Method and apparatus for network coding based HARQ in multiple MIMO layers

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for performing MIMO transmissions are described. A retransmission scheme for MIMO transmissions is described. In one example, a transmitter node obtains a plurality of data packets to be transmitted over a plurality of MIMO layers to a target receiver node. A set of one or more cross-block check blocks is generated, where the set of one or more cross-block check blocks uses a plurality of bits selected from two or more data packets to be transmitted on respective two or more MIMO layers. The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted over one or more MIMO layers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for wireless communications using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmissions, including MIMO transmissions with network coding. Background Art

[0002] An important application in existing and planned future wireless communication systems is ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) applications. One challenge in URLLC applications is the problem of how to reliably transmit large data packets (i.e., with large data sizes) within strict latency constraints. Examples of applications with this challenge include extended reality (XR) applications, remote robot control applications, and real-time gaming applications.

[0003] In order to achieve the high reliability required by URLLC applications, communication protocols usually adopt retransmission schemes using certain repetition and diversity techniques. However, for URLLC applications that require large data packet communication, existing retransmission schemes (which usually require multiple retransmissions and use feedback based on transport blocks (TB) or code block groups (CBG)) may not meet the strict delay and reliability requirements.

[0004] Coding schemes based on network coding can help to use multiple initial transmissions to meet reliability requirements, but using multiple initial transmissions may introduce additional delays.

[0005] Therefore, it would be useful to provide a solution to help address the challenges of transmitting large data packets in URLLC applications. Summary of the invention

[0006] MIMO and multiple transmission and reception point (TRP) communications have been proposed for large data packet URLLC applications to help improve throughput by using multiple MIMO layers and to help improve reliability through diversity gain. MIMO and multi-TRP-based retransmission schemes can help address the challenges posed by large data packet URLLC applications. Specifically, the present invention describes a MIMO retransmission scheme that can use transmission resources (e.g., time and frequency resources) more efficiently than traditional HARQ retransmission schemes.

[0007] In some examples, the present invention describes a retransmission scheme in which a cross-block check block is generated using information bits selected from multiple data packets transmitted on multiple MIMO layers. A cross-block check block generated using bits selected from multiple data packets (subsequently mapped to multiple MIMO layers) may also be referred to as a cross-layer check block, a multi-layer cross-block check block, or a multi-layer vertical check block.

[0008] In some examples, the present invention also describes a retransmission scheme, wherein a cross-block check block is generated using information bits selected from multiple code blocks of a data packet mapped to one MIMO layer. A cross-block check block generated using bits selected from multiple code blocks of a data packet mapped to one MIMO layer may also be referred to as a single-layer cross-block check block, a single-layer check block, or a single-layer vertical check block.

[0009] The term cross-block check block generally includes a multi-layer cross-block check block and a single-layer cross-block check block, as disclosed herein. In addition, in some examples, the term check block can be understood to include coded bits generated using any suitable combination of bits (e.g., not necessarily limited to encoding using a channel code). The cross-block check block can be used to assist in decoding a data packet (e.g., in a retransmission).

[0010] Retransmission using multiple layers of cross-block check blocks enables a single retransmission to provide information to assist in decoding packets transmitted across multiple MIMO layers, which can result in successfully decoding received packets using fewer retransmissions at a receiver node. Retransmission using a single layer of cross-block check blocks can enable layer-specific feedback, which can enable retransmissions that are more specific to a particular MIMO layer and can enable more efficient retransmissions.

[0011] In one exemplary aspect, the present invention describes a method performed at a transmitter node, the method comprising: obtaining a plurality of data packets to be transmitted to a target receiver node on a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers; generating a set of one or more cross-block check blocks, the set of one or more cross-block check blocks being generated using a plurality of bits selected from two or more data packets to be transmitted on corresponding two or more MIMO layers; and transmitting the set of one or more cross-block check blocks on the one or more MIMO layers.

[0012] In an example of the above-mentioned example aspect of the method, the method may also include: transmitting at least one of the multiple data packets on at least one MIMO layer in an initial transmission, the at least one MIMO layer being a first subset of available MIMO layers at the transmitter node; wherein a set of one or more cross-block check blocks may be transmitted at the transmitter node on a second subset of available MIMO layers, and a set of one or more cross-block check blocks may be transmitted together with at least one of the multiple data packets in the initial transmission.

[0013] In an example of the above-mentioned example aspect of the method, the method may also include: transmitting at least one data packet of multiple data packets on at least one MIMO layer in the initial transmission; and transmitting a set of one or more cross-block check blocks on one or more MIMO layers in the retransmission.

[0014] In an example of the above-mentioned example aspect of the method, the method may also include: receiving feedback from the target receiver node indicating that decoding of at least one data packet was unsuccessful, wherein the feedback may be non-specific to any MIMO layer; wherein the retransmission may be performed in response to the received feedback.

[0015] In an example of the above exemplary aspect of the method, a set of one or more cross-block check blocks may be transmitted in a retransmission without any feedback from a target receiver node.

[0016] In an example of any of the above exemplary aspects of the method, a set of interleavers associated with a redundancy version (RV) index may be used to select a plurality of bits selected from different data packets.

[0017] In an example of the above-mentioned example aspect of the method, the method may also include: generating a set of one or more cross-block check blocks includes: generating a first set of one or more cross-block check blocks using a first plurality of bits, the first plurality of bits being selected from two or more data packets using a first group of interleavers associated with a first RV index; generating a second set of one or more cross-block check blocks using a second plurality of bits, the second plurality of bits being selected from two or more data packets using a second group of interleavers associated with a second RV index; transmitting a set of one or more cross-block check blocks includes: transmitting a first set of one or more cross-block check blocks on a first set of one or more MIMO layers; transmitting a second set of one or more cross-block check blocks on a second set of one or more MIMO layers in the same transmission.

[0018] In an example of any of the above-mentioned exemplary aspects of the method, a first data packet among multiple data packets can be mapped to a first MIMO layer using a first modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and a second data packet among the multiple data packets can be mapped to a second MIMO layer using a second MCS different from the first MCS.

[0019] In any of the above exemplary aspects of the method, the transmitter node may be a base station or a user equipment (UE).

[0020] In another exemplary aspect, the present invention describes a method performed at a first transmitter node, the method comprising: obtaining a plurality of data packets to be transmitted to a target receiver node; wherein the first transmitter node is used to cooperate with a second transmitter node to transmit the plurality of data packets to the target receiver node on a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers; wherein the first transmitter node cooperates with the second transmitter node in the following manner: generating a set of cross-block check blocks, the set of cross-block check blocks being generated using a plurality of bits selected from two or more of the plurality of data packets to be transmitted on corresponding two or more MIMO layers; and transmitting one or more cross-block check blocks in the set of cross-block check blocks to the target receiver node or one of the second transmitter nodes.

[0021] In an example of the above example aspect of the method, the method may further include: transmitting multiple data packets to a target receiver node on multiple MIMO layers; wherein the set of cross-block check blocks may be transmitted to a second transmitter node.

[0022] In an example of the above example aspect of the method, the method may further include: transmitting a plurality of data packets to a second transmitter node; transmitting configuration information to the second transmitter node to cause the second transmitter node to cooperate with the first transmitter node.

[0023] In an example of any of the above-described exemplary aspects of the method, a first transmitter node and a second transmitter node may be configured to collaborate to transmit multiple data packets to a target receiver node on multiple MIMO layers in an initial transmission, and to transmit a set of cross-block check blocks to the target receiver node on multiple MIMO layers in a retransmission.

[0024] In an example of any of the above-described exemplary aspects of the method, a first transmitter node and a second transmitter node may be configured to collaborate to transmit a plurality of data packets to a target receiver node on a plurality of MIMO layers in an initial transmission, and to transmit a set of cross-block check blocks to the target receiver node on a second plurality of MIMO layers in the same initial transmission.

[0025] In another exemplary aspect, the present invention describes a method performed at a transmitter node, the method comprising: obtaining multiple data packets to be transmitted to a target receiver node on multiple multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers; for at least one data packet to be transmitted on at least one MIMO layer, generating a set of one or more cross-block check blocks, the set of one or more cross-block check blocks being generated using multiple bits selected from two or more code blocks of at least one data packet; and transmitting the set of one or more cross-block check blocks on the MIMO layers.

[0026] In an example of the above-mentioned example aspect of the method, the method may include: transmitting at least one data packet on at least one MIMO layer in an initial transmission, the at least one MIMO layer being a first subset of available MIMO layers at a transmitter node; wherein a set of one or more cross-block check blocks may be transmitted on a MIMO layer not included in the first subset, and a set of one or more cross-block check blocks may be transmitted together with the at least one data packet in the initial transmission.

[0027] In an example of the above-mentioned example aspect of the method, the method may include: transmitting at least one data packet on at least one MIMO layer in an initial transmission; and transmitting a set of one or more cross-block check blocks on the same at least one MIMO layer in a retransmission.

[0028] In an example of the above example aspect of the method, the method may include: receiving feedback associated with at least one MIMO layer, the feedback indicating that retransmission is required; wherein the retransmission may be performed in response to the received feedback.

[0029] In an example of the above exemplary aspect of the method, a set of one or more cross-block check blocks may be transmitted in a retransmission without any feedback.

[0030] In an example of any of the above exemplary aspects of the method, the plurality of bits selected from the two or more code blocks of the at least one data packet may be selected using a set of interleavers associated with a redundancy version (RV) index.

[0031] In an example of the above-mentioned example aspect of the method, the method may include: generating a set of one or more cross-block check blocks including: generating a first set of one or more cross-block check blocks using a first plurality of bits, the first plurality of bits being selected from two or more code blocks of a first data packet using a first group of interleavers associated with a first RV index; generating a second set of one or more cross-block check blocks using a second plurality of bits, the second plurality of bits being selected from two or more code blocks of a second data packet using a second group of interleavers associated with a second RV index; transmitting a set of one or more cross-block check blocks including: transmitting the first set of one or more cross-block check blocks on a first MIMO layer, and transmitting the second set of one or more cross-block check blocks on a second MIMO layer in the same transmission.

[0032] In an example of any of the above-mentioned exemplary aspects of the method, a first data packet among multiple data packets can be mapped to a first MIMO layer using a first modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and a second data packet among the multiple data packets can be mapped to a second MIMO layer using a second MCS different from the first MCS.

[0033] In another exemplary aspect, the present invention describes a method performed at a receiver node, the method comprising: receiving multiple data packets on multiple multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers; receiving a set of cross-block check blocks, the set of cross-block check blocks being generated from multiple bits of two or more data packets selected from the multiple data packets received on corresponding two or more MIMO layers; and performing decoding on the multiple data packets using the set of cross-block check blocks to assist in decoding the multiple data packets.

[0034] In the example of the above exemplary aspect of the method, multiple data packets can be received on multiple MIMO layers in the initial transmission, and the set of cross-block check blocks can be received on one or more MIMO layers different from the multiple MIMO layers in the initial transmission.

[0035] In an example of any of the above-mentioned exemplary aspects of the method, the method may also include: after receiving multiple data packets, attempting to decode the multiple data packets, and transmitting feedback indicating that the decoding of the multiple data packets was unsuccessful; after transmitting the feedback, receiving a set of cross-block check blocks in a retransmission.

[0036] In an example of any of the above exemplary aspects of the method, a plurality of data packets may be received from two or more different transmitter nodes over a plurality of MIMO layers.

[0037] In examples of the above exemplary aspects of the method, the set of cross-block check chunks may be received from at least one of two or more different sender nodes.

[0038] In another aspect, the present invention describes a method performed at a transmitter node, the method comprising: obtaining a data packet to be transmitted to a target receiver node on multiple multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers; generating a set of one or more cross-block check blocks using multiple bits selected from two or more code blocks of the data packet; and transmitting the set of one or more cross-block check blocks on one or more MIMO layers.

[0039] In an example of the above-mentioned example aspect of the method, the method may also include: transmitting a data packet on multiple MIMO layers in an initial transmission, the multiple MIMO layers being a first subset of available MIMO layers at a transmitter node; wherein a set of one or more cross-block check blocks may be transmitted on a MIMO layer not included in the first subset, and a set of one or more cross-block check blocks may be transmitted together with the data packet in the initial transmission.

[0040] In an example of the above-mentioned example aspect of the method, the method may also include: transmitting the data packet on multiple MIMO layers in the initial transmission; transmitting a set of one or more cross-block check blocks on one or more MIMO layers in the retransmission.

[0041] In an example of the above example aspect of the method, the method may further include: receiving feedback indicating that decoding of the data packet was unsuccessful; wherein the retransmission may be performed in response to the received feedback.

[0042] In an example of the above exemplary aspect of the method, a set of one or more cross-block check blocks may be transmitted in a retransmission without any feedback.

[0043] In an example of any of the above exemplary aspects of the method, the plurality of bits selected from the two or more code blocks of the data packet may be selected using a set of interleavers associated with a redundancy version (RV) index.

[0044] In another exemplary aspect, the present invention describes an apparatus comprising: a processing unit; a non-transitory memory, the non-transitory memory comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing unit, cause the apparatus to perform any of the above exemplary aspects of the method.

[0045] In another exemplary aspect, the present invention describes a computer-readable medium having machine-executable instructions stored therein, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processing unit of the device, cause the device to perform any of the above exemplary aspects of the method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] Reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings which show exemplary embodiments of the present application, in which:

[0047] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system suitable for implementing the examples described herein;

[0048] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary apparatus suitable for implementing the examples described herein;

[0049] Figure 3A is a block diagram of an example of how to transmit a data packet over multiple MIMO layers;

[0050] Figure 3B is a block diagram of an example of how to generate and transmit a cross-block check block on a MIMO layer;

[0051] Figure 4A An exemplary code structure of a single transport block (TB) based on a systematic code is shown, including a horizontal check block and a cross-block check block;

[0052] Figure 4B An exemplary code structure of a single TB based on a non-systematic code including a cross-block check block is shown;

[0053] Figure 5 An exemplary code structure of a plurality of data packets based on a systematic code is shown, including a horizontal check block and a cross-block check block;

[0054] Fig. 6A is a flow chart of an exemplary method for generating and transmitting a cross-block check block over a MIMO layer;

[0055] Figure 6B and Figure 6C yes Fig. 6A A block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the method;

[0056] Fig.6D Shows how to generate Figure 6B and Figure 6C An example of a cross-block checksum block;

[0057] Fig. 7A is a flow chart of another exemplary method for generating and transmitting a cross-block check block over a MIMO layer;

[0058] Figure 7Byes Fig. 7A A block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the method;

[0059] Figure 7C Shows how to generate Figure 7B An example of a cross-block checksum block;

[0060] Fig. 8A is a flow chart of another exemplary method for generating and transmitting a cross-block check block over a MIMO layer;

[0061] Figure 8B yes Fig. 8A A block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the method;

[0062] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an example of link adaptation in a MIMO retransmission scheme;

[0063] Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B is a block diagram of an example of multi-transmitter node cooperation in a MIMO retransmission scheme;

[0064] Fig.11 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for multi-sender node cooperation;

[0065] Fig.12 is a flow chart of an exemplary method performed at a receiver node;

[0066] The same reference numerals may be used in different drawings to denote the same components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] To help understand the present invention, an exemplary wireless communication system is first described.

[0068] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system 100 (also referred to as wireless system 100) in which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented is shown. In general, wireless system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired elements to transmit data and other content. Wireless system 100 enables content (e.g., voice, data, video, text, etc.) to be transmitted between entities of system 100 (e.g., via broadcast, narrowcast, user device to user device, etc.). Wireless system 100 may operate by sharing resources such as bandwidth. Wireless system 100 may be suitable for wireless communication using 5G technology and / or next generation wireless technology. In some examples, wireless system 100 may also be compatible with some traditional wireless technologies (e.g., 3G or 4G wireless technologies).

[0069] In the illustrated example, wireless system 100 includes user equipment (UE) 110, radio access network (RAN) 120, core network 130, public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, Internet 150, and other networks 160. In some examples, one or more networks may be omitted or replaced with a different type of network. Other networks may be included in wireless system 100. Although Figure 1 A certain number of these components or elements are shown, but any suitable number of these components or elements may be included in the wireless system 100 .

[0070] UE 110 is used to operate and / or communicate in the wireless system 100. For example, UE 110 can be used to transmit and / or receive messages through a wireless or wired communication channel. The term "UE" can be used to refer to any suitable terminal user device for wireless operation, and can include (or can be called): a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), a mobile station, a mobile relay, a fixed or mobile user unit, a cellular phone, a workstation (STA), a machine type communication (MTC) device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a laptop, a computer, a tablet computer, a wireless sensor, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a networked vehicle or a consumer electronic device, etc. In some examples, the term electronic device (ED) can be used instead of UE. Generally, it should be understood that the use of the term UE in the present invention does not necessarily limit the present invention to any specific wireless technology.

[0071] exist Figure 1 In the example, RAN 120 includes a base station (BS) 170. Figure 1Each RAN 120 is shown to include a corresponding BS 170, but it should be understood that any given RAN 120 may include more than one BS 170, and any given RAN 120 may also include one or more base station controllers (BSC), one or more radio network controllers (RNC), relay nodes, elements and / or devices. Each BS 170 is used to wirelessly connect with one or more of the UEs 110 so as to access any other BS 170, the core network 130, the PSTN 140, the Internet 150 or other networks 160. For example, the BS 170 may also be referred to as (or include) a base transceiver station (BTS), a wireless base station, a Node-B (NodeB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a home base station, a gNodeB (gNB) (sometimes referred to as a next generation NodeB), a transmission point (TP), a transmission and reception point (TRP), a site controller, an access point (AP) or a wireless router, etc. The next generation BS 170 can be referred to using other terms. In some examples, the term TRP can be used to include BS 170 or any other node that can be used to transmit and receive communications. Therefore, although the present invention refers to BS 170, it should be understood that this is not intended to be limiting. Alternatively or additionally, any UE 110 can be used to access any other BS 170, the Internet 150, the core network 130, the PSTN 140, other networks 160, or any combination of the above, or be connected or communicated with. In some examples, BS 170 can access the core network 130 via the Internet 150.

[0072] UE 110 and BS 170 are examples of communication devices that can be used to implement some or all of the functionality and / or embodiments described herein. Any BS 170 can be a single element as shown, or multiple elements distributed in a corresponding RAN 120, and so on. Each of the BSs 170 transmits and / or receives wireless signals within a specific geographic area (sometimes referred to as a "cell" or "coverage area"). The cell can be further divided into cell sectors, for example, BS 170 can use multiple transceivers to provide services to multiple sectors. In some embodiments, there may be established micro cells or femto cells supported by wireless access technology. A macro cell may include one or more smaller cells. The number of RANs 120 shown is merely exemplary. Any number of RANs may be considered when designing the wireless system 100.

[0073] The BS 170 communicates with one or more of the UEs 110 via one or more uplink (UL) / downlink (DL) wireless interfaces 190 (e.g., via radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared, etc.). The UL / DL interface 190 may also be referred to as a UL / DL connection, a UE-BS link / connection / interface, or a UE-network link / connection / interface, etc. The UEs 110 may also communicate directly with each other (i.e., without involving the BS 170) via one or more sidelink (SL) wireless interfaces 195. The SL interface 195 may also be referred to as a SL connection, a UE-to-UE link / connection / interface, a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) link / connection / interface, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) link / connection / interface, a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) link / connection / interface, a vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) link / connection / interface, a device-to-device (D2D) link / connection / interface, or simply SL, etc. The wireless interfaces 190 and 195 may use any suitable wireless access technology. For example, the wireless system 100 may implement one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), for wireless communication.

[0074] The RAN 120 communicates with the core network 130 to provide various services, such as voice, data, and other services to the UE 110. The RAN 120 and / or the core network 130 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown), which may or may not be directly served by the core network 130 and may or may not use the same radio access technology. The core network 130 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) the RAN 120 or the UE 110 or both and (ii) other networks (e.g., the PSTN 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160). In addition, some or all of the multiple UEs 110 may communicate with different wireless networks over different wireless links using different wireless technologies and / or protocols. Instead of (or in addition to) wireless communication, the UE 110 may communicate with a service provider or switch (not shown) and the Internet 150 over a wired communication channel. The PSTN 140 may include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 150 may include computer networks and / or subnets (intranets), and may include protocols such as the Internet Protocol (IP), the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). The UE 110 may be a multi-mode device capable of operating in accordance with a variety of radio access technologies, incorporating multiple transceivers required to support such technologies.

[0075] In the present invention, UE 110 and BS 170 may communicate using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology (e.g., via UL, DL, or SL interfaces 190, 195) (e.g., UE 110 and BS 170 may each have multiple transmit / receive antennas to support MIMO transmission / reception). MIMO technology can help improve the reliability of wireless transmission, for example, by providing diversity gain or beamforming gain, or by helping to improve throughput using a spatial multiplexing scheme. When a spatial multiplexing scheme is used, transmission may be performed on multiple transmission layers. A transmission layer refers to a data stream being transmitted. In the case of MIMO transmission, there are at least two transmission layers, or more generally, L transmission layers (where L is at least two). The L transmission layers are mapped to N antenna streams (which are fed to corresponding transmission antennas (or antenna ports)) via a MIMO precoding matrix of size N×L. Typically, the number of transmission layers (i.e., L, also referred to as the transmission rank) is less than or equal to the number of antenna streams (i.e., N). In the present invention, there are at least two transmission layers for MIMO transmission, and these transmission layers can be called MIMO layers.

[0076] Figure 2 Exemplary apparatus is shown upon which the examples disclosed herein may be implemented. Figure 2 Possible embodiments of UE 110 and BS 170 are shown and are not intended to be limiting.

[0077] like Figure 2 As shown, an exemplary device (e.g., an exemplary embodiment of UE 110 or BS 170) includes at least one processing unit 201. Processing unit 201 implements various processing operations of the device. For example, processing unit 201 can perform signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other function of the device. Processing unit 201 can also be used to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described in detail herein. Each processing unit 201 includes any suitable processing or computing device for performing one or more operations. Each processing unit 201 may include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array or an application-specific integrated circuit, etc.

[0078] The device (e.g., UE 110 or BS 170) includes at least one communication interface 202 for wired communication and / or wireless communication. One or more communication interfaces 202 can be used in the device. Each communication interface 202 includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless transmission or wired transmission and / or for processing signals received wirelessly or by wire. Although shown as a single functional unit, the communication interface 202 can also be implemented using at least one transmitter interface and at least one separate receiver interface. In some examples, one or more transmitters and one or more receivers can be implemented by the communication interface 202.

[0079] The device (e.g., UE 110 or BS 170) includes multiple antennas 204 to support MIMO communication. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for sending and / or receiving wireless or wired signals. In some examples, there may be one or more antennas 204 for transmitting signals and one or more antennas 204 for receiving signals.

[0080] The apparatus (e.g., UE 110 or BS 170) also includes one or more input / output devices 206 or input / output interfaces (e.g., a wired interface connected to the Internet 150). The one or more input / output devices 206 allow interaction with users or other devices in the wireless system 100. Each input / output device 206 includes any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving information from a user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touch screen, including network interface communications.

[0081] In addition, the device (e.g., UE 110 or BS 170) includes at least one memory 208. The memory 208 stores instructions and data used, generated or collected by the device. For example, the memory 208 can store software instructions or modules executed by the processing unit 201, which are used to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein. Each memory 208 includes one or more any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices. Any suitable type of non-transient memory can be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, etc.

[0082] Figure 3A An example of how to transmit a large data packet (i.e., having a large data size) over multiple MIMO layers is shown. Specifically, Figure 3A Exemplary operations are shown that may be used for initial transmission of a large data packet, for example using a processing unit 201 and a communication interface 202 of an apparatus (eg, UE 110 or BS 170) as a transmitter node for MIMO transmission.

[0083] A large data packet 302 is obtained (e.g., generated internally or received from another network node) and split into multiple data packets of smaller size (i.e., smaller data size). In this example, the large data packet 302 is split into M data packets 304-1 to 304-M, generally referred to as data packets 304. In some examples, the data packets 304 can represent transport blocks (TBs) in the physical layer. For example, each data packet 304 can be a single TB. For each data packet 304, a corresponding cyclic redundancy check (CRC) block is generated at a CRC operation 306 and attached to the data packet 304. The data packet 304 with the attached CRC block can be segmented into multiple code blocks (CBs) ( Figure 3A 308, for example, using any suitable forward error correction (FEC) code, such as a low-density parity-check (LDPC) code, to encode the information bits of each CB. Other processing operations (e.g., rate matching, code block concatenation, scrambling, and modulation) may be performed. Figure 3A ), to output modulation symbols, etc. from data packet 304.

[0084] The data packets 304 (after appropriate processing as described above) are mapped to one or more MIMO layers by a layer mapping operation 310. The layer mapping operation 310 may map the data packets 304 to one or more MIMO layers based on a predefined mapping rule (e.g., as defined in a standard), for example, a one-to-one mapping (i.e., one data packet is mapped to one MIMO layer) or a one-to-many mapping (i.e., one data packet is mapped to multiple MIMO layers). In the example shown, one data packet 304 is mapped to one MIMO layer (such that M data packets 304 are mapped to L MIMO layers, where L is equal to M). However, in other examples, one data packet 304 may be mapped to multiple MIMO layers, and different data packets 304 may be mapped to different numbers of MIMO layers (such that M data packets 304 are mapped to L MIMO layers, where L is greater than M). When the data packet 304 includes multiple CBs, there may be different ways to map the data packet 304 to multiple MIMO layers. In one scenario, multiple CBs belonging to data packet 304 may be sequentially mapped to multiple MIMO layers such that all bits in one CB are selected to be mapped to one of the MIMO layers before any bits in the next CB are selected. For example, if data packet 304 includes K CBs to be mapped to K MIMO layers, the first CB (denoted as CB1) may be mapped to MIMO layer 1, the second CB (denoted as CB2) may be mapped to MIMO layer 2, and so on, until the Kth CB (denoted as CBK) may be mapped to MIMO layer K. In another example, if data packet 304 has 2 CBs to be mapped to 4 MIMO layers, CB1 may be mapped to MIMO layers 1 and 2, while CB2 may be mapped to layers 3 and 4. In yet another example, if data packet 304 includes 4 CBs to be mapped to 2 MIMO layers, CB1 and CB2 may be mapped to MIMO layer 1, and the third and fourth CBs (denoted as CB3 and CB4, respectively) may be mapped to MIMO layer 2. In another scenario, a data packet 304 with multiple CBs can be mapped to multiple MIMO layers in such a way that the bits of all CBs are interleaved before being mapped to the MIMO layers so that each CB is distributed across all MIMO layers. For example, if the data packet 304 includes 4 CBs to be mapped to 4 MIMO layers, the first MIMO layer can include the first bit of CB1, the first bit of CB2, the first bit of CB3, and the first bit of CB4, followed by the second bit of CB1, the second bit of CB2, the second bit of CB3, the second bit of CB4, and so on. In this way, each MIMO layer can include one quarter of the bits of each of CB1, CB2, CB3, and CB4. It should be understood that the above-mentioned mapping scheme of data packets to MIMO layers can also be applied to the mapping of cross-block check blocks to MIMO layers.In general, it should be appreciated that there are a variety of ways in which CBs (and cross-block check blocks, where applicable) can be mapped to MIMO layers, all of which are within the scope of the present invention and can be used in the various examples described herein.

[0085] Each layer is a data stream, and the layers are processed by a MIMO precoder 312. The MIMO precoder is used to map L MIMO layers to N antenna streams (where N is not necessarily equal to L), where each antenna stream can be further processed by time-frequency resource mapping and physical antenna mapping, and fed to a corresponding transmission antenna (or antenna port) for MIMO transmission.

[0086] In another example, it may not be the case that multiple data packets 304 are transmitted over multiple MIMO layers. For example, a single data packet 304 may be divided into multiple CBs, and the multiple CBs may be transmitted over multiple MIMO layers.

[0087] At the receiver node, MIMO transmissions are received at multiple receive antennas. The receiver node performs appropriate operations to attempt to demap the MIMO layer and decode the transmitted data packet 304 (which can then be further processed to reassemble the original large data packet 302). For example, the receiver node can perform time-frequency synchronization, demodulation, MIMO demapping and decoding of channel codes and other operations. The information included in the check block (e.g., CRC block) can be used to assist in decoding. If the decoding attempt is unsuccessful, the receiver node can send feedback (e.g., negative acknowledgment (NACK)) back to the transmitter node to indicate that the decoding attempt was unsuccessful. The transmitter node can receive feedback as an indication of the need for retransmission.

[0088] It should be understood that although the present invention refers to data packets with CBs, this is not intended to be limiting. In the various examples described herein, it is understood that, for example, a data packet can represent a TB in the physical layer. In other examples, a data packet can have a single CB. In other examples, a data packet can have multiple CBs. In the various examples described herein, all of these variations are possible.

[0089] Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) is a commonly used retransmission technology. Traditional HARQ retransmission schemes are usually based on TBs. If the receiver node fails to decode even one CB of a data packet (wherein the data packet can be a single TB), negative feedback is sent back to the transmitter node, and the transmitter node performs retransmission of the entire data packet, even if the other CBs of the data packet are successfully decoded by the receiver node. This may lead to inefficient use of communication resources. In new radio (NR) version 15, HARQ retransmission based on (code block group, CBG) is supported. In CBG-based HARQ retransmission, CBs are grouped in CBGs, and feedback from the receiver node includes the index of the CBG containing the unsuccessfully decoded CB. Then the retransmission can only be based on the CBG with the index indicated in the feedback. However, CBG-based HARQ retransmission requires that the feedback include the CBG index that needs to be retransmitted, which increases the overhead of HARQ feedback. In addition, in the case where there is one (or more) erroneous CBs per CGB, all CBGs (i.e., the entire TB) are used for retransmission, so instead of reducing retransmissions, the overhead caused by having to feed back the CBG index is increased. Therefore, CBG-based HARQ may still be inefficient.

[0090] In the context of MIMO transmission, traditional HARQ retransmission schemes can be MIMO layer independent, which means that retransmission may require retransmission of all packets on all MIMO layers until all packets are successfully decoded. This may exacerbate the inefficiency problem in retransmission using traditional TB or CBG based retransmission schemes. In addition, in the context of ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) applications, such inefficient retransmissions may cause unacceptable delays.

[0091] In some examples, the present invention describes a MIMO-based HARQ retransmission scheme, in which retransmission is performed using a check block generated from bits selected from different data packets, where different data packets can be transmitted on different MIMO layers. Such a check block may be referred to herein as a multi-layer (or cross-layer) cross-block check block, where multi-layer refers to selecting bits from different data packets that can be mapped to different MIMO layers, and cross-block refers to selecting bits from different CBs (belonging to different data packets). A HARQ retransmission scheme using a multi-layer cross-block check block may be referred to as a multi-layer 2D HARQ (where 2D refers to a check block generated using bits selected from different code blocks).

[0092] In some other examples, the present invention describes a MIMO-based HARQ retransmission scheme, wherein retransmission is performed using check blocks generated from different CBs of a data packet mapped to a single MIMO layer. Such check blocks may be referred to herein as single-layer cross-block check blocks, and a HARQ retransmission scheme using single-layer cross-block check blocks may be referred to as single-layer 2D HARQ (where 2D refers to check blocks generated using bits selected from different CBs).

[0093] Therefore, the term cross-block check block may include multi-layer cross-block check blocks (or cross-layer check blocks) and single-layer cross-block check blocks. The term check block should be understood to include various techniques that can be used to combine bits selected from different CBs, including using XOR or using linear combinations of bits (etc.). Therefore, the term check block can generally be understood to include coded bits that can be generated from selected bits using any suitable technique, and is not necessarily limited to encoding the selected bits, for example, by a channel code.

[0094] Figure 3B An example is shown of how a set of cross-block check blocks may be generated and transmitted on a MIMO layer, for example using a processing unit 201 and a communication interface 202 of an apparatus (eg, UE 110 or BS 170) that is a transmitter node of a MIMO transmission.

[0095] Similar to Figure 3A , the large data packet 302 is split into smaller data packets 304, which are mapped to multiple MIMO layers for transmission. For simplicity, Figure 3B Not shown are operations for processing data packets 304 to be transmitted over multiple MIMO layers.

[0096] After CRC generation 306, information bits are selected from different data packets 304 (which are subsequently mapped to different MIMO layers). Specifically, one or more bits are selected from each of two or more different data packets 304 (i.e., at least one bit is selected from each of two or more different data packets 304), and the selected bit group may be referred to herein as a cross-block information block 320. It should be noted that the mapping of different data packets 304 to different MIMO layers may be configured for the device, and the manner in which bits are selected from different data packets 304 of the cross-block information block 320 may also be configured (e.g., semi-statically or dynamically configured). It should also be understood that the cross-block information block 320 may be formed using bits selected from less than all of the data packets 304.

[0097] As described above, each data packet 304 may correspond to a TB that may be further divided into one or more CBs. In one example, when each data packet 304 corresponds to a single CB, the cross-block information block 320 may be formed using bits selected from each CB corresponding to each data packet 304. In another example, when a single data packet 304 (or a single large data packet 302 that is not divided into smaller data packets 304) is divided into multiple CBs mapped to different MIMO layers, the cross-block information block 320 may be formed using bits selected from different CBs. Thus, the cross-block information block 320 may include bits selected from CBs transmitted across multiple MIMO layers but originating from a single data packet 304.

[0098] The cross-block information blocks 320 may then be processed by a suitable channel coding scheme 308 (e.g., using any suitable FEC code such as an LDPC code) to generate a set of cross-block check blocks 408. As described above, other methods of combining the bits of the cross-block information blocks 320 to generate the cross-block check blocks 408 may be used (e.g., using XOR or linear combinations). Other processing operations (e.g., rate matching, code block concatenation, scrambling, and modulation) may be performed. The set of one or more cross-block check blocks 408 (after appropriate processing operations) is then mapped to one or more MIMO layers by a layer mapping operation 310 and then processed by a MIMO precoder 312 into one or more antenna streams for transmission. Thus, the cross-block check blocks 408 include information from different data packets 304 mapped to different MIMO layers and may assist a receiver node in decoding data packets 304 received on different MIMO layers.

[0099] As will be discussed further below, one or more cross-block check blocks 408 may be transmitted in an initial transmission with the data packet 304. Additionally or alternatively, one or more cross-block check blocks 408 may be transmitted in a retransmission subsequent to the initial transmission of the data packet 304.

[0100] In a similar process, a set of one or more single-layer cross-block check blocks can be generated by selecting information bits from different CBs of a data packet mapped to a MIMO layer. Then, the one or more single-layer cross-block check blocks can be mapped to the same MIMO layer as the source data packet. The use of one or more single-layer cross-block check blocks can support layer-specific or layer-dependent HARQ feedback, as further discussed below.

[0101] Techniques for generating cross-packet check blocks or cross-block check blocks (also known as vertical check blocks (VCBs)) have been described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16 / 665,121, filed on Oct. 28, 2019, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HYBRID-ARQ,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The use of cross-packet check blocks in network coding (also known as 2D network coding or 2D joint network coding) has been described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17 / 110,226, filed on Dec. 2, 2020, entitled “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR NETWORK CODING USING CROSS-PACKET CHECK BLOCKS,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. It should be understood that the techniques for generating cross-packet check blocks can be used to generate multi-layer cross-block check blocks or single-layer cross-block check blocks, as disclosed herein.

[0102] To help understand the present invention, some exemplary code structures are now described.

[0103] Figure 4A An exemplary code structure of a single data packet 304 (which may be a TB) segmented into multiple CBs 410 is shown. The data packet 304 includes multiple information blocks 404 formed by encoder input bits (in this example, four information blocks 404 are shown for simplicity, but this is not intended to be limiting). The information block may include a CRC block attached to the data, which is used to check whether the code block 410 is successfully decoded. The encoder input bits may also be referred to as information bits. The bits in this example are arranged in rows and columns. The code structure includes check blocks generated using bits from a single information block 404; these check blocks may be referred to as horizontal check blocks 406 (in this example, there is one horizontal check block 406 for each information block 404). For example, each horizontal check block 406 may be generated by encoding the information block 404 using a channel coding scheme (e.g., an LDPC code).

[0104] A cross-block check block 408 is generated using bits selected from two or more CBs 410. In some examples, the cross-block check block 408 may be referred to as a vertical check block (to distinguish it from the horizontal check block 406). However, it should be understood that the terms "vertical" and "horizontal" are not intended to imply any physical structure or orientation and are not intended to be limiting; for example, the descriptors "horizontal" and "vertical" may be equivalently replaced with "first" and "second", respectively. It should be understood that the terms "parity check block" or "redundancy block" may also be used in place of "check block".

[0105] In this example, one or more cross-block check blocks 408 are generated using bits selected from the plurality of information blocks 404. Optionally, one or more cross-block check blocks 408 may also be generated using bits selected from the plurality of horizontal check blocks 406. The cross-block check blocks 408 generated from bits selected from the horizontal check blocks may be referred to as "check on check" blocks.

[0106] The number of cross-block check blocks 408 to be used (including whether a checksum block is used) can be based on the configuration at the transmitter node (e.g., BS 170 for downlink (DL) transmission, or UE 110 for uplink (UL) transmission or SL transmission) and / or defined by the standard.

[0107] exist Figure 4A In the example of , CBs 410 are systematic CBs because they each include systematic bits (in information block 404) and check bits (in horizontal check block 406) determined from systematic bits. In other examples (discussed further below), CBs 410 may be non-systematic.

[0108] Each cross-block check block 408 is generated from bits selected from a plurality of CBs 410. Specifically, one or more bits may be selected from each CB 410. The selected bits may be referred to as cross-block bits (because the bits are selected from a plurality of CBs 410), and the selected bit group may be referred to as a cross-block information block. When the CBs 410 are arranged in rows, such as Figure 4A As shown, each cross-block check block 408 can be generated from a column of bits, where the column of bits can have any suitable width (e.g., can be one or more bits wide). Different cross-block check blocks 408 can be generated from columns of different bit widths (i.e., different cross-block check blocks 408 can be generated using different numbers of cross-block bits). In some examples, each CB 410 can be divided into an equal (or approximately equal) number of bits, referred to as sub-blocks. Each cross-block check block 408 can then be generated from bits belonging to the corresponding column sub-block. The cross-block information block (formed by the selected cross-block bits) is then encoded (e.g., using an FEC code, such as an LDPC code) or otherwise combined (e.g., using XOR, linear combination, etc.) to obtain a cross-block check block 408.

[0109] Figure 4A Bits are shown and described as being arranged in rows and columns; for example, the cross-block check block 408 is shown as having a rectangular / two-dimensional structure. However, this is for illustration only and is not intended to limit how the bits may be arranged logically or in transmission. In addition, Figure 4AThe code structure shown can be partitioned for transmission. Typically, all bits of a cross-block check block 408 are transmitted in the same transmission opportunity.

[0110] The check bits included in the horizontal check block 406 and the cross-block check block 408 are useful for assisting decoding at the receiver node. For example, after each decoding attempt by the decoder, the CRC bits can be used to perform error checking to determine whether the information bits in the CB 410 have been successfully decoded. The cross-block check block 408 includes check bits determined from multiple CBs 410 and thus provides information useful for decoding multiple CBs 410. The decoder can use the check bits of the cross-block check block 408 to assist in decoding the CB 410.

[0111] Figure 4B An exemplary code structure for a single data packet 304 based on a non-systematic code (e.g., polar code, block code, or convolutional code) is shown. Each non-systematic codeword is determined based on a set of encoder input bits, but the encoder input bits do not appear as systematic bits in the codeword. Unlike systematic codes, horizontal check bits cannot be simply appended at the end of each row.

[0112] Data packet 304 includes a plurality of non-systematic codewords 412, each of which may be considered a CB 410. Figure 4A Unlike the example of , CB 410 does not include different horizontal check blocks. Each cross-block check block 408 is generated by one or more bits selected from multiple CBs 410, similar to Figure 4A Described in .

[0113] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present teachings are not dependent upon whether systematic or non-systematic codes are used. For simplicity, the following discussion may be based on data packet 304 having systematic CB 410. It should be understood that this is not intended to be limiting.

[0114] In some examples, the cross-block check block 408 can be generated from bits selected from the CB 410 of two or more data packets 304. In MIMO applications, different data packets 304 can be mapped to different MIMO layers. As described above, the cross-block check block 408 generated from bits selected from data packets 304 mapped to different MIMO layers can be referred to as a multi-layer cross-block check block 408.

[0115] Figure 5 An example of generating a cross-block check block 408 using bits selected from a plurality of data packets 304 is shown. In this example, data packet 1 304-1 and data packet 2 304-2 (generally referred to as data packets 304) are shown, however, the cross-block check block 408 may be generated using bits selected from more than two different data packets 304.

[0116] Multiple data packets 304 may originate from one or more sources (e.g., two or more transmitter nodes (e.g., two or more TRPs) may collaborate to jointly transmit the data packets 304 and / or the generated cross-block check blocks 408 to a target receiver node). In this example, the data packets 304 use a systematic code, and each data packet 304 includes multiple CBs 410, but this is not intended to be limiting. Data packet 1 304-1 includes information block 1 404-1 and information block 2 404-2, and a corresponding horizontal check block 406 is attached. Similarly, data packet 2 304-2 includes information block 3 404-3 and information block 4 404-4, and a corresponding horizontal check block 406 is attached. It should be noted that the number of CBs 410 in each data packet 304 is not necessarily equal.

[0117] To generate each cross-block vertical check block 408, one or more bits are selected from each data packet 304 (e.g., one or more bits selected from data packet 1 304-1 and one or more bits selected from data packet 2 304-2). For example, to generate the cross-block vertical check block 408, one or more bits may be selected from each CB 410 of each data packet 304. The selected bits may be referred to as cross-block bits (or cross-packet bits or cross-layer bits), which together form a cross-block information block.

[0118] like Figure 3B As shown, for example, after the CRC block is generated at 306 and before other processing such as channel coding, cross-block bits can be selected from multiple data packets 304. It should be noted that different data packets 304 are mapped to different MIMO layers. Therefore, the cross-block information block 320 includes information related to data packets transmitted on different MIMO layers. The bits of the cross-block information block 320 are encoded (for example, using an FEC code, such as an LDPC code) or combined in other ways (for example, using XOR, linear combination, etc.) to obtain a set of cross-block check blocks 408. In this way, a set of one or more cross-block check blocks 408 can be generated using bits selected from multiple data packets 304 mapped to multiple MIMO layers.

[0119] Regardless of the specific code structure (e.g. Figure 4A , Figure 4B or Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 4 , each cross-block check block 408 is generated from bits selected from a plurality of CBs 410. If the CBs 410 are arranged in horizontal rows in the code structure (e.g., as Figure 4A , Figure 4B or Figure 5As shown), a cross-block check block 408 can be generated by selecting vertical bit columns, wherein each bit column includes bits from multiple rows of CB 410. A set of cross-block check blocks 408 can be generated based on the bits of CB 410 in their natural order. The natural order of bits can refer to the order of bits in each CB 410 output by the encoder. Different sets of cross-block check blocks 408 can be generated by shuffling (or interleaving) the bits within each CB 410 (so that the vertical bit columns obtained after shuffling or interleaving are different from the vertical bit columns obtained when the bits of CB 410 are in their natural order). The shuffling or interleaving can be performed using a predefined shuffling scheme or a predefined interleaver. The interleaver can be a predefined algorithm or a predefined matrix (etc.) applied to a row of bits to obtain a row of reordered bits. It should be understood that other techniques (not necessarily limited to interleaving) can be used. Thus, different sets of cross-block check blocks 408 may be generated for the same set of CBs 410 using bits in natural order or using different interleavers (eg, where a different interleaver is associated with each different redundancy version (RV) index).

[0120] CB 410 may be transmitted in an initial transmission (which may be identified using an RV index RV0). One or more cross-block check blocks 408 (which may be generated using an interleaver associated with a specific RV index other than RV0) may be transmitted with CB 410 in an initial transmission and / or may be transmitted in a retransmission. In an example where the information CB is a system (e.g., an LDPC code or a Turbo code), an iterative decoding process may be used at a decoder (at a receiver node) to decode the received CB. The decoder calculates the log-likelihood ratio (LLR) of the bit value during decoding of the information CB, which may be considered a "soft" output of the decoder. In the present invention, a soft output may refer to a decoder output that has not been finalized (e.g., a bit value that has not been clearly determined to be 1 or 0) but may provide still useful information (e.g., in a subsequent decoding iteration). Such a soft output may be a probability value (e.g., LLR) in nature. A CB that is not correctly decoded (e.g., a check failure using a corresponding horizontal check block) may benefit from the information encoded in the cross-block check block 408. Because each cross-block check block 408 is generated from information bits selected from two or more (or all) CBs 410, the soft output from attempting to decode a cross-block check block 408 can help improve the decoding of CB 410 (and vice versa). In at least this way, the cross-block check block 408 helps improve decoding.

[0121] In various examples, the present invention describes examples of how to generate cross-block check blocks 408 from data packets transmitted on one or more MIMO layers and how to transmit these cross-block check blocks 408. The present invention describes examples that can be implemented in the context of a single transmitter node (or a single TRP) transmission scheme, as well as examples that can be implemented in the context of multiple transmitter nodes cooperating with each other (e.g., multiple TRP transmission schemes). The present invention also describes examples that can support the use of link adaptation (e.g., using different modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for transmission on different MIMO layers).

[0122] Reference below Fig. 6A and Figure 6B . Figure 6B An example is shown in the context of a single transmitter MIMO transmission, where a set of cross-block check blocks 408 are generated from bits selected from a plurality of data packets 304. For simplicity, Figure 6B Operations for processing the data packet 304 up to the layer mapping operation 310 are omitted, and operations for generating the cross-block check block 408 from the cross-block information block 320 up to the layer mapping operation 310 are similarly omitted. Fig. 6A Yes Figure 6B A flow chart of an exemplary method 600 for transmitting data packets over multiple MIMO layers and for generating and transmitting cross-block check blocks over multiple MIMO layers that may be performed by a transmitter node is shown. Fig. 6A and Figure 6B Will discuss together.

[0123] A set of cross-block check blocks (denoted as CCB in the figure) is generated using bits selected from different data packets 304 (e.g., data packet 1 304-1 to data packet M 304-M) mapped to different MIMO layers. In this example, the data packet 304 is transmitted in an initial transmission (which may have an RV index indicated as RV0), and the set of cross-block check blocks is transmitted in a retransmission (which may have an RV index that is any RV number except RV0).

[0124] At 602, a plurality of data packets 304 (eg, data packet 1 304-1 through data packet M 304-M) are obtained. For example, the data packets 304 may be generated internally by a sender node. Each data packet 304 is processed into one or more CBs. Figure 6BEach data packet 304 is shown to be processed into K CBs (e.g., data packet 1 304-1 is processed into CB11 to CB1K), but this is not intended to be limiting. In some examples, there may be different numbers of CBs for different data packets 304. As described above, in some examples, a data packet 304 may be a single TB, which may include one or more CBs.

[0125] At 604, data packet 304 is transmitted over multiple MIMO layers. One or more CBs of each of data packets 1 304-1 through data packets M 304-M may be mapped to one or more MIMO layers by layer mapping operation 310 (i.e., CBs of data packet 1 304-1 may be mapped to a group of one or more MIMO layers, and CBs of data packets M 304-M may be mapped to different groups of one or more MIMO layers). These layers are then processed by MIMO precoder 312 and transmitted in an initial transmission. It should be noted that data packet 304 (which may be split from a larger data packet, such as Figure 3A The number of MIMO layers (as shown) should be equal to or less than the rank of the MIMO layers available for MIMO transmission.

[0126] As will be discussed further below, in some examples, data packet 304 may be transmitted along with one or more cross-block check blocks in an initial transmission.

[0127] At 606, a set of cross-block check blocks is generated using bits selected from two or more of the data packets 304. Figure 6B In the example shown, bits are sampled from the CB of each of the packets 1 304-1 to M 304-M to form the cross-block information block 320. The cross-block information block 320 is encoded to generate a set of cross-block check blocks. Figure 6B A set of cross-block check blocks having M×K cross-block check blocks (e.g., CCB11 to CCBMK) is shown. That is, the number of cross-block check blocks generated corresponds to the number of CBs from all M data packets 304. However, this is not intended to be limiting. In some examples, the number of cross-block check blocks generated may be greater or less than the number of source CBs.

[0128] Fig.6D 4 shows an example of how cross-block check blocks CCB11 to CCBMK can be generated by sampling bits from the CB of each of the data packets 304-1 to 304-M. In this example, the cross-block check blocks are not generated from the check bits of the horizontal check block 406, but in other examples, one or more cross-block check blocks can be generated from bits selected from the horizontal check block 406. Fig.6DAs shown, the information block 404 of each CB can be divided into subblocks (SB), and each cross-block check block can be generated by taking a column of subblocks across all CBs.

[0129] At 608, the set of cross-block check blocks is transmitted on one or more MIMO layers. For example, CCB11 to CCBMK can be mapped to one or more MIMO layers by layer mapping operation 310. These layers are then processed by MIMO precoder 312 and can be transmitted in retransmissions. Retransmissions can have any RV index number (e.g., the RV index can be associated with and indicate the interleaver used to generate the cross-block check blocks), but RV0 can be reserved for initial transmission.

[0130] In some examples, at 608, one or more of the generated cross-block check blocks may be transmitted on a MIMO layer in the initial transmission. This may be the case if one or more MIMO layers are still available after the data packet 304 is mapped to the MIMO layers. For example, based on the data packet size that each MIMO layer can support, there may be one or more unused MIMO layers in the initial transmission (i.e., one or more MIMO layers that are not used to transmit the data packet 304 in the initial transmission). Some or all of the generated cross-block check blocks may be transmitted using one or more MIMO layers that are still unused after the data packet 304 is mapped, so that some or all of the generated cross-block check blocks may be transmitted in the initial transmission.

[0131] Figure 6C An example of transmitting a portion of the cross-block check blocks in the initial transmission is shown. For example, after the CBs of data packet 1 304-1 to data packet M 304-M are mapped to multiple MIMO layers, at least one MIMO layer is still available. Therefore, cross-block check blocks CCB11 to CCB2K can be transmitted on at least one available MIMO layer and included in the initial transmission. The remaining cross-block check blocks CCB31 to CCBMK can be transmitted in the retransmission.

[0132] It should be noted that the cross-block check blocks CCB11 to CCBMK can be generated together (for example, in a manner similar to Fig.6D), but can be transmitted in different transmission opportunities. In addition, it should be noted that the transmission of the source data packet 304 can be associated with the RV index RV0, and the transmission of the cross-block check blocks CCB11 to CCBMK can be associated with the RV index RV1 (for example, to indicate that the cross-block check blocks CCB11 to CCBMK are generated using the interleaver associated with RV1). Therefore, the initial transmission uses different RV indexes on different MIMO layers. In a similar manner, in the second retransmission (not shown), two sets of cross-block check blocks generated using different interleavers (associated with different RV indexes) can be transmitted on different MIMO layers. Using different RV indexes in the same transmission opportunity can help improve the decoding performance at the receiver node.

[0133] Reference below Fig. 7A and Figure 7B . Figure 7B An example in the context of a single transmitter MIMO transmission is shown, where each set of cross-block check blocks 408 is generated from the CBs of a corresponding data packet 304 transmitted on one corresponding MIMO layer (rather than multiple data packets 304 transmitted on multiple MIMO layers). Figure 6B , for ease of understanding, Figure 7B Some operations are omitted. Fig. 7A Yes Figure 7B A flow chart of an exemplary method 700 for transmitting a data packet over a MIMO layer and for generating and transmitting a cross-block check block over a MIMO layer that may be performed by a transmitter node is shown. Fig. 7A and Figure 7B Will discuss together.

[0134] In this example, data packet 304 is transmitted in an initial transmission (which may have an RV index indicating RV0), and a set of cross-block check blocks are transmitted in a retransmission (which may have an RV index that is an RV index other than RV0).

[0135] At 702, a plurality of data packets 304 (eg, data packet 1 304-1 through data packet M 304-M) are obtained. For example, the data packets 304 may be generated internally by a sender node or received from another network node. Each data packet 304 is processed into one or more CBs. Figure 7B Each data packet 304 is shown to be processed into K CBs (e.g., data packet 1 304-1 is processed into CB11 to CB1K), but this is not intended to be limiting. In some examples, there may be different numbers of CBs for different data packets 304. As described above, in some examples, a data packet 304 may be a single TB, which may include one or more CBs.

[0136] At 704, each data packet 304 is transmitted on a corresponding MIMO layer. The CB of each of data packets 1 304-1 to data packets M 304-M may be mapped to a corresponding MIMO layer by a layer mapping operation 310. Specifically, a 1-to-1 mapping may be used such that the CBs of one data packet 304 are all transmitted on one MIMO layer (i.e., the CB of data packet 1 304-1 may be mapped to MIMO layer 1, and the CB of data packet M 304-M may be mapped to MIMO layer M). These layers are then processed by the MIMO precoder 312 and transmitted in an initial transmission. It should be noted that data packets 304 (which may be split from larger data packets, such as Figure 3A The number of MIMO layers (as shown) should be equal to or less than the rank of the MIMO layers available for MIMO transmission.

[0137] At 706, a set of cross-block check blocks are generated for each corresponding data packet 304 using the cross-block bits selected from the CB of the corresponding data packet 304. Figure 7B In the example shown, bits are sampled from the CB of data packet 1 304-1 to form cross-block information block-1 320-1, which is used to generate CCB11 to CCB1K (i.e., a set of K cross-block check blocks of data packet 1 304-1). Similarly, bits are sampled from the CB of data packet M 304-M to form cross-block information block-M 320-M, which is used to generate CCBM1 to CCBMK (i.e., a set of K cross-block check blocks of data packet M 304-M). Therefore, M sets of cross-block check blocks are generated for M data packets 304-1 to 304-M, wherein each set of cross-block check blocks includes K cross-block check blocks. Figure 7B A set of cross-block check blocks having K cross-block check blocks is shown, but this is not intended to be limiting. Each set of cross-block check blocks may independently have any number of one or more cross-block check blocks.

[0138] Figure 7C An example of how each of the M sets of cross-block check blocks can be generated by sampling bits from the CB of the corresponding data packet 304-1 to 304-M is shown. In this example, the cross-block check blocks are not generated from the check bits of the horizontal check block 406, but in other examples, one or more cross-block check blocks can be generated from bits selected from the horizontal check block 406. Figure 7C As shown, the first set of cross-block check blocks CCB11 to CCB1K can be generated by sampling bits on CB11 to CB1K belonging to data packet 1 304-1. A similar process can be performed to generate a corresponding set of cross-block check blocks for each data packet. For example, the Mth set of cross-block check blocks CCBM1 to CCBMK can be generated by sampling bits between CBM1 to CBMK belonging to data packet M 304-M.

[0139] At 708, each set of cross-block check blocks is transmitted on the corresponding MIMO layer. Specifically, the set of cross-block check blocks generated from a particular data packet 304 is transmitted on the MIMO layer mapped to the particular data packet 304. For example, the set of cross-block check blocks CCB11 to CCB1K is generated from the CB of data packet 1 304-1. Therefore, if the CB of data packet 1 304-1 is transmitted on MIMO layer 1 in the initial transmission, CCB11 to CCB1K are also transmitted on MIMO layer 1 in the retransmission. The retransmission can have any RV index number, but RV0 can be reserved for the initial transmission.

[0140] In some examples, a data packet 304 may be mapped to a group of one or more MIMO layers (i.e., not necessarily a single MIMO layer). In this case, the set of cross-block check blocks generated from a particular data packet 304 is transmitted on the same group of one or more MIMO layers as those MIMO layers used for the particular data packet 304.

[0141] Reference below Fig. 8A and Figure 8B . Figure 8B An example is shown in the context of a single transmitter MIMO transmission, where a set of cross-block check blocks 408 are generated from CBs belonging to a single data packet 304, where multiple MIMO layers are used for transmission and one or more retransmissions. Figure 6B and Figure 7B , for ease of understanding, Figure 8B Some operations are omitted. Fig. 8A Yes Figure 8B A flow chart of an exemplary method 850 for transmitting CBs of a single data packet over multiple MIMO layers and for generating and transmitting cross-block check blocks is shown, which may be performed by a transmitter node. Fig. 8A and Figure 8B Will discuss together.

[0142] In this example, data packet 304 (e.g., corresponding to a single TB) is transmitted in an initial transmission (which may have an RV index indicated as RV0), and a set of cross-block check chunks is transmitted in a retransmission (which may have an RV index that is an RV index other than RV0). In some examples, data packet 304 may be a single large data packet 302 that is not divided into smaller data packets 304. As described above, data packet 304 (or large data packet 302) may correspond to a single TB.

[0143] At 852, a data packet 304 is obtained. For example, the data packet 304 may be generated internally by the sender node or received from another network node. The data packet 304 is processed into a plurality of CBs. Figure 8BThe data packet 304 is shown being processed into K CBs (ie, CB1 through CBK), but this is not intended to be limiting.

[0144] At 854, the CBs of the data packet 304 are transmitted on multiple MIMO layers. The CBs may be mapped to corresponding K CBs for transmission on corresponding K MIMO layers by a layer mapping operation 310). In other examples, a 1-to-many or many-to-1 mapping may be used. In another example, the data packet 304 with multiple CBs may be mapped to multiple MIMO layers in such a way that the bits of all CBs are interleaved together before being mapped to the MIMO layers, and thus each CB is distributed across all MIMO layers. In addition, there may be different numbers of CBs mapped to different MIMO layers (e.g., where link adaptation is used, as further described below). The layers are then processed by the MIMO precoder 312 and transmitted in an initial transmission. It should be understood that any other method of mapping a data packet 304 with multiple CBs to MIMO layers (including the previously described methods of mapping the data packet 304 with multiple CBs to MIMO layers) may be used. Figure 3A The various mapping methods described in the examples of FIG. 304 may also be applied here. Regardless of how the CBs are mapped to the MIMO layers, the result is that all CBs originating from the same data packet 304 are transmitted using multiple MIMO layers.

[0145] At 856, a set of cross-block check blocks is generated using cross-block bits selected from two or more of the CBs of the data packet 304. Figure 8B In the example shown, bits are sampled from each of CB1 to CBK to generate a set of K cross-block check blocks CCB1 to CCBK. Thus, the set of cross-block check blocks is generated by sampling bits from CBs transmitted on different MIMO layers, where the CBs may originate from the same data packet 304. Figure 8B An example of generating K cross-block check blocks is shown, but this is not intended to be limiting. The number of cross-block check blocks generated may or may not be equal to the number of CBs. The manner in which the cross-block bits are selected from the CBs may be similar to Fig.6D , except that the CBs may all belong to the same data packet 304 (rather than M different data packets 304).

[0146] At 858, the set of cross-block check blocks is transmitted on one or more MIMO layers. For example, CCB1 to CCBK can be mapped to one or more MIMO layers by layer mapping operation 310. These layers are then processed by MIMO precoder 312 and can be transmitted in retransmissions. Retransmissions can have any RV index number (e.g., the RV index can be associated with and indicate the interleaver used to generate the cross-block check blocks), but RV0 can be reserved for initial transmission.

[0147] In some examples, at 858, one or more of the generated cross-block check blocks may be transmitted on a MIMO layer in the initial transmission. This may be the case if one or more MIMO layers are still available after CB1 to CBK are mapped to MIMO layers. One or more MIMO layers that are still unused after the K CBs are mapped may be used to transmit one or more of the generated cross-block check blocks, so that one or more of the generated cross-block check blocks may be transmitted in the initial transmission (however, the RV index associated with the one or more MIMO layers transmitting the one or more cross-block check blocks will not be RV0, but rather the RV index associated with the interleaver used to generate the cross-block check blocks).

[0148] Regardless of executing method 600, method 700 or method 850, examples of the present invention can implement layer-dependent link adaptation. When layer-dependent link adaptation is used, each MIMO layer can independently support different MCSs.

[0149] Fig. 9 A simple example of layer-dependent link adaptation is shown, where a cross-block check block is generated from bits selected from multiple packets mapped to multiple different MIMO layers (although other mapping operations, such as 1-to-1 mapping, may also be used). For simplicity, Fig. 9 Four MIMO layers are shown, but this is not intended to be limiting.

[0150] In this example, MIMO layers 1 and 2 support quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation 802 and MIMO layers 3 and 4 support 16-point quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM) 804. Different MIMO layers can also support different code rates ( Fig. 9 Since 16QAM can achieve higher data rates than QPSK, MIMO Layer 3 and Layer 4 can accommodate larger data packets (and therefore more CBs).

[0151] Therefore, data packet 3 304-3 and data packet 4 304-4 (which are mapped to MIMO layers 3 and 4) may be larger than data packet 1 304-1 and data packet 2 304-2 (which are mapped to MIMO layers 1 and 2). Fig. 9As shown, packet 1 304-1 and packet 2 304-2 are each processed into one CB (i.e., CB1 and CB2, respectively), while packet 3 304-3 and packet 4 304-4 are each processed into two CBs (CB3 and CB4 for packet 3 304-3; CB5 and CB6 for packet 4 304-4). Packet 304 is transmitted on four MIMO layers in the initial transmission.

[0152] Bits are selected from the four data packets 304 to form a cross-block information block 320, and then the cross-block information block 320 is used to generate a set of cross-block check blocks CCB1 to CCB6. A layer mapping operation (not shown) is performed to map more cross-block check blocks to those MIMO layers that can support higher data rates. In this example, CCB1 is mapped to MIMO layer 1 and CCB2 is mapped to MIMO layer 2. Since MIMO layers 3 and 4 support higher data rates, CCB3 and CCB4 are both mapped to MIMO layer 3, and CCB5 and CCB6 are both mapped to MIMO layer 4. The set of cross-block check blocks is transmitted on four MIMO layers in the retransmission.

[0153] Fig. 9 An example of layer-dependent link adaptation is shown, where a set of cross-block check blocks is generated from multiple source data packets. However, it should be understood that layer-dependent link adaptation can also be used when each set of cross-block check blocks is generated from a corresponding data packet.

[0154] Using different MCS, layer-based link adaptation can be implemented in different scenarios. In some examples, different MIMO layers have different channel quality indicator (CQI) values. For example, channel quality feedback can indicate better channel conditions in certain MIMO layers (e.g., in MIMO layers 3 and 4) than in other MIMO layers (e.g., in MIMO layers 1 and 2), so that MIMO layers with better CQI can support higher data rates. In another example, for example, in a case where different MIMO layers carry data from different transmitter nodes (e.g., in a case where multiple transmitter nodes collaborate in MIMO transmission, which will be discussed further below), some MIMO layers may carry data from a transmitter node with better channel conditions (e.g., in MIMO layers 3 and 4), while other MIMO layers carry data from another transmitter node with worse channel conditions (e.g., in MIMO layers 1 and 2).

[0155] In general, the disclosed transmission scheme using cross-block check blocks can be used with layer-dependent link adaptation (eg, robustness to MCS and channel variations in different layers).

[0156] The retransmission including one or more cross-block check blocks may be performed based on feedback (from the receiver node) indicating whether the data packet (sent in the initial transmission) was successfully decoded.Different feedback schemes may be used.

[0157] For example, in a NACK-based feedback scheme, a receiver node may transmit negative feedback (e.g., NACK) when any data packet is not successfully decoded, and otherwise no feedback is transmitted. In a NACK-based feedback scheme, a sender node may perform a retransmission using a cross-block check block only when a NACK is received from a receiver node. If the sender node is performing a multicast or groupcast transmission, a retransmission may be performed when a NACK is received from any one of the receiver nodes (in some examples, the retransmission may be sent to all receiver nodes in the multicast or groupcast; in other examples, the retransmission may be sent only to the one or more receiver nodes that sent the NACK).

[0158] In another example, in an ACK-based feedback scheme, the receiver node may transmit positive feedback (e.g., ACK) when all packets are successfully decoded, otherwise no feedback is transmitted. The ACK-based feedback scheme may be used in the case of a rateless code with a defined number of repetitions (i.e., the sender node performs an initial transmission of a packet and a defined number of retransmissions using a cross-block check block), wherein the ACK feedback terminates further repetitions by the sender node. If the sender node is performing a multicast or groupcast transmission, retransmissions may be performed until ACKs are received from all target receiver nodes (in some examples, retransmissions may be sent to all receiver nodes in the multicast or groupcast; in other examples, retransmissions may be sent only to one or more receiver nodes that have not yet sent an ACK).

[0159] In another example, in an ACK / NACK feedback scheme, the receiver node may transmit positive feedback (e.g., ACK) when all packets are successfully decoded, and may transmit negative feedback (e.g., NACK) when no packets are successfully decoded. The behavior of the transmitter node may be similar to that of an existing ACK / NACK feedback scheme using uplink control information (UCI) signaling.

[0160] Regardless of whether the feedback is a NACK-based feedback scheme, an ACK-based feedback scheme, or an ACK / NACK feedback scheme, the feedback can be MIMO layer independent or MIMO layer related (for example, depending on whether a single layer or multiple layers of cross-block check blocks are used). MIMO layer independent feedback means that the feedback is not associated with any specific MIMO layer (or any specific one of the data packets transmitted on the MIMO layer). In MIMO layer independent feedback, if any one of the data packets received on any MIMO layer of the MIMO layer is not successfully decoded, the receiver node transmits NACK feedback (in the case of a NACK-based or ACK / NACK feedback scheme) (conversely, the receiver node transmits ACK feedback (in the case of an ACK-based feedback scheme or an ACK / NACK feedback scheme) only if all data packets received on the MIMO layer are successfully decoded).

[0161] MIMO layer-dependent feedback means that the feedback is associated with a specific MIMO layer. That is, the receiver node transmits feedback for each given MIMO layer based on whether the data packet received on the given MIMO layer is successfully decoded. If a single-layer cross-block check block is used, MIMO layer-dependent feedback may be useful because MIMO layer-dependent feedback enables the transmitter node to generate a cross-block check block and perform retransmission only for MIMO layers with feedback indicating that retransmission is required (e.g., NACK feedback or the absence of ACK feedback, depending on the feedback scheme). For example, if the receiver node successfully decodes a first data packet received on a first MIMO layer, but does not successfully decode a second data packet received on a second MIMO layer, the receiver node may transmit NACK feedback on the second MIMO layer. In response, the transmitter node may generate a cross-block check block using bits sampled from the CB of the second data packet, and may perform retransmission using the generated cross-block check block on the second MIMO layer. The transmitter node may not need to generate a cross-block check block for the first data packet and may retransmit more cross-block check blocks generated from bits of the second data packet (e.g., cross-block check blocks generated using different interleavers corresponding to different RVs), or the transmitter node may transmit new data on the first MIMO layer.

[0162] MIMO layer independent feedback can be relatively simple to implement and has relatively low feedback overhead. In addition, in the case of a multi-layer cross-code block coding scheme, all layers can be jointly decoded, which can help improve reliability and performance, and MIMO layer dependent feedback may not be required. MIMO layer dependent feedback may have more feedback overhead and may only be helpful for retransmissions using a single layer cross-block check block, but MIMO layer dependent feedback can use resources more efficiently.

[0163] The present invention also describes an example of using a cross-block check block in the context of multi-sender node collaboration (also known as multi-TRP collaboration). For example, two or more sender nodes may collaborate with each other to transmit a data packet to a receiver node. For example, this may involve a portion of a data packet transmitted by a first sender node and a remaining data packet transmitted by a second sender node in an initial transmission, and then a portion of a cross-block check block transmitted by the first sender node and a remaining cross-block check block transmitted by the second sender node in a retransmission. In another example, in the same transmission opportunity (e.g., in an initial transmission), the first sender node may be responsible for transmitting the data packet, and the second sender node may be responsible for transmitting the cross-block check block.

[0164] Multiple transmitter nodes may cooperate with each other in various ways. In one exemplary cooperation scheme, different transmitter nodes may use orthogonal resources for transmission. That is, each transmitter node uses different scheduled time-frequency resources for transmission on its own MIMO layer. In another exemplary cooperation scheme, the MIMO layer and MIMO precoder used by the cooperating transmitter nodes may be jointly designed to support cooperation. It should be understood that there may be a variety of ways to enable multiple transmitter nodes to cooperate with each other, the details of which need not be further discussed herein.

[0165] When there are multiple transmitter nodes operating in a cooperative manner, the total number of MIMO layers in transmission is the total number of all MIMO layers of all cooperating transmitter nodes. At the receiver node, MIMO layers from multiple transmitter nodes are received and decoded, similar to the single transmitter node scenario. The receiver node may or may not have information about which transmitter node is transmitting on which MIMO layer. It should be noted that the total number of MIMO layers used by the cooperating transmitter nodes is limited by the number of MIMO layers that the receiver node can receive.

[0166] Now, some examples of how to use cross-block check blocks in a multi-sender node cooperation scheme are discussed. In one example, a set of cross-block check blocks (e.g., a single-layer cross-block check block, similar to Figure 7B In another example, a set of cross-block check blocks may be generated using bits sampled from different packets transmitted on different MIMO layers of a cooperating transmitter node (e.g., similar to Figure 6B In another example, a set of cross-block check blocks may be generated using bits sampled from different packets transmitted on different MIMO layers of multiple cooperating transmitter nodes (e.g., as shown in Fig. 10AIn another example, a first cooperative transmitter node may be used to transmit a source data packet, and a second cooperative transmitter node may be used to transmit a cross-block check block generated from the source data packet (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1 ). Fig. 10B , as discussed below). It should be understood that these examples are not intended to be limiting.

[0167] In the example of using a single-layer cross-block check block (i.e., the cross-block check block is generated using bits sampled from a CB transmitted on a single MIMO layer), each MIMO layer has its own RV index (which may be unique for each MIMO layer, or there may be multiple MIMO layers with the same RV index). As described above, each RV index can be associated with a corresponding interleaver for generating a cross-block check block. An example of how each RV index can be associated with a corresponding interleaver for generating a cross-block check block is described in PCT application No. PCT / CN2021 / 121483, filed on September 28, 2021, “METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION RETRANSMISSION USING CHECK BLOCKS GENERATED ACCORDING TO SUBBLOCK INTERLEAVERS”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Therefore, each set of cross-block check blocks (generated for each MIMO layer) can be generated using an interleaver associated with the RV index applied to the corresponding MIMO layer. When different MIMO layers use different RV indexes, system performance can be improved due to the increase in information (which is based on the way in which the cross-block check blocks are generated differently).

[0168] If MIMO layer dependent feedback is used, each MIMO layer can use a different HARQ process (because the initial transmission and retransmissions on each MIMO layer can be decoded independently). If MIMO layer independent feedback is used, all MIMO layers can share the same HARQ process (because retransmissions use cross-block check blocks, which are generated using bits sampled from different MIMO layers).

[0169] Fig. 10A An example of cooperation between two transmitter nodes is shown, where the two transmitter nodes use the same RV index at each transmission opportunity. For simplicity, Fig. 10A Each transmitter node is shown transmitting on two MIMO layers (for a total of four MIMO layers received at the receiver node). Fig. 10AOperations for processing data packets 304 (i.e., data packet 1 304-1, data packet 2 304-2, data packet 3 304-3, and data packet 4 304-4) up to the layer mapping operation 310 are also omitted, and operations for generating cross-block check blocks (i.e., CCB1 to CCB8) from the cross-block information blocks 320 up to the layer mapping operation 310 are similarly omitted.

[0170] In this example, the collaboration is performed between a first transmitter node (denoted as TRP1) and a second transmitter node (denoted as TRP2). However, it should be understood that more than two transmitter nodes can collaborate with each other. For example, the collaboration between the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node can be configured by a third network node such as the first transmitter node, the second transmitter node, or a controller node (not shown). Configuration information for coordinating the collaboration between the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node can be transmitted using any suitable signaling and does not need to be described in detail here. Specifically, the configuration information may include information for generating a cross-block check block (e.g., indicating an interleaver or RV index to be used).

[0171] For example, data packet 304 may originate from a first transmitter node, a second transmitter node, or a third network node such as a controller node (not shown), and be transmitted (e.g., via a backhaul link, uplink, downlink, or sidelink) to a collaborative transmitter node. For initial transmission, both the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node are configured to perform transmission using RV index RV0 (i.e., both the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node transmit source data packet 304). In this example, each data packet 304 is processed into two CBs. The first transmitter node transmits data packet 1 304-1 (consisting of CB1 and CB2) on MIMO layer 1 and data packet 2 304-2 (consisting of CB3 and CB4) on MIMO layer 2. The second transmitter node transmits data packet 3 304-3 (consisting of CB5 and CB6) on MIMO layer 3 and data packet 4 304-4 (consisting of CB7 and CB8) on MIMO layer 4.

[0172] For retransmission, bits are sampled from all four data packets 304 to form a cross-block information block 320, and the cross-block information block 320 is used to generate cross-block check blocks CCB1 to CCB8. Fig. 10AThe cross-block information block 320 is shown using a dotted line to indicate that the generation of the cross-block information block 320 and the cross-block check blocks CCB1 to CCB8 can be performed at a first transmitter node, a second transmitter node, or a third network node such as a controller node (not shown). In this example, since the cross-block check blocks CCB1 to CCB8 are generated using bits sampled from all four data packets 304, the generation of the cross-block check blocks CCB1 to CCB8 can be performed by the same node as the source of the data packet 304. For example, if the data packet 304 originates from the first transmitter node, the first transmitter node can generate the cross-block check blocks CCB1 to CCB8, and can transmit a subset of the cross-block check blocks (i.e., CCB5 to CCB8) to the second transmitter node.

[0173] In the retransmission, both the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node are configured to perform transmission using RV index RV1. The first transmitter node transmits CCB1 and CCB2 on MIMO layer 1, and transmits CCB3 and CCB4 on MIMO layer 2. The second transmitter node transmits CCB5 and CCB6 on MIMO layer 3, and transmits CCB7 and CCB8 on MIMO layer 4.

[0174] In another example of multi-transmitter node cooperation, different RV indexes may be used for different MIMO layers in the same transmission opportunity. For example, each transmitter node may use a different RV index.

[0175] Fig. 10B An example of cooperation between two transmitter nodes is shown, where the two transmitter nodes use different RV indexes at each transmission opportunity. For simplicity, Fig. 10B Each transmitter node is shown transmitting on two MIMO layers (for a total of four MIMO layers received at the receiver node). Fig. 10B Operations for processing data packets 304 (i.e., data packet 1 304-1 and data packet 2 304-2) and for mapping data packets 304 to MIMO layers are also omitted, and operations for generating cross-block check blocks (i.e., CCB1 to CCB4) from cross-block information blocks 320 and for mapping cross-block check blocks to MIMO layers are similarly omitted.

[0176] Similar to Fig. 10AFor example, the collaboration between the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node can be configured by the first transmitter node, the second transmitter node or a third network node such as a controller node (not shown). It should be understood that more than two transmitter nodes can collaborate with each other. Configuration information for coordinating the collaboration between the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node can be transmitted using any suitable signaling and does not need to be described in detail here. Specifically, the configuration information may include information for generating a cross-block check block (e.g., indicating an interleaver or RV index for each transmission).

[0177] For example, data packet 304 may originate from a first transmitter node, a second transmitter node, or a third network node such as a controller node (not shown), and be transmitted (e.g., via a backhaul link, an uplink, a downlink, or a sidelink) to a cooperating transmitter node. Bits are sampled from data packet 1 304-1 and data packet 2 304-2 to form a cross-block information block 320. Fig. 10B The cross-block information block 320 is shown using a dotted line to indicate that the generation of the cross-block information block 320 and the first set of cross-block check blocks CCB1 to CCB4 can be performed at a first transmitter node, a second transmitter node, or a third network node such as a controller node (not shown). Since the cross-block check blocks CCB1 to CCB4 are generated using bits sampled from two data packets 304, the generation of the cross-block check blocks CCB1 to CCB4 can be performed by the same node as the source of the data packet 304. For example, if the data packet 304 originates from the first transmitter node, the first transmitter node can generate the cross-block check blocks CCB1 to CCB4, and can transmit the four cross-block check blocks to the second transmitter node. Alternatively, the first transmitter node can transmit the source data packet 304 to the second transmitter node, and the second transmitter node can generate the four cross-block check blocks by itself.

[0178] In this example, the first transmitter node is used to perform transmission (i.e., transmit the source data packet 304) using the RV index RV0. In this example, each data packet 304 is processed into two CBs. The first transmitter node transmits data packet 1 304-1 (consisting of CB1 and CB2) on MIMO layer 1 and data packet 2 304-2 (consisting of CB3 and CB4) on MIMO layer 2. In the same transmission opportunity, the second transmitter node is used to perform transmission using the RV index RV1 (i.e., the transmission of the first set of cross-block check blocks generated by the interleaver associated with the RV index RV1). The second transmitter node transmits CCB1 and CCB2 on MIMO layer 3 and CCB3 and CCB4 on MIMO layer 4. Therefore, the initial transmission includes the transmission of the source data packet 304 by the first transmitter node and the transmission of the cross-block check block by the second transmitter node. In this way, for different MIMO layers, initial transmission can be performed using different RV indexes.

[0179] Retransmission can be performed, wherein the first transmitter node is used to perform transmission using RV index RV2, and the second transmitter node is used to perform transmission using RV index RV3. This means that the first transmitter node transmits a second set of cross-block check blocks (denoted as CCB1' to CCB4') generated using an interleaver associated with RV index RV2, and the second transmitter node transmits a third set of cross-block check blocks (denoted as CCB1" to CCB4") generated using an interleaver associated with RV index RV3. Therefore, for different MIMO layers, retransmission can also be performed using different RV indices.

[0180] It should be understood that Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B In the example of , link adaptation can be used so that different MIMO layers can use different MCS (e.g., QPSK, 16QAM, etc.). In addition, it should be understood that although Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B Multi-transmitter node collaboration is shown for multi-layer cross-block check blocks (i.e., the cross-block check blocks are generated using bits sampled from data packets mapped to different MIMO layers), but multi-transmitter node collaboration can also be used for single-layer cross-block check blocks (i.e., a set of cross-block check blocks is generated for each data packet mapped to a single MIMO layer).

[0181] Fig.111 is a flow chart of an exemplary method 1100, which can be performed by a first transmitter node, and the first transmitter node cooperates with at least a second transmitter node to perform transmission, including transmitting multiple data packets on multiple MIMO layers and transmitting cross-block check blocks on the same or different multiple MIMO layers. Method 1100 can be performed by a first transmitter node, and the first transmitter node is BS170, TRP, UE 110, or any other transmitter node. Similarly, the second transmitter node can be a collaborative BS170, a collaborative TRP, or a collaborative UE 110, etc. It should be noted that the collaboration between two or more transmitter nodes can be performed in various ways and is not necessarily limited to the examples described herein.

[0182] Optionally, at 1102, configuration information for collaboration with at least a second transmitter node is received. The configuration information may be received via configuration signaling (e.g., RRC signaling or DCI transmission). The configuration information may include information indicating the RV index that the first transmitter node should use for at least initial transmission. The configuration information may also include the RV index that the first transmitter node should use for a defined number of retransmissions. The RV index indicates whether the first transmitter node transmits the original source data packet in the transmission or uses an interleaver to generate a set of cross-block check blocks for the transmission. The configuration information received in step 1102 may also include other information required for collaboration (e.g., which MIMO precoder to use, coding rate, etc.). For example, the configuration information may be received from a network controller node or from a second transmitter node (e.g., received from a UL transmission, a DL transmission, a SL transmission, or a backhaul transmission).

[0183] In some examples, step 1102 may not be performed. For example, the first sender node may generate the configuration information itself (which may be transmitted to the second sender node in optional step 1106 described below). In another example, the configuration information may be predefined (e.g., defined in a standard) and may not need to be explicitly received.

[0184] At 1104, a plurality of data packets are obtained. As discussed in the examples disclosed herein, the data packets may be obtained in various ways. For example, one or more of the data packets may be obtained internally (e.g., generated internally). Additionally or alternatively, one or more data packets may be received from a network controller node or from a second transmitter node (e.g., received from a UL transmission, a DL transmission, a SL transmission, or a backhaul transmission).

[0185] Optionally, at 1106, configuration information may be transmitted to the second transmitter node. The configuration information may be transmitted in a configuration signal (e.g., via RRC signaling or DCI transmission). Step 1106 may be performed in the case where the first transmitter node generates the configuration information itself. Alternatively, step 1106 may be performed in the case where the first transmitter node receives the configuration information in step 1102 and forwards a copy of the configuration information to the second transmitter node in step 1106.

[0186] In some examples, in addition to transmitting the configuration information in step 1106, the first transmitter node may also transmit a copy of the plurality of data packets to the second transmitter node. For example, the first transmitter node may transmit a copy of the data packet on a UL transmission, a DL transmission, a SL transmission, or a backhaul transmission. This may enable the second transmitter node to cooperate, for example, by transmitting the data packet to the target receiver node, or by generating a cross-block check block using the data packet and then transmitting the cross-block check block to the target receiver node.

[0187] In some examples, step 1106 may not be performed. For example, the second sender node may be the source of the configuration information received in step 1102. In another example, the second sender node may receive the configuration information from another network node. In another example, the configuration information may be predefined (e.g., defined in a standard) and may not need to be explicitly transmitted.

[0188] Optional steps 1102 and 1106 may be performed in any suitable order, such as before step 1104 or after step 1104 .

[0189] At 1108, the first transmitter node cooperates with the second transmitter node to transmit the data packet (obtained in step 1104) and the cross-block check block (generated from the data packet) on multiple MIMO layers. It should be understood that the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node can cooperate with each other to transmit the data packet and the cross-block check block in various ways, such as in combination with Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B For example, the collaboration between the first sender node and the second sender node may be performed using any one or more of steps 1110, 1112, 1114, and / or 1116, depending on how the collaboration is configured. Specifically, the collaboration between the first sender node and the second sender node may involve the first sender node generating a set of cross-block check blocks.

[0190] In optional step 1110, the first transmitter node transmits at least one data packet to the target receiver node on one or more MIMO layers. For example, all of the data packets obtained in step 1104 may be transmitted on multiple MIMO layers. In some examples, each data packet may be transmitted on a corresponding one of the MIMO layers. In another example, a subset of the data packets obtained in step 1104 may be transmitted on one or more MIMO layers, and the remainder of the data packets may be transmitted by the second transmitter node.

[0191] In another example, step 1110 may be omitted, and the data packet obtained in step 1104 may not be transmitted by the first transmitter node. Instead, the second transmitter node may be responsible for transmitting the data packet. In this case, the data packet obtained in step 1104 may be used by the first transmitter node to generate a cross-block check block, but may not be transmitted by the first transmitter node.

[0192] At 1112, the first transmitter node generates a set of cross-block check blocks using the multiple data packets obtained in step 1104. The set of cross-block check blocks can be generated using bit samples from multiple different data packets transmitted on different MIMO layers (i.e., multi-layer cross-block check blocks, similar to the cross-block check blocks generated in method 600), or can be generated using cross-block bits from data packets transmitted on one MIMO layer (i.e., single-layer cross-block check blocks, similar to the cross-block check blocks generated in method 700). The set of cross-block check blocks can be generated according to configuration information (e.g., received in step 1102), for example, by using an interleaver associated with the configured RV index.

[0193] Optionally, at 1114, the first transmitter node transmits the at least one generated cross-block check block to the second transmitter node (e.g., via UL transmission, DL transmission, SL transmission, or backhaul transmission). The second transmitter node may then transmit the at least one cross-block check block to the target receiver node on its own MIMO layer. In some examples, the transmission of the at least one cross-block check block by the second transmitter node may be in the same transmission opportunity as the transmission of the at least one data packet (at optional step 1110). For example, Fig. 10B As shown in the example of , a first sender node may transmit a data packet and a second sender node may transmit a cross-block check block in the same initial transmission.

[0194] It should be noted that, according to the collaboration between the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node, step 1112 may be omitted for one of the transmitter nodes. For example, the first transmitter node may transmit only the original code block of the data packet without transmitting the cross-block check block to the target receiver node. Instead, the first transmitter node may send the data packet to the second transmitter node, and the second transmitter node may generate a cross-block check block and transmit at least one cross-block check block to the target receiver node on the MIMO layer. Then, step 1114 is not performed, and the second transmitter node may generate the cross-block check block by itself.

[0195] In some examples, the first transmitter node may not perform step 1112 to generate the cross-block check block itself, but instead configure the second transmitter node (e.g., using sidelink signaling) to generate the cross-block check block and transmit it to the target receiving node (or return to the first transmitter node, and the first transmitter node then transmits the cross-block check block to the target receiving node). In other examples, one of the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node may be configured by another network node (e.g., a centralized network node) to generate the cross-block check block. Configuration signaling from the first transmitter node or the centralized network node may include, but is not limited to: an indication of the cross-block check block to be transmitted, an indication of the MIMO precoder to be used, an indication of a method of mapping the cross-block check block to the MIMO layer, and typical scheduling information (e.g., time-frequency resources, MCS, RV for transmission, etc.). For example, the configuration signaling may be part of backhaul signaling, high-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling), or physical layer signaling (e.g., DCI).

[0196] It should be noted that, usually, Fig.11 The steps shown in the embodiment do not necessarily have to be performed in the order shown. For example, step 1110 does not necessarily have to be performed before steps 1112 and 1114; in some scenarios, step 1110 can be performed in parallel with steps 1112 and 1114, or after steps 1112 and 1114, and so on.

[0197] In some examples, all generated cross-block check blocks may be transmitted to the second sender node. In other examples, a subset of the cross-block check blocks may be transmitted to the second sender node (and the second sender node in turn transmits the subset of the cross-block check blocks to the target receiver node). In step 1116, the remainder of the cross-block check blocks may be transmitted by the first sender node to the target receiver node.

[0198] In optional step 1116, the first transmitter node transmits at least one generated cross-block check block to the target receiver node on one or more MIMO layers. For example, if a set of multi-layer cross-block check blocks is generated, the cross-block check blocks can be mapped to multiple MIMO layers and transmitted on multiple MIMO layers, similar to method 600. In another example, if a set of single-layer cross-block check blocks is generated for each data packet transmitted on a single corresponding MIMO layer, each set of single-layer cross-block check blocks can be transmitted on a single corresponding MIMO layer corresponding to its source data packet (similar to method 700).

[0199] In some examples, steps 1114 and 1116 may be performed such that the first sender node and the second sender node cooperate to transmit the generated cross-block check block (in the same or different transmission opportunities). In other examples, only step 1114 or only step 1116 may be performed such that the generated cross-block check block is transmitted only by the first sender node or only by the second sender node.

[0200] It should be noted that the transmission of the data packet and the transmission of the cross-block check block can be performed in the same transmission opportunity or in different transmission opportunities (for example, Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B Thus, steps 1110, 1112, 1114, and 1116 may be performed in any suitable order, not necessarily in the order of Fig.11 Execute in the order shown.

[0201] As described above, the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node can collaborate to transmit the CB and the cross-block check block in various ways. For example, the first transmitter node can be responsible for transmitting one or more original data packets to the target receiver node, and the second transmitter node can (for example, after receiving a copy of one or more data packets from the first transmitter node) generate a cross-block check block and transmit the generated cross-block check block to the target receiver node. In another example, the first transmitter node can be responsible for transmitting one or more original data packets to the target receiver node, and also generate a cross-block check block, and the second transmitter node can be responsible for transmitting the cross-block check block to the target receiver node (after receiving the cross-block check block from the first transmitter node). In yet another example, the first transmitter node can be responsible for generating a cross-block check block and transmitting the cross-block check block to the target receiver node, and the second transmitter node can be responsible for transmitting one or more original data packets to the target receiver node (after receiving a copy of one or more data packets from the first transmitter node). Therefore, it should be understood that various modes of collaborative transmission can be used with the cross-block check block of the present invention.

[0202] The collaboration between the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node can be configured by another network node (e.g., a centralized network node). In other examples, one of the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node can configure the other transmitter node to achieve collaborative transmission. In some examples, the other network node can also be the source of one or more data packets transmitted by the first transmitter node and the second transmitter node in collaboration. It should be understood that the collaboration between multiple transmitter nodes can be configured in different ways, and there can be collaboration between more than two transmitter nodes. The content of the present invention should not be limited to the described examples. The configuration signaling from the first transmitter node or the centralized network node may include, but is not limited to: an indication of the cross-block check block to be transmitted, an indication of the MIMO precoder to be used, an indication of the method of mapping the cross-block check block mapping, and typical scheduling information (e.g., time-frequency resources, MCS, RV for transmission, etc.). For example, the configuration signaling can be part of the backhaul signaling, the high-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling), or the physical layer signaling (e.g., DCI).

[0203] It should be understood that the examples described above (wherein the data packet 304 may be a single TB, may include a single CB, or may include multiple CBs) are also applicable to scenarios where multiple transmitter nodes cooperate with each other. In addition, a single data packet may be transmitted over multiple MIMO layers (e.g., as shown in FIG. Fig. 8A and Figure 8B The examples described herein may also be applicable to scenarios where multiple transmitter nodes cooperate with each other. Generally, those skilled in the art will understand that the examples described herein that are performed by only a single transmitter node may be applicable to scenarios where two or more transmitter nodes cooperate with each other. It should also be understood that any method of generating cross-block check blocks and transmitting cross-block check blocks on one or more MIMO layers, as disclosed herein, may be used together in the context of cooperation between two or more transmitter nodes.

[0204] Typically, regardless of whether or not multiple transmitter node collaboration is used, the transmitter node can be configured for MIMO transmission and generate a cross-block check block using a specific retransmission scheme through scheduling information. For example, BS170 or other network controller nodes can transmit scheduling information to the transmitter node in a control signal. BS170 or the transmitter node can also send scheduling information to the target receiver node in a control signal. The control signal can be sent via dynamic signaling (e.g., DCI) or semi-static signaling (e.g., RRC).

[0205] For example, the control information may include an indicator of whether to use a cross-block check block as disclosed herein. The control information may also indicate how packets are mapped to MIMO layers (e.g., 1 packet is mapped to 1 MIMO layer or 1 packet is mapped to multiple MIMO layers, or an indicator of some predefined mapping rules). The control information may also indicate whether the cross-block check block is generated using bits from CBs transmitted on a single MIMO layer or on multiple MIMO layers (and which MIMO layers if multiple MIMO layers).

[0206] The control information may also include an indicator of the RV index to be used, or a sequence of RV indexes to be used for a predefined number of transmissions. Typically, an RV index of RV0 may indicate the transmission of one or more original code blocks without any one or more cross-block check blocks, which typically corresponds to the initial transmission of one or more source data packets, and other RV indexes (e.g., RV1, RV2, etc.) may be associated with corresponding interleavers for generating cross-block check blocks. The control information may also include a HARQ process ID. For example, if the feedback from the receiver node is not packet-specific (e.g., the feedback is MIMO layer independent), a single HARQ ID may be used, or, if the feedback from the receiver node is packet-specific (e.g., the feedback is MIMO layer independent), a list of HARQ process IDs corresponding to each data packet may be provided.

[0207] Similar control information can be provided to the receiver node via dynamic signaling (e.g., DCI) or semi-static signaling (e.g., RRC) so that the receiver node has sufficient information to recover the received data packet. Specifically, information about how to generate and transmit a cross-block check block (e.g., RV index, MIMO layer mapping, etc.) can be provided to the receiver node so that the cross-block check block can be decoded. If multiple transmitter nodes collaborate to perform transmission, the control information provided to the receiver node may or may not inform the receiver node which MIMO layers originate from which transmitter node. Soft information from decoding the cross-block check block can be used to assist in decoding the data packet.

[0208] Fig.12 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method 1200 that may be performed by a receiver node.

[0209] Optionally, at 1202, the receiver node may receive configuration information. The configuration information may provide information that enables the receiver node to recover data packets received on multiple MIMO layers. The configuration information may also include any control information described above, etc.

[0210] At 1204, a plurality of data packets are received over a plurality of MIMO layers. The data packets may be received over MIMO layers of a single sender node, or over MIMO layers of two or more different sender nodes. The receiver node may or may not have information about which MIMO layers are received from which sender node, and may or may not have information about whether multiple sender nodes are participating in the transmission of the plurality of data packets.

[0211] Optionally, the receiver node may perform decoding of the received data packet at 1206. In some examples, the decoding attempt may be performed after also receiving the cross-block check block (eg, if the data packet and the cross-block check block are received in the same transmission opportunity).

[0212] If an attempt is made to decode the received data packets, decoding of one or more of the received data packets may be unsuccessful. Optionally, at 1208, the receiver node may transmit feedback (e.g., NACK) to the transmitter node indicating that the decoding was unsuccessful. The feedback may be MIMO layer independent or MIMO layer dependent. In other examples, no feedback from the receiver node may indicate that the decoding was unsuccessful. In other examples, there may be no feedback from the receiver node regardless of whether the decoding was successful.

[0213] At 1210, the receiver node receives a set of cross-block check blocks on one or more MIMO layers. The cross-block check blocks can be generated from bits selected from packets mapped to different MIMO layers (i.e., multi-layer cross-block check blocks), or can be generated from bits selected from CBs of packets mapped to a single MIMO layer (i.e., single-layer cross-block check blocks). For example, if the feedback transmitted in step 1208 is MIMO layer-dependent feedback and is specific to a single MIMO layer, the set of cross-block check blocks can be a single-layer cross-block check block generated from CBs mapped to a single MIMO layer. If multiple packets are received from different transmitter nodes in step 1204, and MIMO layer-dependent feedback is used in step 1208, only the transmitter node that receives negative feedback can generate a set of cross-block check blocks and transmit them to the receiver node.

[0214] In some examples, the cross-block check block and the data packet may be received on different MIMO layers in the same transmission opportunity.

[0215] At 1212, the receiver node performs decoding of the data packet using the received cross-block check block to assist in decoding. As discussed above, soft information from decoding the cross-block check block can be used to assist in decoding the data packet. The receiver node can combine the original received data packet (including the original code block) and the received cross-block check block to jointly decode the data packet. The original received data packet and the received cross-block check block can be received from one or more transmission points (e.g., from different transmitter nodes and / or from a centralized network node) in various ways as discussed above.

[0216] If decoding of the data packets is still unsuccessful (eg, at least one received data packet could not be successfully decoded), method 1200 may return to optional step 1208 .

[0217] If decoding of the data packet is successful, method 1200 may proceed to optional step 1214 .

[0218] Optionally, at 1214, the receiver node may transmit feedback (e.g., ACK) to the transmitter node indicating that the decoding was unsuccessful. The feedback may be MIMO layer independent or MIMO layer dependent. In other examples, no feedback from the receiver node may indicate that the decoding was successful. In other examples, no feedback from the receiver node may be provided regardless of whether the decoding was successful.

[0219] In various examples, the present invention describes an apparatus and method for performing MIMO transmission using a HARQ retransmission scheme, wherein a cross-block check block is transmitted. The cross-block check block can be generated using bits selected from packets mapped to different MIMO layers (multi-layer cross-block check block). The cross-block check block can also be generated using bits selected from the CB of a single packet mapped to a single MIMO layer (single-layer cross-block check block). Examples of the present invention can be used for MIMO layer independent feedback or MIMO layer dependent feedback.

[0220] Examples of the present invention can perform fewer redundant retransmissions on already decoded CBs, thereby achieving additional gain. Examples of the present invention can also perform joint decoding across multiple MIMO layers, thereby providing additional diversity gain. For example, due to joint decoding across multiple MIMO layers for initial transmission and retransmission, system performance can be more robust to channel quality variations on different MIMO layers, and support more reliable layer-dependent link adaptation using different MCSs.

[0221] In some examples, different RV indexes can be applied to different MIMO layers, which can provide improved IR performance for soft combining. In some examples, cross-block check blocks can be transmitted in the same transmission opportunity as the source data packet (e.g., by applying different RV indexes to different MIMO layers). This can help reduce latency.

[0222] The present invention also describes such an example, in the context of multiple transmitter nodes cooperation, the disclosed cross-block check block is used for MIMO transmission. Cooperation between multiple transmitter nodes can provide further diversity gain.

[0223] Examples of the present invention may be beneficial to large data packet URLLC applications, but this is not intended to be limiting. Examples of the present invention may also be beneficial to any application that would benefit from improved reliability and / or reduced latency, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) applications.

[0224] Although the present invention describes methods and processes by following a certain sequence of steps, one or more steps in the methods and processes may be omitted or changed as appropriate. Where appropriate, one or more steps may be performed in an order other than the described order.

[0225] Although the present invention is at least partially described in terms of methods, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is also directed to various components for performing at least some aspects and features of the methods, whether by hardware components, software, or any combination thereof. Accordingly, the technical solution of the present invention can be embodied in the form of a software product. Suitable software products can be stored in pre-recorded storage devices or other similar non-volatile or non-transient computer-readable media, including DVDs, CD-ROMs, USB flash drives, removable hard disks, or other storage media. The software product includes instructions tangibly stored therein, which enable a processing device (e.g., a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute the method examples disclosed herein. Machine executable instructions can be in the form of code sequences, configuration information, or other data, and when the machine executable instructions are executed, a machine (e.g., a processor or other processing device) performs the steps in the method according to the examples of the present invention.

[0226] Without departing from the subject matter of the claims, the present invention may be implemented in other specific forms. The exemplary embodiments described are merely illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. Features selected from one or more of the above-described embodiments may be combined to create optional embodiments that are not explicitly described, and features suitable for such combinations may be understood within the scope of the present invention.

[0227] All values ​​and subranges within the disclosed ranges are also disclosed. In addition, although the systems, devices, and processes disclosed and shown herein may include a specific number of elements / components, the systems, devices, and components may be modified to include more or less elements / components in such elements / components. For example, although any disclosed element / component may be a single quantity, the embodiments disclosed herein may be modified to include a plurality of such elements / components. The subject matter described herein is intended to cover and encompass all appropriate technical changes.

Claims

1. A method performed at a sender node, characterized in that include: obtaining a plurality of data packets to be transmitted to a target receiver node over a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers; generating a set of one or more cross-block check blocks, the set of one or more cross-block check blocks being generated using a plurality of bits selected from two or more data packets to be transmitted on corresponding two or more MIMO layers; The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted over one or more MIMO layers.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: transmitting at least one packet of the plurality of packets on at least one MIMO layer in an initial transmission, the at least one MIMO layer being a first subset of available MIMO layers at the transmitter node; The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted on a second subset of the available MIMO layers at the transmitter node, and the set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted together with at least one data packet of the multiple data packets in the initial transmission.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: transmitting at least one data packet of the plurality of data packets on at least one MIMO layer in an initial transmission; The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted on the one or more MIMO layers in the retransmission.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Also includes: receiving feedback from the target receiver node indicating that decoding of at least one data packet was unsuccessful, wherein the feedback is not specific to any MIMO layer; Wherein, the retransmission is performed in response to the received feedback.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted in the retransmission without any feedback from the target receiver node.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The plurality of bits selected from different data packets are selected using a set of interleavers associated with a redundancy version (RV) index.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that: Generating a set of one or more cross-block check blocks includes: generating a first set of one or more cross-block check blocks using a first plurality of bits, the first plurality of bits being selected from the two or more data packets using a first set of interleavers associated with a first RV index; generating a second set of one or more cross-block check blocks using a second plurality of bits, the second plurality of bits being selected from the two or more data packets using a second set of interleavers associated with a second RV index; The transmitting of the set of one or more cross-block check blocks includes: transmitting the first set of the one or more cross-block check blocks on a first set of the one or more MIMO layers; and transmitting the second set of the one or more cross-block check blocks on a second set of the one or more MIMO layers in the same transmission.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that A first data packet among the plurality of data packets is mapped to a first MIMO layer using a first modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and a second data packet among the plurality of data packets is mapped to a second MIMO layer using a second MCS different from the first MCS.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The transmitter node is a base station.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The transmitter node is user equipment (UE).

11. A method performed at a first sender node, characterized in that include: obtaining a plurality of data packets to be transmitted to a target sink node; wherein the first transmitter node is used to cooperate with the second transmitter node to transmit the plurality of data packets to the target receiver node on a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers; The first transmitter node cooperates with the second transmitter node in the following manner: generating a set of cross-block check blocks, the set of cross-block check blocks being generated using a plurality of bits selected from two or more packets of the plurality of packets to be transmitted on corresponding two or more MIMO layers; One or more cross-block check blocks in the set of cross-block check blocks are transmitted to one of the target receiver node or the second sender node.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Also includes: transmitting the plurality of data packets to the target receiver node over the plurality of MIMO layers; Wherein, the set of cross-block check blocks is transmitted to the second transmitter node.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Also includes: transmitting the plurality of data packets to the second transmitter node; Configuration information is transmitted to the second sender node to cause the second sender node to cooperate with the first sender node.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that The first transmitter node and the second transmitter node are configured to cooperate to transmit the plurality of data packets to the target receiver node on the plurality of MIMO layers in an initial transmission, and to transmit the set of cross-block check blocks to the target receiver node on the plurality of MIMO layers in a retransmission.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that The first transmitter node and the second transmitter node are configured to cooperate to transmit the plurality of data packets to the target receiver node on multiple MIMO layers in an initial transmission, and to transmit the set of cross-block check blocks to the target receiver node on a second plurality of MIMO layers in the same initial transmission.

16. A method performed at a sender node, characterized in that include: obtaining a plurality of data packets to be transmitted to a target receiver node over a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers; generating, for at least one data packet to be transmitted on at least one MIMO layer, a set of one or more cross-block check blocks, the set of one or more cross-block check blocks being generated using a plurality of bits selected from two or more code blocks of the at least one data packet; The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted on a MIMO layer.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that Also includes: transmitting the at least one data packet on the at least one MIMO layer in an initial transmission, the at least one MIMO layer being a first subset of available MIMO layers at the transmitter node; The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted on a MIMO layer not included in the first subset, and the set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted together with the at least one data packet in the initial transmission.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that Also includes: transmitting the at least one data packet on the at least one MIMO layer in an initial transmission; The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted on the same at least one MIMO layer in the retransmission.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that Also includes: receiving feedback associated with the at least one MIMO layer, the feedback indicating that decoding of the at least one data packet was unsuccessful; Wherein, the retransmission is performed in response to the received feedback.

20. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted in the retransmission without any feedback.

21. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that The plurality of bits selected from the two or more code blocks of the at least one data packet are selected using a set of interleavers associated with a redundancy version (RV) index.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that: Generating the set of one or more cross-block check blocks includes: generating a first set of one or more cross-block check blocks using a first plurality of bits, the first plurality of bits being selected from two or more code blocks of the first data packet using a first set of interleavers associated with a first RV index; generating a second set of one or more cross-block check blocks using a second plurality of bits, the second plurality of bits being selected from two or more code blocks of the second data packet using a second set of interleavers associated with a second RV index; Transmitting the set of one or more cross-block check blocks includes transmitting a first set of the one or more cross-block check blocks on a first MIMO layer and transmitting a second set of the one or more cross-block check blocks on a second MIMO layer in the same transmission.

23. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 22, characterized in that A first data packet among the plurality of data packets is mapped to a first MIMO layer using a first modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and a second data packet among the plurality of data packets is mapped to a second MIMO layer using a second MCS different from the first MCS.

24. A method performed at a receiver node, characterized in that include: receiving multiple packets on multiple multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers; receiving a set of cross-block check blocks generated from a plurality of bits of two or more packets selected from the plurality of packets received on corresponding two or more MIMO layers; The plurality of data packets are decoded using the set of cross-block check blocks to assist in decoding the plurality of data packets.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The plurality of data packets are received at the plurality of MIMO layers in an initial transmission, and the set of cross-block check blocks are received at one or more MIMO layers different from the plurality of MIMO layers in the initial transmission.

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that Also includes: after receiving the plurality of packets, attempting to decode the plurality of packets and transmitting feedback indicating that decoding of the plurality of packets was unsuccessful; After transmitting the feedback, the set of cross-block check blocks is received in a retransmission.

27. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, characterized in that The plurality of data packets are received from two or more different transmitter nodes over the plurality of MIMO layers.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that The set of cross-block check blocks is received from at least one of the two or more different sender nodes.

29. A method performed at a sender node, characterized in that include: Obtaining data packets to be transmitted to a target receiver node over a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers; generating a set of one or more cross-block check blocks using a plurality of bits selected from two or more code blocks of the data packet; The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted over one or more MIMO layers.

30. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that Also includes: transmitting the data packet over the plurality of MIMO layers in an initial transmission, the plurality of MIMO layers being a first subset of available MIMO layers at the transmitter node; The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted on a MIMO layer not included in the first subset, and the set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted together with the data packet in the initial transmission.

31. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that Also includes: transmitting the data packet over the plurality of MIMO layers in an initial transmission; The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted on the one or more MIMO layers in the retransmission.

32. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that Also includes: receiving feedback indicating that decoding of the data packet was unsuccessful; Wherein, the retransmission is performed in response to the received feedback.

33. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that The set of one or more cross-block check blocks is transmitted in the retransmission without any feedback.

34. The method according to any one of claims 29 to 33, characterized in that The plurality of bits selected from the two or more code blocks of the data packet are selected using a set of interleavers associated with a redundancy version (RV) index.

35. A device, characterized in that: include: Processing unit; A non-transitory memory comprising instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 34.

36. A computer-readable medium storing machine-executable instructions, characterized in that: When the instructions are executed by a processing unit in a device, the device is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 34.

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