Reliable sps configuration for mbs

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to reliable SPS configuration for MBS. In the solution, a first device starts a first timer upon receiving a configuration for a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for a multicast and broadcast service (MBS) from a second device. In turn, if the first timer expires and no information is received to activate a transmission of the corresponding SPS schedule, the first device sends a message to the second device indicating that the first device failed to receive the information. The solution allows for reliable SPS configuration for MBS.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the telecommunications field, and particularly to methods, apparatus, devices, and computer-readable storage media for reliable semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration for multicast and broadcast services (MBS). Background Technology

[0002] As part of the Work Item Description (WID) for 5G / New Radio (NR), the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is currently defining mechanisms to enable the delivery of multicast and / or broadcast services to a large number of User Equipments (UEs). One of the key objectives of the WID is to define a group scheduling mechanism that enables the scheduling of multicast and / or broadcast services using common data channel resources, while maintaining maximum commonality with the currently defined unicast scheduling and operation mechanisms.

[0003] Furthermore, as discussed in the 3GPP standard, it is agreed to support the option of semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for UEs in Radio Resource Control (RRC)_CONNECTED mode, in which each transmission on the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) is not scheduled individually by information sent on the corresponding Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), but rather allocated in a periodic resource pattern—using one-time Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling followed by one-time PDCCH scheduling—for reuse until further notice. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for a reliable SPS configuration for MBS.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the device to: start a first timer when it receives a configuration for a semi-persistent schedule (SPS) for multicast and broadcast services (MBS) from a second device; and if the first timer expires and no information indicating that a transmission activating the corresponding SPS schedule has been received, send a message to the second device indicating that the first device failed to receive the information.

[0006] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the device to: receive from a first device a message indicating that the first device has failed to receive information indicating activation of semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for multicast and broadcast services (MBS); and in response to receiving the message, send to the first device at least one of the following: information indicating activation of SPS, information indicating deactivation of SPS, and information indicating modification of the configuration of SPS.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: at a first device, starting a first timer upon receiving configuration for a semi-persistent schedule (SPS) for multicast and broadcast services (MBS) from a second device; and if the first timer expires and no information indicating that the corresponding SPS schedule has been activated is received, sending a message to the second device indicating that the first device failed to receive the information.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: at a second device, receiving from a first device a message indicating that the first device has failed to receive information indicating activation of semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for multicast and broadcast services (MBS); and in response to receiving the message, sending to the first device at least one of the following: information indicating activation of SPS, information indicating deactivation of SPS, and information indicating modification of SPS configuration.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: means for starting a first timer at the first apparatus upon receiving configuration for a semi-persistent schedule (SPS) for multicast and broadcast services (MBS) from a second apparatus; and means for sending a message to the second apparatus indicating that the first apparatus failed to receive the information if the first timer expires and no information activating the corresponding SPS schedule is received.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes, at the second apparatus, a component for receiving from a first apparatus a message indicating that the first apparatus has failed to receive information indicating activation of semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for multicast and broadcast services (MBS); and a component for, in response to receiving the message, sending to the first apparatus at least one of the following: information indicating activation of SPS, information indicating deactivation of SPS, and information indicating modification of SPS configuration.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium including program instructions for causing the apparatus to perform at least the method according to any one of the third to fourth aspects described above is provided.

[0012] It will be understood that the "Summary of the Invention" section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 An example communication environment in which example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented is shown;

[0015] Figure 2 The signaling flow for a reliable SPS configuration for MBS according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0016] Figure 3 An example process for SPS activation according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 4 An example process for SPS deactivation according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 5 An example process for SPS deactivation according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 6 Example procedures for SPS activation / deactivation according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are shown;

[0020] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a first device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a second device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 9 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0023] Figure 10 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It will be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0026] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0027] References to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment includes that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it will be considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to influence such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether explicitly described or not.

[0028] It will be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0029] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that, when used herein, the terms “comprising,” “having,” and / or “including” specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0030] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0031] (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation of analog and / or digital circuits only); and

[0032] (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable):

[0033] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware; and

[0034] (ii) Any part of a hardware processor having software (including digital signal processors, software, and memory, which work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions); and

[0035] (c) Hardware circuitry and / or processors, such as microprocessors or parts thereof, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may be absent when operation does not require software.

[0036] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including its use in any claim. As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. The term "circuit" also covers (e.g., and if applicable, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or networking devices.

[0037] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Network devices can refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Header Terminal (RH), Remote Radio Header Terminal (RRH), Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, repeater, low-power node (such as femtosecond, picosecond), etc., depending on the terminology and technology used.

[0038] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB adapters, smart devices, wireless client devices (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0039] As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” etc., may be used to describe various elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0040] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. The communication environment 100 (which may be part of a communication network) includes a set of first devices 110-1…110-N (where N represents any suitable positive integer) (also referred to as terminal devices) and a second device 120 (also referred to as a network device). For the purposes of discussion, the first devices 110-1…110-N will be collectively referred to or individually as first device 110.

[0041] Communication between the first device 110 and the second device 120, and between the first devices 110 via the second device 120, may follow any suitable communication standards or protocols that exist or will be developed in the future, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), New Radio (NR) for 5G, Wi-Fi, and Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMAX) standards; and may use any suitable communication technologies, including Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee, Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), Carrier Aggregation (CA), Dual Connectivity (DC), and New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) technology.

[0042] In communication environment 100, second device 120 can transmit MBS services to a group of first devices 110-1…110-N on radio resources that are semi-persistently (or semi-statically), dynamically, or statistically allocated. For example, SPS can be used to transmit MBS services. In some example embodiments, second device 120 instructs first device 110 to enable, disable, or modify the SPS configuration for each BWP used for MBS services, so that first device 110 can perform the corresponding operation.

[0043] It should be understood that Figure 1 The second device 120 and the first device 110 are shown as being included in the communication environment 100, but this is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. In some example embodiments, MBS services can be transmitted between multiple first devices 110. Thus, it is possible to indicate from the transmitting first device 110 to a group of receiving first devices 110 the enabling, disabling, or modification of the SPS configuration for each BWP used for MBS services. MBS services can also be transmitted, and the corresponding SPS configuration can be indicated from a repeater to a group of first devices 110.

[0044] As mentioned above, 3GPP is currently defining mechanisms for enabling the delivery of multicast and / or broadcast services to multiple UEs. Research on supporting MBS in NR is underway. Furthermore, by using the same radio framework as unicast transmission, point-to-multipoint (PTM) transmission is expected to efficiently provide MBS to multiple users.

[0045] Regarding this, the main objective is to develop strategies for achieving high efficiency and reliability to enable new use cases for PTM. To this end, it has been decided to support Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) for multicast delivery on PDSCH. For example, ACK / NACK HARQ feedback on UE-specific Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resources has been agreed upon, while NACK-only HARQ feedback on group-common PUCCH resources has not yet been agreed upon, as each scheme offers certain advantages in different scenarios. For example, in scenarios with a large audience using the first device 110 (e.g., UE), NACK-only is clearly preferred. Currently, many details of these two schemes are being studied / described in detail.

[0046] NACK-only HARQ feedback means that multiple first devices 110 (e.g., UEs) use the same "group common" PUCCH resource to send NACKs when they fail to decode PDSCH transmissions for PTM services. Second devices 120 (e.g., gNBs) rely on plain energy detection to determine whether any first device 110 (e.g., UE) has sent a NACK on the group common feedback resource. One drawback of the NACK-only feedback mode is that the second device 120 (e.g., gNB) using energy detection for NACKs cannot distinguish whether a first device 110 (e.g., UE) has incorrectly received a PDSCH transport block (TB) or whether a first device 110 (e.g., UE) has failed to successfully receive the corresponding PDCCH for a scheduled PDSCH. The latter error event is called a discontinuous transmission (DTX) error. Furthermore, the second device 120 (e.g., gNB) cannot distinguish which first devices 110 (e.g., UEs) have sent NACKs because the uplink resource is a group common resource. If any NACK is detected on the group common resource, the second device 120 (e.g., gNB) can retransmit the PDSCH TB in a group common or UE-specific manner.

[0047] Furthermore, as mentioned above, one of the key objectives is to define a group scheduling mechanism that enables the use of common data channel resources to schedule multicast / broadcast services—while maintaining maximum commonality with the currently defined unicast scheduling and operation mechanisms. Additionally, it is agreed to support the option of SPS for the first device 110 (e.g., UE) in RRC_CONNECTED mode, where each transmission on the PDSCH is not scheduled individually by the corresponding PDCCH transmission, but rather a periodic resource pattern is allocated via a one-time RRC configuration and a one-time activation via the PDCCH for reuse until further notice.

[0048] SPS is attractive for the use of periodic services—or more generally, any service that can be transmitted using a fairly long radio resource allocation—because it saves on control signaling overhead in the form of PDCCH. Furthermore, once all first devices 110 (e.g., UEs) have successfully received SPS activation, SPS eliminates the problem of first devices 110 (e.g., UEs) missing PDCCHs and being unable to distinguish between ACK and DTX on the second device 120 (e.g., gNB) side.

[0049] Furthermore, regular unicast operations are performed via PDCCH using an SPS activation / deactivation (also known as SPS grant) procedure (with a specific configuration of the Scheduled Radio Network Temporary Identifier (CS-RNTI) and Downlink Control Information (DCI) fields to identify it as SPS activated / deactivated). An ACK / NACK HARQ feedback on the allocated PUCCH resources sent by the first device 110 (e.g., UE) in response to subsequent periodic PDSCH TBs indicates to the gNB that the first device 110 has successfully received the SPS grant. Therefore, there is no explicit acknowledgment from the first device 110 (e.g., UE) that it has received the SPS grant; instead, the second device 120 (e.g., gNB) relies on the ACK / NACK feedback provided by the first device 110 (e.g., UE) upon receiving subsequent PDSCH TBs sent periodically.

[0050] Meanwhile, in the case of PTM, and if the above-mentioned NACK-only scheme is used as the HARQ feedback mechanism by the first device 110 (e.g., UE), then because the gNB cannot distinguish between ACK and DTX (i.e., the first device 110 (e.g., UE) is unaware of the PDSCH transmission, as it failed to decode the corresponding PDCCH at the first device 110 (e.g., UE), since in both cases the first device 110 (e.g., UE) does not send HARQ feedback), and because the PUCCH resource providing HARQ feedback is a group common PUCCH source, the gNB cannot understand whether a particular first device 110 (e.g., UE) has successfully received the SPS authorization (activation / deactivation).

[0051] Therefore, when using the group common only NACKHARQ feedback scheme, a solution is needed to improve the reliability of SPS activation / deactivation licensed transmission for the first device 110 (e.g., UE) receiving MBS with a large audience.

[0052] It should also be noted that a straightforward solution to improve the reliability of SPS licensing is to provide N blind transmissions (N-1 blind repetitions), where N is large enough that the probability of the first device 110 missing an SPS license is very small (wherein, the N-1 blind repetitions need to be aligned with the SPS pattern). The first device 110, which has already received an SPS license on one of the earlier transmissions in the N transmissions, can simply ignore subsequent repetitions. Alternatively, periodic repetition of SPS licenses at specific intervals (n x SPS period, where n >> 1) can also be an option to improve reliability. However, in both cases, the second device 120 (e.g., gNB) will still not know whether all of the first devices 110 have successfully received the SPS license.

[0053] To address at least some of the aforementioned problems, a solution is provided for improving the reliability of SPS activation transmission for a first device 110. In this solution, the first device 110 starts a timer upon receiving configuration of the SPS for the MBS (e.g., via RRC signaling). Furthermore, if no activation information for the corresponding SPS is received before the first timer expires, the first device 110 sends a message to the second device 120 indicating that the first device 110 failed to receive the activation information for the corresponding SPS.

[0054] This provides a reliable transmission of SPS activation to the first device 110. Specifically, if the first device 110 fails to receive the information indicating SPS activation, it still has the opportunity to send the aforementioned message to the second device 120, enabling the second device 110 not only to be aware of it but also to retransmit the information to the first device 110. Furthermore, this method requires minimal uplink resources to confirm that a large number of UEs have received the SPS authorization. That is, by using a first timer, only the first device 110, whose first timer expires, will need to send the message to the second device. Moreover, this solution is compatible with direct solutions that provide the information (SPS authorization) multiple times as described above.

[0055] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring now to... Figure 2 This illustrates a signaling flow 200 for reliable SPS activation of MBS according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 To describe signaling flow 200. Signaling flow 200 involves, for example... Figure 1 The first device 110 and the second device 120 shown are illustrated.

[0056] As shown in signaling flow 200, the first device 110 starts a first timer 210 when it receives configuration of SPS for MBS from the second device 120 205.

[0057] In some embodiments, the SPS configuration may also include other aspects such as the SPS period and a PUCCH resource indicator for HARQ feedback. In some examples, this configuration may be broadcast via a mechanism based on System Information Blocks (SIBs), Multicast Control Channels (MCCHs), or dedicated RRC signaling.

[0058] In some embodiments, the transmission of this configuration can be triggered by providing the SPS configuration, regardless of whether it is a new configuration. In one example, the SPS configuration may be a new configuration (e.g., the first device 110 did not previously have any SPS configuration with the same index). In another example, if the SPS configuration is modified, the first device 110 may also be notified (the first device 110 detects the modification in the SIB / MCCH, or the first device 110 is paged while in an idle / inactive state). In this example, the first device 110 may receive modifications to an existing SPS configuration (e.g., an SPS period change).

[0059] In some embodiments, when sending the SPS configuration, the second device 120 (e.g., gNB) may further send information in the form of SPS authorization / activation, i.e., the first device 110 (e.g., UE) receives the remaining details required for the transmission on the PDSCH, such as modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and physical resource block (PRB) allocation, and the timing of the SPS transmission. In some examples, this information transmission may be repeated several times (e.g., within the time grid of the SPS mode) to increase the probability that the first device 110 (e.g., UE) receives the transmission on the PDCCH.

[0060] In some examples, the SPS can be activated using a DCI sent via the PDCCH, which is scrambled with the Group Common Configuration Scheduling-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (GS-RNTI) and has an SPS configuration index value embedded within it. Once the SPS is activated, the first device 110 can monitor the PDSCH timing with a configured period and may not require additional control signaling from the second device 120 (e.g., gNB) until the SPS configuration is modified or deactivated.

[0061] In some embodiments, when the first device 110 successfully receives information indicating the activation of SPS, the first device 110 may stop the first timer and will not send any messages / indications on the uplink. Furthermore, the first device 110 may consider possible retransmissions of information indicating the SPS required for other UEs to activate and receive the same service as redundant.

[0062] However, in some examples, the first device 110 may fail to receive the message instructing the activation of SPS. For example, the first device 110 may fail to receive the message due to a network failure. Alternatively, the first device 110 may fail to receive the message for other reasons, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0063] Therefore, if the first timer expires and no information indicating the activation of the corresponding SPS schedule is received, the first device 110 sends a message 220 to the second device 120 indicating that the first device 110 failed to receive the information. In other words, if the first timer expires and the first device 110 has not yet received the information indicating SPS activation, the first device 110 still has the opportunity to send a message to the second device 120 indicating that it failed to receive the information. Therefore, upon receiving this message, the second device 120 can retransmit the information indicating SPS activation, thereby providing reliable transmission of SPS activation to the first device 110.

[0064] Furthermore, the above solution requires minimal uplink resources to confirm that a large number of first devices 110 have received the SPS license. That is, the first device will only send the message to the second device when the first timer expires. Additionally, this solution is compatible with the direct solution described above that provides SPS licenses multiple times.

[0065] In this embodiment, for example, the first device 110 can restart the first timer when sending the message. Therefore, the first timer can start running again. Furthermore, if the message transmission fails, or if the first device 110 again fails to receive the information instructing the activation of SPS, and the first timer expires again, another message can be sent to the second device 120, thus improving the reliability of SPS activation by the second device 120.

[0066] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive configuration for a group of common uplink resources for a group of devices including the first device 110. For example, the group of common uplink resources may be a common PUCCH resource or a common PRACH preamble. In this embodiment, the first device 110 may send the message to the second device 120 via the group of common uplink resources.

[0067] In some other embodiments, the first device 110 may also be configured (along with the SPS configuration) to include the message in a UE-specific uplink transmission (e.g., in MAC-CE). In this embodiment, the message may also be sent to the second device 120 via UE-specific uplink resources / transmissions.

[0068] Alternatively, the first device 110 can also be locally configured to use which method to send the message. Therefore, the first device 110 can send the message to the second device 120 based on its local configuration. The first device 110 can also send the message via other methods, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0069] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive an indication of the duration of the first timer from the second device 120. Therefore, the first device 110 may determine that the first timer has expired based on this indication. For example, the second device 120 may send the value of the first timer, and the first device 110 will determine the expiration of the first timer based on that value. In this embodiment, for example, the indication of the duration of the first timer may be sent to the first device 110 along with the SPS configuration described above.

[0070] In some other embodiments, the first device 110 may also pre-configure the value of the first timer. Alternatively, the first device 110 may use other methods to determine the expiration of the first timer, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0071] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may use a counter to count the number of times the message is transmitted. In this embodiment, the first device 110 may increment the counter as the message is sent. Furthermore, if it is determined that the counter count exceeds a threshold, the first device may perform a random access procedure to send the message (e.g., via a Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC CE)).

[0072] Furthermore, various methods can be used to determine the threshold number. In one example, the threshold number can be determined based on an indication of the maximum number from the second device 120. In this example, for instance, the second device 120 can directly send the threshold number to itself.

[0073] In another example, the threshold number can be determined based on the maximum allowed Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) transmissions for the transport block of the MBS scheduled by the SPS. In this example, if the first device 110 fails to receive an indication of the maximum number from the second device 120, or if such a field (i.e., the field carrying the indication) is not configured, the first device 110 can determine the threshold number based on the maximum allowed Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) transmissions. That is, the first device 110 can assume the total number of HARQ retransmissions for the PDSCH TB as the threshold number.

[0074] Alternatively, if the first device 110 is configured with the same maximum number of transmissions for the same PDSCH TB, the first device 110 may also assume that the threshold number described herein is that maximum number. It should be understood that other methods may exist for the first device 110 to determine the threshold number, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0075] Now return to Figure 2 Therefore, the second device 120 receives a message 230 from the first device 110 indicating that the first device 110 failed to receive information indicating the activation of the SPS for the MBS. Upon receiving this message, the second device 120 sends a message 240 to the first device 110 indicating the activation of the SPS. Thus, reliable transmission of SPS activation can be provided to the first device 110.

[0076] Alternatively, upon receiving the message, the second device 120 may also send an instruction to the first device 110 to activate the SPS. In another example, upon receiving the message, the second device 120 may send information to the first device 110 to modify the SPS configuration.

[0077] Therefore, upon receiving the message, the second device 120 can determine for itself which information is appropriate to send to the first device 110. For example, if the second device 120 determines that other configurations of the SPS may be needed at this time, it can send information to the first device 110 to modify the configuration of the SPS.

[0078] In some embodiments, after receiving a message from the first device 110, the second device 120 may retransmit the information indicating SPS activation in various ways. In such embodiments, for example, the second device 120 may retransmit the information via group common downlink resources or UE-specific downlink resources. In some examples, if the second device 120 sends a configuration for group common uplink resources for a group of devices including the first device 110, it may receive the message from the first device 110 via the group common uplink resources and retransmit the information via the group common downlink resources. Otherwise, in some other examples, the second device 120 may also send the information indicating SPS activation to the first device 110 via UE-specific downlink resources (e.g., if the first device 110 sends the message to the second device 120 via UE-specific uplink resources). It should be understood that the examples herein are for illustrative purposes only, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0079] In the following sections, we will also refer to Figure 3This section will illustrate a detailed example procedure related to the activation of the first timer and the SPS. The procedures related to the activation of the SPS for the MBS were introduced in the previous section. The procedures related to the deactivation of the SPS will be described in the following section.

[0080] In some embodiments, the second device (e.g., gNB) can send information indicating to activate SPS. For example, the second device 120 can send the corresponding DCI on the group common PDCCH. Subsequently, the second device 120 can reserve the group common NACK HARQ feedback PUCCH resource. On the other hand, the PDSCH previously scheduled by SPS can be immediately used for other purposes.

[0081] In some embodiments, upon receiving information instructing the deactivation of the SPS (e.g., via the corresponding DCI), the first device 110 may stop attempting to decode the PDSCH on the previously allocated resources and stop sending NACKs. Alternatively, if the first device 110 has not yet successfully received the deactivation DCI, it may still send NACKs because it still expects data transmission on the SPS PDSCH timing but cannot decode any data.

[0082] In some other embodiments, during a configured time period, the second device 120 may keep listening to the group common-only NACK HARQ feedback PUCCH resource to see if any of the first devices 110 are still sending NACKs. If the second device 120 detects any NACK transmission, it may retransmit the message indicating deactivation of the SPS (e.g., SPS deactivation). In this embodiment, after retransmitting the message, the second device 120 may again keep listening to the group common-only NACK HARQ feedback PUCCH resource. In some examples, the upper limit on how many times SPS deactivation can be retransmitted may be based on the implementation of the second device 120.

[0083] Alternatively, if the second device 120 does not receive any NACK within the configured time period, it may assume that all first devices 110 have successfully received the SPS deactivation, and it may reallocate the group public PUCCH resources for other purposes.

[0084] In some embodiments, a second timer may be configured for MBS at the first device 110. The second timer may allow the SPS service to be reliably reactivated at a specific frequency. In the following sections, solutions related to the second timer will be introduced according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the second timer may be configured together with the SPS configuration; that is, the configuration of the second timer may be sent from the second device 120 to the first device 110 along with the aforementioned SPS configuration. Alternatively, the second timer may also be configured separately, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0086] If such a second timer is configured, for example, if it is determined that the SPS for the MBS is deactivated, the first device 110 can start the second timer for the SPS. In some other embodiments, if the first device 110 receives information indicating that the SPS for the corresponding MBS should be activated after deactivation (e.g., SPS activation), the first device 110 can stop the second timer.

[0087] However, in some embodiments, if the second timer expires and the first device 110 still has not received a message indicating the activation of SPS, the first device 110 may send the message to the second device 120.

[0088] Therefore, if the second device 120 has sent a "reactivation" message, but the first device 110 has not yet successfully received it, the second device 120 can retransmit the "activation" message based on the message from the first device 110. Thus, reliable "frequent" reactivation of SPS is achieved.

[0089] In this embodiment, for example, the first device 110 can also restart the second timer after sending the message. Thus, the second timer starts running again and performs as described above. Therefore, if the message transmission fails, or if the first device 110 again fails to receive the (re)activation of the SPS information, and the second timer expires again, another message can be sent to the second device 120, thereby improving the reliability of the second device 120 reactivating the SPS.

[0090] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may increment a counter when sending a message indicating that the first device 110 has failed to receive the information. If it is determined that the counter count exceeds a threshold, the first device 110 may reset a second timer and perform a random access procedure to send the message. In one example, the threshold may be configured by a second device.

[0091] Furthermore, the first device 110 can determine that the SPS for MBS has been deactivated in various ways. In some examples, the first device 110 can receive information from the second device 120 instructing the deactivation of the SPS. Therefore, the first device 110 can determine that the SPS for MBS has been deactivated. In some other examples, the first device 110 can determine that the SPS for MBS has been deactivated based on a third timer. In this example, the first device 110 can stop sending NACK based on the third timer, the details of which will be described in the following sections.

[0092] Alternatively, the first device 110 can also determine whether the SPS is deactivated based on a counter. In this embodiment, for example, the first device 110 can decrement the counter whenever the first device 110 fails to correctly decode the TB of the MBS scheduled by the SPS. When the counter reaches zero, the first device 110 can assume that the SPS is deactivated and stop sending NACKs.

[0093] In another example, whenever the first device 110 fails to correctly decode the TB of the MBS scheduled by the SPS, the first device 110 may also increment a counter starting from zero. In this example, when the counter reaches the maximum allowed value, the first device 110 may assume that the SPS is deactivated and stop sending NACKs. It should be understood that the first device 110 may also use other methods to determine whether the SPS is deactivated based on the counter, and the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0094] In some examples, the first device 110 may reset the counter each time it correctly decodes the TB of the MBS scheduled by the SPS. It should be understood that the first device 110 may also use other methods to determine whether the SPS for the MBS is deactivated, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0095] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive an indication of the duration of the second timer from the second device 120. Therefore, the first device 110 may determine that the second timer has expired based on this indication. For example, the second device 120 may send the value of the second timer, and the first device 110 will determine the expiration of the second timer based on that value. In this embodiment, for example, the indication of the duration of the second timer may be sent to the first device 110 along with the SPS configuration described above.

[0096] In some other embodiments, the first device 110 may also pre-configure the value of the second timer. Alternatively, the first device 110 may use other methods to determine the expiration of the second timer, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0097] In the foregoing sections, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, a second timer is introduced together with the SPS deactivation and reactivation process. In the following sections, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, a third timer that can be used in the SPS deactivation process will be described.

[0098] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may also be configured with a third timer. In this embodiment, if a TB of the MBS scheduled by the corresponding SPS is received after the SPS has been activated (i.e., upon successful decoding of SPSPDSCH), the first device 110 may restart the third timer.

[0099] If the third timer expires, the first device 110 can determine that the SPS used for MBS has been deactivated. That is, the expiration of the third timer reflects the fact that the UE failed to decode any PDSCH transmissions during the extended time period. Therefore, when the third timer expires, the first device 110 can assume that the SPS used for MBS has been deactivated. In this case, the first device 110 can also stop sending NACKs.

[0100] Using the above embodiments, if the second device 120 sends a message instructing the deactivation of the SPS for MBS but the first device 110 fails to receive such a message, the first device 110 can determine that the SPS has been deactivated and stop sending NACK. Reference will also be made later. Figure 4-5 This section provides a detailed example process related to the deactivation of the second and third timers and the SPS.

[0101] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive an indication of the duration of a third timer from the second device 120. Therefore, the first device 110 may determine that the third timer has expired based on this indication. For example, the second device 120 may send the value of the third timer, and the first device 110 will determine the expiration of the third timer based on that value. In this embodiment, for example, the indication of the duration of the third timer may be sent to the first device 110 along with the SPS configuration described above.

[0102] In some other embodiments, the first device 110 may also pre-configure the value of the third timer. Alternatively, the first device 110 may use other methods to determine the expiration of the third timer, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0103] The above section introduced three timers (i.e., the first timer, the second timer, and the third timer) and the activation / deactivation / reactivation process of the SPS for the MBS. The following section will introduce a solution related to restarting the first timer. In this solution, upon receiving information indicating the activation / deactivation / PDSCH of the SPS, the first device 110 may not completely stop the first timer.

[0104] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may restart the first timer upon receiving information indicating SPS activation. In some other embodiments, the first device 110 may restart the first timer when it receives information indicating SPS deactivation. Alternatively, the first device 110 may also restart the first timer in response to receiving a TB whose transmission is scheduled according to SPS. Thus, the restarted first timer will start running from the configured start value and perform as described in the above section. For example, if the first timer expires, the first device 110 may send a message indicating that the first device 110 failed to receive information indicating SPS activation, and may then restart the timer.

[0105] In this way, if the second device 120 has sent a "reactivation" message, but the first device 110 has not yet successfully received it, the second device 120 can retransmit the "activation," thus providing reliable "frequent" reactivation for the SPS service. Furthermore, in a later section, reference will be made to... Figure 6 Introducing an example procedure related to restarting the first timer.

[0106] In the following sections, reference will be made. Figure 3-6 A more detailed example procedure for activating and / or deactivating SPS is provided. It should be understood that referring to... Figure 3-6 The example embodiments provided are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0107] Figure 3 An example process 300 for SPS activation according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Process 300 is described from the perspective of the first device 110. It should be understood that other SPS activation processes according to embodiments of this disclosure may exist, and the example process 300 described below is shown for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0108] like Figure 3As shown, process 300 begins at box 302. At box 304, the first device 110 can determine whether an SPS configuration has been received for the MBS. If it is determined that an SPS configuration has been received for the MBS, the first device 110 will start a first timer at box 306. If not, process 300 stops at box 307. It should be understood that process 300 can be initiated repeatedly until box 304 returns "yes" (although not shown). That is, process 300 can be 302->304->302->304->…302->304->306->308->….

[0109] In some embodiments, when the first timer is started, at block 308, the first device 110 may determine whether information indicating SPS activation (e.g., SPS activation) has been received. If it is determined that information indicating SPS activation has been received, then at block 310, the first device 110 may stop the first timer. Afterward, process 300 will stop at block 307. Otherwise, if it is determined that information indicating SPS activation has not been received, process 300 continues to block 312, where the first device 110 may determine whether the first timer has expired.

[0110] If it is determined that the first timer has expired, then at box 314, the first device 110 can determine whether the upper limit for the uplink indication (i.e., the threshold number of messages used to send indicating that the first device 110 failed to receive the information) has been reached. For example, a counter can be used to count the number of messages requesting retransmission of the SPS activation information. Otherwise, if the first timer has not expired, process 300 continues to return to box 308 above.

[0111] At box 314, if it is determined that the upper limit / threshold number has not been reached, then at box 316, the first device 110 may send a message to the second device 120 requesting retransmission of the SPS activation information (e.g., a message indicating that the first device 110 failed to receive the SPS activation retransmission information). Furthermore, the first device 110 may increment a counter when sending this message, that is, increase the number of messages sent. Additionally, the first device 110 may restart a first timer when sending this message and return to box 308.

[0112] Alternatively, in some embodiments, if it is determined that the upper limit / threshold number has been reached, the first device 110 may trigger a random access procedure at block 318 to send the message (e.g., via a MAC CE message). The procedure 300 will then stop at block 307.

[0113] Figure 4 An example process 400 for SPS deactivation according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Process 400 is described from the perspective of the first device 110. It should be understood that process 400 can be performed in each time slot in which the first device 110 has a new opportunity to receive SPS deactivation. It should be understood that other SPS deactivation processes according to embodiments of this disclosure may also exist, and the example process 400 described below is shown for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0114] like Figure 4 As shown, process 400 begins at block 402. At block 404, the first device 110 can determine whether an SPS has been deactivated for the MBS. In this case, for example, the first device 110 may have received information indicating the activation of the SPS, and therefore the SPS for the MBS has been activated at the first device 110. Thus, for example, the first device 110 can use the configured period to monitor the timing on the downlink channel (e.g., PDSCH timing) and can decode the PDSCH transmission of the MBS. In this case, if the first device 110 fails to decode the PDSCH transmission of the MBS, the first device 110 can send a NACK by using the "group common" PUCCH resource.

[0115] Furthermore, at this point, for example, the second device 120 can decide to deactivate the SPS for the MBS. Therefore, the second device 120 can send a message instructing the deactivation of the SPS so that the first device 110, upon receiving this message, can proceed to block 406. At block 406, the first device 110 can stop decoding the SPS PDSCH (i.e., the PDSCH transmission of the MBS scheduled by the SPS). Simultaneously, the first device 110 will also stop sending NACKs. At block 406, the first device 110 can also start a second timer for other purposes. As will be seen in the next figure (i.e., Figure 5 The details of the second timer will be described in detail in the previous section, so they will not be repeated here. Afterwards, process 400 stops at box 407.

[0116] In some embodiments, at block 404, if it is determined that no SPS has been received for deactivation of the MBS, then at block 408, the first device 110 may determine whether an SPS scheduled for that instance exists. If it is determined that an SPS scheduled for that time instance exists, process 400 continues to block 410; otherwise, process 400 stops at block 407.

[0117] At box 408, the first device 110 can determine whether there is a transport block (TB) of the MBS scheduled by the corresponding SPS after the SPS has been activated; that is, whether the first device 110 has successfully received the transport block. If so, the first device 110 can start a third timer at box 412. Then, process 400 will stop at box 407. Otherwise, if it is determined at box 410 that the first device 110 has failed to successfully receive the transport block, process 400 will continue to box 414.

[0118] In some embodiments, at block 414, the first device 110 determines whether the third timer has expired. If the third timer has not expired, at block 416, the first device 110 may send a NACK on the group common resource. Otherwise, if the third timer has expired, at block 418, the first device 110 may assume that the SPS is deactivated and stop sending NACKs. In some examples, in this embodiment, the first device 110 may also start the aforementioned second timer, and this will be discussed in the next figure (i.e., Figure 5 The details are described in detail in ( ). Then, process 400 stops at box 407.

[0119] Therefore, even if the first device 110 fails to receive an instruction to activate the SPS, the SPS can still be deactivated when the timer expires. Thus, the first device 110 does not need to continuously monitor PDSCH transmission and send NACKs, thereby saving processing resources.

[0120] Figure 5 An example process 500 for SPS deactivation according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Process 500 is described from the perspective of the first device 110. It should be understood that other SPS deactivation processes may exist according to embodiments of this disclosure, and the example process 500 described below is shown for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0121] exist Figure 5 The process 500 shown begins at box 502. At box 504, the first device 110 can determine whether the second timer is running. As described above, in some examples, the second timer can be started at box 406 when an SPS is received to deactivate the MBS. Alternatively, the second timer can also be started at box 418 above when the third timer expires.

[0122] If it is determined that the second timer is running, then at box 506, the first device 110 can determine whether SPS activation has been received at that time instance. If no SPS activation has been received, process 500 continues to box 510. In some examples, when the first device 110 determines that information indicating SPS activation (e.g., SPS activation) has been received at that time instance, the first device 110 can stop the second timer at box 508, and process 500 stops at box 509. It should be understood that process 500 can be repeatedly initiated until box 506 or 512 (discussed later) returns "yes" (although not shown).

[0123] Alternatively, if no SPS activation is received at that time instance, process 500 continues to box 510, and the first device 110 determines at box 510 whether the second timer has expired. If the second timer has not expired, process 500 stops at box 509. Otherwise, if the second timer has not expired, at box 512, the first device 110 may further determine whether the upper limit for the uplink indication (i.e., the threshold number of messages used to send indicating that the first device 110 has failed to receive this information) has been reached. If so, the first device 110 may reset the second timer. Furthermore, the first device 110 may also restart the second timer at box 516 and trigger random access to send the message. Otherwise, process 500 may continue to box 514.

[0124] In some examples, at box 514, the first device 110 may send a retransmission SPS activated message to the second device 120 (e.g., a message indicating that the first device 110 failed to receive the information). Furthermore, the first device 110 may increment / increment the number of messages, for example, by using a counter that increments when the message is sent. The process 500 then stops at box 509.

[0125] Figure 6 An example process 600 for SPS activation / deactivation according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Process 600 is described from the perspective of the first device 110. It should be understood that other SPS activation / deactivation processes may exist according to embodiments of this disclosure, and the example process 600 described below is shown for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0126] like Figure 6As shown, process 600 begins at block 602. Then, at block 604, the first device 110 can determine whether an SPS configuration has been received for the MBS. If it is determined that an SPS configuration has been received for the MBS, then at block 606, the first device 110 starts a first timer. If not, process 600 stops at block 605.

[0127] When the first timer is started, at block 608, the first device 110 may determine whether it has received information indicating activation of the SPS (i.e., SPS activation) / deactivation of the SPS (i.e., SPS deactivation) / TB of the MBS scheduled by the SPS (e.g., SPS PDSCH TB). If so, in some embodiments, the first device 110 may restart the first timer at block 610. Otherwise, process 600 continues to block 612.

[0128] At box 612, the first device 110 can determine whether the first timer has expired. After the first timer expires, the first device 110 proceeds to box 614, and then to boxes 616 and 618. Boxes 614, 616, and 618 in process 600 are similar to those already described in boxes 314, 316, and 318, respectively, and therefore their details will not be repeated here. It should be understood that process 600 can be repeatedly initiated until box 614 returns "yes" (although not shown).

[0129] Figure 7 A flowchart of a method 700 implemented at a first device 110 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 700 is described from the perspective of the first device 110.

[0130] At block 710, the first device 110 starts a first timer when it receives a configuration for semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for multicast and broadcast services (MBS) from the second device 120. At block 720, if the first timer expires and no information is received to activate the corresponding SPS scheduling, the first device 110 sends a message to the second device 120 indicating that the first device 110 failed to receive the information.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may restart the first timer when the message is sent.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive configuration for a group of common uplink resources for a group of devices including the first device 110; and send the message to the second device 120 via the group of common uplink resources.

[0133] In some embodiments, the message is sent to the second device 120 via user equipment-specific uplink resources.

[0134] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may further increment a counter when sending the message; and, based on determining that the counter count exceeds a threshold, perform a random access procedure for sending the message.

[0135] In some embodiments, the threshold number may be determined based on at least one of the following: an indication of the maximum number from the second device 120, or the maximum allowed number of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) transmissions for a transport block of MBS scheduled by the SPS.

[0136] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may stop the first timer in response to receiving information indicating that the SPS should be activated.

[0137] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may further restart the first timer based on at least one of the following: receiving information indicating activation of the SPS, receiving information indicating deactivation of the SPS, or receiving a transport block scheduled according to the SPS.

[0138] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive an indication of the duration of the first timer from the second device 120.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may start a second timer in response to determining that the SPS for MBS has been deactivated; and send the message to the second device 120 in response to the expiration of the second timer without receiving information indicating the activation of the SPS.

[0140] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may restart the second timer when the message is sent.

[0141] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may increment a counter when sending the message; and, based on determining that the counter count exceeds a threshold, reset a second timer and perform a random access procedure for sending the message.

[0142] In some embodiments, the threshold number is configured by the second device 120.

[0143] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may further start a third timer in response to receiving a transport block of MBS scheduled by the corresponding SPS after the SPS has been activated; and determine that the SPS for MBS has been deactivated in response to the expiration of the third timer.

[0144] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may further receive other messages from the second device 120, the other messages including at least one of the following: an indication of the duration of a second timer and an indication of the duration of a third timer.

[0145] Figure 8 A flowchart of a method 800 implemented at a second device 120 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 800 is described from the perspective of the second device 120.

[0146] At block 810, the second device 120 receives from the first device 110 a message indicating that the first device 110 has failed to receive information indicating activation of semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for multicast and broadcast services (MBS). At block 820, in response to receiving the message, the second device 120 sends to the first device 110 at least one of the following: information indicating activation of SPS, information indicating deactivation of SPS, and information indicating modification of SPS configuration.

[0147] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may further send configuration for a group of common uplink resources for a group of devices including the first device 110; and receive the message from the first device 110 via the group of common uplink resources.

[0148] In some embodiments, the message may be received from the first device 110 via user equipment-specific uplink resources.

[0149] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may further send an indication of the maximum allowed number of transmissions of messages from the first device 110 to the first device 110.

[0150] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may further send to the first device 110 at least one of the following: an indication of the duration of a first timer for SPS, an indication of the duration of a second timer for SPS, and an indication of the duration of a third timer for SPS.

[0151] In some embodiments, a first means (e.g., a first device 110) capable of performing any method 700 may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 700. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, these components may be implemented as circuits or software modules.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for starting a first timer when receiving a configuration for a semi-persistent schedule (SPS) for multicast and broadcast services (MBS) from a second device (e.g., second device 120); and a component for sending a message to the second device indicating that the first device failed to receive the information if the first timer expires and no information activating the corresponding SPS schedule is received.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes a component for restarting the first timer when the message is sent.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: components for receiving configuration of a group of common uplink resources for a group of devices including the first device; and components for sending the message to the second device via the group of common uplink resources.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the message is sent to the second device via user equipment-specific uplink resources.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes: a component for incrementing a counter count when the message is sent; and a component for performing a random access procedure to send the message based on determining that the counter count exceeds a threshold number.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the threshold number is determined based on at least one of the following: an indication of the maximum number from the second device, or the maximum allowed number of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) transmissions for a transport block of MBS scheduled by the SPS.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes a component for stopping a first timer in response to receiving information indicating activation of the SPS.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes a component for restarting the first timer based on at least one of: receiving information indicating activation of the SPS, receiving information indicating deactivation of the SPS, or receiving a transport block scheduled according to the SPS.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes a component for receiving an indication of the duration of the first timer from the second device.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for starting a second timer in response to determining that the SPS for MBS has been deactivated; and a component for sending a message to the second device in response to the second timer expiring without receiving information indicating activation of the SPS.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes a component for restarting a second timer when the message is sent.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for incrementing a counter count when the message is sent; and a component for resetting a second timer and performing a random access procedure for sending the message based on determining that the counter count exceeds a threshold number.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the threshold number is configured by a second device.

[0165] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes components for performing the following operations: in response to receiving a transport block of MBS scheduled by the corresponding SPS after SPS has been activated, starting a third timer; and in response to the expiration of the third timer, determining that the SPS for MBS has been deactivated.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes a component for receiving additional messages from the second device, wherein the additional messages include at least one of the following: an indication of the duration of a second timer and an indication of the duration of a third timer.

[0167] In some embodiments, a second means (e.g., a second device 120) capable of performing any method 800 may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 800. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, these components may be implemented as circuits or software modules.

[0168] In some embodiments, the second apparatus includes: a component for receiving from the first device a message indicating that the first device has failed to receive information indicating activation of semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) for multicast and broadcast services (MBS); and a component for sending to the first device at least one of the following in response to receiving the message: information indicating activation of SPS, information indicating deactivation of SPS, and information indicating modification of SPS configuration.

[0169] In some embodiments, the second apparatus further includes: components for transmitting configuration of a group common uplink resource for a group of devices including the first apparatus; and components for receiving the message from the first apparatus via the group common uplink resource.

[0170] In some embodiments, the message is received from the first device via user equipment-specific uplink resources.

[0171] In some embodiments, the second device further includes a component indicating the maximum allowed number of transmissions of messages from the first device to the first device.

[0172] In some embodiments, the second device further includes a component for sending to the first device at least one of the following: an indication of the duration of a first timer for SPS, an indication of the duration of a second timer for SPS, and an indication of the duration of a third timer for SPS.

[0173] Figure 9 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 900 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 900 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1 The first device 110 and the second device 120 are shown in the figure. As shown in the figure, device 900 includes one or more processors 910, one or more memories 920 coupled to processors 910, and one or more communication modules 940 coupled to processors 910.

[0174] The communication module 940 is used for bidirectional communication. The communication module 940 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network units.

[0175] Processor 910 can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment, and by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 900 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-subordinate to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0176] Memory 920 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 924, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage devices and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 922 and other volatile memories that will not persist during the duration of a power outage.

[0177] Computer program 930 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 910. Program 930 may be stored in ROM 924. Processor 910 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 930 into RAM 922.

[0178] Embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented using program 930, enabling device 900 to perform as described in the reference. Figures 2 to 8 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0179] In some embodiments, program 930 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 900 (such as memory 920) or other storage device accessible to device 900. Device 900 may load program 930 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 922 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage device, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 10 An example of a computer-readable medium 1000 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. A program 1030 is stored on the computer-readable medium.

[0180] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented using hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented using firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are shown and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or some other graphical representation, it will be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0181] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform the functions described above. Figure 2-5 The methods described are 400-500. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of program modules can be combined or divided among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for a program module can execute on a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, a program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0182] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that, when executed by the processor or controller, it causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0183] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of such carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0184] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include: electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0185] Furthermore, while some operations are shown in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring them to be performed in the shown specific order or in a sequential order, or to perform all shown operations to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0186] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it will be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory including computer program code; The at least one memory and the program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the first device: The first timer is started when the configuration for the semi-persistent scheduling SPS for multicast and broadcast services (MBS) is received from the second device; and If the first timer expires and no information is received to activate the corresponding SPS scheduler, a message indicating that the first device failed to receive the information is sent to the second device.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one memory and the program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to further enable the first device: The first timer is restarted when the message is sent.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one memory and the program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to further enable the first device: Receive configuration for group common uplink resources for a device group including the first device; and The message is sent to the second device via the group of public uplink resources.

4. The first device according to claim 1, wherein, The message is sent to the second device via user equipment-specific uplink resources.

5. The first device according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one memory and the program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to further enable the first device: The counter is incremented when the message is sent; and If the counter count exceeds a threshold, a random access procedure is executed to send the message.

6. The first device according to claim 5, wherein, The number of thresholds is determined based on at least one of the following: An indication of the maximum number from the second device, or The maximum allowed number of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) transmissions for a transport block of the MBS scheduled by the SPS.

7. The first device according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one memory and the program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to further enable the first device: In response to receiving information indicating the activation of the SPS, the first timer is stopped.

8. A method for communication, comprising: At the first device, a first timer is started when the configuration for the semi-persistent scheduling SPS for multicast and broadcast services MBS is received from the second device; as well as If the first timer expires and no information is received to activate the corresponding SPS scheduler, a message indicating that the first device failed to receive the information is sent to the second device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: The first timer is restarted by the first device when the message is sent.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: The first device receives configuration for group common uplink resources of the device group including the first device; as well as The message is sent to the second device via the group of public uplink resources.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The message is sent to the second device via user equipment-specific uplink resources.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising: The first device increments a counter when sending the message; as well as If the counter count exceeds a threshold, a random access procedure is executed to send the message.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The number of thresholds is determined based on at least one of the following: An indication of the maximum number from the second device, or The maximum allowed number of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) transmissions for a transport block of the MBS scheduled by the SPS.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising: The first device stops the first timer in response to receiving information indicating that the SPS should be activated.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a device to perform at least the following: At the first device, a first timer is started upon receiving the configuration of the semi-persistent scheduling SPS for multicast and broadcast services (MBS) from the second device; and If the first timer expires and no information is received to activate the corresponding SPS scheduler, a message indicating that the first device failed to receive the information is sent to the second device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein, The program instructions are used to cause the device to perform further actions: The first device restarts the first timer when it sends the message.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein, The program instructions are used to cause the device to perform further actions: The first device receives configuration for group common uplink resources for a device group including the first device; and The message is sent to the second device via the group of public uplink resources.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein, The message is sent to the second device via user equipment-specific uplink resources.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein, The program instructions are used to cause the device to perform further actions: The first device increments a counter when sending the message; and If the counter count exceeds a threshold, a random access procedure is executed to send the message.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 19, wherein, The number of thresholds is determined based on at least one of the following: An indication of the maximum number from the second device, or The maximum allowed number of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) transmissions for a transport block of the MBS scheduled by the SPS.

Images