Enhancement for dynamic grant override configuration grants

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) in a 5G new radio (NR) environment may be configured to perform operations. In response to receiving a dynamic uplink grant (DG) indicating a HARQ process associated with a configuration uplink grant, the UE may start or restart a configuration grant timer associated with the HARQ process, where the configuration grant timer restricts access to the HARQ process when the configuration grant timer is running. The UE may use the HARQ process to transmit a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) message associated with the DG. The UE may stop the configuration grant timer in response to receiving a HARQ acknowledgement of the PUSCH message associated with the DG and in response to the HARQ process being associated with a configuration uplink grant (CG).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to wireless technology and, more particularly, to communications including dynamic uplink grants (DGs) and configured uplink grants (CGs). Background Art

[0002] The fifth generation mobile network (5G) is a wireless standard designed to improve data transmission speed, reliability, availability, etc. The wireless standard includes numerous processes for improving the latency, speed, and reliability of uplink and downlink transmissions that can be implemented by a transmitting device or a receiving device. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to 5G new radio (NR) operating in licensed spectrum or in shared and unlicensed spectrum (NR-U).

[0004] In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) may have a processor configured to perform the described operations. In response to receiving a dynamic uplink grant (DG) indicating a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process associated with a configured uplink grant, the UE may start or restart a configured grant timer associated with the HARQ process. When the configured grant timer is running, the configured grant timer restricts access to the HARQ process. The UE may use the HARQ process to transmit a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) message associated with the DG. In response to receiving a HARQ acknowledgement of the PUSCH message associated with the DG and in response to the HARQ process being associated with a configured uplink grant (CG), the UE stops the configured grant timer. Thus, the HARQ process may be made available for new data transmission on a CG PUSCH.

[0005] In some aspects, a HARQ acknowledgement may be received in the form of a toggled new data indicator (NDI) bit, which may indicate an acknowledgement but may also indicate the initiation of a new DG. In response to receiving a HARQ acknowledgement as a toggled new data indicator, the UE may restart the configured grant timer for the HARQ process in response to determining that the new DG meets one or more utilization criteria. Additionally, in response to determining that the new DG does not meet one or more utilization criteria of the new DG, the UE may not restart the configured grant timer for the HARQ process.

[0006] In some examples, in response to satisfying the logical channel priority ranking (LCP) mapping restrictions for a new DG, one or more utilization criteria may be satisfied. Additionally or alternatively, in response to the logical channels associated with a CG being able to be multiplexed on the new DG, one or more utilization criteria may be satisfied. Additionally or alternatively, in response to data being available for mapping to one or more logical channels of the new DG, one or more utilization criteria may be satisfied. Additionally or alternatively, in response to data being available for mapping to one or more logical channels of the new CG, where the data is eligible for mapping to the new DG, one or more utilization criteria may be satisfied.

[0007] In this way, the UE determines whether the new DG can be utilized. If it can be utilized, the CG timer is restarted such that the HARQ process associated with that CG timer is reserved for the new DG. Otherwise, the CG timer is not restarted such that the HARQ process can be used for transmission (e.g., for CG PUSCH messages).

[0008] In some aspects, a method may be performed by a UE in an NR environment. In some aspects, a baseband processor may be configured to perform the described method. The baseband processor may execute instructions (e.g., one or more computer programs) stored in a computer-readable medium to perform such a method.

[0009] Other aspects are also described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and is not limited to the figures of the various drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like elements.

[0011] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system is shown in accordance with some aspects.

[0012] Figure 2 Uplink and downlink communications are shown in accordance with some aspects.

[0013] Figure 3 An example block diagram of a UE is shown in accordance with some aspects.

[0014] Figure 4 An example block diagram of a BS is shown in accordance with some aspects.

[0015] Figure 5 An example block diagram of a cellular communication circuit is shown in accordance with some aspects.

[0016] Figure 6 A general example of a HARQ process performed by a UE is shown in accordance with some aspects.

[0017] Figure 7 An example of a HARQ process with DG rewrite is shown in accordance with some aspects.

[0018] Figure 8 Illustrates an example of a HARQ process with DG rewriting according to some aspects.

[0019] Figure 9 Illustrates an example of a method for managing a HARQ process in view of DG rewriting according to some aspects.

[0020] Figure 10 Illustrates an example workflow of a HARQ process and new data indication according to some aspects. Detailed Description

[0021] The present invention describes a method and apparatus for a device to determine physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for a user equipment device and a base station. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough explanation of aspects of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that aspects of the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known components, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0022] References to "some aspects" or "aspects" in this specification mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the aspect can be included in at least one aspect of the present invention. The phrase "in some aspects" appearing in various places in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same aspect.

[0023] In the following description and claims, the terms "coupled" and "connected" and their derivatives may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended to be synonymous with each other. "Coupled" is used to indicate that two or more elements, which may or may not be in direct physical or electrical contact with each other, cooperate or interact with each other. "Connected" is used to indicate the establishment of communication between two or more elements that are coupled to each other.

[0024] The processes shown in the following figures are executed by processing logic that includes hardware (e.g., circuits, dedicated logic, etc.), software (such as software running on a general-purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), or a combination of both. Although the processes are described below in accordance with certain orders of operations, it should be understood that some of the operations may be performed in a different order. Additionally, some operations may be performed in parallel rather than sequentially.

[0025] The terms "server", "client", and "device" are intended to generally refer to data processing systems and not specifically to particular form factors of servers, clients, and / or devices.

[0026] Methods and apparatuses for a device can provide enhanced operation for cases where a dynamic grant can be vetoed to configure a grant. In some aspects, the device is a user equipment device having a wireless link with a base station. In some aspects, the wireless link is a fifth generation (5G) link.

[0027] Figure 1 A simplified example wireless communication system is shown according to some aspects. Note that Figure 1 the system is only one example of possible systems, and the features of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of the various systems as needed.

[0028] As shown, the example wireless communication system includes a base station 102A that communicates with one or more user devices 106A, user devices 106B through user devices 106N, etc. via a transmission medium. Each of the user devices in the user equipment may be referred to as a “user equipment” (UE).

[0029] The base station (BS) 102A may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site (“cellular base station”), and may include hardware enabling wireless communication with the UEs 106A to 106N.

[0030] The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station may be referred to as a “cell”. The base station 102A and the UE 106 may be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any one of various radio access technologies (RATs), which are also referred to as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, advanced LTE (LTE-A), 5G new radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in an LTE environment, it may alternatively be referred to as an “eNodeB” or “eNB”. Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in a 5G NR environment, it may alternatively be referred to as a “gNodeB” or “gNB”.

[0031] As shown, the base station 102A may also be equipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., in various possibilities, the core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunication network such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and / or the Internet). Thus, the base station 102A can facilitate communication between user devices and / or between a user device and the network 100. Specifically, the cellular base station 102A can provide the UEs 106 with various telecommunication capabilities (such as voice, SMS, and / or data services).

[0032] Base stations 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B... 102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can thus provide a network as a cell, and this cell network can provide continuous or approximately continuous overlapping services to UEs 106A-N and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0033] Thus, although base station 102A can act as the "serving cell" of UEs 106A-N as exemplified in Figure 1 , each UE 106 may also be able to receive signals (and may be within its communication range) from one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), and these one or more other cells may be referred to as "adjacent cells". Such cells may also be able to facilitate communication between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. Such cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or any other various granularities of cells providing service area sizes. For example, base stations 102A-B exemplified in Figure 1 may be macro cells, while base station 102N may be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0034] In some aspects, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, for example, a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or a "gNB". In some aspects, the gNB may be connected to a traditional Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and / or connected to a NR Core (NRC) network. In addition, a gNB cell may include one or more Transmission and Reception Points (TRPs). In addition, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0035] Note that UE 106 may be able to communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless networking (such as Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.) in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (such as 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.). If needed, UE 106 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile TV broadcast standards (such as ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0036] Figure 2 A UE 106A is shown that can communicate via uplink and downlink communications with base station 102 in accordance with some aspects. The UEs may each be a device with cellular communication capabilities, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer or tablet computer, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0037] The UE may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. The UE may perform any of the method aspects described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, the UE may include a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) configured to perform any of the method aspects described herein or any portion of any of the method aspects described herein.

[0038] The UE may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some aspects, the UE may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio component and / or GSM or LTE using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna, or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. Typically, the radio component may include any combination of a baseband processor, an analog RF signal processing circuit (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or a digital processing circuit (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of a receive chain and / or a transmit chain between a variety of wireless communication technologies (such as those discussed above).

[0039] In some aspects, the UE may include a separate transmit chain and / or receive chain (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As another possibility, the UE may include one or more radio components shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radio components used uniquely by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE may include a shared radio component for communicating using either LTE or 5G NR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and a separate radio component for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0040] Figure 3 1 shows an example simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some aspects. Note thatFigure 3 The block diagram of the communication device is merely an example of a possible communication device. According to various aspects, in addition to other devices, the communication device 106 can be a UE device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., laptop, notebook or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices. As shown, the communication device 106 can include a set of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, the set of components can be implemented as a system-on-chip (SOC), which can include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 300 can be implemented as separate components or groups of components for various purposes. This set of components 300 can be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuits of the communication device 106.

[0041] For example, the communication device 106 can include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connecting to a computer system; docking station; charging station; input devices such as a microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices such as a speaker; etc.), a display 360 that can be integrated with or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 330 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 (e.g., Bluetooth TM and WLAN circuitry). In some aspects, the communication device 106 can include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as a network interface card for Ethernet, for example.

[0042] The cellular communication circuitry 330 can be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as the antennas 335 and 336 shown. The short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 can also be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as the antennas 337 and 338 shown. Alternatively, the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329, in addition to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) being coupled to the antennas 337 and 338 or as an alternative thereto, can be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to the antennas 335 and 336. The short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 and / or the cellular communication circuitry 330 can include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0043] In some aspects, as further described below, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple radio access technologies (RATs) (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G-NR). Additionally, in some aspects, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include a single transmit chain that can switch between radio components dedicated to a particular RAT. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain as well as a transmit chain shared with additional radio components, such as a second radio component that may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and may communicate with the dedicated receive chain as well as the shared transmit chain.

[0044] The communication device 106 may also include one or more user interface elements and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include various elements such as a display 360 (which may be a touchscreen display), a keyboard (which may be a discrete keyboard or may be implemented as part of a touchscreen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of various other elements capable of providing information to the user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0045] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 345 having SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) 345.

[0046] As shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 and a display circuit 304. The processor may execute program instructions for the communication device 106, and the display circuit may perform graphics processing and provide a display signal to the display 360. The processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 (which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in a memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310)) and / or coupled to other circuits or devices (such as the display circuit 304, short-range wireless communication circuitry 229, cellular communication circuitry 330, connector I / F 320, and / or the display 360). The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some aspects, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0047] As described above, the communication device 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuits. The communication device 106 may also be configured to determine physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for a user equipment device and a base station. In addition, the communication device 106 may be configured to select and group CCs from a wireless link and determine a virtual CC from the selected CC group. The wireless device may also be configured to perform physical downlink resource mapping based on an aggregation resource matching pattern of the CC group.

[0048] As described herein, the communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features for determining physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for the communication device 106 and a base station. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or additionally), the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360, the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0049] In addition, as described herein, the processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, the processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 302. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the processor 302.

[0050] In addition, as described herein, both the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuit 330, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-range wireless communication circuit 329. Thus, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 230. Similarly, the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuit 32. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuit 329.

[0051] Figure 4Shows an example block diagram of a base station 102 according to some aspects. Note that Figure 4 the base station shown is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that can execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuits or devices, and the MMU may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and translate these addresses into locations in a memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0052] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. The network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to a plurality of devices such as UE devices 106 to the telephone network as described above in Figure 1 and Figure 2 .

[0053] The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured to or alternatively may be configured to couple to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to a plurality of devices (such as UE devices 106). In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to the telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by a cellular service provider).

[0054] In some aspects, the base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or a "gNB". In such aspects, the base station 102 may be connected to a traditional Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and / or connected to a NR Core (NRC) network. Additionally, the base station 102 may be regarded as a 5G NR cell and may include one or more Transmission and Reception Points (TRPs). Additionally, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs. In some aspects, the base station may operate in 5G NR-U mode.

[0055] The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly a plurality of antennas. The at least one antenna 434 may be configured to act as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with the UE device 106 via radio components 430. The antenna 434 communicates with the radio components 430 via a communication link 432. The communication link 432 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. The radio components 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5GNR, 5G NR-U, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0056] Base station 102 may be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, base station 102 may include multiple radio components that may enable base station 102 to communicate according to a variety of wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to 5G NR and 5G NR-U. In this case, base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multi-mode radio component capable of performing communication according to any one of a variety of wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0057] As further described subsequently herein, BS102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement or support the specific implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, 470, the processor 404 of BS102 may be configured to implement or support the specific implementation of part or all of the features described herein.

[0058] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 404 may be composed of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 404. Thus, processor 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 404. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform one or more of the functions of processor 404.

[0059] Furthermore, as described herein, radio component 430 may be composed of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio component 430. Thus, radio component 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio component 430. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio component 430.

[0060] Figure 5 FIG. 1 shows a simplified block diagram of an example cellular communication circuit according to some aspects. Note that Figure 5 the block diagram of the cellular communication circuit of FIG. 1 is merely one example of a possible cellular communication circuit. According to various aspects, the cellular communication circuit 330 may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As described above, in addition to other devices, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, notebook or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices.

[0061] The cellular communication circuit 330 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as the antennas 335a-b and 336 shown in Figure 3 FIG. 1. In some aspects, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, as shown in Figure 5 FIG. 1, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. The modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A), and the modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR).

[0062] As shown in FIG. 1, the modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 communicatively coupled to the processors 512. The modem 510 may communicate with a radio frequency (RF) front end 530. The RF front end 530 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 530 may include a receive circuit (RX) 532 and a transmit circuit (TX) 534. In some aspects, the receive circuit 532 may communicate with a downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via the antenna 335a.

[0063] Similarly, the modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and a memory 526 communicatively coupled to the processors 522. The modem 520 may communicate with an RF front end 540. The RF front end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 540 may include a receive circuit 542 and a transmit circuit 544. In some aspects, the receive circuit 542 may communicate with a DL front end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via the antenna 335b.

[0064] In some aspects, switch 570 can couple transmit circuit 534 to uplink (UL) front end 572. Additionally, switch 570 can couple transmit circuit 544 to UL front end 572. UL front end 572 can include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 336. Thus, when cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported via modem 510), switch 570 can be switched to a first state that allows modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including transmit circuit 534 and UL front end 572). Similarly, when cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported via modem 520), switch 570 can be switched to a second state that allows modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including transmit circuit 544 and UL front end 572).

[0065] As described herein, modem 510 can include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features or for determining the physical downlink shared channel for a user equipment device and a base station, as well as for various other techniques described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), processor 512 can be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or additionally), processor 512 can be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or additionally), in combination with one or more of the other components 530, 532, 534, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, processor 512 can be configured to implement some or all of the feature portions described herein.

[0066] Additionally, as described herein, processor 512 can include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 512 can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 512. Additionally, each integrated circuit can include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 512.

[0067] As described herein, the modem 520 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features for determining physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for user equipment devices and base stations and for various other techniques described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), the processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the feature portions described herein. Alternatively (or additionally), the processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or additionally), in combination with one or more of the other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, the processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the feature portions described herein.

[0068] Additionally, as described herein, the processor 522 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, the processor 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 522. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the processor 522.

[0069] 5G supports multi-antenna transmission, beamforming, and simultaneous transmission from multiple geographically separated sites. The channels of different antenna ports associated with a UE may, for example, differ in terms of radio channel attributes. QCL antenna ports may be geographically separated.

[0070] The 5G physical channels provide flexible communication between a 5G base station and a UE. 5G NR has specified physical channels that can be used for downlink or uplink communication in a 5G network. The 5G NR physical channels for uplink communication include the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and the physical random access channel (PRACH). Uplink signals such as DM-RS, PT-RS, and SRS are also supported. 5G NR supports simultaneous transmission on the PUSCH and the PUCCH. The PUSCH is typically used to carry user data and may optionally carry uplink control information (UCI).

[0071] Figure 6 Shows a general example of a HARQ process performed by a UE according to some aspects. The process may be performed by a UE 600, which may correspond to the UE described in other sections.

[0072] Devices with 5G capabilities such as UE 600 can implement the Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) protocol to communicate over a 5G network (e.g., with base station 620). Devices that follow the HARQ protocol (e.g., UE 600) can utilize Forward Error Correction (FEC) and perform Automatic Retransmission (ARQ). With HARQ, messages can be transmitted from the network to the UE (or from the UE to the network) using FEC (e.g., additional information for UE authentication messages).

[0073] In 5G NR, HARQ can be used to perform both downlink and uplink communications asynchronously. HARQ implementations can specifically include the simultaneous operation of multiple HARQ processes. To keep track of each HARQ process, the transmitter (e.g., UE or network) and receiver (e.g., network or UE) in the HARQ process know the HARQ process number for each transmission / reception of HARQ data. For this purpose, the Downlink Control Information (DCI) can carry the HARQ process number. Assuming that both uplink and downlink can implement asynchronous HARQ, both downlink scheduling DCI (e.g., DCI 1_0, 1_1) and uplink scheduling DCI (e.g., DCI 0_0, 0_1) can carry the HARQ process number.

[0074] A UE can support up to 16 parallel HARQ processes. Each HARQ process can have a unique identifier (e.g., HARQID 0, HARQ ID 1) and dedicated resources (e.g., buffers) for storing data associated with that HARQ process transmitted by the UE. The HARQ process can be configured to communicate on a given frequency band at a given time slot (e.g., periodically). The payload of the message to be transmitted can be stored by the HARQ process in a dedicated HARQ process buffer and used to load or reload the transport block transmitted from UE600 to the receiver (e.g., network 620) until the receiver acknowledges that the data for that HARQ process has been received and properly decoded (e.g., verified by FEC). When the HARQ process id is acknowledged by network 620, the UE can release and utilize the HARQ process to send new data.

[0075] The 5G physical channels provide flexible communication between a 5G base station (e.g., network 620) and a UE such as UE 600. 5G NR has specified physical channels that can be used for downlink or uplink communication. The 5G NR physical channels for uplink communication include the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) 618, the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH, not shown), and the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH, not shown). Uplink signals such as DM-RS, PT-RS, and SRS are also supported. 5G NR supports simultaneous transmission on the PUSCH 618 and PUCCH. The PUSCH is typically used to carry user data and optionally can carry uplink control information (UCI).

[0076] UE 600 can use the HARQ protocol and procedures to transmit data asynchronously on the PUSCH 618. The network 620 can configure the UE 600 statically (e.g., as a configured uplink grant) or dynamically (e.g., dynamic uplink grant (DG)). A PUSCH message transmitted by the UE 600 based on a static configuration can be referred to as a CG PUSCH. A PUSCH message transmitted by the UE 600 based on a dynamic configuration can be referred to as a DG PUSCH.

[0077] Regardless of whether it is configured statically or dynamically, each PUSCH message can be associated with a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) process ID (PID). The HARQ entity within the UE can manage the operation of the process. The CG configuration can include multiple CG PUSCHs with the same HARQ process ID. To transmit data via the CG PUSCH, the UE can utilize the resources of a HARQ process (e.g., a buffer dedicated to that HARQ process) by storing the data (e.g., payload) in the HARQ process buffer. The stored data can be copied into a transport block and transmitted asynchronously via a CG PUSCH message.

[0078] For example, in Figure 6 , at time T0, when the UE sends a CG PUSCH message to a receiver (e.g., to the network 620) at the periodic occurrence 604 of HARQ process 0, the UE can start a configured grant (CG) timer 602. The PUSCH message can start being transmitted on the first OFDM symbol of the PUSCH. The CG timer 602 is associated with the HARQ PID 0 of the PUSCH.

[0079] When the CG timer 602 is running, prevent the UE from using CG resources with the same HARQ process (e.g., HARQ PID 0). This prevents the information in the HARQ buffer of HARQ PID 0 (e.g., MAC protocol data unit (PDU)) from being overwritten by a new transmission. This information (e.g., the stored MAC PDU) may be needed and used for HARQ retransmission of HARQ PID 0. The CG timer 602 protects the resources of HARQ PID 0 such that the data in the HARQ buffer can be reused for retransmission during the duration of the CG timer.

[0080] The CG timer 602 can be a software timer set to run for a predetermined amount of time. When the CG timer expires, HARQ PID 0 and its resources can be used for the transmission of new data. For example, at periodic occurrences 608 and 610, only allocate HARQ PID 0 to multiple periods of the CG associated with HARQ PID 0 until the CG timer 602 expires (or until HARQ PID 0 is acknowledged). New transmissions cannot utilize HARQ PID 0 at periodic occurrences 608 and 610 of HARQ PID 0. However, at periodic occurrence 612, a new transmission can utilize HARQ PID 0 to transmit new data to a receiver (e.g., network 620).

[0081] Each HARQ process can have its own resources, its own CG timer, and transmit its own data asynchronously and independently of other HARQ processes. For example, at T1, when the periodic occurrence 606 of a different HARQ PID 1 occurs, a second CG timer (not shown) can be started to protect the resources of HARQ PID 1. Subsequent periodic occurrences of HARQ PID 1 will be protected (not available for the transmission of new data) until the CT timer expires or until HARQ PID 1 is acknowledged by the network 620.

[0082] Although the CG timer helps protect the resources used for retransmission (or the resources typically stored in the HARQ buffer), special conditions can challenge the efficiency of this process. For example, under 5G NR, the network 620 can dynamically configure the UE 600 and the transmission of messages on the PUSCH (e.g., via a dynamic uplink grant). In response, the UE can immediately commandeer the HARQ process assigned to the CG PUSCH and reassign it to the DG PUSCH. For example, after receiving such a dynamic uplink grant, the UE 600 can ensure that a previous uplink grant (e.g., CG) is considered an affirmative acknowledgment. Thus, the content of the HARQ process (e.g., its buffer) can be safely overwritten with the content of the DG. The UE 600 can start or restart the CG timer 602 to protect the HARQ process from being overwritten by a regular CG while the DG is in progress. Regarding Figure 7 and Figure 8 such a scenario is shown and described.

[0083] For example, Section 5.4.1 (UL grant reception) of 3GPP TS 38.321 V17.2.0 stipulates that: The uplink grant is received dynamically on the PDCCH, received in the random access response, configured semi-persistently by RRC, or determined to be associated with the PUSCH resources of the MSGA, as specified in Clause 5.1.2a. The MAC entity shall have an uplink grant to be transmitted on the UL-SCH. To perform the requested transmission, the MAC layer receives HARQ information from the lower layer. An uplink grant addressed to a CS-RNTI with NDI = 0 is considered a configured uplink grant. An uplink grant addressed to a CS-RNTI with NDI = 1 is considered a dynamic uplink grant.

[0084] If the MAC entity has a C-RNTI, a temporary C-RNTI, or a CS-RNTI, then for each PDCCH occasion, and for each serving cell belonging to a TAG with a running timeAlignmentTimer or a running cg-SDT-TimeAlignmentTimer, and for each grant received for that PDCCH occasion:

[0085] 1> If an uplink grant for that serving cell has been received on the PDCCH for the C-RNTI or temporary C-RNTI of the MAC entity; or

[0086] 1> If an uplink grant has been received in the random access response:

[0087] 2> If the uplink grant is for the C-RNTI of the MAC entity, and if the previous uplink grant for the same HARQ process delivered to the HARQ entity was a received uplink grant for the CS-RNTI of the MAC entity or a configured uplink grant:

[0088] 3> Consider the NDI to have been toggled for the corresponding HARQ process regardless of the value of the NDI.

[0089] 2> If the uplink grant is for the C-RNTI of the MAC entity and the identified HARQ process is configured for configured uplink grant:

[0090] 3> Start or restart the configuredGrantTimer for the corresponding HARQ process (if configured);

[0091] 3> Stop the cg-RetransmissionTimer for the corresponding HARQ process (if running).

[0092] In the present disclosure, the term "x>" (where "x" is a number) is used to denote the hierarchy in the application of logical steps, as also used in 3GPP TS 38.321 and other similar standards.

[0093] In a case where the DG rewrites the HARQ resources associated with the CG, it may be beneficial to operate the CG timer in a manner that promotes the efficient use of the HARQ resources.

[0094] Figure 7 An example of a HARQ process with DG rewrite according to some aspects is shown. As described, the HARQ ID can be dynamically assigned by the network via DCI for dynamic uplink grant (DG), or the static configured grant (CG) can be determined by the UE based on a formula in the MAC specification. In the licensed 5G frequencies, the HARQ process may not be shared between different configured grants on the same bandwidth part (BWP). However, a HARQ process shared between the dynamic grant (DG) and the configured grant (CG) may still occur, such that the DG can use the same HARQ process to rewrite the CG.

[0095] For example, at T0, at occurrence 704 of the period of HARQ PID 0, the UE 700 may send a CG PUSCH to the network (not shown). The UE 700 may start the CG timer 702 to limit access to HARQ PID 0. Under normal conditions, until the CG timer expires or until the CG PUSCH of HARQ PID 0 is positively acknowledged by the network, new transmissions may not utilize HARQ PID 0.

[0096] As described, at time T1, the UE may receive (from the network) a dynamic uplink grant (DG) addressed to the cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) associated with the UE 700. The C-RNTI is a unique identifier used to identify the RRC connection and scheduling dedicated to a specific UE (e.g., UE 700). In response, the UE 700 may consider the DG as a signal that the CG PUSCH has been positively acknowledged, and start or restart the CG timer 702 for HARQ PID 0. Thus, the UE commandeers HARQ PID 0 to transmit data for the DG PUSCH. The DG may specify resources (e.g., use HARQ PID 0 at a given time or time slot, under a given frequency band).

[0097] At the periodic occurrence 708 of the CG associated with HARQ PID 0 (which is now assigned to the DG PUSCH), the UE 700 may use HARQ PID 0 to send the DG PUSCH to the receiver (e.g., the network) and start or restart the CG timer 702, thereby preventing the HARQ PID from being used by new data arriving for that CG. The HARQ PID 0 at occurrence 706 is reasonably blocked from being used by the CG because it is being used by the DG. After the CG timer associated with the DG PUSCH expires, the HARQ PID 0 at 712 becomes available.

[0098] However, assume that at T2, the UE plans to send new CG data. If not for the CG timer 702 being running, the UE could potentially utilize the HARQ PID 0 at occurrence 710. Even if the DG is successfully transmitted, the CG timer can prevent the new CG data from using the HARQ PID 0. Thus, assigning the HARQ PID 0 to the DG can block the HARQ PID 0 for an unnecessarily long time and introduce additional latency for the logical channel mapped to the CG. At period 712, the logical channel mapped to the CG can utilize the HARQ PID 0 because the CT timer 702 (assigned to the DG) has expired, but by this time, some utilization of the HARQ PID 0 has been unnecessarily lost. Without additional action by the UE, even if the DG can use the C-RNTI to retransmit, the DG may unnecessarily block the HARQ process (e.g., HARQ PID 0).

[0099] Accordingly, the UE may take additional actions to improve the efficient use of the HARQ process while understanding that the CG timer needs to run for a certain duration. Otherwise, another CG could be directly scheduled by the UE after the DG is allocated, and the HARQ process used by the DG could be rewritten.

[0100] Figure 8Shows an example of a HARQ process with DG retransmission according to some aspects. Figure 8 Similar to Figure 7 , except that Figure 8 the DG in

[0101] is received at an earlier time and can thus potentially block access to HARQ PID 0 for a longer time. Figure 7 As shown

[0102] At T0, at cycle 804, UE 800 transmits a CG PUSCH with HARQ PID 0 and restarts the CG timer 802 for the DG PUSCH. At T1, the UE receives the DG from the network and transmits the DG PUSCH before the next opportunity for CG HARQ PID 0. Thus, assuming that at T2, new CG data is available for transmission, if it were not for the CG timer 802 running, the UE could potentially utilize HARQ PID 0 at cycles 806 and 810. Thus, rather than unnecessarily blocking HARQ PID0 for one cycle (as Figure 7 shown), here the DG can cause the HARQ process (PID 0) to be blocked for additional cycles. After the CG timer associated with the DG PUSCH expires, HARQ PID 0 at 812 becomes available.

[0102] In some aspects, a UE (e.g., UE 700 or UE 800) may stop the CG timer (e.g., 702 or 802) for the HARQ process (PID 0) associated with the DG-PUSCH upon a positive HARQ acknowledgment (e.g., HARQ-ACK). This allows the next CG (e.g., at cycle 806) to immediately use HARQ process PID 0 after the DG has been successfully transmitted, assuming that the next DG is not scheduled to veto the CG again.

[0103] In some examples, aspects of the present disclosure apply to scenarios where the CG timer is initially started by a DG received on a PDCCH for a C-RNTI of a MAC entity and a HARQ-ACK is received for a dynamic grant. Since the CG timer is initiated while the DG is in progress to protect the HARQ process from being overwritten by a different MAC PDU (e.g., for the CG), it is unnecessary (and reduces resource utilization) to continue running the CG timer when the DG has received a positive acknowledgment.

[0104] For example, at T1A, the UA may receive a HARQ-ACK (e.g., via a PDCCH for a C-RNTI of the MAC entity corresponding to UE 700 or 800). The CG timer (702 or 802) may be stopped so that HARQ PID 0 is available for the logical channel assigned to the CG.

[0105] In some aspects, a HARQ-ACK for a dynamic grant is received when the NDI provided in the associated HARQ information (e.g., in the DCI) has been toggled compared to its value in the previous transmission of the transport block of the HARQ process. At the MAC layer, the network and the UE can use the NDI to determine whether the received transport block is a new transmission or a retransmission. When the NDI is toggled in the DCI, the UE can treat it as an indication to receive new downlink data. Similarly, the toggled NDI received in an uplink grant notifies the UE to transmit new data.

[0106] In some aspects, if a HARQ process receives downlink feedback information, or if the previous uplink grant for the same HARQ process delivered to the HARQ entity is for the C-RNTI of the MAC entity and the identified HARQ process is configured for configured uplink grant and the HARQ process receives HARQ feedback associated with the C-RNTI for transmission, the HARQ process shall:

[0107] Stop the cg-RetransmissionTimer if it is running;

[0108] 1> If an acknowledgement is indicated:

[0109] 2> Stop the configuredGrantTimer if it is running.

[0110] Figure 9 An example of a method for managing a HARQ process in view of DG rewriting according to some aspects is shown. Method 900 can be performed by a user equipment (UE) in a 5G New Radio (NR) environment.

[0111] At block 902, the UE can start or restart a configured grant (CG) timer associated with the HARQ process in response to receiving a dynamic uplink grant (DG) indicating the HARQ process associated with the configured uplink grant, where the configured grant timer restricts access to the HARQ process when it is running. For example, as described with respect to Figure 7 and Figure 8 upon receiving a DG indicating HARQ PID 0, the UE can restart the CG timer 702 or 802 associated with HARQ PID 0. When the CG timer is running, the CG timer restricts HARQ PID 0's access to the logical channel associated with the CG.

[0112] At block 904, the UE can use the HARQ process to transmit a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) message associated with the DG. For example, referring to Figure 7 and Figure 8The UE can use HARQ PID 0 to send DG PUSCH.

[0113] At block 906, the UE can stop the configured grant timer in response to receiving a HARQ acknowledgment for a PUSCH message associated with DG and in response to the HARQ process being associated with a configured uplink grant (CG). For example, referring to Figure 7 and Figure 8 , at T1A, the UE can receive the HARQ acknowledgment and stop CG timer 702 or 802, thereby making HARQ PID 0 available for new CG data transmission.

[0114] In some examples, the configured grant timer is not stopped in the absence of receiving a HARQ acknowledgment for a PUSCH message associated with DG. For example, referring to Figure 7 or Figure 8 , if the UE does not receive a HARQ ACK for the DG PUSCH, the UE can allow CG timer 702 or 802 to run its process (thereby preventing access to HARQ PID 0) until the CG timer expires.

[0115] The HARQ process can be one of multiple HARQ processes, and each of the multiple HARQ processes has a corresponding buffer for asynchronously sending data associated with that HARQ process. As described, under the 5G NR protocol, the UE can manage up to 16 HARQ processes simultaneously. Each of those HARQ processes can include corresponding resources (e.g., buffers, CG timers, etc.) that can be used to asynchronously transfer data to the receiver. When the CG timer associated with a HARQ process is running, the HARQ process (and its buffer) is protected from being overwritten and reused for new data. Thus, the MAC PDU information associated with the HARQ process is not overwritten by new MAC PDU information for new data.

[0116] In some examples, the UE can send new data via a CG PUSCH message having a HARQ process and restart the configured grant timer. For example, in Figure 7 and Figure 8 , after the UE receives the HARQ acknowledgment and stops CG timer 702 or 802 at T1A, the UE can use HARQ PID 0 at 710, 806, or 810 to transfer new data to the receiver via the CG PUSCH. The UE can start the CG timer associated with HARQ PID 0 to limit access to HARQ PID 0.

[0117] Figure 10FIG. 1000 shows an example workflow of a HARQ process and new data indication according to some aspects. In some cases, stopping the CG timer itself in response to a HARQ-ACK for a DG PUSCH may not be sufficient to make the HARQ process available.

[0118] As described, the HARQ-ACK for the DG can be transmitted by the network as a switched NDI bit or field. The NDI can be a DCI field within the new DG. If the NDI has been switched, this can indicate that a DG for new data has been received. In such cases, the UE can continue to perform a new transmission on the new DG, which includes restarting the CG timer to protect the HARQ process for the DG PUSCH. In this case, the HARQ process is still not available for the logical channel associated with the CG.

[0119] It should be understood that if the logical channel mapped to the CG is also mapped to the DG, the UE can multiplex new data for the CG into the DG. In some cases, according to the logical channel priority ordering (LCP) mapping restriction, the next DG (for the same HARQ process) may not be eligible for use. Additionally, in some cases, data may not be available for multiplexing. For example, when the DG is used for p1 and there is no logical channel (LCH) that permits the use of such a DG or no LCH with data available for p1, the allowedPHY-PriorityIndex can be set to p0.

[0120] The MAC layer gives priority to data from the logical channels CCCH, DCCH, and DTCH. The prioritization of uplink data at the UE can be set based on parameters provided by the network. These parameters can be set via Logical Channel Config, which can include priority, prioritizedBitRate, and bucketSizeDuration (lower numerical priorities correspond to higher priorities). The RRC can additionally control the LCP procedure by configuring mapping restrictions for each logical channel via control fields, which include: allowedSCS-List, which sets the allowed subcarrier spacing for transmission; maxPUSCH-Duration, which sets the maximum PUSCH duration allowed for transmission; configuredGrantType1Allowed, which sets whether configured grant type 1 can be used for transmission; allowedServingCells, which sets the allowed cells for transmission; allowedCG-List, which sets the allowed configured grants for transmission; and allowedPHY-PriorityIndex, which sets the allowed PHY priority index for dynamic grants for transmission.

[0121] In some aspects, the UE may stop the CG timer after a HARQ-ACK for a DG. Additionally or alternatively, depending on one or more conditions (e.g., using criteria), the UE may not restart the CG timer on a new DG. Additionally or alternatively, if a DG cannot be used (e.g., based on using criteria), the UE may not start the CG timer. Each of these behavioral options may apply under one or more conditions, such as, for example: the LCP mapping restrictions (according to subclause 5.4.3.1.2 of TS 38.321) prevent the use of the DG; and / or the logical channels mapped to the CG cannot be multiplexed on the DG; and / or there is no data available for the LCH mapped to the DG; and / or there is no data available for the LCH mapped to the CG that is also eligible to be mapped to the DG. Regarding Figure 10 The flowcharts shown depict various scenarios.

[0122] At block 1002, the UE may receive a HARQ acknowledgment (ACK) from the network that acknowledges the receipt of a DG PUSCH and indicates a potential new DG with a HARQ process. The HARQ ACK may correspond to Figure 9HARQ ACK for the frame 906. As described, the HARQ ACK can be indicated by the toggled value of the NDI field of the DCI. Assuming that the NDI field is used both as an acknowledgement for the DG PUSCH and as an indication for the UE to transmit a new DG, it may be desirable to restart the CG timer associated with the DG PUSCH for the HARQ process to reserve the HARQ process for the new DG transmission.

[0123] At block 1004, the UE can determine whether a new DG can be utilized by the HARQ process. In some aspects, in response to receiving a HARQ acknowledgement as the toggled new data indication, the UE can proceed to block 1008 and restart the CG timer for the HARQ process in response to determining that the new DG meets one or more utilization criteria. The UE can proceed to block 1006 and not restart the configured grant timer for the HARQ process in response to determining that the new DG does not meet one or more utilization criteria for the new DG.

[0124] For example, one or more utilization criteria can be met in response to satisfying the logical channel priority ordering (LCP) mapping restrictions for the new DG. These LCP mapping restrictions can include those described in 5.4.3.1.2 of TS 38.321, such as, for example, the set of subcarrier spacing index values allowed in allowedSCS-List (if configured) includes the subcarrier spacing index associated with the UL grant; and maxPUSCH-Duration (if configured) is greater than or equal to the PUSCH transmission duration associated with the UL grant; and configuredGrantType1Allowed (if configured) is set to true in the case where the UL grant is a configured grant type 1; and allowedServingCells (if configured) includes the cell information associated with the UL grant. Not applicable to the logical channel associated with the DRB when PDCP duplication is configured within the same MAC entity (i.e., CA duplication) while the DRB for that MAC entity is deactivated; and allowedCG-List (if configured) includes the configured grant index associated with the UL grant; and allowedPHY-PriorityIndex (if configured) includes the priority index associated with the dynamic UL grant (as specified in clause 9 of TS 38.213 [6]); and allowedHARQ-mode (if configured) includes the uplinkHARQ-mode for the HARQ process associated with the UL grant.

[0125] In some aspects, at block 1004, one or more utilization criteria are met in response to the logical channel associated with the CG being able to be multiplexed on the new DG.

[0126] In some examples, at block 1004, one or more utilization criteria are met in response to data being available for mapping to one or more logical channels mapped to a new DG or mapped to a CG, where the data is eligible to be mapped to the new DG.

[0127] In some aspects, if a MAC entity has a C-RNTI, a temporary C-RNTI, or a CS-RNTI, the MAC entity shall, for each PDCCH occasion, and for each serving cell belonging to a TAG with a running timeAlignmentTimer or a running cg-SDT-TimeAlignmentTimer, and for each grant received for that PDCCH occasion:

[0128] if the uplink grant for that serving cell has been received on a PDCCH for the C-RNTI or temporary C-RNTI of the MAC entity; or

[0129] if the uplink grant has been received in a random access response: if the uplink grant is for the C-RNTI of the MAC entity and if the previous uplink grant for the same HARQ process delivered to the HARQ entity was an uplink grant received for the C-RNTI of the MAC entity or a configured uplink grant: consider that the NDI has been toggled for the corresponding HARQ process regardless of the value of the NDI.

[0130] if the uplink grant is for the C-RNTI of the MAC entity and the identified HARQ process is configured for a configured uplink grant: if, according to mapping restrictions (e.g., as described in clause 5.4.3.1.2 of 3GPP TS 38.321 V17.2.0), a logical channel with available data that can be multiplexed in a MAC PDU can be transmitted on the uplink grant, start or restart the configuredGrantTimer (if configured) for the corresponding HARQ process; stop the cg-RetransmissionTimer (if running) for the corresponding HARQ process.

[0131] Using the aspects described in the present disclosure, the latency of SDUs transmitted on logical channels mapped to a CG can be reduced. In addition, power consumption can be reduced because the UE can complete outstanding CG transmissions more quickly. The UE can use the spectrum more efficiently. The aspects described can be applied to legacy NR MAC (e.g., in Rel-16 and Rel-17) and / or for URLLC / IIoT.

[0132] It should be understood that the examples and aspects of the present disclosure can be combined by those skilled in the art.

[0133] Portions of the above-described subject matter can be implemented using logic circuitry such as dedicated logic circuits or using a microcontroller or other form of processing core that executes program code instructions. Thus, the processes taught by the above discussion can be executed using program code such as machine-executable instructions that cause a machine to execute the instructions to perform certain functions. In this context, a "machine" can be a machine that converts intermediate form (or "abstract") instructions into processor-specific instructions (e.g., an abstract execution environment such as a "virtual machine" (e.g., Java virtual machine), interpreter, common language runtime, high-level language virtual machine, etc.), and / or an electronic circuit disposed on a semiconductor chip (e.g., a "logic circuit" implemented using transistors) that is designed to execute instructions, the processor such as a general-purpose processor and / or a dedicated processor. The processes taught by the above discussion can also be executed by (as an alternative to or in combination with a machine) an electronic circuit that is designed to execute the process (or a portion thereof) without executing program code.

[0134] The invention also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations described herein. The apparatus can be specially constructed for the required purpose or can include a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in a computer. Such a computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as but not limited to any type of disk, including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, read-only memory (ROM), RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each is coupled to a computer system bus.

[0135] Machine-readable media include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, machine-readable media include read-only memory ("ROM"); random access memory ("RAM"); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash devices; and the like.

[0136] A baseband processor (also known as a baseband radio processor, BP, or BBP) is a device (chip or part of a chip) in a network interface that manages radio functions, such as communicating on an antenna (e.g., TX and RX).

[0137] An article can be used to store program code. The article storing the program code can be implemented as, but not limited to, one or more memories (e.g., one or more flash memories, random access memories (static, dynamic or others)), optical discs, CD-ROMs, DVD ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or other types of machine-readable media suitable for storing electronic instructions. Program code can also be downloaded from a remote computer (e.g., a server) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) by means of a data signal contained in a propagated medium (e.g., via a communication link (such as a network connection)).

[0138] The foregoing detailed description has been presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the tools used by those skilled in the data processing art, and they are also the means by which those skilled in the art can most effectively convey the substance of their work to others in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to a desired result. These operations are those that require physical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, but not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, etc. mainly for general reasons.

[0139] However, it should be borne in mind that all these and similar terms are associated with appropriate physical quantities, and they are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless otherwise specifically stated, it is apparent from the above discussion that, throughout the specification, discussions using terms such as "select", "determine", "receive", "form", "group", "aggregate", "generate", "remove", etc. refer to actions and processes of a computer system or similar electronic computing device that can manipulate data represented as physical (electronic) quantities in the registers and memories of the computer system and convert it into other data similarly represented as physical quantities in the computer system memory or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices.

[0140] The processes and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other device. According to the teachings herein, various general-purpose systems can be used with the program, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized devices for performing the operations. The required structure for various such systems will be apparent from the following description. In addition, the present invention has not been described with reference to any particular programming language. It should be understood that a variety of programming languages can be used to implement the teachings of the present invention as described herein.

[0141] As is well known, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0142] The foregoing discussion has described only some exemplary aspects of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize from these discussions, the drawings, and the claims that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a 5G New Radio (NR) environment, comprising: in response to receiving a dynamic uplink grant (DG) indicating a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) process associated with a configured uplink grant, starting or restarting a configured grant timer associated with the HARQ process, wherein when the configured grant timer is running, the configured grant timer restricts access to the HARQ process; using the HARQ process to transmit a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message associated with the DG; in response to receiving a HARQ acknowledgement of the PUSCH message associated with the DG and in response to the HARQ process being associated with a configured uplink grant (CG), stopping the configured grant timer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in response to receiving the HARQ acknowledgement as a new data indication for handover, in response to determining that a new DG meets one or more utilization criteria, restarting the configured grant timer for the HARQ process, and in response to determining that the new DG does not meet the one or more utilization criteria of the new DG, not restarting the configured grant timer for the HARQ process.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more utilization criteria are met in response to a Logical Channel Prioritization (LCP) mapping restriction of the new DG being satisfied.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more utilization criteria are met in response to a logical channel associated with the CG being multiplexable on the new DG.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more utilization criteria are met in response to data being available for one or more logical channels mapped to the new DG.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more utilization criteria are met in response to data being available for one or more logical channels mapped to the CG, wherein the data is eligible to be mapped to the new DG.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the configured grant timer is not stopped in the absence of receiving the HARQ acknowledgement of the PUSCH message associated with the DG.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the HARQ process is one of a plurality of HARQ processes, and each HARQ process in the plurality of HARQ processes has a corresponding buffer for asynchronously transmitting data associated with the HARQ process.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the configured grant timer prevents the HARQ process from being reused and overwritten for new data.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: using the HARQ process to transmit new data via a CG PUSCH message and restarting the configured grant timer.

11. A user equipment (UE) having a processor configured to perform operations, the operations comprising: In response to receiving a dynamic uplink grant (DG) indicating a HARQ process associated with a configured uplink grant, start or restart a configured grant timer associated with the HARQ process, wherein when the configured grant timer is running, the configured grant timer restricts access to the HARQ process; Use the HARQ process to transmit a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) message associated with the DG; In response to receiving a HARQ acknowledgement of the PUSCH message associated with the DG and in response to the HARQ process being associated with a configured uplink grant (CG), stop the configured grant timer.

12. The UE according to claim 11, wherein in response to receiving the HARQ acknowledgement as a new data indication for handover, in response to determining that the new DG satisfies one or more utilization criteria, restart the configured grant timer for the HARQ process, and in response to determining that the new DG does not satisfy the one or more utilization criteria of the new DG, do not restart the configured grant timer for the HARQ process.

13. The UE according to claim 12, wherein the one or more utilization criteria are satisfied in response to the logical channel priority ranking (LCP) mapping restriction of the new DG being satisfied.

14. The UE according to claim 12, wherein the one or more utilization criteria are satisfied in response to the logical channel associated with the CG being multiplexable on the new DG.

15. The UE according to claim 12, wherein the one or more utilization criteria are satisfied in response to data being available for mapping to one or more logical channels of the new DG.

16. The UE according to claim 12, wherein the one or more utilization criteria are satisfied in response to data being available for mapping to one or more logical channels of the CG, wherein the data is eligible for mapping to the new DG.

17. The UE according to claim 11, wherein the configured grant timer is not stopped in the absence of receiving the HARQ acknowledgement of the PUSCH message associated with the DG.

18. The UE according to claim 11, wherein the HARQ process is one of a plurality of HARQ processes, and each HARQ process of the plurality of HARQ processes has a corresponding buffer for asynchronously transmitting data associated with the HARQ process.

19. The UE according to claim 11, wherein the configured grant timer prevents the HARQ process from being reused and overwritten for new data.

20. The UE according to claim 11, further comprising: Use the HARQ process to transmit new data via a CG PUSCH message and restart the configured grant timer.

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