 and NR-U, Figure 2A The conflict situation described in may occur. In NR-U (TS38.321 and protocol), the UE should prioritize retransmissions before initial transmissions. Although the priority of logical channel LCH1 is greater than the priority of logical channel LCH2, because packet data unit PDU2 is a retransmission PDU, the configuration grant CG1 is still preempted by packet data unit (PDU) PDU2. In such a scenario, if packet data unit PDU1 is an IIoT service that requires high reliability transmission and low latency, it is unacceptable from a performance perspective.

[0045] Figure 2B FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating another scenario of a conflict situation occurring in NR-U and NR-IIoT. Figure 2B , in this case, the priorities of logical channels LCH1, LCH2 and LCH3 are LCH1>LCH2>LCH3. When configuration grant CG1 and configuration grant CG2 conflict, because the priority of logical channel LCH1 is greater than the priority of logical channel LCH2, configuration grant CG1 takes precedence based on the lch-basedPrioritization rule. In other words, configuration grant CG2 has a lower priority than configuration grant CG1. In addition, before transmitting packet data unit PDU1, packet data unit PDU3 corresponding to logical channel LCH3 needs to be retransmitted because the cg-RetransmissionTimer for the PDU3 HARQ process expires and it means NACKing the previous transmission of packet data unit PDU3. Then, if the NR-U rule is followed and if the transport block size (TBS) configured by grant CG1 is the same as the TBS of packet data unit PDU3, then although the priority of logical channel LCH3 is lower than the priority of logical channel LCH1, configuration grant CG1 is preempted by the retransmission of packet data unit PDU3. If the packet data units PDU1 and PDU2 are IIoT traffic, then this is unacceptable from a performance perspective.

[0046] Figure 2C FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating another situation in which a conflict occurs between NR-U and NR-IIoT due to an emergency. Figure 2C , in this case, the priority of logical channels LCH1, LCH2 and LCH3 is LCH2>LCH1>LCH3. Assumption: The services on logical channels LCH1 and LCH2 are IIoT services, logical channel LCH1 enters the emergency state / survival time state as cg-RetransmissionTimer expires, and the TBS of packet data unit PDU1 is the same as the TBS configured by configuration authorization CG2. The packet data unit PDU1 that enters the emergency state cannot be retransmitted because the configuration authorization CG2 has a lower priority than the configuration authorization CG1 and the service on the logical channel LCH1 cannot survive the emergency state, which may cause the application to enter a failed state.

[0047] The second issue involves prioritizing uplink grants when the priority grant cannot acquire the channel. Specifically, if Figure 2B or Figure 2CIn the case where the configuration grant CG2 performs listen before send (LBT), there is a situation where the configuration grant CG1 cannot obtain the channel while the configuration grant CG2 that overlaps with the configuration grant CG1 successfully obtains the channel. However, according to the description of the current MAC specification, if the two features used in NR-IIoT and NR-U are enabled, the process of the UE's MAC entity determines the priority of the conflicting uplink grants before the result of LBT. Then, as Figure 2B and Figure 2C As shown in FIG. 1 , configuration authorization CG2 has a low priority and does not need to consider the result of LBT. Therefore, resources (such as configuration authorization CG2) will be wasted.

[0048] The third issue involves prioritizing LBT failure media access control (MAC) control elements (CE) and corresponding scheduling requests (SR). In NR-U, LBT failure MAC CE is introduced to recover from consistent LBT failure and SR transmission can be triggered for LBT failure MAC CE. In NR-IIoT, LBT failure MAC CE is not required and SR triggered by MAC CE is not considered. Therefore, priority should be determined when the PUCCH resource with SR transmission for LBT failure MAC CE overlaps with the PUSCH duration. In addition, priority needs to be determined when the PUSCH duration with only LBT failure MAC CE overlaps with another PUSCH duration or PUCCH resource.

[0049] In this application, we propose several options / solutions to resolve the above problems / conflicts.

[0050] Figure 3 The method executed by the UE according to the preferred embodiment of the present application is described. Figure 3 In step 301, the UE determines the priority of at least one uplink grant. In step 303, the UE determines a priority uplink grant among overlapping uplink grants. Figure 3 The concepts described in the foregoing may be applied to all the options / solutions described below in determining the priority of a grant and / or selecting a priority grant in case of overlapping uplink grants.

[0051] Regarding the first question, a first option involves determining the priority of at least one uplink grant based on: the priority of the logical channel; and / or whether a media access control (MAC) packet data unit (PDU) is a MAC PDU with initial transmission (hereinafter also referred to as "initial transmission MAC PDU") or a retransmission MAC PDU.

[0052] Specifically, if a retransmission may be transmitted on an uplink grant and the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU is higher than the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels with available data multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that may be transmitted on the uplink grant, then the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels with available data multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU. Otherwise, the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels with available data multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that may be transmitted on the uplink grant.

[0053] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Two scenarios for determining the priority of uplink grant according to some embodiments of the present application are described. Figure 4A , assuming that in this case the priorities of the logical channels LCH1, LCH2 and LCH3 are LCH3>LCH1>LCH2. If the retransmission of the packet data unit PDU3 can be transmitted on the configuration grant CG1 (i.e., the TBS of the packet data unit PDU3 is the same as the TBS allocated by the configuration grant CG1), then because the priority of the logical channel LCH3 multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU3 is higher than the priority of the logical channels LCH1 and LCH2 with available data that are or can be multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU 1 or MAC PDU 2, the configuration grant CG1 is preempted by the retransmission of the packet data unit PDU 3.

[0054] refer to Figure 4B , assuming that in this case the priorities of the logical channels LCH1, LCH2 and LCH3 are LCH1>LCH3>LCH2. The retransmission of the packet data unit PDU3 can be transmitted on the configuration grant CG1. However, the priority of the logical channel LCH3 is lower than the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels with available data multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU (i.e., the highest priority is the priority of LCH1 in the initial transmission MAC PDU 1). Therefore, although the packet data unit PDU3 is a retransmission PDU, the priority of the configuration grant CG1 is determined by the priority of the logical channel LCH1 with available data that is or can be multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU1.

[0055] Therefore, in order to deal with the first problem, the first option in the present application may include: for the MAC entity configured with lch-basedPrioritization and for the configured uplink grant configured with cg-RetransmissionTimer, the UE implementation scheme selects the HARQ process ID from the HARQ process IDs available for the configured grant configuration. If the LCH priority of the retransmission is higher than the initial transmission, the UE should prioritize the retransmission before the initial transmission. In addition, for the MAC entity configured with lch-basedPrioritization and for the configured uplink grant configured with cg-RetransmissionTimer, according to some mapping restrictions, the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels with available data that are or can be multiplexed in the MAC PDU or the retransmission MAC PDU. When a conflict involving PRACH or PUSCH used for a RACH process occurs, the PRACH or PUSCH used for the RACH process is considered to have the highest priority. For example, if the resources of Msg3 or MsgA used for RACH process overlap with other PUSCH resources not used for RACH process or overlap with other PUCCH resources, the resources used for Msg3 or MsgA are considered to have the highest priority. When two or all conflicting resources are used for RACH process, the priority is determined by the UE implementation.

[0056] Regarding the first question, the second option involves prioritizing retransmissions before initial transmissions are applied to eMBB services. In general, eMBB services may be used for massive data transmission and require wide bandwidth. The second option is similar to the first option, and the difference therebetween is that the second option may further include determining whether the highest priority of the logical channels multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU and the logical channels multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that is or may be transmitted on the uplink grant is below a threshold.

[0057] If the highest priority of the logical channels multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU and the logical channels multiplexed in the MAC PDU transmitted or can be transmitted as the initial transmission MAC PDU is lower than the threshold, then the UE shall prioritize the retransmission before the initial transmission and the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU. For the configured uplink grant configured with cg-RetransmissionTimer, the UE implementation selects the HARQ process ID among the HARQ process IDs available for the configured grant configuration. The UE shall prioritize the retransmission before the initial transmission. The UE shall toggle the NDI in the CG-UCI for the new transmission and shall not toggle the NDI in the CG-UCI in the retransmission.

[0058] Otherwise, if the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU and the logical channels multiplexed in or which can be multiplexed in the MAC PDU transmitted as the initial transmission MAC PDU is equal to or greater than the threshold, then the priority of the uplink grant is determined by: (i) the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU; or (ii) the logical channels multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU transmitted on the uplink grant.

[0059] Specifically, if a retransmission may be transmitted on an uplink grant and the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU is higher than the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels with available data multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that may be transmitted on the uplink grant, then the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels with available data multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU. Otherwise, the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the logical channels with available data multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that may be transmitted on the uplink grant.

[0060] Regarding the first question, the third option involves determining whether any logical channel enters an emergency state. In some embodiments, the expiration of a timer (e.g., cg-RetransmissionTimer) is used to determine that data transmission is in an emergency state. The emergency state is determined based on parameters related to the survival time. In 3GPP TS 22.104, the survival time is defined as the time that an application consuming a communication service can last without an expected message. The survival time can be expressed as a period or, especially for cyclic services, as the maximum number of consecutive erroneous receptions or lost messages. In some instances, if a communication service does not meet the relevant QoS requirements, it is considered unavailable. If availability is one of these requirements, then if the expected message is not received within a specified time, then the system is considered unavailable, and the specified time is at least the sum of the maximum allowed end-to-end delay and the survival time.

[0061] Specifically, in the third option, determining the priority of at least one uplink grant may further include determining whether any logical channel enters an emergency state. If the logical channel enters an emergency state, the priority of the uplink grant of the multiplexed or multiplexable logical channel is determined as the highest priority. Alternatively, the logical channel entering the emergency state is determined as the highest priority among logical channels with equal priority or logical channels with a difference in priority less than a threshold.

[0062] Therefore, when the priority rule proposed in the third option is applied to Figure 2C The results will be different in the situation shown in . Figure 4C The following describes a scenario for determining a priority uplink grant among overlapping uplink grants according to some embodiments of the present application. Figure 4C , the logical channel LCH1 enters the survival state with the expiration of cg-RetransmissionTimer and the TBS of the packet data unit PDU1 is the same as the configuration authorization CG2. When the priority rule proposed in the third option is applied to the situation, the priority of the configuration authorization CG2 of the multiplexed or multiplexable logical channel LCH1 will be determined as the highest priority. That is, the configuration authorization CG2 takes precedence over the configuration authorization CG1, or in other words, the configuration authorization CG1 has a lower priority than the configuration authorization CG2.

[0063] In some scenarios, if more than one logical channel enters an emergency state, the method in the third option may further include determining a packet delay budget (PDB) value in the logical channel entering the emergency state. For example, the priority of the uplink grant of the data service in the logical channel entering the emergency state with the smallest PDB value is determined as the highest priority.

[0064] Regarding the first question, the fifth option involves considering potential retransmissions when prioritizing uplink grants. Before selecting a priority uplink grant, potential retransmissions are determined based on logical channels with retransmission timers running. Specifically, if a timer (e.g., cg-RetransmissionTimer) expires before the MAC PDU is aggregated in the uplink grant, then the logical channel with cg-RetranssionTimer running should be considered when considering prioritizing candidate logical channels. For example, the logical channel with cg-RetranssionTimer running should be compared when deciding whether to prioritize or not prioritize uplink grant CG2. Figure 2C The priority of the logical channel LCH1 is shown in FIG.

[0065] Regarding the first question, the sixth option involves considering potential high priority retransmissions when prioritizing uplink grants. The method in the sixth option is similar to the method in the fifth option, and the difference therebetween is that the method in the sixth option may further include determining whether the priority of the logical channel with the retransmission timer running is greater than a threshold. For example, if the priority of the logical channel with the retransmission timer running is greater than the threshold, then it should be considered when deciding whether to prioritize or not prioritize uplink grant CG2. Figure 2C If the priority of a logical channel with a retransmission timer running is not greater than the threshold, it will not be considered in deciding whether to prioritize or not prioritize uplink grant CG2. Figure 2C The priority of the logical channel LCH1 is shown in FIG.

[0066] Regarding the second question, a first option involves performing Listen Before Talk (LBT) on all potential uplink grants.

[0067] BS (e.g. Figure 1 BS 102) and UE (e.g. Figure 1 1) can operate in both licensed and unlicensed spectrum. LBT is a channel access technology for transmission on unlicensed spectrum. For transmission on unlicensed spectrum, in order to achieve fair coexistence with other wireless systems, it is necessary to perform LBT process before the transmitter / transmission circuit system (such as BS or UE) can start transmission on the unlicensed spectrum.

[0068] In order to deal with the second problem (for example, to avoid uplink grant waste), the method in the first option may include performing LBT on all available uplink grants including configuration grants and / or dynamic scheduling grants and / or priority grants and / or low priority grants and then determining the priority of the uplink grants on which LBT succeeds. For example, if the priority grant CG1 resource is before the low priority grant CG2 and LBT fails on grant CG1, then LBT should be performed on grant CG2. Two overlapping UL grants may be configured in different subbands or in the same subband. The UE is allowed to transmit on the priority grant because LBT is successful, or the priority grant is a previous low priority grant and it is prioritized because LBT is successful and the previous priority grant LBT fails. For example, there are two overlapping configuration resources CG1 and CG2. LBT is performed on both CG1 and CG2 before determining which one is the priority grant or the low priority grant. For another example, in this case, autonomous retransmission will be applied to the priority grant and if LBT succeeds on grant CG2, autonomous retransmission can be performed on grant CG2. In one example, the UE performs LBT on grant CG1 (lower priority grant) and if it succeeds, it will transmit the lower priority grant for a configured duration (e.g., one (1) symbol) and then transmit the data / PDU that will be aggregated or aggregated on grant CG2 (high priority grant) for transmission on said grant CG2. This behavior may also be allowed depending on how large the priority deviation between grants CG2 and CG1 is (i.e., a threshold (To) defined for the priority deviation between CG2 and CG1), if the priority deviation between CG2 and CG1 is <To or >To, then the above-mentioned prominent behavior is allowed.

[0069] Regarding the second question, the second option involves prioritizing low priority grants based on LBT results. Specifically, the method of the second option may include: performing LBT on the priority grant and the low priority grant; and determining whether the priority grant is LBT successful or LBT failed. If the priority grant is LBT successful, the priority order of overlapping uplink grants remains unchanged. If the priority grant is LBT failed and the low priority grant is LBT successful, then the priority grant is determined to be low priority and the low priority grant is determined to be prioritized. Since the LBT is successful, the UE is allowed to transmit on the priority grant. For example, in this case, autonomous retransmission will be applied to the priority grant and if LBT is successful on grant CG2, then autonomous retransmission can be performed on grant CG2. In one example, the UE performs LBT on grant CG1 (lower priority grant) and if it succeeds, then it will transmit the lower priority grant within a configured duration (e.g., one (1) symbol) and then transmit the data / PDU that will be aggregated on CG2 (high priority grant) or aggregated for transmission on CG2. This behavior may also be allowed depending on how large the priority deviation between authorized CG2 and CG1 is (i.e., a threshold (To) defined for the priority deviation between CG2 and CG1). If the priority deviation between CG2 and CG1 is <To or >To, the above-mentioned prominent behavior is allowed.

[0070] Regarding the second question, the third option involves mapping the generated transport blocks (TB) / PDUs to different HARQ processes. If the PDU associated with the previous (priority) grant and the grant is of low priority, the PDU may be transmitted on the priority grant where LBT succeeded or the priority grant is a previous low priority grant and it is prioritized because LBT succeeded and the previous priority grant LBT failed under some restrictions. The third option may be applied to the second question together with the first option or the second option. Specifically, the UE is allowed to map the generated TBs internally to different HARQ processes when the grant is of low priority, i.e., the UE may transmit a new TB on any HARQ process in a grant with the same TB, the same redundancy version (RV) (optionally, a new data indication (NDI) indicates a new transmission).

[0071] The third problem relates to the priority handling of LBT failure media access control (MAC) control elements (CE) and corresponding scheduling requests (SR). In the present application, the priority of the uplink grant that multiplexes only the LBT failure MAC CE and does not multiplex the logical channel data in the MAC PDU can be determined as the highest priority or the lowest priority or configured by the network node. Alternatively, the priority of the uplink grant (e.g., PUCCH of the SR for the LBT failure MAC CE) is determined as the highest priority or the lowest priority or configured by the network node.

[0072] Specifically, in the first option, if the MAC entity is configured with or enables the priority rules of the NR-IIoT / URLLC feature (such as lch-basedPrioritization in NR-U), then the PUCCH resources with SR transmission for LBT failure MAC CE overlap with the PUSCH duration. In addition, if the MAC entity is configured with or enables the priority rules of the NR-IIoT / URLLC feature (such as lch-basedPrioritization in NR-U), then the PUSCH duration is prioritized when the PUSCH duration with only LBT failure MAC CE overlaps with another PUSCH duration or PUCCH resource.

[0073] In the second option, if the MAC entity is configured with or enables the priority rules of the NR-IIoT / URLLC feature (such as lch-basedPrioritization in NR-U), then the PUCCH resources with SR transmission for LBT failure MAC CE overlap with the PUSCH duration. If the MAC entity is configured with or enables the priority rules of the NR-IIoT / URLLC feature (such as lch-basedPrioritization in NR-U), then the PUSCH duration is not prioritized when the PUSCH duration with only LBT failure MAC CE overlaps with another PUSCH duration or PUCCH resource.

[0074] In the third option, the priority of the LBT failure MAC CE and / or the corresponding SR or the PUCCH corresponding to the SR can be configured by the network node / BS.

[0075] Therefore, the above embodiments can coordinate the UL authorizations in NR-U and NR-IIoT, and some new rules for prioritizing UL authorizations in overlapping UL authorizations are proposed in this application. First, when there is an overlap between uplink authorizations for retransmission and initial transmission, the priority of the uplink authorization is determined based on a comparison of the priority of the logical channel and the transmission status of the packet data unit (initial transmission or retransmission). And if the logical channel enters an emergency state, it is determined to be the highest priority. Second, in order to avoid uplink authorization waste, the LBT result can be a condition for prioritizing low priority authorizations. Third, when applying NR-IIoT features in NR-U, some options / solutions have been proposed to overcome resource overlap.

[0076] Figure 5 In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the device 500 may be or include Figure 1Or the UE 101 described in other embodiments of the present application.

[0077] like Figure 5 , the apparatus 500 may include a receiving circuit system 501, a transmitting circuit system 503, a processor 505, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium 507. The non-transitory computer-readable medium 507 has computer-executable instructions stored therein. The processor 505 is configured to be coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium 507, the receiving circuit system 501, and the transmitting circuit system 503. It is expected that the apparatus 500 may include more computer-readable media, receivers, transmitters, and processors in some other embodiments of the present application according to actual requirements. In some embodiments of the present application, the receiving circuit system 501 and the transmitting circuit system 503 are integrated into a single device, such as a transceiver. In certain embodiments, the apparatus 500 may further include an input device, a memory, and / or other components.

[0078] In some embodiments of the present application, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 507 may have computer-executable instructions stored thereon to cause a processor to implement a method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0079] Figure 6 In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the device 600 may be or include Figure 1 Or the BS 102 described in other embodiments of this application.

[0080] like Figure 6 6, the apparatus 600 may include a receiving circuit system 601, a transmitting circuit system 603, a processor 605, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium 607. The non-transitory computer-readable medium 607 has computer-executable instructions stored therein. The processor 605 is configured to be coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium 607, the receiving circuit system 601, and the transmitting circuit system 603. It is expected that the apparatus 600 may include more computer-readable media, receivers, transmitters, and processors in some other embodiments of the present application according to actual requirements. In some embodiments of the present application, the receiving circuit system 601 and the transmitting circuit system 603 are integrated into a single device, such as a transceiver. In certain embodiments, the apparatus 600 may further include an input device, a memory, and / or other components.

[0081] In some embodiments of the present application, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 607 may have computer-executable instructions stored thereon to cause a processor to implement a method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0082] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that as technology develops and advances, the terms described in the present application may change and should not affect or limit the principle and spirit of the present application.

[0083] It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the steps of the methods described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be directly embodied in hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Additionally, in some aspects, the steps of the methods may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and / or instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0084] Although the present disclosure has been described by its specific embodiments, it is apparent that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, various components of an embodiment may be interchanged, added or replaced in other embodiments. In addition, the operation of the disclosed embodiments does not necessarily require all elements of each figure. For example, a person of ordinary skill in the art of the disclosed embodiments will be able to implement and use the teachings of the present disclosure by simply adopting the elements of the independent claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure set forth herein are intended to be illustrative rather than limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0085] In the present invention, the term "include" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment including a series of elements not only include these elements, but also include other elements that are not clearly listed or inherent to this process, method, article or equipment. In the absence of more restrictions, the element starting with "one" or its analog does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or equipment including the element. In addition, the term "another" is defined as at least one second or more. The terms "include", "have" and the like used herein are defined as "include".

Claims

1. A user equipment UE for wireless communication, the UE comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to: determining a priority of at least one uplink grant, wherein the priority of the at least one uplink grant is determined based on a priority of a logical channel LCH and whether a media access control MAC packet data unit PDU is an initial transmission MAC PDU or a retransmission MAC PDU; and determining a priority uplink grant among multiple overlapping uplink grants, Wherein the UE is configured such that if a retransmission can be transmitted on the uplink grant and the highest priority among the priorities of the LCHs multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU is higher than the highest priority among the priorities of the LCHs with available data multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that can be transmitted on the uplink grant, then the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the LCHs with available data multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU.

2. A user equipment UE according to claim 1, wherein the UE is configured so that if the highest priority among the priorities of the LCHs multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU is equal to or lower than the highest priority among the priorities of the LCHs with available data multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU transmitted on the uplink grant, then the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the LCHs with available data multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that can be transmitted on the uplink grant.

3. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, wherein the UE is configured to: It is determined whether a highest priority of the LCH multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU and the LCH multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that can be transmitted on the uplink grant is below a threshold.

4. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 3, wherein the UE is configured so that if the highest priority of the LCH multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU and the LCH that can be multiplexed in the MAC PDU transmitted as the initial transmission MAC PDU is lower than the threshold, the UE is configured to: Retransmissions are prioritized before initial transmissions on the uplink grant, wherein the priority of the uplink grant is determined by a highest priority among the priorities of the LCHs multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU.

5. A user equipment UE according to claim 3, wherein the UE is configured so that if the highest priority among the priorities of the LCH multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU and the LCH multiplexed in the MAC PDU transmitted as the initial transmission MAC PDU is equal to or greater than the threshold, then the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the LCH multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU or the LCH multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that is or can be transmitted on the uplink grant.

6. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, wherein the UE is configured to determine the priority of the at least one uplink grant by determining whether any LCH enters an emergency state, wherein if the LCH enters the emergency state, the priority of the uplink grant in which the LCH is multiplexed or capable of being multiplexed is determined as the highest priority, and The LCH can have the same priority as other LCHs multiplexed in other uplink grants or a difference between the priority of the LCH and the priority of other LCHs is less than a threshold. 7 . The user equipment (UE) according to claim 6 , wherein the emergency state is determined based on parameters related to survival time.

8. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 6, wherein the UE is configured such that if more than one LCH enters the emergency state, the UE is configured to: determining a packet delay budget PDB value in the LCH entering the emergency state, The priority of the uplink grant of the data service in the LCH entering the emergency state having the smallest PDB value is determined as the highest priority.

9. A user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, wherein the UE is configured to determine the priority of the uplink grant based on potential retransmissions, and the potential retransmissions are determined based on an LCH having a retransmission timer running before selecting the priority uplink grant.

10. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 9, wherein the UE is configured to: It is determined whether the priority of the LCH with the retransmission timer running is greater than a threshold.

11. The user equipment (UE) according to claim 1, wherein the UE is configured to: Listen-before-talk (LBT) is performed on all available uplink grants, wherein the available uplink grants include configuration grants and / or dynamic scheduling grants.

12. A method performed by a user equipment, the method comprising: determining a priority of at least one uplink grant, wherein the priority of the at least one uplink grant is determined based on a priority of a logical channel LCH and whether a media access control MAC packet data unit PDU is an initial transmission MAC PDU or a retransmission MAC PDU; and determining a priority uplink grant among multiple overlapping uplink grants, Wherein, if retransmission can be transmitted on the uplink grant and the highest priority among the priorities of the LCH multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU is higher than the highest priority among the priorities of the LCH with available data multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that can be transmitted on the uplink grant, then the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the LCH with available data multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: determining a priority of at least one uplink grant, wherein the priority of the at least one uplink grant is determined based on a priority of a logical channel LCH and whether a media access control MAC packet data unit PDU is an initial transmission MAC PDU or a retransmission MAC PDU; and determining a priority uplink grant among multiple overlapping uplink grants, Wherein the processor is configured such that if a retransmission can be transmitted on the uplink grant and the highest priority among the priorities of the LCHs multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU is higher than the highest priority among the priorities of the LCHs with available data multiplexed in the initial transmission MAC PDU that can be transmitted on the uplink grant, then the priority of the uplink grant is determined by the highest priority among the priorities of the LCHs with available data multiplexed in the retransmission MAC PDU.

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