Method, system and apparatus for retransmission in large propagation delay wireless communications

Abstract

The invention relates to data block retransmission in wireless communication, in particular to data block retransmission in wireless communication with relatively large propagation delay. Some embodiments relate to memory management, and may relate to a longest period of time during which data blocks to be transmitted in a wireless communication network may remain in a memory space of a user equipment (UE) to support a data block retransmission process. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, UE reporting of the current occupancy state of the memory space is supported. Selective transmissions or retransmissions may be provided, which may involve reception opportunities in which the UE may receive data block retransmissions or transmissions of different data blocks.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates generally to wireless communications and, more particularly, to data retransmission in wireless communication systems having relatively large propagation delays. Background Art

[0002] In wireless communication systems, at least some mobile communication devices (e.g., user equipment (UE)) are embedded systems with limited power and memory space. In particular, with respect to the fourth generation long term evolution (4 th generation long term evolution, 4G LTE) and fifth generation new air interface (5 th With wireless access technologies such as 5G NR (5G new generation radio), the transport block (TB) carrying UE-specific data is decoded by the UE and saved in a memory (commonly known as a "soft buffer") until the TB is correctly decoded or the maximum number of retransmissions is reached. According to traditional techniques, the size of the soft buffer space for all hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes is determined to be the same, based on the maximum TB size.

[0003] In the current 5G NR system, the UE individually acknowledges the TB within a given interval, which is usually configured through the high-level signaling parameter dl-DataToUL-ACK. In addition, HARQ in 5G NR is based on a "stop-and-wait" protocol, in which the normal behavior of the UE is that the transmitter waits for the receiver's ACK / NAK feedback before sending a new data packet; in addition, backup procedures such as timers are set to ensure that data packets are retransmitted in the absence of ACK / NAK feedback from the UE.

[0004] In non-terrestrial scenarios, the propagation delay is expected to be much larger than the decoding time, which poses a challenge to retransmission technologies developed from terrestrial scenarios. The decoded bits in the TB can be retained in the soft buffer for at least the time required for the UE to complete the processing related to TB reception and decoding, also known as the TB decoding time (TB-decoding-time). The erroneously decoded bits can stay in the soft buffer for up to T = (TB decoding time * number of transmission attempts) + (2 * propagation delay * number of retransmission attempts). This is the time that the corresponding HARQ process is "locked out" for scheduling purposes, and the corresponding soft buffer space cannot hold any other decoded bits, even if part of the corresponding soft buffer space of the HARQ process is free.

[0005] These soft buffer size and timing characteristics illustrate aspects of conventional HARQ approaches that are particularly challenging in wireless communications, especially in scenarios with long propagation delays such as non-terrestrial network applications. Summary of the invention

[0006] Traditional HARQ methods cannot flexibly use the UE soft buffer during the retransmission process.

[0007] Some embodiments disclosed herein introduce a new signaling framework to manage the retention time of data blocks such as TBs in a soft buffer according to factors such as quality of service (QoS) associated with the data.

[0008] Soft buffer space utilization is also considered herein, and some embodiments relate to systems where propagation delays may be long (e.g., sixth generation (6 th The 6G generation provides efficient and continuous data communication in non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems.

[0009] The present invention also includes embodiments related to managing retransmissions, which may be particularly useful in communication systems with long propagation delays.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method includes: a UE in a wireless communication network receives signaling indicating a maximum time period, wherein, within the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted in the wireless communication network can be retained in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; and the UE transmits the data block in the wireless communication network.

[0011] Another method includes: a network device in a wireless communication network sends a signal indicating a maximum time period to a UE, wherein, within the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted with the UE can be retained in the memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; and the network device transmits the data block with the UE.

[0012] In an apparatus embodiment, an apparatus may include a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores a program for execution by the processor.

[0013] The storage medium need not or need only be implemented in such a device or in combination with such a device. For example, a computer program product may be or include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for execution by a processor.

[0014] The program stored by the computer-readable storage medium may include instructions for or for causing a processor to execute, implement, support or enable any of the methods disclosed herein.

[0015] For example, the program may include instructions for or for causing a processor to perform the following operations: a UE in a wireless communication network receives signaling indicating a maximum time period, wherein, within the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted in the wireless communication network can be retained in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; and the UE transmits the data block in the wireless communication network.

[0016] In another embodiment, the program includes instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: a network device in a wireless communication network sends a signal indicating a maximum time period to a UE, wherein, within the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted with the UE can be retained in the memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; and the network device transmits the data block with the UE.

[0017] Some embodiments disclosed herein may relate to a maximum time period, as described in the description of the illustrative embodiments above. Other features may be provided in addition or alternatively to features related to such time periods, either separately or in combination.

[0018] For example, other embodiments may include characteristics related to candidate opportunities in which a UE may receive (and / or a network device may send) signaling related to retransmission of a data block.

[0019] Embodiments may additionally or alternatively include features related to a memory space occupancy state. According to such embodiments, a method includes: a UE in a wireless communication network receives a data block from a network device, wherein the data block is to be stored in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; and the UE sends a signaling to the network device indicating a current occupancy state of the memory space.

[0020] A related sending side method may include: a network device in a wireless communication network sends a data block to a UE, wherein the data block is to be stored in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; and the network device receives a signaling from the UE indicating a current occupancy status of the memory space.

[0021] In an apparatus or computer program product embodiment, a program stored on or in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for execution by a processor may include instructions for or for causing the processor to perform these methods. For example, the program may include instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: a UE in a wireless communication network receives a data block from a network device; the UE sends a signaling to the network device indicating the current occupancy status of the UE's memory space, wherein the data block is to be stored in the memory space to support a data block retransmission process. The program may additionally or alternatively include instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: a network device in a wireless communication network sends a data block to a UE; the network device receives a signaling from the UE indicating the current occupancy status of the UE's memory space, wherein the data block is to be stored in the memory space to support a data block retransmission process.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided. The system includes a network device and a user device. The network device is used to send a data block in a wireless communication network. The user device communicates with the network device in the wireless communication network. The user device is used to receive the data block and store the data block in a memory space. The user device is also used to clear the data block from the memory space when a maximum time period expires.

[0023] The invention includes these and other aspects or embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] For a more complete understanding of the embodiments of the present invention and its advantages, the following description is made by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 It is a simplified diagram of the communication system.

[0026] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A block diagram of an exemplary communication system in FIG.

[0027] Figure 3 An example of an exemplary electronic device and a base station is shown.

[0028] Figure 4 A unit or module in a device is shown.

[0029] Figure 5 Figure 1 is a block diagram of 5G NR HARQ operation.

[0030] Figure 6 is a signal flow diagram that provides an overview of various embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 7 A block diagram of time until discard (TUD) provided by an embodiment.

[0032] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a TUD provided by another embodiment.

[0033] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an example of memory space partitioning.

[0034] Fig.10 is a block diagram of an example of memory space sizing.

[0035] Fig.11 is a block diagram of another example of memory space partitioning.

[0036] Fig.12 is a block diagram of an example of a memory usage report.

[0037] Fig.13 is a block diagram of another example of memory space partitioning.

[0038] Fig.14 is a block diagram of another example of memory space sizing.

[0039] Fig.15 is a block diagram of another example of memory space partitioning.

[0040] Fig.16 is a block diagram of another example of a memory usage report.

[0041] Fig.17 A block diagram of a candidate retransmission reception occasion (CRRO) provided by an embodiment.

[0042] Fig.18 is a block diagram of a CRRO provided by another embodiment.

[0043] Fig.19 is a block diagram of a CRRO provided by yet another embodiment.

[0044] Fig. 20 is a block diagram of other CRRO embodiments.

[0045] Fig.21 is a block diagram of applying TUD to communication between different UEs. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] For illustrative purposes, specific exemplary embodiments are explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] The embodiments set forth herein represent information sufficient to practice the claimed subject matter and illustrate methods of practicing such subject matter. After reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the claimed subject matter and will recognize that the application of these concepts is not specifically mentioned herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications are within the scope of the present invention and the appended claims.

[0048] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a non-limiting illustrative example, providing a simplified schematic diagram of a communication system. The communication system 100 includes a radio access network 120. The radio access network 120 may be a next generation (e.g., sixth generation (6G) or higher) radio access network or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G or 2G) radio access network. One or more communication electronic devices (electronic devices, ED) 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e, 110f, 110g, 110h, 110i, 110j (generally referred to as 110) may be interconnected with each other or connected to one or more network nodes (170a and 170b, generally referred to as 170) in the radio access network 120. The core network 130 may be part of the communication system and may be dependent on or independent of the radio access technology used in the communication system 100. In addition, the communication system 100 includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150 and other networks 160.

[0049] Figure 2An exemplary communication system 100 is shown. In general, the communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired units to transmit data and other content. The purpose of the communication system 100 may be to provide content such as voice, data, video and / or text through broadcast, multicast and unicast, etc. The communication system 100 can operate by sharing resources such as carrier spectrum bandwidth between its constituent units. The communication system 100 may include a terrestrial communication system and / or a non-terrestrial communication system. The communication system 100 may provide a variety of communication services and applications (e.g., earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive sensing and positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.). The communication system 100 may provide a high degree of availability and robustness through the joint operation of a terrestrial communication system and a non-terrestrial communication system. For example, integrating a non-terrestrial communication system (or its components) into a terrestrial communication system may produce a heterogeneous network including multiple layers. Compared with traditional communication networks, heterogeneous networks can achieve better overall performance through efficient multi-link joint operation, more flexible function sharing, and faster physical layer link switching between terrestrial networks and non-terrestrial networks.

[0050] The terrestrial communication system and the non-terrestrial communication system can be subsystems in the communication system. Figure 2 In the example shown, the communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d (generally referred to as ED 110), radio access networks (RANs) 120a, 120b, non-terrestrial communication networks 120c, core networks 130, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. The RANs 120a, 120b include corresponding base stations (BSs) 170a, 170b, which may be generally referred to as terrestrial transmit and receive points (T-TRPs) 170a, 170b. The non-terrestrial communication network 120c includes an access node 172, which may be generally referred to as a non-terrestrial transmit and receive point (NT-TRP) 172.

[0051] Any ED 110 may alternatively or additionally be used to connect, access, or communicate with any T-TRP 170a, 170b, and NT-TRP 172, the Internet 150, the core network 130, the PSTN 140, other networks 160, or any combination thereof. In some examples, ED 110a may be used to perform uplink and / or downlink transmissions with T-TRP 170a via a ground air interface 190a. In some examples, ED 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d may also communicate directly with each other via one or more sidelink air interfaces 190b. In some examples, ED 110d may be used to perform uplink and / or downlink transmissions with NT-TRP 172 via a non-ground air interface 190c.

[0052] The air interfaces 190a and 190b may use similar communication technologies, for example, any suitable wireless access technology. For example, the communication system 100 may implement one or more channel access methods in the air interfaces 190a and 190b, for example, code division multiple access (CDMA), space division multiple access (SDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA). The air interfaces 190a and 190b may utilize other high-dimensional signal spaces, which may include a combination of orthogonal dimensions and / or non-orthogonal dimensions.

[0053] The non-terrestrial air interface 190c may enable communication between ED 110d and one or more NT-TRPs 172 via a wireless link or a simple link. In some examples, the link is a dedicated connection for unicast transmission, a connection for broadcast transmission, or a connection between a group of EDs 110 and one or more NT-TRPs 175 for multicast transmission.

[0054] The RANs 120a and 120b communicate with the core network 130 to provide various services, such as voice, data, and other services, to the EDs 110a, 110b, 110c. The RANs 120a and 120b 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 as the RANs 120a, 120b, or both. The core network 130 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) the RANs 120a and 120b or the EDs 110a, 110b, 110c, or both and (ii) other networks, such as the PSTN 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. In addition, some or all of the EDs 110a, 110b, 110c may include functionality for communicating with different wireless networks over different radio links using different radio technologies and / or protocols. Instead of (or in addition to) wireless communication, the EDs 110a, 110b, 110c may communicate with a service provider or switch (not shown) and with the Internet 150 through 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 include protocols such as the Internet Protocol (IP), the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). The EDs 110a, 110b, 110c may be multi-mode devices capable of operating according to a variety of wireless access technologies, and may include a plurality of transceivers required to support these technologies.

[0055] Figure 3Another example of ED 110 and base stations 170a, 170b and / or 170c is shown. ED 110 is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. ED 110 can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, drone, robot, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.

[0056] Each ED 110 represents any suitable end-user equipment for wireless operation, and may include (or may be referred to as): user equipment / device (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile user unit, cellular phone, station (STA), machine type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smart phone, laptop, computer, tablet, wireless sensor, consumer electronic device, smart book, vehicle, car, truck, bus, train or IoT device, industrial equipment, or a device in the above device (e.g., a communication module, modem or chip), etc. The next generation ED 110 may be referred to using other terms. Base stations 170a and 170b are both T-TRPs, referred to as T-TRP 170 hereinafter. Similarly, Figure 3 As shown, the NT-TRP is hereinafter referred to as NT-TRP 172. Each ED 110 connected to T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be dynamically or semi-statically started (i.e., established, activated, or enabled), shut down (i.e., released, deactivated, or disabled), and / or configured in response to one or more of connection availability and connection necessity.

[0057] ED 110 includes a transmitter 201 and a receiver 203 coupled to one or more antennas 204. Only one antenna 204 is shown. One, some or all of the antennas 204 may alternatively be a panel. Transmitter 201 and receiver 203 may be integrated, for example, integrated into a transceiver. The transceiver is used to modulate data or other content so that it can be sent through at least one antenna 204 or a network interface controller (NIC). The transceiver can also be used to demodulate data or other content received through at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless transmission or wired transmission and / or for processing signals received wirelessly or wired. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for sending and / or receiving wireless signals or wired signals.

[0058] ED 110 includes at least one memory 208. Memory 208 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by ED 110. For example, memory 208 may store software instructions or modules that are used to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein and are executed by one or more processing units (e.g., processor 210). Each memory 208 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices. Any suitable type of memory may 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) card, processor cache, etc.

[0059] ED 110 may also include one or more input / output devices (not shown) or interfaces (e.g., Figure 1 The input / output devices support interaction with users or other devices in the network. Each input / output device includes any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving information from a user (e.g., through operation), such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touch screen, including network interface communications.

[0060] ED 110 includes a processor 210 for performing operations related to preparing uplink transmissions to be sent to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, operations related to processing downlink transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, and operations related to processing sidelink transmissions to and from other ED 110. Processing operations related to preparing uplink transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing downlink transmissions may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding received symbols. According to an embodiment, the downlink transmission may be received by receiver 203 using receive beamforming, and processor 210 may extract signaling from the downlink transmission (e.g., by detecting and / or decoding the signaling). An example of signaling may be a reference signal sent by NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, the processor 210 implements transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming according to a beam direction indication (e.g., beam angle information (BAI)) received from the T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, the processor 210 may perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as operations related to detecting a synchronization sequence, decoding, and obtaining system information. In some embodiments, the processor 210 may perform channel estimation using a reference signal received from the NT-TRP 172 and / or the T-TRP 170.

[0061] The processor 210 may be part of the transmitter 201 and / or part of the receiver 203, but is not shown. The memory 208 may be part of the processor 210, but is not shown.

[0062] The processor 210, the processing components in the transmitter 201, and the processing components in the receiver 203 may be implemented by the same or different one or more processors, which are used to execute instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 208). Alternatively, part or all of the processor 210, the processing components in the transmitter 201, and the processing components in the receiver 203 may be implemented using a programmed field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a graphical processing unit (GPU), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0063] In some implementations, the T-TRP 170 may be represented by other names, such as base station, base transceiver station (BTS), wireless base station, network node, network device, network side device, sending / receiving node, NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), home eNodeB, next generation NodeB (gNB), transmission point (TP), site controller, access point (AP), wireless router, relay station, ground node, ground network device, ground base station, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), centralized unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The T-TRP 170 may be a macro BS, a micro BS, a relay node, a donor node, etc., or a combination thereof. T-TRP 170 may refer to the above-mentioned device, or may refer to a device in the above-mentioned device (eg, a communication module, a modem, or a chip).

[0064] In some embodiments, various parts of the T-TRP 170 may be distributed. For example, some modules in the T-TRP 170 may be remote from the device housing the antenna 256 of the T-TRP 170 and may be coupled to the device housing the antenna 256 via a communication link (not shown) sometimes referred to as a fronthaul (e.g., a common public radio interface (CPRI)). Therefore, in some embodiments, the term "T-TRP 170" may also refer to network-side modules that perform the following processing operations: for example, determining the location of the ED 110, resource allocation (scheduling), message generation, and encoding / decoding, which are not necessarily part of the device housing the antenna 256 of the T-TRP 170. These modules may also be coupled to other T-TRPs. In some embodiments, the T-TRP 170 may actually be multiple T-TRPs that operate together to serve the ED 110 through coordinated multi-point transmission, etc.

[0065] The T-TRP 170 includes at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is shown. One, some or all of the antennas 256 may alternatively be panels. The transmitter 252 and the receiver 254 may be integrated into a transceiver. The T-TRP 170 also includes a processor 260 for performing operations related to: preparing downlink transmissions to be sent to the ED 110; processing uplink transmissions received from the ED 110; preparing backhaul transmissions to be sent to the NT-TRP 172; processing transmissions received from the NT-TRP 172 via the backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing to send downlink transmissions or backhaul transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., multiple input multiple output (MIMO) precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing received transmissions in the uplink or on the backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating received symbols, and decoding received symbols. The processor 260 may also perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as generating the content of a synchronization signal block (SSB), generating system information, and the like. In some embodiments, the processor 260 also generates a beam direction indication, such as a BAI, that the scheduler 253 may schedule for transmission. The processor 260 may perform other network-side processing operations described herein, such as determining the location of the ED 110, determining the location at which the NT-TRP 172 is deployed, and the like. In some embodiments, the processor 260 may generate signaling to configure one or more parameters of the ED 110 and / or one or more parameters of the NT-TRP 172, and the like. Any signaling generated by the processor 260 is sent by the transmitter 252. It should be noted that the "signaling" used herein may alternatively be referred to as control signaling. Dynamic signaling may be sent in a control channel such as a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), while static or semi-static higher-layer signaling may be included in a data packet sent in a data channel such as a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0066] The scheduler 253 may be coupled to the processor 260. The scheduler 253 may be included in the T-TRP 170 or may operate separately from the T-TRP 170. The scheduler 253 may schedule uplink transmissions, downlink transmissions, and / or backhaul transmissions, including issuing scheduling grants and / or configuring scheduling-free (“configuration grants”) resources. The T-TRP 170 also includes a memory 258 for storing information and data. The memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the T-TRP 170. For example, the memory 258 may store software instructions or modules that are used to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein and are executed by the processor 260.

[0067] The processor 260 may be part of the transmitter 252 and / or part of the receiver 254, but is not shown. In addition, the processor 260 may implement the scheduler 253, but is not shown. The memory 258 may be part of the processor 260, but is not shown.

[0068] The processor 260, the scheduler 253, the processing components in the transmitter 252, and the processing components in the receiver 254 may be implemented by the same or different one or more processors, which are used to execute instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 258). Alternatively, part or all of the processor 260, the scheduler 253, the processing components in the transmitter 252, and the processing components in the receiver 254 may be implemented using a dedicated circuit such as an FPGA, a GPU, or an ASIC.

[0069] It is worth noting that the NT-TRP 172 is only illustrated as a drone, and the NT-TRP 172 can be implemented using any suitable non-ground form. In addition, the NT-TRP 172 may use other names such as non-ground nodes, non-ground network devices, or non-ground base stations in some implementations. The NT-TRP 172 includes a transmitter 272 and a receiver 274 coupled to one or more antennas 280. Only one antenna 280 is shown. One, part, or all of the antennas may alternatively be panels. The transmitter 272 and the receiver 274 may be integrated into a transceiver. The NT-TRP 172 also includes a processor 276 for performing operations related to: preparing downlink transmissions sent to the ED 110; processing uplink transmissions received from the ED 110; preparing backhaul transmissions sent to the T-TRP 170; processing transmissions received from the T-TRP 170 via backhaul. Processing operations associated with preparing to transmit a downlink transmission or a backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations associated with processing received transmissions in the uplink or on the backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating received signals, and decoding received symbols. In some embodiments, the processor 276 implements transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction information (e.g., BAI) received from the T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, the processor 276 may generate signaling to configure one or more parameters of the ED 110, etc. In some embodiments, the NT-TRP 172 implements physical layer processing but does not implement higher-level functions, such as functions in the medium access control (MAC) layer or the radio link control (RLC) layer. Since this is just an example, in addition to physical layer processing, the NT-TRP 172 may generally implement higher-level functions.

[0070] NT-TRP 172 also includes a memory 278 for storing information and data. Processor 276 may be part of transmitter 272 and / or part of receiver 274, but is not shown. Memory 278 may be part of processor 276, but is not shown.

[0071] The processor 276, the processing components in the transmitter 272, and the processing components in the receiver 274 may be implemented by the same or different one or more processors, which are used to execute instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 278). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 276, the processing components in the transmitter 272, and the processing components in the receiver 274 may be implemented using a dedicated circuit such as a programmed FPGA, GPU, or ASIC. In some embodiments, the NT-TRP 172 may actually be a plurality of NT-TRPs that operate together to serve the ED 110 through coordinated multi-point transmission or the like.

[0072] The T-TRP 170, NT-TRP 172, and / or ED 110 may include other components, but these components are omitted for clarity.

[0073] One or more steps of the exemplary methods provided herein may be performed by Figure 4 The corresponding unit or module provided is executed. Figure 4 A unit or module in a device (e.g., in ED 110, in T-TRP 170, or in NT-TRP 172) is shown. For example, a signal can be sent by a sending unit or a sending module. A signal can be received by a receiving unit or a receiving module. A signal can be processed by a processing unit or a processing module. Other steps can be performed by an artificial intelligence (AI) module or a machine learning (ML) module. The corresponding units or modules can be implemented using hardware, one or more components or devices that execute software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more of these units or modules can be programmed integrated circuits such as FPGAs, GPUs, or ASICs. It should be understood that if these modules are implemented using software for execution by a processor or the like, these modules can be retrieved by the processor in whole or in part as needed, retrieved individually or collectively for processing, retrieved in one or more instances, and these modules themselves may include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0074] Other details about ED 110, T-TRP 170 and NT-TRP 172 are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these details are omitted here.

[0075] Having discussed communications generally above, attention is now directed to certain exemplary embodiments.

[0076] As briefly mentioned above, the propagation delay in non-terrestrial scenarios is expected to be much larger than that in terrestrial scenarios, which may cause erroneously decoded bits in the TB to remain in the soft buffer of the receiving device. This in turn causes the corresponding HARQ process to be locked for a longer time, even though soft buffer space may be available. The soft buffer is a buffer used by the UE to store decoded TB bits, where "soft" refers to the use of soft decoding algorithms, in which the output of the decoder includes not only the decoded bits, but also the reliability value of the decoded bits, such as log-likelihood ratio (LLR).

[0077] In current 5G NR systems, HARQ operation relies on a stop-and-wait protocol, in which the transmitter waits for the receiver to explicitly acknowledge receipt of a packet before sending a new packet. The 5G NR physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries a downlink control information (DCI) format that includes a new data indicator (NDI) field to indicate a new transmission (NDI=1) or a retransmission (NDI=0) for a given HARQ process identifier (ID). The NDI field is toggled based on the ACK / NAK feedback sent by the receiving UE. This allows 5G NR to perform an asynchronous HARQ protocol.

[0078] The HARQ processes in 5G NR belong to a HARQ entity that includes {8,16,32} processes, which run in parallel. Each HARQ process is used to handle the reception of one TB by the UE side at any given time, or to handle the transmission of one TB by the network side at any given time. These HARQ processes run in an "interleaved" manner to support continuous data reception by the UE, allowing the UE to decode different TBs in parallel. In traditional implementations, the soft buffer space allocated to the HARQ process cannot be used to receive other TBs until the NDI field of the HARQ process switches to 1.

[0079] The soft buffer size or capacity is determined based on the number of HARQ processes. The size of the soft buffer in 5G NR can be expressed as N*M*S, where N is the number of HARQ processes, M is the maximum TB size, and S is the number of TBs used for space division multiplexing. The number of HARQ processes is also determined in a way that matches the round trip time of the communication system.

[0080] Figure 5 is a block diagram of 5G NR HARQ operation. Figure 5In the example, a series or sequence of TBs is to be sent, one of which is labeled 502. The arrows shown at 506 are intended to illustrate how the HARQ processes are mapped to the allocated soft buffer space in the example of operation when there may be up to eight HARQ processes at any time. 510 represents the soft buffer, and each row in 510 represents the space in the soft buffer that has been allocated to each HARQ process.

[0081] A soft buffer space of maximum size TB is allocated and locked for each HARQ process, even though the size of the scheduling TB may be much smaller. Figure 5 This is shown in 512, which shows that only the portion of the soft buffer space allocated to each HARQ process is occupied. Although there is clearly space available in the soft buffer in the example shown, TB 504 cannot be sent before the soft buffer space of the current HARQ process is cleared, which depends on the UE sending ACK / NAK feedback to the network device that is sending the previous TB.

[0082] Figure 5 The HARQ method outlined in relies on using HARQ processes to send downlink (DL) TBs to the UE. One disadvantage of using HARQ processes is that the size of the HARQ entity (holding the HARQ process) is fixed, which makes it impossible for the network to flexibly use the UE's DL soft buffer, which can be particularly problematic in scenarios with long propagation delays.

[0083] Static sharing of soft buffer space is a concern because 5G NR relies on parallel implementation of HARQ processes to provide continuous data reception, but the soft buffer space size for all HARQ processes is determined to be the same, based on a maximum TB size.

[0084] Another concern is the overall retransmission efficiency, which involves the stop-and-wait protocol and TB-based ACK / NAK. The UE individually acknowledges the TB within a given interval or eventually sends a retransmission without ACK / NAK feedback from the UE, and the transmitter must wait for ACK feedback or a retransmission timer before retransmitting a TB.

[0085] Soft buffer occupancy can also become an issue, especially in scenarios with long propagation delays. The decoded bits in the TB are kept in the soft buffer at least as long as required by the UE for processing related to TB reception and decoding.

[0086] The embodiments herein address the problem of how to ensure efficient data communication for UEs and the like in a 6G NTN system. A new signaling framework is proposed to manage the residence time of data blocks in memory based on factors such as traffic QoS. In some embodiments, memory space management is also provided to maximize or at least improve memory space utilization, thereby achieving efficient or continuous data communication. The present invention also includes embodiments related to managing retransmissions, and may have particular advantages in scenarios with long propagation delays.

[0087] Various aspects of the present invention include:

[0088] TUD and related signaling, used to control the time that a transmission data block (e.g., TB) is retained in memory for the retransmission process;

[0089] Memory occupancy or availability reporting, one example of which is referred to in this article as soft buffer status report (SBSR) of soft buffer availability, can manage memory space more effectively;

[0090] Retransmission is selected, using CRRO in some embodiments.

[0091] These and other aspects are explained in at least detail below.

[0092] The embodiments may be implemented in or in combination with any of various types of user communication devices, including terminals, phones, vehicles, wearable devices, tablets, and any such devices supporting wireless access technologies (e.g., 5GNR, future 6G systems, Wi-Fi, and satellite communication systems). Such communication devices are generally referred to as UEs herein, and UEs are intended to include all such user devices.

[0093] Terrestrial TRP and non-terrestrial TRP use physical layer control channels (e.g., PDCCH / physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)) and physical layer data channels (physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) / physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) to communicate with UEs. These UEs are embedded systems with limited memory space and battery space, and therefore have limited buffer memory for storing decoded bits in received data blocks (e.g., received in DL PDSCH).

[0094] Figure 6 is a signal flow diagram that provides an overview of various embodiments of the present invention. Figure 6The aspects of TUD, CRRO and SBSR are included by way of example, but these aspects need not be implemented together in all embodiments.

[0095] exist Figure 6 In the description, "NW" generally refers to a network. For ease of reference only, the present invention may describe a network that performs operations or supports or provides certain features. This is intended to generally summarize the concept of network-based functions or features, which can be provided or supported by any of various types of network devices such as base stations, TRPs, etc.

[0096] In the example shown, at 602, the network device may send signaling to the UE, such as a high-layer signaling message (e.g., in radio resource control (RRC) signaling). Such signaling is received by the UE and indicates one or more TUD values, one or more CRRO values, or both. For example, the signaling message may carry high-layer configuration parameter values ​​for TUD and / or CRRO. This allows the network device to indicate to the UE which values ​​of TUD and / or CRRO may be activated or deactivated. Activating / deactivating TUD values ​​and / or CRRO values ​​indicates that the UE expects to receive commands or other indications related to TUD and / or CRRO after configuring the TUD values / CRRO values.

[0097] The network device may also send signaling at 604 ( Figure 6 The UE may use a low-layer signaling message (e.g., a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) command) to activate one or more configured TUD values ​​and / or CRRO values. The low-layer signaling message (e.g., a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) command) may carry an activation command including parameter values ​​of TUD and / or CRRO, etc. Such signaling is received by the UE in this example and allows the network to indicate to the UE which configuration values ​​of TUD and / or CRRO can be used for data block transmission and for use in subsequent signaling, for example, in a DCI format message carried in a PDCCH transmission to schedule a PDSCH transmission. The UE may expect the network device to activate up to a certain number of TUD values ​​and / or CRRO values, depending on how many values ​​have been configured through previous high-layer signaling, etc.

[0098] The configuration at 602 and subsequent activation at 604 is one option, but separate configuration and activation are not required in all embodiments.

[0099] Other signaling sent by the network device and received by the UE is shown as 606. For example, a PDCCH transmission may carry a DCI format message including a TUD field and / or a CRRO field, which indicate certain values ​​for a particular data block transmission and schedule a PDSCH transmission carrying the data block. In one embodiment, the presence of a TUD field or indication in the signaling associated with the particular data block indicates to the UE that a new data block is to be sent, which in the example shown indicates that the PDSCH will carry a new transmission of the data block. The presence of a CRRO field or indicator in such signaling indicates to the UE where candidate retransmissions of the data block can be scheduled. The network device then sends the data block at 608 as a PDSCH transmission carrying the first transmission of the data block dedicated to the UE in the example shown, and the UE receives the transmission of the data block.

[0100] One or more retransmissions of the data block may be performed by the network device and received by the UE at 610. In one embodiment, the network device may send a PDCCH carrying a DCI format message that does not include a TUD field and does not carry a CRRO field, but schedules a PDSCH transmission carrying a retransmission of the data block, etc. In such an embodiment, the absence of the TUD field in the DCI format message indicates to the UE that the PDSCH will carry a retransmission of a previously transmitted data block that is still in UE memory, e.g., in a soft buffer of the UE. In this example, the network device then sends, and the UE receives, a PDSCH transmission carrying a retransmission of the data block dedicated to the UE.

[0101] At 612, signaling including or otherwise indicating a memory availability report is shown by way of example. The UE may send, and the network device may receive, a PUCCH carrying uplink control information (UCI) that carries or otherwise provides an SBSR to indicate a percentage of occupied or unoccupied space or other metrics in a UE memory (e.g., a DL soft buffer of the UE). The SBSR may indicate the percentage of occupied space based on factors such as the associated QoS of the traffic flow.

[0102] The UE continuously clears from memory (e.g., the UE's soft buffer) any decoded bits in the data block for which the TUD has expired. Figure 6 614 in the figure is used to indicate this clearing. Although the data block at 614 is cleared in Figure 6 6 is shown after the memory availability or occupancy report at 612, but data block clearing is a continuous or ongoing process, and when generating the SBSR, the space in the previously cleared data block that is still available and has not been reused for other data blocks is taken into account.

[0103] Figure 6This is a non-limiting illustrative example, and as described elsewhere herein, various aspects related to TUD, CRRO, and SBSR need not be implemented together in all embodiments. Each of these aspects is discussed in detail below.

[0104] TUD may or may not include the data block decoding time. For example, in some embodiments, TUD is specified as an interval or time period after the decoding time, in which sense it may be considered to apply after the decoding time or not include the decoding time. In the context of such embodiments, for illustrative purposes only, the time unit used to represent TUD is a time slot, where a time slot is a group of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, etc.

[0105] The DCI format message carried in the PDCCH transmission may define a new field to indicate TUD. This new field may be called "Time Until Discard" or any other name may be used. The value of this field explicitly or implicitly indicates the time that the data block carried in the corresponding PDSCH transmission should stay in the UE's soft buffer. The time unit of TUD may be, for example, one OFDM symbol, a group of OFDM symbols, a mini slot, a group of mini slots, a slot, a group of slots, seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, etc. The present invention is not limited to any specific time unit. The time unit is not the only value that the TUD field can carry. The value in this field may indicate an index or other identifier of the configured time unit value to provide an implicit indication of TUD, and so on.

[0106] The network device may configure the candidate values ​​of the TUD through high-layer signaling such as RRC signaling, and may also activate or deactivate a subset of the candidate values ​​of the TUD from the configured candidate value set of the TUD through low-layer signaling such as a MAC-CE command. In some embodiments, activating (or deactivating) one or more candidate values ​​of the TUD is performed by an activation command sent in a MAC-CE command to indicate to the UE the values ​​allowed to be used by the TUD field in the DCI format message. Figure 6 602 and 604 in the figure respectively illustrate configuration and activation by way of example.

[0107] The DCI format may be subject to some restrictions, for example, the presence of a TUD field in a DCI format message is an implicit indication that the PDSCH (scheduled by the corresponding PDCCH) carries a new transmission of a data block. Conversely, the absence of a TUD field in a DCI format message is an implicit indication that the PDSCH (scheduled by the corresponding PDCCH) carries a retransmission of a data block previously sent by the network device, and the decoded bits in the data block are still in the UE's soft buffer. If the DCI format message is inconsistent, the UE may treat the DCI format message as invalid and discard all information in the DCI format message, which results in the UE being unable to receive and decode the corresponding PDSCH transmission.

[0108] Figure 7 7 is a block diagram of a TUD provided by an embodiment. The figure shows the time scale of the network and the UE, for example, the TUD of the data block 710 is 16 time slots. Figure 7 The DCI format message and the 6-bit TUD field are shown for ease of reference and illustration. In some embodiments, each data block is scheduled via a DCI format message, but 710 is used to represent a data block for transmission on a PDSCH, etc., rather than a PDCCH transmission in which a DCI format message is used to schedule data block 710 for transmission.

[0109] exist Figure 7 , 720 indicates that the UE receives the data block after a propagation delay of 730. The decoding time 732 indicates the time required for the UE to decode the data block. The TUD for 16 time slots in this example is shown as 734 and applies from the time (as shown at 722) when the UE determines that the data block is incorrectly decoded. If the UE correctly decodes the data block after the decoding time, the TUD may cease and is not applied in any case because the bits in the data block are then forwarded and passed to the UE's media access control (MAC) layer for decomposition and multiplexing, etc., after which the UE clears the decoded bits from the UE's soft buffer.

[0110] If the UE has not correctly decoded the data block after the decoding time, the data block is retained in the UE's soft buffer for 16 time slots. For example, the time slot corresponding to the end of the decoding time is recorded as S, and the TUD of the data block is 16 time slots, then the data block is retained in the UE's soft buffer until the end of time slot S+16. Starting from time slot S+1, the UE applies TUD to the data block, thereby obtaining TUD=16. If the UE has not successfully decoded the data block, the UE will reduce TUD by 1 for each time slot. In time slot S+2, if the UE has not successfully decoded the data block, the UE will reduce TUD by 1, thereby obtaining TUD=15. In time slot S+3, if the UE has not successfully decoded the data block, the UE will reduce TUD by 1, thereby obtaining TUD=14, and so on, until time slot S+16, if the UE has not successfully decoded the data block, the TUD of the data block is TUD=1. In time slot S+17, if the UE still has not correctly decoded the data block, and the TUD of the data block is reduced by 1, thereby obtaining TUD=0, the UE clears the decoded bits in the data block from the UE's soft buffer.

[0111] exist Figure 7 As in the above example, TUD is applied after the data block decoding time. In another embodiment, TUD includes the data block decoding time, which can be considered to be applied before the decoding time or after the reception time of the data block.

[0112] In embodiments where the TUD includes the decoding time or applies prior to the decoding time, the TUD characteristics described above may be provided in addition or alternatively. As in other embodiments, the TUD in these embodiments is the time interval or period during which the data block is to be retained in memory for the retransmission process, but in embodiments prior to the decoding time, the time interval or period begins at the reception time of the data block, rather than at the end of the decoding time of the data block.

[0113] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a TUD provided in another embodiment, wherein the TUD is applied before decoding time. Figure 7 Same, Figure 8 shows the network and UE time scales, and Figure 8 Zhongyu Figure 7 Similar properties are found in Figure 8 Similar markings are made in . Figure 8 The TUD in is 16 time slots. Figure 8Again, a DCI format message including a 6-bit TUD field is shown. 810 represents a data block for transmission, 820 represents the UE receiving the data block after a propagation delay 830, and the decoding time is shown as 832 and represents the time required for the UE to decode the data block. TUD is shown as 834 and applies from the time the data block is received, rather than from the time 822 when the UE determines that the data block is erroneously decoded.

[0114] If the UE correctly decodes the data block after the decoding time, TUD may be stopped and not applied because the bits in the data block are then forwarded to the MAC layer of the UE, after which the UE clears the decoded bits from the UE's soft buffer.

[0115] If the UE has not correctly decoded the data block after the decoding time, the data block is retained in the UE's soft buffer for 16 time slots after receiving the data block. Similarly, the time slot corresponding to the end of the decoding time is recorded as S, and the TUD of the data block is 16 time slots, then the data block is retained in the UE's soft buffer until the end of time slot S+16-(decoding time). At time slot S+17-(decoding time), if the UE still has not correctly decoded the data block, the UE clears the decoded bits in the data block from the UE's soft buffer.

[0116] Turning to the memory availability or occupancy reporting, consider that the UE's DL soft buffer is used to receive data blocks from the network device, and the data blocks can be new transmissions or retransmissions. Part of the space in the DL soft buffer space is used to receive and store data block bits corresponding to the first transmission of the data block, and part of the space in the DL soft buffer space is used to receive and store data block bits corresponding to the retransmission of the data block. Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an example of memory space partitioning. In this example, the soft buffer space 900 is partitioned to obtain space for storing data block bits corresponding to the first transmission of the data block and space for storing data block bits corresponding to the retransmission of the data block. Fig. 9 Each sub-block 910, 920 in represents storage space for bits in one data block.

[0117] In one embodiment, the data block bits are initially stored in the first transmission space (e.g., as shown at 910). If the data block is decoded correctly, the decoded bits remain in this space until the decoded bits are forwarded to the MAC layer and then cleared from the soft buffer. If the first transmission of the data block is not decoded correctly, the decoded bits are moved into the retransmission space (e.g., as shown at 920) and stored in this space until the TUD expires, at which time if the data block is still not decoded correctly, the decoded bits are cleared.

[0118] about Fig. 9Similar figures described below, it should be noted that these figures are intended to provide a simple representation of various aspects related to memory space management, but the actual implementation may vary. For example, the memory space used to store bits in a data block and / or the first transmission space and the retransmission space do not need to be located in consecutive or adjacent memory locations. The memory space for soft buffers or other short-term storage used during decoding and retransmission can be provided in multiple storage devices. These are implementations that may vary. Fig. 9 The intentionally simplified representations of different examples shown in the accompanying and similar figures are intended to illustrate various aspects, and other variations may be or become apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0119] For data block transmission, the UE needs decoding time to decode the data block, regardless of the final result of the decoding. Assuming that the decoding time can be expressed as a positive integer N (N ≥ 1) time slots, the size of the first transmission soft buffer space is determined so that the UE can process at least N data blocks in parallel, thereby achieving continuous data reception by the UE. Fig.10 is a block diagram of an example of determining the size of memory space, in which the first transmission memory space is sufficient to store data bits corresponding to the first transmission of N data blocks, and the size of the retransmission space is determined to be the same.

[0120] In some embodiments, the retransmission space may be further partitioned to obtain sub-partitions based on factors such as the QoS of the traffic flow to which the data block belongs. In some embodiments, the retransmission space is allocated to store decoded bits in a data block that failed to be decoded for the first time due to a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) or other decoding operation failure. There may be multiple QoS levels, for example, three QoS levels, including low (least stringent), medium (medium stringent), and high (most stringent). Fig.11 is a block diagram of another example of memory space partitioning, consistent with corresponding sub-partitions for three QoS levels. Fig.11 The sub-partitions shown provide low QoS buffer space 1110, medium QoS buffer space 1120, and high QoS buffer space 1130 within the retransmission buffer space. The three sub-partitions shown are merely an example, and other embodiments are possible, including embodiments in which the sub-partitions have different relative sizes, the first transmission buffer space is additionally or alternatively sub-partitioned, and / or there are more or fewer sub-partitions, etc.

[0121] Although QoS sub-partitioning does not depend on TUD in any way and can be implemented independently of TUD, in some embodiments, different QoS levels are associated with different TUD values, so that for different QoS levels, the maximum time that a data block can remain in the DL soft buffer varies depending on the QoS level of the traffic flow to which the data block belongs. This association between QoS level and TUD value can be explicit or implicit, depending on the signaling structure of TUD value, etc. The following is an illustrative, non-limiting example of high-layer signaling of TUD value, where TUD is explicitly associated with the QoS level of the traffic flow:

[0122]

[0123] Taking maxNrofTUDQoS as 3 and maxTUD as 32 as an example, the network device can configure 3 QoS-TUD pairs for the UE through high-layer signaling. An illustrative, non-limiting example of such signaling is provided below:

[0124]

[0125]

[0126] In order to assist the network in scheduling, the UE may generate a memory space occupancy or availability report (also referred to herein as an SBSR, etc.) to indicate the DL soft buffer occupancy (or availability) to the network. In some embodiments, the SBSR is a report that indicates the percentage or other measure of the occupied soft buffer space (OSBS) for storing the decoded bits in the data block for the corresponding QoS level. This is just an example, and the SBSR may also indicate the percentage or other measure of the available soft buffer space. In general, the memory space occupancy or availability report indicates the amount of memory space currently occupied by the data block decoded bits stored (or available for storing the data block decoded bits), which may be a relative measure such as a percentage or ratio, or an absolute measure. The occupancy state of the memory space mentioned in this article includes not only the amount of occupied memory space (e.g., soft buffer). The occupancy state may be additionally or alternatively related to the amount of available or unoccupied memory space (e.g., soft buffer).

[0127] The percentage of occupied or available memory space or other metrics may be reported in a quantized manner, depending on the format of the SBSR message and its expected length (e.g., in number of bits). The SBSR message may also include an indication of QoS, for example, included in a field whose value indicates the QoS level corresponding to the reported memory space. In some embodiments, the SBSR may be or include a bit stream generated by the UE, which is then mapped to uplink control information (UCI) and multiplexed with other UCI such as ACK / NAK bits, retransmission request (RTQ) bits, scheduling request (SR) bits, and / or channel state information (CSI) bits.

[0128] Fig.12 is a block diagram of an example of a memory space occupancy report, specifically SBSR 1220 in UCI 1210. Fig.12 The example in Fig.11 The retransmission space occupancy of the current memory space usage is shown. The low QoS buffer space is 40% occupied (because 4 out of 10 blocks are occupied), the medium QoS buffer space is 60% occupied (because 9 out of 15 blocks are occupied), and the high QoS buffer space is 20% occupied (because 3 out of 15 blocks are occupied). In this example, the resolution of OSBS is set to 5 bits, and the corresponding quantization size or step size is 1 / 32, resulting in reports: OSBS=13 is used to report the occupancy rate of 40% for low QoS, OSBS=19 is used to report the occupancy rate of 60% for medium QoS, and OSBS=6 is used to report the occupancy rate of 20% for high QoS. In this example, the total payload of the SBSR is 24 bits and is mapped to the UCI.

[0129] Generally speaking, a memory space usage or availability report can indicate the memory space that is occupied or available. Fig.12 In the exemplary report, there are corresponding indications 1242, 1244, 1246 for each of a plurality (three in the example shown) of memory space partitions or subpartitions, and corresponding indications 1232, 1234, 1236 for each of these partitions or subpartitions.

[0130] Fig.12is a non-limiting example, and other embodiments are possible. For example, the length of the memory space report may be different from the 24 bits shown, the reported portions of the reported partitions or subpartitions need not have the same length, the number of bits indicating the partition or subpartition and / or memory occupancy or availability may be different than shown, and / or the reported memory space partitions or subpartitions may be more or less than three. Other variations may also be apparent or become apparent. The present invention is not limited in any way to Fig.12 Examples in .

[0131] Another embodiment related to memory occupancy or availability reporting is more specifically focused on sending very large data blocks. In the context of this embodiment, the time unit used to represent the decoding time of a data block is a time slot as an example.

[0132] As described elsewhere in this document, the DL soft buffer is used to receive data blocks, part of the space in the DL soft buffer is used to receive and store data block bits corresponding to the first transmission of the data block, and part of the space in the DL soft buffer is used to receive and store data block bits corresponding to the retransmission of the data block. The DL soft buffer space for new transmission and retransmission can be statically or dynamically partitioned to accommodate various data block sizes, from very small data blocks on the order of a few bits to very large data blocks on the order of millions of bits.

[0133] Fig.13 is a block diagram of another example of memory space partitioning, suitable for data blocks of different sizes. Fig.13 The partitions shown are Fig. 9 The partitioning shown is similar, that is, the soft buffer space is partitioned to obtain space for storing data block bits corresponding to the first transmission of the data block and space for storing data block bits corresponding to the retransmission of the data block. Fig.13 In the example above, the data blocks are not of the same size.

[0134] besides, Fig.13 and Fig. 9 The examples in are similar. Whether the data blocks are the same or different sizes, the soft buffer is used and operated in a similar manner. For example, the data block bits (if not successfully decoded) can be initially saved in the first transmission space and then moved into the retransmission space until the TUD expires, at which time the bits are cleared if the data block has not been correctly decoded. If the data block is correctly decoded, the decoded bits remain in the first transmission space or the retransmission space until the decoded bits are forwarded to the MAC layer and then cleared from the soft buffer.

[0135] In order to provide continuous data reception at the UE side, the size of the memory space should be determined so that the UE can process data blocks in parallel within the data block decoding time. Fig.14 is a block diagram of another example of determining the size of memory space, in which the first transmission memory space is sufficient to store data bits corresponding to the first transmission of N data blocks within the decoding time of N time slots, and the size of the retransmission space is determined to be the same.

[0136] In some embodiments, the retransmission space (and / or the first transmission space) may be further partitioned according to factors such as the QoS of the traffic flow to which the data block belongs, to obtain sub-partitions. Fig.15 is a block diagram of another example of memory space partitioning, consistent with corresponding sub-partitions 1510, 1520, 1530 for three QoS levels, and Fig.11 is similar to the example shown in , except that Fig.15 This example in adapts to different data block sizes. The three sub-partitions shown in the figure are just an example, and there may be other embodiments.

[0137] At least as described above, in some embodiments, different QoS levels are associated with different TUD values. The association between QoS levels and TUD values ​​can be explicit or implicit. The examples of signaling provided elsewhere herein for TUD values ​​associated with QoS levels of traffic flows can additionally or alternatively be applied to embodiments that support different data block sizes.

[0138] The memory space occupancy or availability reporting features disclosed elsewhere herein may be implemented in conjunction with embodiments that support different block sizes. Fig.16 is another example of a memory usage report, with Fig.12 Similar to the example in . Fig.12 Same, Fig.16 Take the SBSR in UCI as an example, but the difference is that SBSR is used to report the retransmission space occupancy, such as Fig.15As shown. The low QoS buffer space is occupied by 0% (because 0 out of 7 blocks are occupied), the medium QoS buffer space is occupied by 0% (because 0 out of 6 blocks are occupied), and the high QoS buffer space is occupied by 100% (because a relatively large block occupies the entire high QoS buffer space). As in the above example, in this example, the resolution of OSBS is set to 5 bits, and the corresponding quantization size or step size is 1 / 32. In this case, the report indicates: OSBS=1 (0 in another embodiment) is used to report an occupancy rate of 0% for low QoS, OSBS=1 (0 in another embodiment) is used to report an occupancy rate of 0% for medium QoS, and OSBS=32 is used to report an occupancy rate of 100% for high QoS. In this example, the total payload of the SBSR is 24 bits and is mapped to the UCI. This exemplary SBSR indicates to the network device that the UE's high QoS buffer space is fully occupied, and the network device can adjust the scheduling behavior of the network device in the following ways: for example, give priority to retransmissions of very large data blocks, and wait for the UE's DL soft buffer space to be fully cleared before resuming normal priority processing and scheduling of low QoS DL data blocks. This allows for more flexible control of how UE soft buffer resources are used based on dynamic traffic conditions.

[0139] Figures 13 to 16 and Figures 9 to 12 The same is a non-limiting example of memory space partitioning, size determination, sub-partitioning and reporting, and other embodiments are also possible. Figures 9 to 12 Describes examples of variations that also apply to Figures 13 to 16 Other variations may be or become apparent, and the present invention is not limited in any way to Figures 13 to 16 Examples in .

[0140] Another aspect of the present invention relates to managing retransmissions using the CRRO mentioned herein. An illustrative embodiment is that the time unit used to represent the CRRO is a time slot, where a time slot is a group of 14 OFDM symbols, etc.

[0141] A DCI format message may be defined that is carried in a PDCCH transmission and that has a new field for indicating a retransmission reception opportunity. For example, this new field may be referred to as a "candidate retransmission reception opportunity," but other names may also be used. In the current example of retransmission reception opportunities expressed in time slots, the value of the new field explicitly or implicitly indicates one or more PDSCH candidate reception opportunities at which a network device may send a data block retransmission (relative to a PDSCH reception opportunity scheduled by a DCI format message carrying a CRRO field). The time unit of CRRO may be the above-mentioned time slot, or an OFDM symbol, a group of OFDM symbols, a mini-slot, a group of mini-slots, a group of time slots, seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, etc.

[0142] The network may configure the candidate values ​​of the CRRO through high-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling), and the network may also activate or deactivate one or more candidate values ​​of the CRRO from the configured candidate value set of the CRRO through low-layer signaling, etc. Activating (or deactivating) the candidate values ​​of the CRRO may involve using an activation command sent in a MAC-CE command, etc., and indicating to the UE the values ​​allowed to be used by the CRRO field in the DCI format message (in this example). Figure 6 602 and 604 in FIG. 1 show configuration and activation signaling by way of example.

[0143] There may be limitations on the DCI format, for example, the presence of a CRRO field in a DCI format message depends on the presence of a TUD field in the DCI format message. In other embodiments, a CRRO field may be present in a DCI format message, while a TUD field may not be present in the DCI format message. The CRRO embodiment does not rely on TUD in any way and may be implemented with or without TUD. A combination of high-level signaling (e.g., RRC signaling) and low-level signaling (e.g., MAC-CE signaling) may be used to indicate the number of candidate retransmission reception opportunities.

[0144] For example, consider an embodiment in which a network device provides a high-level signaling to a UE to configure a TUD value and a CRRO value for the UE. In some embodiments, the high-level signaling may be as follows:

[0145]

[0146] Taking maxNrofTUDQoS set to 3, maxTUD set to 32, maxNrofCRRO set to 2 and maxCRRO set to 16 as an illustrative example, the network can configure 3 QoS-TUD pairs and 2 CRRO values ​​for the UE through high-layer signaling. A non-limiting example of such signaling is provided below:

[0147]

[0148] This example also illustrates that the QoS feature can be implemented in combination with the TUD feature and the CRRO feature. In an alternative example, the TUDQoSElement can be further extended to include a tudQoSElementIdentity field to help identify a given TUD value, and the CRROElement can be defined to include a crroElementIdentity field to help identify a given CRRO value. In one embodiment, the high-level signaling can be as follows:

[0149]

[0150]

[0151] The following example takes the network sending a MAC-CE command to the UE to activate two TUD values ​​(e.g., 8 and 16) and two CRRO values ​​(e.g., 4 and 8). The following provides an example of a MAC-CE command to activate TUD values ​​and CRRO values:

[0152]

[0153] The exemplary MAC-CE command has a variable size, wherein each row represents an octet, i.e., a sequence of 8 bits. The first octet may be used to indicate a bandwidth portion identifier, a control resource set identifier, and a serving cell identifier. Starting from the second octet, the activated TUD value and CRRO value are included. If there is an octet including the corresponding TUD element identifier or CRRO element identifier in the MAC-CE command, then in this example, the given value of TUD or CRRO is considered to be "activated". On the contrary, if the octet including the corresponding TUD element identifier or CRRO element identifier is not included in the MAC-CE command, then in this example, the given value of TUD or CRRO is considered to be "deactivated". Similarly, in this example, the presence (or absence) of a given TUD element identifier or CRRO element identifier indicates the activation state (or deactivation state) of the corresponding TUD value or CRRO value. In this example, each octet includes a 1-bit field called "TUD / CRRO" and a 7-bit field called "ElementIdentity". If the "TUD / CRRO" field is set to a value of "0", it indicates that the "ElementIdentity" field in the same octet is an activated TUD value corresponding to the TUD element identifier. If the "TUD / CRRO" field is set to a value of "1", it indicates that the "ElementIdentity" field in the same octet is an activated CRRO value corresponding to the CRRO element identifier. In an alternative embodiment, taking the MAC-CE command activation TUD value and CRRO value as an example, the details are as follows:

[0154]

[0155] This exemplary MAC-CE command has a variable size, wherein each row represents an octet. The first octet may be used to indicate a bandwidth portion identifier, a control resource set identifier, and a serving cell identifier. Starting from the second octet, the activated TUD value and CRRO value are included, wherein the second octet is used to indicate the activation value of the TUD, and the third octet is used to indicate the activation value of the CRRO. If the corresponding bit of the TUD element or the CRRO element is set to "1", then in this example, the given value of the TUD or CRRO is considered to be "activated". On the contrary, if the corresponding bit of the TUD element or the CRRO element is set to "0", then the given value of the CRRO or TUD is considered to be "deactivated". Similarly, the indication of the TUD element ID or the CRRO element ID as "1" indicates the activation state of the corresponding TUD value or CRRO value, while the indication of the TUD element ID or the CRRO element ID as "0" indicates the deactivation state of the corresponding TUD value or CRRO value. The reserved bit is used for filling, and the default setting is "0" (or other predetermined value).

[0156] Reference below Fig.17 , Fig.17 1 is a block diagram of a CRRO provided by an embodiment, showing the time scale of the network and the UE, for example, the TUD of the data block 1732 is 16 time slots. For ease of reference, Fig.17 1710 in FIG. 1 shows a DCI format message including a 6-bit TUD field and a 4-bit CRRO field, but is similar to other appendices. Figure 1 Similarly, 1732 is used to indicate a data block for transmission on a PDSCH or the like, rather than using a DCI format message to schedule a PDCCH transmission of transmission 1732. Similarly, 1720 shows other DCI format messages to indicate scheduling of retransmissions, but 1734 is used to indicate data block retransmissions.

[0157] Fig.17 1742 in 1752 indicates that the UE receives the data block after a propagation delay of 1752. The TUD for 16 time slots is shown as 1754 and in this example applies from the time the data block transmission is received at 1742. Candidate retransmissions of the data block are shown as 1734 and their possible reception (receive timing) are shown as 1744.

[0158] In one embodiment, the UE may first receive a PDCCH transmission carrying a DCI format message with TUD=16 and CRRO=4 as shown, but in another embodiment, different values ​​may be used to implicitly indicate TUD and / or CRRO. For example, values ​​such as TUD=1 and CRRO=0 may be used to provide implicit indications, i.e., TUD=1 refers to the second activated TUD value (TUD=16) in the above signaling example, and CRRO=0 refers to the first activated CRRO value (CRRO=4) in the above signaling example. The DCI format message schedules a PDSCH transmission carrying the first transmission of the TB, as shown in 1732, TUD=16. The DCI format message also indicates to the UE a candidate time slot indicated by CRRO=4, in which a retransmission 1734 of the same data block may be received.

[0159] In other embodiments, the DCI format message 1720 for scheduling data block retransmissions may carry a CRRO field to indicate to the UE the candidate time slots in which the network may send other retransmissions of the same data block. There may be some restrictions, for example, if the CRRO in the DCI format message corresponds to a time slot, and the TUD of the corresponding data block has expired when the time slot arrives, the UE may consider the DCI format message invalid and ignore it.

[0160] Retransmit in Fig.171734 and 1744 in FIG. 1 are shown with dotted lines to illustrate that the network may not actually send a retransmission. For example, the network may have other data blocks with higher priority that need to be sent or retransmitted. The network may, but does not necessarily need to, send a retransmission at the CRRO. In this sense, the reception timing is a "candidate" retransmission reception timing, and the network device may selectively retransmit the data block. The CRRO embodiment may be particularly useful in applications with longer propagation delays (e.g., in NTN communications) because in such applications, it takes longer for ACK / NAK feedback to reach the network device from the UE.

[0161] Therefore, the CRRO defines specific time domain occasions (eg, PDSCH reception occasions) during which the UE may expect data block retransmissions. In some embodiments, such time domain occasions are defined relative to transmissions scheduled by a DCI format message carrying a CRRO field.

[0162] It should also be understood that there may be a relationship between CRRO and TUD. CRRO indicates a time domain opportunity at which a data block retransmission may be received, whereas in embodiments that also involve TUD, it is not desirable to define such time domain opportunities for a data block that exceed the TUD of the data block, since the decoded bits in the data block will be cleared when the TUD expires.

[0163] In some embodiments, a retransmission 1734 of a data block may be scheduled by a DCI format message that does not include a TUD field and does not include a CRRO field, as opposed to a first transmission 1732 of the data block scheduled by a DCI format message 1710 that includes a TUD field and includes a CRRO field. Upon receiving the retransmission at 1744, the UE may decode the data block carried in the retransmission 1744 by performing soft combining of the retransmitted data block bits with the corresponding previously transmitted data block bits (from the data block in the first transmission 1732). Assume that in the example shown, such soft combining-related processing is factored into the data block decoding time. If the UE correctly decodes the combined data block, the UE forwards and passes the decoded data block bits to the MAC layer for decomposition and demultiplexing, etc. If the UE has not correctly decoded the combined data block and the TUD of the data block is greater than zero, the UE decrements the TUD of the data block by 1. If the UE has not correctly decoded the combined data block and the TUD of the data block is equal to zero, the UE clears the decoded bits in the data block from the UE's soft buffer.

[0164] In some embodiments, the retransmission 1734 of the data block is scheduled by a DCI format message sent to the UE by the network after the first transmission 1732 of the data block is received and correctly decoded by the UE. In this scenario, different UE behaviors can be envisioned. In a first example, if the UE is scheduled to receive the retransmission 1734 of the data block after the UE receives and correctly decodes the first transmission 1732 of the data block, the UE discards the reception and decoding tasks of the retransmission to save power consumption. In a second example, if the UE is scheduled to receive the retransmission 1734 of the data block after the UE receives and correctly decodes the first transmission 1732 of the data block, and the UE has correctly decoded the retransmission of the data block, the UE forwards and passes the decoded bits in the data block to the MAC layer for decomposition and demultiplexing, etc. In a third example, if the UE is scheduled to receive the retransmission 1734 of the data block after the UE receives and correctly decodes the first transmission 1732 of the data block, and the UE has not correctly decoded the retransmission of the data block, the UE clears the erroneously decoded bits in the data block from the UE's soft buffer.

[0165] Other data block transmissions (retransmissions) may be processed in a similar manner. For example, in the above embodiment, retransmission 1734 may be replaced by the second retransmission, the third retransmission, or the (n-1)th retransmission (where n is a non-zero integer), and the first transmission 1732 may be replaced by the first retransmission, the second retransmission, or the (n-2)th retransmission.

[0166] In some embodiments, the network device may configure the CRRO mode for the UE through high-level signaling. For example, assuming that the network device configures TUD=16 for the UE, the network device may indicate CRRO by providing two CRRO modes, each using a 16-bit bitmap, as shown below:

[0167]

[0168] In this example, each crroElement includes a crroPattern field, wherein the crroPattern field includes a bitmap whose size is based on the configured TUD value. Valid CRRO values ​​correspond to bit positions with "1", assuming that the leftmost bit is the 1st position of the bitmap. The network device can then use a MAC-CE command to activate or deactivate a given CRRO mode, which has the advantage of activating multiple CRRO values ​​at once. For example, if the CRRO mode associated with crroElementIdentity=0 is activated, the corresponding valid CRRO values ​​are crroValue=8 and crroValue=12, because the mode includes "1" at the 8th and 12th positions of the crroPattern bitmap. The network device can then send a PDCCH transmission carrying a DCI format message to the UE, wherein the DCI format message can include CRRO=8 or CRRO=12. Other examples or variants can be envisioned.

[0169] Another embodiment of CRRO focuses on hybrid traffic scheduling, which involves multiple traffic flows with different QoS. The DCI format messages and signaling options and examples provided above for CRRO can be applied additionally or alternatively to the hybrid traffic scheduling embodiment. As mentioned above, the detailed signaling examples illustrate that the QoS feature can also be implemented in combination with the TUD feature and the CRRO feature.

[0170] As with the other CRRO example above, consider again that the network sends a MAC-CE command to the UE to activate two TUD values ​​(eg, 8 and 16) and two CRRO values ​​(eg, 4 and 8). Fig.18 is a block diagram of a CRRO provided by such an embodiment, wherein, after a propagation delay 1852, the UE first receives a PDCCH transmission carrying a DCI format message 1810, wherein the DCI format message 1810 schedules a PDSCH transmission carrying a first transmission of a data block 1832, TUD=16, as shown at 1854. The DCI format message also indicates to the UE a candidate time slot indicated by CRRO=4, in which the UE can receive a retransmission 1834 of the same data block at 1844.

[0171] Due to mixed traffic conditions, the UE receives data blocks of traffic flows with different QoS in different time slots. Fig.18In the example shown, the DCI format message 1810 indicates the CRRO of the previously transmitted data block, but consider a scenario where the network device has other data blocks to send to the UE, and the QoS requirements of the other data blocks are higher than the data blocks of the specific time slot indicated by the CRRO. In one embodiment, the higher QoS preempts the previously indicated candidate retransmission, and the network instead sends a PDSCH transmission with a new transmission of the high QoS data block. Fig.19 Yet another example of CRRO is shown.

[0172] Fig.19 and Fig.17 Basically the same, but showing that a higher QoS data block 1934 scheduled via a DCI format message 1920 preempts the CRRO to send data block 1732. Fig.17 and Fig.19 It is shown that, in CRRO, the UE can receive (and the network device can send) retransmissions of data blocks, such as Fig.17 As shown in 1744 and 1734, or the transmission of different data blocks, such as Fig.19 As shown in 1944 and 1934.

[0173] refer to Figures 17 to 19 The described CRRO embodiments are related to DL transmissions and retransmissions.CRRO may additionally or alternatively be applied to UE-to-UE communications, for example, by way of sidelink (SL) transmissions.

[0174] According to the above embodiment, the DCI format message carried in the PDCCH transmission may include a new field to indicate TUD and CRRO. The time unit of TUD and CRRO may be any of the following: for example, one OFDM symbol, a group of OFDM symbols, one mini-slot, a group of mini-slots, one slot, a group of slots, seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, etc.

[0175] The network may configure the values ​​of TUD and CRRO for the UE, and may activate (or deactivate) the values ​​of TUD and CRRO, at least as further detailed above. In a UE-to-UE embodiment, memory space management may be used to schedule SL transmissions.

[0176] refer to Fig. 20 , Fig. 20 20 is a block diagram of another CRRO embodiment, assuming that the network device sends a PDCCH transmission carrying a DCI format message 2010 , and the DCI format message 2010 schedules a PDSCH transmission carrying a new transmission of a data block 2032 .

[0177] After a propagation delay 2052, the data block is first received in the DL soft buffer of the UE at 2042. If the UE correctly decodes the data block within the data block decoding time 2054 at 2044, the UE moves the decoded bits in the TB into the DL soft buffer dedicated to SL transmission. Otherwise, the UE applies TUD 2056 to the decoded bits in the data block and retains the decoded bits in the DL soft buffer until the TUD expires. During this period, the network may attempt to retransmit the data block, depending on whether the first DCI format message includes the CRRO field. 2034, 2046 show the retransmission of the network device and the reception of the UE. 2048 shows the expiration of the TUD and the clearing of the data block from the soft buffer.

[0178] Consider a scenario where Fig. 20 As shown in 2044 in the figure, the UE has correctly decoded the data block, and the UE has moved the correctly decoded data block into the UE's SL soft buffer for SL transmission to other UEs. In some embodiments, the UE can still apply TUD 2056, and the TUD indicates to the UE how long the UE has to discard the data block. This mechanism ensures that the data block will not remain in the UE's soft buffer indefinitely, and the UE will try to send the data block on the SL in a timely manner according to the TUD indicated by the network in the DCI format message 1810.

[0179] Fig.21 is a block diagram of applying TUD to communication between different UEs. Fig.21 Features in 2010, 2032, 2034, 2042, 2044 and 2048 Fig. 20 The same as in. Fig.21 The UE's reception of the retransmission 2034 is not shown in the figure to avoid further congestion in the figure. It is assumed that the UE correctly decodes the data block 2042 at 2044. Then, in some embodiments, the UE schedules the SL transmission by sending a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) transmission carrying a sidelink control information (SCI) format message 2110. The SCI format message 2110 schedules a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) transmission at 2132, which carries the data block decoded by the UE from the PDSCH transmission scheduled by the DCI format message 2010 previously sent by the network device. The SCI format message 2110 can carry a TUD value to indicate the target UE (such as the UE) to which the data block is to be sent via the SL. Fig.21The SL UE in FIG. 21 indicates how long the data block should stay in the soft buffer of the target UE. The SL transmission is received at 2142 and can be correctly decoded at 2144 within the decoding time 2152.

[0180] 2146 represents the possible receipt of a data block retransmission and illustrates that a retransmission process may be provided for UE-to-UE communications. Fig.21 The corresponding retransmissions of the UE are not shown in order to avoid further congestion in the drawing.

[0181] The SL UE applies TUD 2154 and the data block is cleared from memory at 2148. TUD is applied at least if the data block is not successfully decoded before the TUD expires.

[0182] Some embodiments disclosed herein relate to TUD and may help improve memory space management, allowing the UE to flush the soft buffer of decoded bits when the corresponding TUD expires, etc. These features may make more efficient use of limited memory resources, such as DL soft buffer space.

[0183] The memory status reporting described by way of example in the context of SBSR may enable the network device to understand DL soft buffer occupancy or availability, etc., and schedule the transmission of new data blocks according to the occupied or available space.

[0184] CRRO is an example of a selective retransmission feature that enables the UE to know in advance one or more reception opportunities when the network device may send a PDCCH transmission that schedules retransmission of a data block.

[0185] In some embodiments, a network device (e.g., a non-terrestrial TRP such as a satellite or other network device) can configure the UE to periodically report the current occupancy status of the memory space storing the data block by sending a report on a PUCCH transmission (e.g., SBSR in UCI). The periodicity of this reporting can be given using any of a variety of units, such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds, time slots, mini time slots, OFDM symbols, etc. In another embodiment, the occupancy status report is a response to the occupancy rate of the memory space or the occupancy rate of one or more parts of the memory space (e.g., partitions) reaching a threshold. Take the UE configured with a periodic SBSR configuration as an example, as shown below:

[0186]

[0187] The periodicity of this reporting may be given in any of a variety of units, such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds, slots, minislots, OFDM symbols, etc. The offset of the SBSR report may be defined relative to a reference slot in the frame structure, where the reference slot may be referred to as "slot #0", etc., and an offset of integer n corresponds to slot "slot #n-1". The reportQuantization of the SBSR may be given in integer bits. The SBSR report type may be defined as "occupied", where occupancy is the ratio of:

[0188] - The number of decoded bits stored in the partition of the buffer space when the UE derives the SBSR report, denoted by N decoded_bits ,

[0189] -The total number of bits that can be stored in the corresponding partition of the buffer space, denoted by N total_bits .

[0190] Alternatively, the SBSR report type may be defined as "Availability", where availability is the ratio of:

[0191] - the difference between the total number of bits that can be stored in a partition of the buffer space and the number of decoded bits stored in the corresponding partition of the buffer space when the UE derives the SBSR report,

[0192] -The total number of bits that can be stored in the corresponding partition of the buffer space.

[0193] In some embodiments, the UE may calculate the occupancy as follows:

[0194] or

[0195]

[0196] in, is the lower limit function, is an upper limit function. Take the SBSR generated by the UE as an example:

[0197]

[0198] The eventType that triggers the SBSR report is set to "occupancy greater than threshold", that is, the occupancy of the buffer space is greater than the given threshold. OccupiedSoftBufferSpace (OSBS) is a field that can carry an integer in the range of 0 to 2 reportQuantization –1, etc. The OccupiedSoftBufferSpace field is set to 19, which means that the current occupancy of the high QoS buffer space is 60%.

[0199] According to the content of the SBSR or other report, the network device may send a PDCCH transmission carrying a DCI format message including a flushSoftBuffer field to the UE to instruct the UE to clear the UE's soft buffer. Take the UE configured with three QoS levels as an example, as shown below:

[0200]

[0201] The length of the flushSoftBuffer field in the DCI format message can be 3 bits, etc. Starting from the most significant bit (MSB), in one embodiment, the first bit is used to instruct the UE to clear the low QoS buffer space, the second bit is used to instruct the UE to clear the medium QoS buffer space, and the third bit is used to instruct the UE to clear the high QoS buffer space. For example, the value of the flushSoftBuffer field can be "001", which indicates that the UE clears the high QoS buffer space. This type of soft buffer clearing mechanism provides an example of an instruction to partially or completely clear the data block memory space, and allows the network device to completely or partially reset the UE's soft buffer in the event of any inconsistency or erroneous behavior of the UE. The current occupancy status reporting can allow the network device to verify and confirm which data block bits are still in the soft buffer (and / or which data block bits have been cleared from the soft buffer) when the UE generates an occupancy status report and sends it to the network device.

[0202] In some embodiments, a network device (e.g., a non-terrestrial TRP such as a satellite or other network device) can configure the UE to report the current occupancy status of the memory space when a specific event is triggered by sending a report on a PUCCH transmission (e.g., SBSR in UCI). The periodicity of this reporting can be given in any of a variety of units, such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds, time slots, mini-time slots, OFDM symbols, etc. Take the UE configuration with event-triggered SBSR as an example, as shown below:

[0203]

[0204]

[0205] The eventType that triggers the SBSR reporting is configured as "Occupancy greater than threshold", or in other words, the occupancy of the high QoS buffer space is greater than a given threshold. QoSLevel is configured with the value "002", which corresponds to a high QoS level. eventDuration provides the time-related condition under which the event must be true, for example, the occupancy of the buffer space must be greater than a given threshold for a duration of 20 milliseconds. The event duration can be given in any of a variety of units, such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds, time slots, mini-time slots, OFDM symbols, etc. eventThreshold provides the threshold of the event, in this example, the threshold of buffer space occupancy is set to 50, so the threshold of occupancy is 50%. Take the SBSR generated by the UE as an example as shown below:

[0206]

[0207] The eventType that triggers the SBSR report is set to "Occupancy greater than threshold" to trigger a report when the occupancy of the buffer space is greater than a given threshold. OccupiedSoftBufferSpace (OSBS) is a field that can carry an integer ranging from 0 to 100, etc. to represent a percentage. In this example, the OccupiedSoftBufferSpace field is set to 60 to indicate that the current occupancy of the high QoS buffer space is 60%. It should be noted that the UE can still be used to send an SBSR with a quantized value in OccupiedSoftBufferSpace, but in some embodiments, the absence of the reportQuantization parameter SoftBufferStatusReport-Config will result in the default operation, that is, the UE selects a value of OccupiedSoftBufferSpace from 0 to 100.

[0208] In some embodiments, the occupancy of the buffer space of the UE reported by event triggering can also be based on the occupancy of a given partition of the buffer space (e.g., high QoS buffer space). In this case, the eventType parameter can be configured with a value of "occupancy greater than a threshold". SoftBufferStatusReport-Config can also include parameters, such as a QoS value of "002", which corresponds to a high QoS level. The SBSR generated by the UE can also include a field, such as eventType, whose value is equal to the value of the eventType parameter in SoftBufferStatusReport-Config. Taking the SBSR configuration with event triggering configured by the UE as an example, as shown below:

[0209]

[0210] The eventType that triggers the SBSR reporting is configured as "Occupancy greater than threshold", or in other words, the occupancy of the high QoS buffer space is greater than a given threshold. QoSLevel is configured with the value "002", which corresponds to a high QoS level. eventDuration provides a time-related condition under which the event must be true, for example, the occupancy of the buffer space must be greater than a given threshold for a duration of 20 milliseconds. The event duration can be given in any of a variety of units, such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds, time slots, mini-time slots, OFDM symbols, etc. eventThreshold provides the threshold of the event, in this example, the threshold of the buffer space occupancy is set to 50, indicating that the threshold of the occupancy is 50%. Take the SBSR generated by the UE as an example:

[0211]

[0212] The eventType that triggers the SBSR report is set to "Occupancy greater than threshold", which means that the occupancy of the buffer space is greater than a given threshold. The QoSLevel is set to the value "002", which corresponds to the high QoS buffer space, or in other words, the reported occupancy corresponds to the high QoS buffer space. OccupiedSoftBufferSpace (OSBS) is a field that can carry an integer in the range of 0 to 100, etc. to represent a percentage. In this example, the OccupiedSoftBufferSpace field is set to 60 to indicate that the current occupancy of the high QoS buffer space is 60%.

[0213] In some embodiments, the occupancy of the buffer space of the UE reported by event triggering can also be based on the occupancy of a given partition of the buffer space (e.g., high QoS buffer space). In this case, the eventType parameter can be configured with a value of "occupancy greater than threshold". SoftBufferStatusReport-Config can also include parameters, such as a QoS value of "002", which corresponds to a high QoS level. The SBSR generated by the UE can also include a field, such as eventType, whose value is equal to the value of the eventType parameter in SoftBufferStatusReport-Config. Take the SBSR configuration with event triggering configured by the UE as an example, as shown below:

[0214]

[0215] The eventType that triggers the SBSR reporting is configured as "Occupancy A is greater than Occupancy B", or in other words, the occupancy of buffer space A is greater than the occupancy of buffer space B. QoSLevelA is configured with a value of "002", which corresponds to a high QoS level for buffer space A. QoSLevelB is configured with a value of "000", which corresponds to a low QoS level for buffer space B. eventDuration provides a time-related condition under which the event must be true, for example, the occupancy of the high QoS buffer space is greater than the occupancy of the low QoS buffer space for a duration of 20 milliseconds. The event duration can be given in any of a variety of units, such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds, time slots, mini-time slots, OFDM symbols, etc. eventThreshold provides the threshold of the event, in this example, the threshold of the low QoS buffer space occupancy is set to 50, indicating that the threshold of the occupancy is 50%. Take the SBSR generated by the UE as an example as shown below:

[0216]

[0217] The eventType that triggers the SBSR report is set to "Occupancy A is greater than Occupancy B" to indicate that the occupancy of buffer space A is greater than the occupancy of buffer space B. QoSLevelA is set to the value "002", which corresponds to the high QoS buffer space, so that the reported occupancy corresponds to the high QoS buffer space. QoSLevelB is set to the value "000", which corresponds to the low QoS buffer space. OccupiedSoftBufferSpace (OSBS) is a field that can carry an integer ranging from 0 to 100, etc. to represent a percentage. In this example, the OccupiedSoftBufferSpace field is set to 60, indicating that the current occupancy of the high QoS buffer space is 60%, and the threshold for the event to be triggered in SoftBuffer-Config is configured as 50%.

[0218] In some embodiments, the UE reports the UE's ability to send an occupancy status report as part of a UE capability message, etc. The UE uses a UE capability message to convey radio access capability parameters, and the UE capability message may include a parameter, such as a softBufferStatusReporting parameter, which has one or more values, such as {supported, periodic, semi-static, aperiodic}. In this example, the presence of a softBufferStatusReporting value of supported in the UE capability message indicates that the UE supports the feature of sending reports such as SBSR. In this example, the presence of a softBufferStatusReporting value of periodic in the UE capability message indicates that the UE supports the feature of periodically sending reports such as SBSR. In this example, the presence of a softBufferStatusReporting value of semi-static in the UE capability message indicates that the UE supports the feature of semi-statically sending reports such as SBSR. In this example, the presence of a softBufferStatusReporting value of aperiodic in the UE capability message indicates that the UE supports the feature of aperiodicly sending reports such as SBSR.

[0219] In some embodiments, the UE reports the UE's ability to receive and decode data blocks such as TBs scheduled by a DCI format message carrying a timeUntilDiscard field as part of a UE capability message. The UE uses the UE capability message to convey radio access capability parameters, and the UE capability message may include a parameter, such as tudBasicOperation, etc., which has one or more values, such as {supported}. In this example, the presence of tudBasicOperation with a value of supported in the UE capability message indicates that the UE supports the feature of receiving and decoding data blocks scheduled by a DCI format message carrying a timeUntilDiscard field.

[0220] In some embodiments, the UE reports the UE's ability to dynamically clear data block bits from the UE's soft buffer or other data block memory space as part of the UE capability message based on a DCI format message carrying a flushSoftBuffer field. The UE uses the UE capability message to convey radio access capability parameters. At least as described above, the UE capability message may include a parameter, such as softBufferFlushing, etc., which has one or more values, such as {supported, partial, qosBased}. In this example, the presence of softBufferFlushing with a value of supported in the UE capability message indicates that the UE supports the feature of dynamically clearing data block bits from the UE's soft buffer or other data block memory space based on a DCI format message carrying the flushSoftBuffer field. In this example, the presence of softBufferFlushing with a value of partial in the UE capability message indicates that the UE supports the feature of dynamically clearing part of the data block bits from the UE's soft buffer or other data block memory space based on a DCI format message carrying the flushSoftBuffer field. In this example, the presence of softBufferFlushing with a value of qosBased in the UE capability message indicates that the UE supports the feature of dynamically clearing data block bits associated with a given QoS from the UE's soft buffer or other data block memory space according to the DCI format message carrying the flushSoftBuffer field.

[0221] In some embodiments, the UE reports the time required for the UE to decode a data block as part of the UE capability message, which is called the data block decoding time. The data block decoding time can be given in any of a variety of units, such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds, time slots, mini-time slots, OFDM symbols, etc. The UE capability message may include a parameter, such as dataBlockDecodingTime, which has a value, such as {100μs}. For example, the presence of a dataBlockDecodingTime value of 100μs, etc. in the UE capability message indicates that the UE supports a data block decoding time of 100 microseconds. The UE capability message may include a parameter, such as dataBlockDecodingTime, which has more than one value, such as {100μs, 200μs, 500μs}, and may also include other parameters, such as dataBlockSize, which has more than one value, such as {1000, 10000, 100000}. The presence of dataBlockDecodingTime and dataBlockSize in the UE Capability message indicates that the UE supports data blocks of up to a given size in bits using a given data block decoding time. For example, a data block decoding time value of 100 microseconds is associated with a size of up to 1000 bits, a data block decoding time value of 200 microseconds is associated with a size of up to 10000 bits, and a data block decoding time value of 500 microseconds is associated with a size of up to 100000 bits.

[0222] In some embodiments, the CRRO value may alternatively indicate one or more TUD values ​​corresponding to PDSCH reception opportunities at which the network device may send a PDSCH transmission carrying a retransmission of a previously transmitted TB. For example, a network device (e.g., a non-terrestrial TRP such as a satellite or other network device) may send a PDCCH transmission carrying a DCI format message with TUD=16 and CRRO=12. The DCI format message schedules a PDSCH transmission carrying the first transmission of a TB, TUD=16. The DCI format also indicates to the UE a candidate PDSCH reception opportunity indicated by CRRO=12. Assuming that the UE does not correctly decode the first transmission of the TB, the PDSCH reception opportunity is the opportunity when the TUD of the corresponding TB reaches a value of 12. If the network device sends a PDCCH transmission carrying a DCI format message scheduling a retransmission of a previously transmitted TB at a PDSCH reception opportunity that is inconsistent with or conflicts with the indicated CRRO=12, the UE may treat the DCI format message as invalid, which causes the UE to discard all information in the DCI format message and not perform reception and decoding of the corresponding PDSCH transmission.

[0223] In some embodiments, the network device may configure the UE to use SBSR to periodically report the occupancy of the soft buffer, for example, once every five time slots, and the value of the soft buffer occupancy is calculated as the instantaneous occupancy measured by the UE at the time point when the occupancy of the soft buffer is measured. For example, if the UE is used to send an SBSR at time slot s=10, the OccupiedSoftBufferSpace value will be equal to the occupancy of the soft buffer at time slot s=10. The occupancy of the soft buffer can be measured at the beginning of time slot s=10, at which time any data blocks with TUD equal to zero have not been cleared from the soft buffer. The occupancy of the soft buffer can also be measured at the end of time slot s=10, at which time data blocks with TUD equal to zero have been cleared from the soft buffer.

[0224] In some embodiments, the network device may configure the UE to use SBSR to periodically report the occupancy of the soft buffer, for example, once every five time slots, and the value of the soft buffer occupancy is calculated as the average occupancy measured by the UE at each time point when the occupancy of the soft buffer is measured, wherein the average value is calculated based on the time slot between the last periodic soft buffer report and the current periodic soft buffer report. For example, if the UE is used to send an SBSR in time slot s=10, the OccupiedSoftBufferSpace value will be equal to the average occupancy of the soft buffer, averaged over time slots={6,7,8,9,10}. The occupancy of the soft buffer can be measured at the beginning of the time slot, when data blocks with TUD equal to zero have not yet been cleared from the soft buffer. The occupancy of the soft buffer can also be measured at the end of the time slot, when data blocks with TUD equal to zero have been cleared from the soft buffer.

[0225] In some embodiments, the network device may configure the UE to periodically report the occupancy of the soft buffer using the SBSR, for example, once every five time slots, and the value of the occupancy of the soft buffer is calculated as the filtered occupancy measured by the UE at the time point of measuring the occupancy of the soft buffer. For example, the filtered occupancy can be calculated using the following equation:

[0226] FOSBS n =(1-α)*FOSBS n-1 +α*OSBS n

[0227] Among them, OSBS n is the latest instantaneous occupancy of the soft buffer measured by the UE, FOSBS n is the updated filtered occupancy measurement of the soft buffer used for soft buffer occupancy reporting, FOSBS n–1is the old filtered occupancy measurement of the soft buffer. α is the filter coefficient that the network device can configure to the UE through higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling), as a real value between 0 and 1, for example, {0; 0.001; 0.002; ...; 1}. In the initialization step, the updated filtered occupancy measurement value can be set to the latest instantaneous occupancy, FOSBS1=OSBS1 and FOSBS0=0 (to reflect the assumption that the soft buffer is initially empty).

[0228] In some embodiments, the UE may generate a bit stream carrying SBSR bits and multiplex these SBSR bits with a bit stream carrying data block bits to be sent on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission. This occurs when the UCI to be carried in the corresponding PUCCH exceeds a certain threshold, or in other words, when the number of UCI bits exceeds a certain threshold. The SBSR bits may be channel coded by polarization coding, low density parity check (LDPC) coding, Turbo coding, convolutional coding, etc., and then mapped to a dedicated set of resource elements belonging to a set of resource elements allocated for PUSCH transmission.

[0229] Various embodiments are described in detail herein, including embodiments related to storing data blocks for a maximum period of time to support a data block retransmission process (e.g., TUD), reporting data block memory space occupancy status (e.g., SBSR of a soft buffer), and selecting retransmission (e.g., using CRRO).

[0230] These aspects may be implemented independently or in any of a variety of combinations. A TUD value may be associated with a QoS value, a CRRO may be used to indicate to the UE when the network device may send a transmission to schedule a retransmission of a data block for which the corresponding TUD has not expired, or to consider QoS in a selective retransmission associated with a CRRO, etc.

[0231] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method includes: a UE receives signaling indicating a maximum time period, wherein, during the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted in a wireless communication network can be retained in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process. In some embodiments, such signaling can be or include DCI, and various examples of DCI format messages are provided elsewhere in this document. TUD is an example of such a maximum time period, and a soft buffer is an example of a memory space that can store data blocks.

[0232] The data block retransmission process may include the UE attempting to decode the data block, and may also include one or more retransmissions of the received data block so that the UE can attempt to decode the data block multiple times. However, it should be understood that the data block retransmission process is not limited to the UE receiving and decoding the data block. Although this process may be applicable to DL communication, in other embodiments such as UL communication and SL communication, the UE may instead be the transmitter of the data block, and the data block may be stored in the memory space of the UE to support the data block retransmission process including the UE retransmitting the data block.

[0233] From the perspective of the network device, a method may include a corresponding operation of the network device sending such signaling to the UE. From the perspective of the network device, storing the data block in the memory space of the UE may support a data block retransmission process, because one or more previous transmissions of the data block are retained in the memory space of the UE, so the UE is better able to correctly decode the data block based on multiple transmissions rather than only a single transmission.

[0234] Figure 6 The receipt and transmission of such signaling is shown by way of example at 606. Figure 6 In the example, the maximum time value using the TUD value is configured at 602 and then activated at 604, but this is only one possibility. It is not necessary to implement separate configuration and activation in all embodiments. PDCCH signaling is also one of the illustrative examples of signaling that can indicate the above-mentioned maximum time period. Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Figures 17 to 21 As shown, the DCI message format including the TUD field is also an example of such signaling.

[0235] Regardless of whether the signaling indicating the longest time period is received by the UE or sent by the network device, the method may also include the UE and / or the network device transmitting a data block in the wireless communication network. For DL ​​communication, transmitting the data block may include the UE receiving and decoding the data block and the network device sending the data block to the UE. For UL communication, transmitting the data block may include the network device receiving and decoding the data block from the UE and the UE sending the data block to the network device. For SL communication, transmitting the data block may include one UE sending a data block to other UEs and other UEs receiving and decoding a data block from one UE. In this example, the UE sending the data block may also receive and decode the data block from the network device, etc. At least in this article Figures 6 to 8 and Figures 17 to 21 Various examples of sending and receiving data blocks are provided in and description thereof.

[0236] The maximum time period may, but need not, be explicitly indicated in the signaling.The signaling may be or include an implicit indication or an explicit indication of the maximum time period.

[0237] like Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown by way of example, the longest time period may start before or after the data block decoding time. In other words, the longest time period may include the decoding time required for the UE to decode the data block, or may start after the decoding time required for the UE to decode the data block.

[0238] When the maximum time period expires, the data block retransmission process may or may not have been successfully completed if the data block is correctly decoded. Therefore, before the data block retransmission process is successfully completed, the data block may be cleared from the memory space when the maximum time period expires. For example, the UE-based method may include clearing the data block from the memory space when the maximum time period expires before the data block retransmission process is successfully completed.

[0239] Memory space occupancy status reporting may be implemented in combination with these and / or any other time period related features disclosed herein. For example, a method may include a UE sending a signaling indicating the current occupancy status of a memory space to a network device, wherein a data block is to be sent by the network device to the UE. From the perspective of the network device, a method may include receiving such signaling indicating the current occupancy status from the UE. The SBSR in UCI, etc. is a form of occupancy status signaling disclosed herein, Fig.12 and Fig.16 Detailed examples are provided. Other features related to occupancy status reporting are disclosed herein and can be implemented in combination with the time period related features or can be implemented separately.

[0240] In some embodiments, the signaling indicating the maximum time period is received by the UE (and / or sent by the network device) after the UE sends (or the network device receives) the signaling indicating the current occupancy status of the memory space. For example, this can enable the network device to better control the usage of the UE memory space, or at least enable the network device to make more informed decisions, such as sending data blocks to the UE.

[0241] The signaling indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space may take any of a variety of forms. For example, such signaling may include a corresponding indication of the occupancy state of each of a plurality of partitions of the memory space, e.g. Figures 9 to 16 The examples are given in Fig.11 , Fig.12 , Fig.15 and Fig.16 An embodiment in which partitions (also referred to herein as sub-partitions) are associated with corresponding different QoS requirements for different traffic flows is described in FIG.

[0242] Different maximum time periods may be associated with different QoS requirements, as described herein at least in the context of different TUDs associated with different QoS levels. The maximum time period indicated in the signaling received by the UE and / or sent by the network device may be one maximum time period among a plurality of corresponding maximum time periods associated with different QoS requirements. Any or all of these maximum time periods may be indicated in the signaling.

[0243] The sender of the data block can be a UE or a network device, which can selectively retransmit the data block or send a different data block, such as Fig.18 and Fig.19 Clearly shown. Fig.18 In the example, the network device retransmits data block 1832 at 1834, but Fig.19 Therefore, the sender can be viewed as selectively sending different data blocks, or selectively retransmitting previously sent data blocks.

[0244] The characteristics related to the selection of transmission (retransmission) can be implemented in combination with the characteristics related to the longest time period and / or the memory occupancy status reporting characteristics, or can be implemented separately. In some embodiments, the signaling indicating the longest time period also indicates a candidate opportunity, wherein the UE can receive a retransmission of the data block during the candidate opportunity. This article discloses this by example using a DCI format message including a TUD value and a CRRO value. Figure 6 It is also shown at 606 that the signaling may indicate the TUD value and the CRRO value. However, this is not the case in all embodiments, and the CRRO may be indicated in separate signaling.

[0245] Whether the candidate opportunity is indicated in the same signaling as the maximum time period or in a separate signaling, a method may include: at the candidate opportunity, the UE receiving a retransmission of the same data block or a transmission of a different data block, and / or at the candidate opportunity, the network device sending a retransmission of the same data block or a transmission of a different data block to the UE. The candidate opportunity may additionally or alternatively be used for UE-to-UE communication, in which case a method may include, at the candidate opportunity, one UE sending and other UEs receiving a retransmission of the same data block or a transmission of a different data block.

[0246] Other features disclosed herein are also not limited to being implemented only in communications between a network device and a UE. Fig. 20 and Fig.21 As disclosed by way of example in the description thereof, the longest time period related characteristic and / or the candidate timing characteristic may be used for UE to UE communication. Memory space occupancy reporting is primarily disclosed in the context of UE reporting to a network device, but may additionally or alternatively be implemented between UEs.

[0247] Methods related to occupancy status may include, for example, a UE in a wireless communication network receiving a data block from a network device (and / or a network device sending a data block to the UE), wherein the data block is to be stored in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process, and the UE sending a signal to the network device (and / or the network device receiving a signal from the UE) indicating a current occupancy status of the memory space. Such sending and / or receiving may be implemented between UEs for UE-to-UE communication.

[0248] Sending (and / or receiving) signaling indicating the current occupancy status of the memory space may include sending (and / or receiving) signaling periodically or in response to the memory space occupancy reaching a threshold.

[0249] Any of the various operations can be initiated based on the memory space occupancy state. Complete or partial clearing of memory space based on QoS level or other memory space partitions or sub-partitions can be triggered based on the current occupancy state. In some embodiments, a method may include, after sending a signal indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space, the UE receives an instruction from a network device to clear the memory space based on the current occupancy state. From the perspective of the network device, a method may include, after receiving a signal indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space, the network device sends an instruction to the UE to clear the memory space based on the current occupancy state. Examples of such instructions are provided elsewhere in this document, including a 3-bit instruction as an illustrative example of three QoS levels, and the memory space is cleared according to the instruction. On the UE side, a method may include clearing the memory space according to an instruction. Similarly, for other features, instructions to completely or partially clear the memory space can be sent and / or received between UEs for UE-to-UE communication.

[0250] Whether the memory space occupancy status reporting is implemented separately or in combination with the maximum time period related characteristics and / or the retransmission reception timing characteristics, other memory space occupancy status characteristics disclosed herein may be provided or supported. For example, the signaling may be or include a corresponding indication of the occupancy status of each of a plurality of partitions of the memory space, and in some embodiments, these partitions may be associated with corresponding different QoS requirements for different traffic flows. These partitions may additionally or alternatively have corresponding associated maximum time periods, wherein data blocks may be retained in the partitions during the maximum time periods.

[0251] In one embodiment of providing a maximum time period related feature, a method may include a UE receiving from a network device (and / or the network device sending to the UE) signaling indicating a maximum time period, wherein during the maximum time period, a data block may be retained in a memory space to support a data block retransmission process. In the case of multiple time periods, for example, for different memory space partitions, any or each of the maximum time periods may be indicated in the signaling sent and / or received. It should also be noted that, as with other features disclosed herein, signaling indicating one or more maximum time periods may be sent and / or received between UEs for UE-to-UE communication.

[0252] The maximum time period related features disclosed in the context of other embodiments may be provided or supported in embodiments related to occupancy status reporting in addition or alternatively, for example, any one or more of the following implemented in any one of various combinations:

[0253] The signaling indicating the maximum time period is received by the UE (and / or sent by the network device) after the UE sends (or the network device receives) the signaling indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space;

[0254] The signalling indicating the maximum time period is or includes an implicit indication or an explicit indication of the maximum time period;

[0255] The longest time period includes the decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block;

[0256] The longest time period starts after the decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block;

[0257] Before the data block retransmission process is successfully completed, the data block is cleared from the memory space when the maximum time period expires. In this case, a UE-based method may include clearing the data block from the memory space when the maximum time period expires before the data block retransmission process is successfully completed.

[0258] Similarly, the retransmission reception timing characteristics disclosed in the context of other embodiments may be provided or supported in the embodiments involving occupancy status reporting in addition or alternatively, for example, any one or more of the following:

[0259] The UE receives from the network device or other UE (and / or the network device or other UE sends to the UE) signaling indicating a candidate opportunity, wherein the UE may receive a retransmission of the data block in the candidate opportunity;

[0260] During the candidate opportunity, the UE receives (and / or the network device or other UE sends) a retransmission of a data block or a transmission of a different data block.

[0261] The examples of method embodiments described above are not exhaustive. Other embodiments include apparatus embodiments and embodiments related to computer program products. An apparatus may include, for example, a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor and storing a program for execution by the processor. A computer program product may be or include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for execution by the processor. The program includes instructions for or for causing the processor to perform any of a variety of operations.

[0262] For example, for some UE-based embodiments, the program includes instructions for or for causing a processor to perform the following operations: a UE in a wireless communication network receives signaling indicating a maximum time period, wherein, within the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted in the wireless communication network can be retained in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; and the UE transmits the data block in the wireless communication network. For some network device-based embodiments, the program may include instructions for or for causing a processor to perform the following operations: a network device in a wireless communication network sends a signaling indicating a maximum time period to a UE, wherein, within the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted with the UE can be retained in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; and the network device transmits the data block with the UE.

[0263] Features disclosed elsewhere herein may be provided or supported in any of these embodiments. For example, any one or more of the following may be implemented or supported in any of various combinations:

[0264] The signaling indicating the maximum time period comprises an implicit indication or an explicit indication of the maximum time period;

[0265] The program includes instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: transmitting the data block by receiving and decoding the data block by the UE (and / or sending the data block to the UE by the network device);

[0266] The longest time period includes a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block;

[0267] The longest time period starts after a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block;

[0268] Before successfully completing the data block retransmission process, the data block may be cleared from the memory space when the maximum time period expires; in a UE-based embodiment, the program may include instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: before successfully completing the data block retransmission process, clearing the data block from the memory space when the maximum time period expires;

[0269] The program may include instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: the UE sends to a network device (and / or such network device receives from the UE) a signaling indicating a current occupancy state of the memory space, wherein the data block is to be sent by the network device to the UE;

[0270] The signaling indicating the longest time period is received by the UE (and / or sent by the network device to the UE) after the UE sends (or the network device receives) the signaling indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space;

[0271] The signaling indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space includes a respective indication of an occupancy state of each of a plurality of partitions of the memory space;

[0272] The partitions are associated with respective different QoS requirements for different traffic flows;

[0273] The maximum time period is or includes one (or each) maximum time period among a plurality of corresponding maximum time periods associated with the different QoS requirements;

[0274] The signaling indicating the maximum time period further indicates candidate opportunities, wherein the UE may receive a retransmission of the data block in the candidate opportunities.

[0275] The program may include instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: the UE receives (and / or the network device sends to the UE) signaling indicating a candidate opportunity, wherein the UE may receive a retransmission of the data block in the candidate opportunity;

[0276] The program may include instructions for or for causing a processor to perform the following operations: in the candidate opportunity, the UE receives (and / or the network device sends to the UE) the retransmission of the data block or the transmission of a different data block.

[0277] For some UE-based embodiments related to occupancy status reporting, the program includes instructions for or for causing a processor to perform the following operations: a UE in a wireless communication network receives a data block from a network device, wherein the data block is to be stored in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; the UE sends a signaling indicating a current occupancy status of the memory space to the network device. For some related network device-based embodiments, the program may include instructions for or for causing a processor to perform the following operations: a data block is sent from a network device in a wireless communication network to a UE, wherein the data block is to be stored in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; the network device receives a signaling indicating a current occupancy status of the memory space from the UE.

[0278] Features disclosed elsewhere herein may be provided or supported in any of these embodiments. For example, any one or more of the following may be implemented or supported in any of various combinations:

[0279] The program includes instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: periodically or in response to the memory space occupancy rate reaching a threshold, sending (and / or receiving) the signal indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space;

[0280] The program includes instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: after sending (or receiving) the signaling indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space, the UE receives from the network device (and / or the network device sends to the UE) an instruction to clear the memory space according to the current occupancy state;

[0281] The memory space is cleared according to the instruction. In this case, for the UE-based embodiment, the program may include instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: clearing the memory space according to the instruction;

[0282] The signaling is or includes a corresponding indication of an occupancy status of each of a plurality of partitions of the memory space;

[0283] The partitions are associated with respective different QoS requirements for different traffic flows;

[0284] The partition has a respective associated maximum time period, wherein a data block may be retained in the partition during the maximum time period;

[0285] The program includes instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: the UE receives from the network device (and / or the network device sends to the UE) signaling indicating a maximum time period, wherein the data block may be retained in the memory space to support the data block retransmission process within the maximum time period;

[0286] The signaling indicating the longest time period is received by the UE (and / or sent by the network device to the UE) after the UE sends (or the network device receives) the signaling indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space;

[0287] The signaling indicating the maximum time period comprises an implicit indication or an explicit indication of the maximum time period;

[0288] The longest time period includes a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block;

[0289] The longest time period starts after a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block;

[0290] Before successfully completing the data block retransmission process, the data block may be cleared from the memory space when the maximum time period expires; in a UE-based embodiment, the program may include instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: before successfully completing the data block retransmission process, clearing the data block from the memory space when the maximum time period expires;

[0291] The program may include instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: the UE receives (and / or the network device sends to the UE) signaling indicating a candidate opportunity, wherein the UE may receive a retransmission of the data block in the candidate opportunity;

[0292] The program may include instructions for or for causing a processor to perform the following operations: in the candidate opportunity, the UE receives (and / or the network device sends to the UE) the retransmission of the data block or the transmission of a different data block.

[0293] There may also be variations of these exemplary method, apparatus, and computer program product embodiments. For example, features described in the context of these embodiments may be implemented in any of a variety of ways, and features described with reference to one embodiment may be provided or supported in other embodiments in addition or in lieu thereof.

[0294] Although various aspects of the present invention have been described with reference to specific features and embodiments of the present invention, various modifications and combinations may be made to the present invention without departing from the present invention. The specification and drawings are therefore only regarded as an illustration of some embodiments of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, and any and all modifications, variants, combinations or equivalents covered within the scope of the present invention are considered. Therefore, although the embodiments and their potential advantages have been described in detail, various changes, substitutions and modifications may be made herein without departing from the present invention as defined by the appended claims. In addition, the scope of the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments of the processes, machines, manufactured products, material compositions, modules, methods and steps described in the specification. It is easy for a person of ordinary skill in the art to understand that existing or to be developed processes, machines, products, material compositions, modules, methods or steps having substantially the same functions as the corresponding embodiments described herein, or being able to achieve substantially the same results as the embodiments, may be used according to the present invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to include these processes, machines, manufactured products, material compositions, components, methods or steps within their scope.

[0295] In addition, any module, component, or device that executes instructions as illustrated herein may include or otherwise access one or more non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media to store information, such as computer-readable or processor-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and / or other data. A non-exhaustive list of examples of non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media includes cassettes, magnetic tapes, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital video disc or digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray TM Optical disks, or other optical storage, volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other storage technology. Any of these non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media can be part of a device or can be accessed or connected by a device. Any application or module described in this article can be implemented using computer- or processor-readable and executable instructions, which can be stored or otherwise saved by these non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media.

[0296] There may be other variations. For example, TB is identified above as an example of a data block. However, it should be understood that the features disclosed herein may be applied to other types of data blocks, including code blocks (CBs) or code block groups (CBGs). A code block (CB) is defined as a series of individual coded bits output by a channel encoder (e.g., a polar encoder, an LDPC encoder, a Turbo encoder, a convolutional encoder, etc.). A code block group (CBG) is defined as a group of CBs output by a channel encoder (e.g., a polar encoder, an LDPC encoder, a Turbo encoder, a convolutional encoder, etc.). For example, a TB may include 10 CBs, each with a parity bit, and if 9 of the 10 CBs are correctly decoded, the 9 correctly decoded CBs may be removed from the DL soft buffer, and only 1 incorrectly decoded CB remains in the soft buffer. This example illustrates that the features are not necessarily applied only to each TB level. A data block may be, but is by no means limited to, a TB. In general, the features herein may be applied to TBs, CBs, CBGs, etc. The present invention is by no means limited to TBs.

[0297] Similarly, the disclosed embodiments refer primarily to DL communications and, to a certain extent, to SL communications. The disclosed features may be applied additionally or alternatively to UL communications. For example, a network device may send not only an uplink grant to a UE that enables the UE to send a data block of a certain size, but may also send a UL TUD. On the UE side, the MAC layer provides a MAC protocol data unit for generating a TB. In this case, the content of the TB comes from the MAC PDU at the UE and is not decoded at the UE, but may still be buffered at the UE for uplink transmission. For the uplink, TUD is related to the time that the transmitted data is kept in a transmit buffer for possible retransmission before being emptied or cleared from the buffer.

[0298] The embodiments disclosed herein are also not limited to any specific type of wireless communication, and can be applied to other wireless access technologies such as Wi-Fi, for example.

Claims

1. A method comprising: A user equipment UE in a wireless communication network receives signaling indicating a maximum time period, wherein during the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted in the wireless communication network may be retained in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; The UE transmits the data block in the wireless communication network.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signaling comprises an implicit or explicit indication of the maximum time period.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The transmission includes receiving and decoding the data block, and the maximum time period includes a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The transmission includes receiving and decoding the data block, and the longest time period starts after a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: Before the data block retransmission process is successfully completed, the data block is cleared from the memory space when the maximum time period expires.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: The UE sends a signaling indicating a current occupancy status of the memory space to the network device, wherein the data block is to be sent by the network device to the UE.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The signaling indicating the longest time period is received by the UE after the UE sends the signaling indicating the current occupancy status of the memory space.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The signaling indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space includes a corresponding indication of the occupancy state of each of the multiple partitions of the memory space.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The plurality of partitions are associated with respective different QoS requirements for different traffic flows.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The maximum time period comprises a maximum time period among a plurality of corresponding maximum time periods associated with the different QoS requirements.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The signaling indicating the maximum time period further indicates candidate opportunities, wherein the UE may receive a retransmission of the data block in the candidate opportunities.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: In the candidate opportunity, the UE receives the retransmission of the data block or a transmission of a different data block.

13. A method comprising: A network device in a wireless communication network sends a signaling indicating a maximum time period to a user equipment UE, wherein during the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted with the UE may be retained in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; The network device transmits the data block to the UE.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The signaling comprises an implicit or explicit indication of the maximum time period.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The transmitting includes sending the data block to the UE, and the maximum time period includes a decoding time required for the UE to decode the data block.

16. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The transmitting includes sending the data block to the UE, and the maximum time period starts after a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that Before the data block retransmission process is successfully completed, the data block is cleared from the memory space when the maximum time period expires.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, further comprising: The network device receives signaling from the UE indicating a current occupancy status of the memory space.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The signaling indicating the longest time period is sent by the network device to the UE after the network device receives the signaling indicating the current occupancy status of the memory space.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that The signaling indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space includes a corresponding indication of the occupancy state of each of the multiple partitions of the memory space.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The plurality of partitions are associated with respective different QoS requirements for different traffic flows.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The maximum time period comprises a maximum time period among a plurality of corresponding maximum time periods associated with the different QoS requirements.

23. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 22, characterized in that The signaling indicating the maximum time period further indicates candidate opportunities, wherein the UE may receive a retransmission of the data block in the candidate opportunities.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising: In the candidate opportunity, the retransmission of the data block or a transmission of a different data block is sent to the UE.

25. An apparatus comprising: processor; A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, coupled to the processor and storing a program for execution by the processor, wherein the program includes instructions for performing the following operations: A user equipment UE in a wireless communication network receives signaling indicating a maximum time period, wherein during the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted in the wireless communication network may be retained in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; The UE transmits the data block in the wireless communication network.

26. The device according to claim 25, characterized in that The signaling comprises an implicit or explicit indication of the maximum time period.

27. The device according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that The program includes instructions for performing the following operations: transmitting the data block by receiving and decoding the data block, the maximum time period including a decoding time required for the UE to decode the data block.

28. The device according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that The program includes instructions for performing the following operations: transmitting the data block by receiving and decoding the data block, the maximum time period starting after a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block.

29. The device according to any one of claims 25 to 28, characterized in that The program also includes instructions for: Before the data block retransmission process is successfully completed, the data block is cleared from the memory space when the maximum time period expires.

30. The device according to any one of claims 25 to 29, characterized in that The program also includes instructions for: The UE sends a signaling indicating a current occupancy status of the memory space to the network device, wherein the data block is to be sent by the network device to the UE.

31. The device according to claim 30, characterized in that The signaling indicating the longest time period is received by the UE after the UE sends the signaling indicating the current occupancy status of the memory space.

32. The device according to claim 30 or 31, characterized in that The signaling indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space includes a corresponding indication of the occupancy state of each of the multiple partitions of the memory space.

33. The device according to claim 32, characterized in that The plurality of partitions are associated with respective different QoS requirements for different traffic flows.

34. The device according to claim 33, characterized in that The maximum time period comprises a maximum time period among a plurality of corresponding maximum time periods associated with the different QoS requirements.

35. The device according to any one of claims 25 to 34, characterized in that The signaling indicating the maximum time period further indicates candidate opportunities, wherein the UE may receive a retransmission of the data block in the candidate opportunities.

36. The device according to claim 35, characterized in that The program includes instructions for performing the following operations: In the candidate opportunity, the UE receives the retransmission of the data block or a transmission of a different data block.

37. An apparatus comprising: processor; A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, coupled to the processor and storing a program for execution by the processor, wherein the program includes instructions for performing the following operations: A network device in a wireless communication network sends a signaling indicating a maximum time period to a user equipment UE, wherein during the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted with the UE may be retained in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; The network device transmits the data block to the UE.

38. The device according to claim 37, characterized in that The signaling comprises an implicit or explicit indication of the maximum time period.

39. The device according to claim 37 or 38, characterized in that The program includes instructions for performing the following operations: transmitting the data block by sending the data block to the UE, the maximum time period including a decoding time required for the UE to decode the data block.

40. The device according to claim 37 or 38, characterized in that The program includes instructions for transmitting the data block by sending the data block to the UE, the maximum time period starting after a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block.

41. The device according to any one of claims 37 to 40, characterized in that Before the data block retransmission process is successfully completed, the data block is cleared from the memory space when the maximum time period expires.

42. The device according to any one of claims 37 to 41, characterized in that The program also includes instructions for: The network device receives signaling from the UE indicating a current occupancy status of the memory space.

43. The device according to claim 42, characterized in that The signaling indicating the longest time period is sent by the network device to the UE after the network device receives the signaling indicating the current occupancy status of the memory space.

44. The device according to claim 42 or 43, characterized in that The signaling indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space includes a corresponding indication of the occupancy state of each of the multiple partitions of the memory space.

45. The device according to claim 44, characterized in that The plurality of partitions are associated with respective different QoS requirements for different traffic flows.

46. ​​The device according to claim 45, characterized in that The maximum time period comprises a maximum time period among a plurality of corresponding maximum time periods associated with the different QoS requirements.

47. The device according to any one of claims 37 to 46, characterized in that The signaling indicating the maximum time period further indicates candidate opportunities, wherein the UE may receive a retransmission of the data block in the candidate opportunities.

48. The device according to claim 47, characterized in that The program also includes instructions for: In the candidate opportunity, the retransmission of the data block or a transmission of a different data block is sent to the UE.

49. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for execution by a processor, wherein: The program includes instructions for performing the following operations: A user equipment UE in a wireless communication network receives signaling indicating a maximum time period, wherein during the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted in the wireless communication network may be retained in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; The UE transmits the data block in the wireless communication network.

50. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for execution by a processor, wherein: The program includes instructions for performing the following operations: A network device in a wireless communication network sends a signaling indicating a maximum time period to a user equipment UE, wherein during the maximum time period, a data block to be transmitted with the UE may be retained in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; The network device transmits the data block to the UE.

51. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for execution by a processor, wherein: The program comprises instructions for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

52. A method comprising: A user equipment UE in a wireless communication network receives a data block from a network device, wherein the data block is to be stored in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; The UE sends a signaling indicating a current occupancy status of the memory space to the network device.

53. The method according to claim 52, characterized in that The sending includes sending the signaling indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space periodically or in response to the memory space occupancy rate reaching a threshold.

54. The method of claim 52 or 53, further comprising: After sending the signaling indicating the current occupancy state of the memory space, the UE receives an instruction from the network device to clear the memory space according to the current occupancy state; The memory space is cleared according to the instruction.

55. The method according to any one of claims 52 to 54, characterized in that The signaling includes a corresponding indication of an occupancy status of each of the plurality of partitions of the memory space.

56. The method according to claim 55, characterized in that The plurality of partitions are associated with respective different QoS requirements for different traffic flows.

57. The method according to claim 56, characterized in that The plurality of partitions have respective associated maximum time periods during which a data block may be retained in the partition.

58. The method according to any one of claims 52 to 56, further comprising: The UE receives signaling from the network device indicating a maximum time period, wherein the data block can be retained in the memory space during the maximum time period to support the data block retransmission process.

59. The method according to claim 58, characterized in that The signaling indicating the longest time period is received by the UE after the UE sends the signaling indicating the current occupancy status of the memory space.

60. The method according to claim 58 or 59, characterized in that The signaling indicating the maximum time period comprises an implicit indication or an explicit indication of the maximum time period.

61. The method according to any one of claims 58 to 60, characterized in that The longest time period includes a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block.

62. The method according to any one of claims 58 to 60, characterized in that The longest time period starts after a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block.

63. The method according to any one of claims 58 to 62, further comprising: Before the data block retransmission process is successfully completed, the data block is cleared from the memory space when the maximum time period expires.

64. The method according to any one of claims 52 to 63, further comprising: The UE receives signaling from the network device indicating a candidate opportunity, wherein the UE may receive a retransmission of the data block in the candidate opportunity.

65. The method of claim 64, further comprising: In the candidate opportunity, the UE receives the retransmission of the data block or a transmission of a different data block.

66. A method comprising: A network device in a wireless communication network sends a data block to a user equipment UE, wherein the data block is to be stored in a memory space of the UE to support a data block retransmission process; The network device receives signaling from the UE indicating a current occupancy status of the memory space.

67. The method according to claim 66, characterized in that The receiving includes receiving the signaling indicating the current occupancy status of the memory space periodically or in response to the memory space occupancy rate reaching a threshold.

68. The method of claim 66 or 67, further comprising: The network device sends an instruction to the UE to enable the UE to clear the memory space according to the current occupancy status.

69. The method according to any one of claims 66 to 68, characterized in that The signaling includes a corresponding indication of an occupancy status of each of the plurality of partitions of the memory space.

70. The method according to claim 69, characterized in that The plurality of partitions are associated with respective different QoS requirements for different traffic flows.

71. The method according to claim 70, characterized in that The plurality of partitions have respective associated maximum time periods during which a data block may be retained in the partition.

72. The method of any one of claims 66 to 70, further comprising: The network device sends a signaling indicating a maximum time period to the UE, wherein the data block can be retained in the memory space during the maximum time period to support the data block retransmission process.

73. The method according to claim 72, characterized in that The signaling indicating the longest time period is sent by the network device to the UE after the network device receives the signaling indicating the current occupancy status of the memory space.

74. The method according to claim 72 or 73, characterized in that The signaling indicating the maximum time period comprises an implicit indication or an explicit indication of the maximum time period.

75. The method according to any one of claims 72 to 74, characterized in that The longest time period includes a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block.

76. The method according to any one of claims 72 to 74, characterized in that The longest time period starts after a decoding time required by the UE to decode the data block.

77. The method according to any one of claims 72 to 76, characterized in that Before the data block retransmission process is successfully completed, the data block is cleared from the memory space when the maximum time period expires.

78. The method of any one of claims 66 to 77, further comprising: The network device sends signaling indicating a candidate opportunity to the UE, wherein the UE may receive a retransmission of the data block during the candidate opportunity.

79. The method of claim 78, further comprising: In the candidate opportunity, the network device sends the retransmission of the data block or a transmission of a different data block to the UE.

80. An apparatus comprising: processor; A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor and storing a program for execution by the processor, wherein the program includes instructions for executing the method according to any one of claims 52 to 79.

81. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for execution by a processor, wherein: The program comprises instructions for executing the method according to any one of claims 52 to 79.

82. A system comprising: A network device for sending data blocks in a wireless communication network; A user equipment communicating with the network equipment in the wireless communication network, wherein the user equipment is used to receive the data block and store the data block in a memory space, and clear the data block from the memory space when a maximum time period expires.

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