Fractional rate HARQ feedback

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to HARQ feedback at fractional rate. In an example method, a terminal device receives a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback configuration from a network device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device. Based on the partial feedback rate, the terminal device sends HARQ feedback to the network device or receives HARQ feedback from the network device. In this way, the configurable HARQ feedback rate enables the network device to receive acknowledgements of control messages and perform link adaptation while improving user throughput in NTN deployment scenarios. In addition, reduced ACK / NACK transmissions also result in UE power savings, which is important for IoT devices.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to methods, devices, and computer-readable media for communications. Background Art

[0002] HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) is implemented in the MAC (Media Access Control) protocol using the retransmission system of 5G NR (New Radio). Once DL (Downlink) data is sent from a network device (also known as "eNB", "eNodeB", "gNB", or "gNodeB") to a terminal device (also known as "UE" or "User Equipment"), HARQ feedback is sent from the terminal device to the network device after each received transport block (TB). If the decoding of the received data causes an error, the terminal device caches the received data and requests a retransmission. The network device also needs to cache the sent data until an acknowledgment is received from the terminal device. By doing so, when a NACK (Negative Acknowledgment) is received, the network device can retransmit the data to the terminal device. In order to correct the error packet, the terminal device receives the retransmitted data and combines the retransmitted data with the cached data (also known as "soft combining") for another decoding attempt. Therefore, the HARQ mechanism is based on feedback about the success or failure of the downlink transmission. Summary of the invention

[0003] Generally, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for HARQ feedback at a fractional rate.

[0004] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device: receives a HARQ feedback configuration from a network device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device; and sends HARQ feedback to the network device or receives HARQ feedback from the network device based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0005] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a processor and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein when the at least one processor executes the instructions, the network device: sends a HARQ feedback configuration to a terminal device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device; and receives HARQ feedback from the terminal device or sends HARQ feedback to the terminal device based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0006] In a third aspect, a method implemented in a terminal device according to the first aspect is provided. The method comprises: at the terminal device, receiving a HARQ feedback configuration from a network device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device; and sending HARQ feedback to the network device or receiving HARQ feedback from the network device based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method implemented in a network device according to the second aspect is provided. The method comprises: sending a HARQ feedback configuration to a terminal device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device; and receiving HARQ feedback from the terminal device or sending HARQ feedback to the terminal device based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus implemented in a terminal device according to the first aspect is provided. The apparatus comprises: a component for receiving a HARQ feedback configuration from a network device at the terminal device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device; and a component for sending HARQ feedback to the network device or receiving HARQ feedback from the network device based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus implemented in a network device according to the second aspect. The apparatus comprises: a component for sending a HARQ feedback configuration to a terminal device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device; and a component for receiving HARQ feedback from the terminal device or sending HARQ feedback to the terminal device based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of the third or fourth aspects.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, a computer program comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to at least: receive a HARQ feedback configuration from a network device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between a terminal device and the network device; and send HARQ feedback to the network device or receive HARQ feedback from the network device based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: send a HARQ feedback configuration to a terminal device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and a network device; and receive HARQ feedback from the terminal device or send HARQ feedback to the terminal device based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, a terminal device according to the first aspect is provided. The terminal device comprises: a receiving circuit system configured to receive a HARQ feedback configuration from a network device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device; and a transmitting circuit system configured to send HARQ feedback to the network device or receive HARQ feedback from the network device based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0014] In an eleventh aspect, a network device according to the second aspect is provided. The network device comprises: a transmitting circuit system configured to send a HARQ feedback configuration to a terminal device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device; and a receiving circuit system configured to receive HARQ feedback from the terminal device or send HARQ feedback to the terminal device based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0015] It should be understood that this abstract is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become more easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 shows an example of a network environment in which some example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0018] Figure 2 A signaling diagram illustrating a communication process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 3 Another signaling diagram illustrating another communication process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 4 shows an example HARQ feedback configuration according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 5AAnother example HARQ feedback configuration according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 5B Another example HARQ feedback configuration according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0023] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating a timeline of HARQ feedback configuration according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0024] Figure 7 A flowchart showing an example method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Figure 8 Another flow chart illustrating an example method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] Fig. 9 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Fig.10 A block diagram illustrating an example of a computer readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0028] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements.

[0029] In this document, reference may be made to the terms defined below.

[0030] ACK

[0031] ARQ Automatic Repeat Request

[0032] BLER Block Error Rate

[0033] CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check

[0034] DCI Downlink Control Information

[0035] DL Downlink

[0036] HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request

[0037] GEO Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit

[0038] gNB gNodeB

[0039] MAC Media Access Control

[0040] MAC CE MAC Control Element

[0041] MCS modulation and coding scheme

[0042] NACK Negative acknowledgment

[0043] NTN Non-Terrestrial Network

[0044] NR New Radio

[0045] UE User Equipment

[0046] LEO Low Earth Orbit

[0047] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0048] PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0049] RTT Round Trip Time

[0050] RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0051] SAW Stop and Wait

[0052] TB Transfer Block

[0053] TTI Transmission Time Interval DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways except as follows.

[0055] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0056] The use of "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. in this disclosure indicates that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described).

[0057] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0058] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include their plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when the terms "comprises", "has", and / or "includes" are used herein, the presence of the features, elements, and / or components, etc. is specified, but the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof is not excluded.

[0059] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0060] (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuitry), and

[0061] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0062] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware, and

[0063] (ii) any portion of a hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions; and

[0064] (c) Hardware circuits and processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portions of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation but in which the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0065] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portions of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or its) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example and if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0066] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal equipment and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the future fifth generation communication protocol (5G), and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Due to the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can be used to embody the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be understood as being limited to the above-mentioned systems.

[0067] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a NodeB (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low-power node (such as a femto, a pico, etc.), depending on the terminology and technology of the application.

[0068] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device (such as a digital camera), a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer terminal device (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (such as remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (such as robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, devices running on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0069] In various example embodiments, while the functionality described herein may be performed in fixed and / or wireless network nodes, in other example embodiments, the functionality may be implemented in a user device (such as a cellular phone or tablet or laptop or desktop computer or mobile IoT device or fixed IoT device). For example, the user device may be appropriately equipped with corresponding capabilities described in conjunction with fixed and / or (multiple) wireless network nodes. The user device may be a user device and / or a control device, such as a chipset or processor, configured to control the user device when installed in the user device. Examples of such functionality include boot server functions and / or home subscriber servers, which may be implemented in the user device by providing the user device with software configured to cause the user device to execute from the perspective of these functions / nodes.

[0070] As described above, HARQ is implemented in the MAC protocol by using the retransmission system of 5G NR. Once DL data is sent from the network device to the terminal device, HARQ feedback is sent from the terminal device to the network device after each received TB. If the decoding of the received data causes an error, the terminal device caches the received data and requests retransmission. The network device also needs to cache the sent data until an acknowledgment is received from the terminal device. By doing so, when a NACK is received, the network device can retransmit the data to the terminal device. In order to correct the erroneous packet, the terminal device receives the retransmitted data and combines the retransmitted data with the cached data for another decoding attempt. Therefore, the HARQ mechanism is based on feedback on the success or failure of the downlink transmission.

[0071] HARQ is also a stop and wait (SAW) ARQ protocol implemented in multiple parallel processes. The HARQ protocol will use the ACK / NACK feedback from the receiver to ensure reliable DL transmission in each parallel process. In the DCI (Downlink Control Information) carried by PDCCH, multiple processes are identified by the HARQ process number 'harq_process'.

[0072] In addition, large RTT (round trip time) can induce HARQ stalling, thereby prohibiting the transmission of other processes. In particular, the NTN (non-terrestrial network) scenario has the largest round trip delay, such as 541.46ms for GEO (geosynchronous equatorial orbit) and 25.77ms for LEO (low earth orbit) at 600km altitude. Since the RTT in NTN is very large, one RTT can span many TTIs (transmission time intervals), resulting in severe HARQ stalling.

[0073] The WID of Rel-18 [RP-212729] describes the topic of disabling HARQ feedback:

[0074]

[0075] In Rel-18, IoT over NTN considers using a small number of HARQ processes for NB-IoT. For NB-IoT devices with only one HARQ process, disabling HARQ feedback will prevent the eNB from knowing whether the UE has received the control message. For IoT devices with two or more HARQ processes, the network can configure at least one process with feedback that supports confirmation of control messages and reliable data transmission. However, for NB-IoT devices with only one HARQ, if HARQ feedback is disabled, the network will not get confirmation of the signaling message. For those devices, switching between enabling feedback and disabling feedback can be considered to provide throughput and power saving benefits to the UE and ensure reliable delivery of control messages.

[0076] IoT UE can operate in half-duplex mode. For half-duplex UE, more DL scheduling opportunities are created without HARQ feedback in UL, which can increase DL throughput.

[0077] Table 1. Comparison of DL throughput (kbps) when HARQ feedback is enabled and disabled [R1-2207291]

[0078]

[0079] The throughput gain from disabling HARQ feedback is studied in [R1-2207291]. When feedback is disabled, Table 1 shows the throughput gain in the GEO scenario mainly due to the elimination of HARQ stalls, and the throughput gain in the LEO 600km scenario due to more scheduling opportunities from omitted ACK / NACK transmissions. Therefore, disabling HARQ feedback for DL ​​transmissions can improve downlink throughput.

[0080] Finally, in RAN1#109-e, the following RAN1 agreement was recently made to enhance the HARQ process for IoT NTN.

[0081]

[0082] According to the above agreement, the HARQ procedure needs to be enhanced by adopting a new HARQ disabling feedback scheme.

[0083] In NTNs, the long propagation time between terminal devices and network equipment via satellite can easily lead to HARQ stalls, which become a bottleneck for achievable user throughput. This is especially true for low-complexity IoT (Internet of Things) devices, as their smaller soft buffers for data reception limit the number of HARQ processes. Therefore, disabling HARQ feedback - so that network devices do not need to wait for ACK / NACK before starting a new packet transmission - has been adopted in 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) Rel-17 (Release 17) NR (New Radio), and is under consideration for Rel-18 LTE (Long Term Evolution) eMTC (Enhanced Machine Type Communication) and NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things).

[0084] On the other hand, MAC CE (control element) messages are sent by the network device to the terminal device (e.g., DRX (discontinuous reception) commands, TAC (timing advance command), etc.), and HARQ-ACK bits are required to confirm their reception before these commands can take effect. RRC (radio resource control) signaling messages also require HARQ-ACK to confirm their reception. Therefore, disabling HARQ feedback on the HARQ process suppresses MAC CE and RRC signaling on this process. For NB-IoT UEs with only one HARQ process, the system will not be able to operate if HARQ feedback is disabled.

[0085] In addition, in the case of disabling HARQ feedback, the ACK / NACK bits used by the network device as indicators of MCS (modulation and coding scheme) and repetition adjustment are no longer available. For effective link adaptation, the network can configure some of the HARQ processes of the UE to send feedback, and use the ACK / NACK from those HARQ processes to adapt its transmission scheme (ie, MCS, repetition) to the channel conditions of the UE. However, the NB-IoT device can only support 1 HARQ process. In this case, disabling HARQ feedback will prevent the network from performing timely link adaptation for DL ​​data transmission. This may result in a waste of resources when MCS / repetition is overly conservative or continuous packet errors when MCS / repetition is insufficient. The latter has a more serious impact because repeated decoding errors will occur when there is no soft combination in the HARQ process. The network may not even know that the UE becomes out of coverage or blocked by terrain / buildings until the radio link failure is triggered. Typically, link adaptation is more critical when channel conditions are poor.

[0086] One solution to these problems is to dynamically turn feedback on and off through additional DCI indications, but this will require changing the DCI format and increase the complexity of UE for DCI detection. In addition, when a single DCI is used to schedule multiple PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) transmissions in the case of semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) and multi-TB scheduling, relying on DCI to enable / disable HARQ feedback will become complicated.

[0087] In this specification, a solution is introduced to simultaneously mitigate HARQ stalling and support control message confirmation and link adaptation without the aforementioned complexity. The application is applicable to scenarios (e.g., in NTN, when there is long propagation delay) where HARQ stalling becomes a bottleneck for achievable user throughput and / or when a single DCI is used to schedule multiple TBs (e.g., in SPS or multi-TB scheduling).

[0088] Instead of fully enabling or disabling HARQ feedback, we propose to send HARQ feedback (ACK / NACK) at a fractional rate. A fractional feedback rate of 1 / N is one ACK / NACK bit sent by the receiver to the transmitter for each N TB scheduled by the DCI. (Note: Traditional HARQ has a feedback rate of 1 because an ACK / NACK bit is sent for each scheduled data TB. However, when HARQ feedback is disabled, the feedback rate is 0 because no ACK / NACK feedback is sent.)

[0089] Figure 1 An example communication system 100 is shown in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication system 100 is part of a communication network, which includes a network device 110 and a terminal device 120.

[0090] The network device 110 may provide services to the terminal device 120, and the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may communicate data and control information to each other. In some embodiments, the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may communicate via a direct link / channel.

[0091] In the system 100, the link from the network device 110 to the terminal device 120 is called the downlink (DL), and the link from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110 is called the uplink (UL). In the downlink, the network device 110 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the terminal device 120 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the uplink, the terminal device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the network device 110 is an RX device (or receiver). It should be understood that the network device 110 can provide one or more service cells. Figure 1As shown, the network device 110 provides a service cell 102, and the terminal device 120 resides in the service cell 102. In some embodiments, the network device 110 may provide multiple service cells. It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of serving cell(s) shown in is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation.

[0092] The communications in the communication system 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including but not limited to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Evolution, Advanced LTE (LTE-A) Long Term Evolution, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc. In addition, the communications may be performed according to any generation of communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G advanced network, or sixth generation (6G) communication protocols.

[0093] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices and their connection relationships and types shown in the figure are for illustration purposes only and do not imply any limitation. The communication system 100 may include any suitable number of devices suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0094] Figure 2 A signaling diagram illustrating a communication process 200 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes only, reference will be made to Figure 1 A communication process 200 is described. The communication process 200 may involve a terminal device 120 and a network device 110 .

[0095] In some example embodiments, network device 110 sends HARQ feedback configuration 201 to terminal device 120, the HARQ feedback configuration 201 indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between terminal device 120 and network device 110. Meanwhile, on the other side of the communication, terminal device 120 receives HARQ feedback configuration 201 from network device 110, the HARQ feedback configuration 201 indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between terminal device 120 and network device 110.

[0096] For example, the network device 110 may send 220 a HARQ feedback configuration 201 to the terminal device 120 (eg, via MACCE and / or RRC signaling), the HARQ feedback configuration 201 indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device 120 and the network device 120, such as Figure 2As shown. On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives 222 the HARQ feedback configuration 201 from the network device 110. With the received HARQ feedback configuration 201, the terminal device can be configured with such HARQ feedback configuration 201.

[0097] Additionally, in some example embodiments, based on the fractional feedback rate, terminal device 120 sends or receives HARQ feedback to or from network device 110. On the other side of the communication, network device 110 receives or sends HARQ feedback from or to terminal device 120 based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0098] For example, after being configured with such HARQ feedback configuration 201, based on the fractional feedback rate, the terminal device may send HARQ feedback to the network device 110. Alternatively, based on the fractional feedback rate, the terminal device 120 may receive HARQ feedback from the network device 110. On the other side of the communication, based on the fractional feedback rate, the network device 110 may receive HARQ feedback from the terminal device 120, such as Figure 2 Alternatively, based on the fractional feedback rate, the network device 110 may send HARQ feedback to the terminal device 120 .

[0099] In addition, in some example embodiments, the network device 110 also determines the HARQ feedback configuration based on at least one of the following: the delay required for reliable data transmission; a downlink channel quality report (DCQR) from the terminal device 120; a propagation loss change rate; or an uplink (UL) traffic load.

[0100] For example, the network device 110 may determine 210 the HARQ feedback configuration 201 according to the following information:

[0101] ● The latency required for reliable data delivery (eg, MAC CE or RRC message).

[0102] • Downlink channel quality reports (DCQRs) from the terminal device 120 may be used by the network device 110 to set the feedback rate. For lower channel qualities, a higher feedback rate may be required to facilitate faster link adaptation.

[0103] • The rate of change of propagation loss, which depends on the location and elevation angle of the terminal device 120 relative to the satellite on which the network device 110 resides.

[0104] ●HARQ feedback will share the UL traffic load of resources.

[0105] Figure 3Another signaling diagram illustrating another communication process 300 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes only, the communication process 300 will be referred to in the attached Figure 1 and 2 The communication process 300 may involve the terminal device 120 and the network device 110. For the same or similar operation(s) as those in the communication process 200, reference may be made to the description of the communication process 200, and thus the details will be omitted.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the fractional feedback rate is 1 / N, and N is an integer greater than one.

[0107] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the terminal device sends HARQ feedback by sending a HARQ feedback indication for N TBs scheduled by a single DCI. On the other side of the communication, the network device 110 receives HARQ feedback by receiving a HARQ feedback indication for N TBs scheduled by a single DCI.

[0108] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the terminal device 120 sends a HARQ feedback indication after receiving the Kth TB out of N TBs, and K is an integer equal to or less than N. On the other side of the communication, the network device 110 receives a HARQ feedback indication after sending the Kth TB out of N TBs, and K is an integer equal to or less than N.

[0109] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback configuration indicates a fractional feedback rate by indicating a K value and an N value.

[0110] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback indication indicates one of: a decoding status of a Kth TB, or a combined decoding status of the previous K TBs out of the N TBs.

[0111] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the DCI includes a field indicating uplink resources allocated for HARQ feedback indication for the Kth TB, without indicating uplink resources allocated for HARQ feedback for other (N-1) TBs.

[0112] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the Kth TB is used to receive at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.

[0113] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the network device 110 sends the HARQ feedback configuration via at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives the HARQ feedback configuration via at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.

[0114] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the terminal device is in a non-terrestrial network.

[0115] In one example, if Figure 3 As shown, the communication process 300 is, for example, a signaling flow of a HARQ feedback process at a fractional feedback rate. In one example, the network device 110 configures a fractional feedback rate of 1 / N for multiple TBs (multiple PDSCH transmissions) scheduled by a single DCI. Specifically, the configuration indicates an ARQ feedback (ACK / NACK) after the terminal device 120 receives the Kth TB (K≤N) for every N TBs. ACK / NACK may indicate the decoding status (success / failure) of the Kth TB (e.g., the most recent TB), or indicate the "XOR" or "XOR" of the previous K TBs. The configuration may be carried by a MAC CE or RRC message. The configuration takes effect after the network device 110 receives the HARQ-ACK at a certain system time.

[0116] In another example, the network device 110 may configure the HARQ feedback rate using the parameters {K, N} via an RRC message or a MAC CE. With this configuration, when multiple TBs are scheduled via DCI, such as in the case of SPS and multi-TB scheduling, assuming that the terminal device 120 receives Figure 3 -5, HARQ feedback (ACK / NACK) is sent after the Kth TB (where K≤N) out of every N TBs. The configuration {K=1, N=1} is used to represent the traditional HARQ feedback, where ACK / NACK should be sent for each TB received. The configuration {K=0, N=0} can be used to completely disable HARQ feedback. RRC signaling is a configuration method for semi-static, long-term basis, while MAC CE provides an adaptable and dynamic configuration method.

[0117] The configuration may also indicate how the ACK / NACK bits should be calculated. For example, it may be the decoding status of the Kth TB, or the XOR or XAND of the previous K TBs. The network device 110 may use this feedback not only to learn the reception status of the transmitted data, but also to adjust the MCS and repetition for future data transmission.

[0118] Specifically, Figure 3 As shown, the network device 110 sends 220 a HARQ feedback configuration (specifically, for example, a HARQ feedback rate configuration) to the terminal device 120. On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives 222 the HARQ feedback configuration 201 from the network device 110. These operations are similar to Figure 2 The operations in the communication process 200 shown are the same, and reference may be made to the description of the communication process 200 , so the details will be omitted.

[0119] With the received HARQ feedback configuration 201, the terminal device 120 may be configured with such HARQ feedback configuration 201, as described above with reference to Figure 2 After being configured with such HARQ feedback configuration 201, the terminal device 120 may send HARQ reports (i.e., HARQ feedback) to the network device 110 at a fractional rate 1 / N based on the HARQ feedback configuration 201. For example, the terminal device 120 sends 230 HARQ feedback (i.e., ACK / NACK) 202 to the network device 110. On the other side of the communication, the network device 110 receives 232 HARQ feedback (i.e., ACK / NACK) 202 from the terminal device 120. These operations are similar to Figure 2 The operations are the same as those in the communication process 200 shown, and reference may be made to the description of the communication process 200 , so the details will be omitted.

[0120] Upon receiving HARQ feedback (ie, ACK / NACK) 302 from the terminal device 120, the network device 110 may activate the HARQ feedback configuration 201, such as Figure 3 shown.

[0121] When activating the HARQ feedback configuration 201, the network device 110 continues to send 318 DCI for multiple (specifically "n") TBs on the PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel). On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives 320 DCI for multiple TBs on the PDCCH.

[0122] The network device 110 then sends 322 a TB indexed as "1" on the PDSCH to the terminal device 120. On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives 324 a TB indexed as "1" from the network device 110 on the PDSCH. The network device 110 then sends 326 a TB indexed as "2" on the PDSCH to the terminal device 120. On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives 328 a TB indexed as "2" from the network device 110 on the PDSCH. This flow proceeds in this manner.

[0123] The network device 110 then sends 330 the TB indexed "k" on the PDSCH to the terminal device 120. On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives 332 the TB indexed "k" from the network device 110 on the PDSCH.

[0124] As described above, K is a parameter included in the HARQ feedback configuration 201, which has been configured by the network device 110 to the terminal device 120. Therefore, upon receiving the TB indexed as "k", the terminal device 120 sends 334 HARQ feedback (ACK / NACK) 303 to the network device 110. On the other side of the communication, the network device 110 receives 336 HARQ feedback (ACK / NACK) 303 from the terminal device 120.

[0125] The network device 110 continues to send 338 the TB indexed "K+1" on the PDSCH to the terminal device 120. On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives 340 the TB indexed "K+1" on the PDSCH from the network device 110. This flow proceeds in this manner.

[0126] The network device 110 then transmits 350 the TB indexed as "n" on the PDSCH to the terminal device 120. On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives 352 the TB indexed as "n" on the PDSCH from the network device 110. This round of transmission of N TBs ends at this point; at the same time, the next round of transmission of N TBs begins at this point.

[0127] like Figure 3 As shown, network device 110 sends 354 a TB indexed as "N+1" on the PDSCH to terminal device 120. On the other side of the communication, terminal device 120 receives 356 a TB indexed as "N+1" from network device 110 on the PDSCH. Then, network device 110 sends 358 a TB indexed as "N+2" on the PDSCH to terminal device 120. On the other side of the communication, terminal device 120 receives 360 a TB indexed as "N+2" from network device 110 on the PDSCH. This process proceeds in this manner.

[0128] The network device 110 then sends 370 the TB indexed as "N+K" on the PDSCH to the terminal device 120. On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives 372 the TB indexed as "N+K" from the network device 110 on the PDSCH.

[0129] As described above, K is a parameter included in the HARQ feedback configuration 201, which has been configured to the terminal device 120. Therefore, upon receiving the TB indexed as "N+K", the terminal device 120 sends 374 HARQ feedback (ACK / NACK) 304 to the network device 110. On the other side of the communication, the network device 110 receives 376 HARQ feedback (ACK / NACK) 304 from the terminal device 120.

[0130] The network device 110 continues to send the transport block (TB) with index "N+K+1" to the terminal device 120 on the PDSCH. On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives the TB with index "N+K+1" from the network device 110 on the PDSCH. This process proceeds in this way.

[0131] Then, the network device 110 sends the TB with index "2n" to the terminal device 120 on the PDSCH. On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives the TB with index "2n" from the network device 110 on the PDSCH. This round of transmission of N TBs terminates at this point; at the same time, the next round of transmission of N TBs starts at this point. This process proceeds in this way.

[0132] As described above with reference to Figure 3 the fractional feedback rate of the HARQ feedback configuration is detailed as 1 / N. A more general fractional feedback rate of M / N is also considered, where M < N, that is, for every N TBs transmitted, corresponding to the Kth TB, there will be M HARQ feedback bits sent back, where i is one of {1, 2,..., M}. For example, in the case of a fractional feedback rate of 3 / 8 (M = 3, N = 8), and K1 = 1, K2 = 2, K3 = 4, the HARQ feedback bits will be sent after the terminal device 120 receives the 1st TB, the 2nd TB, and the 4th TB every 8 TBs. This scenario will be described in detail with reference to Figure 4 the following.

[0133] Figure 4 FIG. shows an example HARQ feedback configuration (hereinafter referred to as the "first HARQ feedback configuration") according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion only, reference will be made to Figure 1 and Figure 3 the first HARQ feedback configuration described. The first HARQ feedback configuration may involve the terminal device 120 and the network device 110.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the fractional feedback rate is M / N, and N is an integer greater than 1, and M is an integer less than N but not less than 1. Specifically, when M = 1, the fractional feedback rate is 1 / N, which is the case as shown in Figure 3 the following.

[0135] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the terminal device sends HARQ feedback by: for N TBs scheduled by a single DCI, sending M HARQ feedback indications. On the other side of the communication, the network device 110 receives HARQ feedback by: for N TBs scheduled by a single DCI, receiving M HARQ feedback indications.

[0136] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the terminal device 120 sends a HARQ feedback indication after receiving the Kth TB among the N TBs, and K i Any one of is an integer equal to or less than N, where i is one of {1, 2, ..., M}. On the other side of the communication, the network device 110 receives a HARQ feedback indication after sending the Kth TB among the N TBs, and K i is an integer equal to or less than N, where i is one of {1, 2, ..., M}.

[0137] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback configuration indicates a fractional feedback rate by indicating a value of M and a value of N.

[0138] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback indication indicates one of the following: i The decoding status of TBs, or the previous K in N TBs i The combined decoding status of TBs.

[0139] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the DCI includes the following fields, which respectively indicate the Kth i The HARQ feedback for NM TBs indicates the allocated uplink resources, while the uplink resources allocated for the HARQ feedback for the other (NM) TBs are not indicated.

[0140] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the Kth i A TB is used to receive at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.

[0141] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the network device 110 sends the HARQ feedback configuration via at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 receives the HARQ feedback configuration via at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.

[0142] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, terminal device 120 is in a non-terrestrial network.

[0143] exist Figure 4 In one example shown, a HARQ feedback configuration of M=3, N=8, K1=1, K2=2, K3=4 in full-duplex FDD is shown. In this case, the fractional feedback rate is calculated as M / N=3 / 8, which means that for every 8 (corresponding to N=8) TBs, after receiving the first (corresponding to K 1 =1)TB, the second (corresponding to K 2 =2)TB and the fourth (corresponding to KM =4, where M=3) TB later, the terminal device 120 will send HARQ feedback (ie, ACK / NACK or simply "A / N"). i The processing associated with each TB (i is one of {1, 2, ..., M}) is similar to that of Figure 3 The processing associated with the Kth TB when M=1 is shown.

[0144] Specifically, the terminal device 120 may be in a non-terrestrial network. The network device 110 may send the above HARQ feedback configuration (ie, M=3, N=8, K=1) via at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message. 1 =1, K 2 =2, K 3 =4). On the other side of the communication, the terminal device 120 may receive the above HARQ feedback configuration via at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.

[0145] Additionally or alternatively, the terminal device 120 receives the first of the eight TBs (corresponding to K 1 =1) TB, and after receiving the second of the 8 TBs (corresponding to K 2 =2) TB, and sends a second HARQ feedback indication (e.g., ACK or NACK bit) after receiving the fourth of the eight TBs (corresponding to K M =4, where M=3) TBs, and sends a third HARQ feedback indication (e.g., ACK or NACK bit). On the other side of the communication, the network device 110 receives the first HARQ feedback indication after sending the first TB of the 8 TBs, receives the second HARQ feedback indication after sending the second TB of the 8 TBs, and receives the third HARQ feedback indication after sending the fourth TB of the 8 TBs.

[0146] In another example, each of the M HARQ feedback indications may indicate one of the following: i The decoding status of TBs, or the previous K in N TBs i Specifically, the first HARQ feedback indication may indicate the decoding status of the first TB, the second HARQ feedback indication may indicate the combined decoding status of the previous 2 TBs (e.g., the "XOR" of the previous 2 TBs), and the third HARQ feedback indication may indicate the combined decoding status of the previous 2 TBs (e.g., the "XOR" of the previous 4 TBs).

[0147] Alternatively, the combined decoding status of previous L TBs can be used to determine the HARQ feedback indication. Here, L is an integer, which can be configured by the network device 110 or predefined, and the L TBs can be among N TBs or the L TBs can be the previous L TBs, and the previous L TBs can include some TBs outside the N TBs. For example, assume L = 5. In this case, the first HARQ feedback indication can indicate the combined decoding status (e.g., "XOR" or "XNOR") of the previous 5 TBs (including or excluding the 1st TB), the second HARQ feedback indication can indicate the combined decoding status of the previous 5 TBs (including or excluding the 2nd TB), and the third HARQ feedback indication can indicate the combined decoding status of the previous 5 TBs (including or excluding the 4th TB).

[0148] Additionally or alternatively, in another example, the terminal device 120 can send three HARQ feedback indications (i.e., the first HARQ feedback indication, the second HARQ feedback indication, and the third HARQ feedback indication) for 8 TBs scheduled by a single DCI to send HARQ feedback. On the other side of the communication, the network device 110 can receive three HARQ feedback indications for 8 TBs scheduled by a single DCI.

[0149] Furthermore, in another example, the DCI includes a field that respectively indicates the uplink resources allocated for the HARQ feedback indication for the 1st (corresponding to K 1 = 1), 2nd (corresponding to K 2 = 2), and 4th (corresponding to K M = 4, where M = 3) TBs, without indicating the uplink resources allocated for the HARQ feedback for the other 5 ( = N - M, where N = 8 and M = 3) TBs. This means that the network device 110 only allocates uplink resources for the HARQ feedback indication for the 1st, 2nd, and 4th TBs, without indicating the uplink resources allocated for the HARQ feedback for the other 5 TBs corresponding to indices 3 and 5 - 8 respectively.

[0150] Additionally or alternatively, in another example, the K i th TB can be used to receive at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message. Specifically, the first TB among every 8 TBs can be used to receive a MAC CE message, and the second and third TBs among every 8 TBs can be used to receive an RRC message.

[0151] Figure 5A shows another example HARQ feedback configuration (hereinafter referred to as the "second HARQ feedback configuration") according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes only, reference will be made to the attached Figure 1 、3 4 and 5 describe a second HARQ feedback configuration. The second HARQ feedback configuration may involve the terminal device 120 and the network device 110. When M=1, the second HARQ feedback configuration may be considered as the first HARQ feedback configuration, i.e., the terminal device 120 reports HARQ feedback associated with only one TB among N TBs to the network device 110.

[0152] exist Figure 5A In the example shown, HARQ feedback configured as K=2, N=4 in full-duplex FDD is shown. Since there is only one K, it can be inferred that M=1 in this case, that is, for every 4 TBs sent to the terminal device 120, only one HARQ feedback will be reported to the network device 110. In other words, since K=2 and N=4, the second TB (indexed as "2") out of every 4 TBs will have HARQ feedback to be reported from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110. The fraction rate of reporting HARQ feedback is 1 / N=1 / 4. In other words, only one TB out of 4 TBs has HARQ feedback reported from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110. For example, Figure 5A As shown, the TB indexed "2" among the first 4 TBs (indexed "1" to "4") has corresponding HARQ feedback to be reported to the network device 110, and the TB indexed "6" among the last 4 TBs (indexed "5" to "8") has corresponding HARQ feedback to be reported to the network device 110, and so on.

[0153] Figure 5B Another example HARQ feedback configuration (hereinafter referred to as the "third HARQ feedback configuration") according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes only, reference will be made to the attached Figure 1 , 3 , 4 and 5A describe a third HARQ feedback configuration. The third HARQ feedback configuration may involve the terminal device 120 and the network device 110.

[0154] exist Figure 5B In the example shown, HARQ feedback configured as K=2, N=4 in half-duplex FDD is shown. Figure 5B The example shown is similar to Figure 5A The example shown is different in that the operating mode of the terminal device 120 is half-duplex FDD instead of full-duplex FDD. Figure 5A All discussions of HARQ feedback configuration and HARQ feedback apply to Figure 5B Example shown.

[0155] Specifically, in Figure 5BIn the example shown, since K=2, N=4, and there is only one K, it can be inferred that in this case, M=1; that is, for every 4 TBs sent to the terminal device 120, only one HARQ feedback will be reported to the network device 110. In other words, since K=2 and N=4, only the second TB (indexed as "2") in every 4 TBs will have HARQ feedback to be reported from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110. The reporting fraction rate is also 1 / N=1 / 4. In other words, only one TB in every 4 TBs will have HARQ feedback to be reported from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110. For example, Figure 5B As shown, the TB indexed "2" among the first 4 TBs (indexed "1" to "4") has corresponding HARQ feedback to be reported to the network device 110, and the TB indexed "6" among the next 4 TBs (indexed "5" to "8") has corresponding HARQ feedback to be reported to the network device 110, and so on.

[0156] Figure 6 A schematic diagram 600 is shown showing a timeline of HARQ feedback configuration according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes only, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 5B 6. The diagram 600 may involve the terminal device 120 and the network device 110.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the network device 110 activates the HARQ feedback configuration after receiving a HARQ feedback indication from the terminal device, the HARQ feedback indication indicating that a TB including the HARQ feedback configuration was successfully received.

[0158] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, network device 110 determines the activation time of the HARQ feedback configuration based on a time point at which the HARQ feedback configuration is sent and a delay.

[0159] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, the network device 110 determines the delay based on a processing delay of the terminal device, a round trip delay, and a processing delay of the network device.

[0160] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, network device 110 schedules at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message on the Kth TB.

[0161] In one example, the network device 110 schedules MAC CE and RRC messages on PDSCH transmission with HARQ feedback. By doing so, the reception of these messages is acknowledged and thus the MAC CE command can be activated.

[0162] In another example, the network device 110 allocates UL resources for HARQ feedback only for PDSCH transmissions with HARQ feedback.

[0163] In another example, when the PDSCH should have HARQ feedback according to the configuration, the terminal device 120 only uses the "HARQ-ACK resources" field in the DCI as the UL resource indication for HARQ feedback transmission.

[0164] In another example, if Figure 6 As shown, for the timeline of the HARQ feedback configuration, it is assumed that the HARQ feedback configuration 20 is received by the terminal device 120 from the network device 110 in subframe Nc, and the terminal device 120 sends an ACK bit in subframe Nc+Xu (in the DL time frame) to confirm the successful reception of the configuration message after a known processing delay of Xu subframes. The round-trip delay in NTN in terms of subframes is called Koffset, which means that the ACK bit will be received by the network device 110 at subframe Nc+Xu+Koffset. Allowing a processing delay of Xn subframes for the network device 110, the earliest time that the HARQ feedback configuration can take effect is the DL subframe Nc+Xu+Koffset+Xn. The processing delays Xu and Xn are predetermined and understood by both the network device 110 and the terminal device 120. The round-trip delay Koffset is broadcast in the SIB (system information block) message. Therefore, the activation time of the HARQ feedback may be determined by when the configuration message is sent, which means that when the configuration message should be sent may be determined based on the desired timing of when the HARQ feedback configuration should be activated.

[0165] For HARQ feedback configuration {K, N}, where M=1, so M is not indicated (i.e., if M=1, the indication of M can be omitted, in which case only K and N need to be indicated to the terminal device 120), the network device 110 only allocates UL resources for ACK / NACK associated with the Kth TB. The DCI contains a field indicating the UL resources for HARQ feedback, for example, the 4-bit "HARQ-ACK resource field" in DCI format N1 for NB-IoT. The terminal device 120 only uses this field to send ACK / NACK associated with the Kth TB on the indicated UL resources.

[0166] The network device 110 can schedule control messages (e.g., MAC CE or RRC) on the Kth TB so that their reception can be confirmed. For MAC CE commands, their activation can occur after the network device 110 receives the ACK bit, as required by traditional LTE / NR systems. The network device 110 can also use the received ACK / NACK to perform outer loop link adaptation, adjust MCS and codeword repetition for reliable data transmission. Taking into account the trade-off between transmission reliability and link throughput, the scheduler of the network device 110 can also decide whether the stop and wait protocol should be followed. For example, for a terminal device 120 with fewer HARQ processes, the scheduler of the network device 110 can decide to send new data on the same HARQ process without waiting for the ACK bit to avoid HARQ stagnation and thus improve throughput.

[0167] The configurable HARQ feedback rate enables the network device 110 to receive confirmation of control messages and perform link adaptation, while improving user throughput in NTN deployment scenarios (where the round trip time is much longer than TTI). In addition, the reduced ACK / NACK transmission also brings power savings to the terminal device 120, which is important for IoT devices.

[0168] Figure 7 FIG. 7 is a flowchart 700 showing a method implemented at a terminal device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to FIG. Figure 1 The method 700 is described from the perspective of the terminal device 120 .

[0169] At block 710, the terminal device 120 receives a HARQ feedback configuration from the network device 110, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate of HARQ feedback between the terminal device 120 and the network device 110. At block 720, the terminal device 120 sends HARQ feedback to the network device 110 or receives HARQ feedback from the network device 110 based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0170] In some example embodiments, the fractional feedback ratio is M / N, and N is an integer greater than 1, and M is an integer less than N but not less than 1.

[0171] In some example embodiments, sending HARQ feedback includes sending M HARQ feedback indications for N TBs scheduled by a single DCI.

[0172] In some example embodiments, upon receiving the Kth TB of the N TBs, i After TB, HARQ feedback indication is sent, and any K i is an integer equal to or less than N, and i is one of {1, 2, ..., M}.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback configuration is configured by indicating the value of M, the value of N, and the value of K i (multiple) values ​​to indicate the score feedback rate.

[0174] In some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback indication indicates one of the following: i The decoding status of TBs, or the previous K in N TBs i The combined decoding status of TBs.

[0175] In some example embodiments, the DCI includes the following fields, which respectively indicate the Kth i The HARQ feedback for NM TBs indicates the allocated uplink resources, while the uplink resources allocated for the HARQ feedback for the other (NM) TBs are not indicated.

[0176] In some example embodiments, the Kth i A TB is used to receive at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.

[0177] In some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback configuration is received via at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.

[0178] In some example embodiments, the terminal device is in a non-terrestrial network.

[0179] Figure 8 Another flowchart 800 of a method implemented at a network device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 800 is described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 .

[0180] At block 810, the network device 110 sends a HARQ feedback configuration to the terminal device 120, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate of HARQ feedback between the terminal device 120 and the network device 110. At block 820, the network device 110 receives HARQ feedback from the terminal device 120 or sends HARQ feedback to the terminal device 120 based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0181] In some example embodiments, the fractional feedback ratio is M / N, and N is an integer greater than 1, and M is an integer less than N but not less than 1.

[0182] In some example embodiments, receiving HARQ feedback includes receiving M HARQ feedback indications for N TBs scheduled by a single DCI.

[0183] In some example embodiments, before sending the Kth of N TBs iTBs later, HARQ feedback indication is received, and K i is an integer equal to or less than N, and i is one of {1, 2, ..., M}.

[0184] In some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback configuration is configured by indicating the value of M, the value of N, and the value of K i (multiple) values ​​to indicate the score feedback rate.

[0185] In some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback indication indicates one of the following: i The decoding status of TBs, or the previous K in N TBs i The combined decoding status of TBs.

[0186] In some example embodiments, the DCI includes the following fields, which respectively indicate the Kth i The HARQ feedback for NM TBs indicates the allocated uplink resources, while the uplink resources allocated for the HARQ feedback for the other (NM) TBs are not indicated.

[0187] In some example embodiments, the method further comprises, after receiving a HARQ feedback indication from the terminal device regarding: a TB including the HARQ feedback configuration being successfully received, activating the HARQ feedback configuration.

[0188] In some example embodiments, the method further comprises determining an activation time of the HARQ feedback configuration based on a time point at which the HARQ feedback configuration is transmitted, and a delay.

[0189] In some example embodiments, the method further comprises determining the delay based on a processing delay of the terminal device, a round trip delay, and a processing delay of the network device.

[0190] In some example embodiments, the method further comprises: in the Kth i At least one of MAC CE or RRC message is scheduled on each TB.

[0191] In some example embodiments, the method further comprises determining the HARQ feedback configuration based on at least one of: a delay required for reliable data transmission; a downlink channel quality report (DCQR) from a terminal device; a propagation loss change rate; or an uplink traffic load.

[0192] In some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback configuration is sent via at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.

[0193] In some example embodiments, the network device is in a non-terrestrial network.

[0194] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of executing any method 700 (e.g., terminal device 120) may include a component for executing each step of method 700. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0195] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ feedback configuration from a network device at a terminal device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device; and a component for sending HARQ feedback to the network device or receiving HARQ feedback from the network device based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0196] In some example embodiments, the fractional feedback ratio is M / N, and N is an integer greater than 1, and M is an integer less than N but not less than 1.

[0197] In some example embodiments, the means for sending or receiving HARQ feedback to or from a network device based on a fractional feedback rate includes means for sending M HARQ feedback indications for N TBs scheduled by a single DCI.

[0198] In some example embodiments, after receiving K of N TBs, i After TB, HARQ feedback indication is sent, and K i Any K i is an integer equal to or less than N, and i is one of {1, 2, ..., M}.

[0199] In some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback configuration is configured by indicating the value of M, the value of N, and the value of K i (multiple) values ​​to indicate the score feedback rate.

[0200] In some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback indication indicates one of the following: i The decoding status of TBs, or the previous K in N TBs i The combined decoding status of TBs.

[0201] In some example embodiments, the DCI includes the following fields, which respectively indicate the Kth i The HARQ feedback for NM TBs indicates the allocated uplink resources, while the uplink resources allocated for the HARQ feedback for the other (NM) TBs are not indicated.

[0202] In some example embodiments, the Kth i TBs are used to receive at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.

[0203] In some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback configuration is received via at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.

[0204] In some example embodiments, the terminal device is in a non-terrestrial network.

[0205] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 700. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause execution of the apparatus.

[0206] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any method 800 (e.g., network device 110) may include a component for performing each step of method 800. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0207] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for sending a HARQ feedback configuration to a terminal device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and a network device; and a component for receiving HARQ feedback from the terminal device or sending HARQ feedback to the terminal device based on the fractional feedback rate.

[0208] In some example embodiments, the fractional feedback ratio is M / N, and N is an integer greater than 1, and M is an integer less than N but not less than 1.

[0209] In some example embodiments, the means for receiving or sending HARQ feedback from or to a terminal device based on a fractional feedback rate comprises means for receiving M HARQ feedback indications for N TBs scheduled by a single DCI.

[0210] In some example embodiments, before sending K of N TBs i TBs later, HARQ feedback indication is received, and K i Any K i is an integer equal to or less than N, and i is one of {1, 2, ..., M}.

[0211] In some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback configuration is configured by indicating the value of M, the value of N, and the value of K i (multiple) values ​​to indicate the score feedback rate.

[0212] In some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback indication indicates one of the following: i The decoding status of TBs, or the previous K in N TBs iThe combined decoding status of TBs.

[0213] In some example embodiments, the DCI includes the following fields, which respectively indicate the Kth i The HARQ feedback for NM TBs indicates the allocated uplink resources, while the uplink resources allocated for the HARQ feedback for the other (NM) TBs are not indicated.

[0214] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for activating the HARQ feedback configuration after receiving a HARQ feedback indication from the terminal device regarding that a TB including the HARQ feedback configuration is successfully received.

[0215] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for determining an activation time of the HARQ feedback configuration based on a time point at which the HARQ feedback configuration is transmitted, and the delay.

[0216] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for determining the delay based on a processing delay of the terminal device, a round trip delay, and a processing delay of the network device.

[0217] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: i A component for scheduling at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message on each TB.

[0218] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: a component for determining a HARQ feedback configuration based on at least one of: a delay required for reliable data transmission; a downlink channel quality report (DCQR) from a terminal device; a rate of change of propagation loss; or an uplink traffic load.

[0219] In some example embodiments, the HARQ feedback configuration is sent via at least one of a MAC CE or an RRC message.

[0220] In some example embodiments, the network device is in a non-terrestrial network.

[0221] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 800. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, with the at least one processor, to cause execution of the apparatus.

[0222] Fig. 9 900 is a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 900 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1The core network device 110 or the terminal device 120 shown in the figure. As shown in the figure, the device 900 includes one or more processors 910, one or more memories 920 coupled to the processor 910, and one or more communication modules 940 coupled to the processor 910.

[0223] The communication module 940 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 940 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements.

[0224] Processor 910 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 900 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock of a synchronized main processor.

[0225] The memory 920 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 924, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical memories. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 922 and other volatile memories that will not persist during the duration of a power outage.

[0226] The computer program 930 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 910. The program 930 may be stored in the ROM 924. The processor 910 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 930 into the RAM 922.

[0227] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by means of program 930, so that the device 900 can execute the following steps: Figures 2 to 3 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0228] In some example embodiments, the program 930 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 900 (such as in the memory 920), or in other storage devices accessible by the device 900. The device 900 may load the program 930 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 922 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.

[0229] Fig.10 1 shows a block diagram of an example of a computer readable medium 1000 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer readable medium 1000 has a program 930 stored thereon. Note that although Fig.10 Computer readable medium 1000 is depicted in the form of a CD or DVD, but computer readable medium 1000 may be in any other form suitable for carrying or maintaining program 930.

[0230] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0231] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above-mentioned Figure 7 8. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functionality of program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine executable instructions of program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0232] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, enables the function / operation specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine, partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0233] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform the above-mentioned various processes and operations. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0234] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices or apparatuses, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media would include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0235] In addition, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in a continuous order, or performing all operations shown to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multi-task parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features peculiar to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0236] Although the present disclosure has been described in the language of specific structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Instead, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, include: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to: receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ feedback configuration from a network device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device, Based on the fractional feedback rate, HARQ feedback is sent to the network device or received from the network device. 2 . The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the fractional feedback rate is M / N, and N is an integer greater than 1, and M is an integer less than N but not less than 1. 3 .

3. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the terminal device is caused to send the HARQ feedback by: For N transport blocks TB scheduled by a single downlink control information DCI, M HARQ feedback indications are sent.

4. The terminal device according to claim 3, wherein upon receiving the Kth TB among the N TBs i TBs later, the HARQ feedback indication is sent, and K i Any one of is an integer equal to or less than N, and i is one of {1, 2, …, M}.

5. The terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the HARQ feedback configuration is configured by indicating the value of M, the value of N and (one or more) K i The value of is used to indicate the fractional feedback rate.

6. The terminal device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the HARQ feedback indication indicates one of the following items: The K i The decoding status of TB, or The previous K of the N TBs i The combined decoding status of TBs.

7. The terminal device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the DCI includes the following fields, the fields respectively indicating the Kth i The uplink resources allocated for the HARQ feedback indication of the (NM) TBs are indicated, while the uplink resources allocated for the HARQ feedback of the other (NM) TBs are not indicated.

8. The terminal device according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the Kth i The TBs are used to receive at least one of a medium access control MAC control element CE or a radio resource control RRC message.

9. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the HARQ feedback configuration is received via at least one of a MAC-CE or an RRC message.

10. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the terminal device is in a non-terrestrial network.

11. A network device, include: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to: sending a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ feedback configuration to a terminal device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device, Based on the fractional feedback rate, HARQ feedback is received from the terminal device or sent to the terminal device. 12 . The network device according to claim 11 , wherein the fractional feedback rate is M / N, and N is an integer greater than 1, and M is an integer less than N but not less than 1.

13. The network device of claim 12, wherein the network device is caused to receive the HARQ feedback by: For N transport blocks TB scheduled by a single downlink control information DCI, M HARQ feedback indications are received.

14. The network device according to claim 13, wherein before sending the Kth TB of the N TBs i TBs later, the HARQ feedback indication is received, and K i is an integer equal to or less than N, and i is one of {1, 2, …, M}.

15. The network device of claim 14, wherein the HARQ feedback configuration is configured by indicating a value of M, a value of N, and (one or more) K i The value of is used to indicate the fractional feedback rate.

16. The network device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the HARQ feedback indication indicates one of the following: The K i The decoding status of TB, or The previous K of the N TBs i The combined decoding status of TBs.

17. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the DCI comprises the following fields, the fields respectively indicating the Kth i The uplink resources allocated for the HARQ feedback indication of the (NM) TBs are indicated, while the uplink resources allocated for the HARQ feedback of the other (NM) TBs are not indicated.

18. The network device according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the network device is further configured to: The HARQ feedback configuration is activated after receiving a HARQ feedback indication from the terminal device that a TB including the HARQ feedback configuration is successfully received.

19. The network device of claim 18, wherein the network device is further configured to: An activation time of the HARQ feedback configuration is determined based on a time point at which the HARQ feedback configuration is sent and a delay.

20. The network device of claim 19, wherein the network device is further caused to: The delay is determined based on a processing delay of the terminal device, a round trip delay, and a processing delay of the network device.

21. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the network device is further configured to: In the K i At least one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or a radio resource control (RRC) is scheduled on each TB.

22. The network device according to any one of claims 11 to 21, wherein the network device is further caused to determine the HARQ feedback configuration based on at least one of the following: Required latency for reliable data transmission; A downlink channel quality report DCQR from the terminal device; The rate of change of propagation loss; or Uplink traffic load.

23. The network device according to any one of claims 11 to 22, wherein the HARQ feedback configuration is sent via at least one of a MAC-CE or an RRC message.

24. The network device according to any one of claims 11 to 23, wherein the network device is in a non-terrestrial network.

25. A method, include: At a terminal device, receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback configuration from a network device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device; and The HARQ feedback is sent to the network device or received from the network device based on the fractional feedback rate.

26. A method, include: Sending a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ feedback configuration to a terminal device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and a network device; as well as Based on the fractional feedback rate, HARQ feedback is received from the terminal device or sent to the terminal device.

27. A device, include: means for receiving, at a terminal device, a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback configuration from a network device, the HARQ feedback configuration indicating a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and the network device; as well as Means for sending the HARQ feedback to the network device or receiving HARQ feedback from the network device based on the fractional feedback rate.

28. A device, include: A component for sending a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ feedback configuration to a terminal device, wherein the HARQ feedback configuration indicates a fractional feedback rate for HARQ feedback between the terminal device and a network device; as well as Means for receiving HARQ feedback from the terminal device or sending HARQ feedback to the terminal device based on the fractional feedback rate.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon, the program instructions being used to execute at least any one of the methods according to claim 25 or 26.

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