Sharing HARQ processes by multiple configuration authorization resources

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to mechanisms for sharing HARQ processes through a plurality of configuration grant resources. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a plurality of configuration authorization resources share a common pool of HARQ processes. And the network equipment sends information about the plurality of configuration authorization resources and the public pool HARQ process to the terminal equipment. Further, for one of the plurality of configuration grant resources, the terminal device selects a HARQ process from a common pool of HARQ processes. In this way, throughput is improved and low latency of high priority data is ensured.

Description

[0001] This divisional application is a divisional application of Chinese patent application No. 201980098953.7, filed on August 7, 2019, with the invention name “HARQ process shared by multiple configuration authorization resources”. Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communications, and more particularly to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for sharing a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process through multiple configuration grant resources. Background Art

[0003] As communication systems develop, new technologies have been proposed. For example, in order to reduce the waste of periodically allocated resources, communication systems enable multiple devices to share periodic resources, called configuration grants. The base station allocates configuration grant resources to multiple terminal devices, and when the terminal devices have data to send, they utilize these resources randomly. By allocating configuration grant resources, the communication system eliminates the packet transmission delay of the scheduling request process and increases the utilization rate of the allocated periodic radio resources. Summary of the invention

[0004] Generally, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method for sharing HARQ processed by multiple configured grant resources and a corresponding communication device.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to receive information indicating multiple configuration authorization resources and multiple hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ processes at the first device and from a second device. The multiple HARQ processes are shared by multiple configuration authorization resources. The first device is also caused to select a HARQ process from the multiple HARQ processes in response to determining that data needs to be sent on one of the multiple configuration authorization resources. The first device is also caused to use the selected HARQ process to send data to the second device on one of the multiple configuration authorization resources.

[0006] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the second device to generate information indicating multiple configuration authorization resources and multiple hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ processes at the second device. The multiple HARQ processes are shared by multiple configuration authorization resources. The second device is also caused to send the information to the first device. The second device is also caused to receive data from the first device on one of the multiple configuration authorization resources of the HARQ process using the multiple HARQ processes.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method includes receiving, at a first device and from a second device, information indicating a plurality of configuration grant resources and a plurality of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes. The plurality of HARQ processes are shared by the plurality of configuration grant resources. The method further includes: in response to determining that data needs to be sent on one of the plurality of configuration grant resources, selecting a HARQ process from the plurality of HARQ processes. The method further includes sending data to the second device on one of the plurality of configuration grant resources using the selected HARQ process.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes generating information indicating multiple configuration authorization resources and multiple hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ processes at a second device. The multiple HARQ processes are shared by multiple configuration authorization resources. The method also includes sending information to a first device. The method also includes receiving data from the first device on a configuration authorization resource of multiple configuration authorization resources of a HARQ process using multiple HARQ processes.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a component for receiving information indicating multiple configuration authorization resources and multiple hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ processes at a first device and from a second device. The multiple HARQ processes are shared by multiple configuration authorization resources. The apparatus also includes: a component for selecting a HARQ process from the multiple HARQ processes in response to determining that data needs to be sent on one of the multiple configuration authorization resources. The apparatus also includes a component for sending data to the second device on one of the multiple configuration authorization resources using the selected HARQ process.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a component for generating information indicating multiple configuration authorization resources and multiple hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ processes at a second device. The multiple HARQ processes are shared by multiple configuration authorization resources. The apparatus also includes a component for sending information to a first device. The apparatus also includes a component for receiving data from the first device on a configuration authorization resource in the multiple configuration authorization resources using a HARQ process in the multiple HARQ processes.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least execute a method according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects above.

[0012] It should be understood that the summary is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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

[0014] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing interactions between devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 6 A flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 7 A flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing interactions between devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Fig. 9A schematic diagram showing an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0023] Fig.10 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustrating and helping those skilled in the art to understand and realize the present disclosure, without any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be realized in various other ways except as described below.

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

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

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

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

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

[0031] (a) pure hardware circuit implementation (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuitry only), and

[0032] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

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

[0034] (ii) any portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software, software and memory that work together to cause a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions, and

[0035] (c) Hardware circuits and / or processors, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but which may not be present when not required for operation.

[0036] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers (for example and if applicable to a particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit of a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0037] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication criteria, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), New Radio (NR), etc. In addition, the communication between the user equipment and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth generation (5G) communication protocol, and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, of course, there will also be communication technologies and systems that can be used to embody future types of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above-mentioned systems.

[0038] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a user equipment accesses the network and receives services therefrom. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a NodeB (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low power node (such as a femto, a pico), etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied.

[0039] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image acquisition terminal device (such as a digital camera), a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless terminal, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless client device (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0040] As mentioned above, the "configuration grant" technology has been proposed. In the New Radio (NR) Release-15 (Rel-15), only one configuration grant (CG) can be configured for each bandwidth part (BWP). A specific number of HARQ processes out of 16 HARQ processes are configured for CG via RRC signaling, and the terminal device determines which HARQ process will be used for a specific CG opportunity based on the number of slots / symbols of type 1 CG (periodic, physical resource blocks (PRBs) and modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) are configured via radio resource control (RRC) signaling) and type 2 CG (periodic configured via RRC, and PRB / MCS ​​is assigned with physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) activation / deactivation). The HARQ entity is per cell / carrier, so when the terminal device is switched to another BWP of the same cell / carrier, the HARQ retransmission can continue there. Table 1 below shows the content in the specifications of the third generation partnership activation (3GPP) 38.331 and 38.321.

[0041] Table 1

[0042] Table 1

[0043]

[0044]

[0045] Multiple Configuration Grants (CGs) per BWP have been discussed. For example, it is agreed to have different HARQ processes for those multiple configuration grants: When multiple uplink CGs or downlink semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configurations are configured, an offset for each configuration is required to calculate the HARQ process identity.

[0046] However, the HARQ operation for NR-Unlicensed (NR-U) systems is a little different from the traditional operation because the HARQ process identity for the CG occasion is not determined based on timing. It is left to the terminal device to select the HARQ process for configuring the grant. The terminal device will then indicate the HARQ process in the uplink control information (UCI).

[0047] Multiple CGs of each BWP of NR-U may be configured on different Listen Before Talk (LBT) subchannels to increase transmission possibilities. Since the LBT success rate can change dynamically according to the logical channel occupancy status, semi-statically configuring a certain number of HARQ processes for each CG may lead to inefficient utilization of the HARQ processes when the subchannel of the CG is overloaded, and when the retransmission timer is running, when all HARQ processes are waiting for retransmission, the shortage of HARQ processes may lead to waste of CG resources due to the inability to send transport blocks. Therefore, a new mechanism is needed to share multiple HARQ processes through multiple configuration authorization resources.

[0048] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, multiple configuration authorization resources share a common pool of HARQ processes. The network device sends information about multiple configuration authorization resources and common pool HARQ processes to the terminal device. In addition, for one configuration authorization resource of the multiple configuration authorization resources, the terminal device selects a HARQ process from the common pool of HARQ processes. In this way, the throughput is improved and low latency of high priority data is ensured.

[0049] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. The communication system 100 includes a first device 110 and a second device 120. For purposes of illustration, hereinafter, the first device 110 may be referred to as a terminal device 110, and the second device 120 may be referred to as a network device 120. It should be noted that the first device and the second device are interchangeable. For example, a process described as being implemented at a terminal device can also be implemented at a network device, and a process described as being implemented at a network device can also be implemented at a terminal device.

[0050] A link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 may be referred to as a “downlink,” and a link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 may be referred to as an “uplink.”

[0051] The communication system 100 as part of a communication network includes terminal devices 110-1, 110-2, ..., 110-N (collectively referred to as "terminal devices 110", where N is an integer). The communication system 100 includes one or more network devices, such as network device 120. It should be understood that the communication system 100 may also include other elements that are omitted for the purpose of clarity. It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of terminal devices and network devices shown is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation.The terminal device 110 and the network device 120 may communicate with each other.

[0052] It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices is only for illustration purposes and does not represent any limitation. System 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0053] The communication in the communication system 100 can be implemented according to any appropriate communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) and fifth generation (5G), wireless local area network communication protocols (such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc.), and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, the communication can use any appropriate wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology currently known or developed in the future.

[0054] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an interaction 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The interaction 200 may be implemented at any suitable device. For illustrative purposes only, the interaction 200 is described as being implemented at the terminal device 110 - 1 and the network device 120 .

[0055] The network device 120 generates 2005 information. The information indicates multiple configuration grant resources and multiple HARQ processes. Multiple configuration grant resources share multiple HARQ processes. The information may include identifications of multiple configuration grant resources and identifications of multiple HARQ processes. In this way, sharing multiple HARQ processes increases throughput to allow the configuration grant to use more processes than a fixed number for each HARQ process. When there is no data for transmission for the configuration grant, it does not consume any processes.

[0056] Configuration grant resources can be periodic resources shared by terminal devices. The term "Configuration Grant (CG)" refers to ungranted resources in the uplink, which means that pre-configured UE-specific resources will be used for UE UL transmissions without dynamic scheduling / grants. HARQ can be used in stop and wait mode or in selective repeat mode. Stop and wait is simpler, but waiting for the receiver's acknowledgment reduces efficiency. Therefore, in practice, multiple stop and wait HARQ processes are often carried out in parallel: while one HARQ process is waiting for acknowledgment, another process can use the logical channel to send more data. A logical channel is defined by the type of information it carries.

[0057] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may determine to configure the granted resources and allocate them to the terminal device 110-1. The network device 120 may also determine the multiple HARQ processes based on one or more conditions. For example, the conditions may include one or more of the following: quality of service, traffic volume, and service type.

[0058] In some embodiments, the information may include one or more rules for determining the priority of the data to be sent. Details of the rules will be given later.

[0059] The network device 120 sends 2010 the information to the terminal device 110-1. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may determine 2015 that data needs to be sent on one of the multiple configuration authorization resources. For example, the terminal device 110-1 may determine the type of service that needs to be sent on the configuration authorization resource. The data may belong to a logical channel that uses the configuration authorization resource. The data may arrive in a buffer of the terminal device 110-1.

[0060] The terminal device 110-1 selects 2020HARQ processes from multiple HARQ processes. The terminal device 110-1 can determine the available HARQ processes in 2025 multiple HARQ processes. For example, when selecting a HARQ process for a configured grant resource, the terminal device 110-1 can determine whether a HARQ process from a common pool is available for new transmission / retransmission based on a timer of the HARQ process. For example, the timer can be a configured grant timer (ConfiguredGrantTimer) and a CG retransmission timer state of the corresponding HARQ process. In some embodiments, multiple configured grant resources can be considered as one configured grant, so if the resources give the same transport block size, retransmission can be performed on a configured grant resource different from the initial transmission.

[0061] Each HARQ process maintains a configuration grant timer and a CG retransmission timer to determine whether the HARQ process is available for new transmission / retransmission. When the CG retransmission timer is running, the terminal device 110-1 may wait for potential HARQ feedback or uplink grant, so it cannot use the HARQ process for autonomous retransmission or new transmission on the CG resources. When the configuration grant timer is running, the terminal device 110-1 may wait for dynamic uplink grants and cannot use the HARQ process for new transmissions. The configuration grant timer can be configured to be longer than the CG retransmission timer because the terminal device 110-1 should be allowed to attempt at least one retransmission on the configured granted resources before the corresponding transmission block is discarded and an ACK is assumed at the terminal device 110-1.

[0062] In some embodiments, the information may explicitly indicate which of the HARQ processes one or more of the configured granted resources may use. Alternatively or additionally, the information may explicitly indicate which HARQ process a logical channel / channel group with a priority higher than a threshold priority may use, and / or which HARQ process a logical channel / channel group with a priority lower than a threshold priority may use.

[0063] In one embodiment, the terminal device 110-1 may determine the number of available HARQ processes. In the case where the number is lower than the threshold number, the terminal device 110-1 may determine the priority of the data to be sent. If the priority of the data exceeds the threshold priority, the terminal device 110-1 may select a HARQ process from a plurality of HARQ processes. The threshold number may be obtained from the information. Alternatively, the threshold number may be predetermined. In this way, it is ensured that data with a high priority can be sent. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may check the number of HARQ processes used to send low priority data (i.e., data belonging to a logical channel / channel group with a priority lower than a second threshold priority). In this case, if the number of HARQ processes used to send low priority data is lower than the threshold number, the transmission of data with a low priority is allowed. The term "low priority data" or "data with a low priority" means that the data belongs to a logical channel / logical channel group with a priority lower than the threshold priority. The term "high priority data" or "data with a high priority" means that the data belongs to a logical channel / logical channel group with a priority exceeding the threshold priority.

[0064] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may extract 2030 from the information a criterion for selecting a HARQ process. For example, in order to increase the chances of an idle HARQ process being used to send high priority data on the configured authorized resources, the criterion may indicate that a subset of the HARQ processes in the plurality of HARQ processes for the CG may only be used for the transmission of high priority data. Low priority transmissions may be limited to HARQ processes within the plurality of HARQ processes of the CG and outside the subset.

[0065] The terminal device 110-1 may determine 2035 a first group of HARQ processes based on the information. The first group of HARQ processes may be used for data having a priority higher than a threshold priority. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110-1 may determine 2040 a second group of HARQ processes based on the information. Data having a priority lower than the threshold priority may only use the second group of HARQ processes. In other words, data belonging to a logical channel having a priority lower than the threshold priority may only use the second group of HARQ processes when being sent on the configured authorized resources.

[0066] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may determine 2045 the priority of the data. The terminal device 110-1 may determine the service type to which the data belongs and determine the priority based on the service type. In other embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may determine 2050 the priority of the logical channel to which the data belongs. The terminal device 110-1 may determine the priority of the data based on other rules. For example, the terminal device 110-1 may determine whether the data contains any MAC control elements (CEs) associated with high priority services (e.g., buffer status reports of high priority logical channels). If the data contains a MAC CE associated with a high priority service, it may be determined that the data has a high priority. Alternatively, the terminal device 110-1 may determine the priority of the data based on the buffering time of the data. For example, the terminal device 110-1 may determine how long the data has been waiting in the buffer, and if the buffering time exceeds a threshold time, the priority of the data may be increased.

[0067] In other embodiments, the priority of data may be determined based on the remaining time to the delivery deadline. For example, terminal device 110-1 may determine how much time is left to the delivery deadline of the data. If the remaining time is shorter than a threshold, the priority may be increased.

[0068] In other embodiments, the data to be prioritized may be duplicated based on a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP). If the data is duplicated, the terminal device 110-1 may determine how its process compares to the corresponding branch. When the process lags behind its corresponding branch to a certain extent, the priority may be increased. It should be noted that the priority of the data may be determined based on any appropriate rules. The rules may be pre-configured. Alternatively or additionally, as described above, the rules may be determined by the network device 120 and sent in the information.

[0069] In this case, the terminal device 110-11 may compare the priority of the data on one of the multiple configuration authorization resources with the threshold priority. The threshold priority may be obtained from the information. Alternatively, the threshold priority may be predetermined. If the priority of the data exceeds the threshold priority, the terminal device 110-1 may select a HARQ process from the first group of HARQ processes. In other embodiments, if the priority of the logical channel to which the data belongs exceeds the threshold priority, the terminal device 110-1 may select a HARQ process from the first group of HARQ processes.

[0070] Alternatively, if the priority of the data is lower than the threshold priority, the terminal device 110-1 may select a HARQ process from the second group of HARQ processes. In other embodiments, if the priority of the logical channel to which the data belongs is lower than the threshold priority, the terminal device 110-1 may select a HARQ process from the second group of HARQ processes. In some embodiments, the second group of HARQ processes may be a subset of the first group of HARQ processes. In some embodiments, the information may indicate a third group of HARQ processes for one of the multiple configured authorization resources. If data is to be sent using one of the multiple configured authorization resources, the terminal device 110-1 may select a HARQ process from the third group of HARQ processes.

[0071] In an example embodiment, the terminal device 110-1 may select a HARQ process based on the configured granted resource. For example, the information may indicate that one or more HARQ processes may be used for a certain configured granted resource. Figure 8 Details of the exemplary embodiments are described in detail.

[0072] The terminal device 110-1 sends 2055 data to the network device 120 on one of the multiple configuration authorization resources. In this way, data with a high priority can be sent with low latency.

[0073] Figure 3 1 is a flow chart of a method 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 300 may be implemented at any suitable device. For illustrative purposes only, the method 300 is described as being implemented at the terminal device 110 - 1 . It should be noted that the method 300 may also be implemented at the network device 120 .

[0074] At block 310, terminal device 110-1 receives information from network device 120. The information indicates a plurality of configuration grant resources and a plurality of HARQ processes. The plurality of HARQ processes are shared by the plurality of configuration grant resources. The information may include identifications of the plurality of configuration grant resources and identifications of the plurality of HARQ processes. In this way, sharing a plurality of HARQ processes increases throughput to allow a configuration grant to use more processes than a fixed number for each HARQ process. When there is no data for transmission for a configuration grant, it does not consume any processes.

[0075] As an example only, there may be two configuration grant resources (e.g., CG#1 and CG#2) configured for the bandwidth portion of the serving cell. They may share 10 HARQ processes. It should be noted that the number of configuration grant resources and HARQ processes are merely examples and not limitations.

[0076] When the subchannel corresponding to CG#1 is overloaded, the terminal device 110-1 cannot send many transport blocks, so it does not consume too many HARQ processes. If the subchannel corresponding to CG#1 is not overloaded, the terminal device 110-1 can continuously use the CG resources to send new transport blocks on different HARQ processes while waiting for HARQ feedback of other transport blocks of other HARQ processes, so the terminal device 110-1 can use more HARQ processes from the public pool.

[0077] At block 320, if terminal device 110-1 determines that data needs to be sent on one of the multiple configured granted resources, terminal device 110-1 selects a HARQ process from the multiple HARQ processes. For example, terminal device 110-1 may determine a service type that needs to be sent on the configured granted resource. Data may be sent on a logical channel that uses the configured granted resource.

[0078] Terminal device 110-1 may determine an available HARQ process from a plurality of HARQ processes. For example, when selecting a HARQ process for configuring granted resources, terminal device 110-1 may determine whether a HARQ process from a common pool is available for new transmission / retransmission based on a timer of the HARQ process.

[0079] In some embodiments, the information may explicitly indicate which HARQ process the set of configured authorized resources may use. Alternatively or additionally, the information may explicitly indicate which HARQ processes may be used by logical channels / channel groups with high priority and / or which HARQ processes may be used by channels / channel groups with low priority.

[0080] In one embodiment, the terminal device 110-1 may determine the number of available HARQ processes. When the number is lower than a threshold number, the terminal device 110-1 may determine the priority of data on one of the multiple configured authorized resources. If the priority exceeds the threshold priority, the terminal device 110-1 may select a HARQ process from multiple HARQ processes. The threshold number may be obtained from the information. Alternatively, the threshold number may be predetermined. In this way, it is ensured that data with a high priority can be sent.

[0081] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may extract criteria for selecting a HARQ process from the information. For example, in order to increase the chance of having an idle HARQ process for transmitting a high priority service on the configured authorized resources, the criteria may indicate that a subset of the HARQ processes in the multiple HARQ processes used for the CG can only be used for high priority transmissions. Low priority transmissions may be limited to HARQ processes outside the subset.

[0082] The terminal device 110-1 may determine a first group of HARQ processes based on the information. The first group of HARQ processes may be used to configure authorized resources with a priority higher than a threshold priority. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110-1 may determine a second group of HARQ processes based on the information. Data with a priority lower than the threshold priority is only allowed to use the second group of HARQ processes. The second group of HARQ processes may be a subset of the first group of HARQ processes.

[0083] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may determine the priority of the data on one of the multiple configured authorized resources based on the information. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110-1 may determine the type of service to which the data belongs and determine the priority based on the type of service. In other embodiments, the terminal device 110-1 may determine the priority of the logical channel to which the data belongs. A logical channel is defined by the type of information it carries.

[0084] In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may compare the priority of the data with a threshold priority. The threshold priority may be obtained from the information. Alternatively, the threshold priority may be predetermined. If the priority of the data exceeds the threshold priority, the terminal device 110-1 may select a HARQ process from the first group of HARQ processes. In other embodiments, if the priority of the logical channel to which the data belongs exceeds the threshold priority, the terminal device 110-1 may select a HARQ process from the first group of HARQ processes.

[0085] Alternatively, if the priority of the data is lower than the threshold priority, the terminal device 110-1 may select a HARQ process from the second group of HARQ processes. In other embodiments, if the priority of the logical channel to which the data belongs is lower than the threshold priority, the terminal device 110-1 may select a HARQ process from the second group of HARQ processes.

[0086] Figure 4 A flow chart of a method 400 for selecting a HARQ process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In this example, CG#1 can be used for transmission of a high priority service (e.g., logical channel #1), and CG#2 can be used for transmission of a low priority service (e.g., logical channel #2). The pool of N HARQ processes can be configured to ensure that CG#2 can use a maximum of X HARQ processes, which means that NX HARQ processes in the pool serve CG#1. It should be noted that the numbers N and X can be any suitable integers.

[0087] At block 410, terminal device 110-1 determines that data needs to be sent on CG#2 (channel #2). The data may arrive in a buffer of terminal device 110-1. The data belongs to a logical channel with priority.

[0088] At block 420, terminal device 110-1 determines whether there is an available HARQ process for CG#2. In this example, selection of CG#2 is allowed only from the second set of HARQ processes. For example, if there is no available HARQ process, then at block 430, terminal device 110-1 may go to the next occurrence of CG#2.

[0089] If there are available HARQ processes among the X HARQ processes, then at block 440 , the terminal device 110 - 1 selects a HARQ process from the available HARQ processes.

[0090] Figure 5 A flow chart of a method 500 for selecting a HARQ process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In this case, CG#2 can select any one of the N HARQ processes under the condition that there are at least Y available HARQ processes. It should be noted that the numbers N, X and Y can be any suitable integers.

[0091] At block 510, terminal device 110-1 determines that data needs to be sent on CG#2 (channel #2). The data may arrive in a buffer of terminal device 110-1. The data belongs to a logical channel with priority.

[0092] At block 520, terminal device 110-1 determines whether the number of available HARQ processes is above a threshold number, which may be denoted as Y. The threshold number may be any suitable number. For example, if the number of available HARQ processes is less than Y, then at block 530, terminal device 110-1 may proceed to the next occurrence of CG#2. The threshold number may be determined by a network device and sent to the terminal device. The threshold number may also be predetermined at the terminal device.

[0093] If the number of available HARQ processes is higher than Y, then at block 540, terminal device 110-1 selects a HARQ process from the available HARQ processes.

[0094] Figure 6 A flow chart of a method 600 for selecting a HARQ process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In this example, the maximum number of HARQ processes used simultaneously by CG#2 may be Z. It should be noted that the number Z may be any suitable integer.

[0095] At block 610, terminal device 110-1 determines that data needs to be sent on CG#2 (channel #2). The data may arrive in a buffer of terminal device 110-1. The data belongs to a logical channel with priority.

[0096] At block 620, terminal device 110-1 determines whether the number of HARQ processes used by CG#2 is above a threshold number, which may be represented as Z. The threshold number may be any suitable number. For example, if the number of HARQ processes used by CG#2 is above Z, then at block 630, terminal device 110-1 may proceed to the next occurrence of CG#2. The threshold number may be determined by a network device and sent to the terminal device. The threshold number may also be predetermined at the terminal device.

[0097] If the number of HARQ processes used by CG#2 is less than Z, then at box 630, the terminal device 110-1 selects a HARQ process from the available HARQ processes.

[0098] Return to reference Figure 3 , the terminal device 110-1 sends data to the network device 120 on one of the multiple configured authorized resources. In this way, data with high priority can be sent with low latency. The embodiments of the present disclosure increase the throughput to allow the configured authorized resources to use more processes than the fixed number of each. When there is no data for transmission for the configured authorized resource, it does not consume any process. On the other hand, reserving a certain number of processes for the configured authorized resources ensures low latency for high priority data.

[0099] Figure 7 700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The method 700 may be implemented at any suitable device. For illustration purposes only, the method 700 is described as being implemented at the network device 120. It should be noted that the method 700 may also be implemented at the terminal device 110-1.

[0100] At box 710, the network device 120 generates the information. The information indicates multiple configuration grant resources and multiple HARQ processes. Multiple configuration grant resources share multiple HARQ processes. The information may include identification of multiple configuration grant resources and identification of multiple HARQ processes. In this way, sharing multiple HARQ processes increases throughput to allow the configuration grant to use more processes than a fixed number for each HARQ process. When there is no data for transmission for a configured grant, it does not consume any processes. The configuration grant resource can be a periodic resource shared by terminal devices.

[0101] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may determine the configured granted resources and allocate them to the terminal device 110-1. The network device 120 may also determine the multiple HARQ processes based on one or more conditions. For example, the conditions may include one or more of the following: quality of service, traffic volume, and service type.

[0102] In an example embodiment, network device 120 may generate a threshold number of available HARQ processes. The information may indicate the threshold number. If the number of available HARQ processes is below the threshold number, data with a high priority may be guaranteed and data with a low priority may be omitted. Network device 120 may generate information indicating the priorities of a plurality of configured granted resources. Network device 120 may also generate a threshold priority for data.

[0103] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may generate information indicating a first group of HARQ processes from a plurality of HARQ processes. The first group of HARQ processes may be used for transmissions having a priority higher than a threshold priority. Alternatively or additionally, the network device 120 may generate information indicating a second group of HARQ processes from a plurality of HARQ processes. Only transmissions having a priority lower than a threshold priority may be allowed to be selected from the second group of HARQ processes. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may also generate a threshold priority.

[0104] At block 720, the network device 120 sends information to the terminal device 110-1. In some embodiments, the information may explicitly indicate which of the HARQ processes one or more of the configured granted resources may use. Alternatively or additionally, the information may explicitly indicate which HARQ processes may be used by channels / channel groups with higher priority and / or which HARQ processes may be used by channels / channel groups with lower priority.

[0105] In some embodiments, the information may include criteria for selecting a HARQ process from the information. For example, to increase the chance of having an idle HARQ process for transmitting a high priority service on the configured authorized resources, the criteria may indicate that a subset of the HARQ processes in the multiple HARQ processes used for the CG can only be used for high priority transmissions. Low priority transmissions may be limited to HARQ processes outside the subset.

[0106] At block 730, network device 120 receives data from terminal device 110-1 on one of a plurality of configured granted resources using a HARQ process. The HARQ process may be selected by terminal device 110-1 from a plurality of HARQ processes.

[0107] As mentioned above, Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the interaction 800 of selecting a HARQ process based on which CG the resource belongs to is shown. The network device 120 sends 8005 this information to the terminal device 110-1. Figure 2 and 3 A detailed description of the information is given, which is omitted here for clarity. Figure 2 and Figure 3. As an example only, there may be two configured grant resources (e.g., CG#1 and CG#2) configured for the bandwidth portion of the serving cell.

[0108] Terminal device 110-1 determines 8010 data to be sent on CG#1. The information may indicate that a third group of HARQ processes is used for CG#1. Therefore, terminal device 110-1 selects 8015 HARQ process #a from the third group of HARQ processes for transmission on CG#1. Terminal device 110-1 sends 8020 data on CG#1 with HARQ process ID#a. In some embodiments, network device 120 may send 8025 a retransmission uplink grant for HARQ process ID#a to terminal device 110-1. Terminal device 110-1 may retransmit 8030 data on CG#1 with HARQ process ID#a. It should be noted that the information may indicate that more than one HARQ process may be used for CG#1.

[0109] Terminal device 110-1 determines 8035 that additional data needs to be sent on CG#2. This information may indicate that a fourth group of HARQ processes is for CG#2. Therefore, terminal device 110-1 selects 8040 HARQ process #b from the fourth group of HARQ processes for transmission on CG#2. Terminal device 110-1 sends 8045 data on CG#2 with HARQ process ID #b. The fourth group of HARQ processes may be a subset of the third group of HARQ processes.

[0110] In some embodiments, an apparatus for executing method 300 (e.g., terminal device 110-1) may include corresponding components for executing corresponding steps in method 300. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit system or a software module.

[0111] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a component for receiving, at a first device, information indicating a plurality of configured authorization resources and a plurality of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes from a second device, the plurality of HARQ processes being shared by the plurality of configured authorization resources; a component for selecting a HARQ process from the plurality of HARQ processes in response to determining that data needs to be sent on one of the plurality of configured authorization resources; and a component for sending data to the second device on one of the plurality of configured authorization resources using the selected HARQ process.

[0112] In some embodiments, means for selecting a HARQ process from a plurality of HARQ processes comprises means for extracting a criterion for selecting the HARQ process from the information; and means for selecting the HARQ process from the plurality of HARQ processes based on the criterion.

[0113] In some embodiments, the component for selecting a HARQ process from a plurality of HARQ processes includes: a component for determining a set of available HARQ processes from a plurality of HARQ processes; a component for determining the number of available HARQ processes among a plurality of HARQ processes; a component for determining a priority of a configured authorized resource among a plurality of configured authorized resources in response to the number being lower than a threshold number; and a component for selecting a HARQ process from the available HARQ processes in response to the priority exceeding a threshold priority.

[0114] In some embodiments, a component for selecting a HARQ process from a plurality of HARQ processes includes: a component for determining a first group of HARQ processes from a plurality of HARQ processes based on information, the first group of HARQ processes being used for data having a priority higher than a threshold priority; a component for determining a priority of the data; and a component for selecting a HARQ process from the first group of HARQ processes in response to the priority exceeding the threshold priority.

[0115] In some embodiments, the component for selecting a HARQ process from a plurality of HARQ processes includes: a component for determining a second group of HARQ processes from a plurality of HARQ processes based on information, wherein data having a priority lower than a threshold priority is only allowed to use the second group of HARQ processes; a component for determining the priority of data; and a component for selecting a HARQ process from the second group of HARQ processes in response to the priority being lower than the threshold priority.

[0116] In some embodiments, the component for determining the priority of data includes: a component for determining the priority of data based on at least one of the following: the priority of the logical channel / logical channel group to which the data belongs, the buffering time of the data, or the priority of the service involved in the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) contained in the data.

[0117] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a component for determining a third group of HARQ processes from the plurality of HARQ processes based on the information, the third group of HARQ processes being used for one of the plurality of configured granted resources; and a component for selecting HARQ from the third group of HARQ processes.

[0118] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a component for determining a fourth group of HARQ processes from the plurality of HARQ processes based on the information, the fourth group of HARQ processes being used for another configured grant resource in the plurality of configured grant resources, the fourth group of HARQ processes being a subset of the third group of HARQ processes.

[0119] In some embodiments, the component for selecting a HARQ process from a plurality of HARQ processes includes: a component for determining a logical channel to which data belongs; a component for determining the number of HARQ processes currently used by the channel; and a component for selecting a HARQ process from a plurality of HARQ processes in response to a number being lower than a threshold number.

[0120] In some embodiments, the means for selecting a HARQ process from a plurality of HARQ processes comprises: a means for determining a set of available HARQ processes from a plurality of HARQ processes based on timers of the plurality of HARQ processes; and a means for selecting the HARQ process from the set of available HARQ processes.

[0121] In some embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

[0122] In some embodiments, an apparatus for executing method 700 (e.g., network device 120) may include corresponding components for executing corresponding steps in method 700. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit system or a software module.

[0123] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a component for generating, at a second device, information indicating a plurality of configured authorization resources and a plurality of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes, the plurality of HARQ processes being shared by the plurality of configured authorization resources; a component for transmitting the information to a first device; and a component for receiving data from the first device on one of the plurality of configured authorization resources using a HARQ process in the plurality of HARQ processes.

[0124] In some embodiments, means for generating the information comprises: means for generating criteria for selecting a HARQ process; and means for adding the criteria to the information.

[0125] In some embodiments, the means for generating information comprises means for generating information indicating a threshold number of available HARQ processes in the plurality of HARQ processes.

[0126] In some embodiments, the means for generating information comprises means for generating information indicating a first group of HARQ processes among the plurality of HARQ processes, the first group of HARQ processes being for data having a priority above a threshold priority.

[0127] In some embodiments, the means for generating information includes: means for generating information indicating a second group of HARQ processes from the plurality of HARQ processes, and data with a priority lower than a threshold priority is only allowed to use the second group of HARQ processes.

[0128] In some embodiments, the means for generating information includes means for generating information indicating a third group of HARQ processes in the plurality of HARQ processes, the third group of HARQ processes being used for one of the plurality of configured granted resources.

[0129] In some embodiments, the means for generating information includes: and means for generating a threshold priority.

[0130] In some embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

[0131] Fig. 9 is a simplified block diagram of a device 900 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 900 may be used to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The network device 120 or the terminal device 110 shown. As shown, the device 900 includes one or more processors 910, one or more memories 920 coupled to the processor 910, and one or more communication modules (e.g., transmitters and / or receivers (TX / RX)) 940 coupled to the processor 910.

[0132] The communication module 940 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 940 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements.

[0133] Processor 910 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network, and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 900 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0134] The memory 920 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 924, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 922 and other volatile memories that do not persist over the duration of a power outage.

[0135] The computer program 930 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 910. The program 930 may be stored in the ROM 924. The processor 910 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 930 into the RAM 922.

[0136] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 930, so that the device 900 may execute the Figures 2 to 5 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0137] In some embodiments, the program 930 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 900 (such as in the memory 920) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 900. The device 900 may load the program 930 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 922 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Fig.10 An example of a computer readable medium 1000 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The computer readable medium has a program 930 stored thereon.

[0138] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that the block diagrams, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0139] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as computer executable instructions included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above reference Figure 2-5 Methods 400 and 800 described herein. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data types, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data structures. The functions of program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed in various embodiments. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0140] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device, so that these program codes cause the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented when executed by the processor or controller. The program code can be executed completely on the machine, partially on the machine, executed as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0141] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0142] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer readable storage media include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0143] In addition, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a continuous order or to perform all the operations shown to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although the above discussion includes several specific implementation details, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination, respectively.

[0144] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: At a terminal device, receiving information indicating a plurality of configured granted resources and a plurality of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes, the plurality of HARQ processes forming a common pool of HARQ processes, the common pool of HARQ processes being shared by the plurality of configured granted resources, wherein the plurality of configured granted resources are configured in one bandwidth portion; The terminal device selects a HARQ process from the multiple HARQ processes; The terminal device uses the selected HARQ process to perform initial transmission of data on one of the multiple configured granted resources; as well as The terminal device uses the selected HARQ process to retransmit on a configured grant resource among the multiple configured grant resources that is different from the configured grant resource for the initial transmission, wherein the configured grant resource for the initial transmission and the configured grant resource for the retransmission have the same transmission block size.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting the HARQ process from the plurality of HARQ processes comprises: extracting a criterion for selecting the HARQ process from the information; as well as The HARQ process is selected from the plurality of HARQ processes based on the criterion.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting the HARQ process from the plurality of HARQ processes comprises: Determining a set of available HARQ processes from the plurality of HARQ processes; prioritizing said data; as well as The HARQ process is selected from the set of available HARQ processes based on the priority of the data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the priority of the data is based on at least one of the following: The priority of the logical channel / logical channel group to which the data belongs, The buffering time of the data, or The data includes a priority level of a service involved in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

5. A method comprising: generating, at a network device, information indicating a plurality of configured granted resources and a plurality of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes, the plurality of HARQ processes forming a common pool of HARQ processes, the common pool of HARQ processes being shared by the plurality of configured granted resources, wherein the plurality of configured granted resources are configured in one bandwidth portion; The network device sends the information to the terminal device; receiving, by the network device, an initial transmission of data from the terminal device on one of the plurality of configured grant resources using a HARQ process in the plurality of HARQ processes; as well as The network device receives a retransmission from the terminal device using a selected HARQ process on a configured grant resource among the multiple configured grant resources that is different from the configured grant resource for the initial transmission, wherein the configured grant resource for the initial transmission and the configured grant resource for the retransmission have the same transmission block size.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said generating said information comprises: generating a criterion for selecting a HARQ process; as well as The criteria are added to the information.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein generating the information further indicates at least one of the following: a first group of HARQ processes from the plurality of HARQ processes, the first group of HARQ processes being used for data with a priority level higher than a threshold priority level; A second group of HARQ processes from the plurality of HARQ processes, data with a priority lower than a threshold priority being allowed to use only the second group of HARQ processes; a third group of HARQ processes from the plurality of HARQ processes, the third group of HARQ processes being used for one of the plurality of configured grant resources; a threshold number of available HARQ processes among the plurality of HARQ processes; and The threshold priority.

8. A terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to: receiving information indicating a plurality of configured granted resources and a plurality of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes, the plurality of HARQ processes forming a common pool of HARQ processes, the common pool of HARQ processes being shared by the plurality of configured granted resources, wherein the plurality of configured granted resources are configured in one bandwidth portion; Selecting a HARQ process from the plurality of HARQ processes; Performing initial transmission of data on one of the plurality of configured grant resources using the selected HARQ process; and Retransmitting on a configured grant resource among the multiple configured grant resources that is different from the configured grant resource for the initial transmission using the selected HARQ process, wherein the configured grant resource for the initial transmission and the configured grant resource for the retransmission have the same transport block size.

9. The terminal device according to claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to: extracting criteria for selecting the HARQ process from the information; and The HARQ process is selected from the plurality of HARQ processes based on the criterion.

10. The terminal device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to: Determining a set of available HARQ processes from the plurality of HARQ processes; prioritizing said data; and The HARQ process is selected from the set of available HARQ processes based on the priority of the data.

11. The terminal device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the priority of the data is determined based on at least one of the following: The priority of the logical channel / logical channel group to which the data belongs, The buffering time of the data, or The data includes a priority level of a service involved in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). 12 . The terminal device according to claim 8 , wherein the HARQ process is selected when the data needs to be sent on one of the multiple configured grant resources.

13. A network device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to: generating, at the network device, information indicating a plurality of configured granted resources and a plurality of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes, the plurality of HARQ processes forming a common pool of HARQ processes, the common pool of HARQ processes being shared by the plurality of configured granted resources, wherein the plurality of configured granted resources are configured in one bandwidth portion; Sending the information to the terminal device; receiving an initial transmission of data from the terminal device on one of the plurality of configured grant resources using a HARQ process in the plurality of HARQ processes; as well as A retransmission is received from the terminal device on a configured grant resource among the multiple configured grant resources that is different from the configured grant resource for the initial transmission using the selected HARQ process, wherein the configured grant resource for the initial transmission and the configured grant resource for the retransmission have the same transport block size.

14. The network device according to claim 13, wherein the information indicates at least one of the following: a first group of HARQ processes from the plurality of HARQ processes, the first group of HARQ processes being used for data with a priority level higher than a threshold priority level; A second group of HARQ processes from the plurality of HARQ processes, data with a priority lower than a threshold priority being allowed to use only the second group of HARQ processes; a third group of HARQ processes from the plurality of HARQ processes, the third group of HARQ processes being used for one of the plurality of configured grant resources; a threshold number of available HARQ processes among the plurality of HARQ processes; and The threshold priority.

15. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processing unit of a terminal device, cause the terminal device to: receiving information indicating a plurality of configured granted resources and a plurality of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes, the plurality of HARQ processes forming a common pool of HARQ processes, the common pool of HARQ processes being shared by the plurality of configured granted resources, wherein the plurality of configured granted resources are configured in one bandwidth portion; Selecting a HARQ process from the plurality of HARQ processes; Performing initial transmission of data on one of the plurality of configured grant resources using the selected HARQ process; and Retransmitting on a configured grant resource among the multiple configured grant resources that is different from the configured grant resource for the initial transmission using the selected HARQ process, wherein the configured grant resource for the initial transmission and the configured grant resource for the retransmission have the same transport block size.

16. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by at least one processing unit of a network device causes the network device to perform: generating information indicating a plurality of configured granted resources and a plurality of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes, the plurality of HARQ processes forming a common pool of HARQ processes, the common pool of HARQ processes being shared by the plurality of configured granted resources, wherein the plurality of configured granted resources are configured in one bandwidth portion; Sending the information to the terminal device; receiving an initial transmission of data from the terminal device on one of the plurality of configured grant resources using a HARQ process in the plurality of HARQ processes; as well as A retransmission is received from the terminal device on a configured grant resource among the multiple configured grant resources that is different from the configured grant resource for the initial transmission using a selected HARQ process, wherein the configured grant resource for the initial transmission and the configured grant resource for the retransmission have the same transport block size.

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