Transport block identifier

Abstract

According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a scheme for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmission indication is provided. In the scheme, a terminal device receives downlink control information (DCI) including a transport block (TB) identifier from a network device. And the terminal equipment compares the received TB identifier with the stored TB identifier. And then, the terminal equipment processes the data according to the comparison result. The data includes uplink data to be transmitted to be based on an uplink grant included in the DCI or downlink data to be received to be based on a downlink allocation included in the DCI.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more specifically, to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmission indication. BACKGROUND

[0002] HARQ can be implemented in the medium access control (MAC) protocol of long term evolution (LTE) and fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR). HARQ is a transmission scheme that improves reliability and robustness by providing retransmission and by using different code redundancy versions (RVs) and incremental soft combining. For both downlink and uplink, multiple HARQ processes can run in parallel depending on the capability of a user equipment (UE). In the case of downlink (DL) data transmission, the UE sends HARQ feedback (e.g., an acknowledgement ACK or a negative acknowledgement NACK) to report the decoding result of a transport block (TB) received in a HARQ process. Based on the feedback, the network (NW) can retransmit a previous TB or send a new TB for the same HARQ process. In the case of UL data transmission, the NW can schedule a new TB or retransmission based on the decoding status of previous transmissions in a HARQ process. SUMMARY

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to receive, from a network device, downlink control information (DCI) including a transport block identifier; compare the transport block identifier with a stored transport block identifier; and process data based on a result of the comparison, wherein the data includes uplink data to be transmitted based on an uplink grant included in the downlink control information or downlink data to be received based on a downlink assignment included in the downlink control information.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to determine a transport block identifier corresponding to a transport block; transmit, to a terminal device, downlink control information including the transport block identifier; transmit, to the terminal device, downlink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information, or receive, from the terminal device, uplink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information.

[0005] In a third aspect of the disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes receiving, at a terminal device, downlink control information including a transport block identifier from a network device; comparing the transport block identifier with a stored transport block identifier; and processing data based on a result of the comparison, wherein the data includes uplink data to be transmitted based on an uplink grant included in the downlink control information or downlink data to be received based on a downlink assignment included in the downlink control information.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes determining, at a network device, a transport block identifier corresponding to a transport block; transmitting, to a terminal device, downlink control information including the transport block identifier; transmitting, to the terminal device, downlink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information or receiving, from the terminal device, uplink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes means for receiving, from a network device, downlink control information including a transport block identifier; means for comparing the transport block identifier with a stored transport block identifier; and means for processing data based on a result of the comparison, wherein the data includes uplink data to be transmitted based on an uplink grant included in the downlink control information or downlink data to be received based on a downlink assignment included in the downlink control information.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes means for determining a transport block identifier corresponding to a transport block; means for transmitting, to a terminal device, downlink control information including the transport block identifier; and means for transmitting, to the terminal device, downlink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information or means for receiving, from the terminal device, uplink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of the disclosure, a computer readable medium is provided. The computer readable medium includes instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the third aspect.

[0010] In an eighth aspect of the disclosure, a computer readable medium is provided. The computer readable medium includes instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the disclosure will be readily apparent from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 An example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is illustrated; Figure 2 A signaling diagram for communication is illustrated in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 3 An example procedure for HARQ feedback at a terminal device is illustrated in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 4 A flow diagram of a method implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated; Figure 5 A flow diagram of a method implemented at a network device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated; Figure 6 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated; and Figure 7 A block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0013] Throughout the drawings, identical or similar reference numerals can represent same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] 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 help the understanding of and facilitate the implementation of the present disclosure, without implying any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0015] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, 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.

[0016] References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “example embodiments”, etc., indicate that the embodiment described can include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment can not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0017] It should be understood that, although terms, such as "first" and "second," etc., can 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. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the example embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms.

[0018] As used herein, "at least one of " and "one or more of " and similar phrases, in which the list of two or more elements is bound by "and" or "or," means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements.

[0019] As used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, performing a step "in response to A" does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after A occurs, and can include one or more intervening steps.

[0020] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes" and / or "including," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or groups thereof.

[0021] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" can refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry) and (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processors); and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, either

[0022] Such definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers implementations including only hardware circuitry or only processor(s) (or multiple processors), or only hardware circuitry or processor(s) plus software and / or firmware that might all be a part of an implementation. For example, if applicable, the term circuitry also covers an implementation for 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.

[0023] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Further, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed in accordance with any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols that are currently known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In consideration of the rapid development of communication, there will of course also be future types of communication technology and systems that can embody the present disclosure. The foregoing systems should not be seen as limiting the scope of the disclosure only to the aforementioned systems.

[0024] As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which terminal devices access the network and receive services therefrom. The network device can refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), e.g., a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB, eNB), a NR NB (also known as gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node such as a femto, pico, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a flying aircraft network device, etc., depending on the terminology applied and technology. In some example embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) at an IAB donor node and a distributed unit (DU). An IAB node includes a mobile termination (IAB-MT) part which behaves like a UE to a parent node, and a DU part of the IAB node which behaves like a base station to a next hop IAB node.

[0025] The term “terminal device” refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example, and without limitation, a terminal device can also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). A terminal device can include, but is not limited to, a mobile telephone, a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet, 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 gaming terminal device, a music storage and playback appliance, a vehicular wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), a laptop-mounted equipment (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or

[0026] As used herein, the term “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” can refer to any resource used to perform communication, such as a resource in a time domain, a resource in a frequency domain, a resource in a spatial domain, a resource in a code domain, or any other resource capable of communication, etc. Hereinafter, unless explicitly stated otherwise, resources in a frequency domain and a time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources to describe some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Note that example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0027] As used herein, the term “new transmission” can refer to an initial transmission of a TB. Hereinafter, the terms “new transmission” and “initial transmission” can be used interchangeably.

[0028] As used herein, if a TB identifier corresponds to another TB identifier, it can mean that the two TB identifiers can have the same value, or the two TB identifiers are equal to each other, or one of the two TB identifiers is mapped to the other TB identifier, etc. In one simple example, if the received and stored TB identifiers have the same value, they can be understood to correspond to each other. Further, if the TB identifiers identify the same TB, they can be understood to correspond to each other. Similarly, in the reverse case, two TB identifiers can be understood to not correspond to each other (e.g., have different values, are not equal to each other, and / or are not mapped to each other). Further, if the TB identifiers identify different TBs, they can be understood to not correspond to each other.

[0029] As used herein, if a new data indicator (NDI) corresponds to another NDI, it can mean that the two NDIs can have the same value, or the two NDIs are equal to each other, or one of the two NDIs is mapped to the other, etc.

[0030] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown. The communication environment 100 can include a terminal device 110. Hereinafter, the terminal device 110 can also be referred to as a UE.

[0031] The communication environment 100 can also include a network device 120. Hereinafter, the network device 120 can also be referred to as a gNB. The network device 120 can communicate with the terminal device 110.

[0032] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of network devices and terminal devices shown is given for purposes of illustration and is not intended to imply any limitation. The communication environment 100 can include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0033] In some example embodiments, a link from the network device 120 to the terminal device 110 can be referred to as a downlink (DL), and a link from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 can be referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, the network device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the terminal device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the terminal device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and the network device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0034] Communications in the communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol that is currently known or that is developed in the future. Moreover, communications can utilize any suitable wireless communication techniques, including but not limited to code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other techniques that are currently known or that are developed in the future.

[0035] Data transmissions between the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 can be based on a HARQ scheme. In some example embodiments, non-terrestrial communications can be employed in the communication environment 100.

[0036] Non-terrestrial communications can be in a complementary manner to terrestrial deployments, where satellite connections can provide coverage beyond terrestrial deployments. Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has studied non-terrestrial networks (NTN) for Release (Rel)-17 and Internet of Things (IoT)-NTN performance enhancements for Rel-18. Enabling / disabling HARQ feedback in downlink and HARQ mode A / B in uplink are important features. The benefits of disabling HARQ feedback in downlink and HARQ mode B in uplink for NTN and IoT over NTN are enabling gNB to reuse HARQ process ID before the full HARQ round trip time (RTT) has passed, to avoid HARQ stalling and reduce transmission latency and to support peak throughput.

[0037] In NR NTN, HARQ feedback for downlink transmission or HARQ mode A / B for uplink transmission is semi-statically configured by RRC signaling. The configuration is indicated per HARQ process index in bitmap fashion, e.g., 32-bit bitmap in case of 32 configured HARQ process numbers.

[0038] In terms of IoT over NTN, discussions are ongoing on HARQ feedback disable / enable in downlink and HARQ mode A / B in uplink. Both HARQ feedback enable and disable are agreed to be supported to guarantee the reliability of some important MAC control elements (CEs) and radio resource control (RRC) signaling and to avoid HARQ stalling. Since the number of HARQ processes in IoT and eMTC can be smaller than NR UEs, e.g., at most two HARQ processes for NB-IoT, 4 HARQ processes for eMTC CE mode B, a lot of signaling on reconfiguring HARQ feedback enable / disable can be needed in case of reusing NR NTN solutions. Therefore, dynamic HARQ feedback enable / disable is discussed for IoT over NTN. It has been agreed to support both option 1 (i.e., per HARQ process via UE-specific RRC signaling in a semi-static way) and option 3 (i.e., explicitly indicated by DCI dynamically) for NB-IoT and eMTC CE mode B, but option 1 (i.e., per HARQ process via UE-specific RRC signaling) for eMTC CE mode A. Detailed solutions on how to use option 1 and option 3 are still under discussion. In addition, it is agreed that HARQ mode A and HARQ mode B will be supported in uplink for IoT NTN. In HARQ mode A, the scheduling of UL retransmission always depends on the previous PUSCH decoding result. While in HARQ mode B, the retransmission is scheduled without relying on the decoding result. Detailed solutions on HARQ mode A / B are also under discussion. In downlink, the eNB / gNB performs scheduling of new transmission and retransmission of each transport block (TB) per HARQ process based on HARQ feedback from the UE. The NDI field in DCI is used to indicate that the allocation is for new transmission or retransmission. At the UE side, the detailed procedure of HARQ operation can be as follows: For each transmission time interval (TTI) in which a transmission occurs for a HARQ process, one or two (in case of downlink spatial multiplexing) TBs and associated HARQ information are received from the HARQ entity.

[0039] For each received TB and associated HARQ information, the HARQ process shall: - if the NDI has been toggled when provided compared to the value of the previously received transmission corresponding to this TB; or - if this is the first received transmission for this TB (i.e., there is no previous NDI for this TB): - consider the transmission as a new transmission.

[0040] - else: - consider the transmission as a retransmission.

[0041] Then, the MAC entity shall: - If this is a new transmission: - Attempt to decode the received data.

[0042] - Else if this is a retransmission: - If the data for this TB has not been successfully decoded: - Combine the received data with the data currently in the soft buffer for this TB and attempt to decode the combined data.

[0043] - If the data that the MAC entity attempted to decode is successfully decoded for this TB; or - If the data for this TB was successfully decoded previously: - If this is the first successful decoding of the data for this TB: - Deliver the decoded MAC PDU to the disassembly and demultiplexing entity.

[0044] - Generate a positive acknowledgement (ACK) for the data in this TB.

[0045] - Else: - Replace the data in the soft buffer for this TB with the data that the MAC entity attempted to decode.

[0046] - Generate a negative acknowledgement (NACK) for the data in this TB.

[0047] The careful design of the NDI field in LTE and NR is to use toggling values instead of absolute values to indicate new transmission, which can detect DCI / NDI failure and avoid incorrect combination of data for different TBs. One example procedure can be as follows.

[0048] At step 0: UE successfully receives a DCI with NDI = 0. The corresponding TB is TB0. UE does not correctly decode the corresponding PDSCH, i.e., TB0 decoding failure. At step 1: gNB schedules a new transmission with NDI = 1, the corresponding TB is TB1. At step 2: UE misses the DCI with NDI = 1. At step 3: gNB schedules a retransmission with NDI = 1, the corresponding TB is TB1. At step 4: UE receives the DCI with NDI = 1, and UE knows that the NDI has toggled and this DCI is for other TBs. Therefore, UE will not perform data combination for TB decoding.

[0049] However, when HARQ feedback is disabled, when there is a DCI decoding failure (e.g. due to deep fading), the network and the UE cannot synchronize the NDI state (as described in the following step 2). It is likely that the network sends a new transmission while the UE misinterprets it as a retransmission. In this case, there will be an error in the combination of the received data used for TB decoding (as described in the following step 6). The following example procedure can show the problem in detail, with the example of DL.

[0050] At step 0: UE successfully receives DCI with NDI = 0, corresponding to TB0. UE does not decode the corresponding PDSCH correctly, i.e. TB0 decoding failure. At step 1: gNB schedules a new transmission with NDI = 1, corresponding to TB1. At step 2: UE misses the DCI on the new transmission with NDI = 1. At step 3: gNB schedules a retransmission with NDI = 1, corresponding to TB1. At step 4: UE still misses the DCI on the retransmission with NDI = 1. At step 5: gNB decides to schedule a new transmission with NDI = 0, corresponding to TB2. At step 6: UE receives the DCI with NDI = 0 and performs the corresponding PDSCH decoding. UE can combine TB0 data with TB2 data for decoding, but this is an error case.

[0051] Similar problems are encountered in UL, where a HARQ process can operate in HARQ mode A or HARQ mode B. The problem occurs when the DCI for UL transmission for a HARQ process running in HARQ mode B is not detected by the UE. In this scenario, the NDI state can be out of sync between the UE and the network device. For example, the UE can perform a retransmission of a previous TB while the network device expects a new TB, or the UE can send a new TB while the network device expects a retransmission of a previous TB. Therefore, a more robust solution for retransmission indication is needed to avoid combination error for downlink transmission when HARQ feedback is disabled in downlink, and to perform correct encoding for HARQ initial transmission and for retransmission for uplink transmission when HARQ mode B is enabled for uplink.

[0052] According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a scheme for HARQ retransmission indication is provided. In the scheme, a terminal device receives a DCI including a TB identifier from a network device. The terminal device compares the received TB identifier with a stored TB identifier. Then, the terminal device processes data according to the comparison result. The data includes uplink data to be transmitted based on an uplink grant included in the DCI or downlink data to be received based on a downlink assignment included in the DCI.

[0053] In the present disclosure, a new scheme for retransmission indication is proposed. The proposed scheme can be used for downlink transmission when HARQ feedback is disabled and / or can be used for uplink transmission when HARQ mode B is enabled. With the scheme, the terminal device can clearly understand the indication of retransmission, perform the correct combining for HARQ retransmission for downlink transmission, and perform the correct encoding for HARQ initial transmission and retransmission for uplink transmission. The solution can be applied to both NR NTN and IoT NTN.

[0054] Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] Reference will now be made to Figure 2 which shows a signaling diagram 200 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. As Figure 2 shown, the signaling diagram 200 involves a terminal device 110 and a network device 120. For the purpose of discussion, the signaling diagram 200 is described with reference to Figure 1 .

[0056] The network device 120 determines (205) a TB identifier corresponding to a TB. For UL transmission, the TB is to be received from the terminal device 110. For DL transmission, the TB is to be transmitted to the terminal device 110. In some example embodiments, the TB identifier can be per HARQ process. Thus, to determine the value of the TB identifier, the network device 120 can determine which HARQ process the TB corresponds to. Then, the network device 120 can determine the value of the TB identifier based on the index or other information of the TB in the HARQ process. In such example embodiments, the TBs in different HARQ processes can have the same TB identifier. By maintaining or determining the TB identifier per HARQ process, the number of bits for the TB identifier in DCI can be reduced.

[0057] In some example embodiments, for DL transmission, the TB identifier can be used if HARQ feedback is disabled. In some example embodiments, for UL transmission, the TB identifier can be used if HARQ mode B is enabled. In HARQ mode B, HARQ uplink retransmission is scheduled without relying on the decoding result of the network device 120. For example, the retransmission can be scheduled before the decoding result of the initial transmission is available.

[0058] The TB identifier can be in any suitable form for identifying the TB. For example, the TB identification can be the index of the TB. In some example embodiments, the TB identifier can be a TB sequence number (SN) determined based on the maximum value of the index of the TB and the TB SN.

[0059] For example, in the DCI, a TB SN field can be introduced per HARQ process to indicate for which TB the transmission / retransmission is. The TBSN can have a value range of 0 to N-1, and is only updated when a new TB is transmitted. For the kth TB to be transmitted in a HARQ process, the corresponding TB SN can be equal to mod(k, N), where k is the index of the TB, and (N-1) is the maximum value of the TB SN. The TB SN for retransmission is the same as the TB SN for initial transmission of the same TB.

[0060] The network device 120 transmits (210) a DCI including a TB identifier to the terminal device 110. The DCI is associated with data corresponding to a TB. For UL transmission, the DCI can include a UL grant for UL data to be transmitted by the terminal device 110. For DL transmission, the DCI can include a DL assignment for DL data to be received by the terminal device 110.

[0061] In some example embodiments, one or more new fields can be defined in the DCI to indicate the TB identifier. For example, the DCI can include one or more fields for a TB SN.

[0062] In some example embodiments, one or more existing fields in the DCI can be repurposed for the TB identifier. For example, for DL transmission, the TB identifier can be included in at least one of the following fields: a field for indicating HARQ-ACK resources (such as a “HARQ-ACK resource” field), a field for indicating a HARQ-ACK resource offset (“HARQ-ACK resource offset” field), a field for a feedback timing indicator (such as a “PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator”), or a field for NDI.

[0063] For example, current bits / fields in the DCI indicating HARQ feedback related information (not used for HARQ feedback disable) can be repurposed as SN fields.

[0064] In a first example option, the “HARQ-ACK resource” field in DCI format N1 can be repurposed to represent a TBSN. The TB SN can be represented by the full field or a subset of the field. For example, up to 4 bits in the field can represent 16 SN values. Two or three bits can also be used to represent 4 or 8 SN values. This option can be applied to narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT).

[0065] In a second example option, the "HARQ-ACK resource offset" field in DCI for DL assignment (e.g., Format 6-1A and Format 6-1B) can be re-used to indicate the TB SN. The TB SN can be indicated by the full field. For example, 2 bits in the field indicate 4 SN values (0, 1, 2, 3, 0, 3, 2, 3). This option can be applied to eMTC mode A and mode B.

[0066] In a third example option, an embodiment is that the "PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator" field in DCI for DL assignment (e.g., DCI Format 1-0, DCI Format 1-1, DCI Format 1-2) can be re-used to indicate the TB SN. The TB SN can be indicated by the full field or a subset of these fields. For example, up to 3 bits in the field indicate 8 SN values. Two bits can also be used to indicate 4 SN values. This option can be applied to NR NTN.

[0067] In a fourth example option, when the HARQ feedback is disabled, the NDI can be removed, but the NDI field can be re-used as a SN field. For example, 1 bit for NDI and some other bits (e.g., the bits mentioned in the first, second, and third example options) can be used as SN indication, where the maximum value of SN can be doubled. In this case, the terminal device 110 can only track the SN of new transmission or retransmission without relying on the NDI.

[0068] For UL transmission, one or more existing fields in DCI can be re-used to indicate the TB identifier SN. For example, the TB identifier can be included in the field for NDI, similar to the fourth example option mentioned above.

[0069] In some example embodiments, which one or more fields in DCI are used to indicate the TB identifier can be configured by the network device 120. In such example embodiments, the network device 120 can send configuration information to the terminal device 110 indicating which one or more fields are used to indicate the TB identifier. The configuration information can be conveyed via any suitable signaling, such as at least one of: a system information block (SIB), RRC signaling, or a MAC CE. For example, a subset of the above-mentioned fields can be re-used to indicate the TB SN can be configured by the network device 120 via a SIB, RRC signaling, or a MAC CE.

[0070] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, which one or more fields in DCI are used to indicate the TB identifier can be pre-defined in the technical specification. For example, a subset of the above-mentioned fields can be re-used to indicate the TB SN can be pre-defined in the technical specification.

[0071] Continuing with the signaling diagram 200, the terminal device 110 receives the DCI including the TB identifier from the network device 120. The terminal device 110 then compares the received TB identifier with the stored TB identifier (215). The stored TB identifier can have been previously received from the network device 110 in a previous DCI for the same HARQ process. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 can also store the received TB identifier.

[0072] The terminal device 110 processes (220) the data based on the comparison result at 215. For UL transmission, the DCI can include an UL grant, and the processed data can be uplink data to be transmitted based on the UL grant. For DL transmission, the DCI can include a DL assignment, and the processed data can be downlink data to be received based on the DL assignment.

[0073] In some example embodiments, the processed data can include downlink data, or in other words, in the case of DL transmission. If the received TB identifier does not correspond to the stored TB identifier, the terminal device 110 can determine the downlink data to be an initial transmission of a TB corresponding to the received TB identifier. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 can decode the downlink data. If the terminal device 110 fails to decode the downlink data, the terminal device 110 can store the downlink data for the TB corresponding to the received TB identifier.

[0074] In some example embodiments, in the case of DL transmission, if the received TB identifier corresponds to the stored TB identifier, the terminal device 110 can determine the downlink data to be a retransmission of a TB corresponding to the stored TB identifier. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 can combine the downlink data with the stored data for the TB corresponding to the stored TB identifier, and decode the combined data.

[0075] In some example embodiments, the data can include uplink data, or in other words, in the case of UL transmission. If the received TB identifier does not correspond to the stored TB identifier, the terminal device 110 can determine the uplink data to be an initial transmission of a TB corresponding to the TB identifier. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 can encode the uplink data for the initial transmission, and transmit the encoded uplink data to the network device 120.

[0076] In some example embodiments, in the case of UL transmission, if the received TB identifier corresponds to the stored TB identifier, the terminal device 110 can determine the uplink data to be a retransmission of a TB corresponding to the stored TB identifier. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 can retransmit the uplink data to the network device 120.

[0077] In some example embodiments, the DCI received from the network device 120 can also include an NDI. In addition to the comparison between the received TB identifier and the stored TB identifier, the terminal device 110 can also compare the received NDI with the stored NDI. The stored NDI can be received from the network device 120 in a previous DCI. If the received NDI corresponds to the stored NDI, the terminal device 110 can also compare the received TB identifier with the stored TB identifier, as described above. If the received NDI does not correspond to the stored NDI, the terminal device 110 can determine that the data being processed is an initial transmission.

[0078] In other words, in example embodiments using both the NDI and the TB identifier, an initial transmission can be determined if the received NDI does not correspond to the stored NDI, or the received TB identifier does not correspond to the stored TB identifier. A retransmission can be determined if the received NDI corresponds to the stored NDI and the received TB identifier corresponds to the stored TB identifier.

[0079] Using the SN as an example above, the terminal device 110 can interpret a retransmission based on both the NDI value and the SN value. In one example, if the NDI is not toggled and the SN in the DCI is the same as the stored SN, the DCI can indicate that the UL or DL transmission associated with the DCI is a retransmission. In another example, if the NDI in the DCI is different from the stored NDI value, and / or if the SN value in the DCI is different from the stored SN value, the terminal device 110 identifies the UL or DL transmission associated with the DCI as a new transmission.

[0080] The example process described above with reference to Figure 2 The terminal device can clearly interpret the indication of a retransmission by the TB identifier in the DCI and perform the correct combining for HARQ retransmission for the downlink transmission.

[0081] Reference is now made to Figure 3 Another example is described. The example is described with reference to a DL transmission Figure 3 However, this is merely an example without any limitation. The concept can be applied to UL transmissions.

[0082] As shown in Figure 3 At block 305, the terminal device 110 receives a DCI from the network device 120 and stores the NDI and TBSN included in the DCI. At block 310, the terminal device 110 receives another DCI from the network device 120. At block 315, the terminal device 110 determines whether the received NDI is equal to the stored NDI. In other words, the terminal device 110 determines whether the NDI is toggled.

[0083] If the received NDI is not equal to the stored NDI, the process 300 proceeds to block 320. At block 320, the terminal device 110 determines that the DCI indicates a new transmission, and thus stores the NDI and the TB SN included in the DCI. At block 325, the terminal device 110 decodes the received data, and if the decoding of the received data fails, replaces the data in the soft buffer for the TB.

[0084] If the received NDI is equal to the stored NDI, the process 300 proceeds to block 330. At block 330, the terminal device 110 determines whether the received TB SN is equal to the stored TB SN. More generally, the terminal device 110 compares the received TB SN to the stored TB SN. The received TB SN can refer to the TB SN included in the DCI received in block 310. As described herein, the TB SN can be one example of a TB identifier, and the embodiments described with respect to SNs can also be used with some other TB identifiers.

[0085] If the received TB SN is equal to the stored TB SN, the process 300 proceeds from block 330 to block 335. At block 335, the terminal device 110 determines that the DCI (received in block 310) indicates a retransmission. Thus, the terminal device 110 can continue to store the received NDI and TB SN (i.e., those received in the DCI of block 310). At block 340, the terminal device 110 combines the received data with the data currently in the soft buffer for the indicated TB, and decodes the combined data. Thus, based on the result of the comparison (i.e., the result of the comparison performed at block 330, for example), that the received TB SN corresponds to the stored TB SN, the terminal device 110 can proceed to block 335, and thus treat the indicated TB (i.e., the TB with the received TB SN) as a retransmission of the TB.

[0086] If the received TB SN is not equal to the stored TB SN, the process 300 proceeds to block 345. At block 345, the terminal device 110 determines that the DCI (received in block 310) indicates a new transmission of a TB (i.e., a transmission of another TB than the TB for which the TB SN is stored). In addition, the terminal device 110 can store the received NDI and TB SN (i.e., those received in the DCI of block 310). At block 350, the terminal device 110 decodes the received data and replaces the data in the soft buffer for the TB if decoding the received data fails. Thus, based on the result of the comparison (i.e., the result of the comparison performed at block 330, for example), the received TB SN does not correspond to the stored TB SN, the terminal device 110 can proceed to block 345 and thus treat the indicated TB (i.e., the TB with the received TB SN) as an initial transmission of a TB.

[0087] With the proposed solution, the terminal device not only compares the NDI value to see if the NDI is toggled, but also compares the TB SN (or some other TB identifier identifying the TB) to see if it is a retransmission for the same TB. This way, the terminal device can clearly interpret whether the transmission is associated with the previous TB or a new TB.

[0088] To further understand the benefits of the example embodiments, an example case is described below.

[0089] At step 0, the UE successfully receives a DCI with NDI = 0. The corresponding TB is TB0. The UE does not correctly decode the corresponding PDSCH, i.e., TB0 decoding fails. Then, the stored NDI = 0 and the stored TB SN = 0.

[0090] At step 1, the gNB schedules a new transmission with NDI = 1. The corresponding TB is TB1. At step 2, the UE misses the DCI associated with the new transmission with NDI = 1. Then, the stored NDI = 0 and the stored TB SN = 0.

[0091] At step 3, the gNB schedules a retransmission with NDI = 1. The corresponding TB is TB1. At step 4, the UE still misses the DCI associated with the retransmission with NDI = 1. Then, the stored NDI = 0 and the stored TB SN = 0.

[0092] At step 5, the gNB schedules a new transmission with NDI = 0. The corresponding TB is TB2. At step 6, the UE receives the DCI with NDI = 0 and TB SN = 2. The UE compares the received NDI (equal to 0) with the stored NDI (equal to 0) and compares the received SN (equal to 2) with the stored TB SN (equal to 0). The UE determines that the transmission is for another TB. Then, the combination of the received data and the stored data will not be performed. In this way, the wrong combination can be avoided.

[0093] By introducing a TB identifier (e.g., TB SN) in the DCI, the signaling robustness of indicating retransmission can be improved. With this scheme, retransmission can be indicated by the NDI field and the TB SN field without introducing any extra bits / fields in the DCI and imposing restrictions on the network. In particular, if there is a DCI / NDI decoding failure when the HARQ feedback for the scheduled HARQ process is disabled, this solution can improve the signaling robustness of retransmission indication.

[0094] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an example method 400 implemented at a terminal device is shown in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the method 400 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 in FIG. 1. Figure 1

[0095] At step 410, the terminal device receives, from a network device, downlink control information including a transport block identifier.

[0096] At step 420, the terminal device compares the transport block identifier with a stored transport block identifier.

[0097] At block 430, the terminal device processes data based on a result of the comparison. The data includes uplink data to be transmitted based on an uplink grant included in the downlink control information or downlink data to be received based on a downlink assignment included in the downlink control information.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the downlink control information further includes a new data indicator. The method 400 further includes comparing the new data indicator with a stored new data indicator; and in accordance with a determination that the new data indicator corresponds to the stored new data indicator, comparing the transport block identifier with a stored transport block identifier.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the data includes downlink data. The method 400 further includes in accordance with a determination that the transport block identifier does not correspond to the stored transport block identifier, determining the downlink data as an initial transmission of a transport block corresponding to the transport block identifier; and decoding the downlink data.

[0100] ​In some example embodiments, the data comprises downlink data. The method 400 further comprises determining, according to the determination that the transport block identifier corresponds to the stored transport block identifier, that the downlink data is a retransmission of a transport block corresponding to the stored transport block identifier; combining the downlink data with the stored data for the transport block; and decoding the combined data.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the data comprises uplink data. The method 400 further comprises determining, according to the determination that the transport block identifier does not correspond to the stored transport block identifier, that the uplink data is an initial transmission of a transport block corresponding to the transport block identifier; encoding the uplink data for the initial transmission; and transmitting the encoded uplink data to the network device.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the data comprises uplink data. The method 400 further comprises determining, according to the determination that the transport block identifier corresponds to the stored transport block identifier, that the uplink data is a retransmission of a transport block corresponding to the stored transport block identifier; and retransmitting the uplink data to the network device.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the transport block identifier comprises a transport block sequence number determined based on: an index of a transport block corresponding to the transport block identifier, and a maximum value of transport block sequence numbers.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the data comprises downlink data, and the transport block identifier is included in at least one of: a field for indicating a hybrid automatic repeat request, HARQ, acknowledgement, ACK, resource, a field for indicating a HARQ-ACK resource offset, a field for a feedback timing indicator, or a field for a new data indicator.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the data comprises uplink data, and the transport block identifier is included in a field for a new data indicator.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the method 400 further comprises receiving, from the network device, configuration information indicating which one or more fields to use to represent the transport block identifier.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the configuration information is received via at least one of: a system information block, radio resource control signaling, or a medium access control, MAC, control element, CE.

[0108] In some example embodiments, which one or more fields to use to represent the transport block identifier is predefined.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the transport block identifier is determined per HARQ process.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the data comprises downlink data, and HARQ feedback is disabled.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the data comprises uplink data, and HARQ mode B is enabled.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the method further comprises storing the transport block identifier.

[0113] Figure 5 A flow chart illustrating an example method 500 implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the network device 120 in Figure 1

[0114] At step 510, the network device determines a transport block identifier corresponding to a transport block.

[0115] At step 520, the network device transmits, to the terminal device, downlink control information comprising the transport block identifier.

[0116] At step 530, the network device transmits, to the terminal device, downlink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information, or the network device receives, from the terminal device, uplink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the downlink control information further comprises a new data indicator.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the transport block identifier comprises a transport block sequence number determined based on an index of the transport block and a maximum value of transport block sequence numbers.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the downlink data is transmitted, and the transport block identifier is comprised in at least one of a field for indicating a hybrid automatic repeat request, HARQ, acknowledgement, ACK, resource, a field for indicating a HARQ-ACK resource offset, a field for a feedback timing indicator, or a field for a new data indicator.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the uplink data is received, and the transport block identifier is comprised in a field for a new data indicator.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises transmitting, to the terminal device, configuration information indicating which field or fields to use to represent the transport block identifier.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the configuration information is transmitted via at least one of a system information block, radio resource control signaling, or a medium access control, MAC, control element, CE. ​

[0123] In some example embodiments, the use of the one or more fields of the medium access to represent the transport block identifier is predefined.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the transport block identifier is determined per HARQ process.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the data comprises downlink data, and HARQ feedback is disabled.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the data comprises uplink data, and HARQ mode B is enabled.

[0127] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 400 (e.g., by the terminal device 110 in Figure 1 The apparatus can comprise means for performing the corresponding operations of the methods 400. The means can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, they can be implemented in circuitry or software modules. The apparatus can be implemented as or included in the terminal device 110 in Figure 1 The apparatus can be implemented as or included in the terminal device 110 in

[0128] In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a network device, downlink control information comprising a transport block identifier; means for comparing the transport block identifier with a stored transport block identifier; and means for processing data based on a result of the comparison, wherein the data comprises uplink data to be transmitted based on an uplink grant comprised in the downlink control information or downlink data to be received based on a downlink allocation comprised in the downlink control information.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the downlink control information further comprises a new data indicator, and the apparatus further comprises means for comparing the new data indicator with a stored new data indicator; and means for comparing the transport block identifier with the stored transport block identifier in accordance with a determination that the new data indicator corresponds to the stored new data indicator.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the data comprises downlink data, and the apparatus further comprises means for determining the downlink data as an initial transmission of a transport block corresponding to the transport block identifier in accordance with a determination that the transport block identifier does not correspond to the stored transport block identifier; and means for decoding the downlink data.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the data comprises downlink data, and the apparatus further comprises: means for determining the downlink data to be a retransmission of a transport block corresponding to the stored transport block identifier, in accordance with the determination that the transport block identifier corresponds to the stored transport block identifier; means for combining the downlink data with stored data for the transport block; and means for decoding the combined data.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the data comprises uplink data, and the apparatus further comprises: means for determining the uplink data to be an initial transmission of a transport block corresponding to the transport block identifier, in accordance with the determination that the transport block identifier does not correspond to the stored transport block identifier; means for encoding the uplink data for the initial transmission; and means for transmitting the encoded uplink data to the network device.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the data comprises uplink data, and the apparatus further comprises: means for determining the uplink data to be a retransmission of a transport block corresponding to the stored transport block identifier, in accordance with the determination that the transport block identifier corresponds to the stored transport block identifier; and means for retransmitting the uplink data to the network device.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the transport block identifier comprises a transport block sequence number determined based on: an index of a transport block corresponding to the transport block identifier, and a maximum value of transport block sequence numbers.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the data comprises downlink data, and the transport block identifier is comprised in at least one of: a field for indicating a hybrid automatic repeat request, HARQ, -acknowledgement, ACK, resource, a field for indicating a HARQ-ACK resource offset, a field for a feedback timing indicator, or a field for a new data indicator.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the data comprises uplink data, and the transport block identifier is comprised in a field for a new data indicator.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the network device, configuration information indicating which one or more fields to use for representing the transport block identifier.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the configuration information is received via at least one of: a system information block, radio resource control signaling, or a medium access control, MAC, control element, CE.

[0139] In some example embodiments, which one or more fields to use for representing the transport block identifier is predefined.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the transport block identifier is determined per HARQ process.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the data comprises downlink data, and HARQ feedback is disabled.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the data comprises uplink data, and HARQ mode B is enabled.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for storing the transport block identifier.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 400 or the terminal device 110. In some example embodiments, the means comprise at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform.

[0145] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the method 500 (e.g., the network device 120 in Figure 1 may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 500. The means can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, they can be implemented in circuitry or software modules. The apparatus can be implemented as or included in the network device 120 in Figure 1 .

[0146] In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for determining a transport block identifier corresponding to a transport block; means for sending, to a terminal device, downlink control information comprising the transport block identifier; and means for sending, to the terminal device, downlink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information, or means for receiving, from the terminal device, uplink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the downlink control information further comprises a new data indicator.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the transport block identifier comprises a transport block sequence number determined based on: an index of the transport block, and a maximum value determination of the transport block sequence number.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the downlink data is sent, and the transport block identifier is comprised in at least one of: a field for indicating a hybrid automatic repeat request, HARQ, acknowledgement, ACK, resource, a field for indicating a HARQ-ACK resource offset, a field for a feedback timing indicator, or a field for a new data indicator.

[0150] In some example embodiments, uplink data is received and the transport block identifier is included in a field for a new data indicator.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for sending, to the terminal device, configuration information indicating which one or more fields to use for representing the transport block identifier.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the configuration information is sent via at least one of: a system information block, radio resource control signaling, or a medium access control, MAC, control element, CE.

[0153] In some example embodiments, which one or more fields to use for representing the transport block identifier is predefined.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the transport block identifier is determined per HARQ process.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the data comprises downlink data and HARQ feedback is disabled.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the data comprises uplink data and HARQ mode B is enabled.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other operations in the method 500 or other operations in some example embodiments of the network device 120. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform.

[0158] Figure 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 can be used to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 the terminal device 110 or the network device 120 shown. As shown, the device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to the processors 610, and one or more communication modules 640 coupled to the processors 610.

[0159] The communication module 640 is for bidirectional communication. The communication module 640 has one or more communication interfaces to support communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary to communicate with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 640 can include at least one antenna.

[0160] As non-limiting examples, the processor 610 can be any type suitable for the local technological network and can include one or more of: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 600 can have multiple processors, such as a dedicated integrated circuit chip that is time-slaved to a clock of a synchronous host processor.

[0161] The memory 620 can 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) 624, electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), an optical disc, a laser disc, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that will not persist for more than a duration of power loss.

[0162] The computer program 630 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 610. The instructions of the program 630 can include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 630 can be stored in a memory, such as the ROM 624. The processor 610 can perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 630 into the RAM 622.

[0163] Example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented with the aid of the program 630, such that the device 600 can perform any processes of the present disclosure as discussed with reference to Figures 2 to 5 Example embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the program 630 can be tangibly embodied in a computer readable medium, which can include in the device 600, such as in the memory 620, or other storage devices accessible to the device 600. The device 600 can load the program 630 from the computer readable medium into the RAM 622 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium can include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as a ROM, an EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, a CD, a DVD, and the like. The term “non-transitory” as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, as opposed to a signal), and not a limitation of data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0165] Figure 7 An example of a computer readable medium 700, which can be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disk, is shown. The computer readable medium 700 has the program 630 stored thereon.

[0166] In general, the various embodiments of the disclosure can be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while other aspects can be implemented in firmware or software which can be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controler or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0167] Some example embodiments of the disclosure also provide at least one computer program product which is tangibly stored on a computer readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer readable medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, executed by devices, such as on a target physical or virtual processor, to perform any of the methods described above. In general, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0168] Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the machine to perform the functions / operations described in the flow diagrams and / or block diagrams. The program code can be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0169] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or related data can be carried by any suitable carrier to enable devices, apparatus or processors to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, and the like.

[0170] The computer-readable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. It can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium will include a portable computer diskette, 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 disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0171] Moreover, while operations may be depicted in the drawings in a particular, serial order, this should not be understood as requiring or implying that such operations be performed in the particular order shown, or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but merely as description of features that can be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, although the components of the disclosed embodiments can be described or claimed in specific combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each component can be used independently or in any other combination.

[0172] Although the present disclosure has been described with particular reference to structural features and / or method acts, it will be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the particular features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive, from a network device, downlink control information including a transport block identifier; compare the transport block identifier to a stored transport block identifier; and process data based on a result of the comparison, wherein the data includes uplink data to be transmitted based on an uplink grant included in the downlink control information or downlink data to be received based on a downlink assignment included in the downlink control information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the downlink control information further includes a new data indicator, and the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: compare the new data indicator to a stored new data indicator; and in accordance with a determination that the new data indicator corresponds to the stored new data indicator, compare the transport block identifier to the stored transport block identifier.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data includes the downlink data, and the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: in accordance with a determination that the transport block identifier does not correspond to the stored transport block identifier, determine that the downlink data is of a transport block corresponding to the transport block identifier; and decode the downlink data.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data includes the downlink data, and the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: in accordance with a determination that the transport block identifier corresponds to the stored transport block identifier, determine that the downlink data is a retransmission of a transport block corresponding to the stored transport block identifier; combine the downlink data with stored data for the transport block; and decode the combined data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data includes the uplink data, and the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: in accordance with a determination that the transport block identifier does not correspond to the stored transport block identifier, determine that the uplink data is an initial transmission of a transport block corresponding to the transport block identifier; encode the uplink data for the initial transmission; and transmit the encoded uplink data to the network device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data includes the uplink data, and the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: ​ ​ determining, according to a determination that the transport block identifier corresponds to the stored transport block identifier, that the uplink data is a retransmission of a transport block corresponding to the stored transport block identifier; and retransmitting the uplink data to the network device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transport block identifier comprises a transport block sequence number determined based on: an index of a transport block corresponding to the transport block identifier; and a maximum value of the transport block sequence number.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data comprises the downlink data, and the transport block identifier is included in at least one of: a field for indicating a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)-acknowledgement (ACK) resource, a field for indicating a HARQ-ACK resource offset, a field for a feedback timing indicator, or a field for a new data indicator.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data comprises the uplink data, and the transport block identifier is included in a field for a new data indicator.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 or 9, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: receive, from the network device, configuration information indicating which one or more fields to use to represent the transport block identifier.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the configuration information is received via at least one of: a system information block, radio resource control signaling, or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

12. The apparatus of claim 8 or 9, wherein which one or more fields to use to represent the transport block identifier is predefined.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transport block identifier is determined per HARQ process.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data comprises the downlink data, and HARQ feedback is disabled.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data comprises the uplink data, and HARQ mode B is enabled.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: store the transport block identifier.

17. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: determine a transport block identifier corresponding to a transport block; transmit, to a terminal device, downlink control information comprising the transport block identifier; transmit, to the terminal device, downlink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information, or receive, from the terminal device, uplink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the downlink control information further comprises a new data indicator. ​ 19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the transport block identifier comprises a transport block sequence number determined based on: an index of the transport block, and a maximum value of the transport block sequence number.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the downlink data is transmitted and the transport block identifier is included in at least one of the following fields: a field for indicating a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)-acknowledgement (ACK) resource, a field for indicating a HARQ-ACK resource offset, a field for a feedback timing indicator, or a field for a new data indicator.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the uplink data is received and the transport block identifier is included in a field for a new data indicator.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 or 21, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: transmit, to the terminal device, configuration information indicating which one or more fields to use to represent the transport block identifier.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the configuration information is transmitted via at least one of: a system information block, radio resource control signaling, or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

24. The apparatus of claim 20 or 21, wherein which one or more fields to use to represent the transport block identifier is predefined.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the transport block identifier is determined per HARQ process.

26. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the data comprises the downlink data and HARQ feedback is disabled.

27. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the data comprises the uplink data and HARQ mode B is enabled.

28. A method comprising: receiving, at a terminal device from a network device, downlink control information comprising a transport block identifier; comparing the transport block identifier to a stored transport block identifier; processing data based on a result of the comparison, wherein the data comprises uplink data to be transmitted based on an uplink grant included in the downlink control information or downlink data to be received based on a downlink assignment included in the downlink control information.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the downlink control information further comprises a new data indicator, and the method further comprises: comparing the new data indicator to a stored new data indicator; and in accordance with a determination that the transport block identifier corresponds to the stored transport block identifier, comparing the transport block identifier to the stored transport block identifier.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the data comprises the downlink data, and the method further comprises: in accordance with a determination that the transport block identifier does not correspond to the stored transport block identifier, determining that the downlink data is an initial transmission of a transport block corresponding to the transport block identifier; and decoding the downlink data.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the data comprises the downlink data, and the method further comprises: determining, according to a determination that the transport block identifier corresponds to the stored transport block identifier, that the downlink data is a retransmission of a transport block corresponding to the stored transport block identifier; combining the downlink data with stored data for the transport block; and decoding the combined data.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the data comprises the uplink data, and the method further comprises: determining, according to a determination that the transport block identifier does not correspond to the stored transport block identifier, that uplink data is an initial transmission of a transport block corresponding to the transport block identifier; encoding the uplink data for the initial transmission; and transmitting the encoded uplink data to the network device.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the data comprises the uplink data, and the method further comprises: determining, according to a determination that the transport block identifier corresponds to the stored transport block identifier, that the uplink data is a retransmission of a transport block corresponding to the stored transport block identifier; and retransmitting the uplink data to the network device.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the transport block identifier comprises a transport block sequence number determined based on: an index of a transport block corresponding to the transport block identifier; and a maximum value of the transport block sequence number.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the data comprises the downlink data, and the transport block identifier is included in at least one of: a field for indicating hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)-acknowledgement (ACK) resources, a field for indicating a HARQ-ACK resource offset, a field for a feedback timing indicator, or a field for a new data indicator.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein the data comprises the uplink data, and the transport block identifier is included in a field for a new data indicator.

37. The method of claim 35 or 36, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, from the network device, configuration information indicating which one or more fields to use to represent the transport block identifier.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the configuration information is received via at least one of: a system information block, radio resource control signaling, or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

39. The method of claim 35 or 36, wherein which one or more fields to use to represent the transport block identifier is predefined.

40. The method of claim 28, wherein the transport block identifier is determined per HARQ process.

41. The method of claim 28, wherein the data comprises the downlink data, and HARQ feedback is disabled. ​ ​ ​ 42.The method of claim 28, wherein the data comprises the uplink data, and HARQ mode B is enabled. 43.The method of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises: storing the transport block identifier. 44.A method comprising: determining, at a network device, a transport block identifier corresponding to a transport block; sending, to a terminal device, downlink control information comprising the transport block identifier; based on the downlink control information, sending, to the terminal device, downlink data of the transport block, or based on the downlink control information, receiving, from the terminal device, uplink data of the transport block. 45.The method of claim 44, wherein the downlink control information further comprises a new data indicator. 46.The method of claim 44, wherein the transport block identifier comprises a transport block sequence number determined based on: an index of the transport block, and a maximum value of the transport block sequence number. 47.The method of claim 44, wherein the downlink data is sent, and the transport block identifier is comprised in at least one of the following fields: a field for indicating a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) -acknowledgement (ACK) resource, a field for indicating a HARQ-ACK resource offset, a field for a feedback timing indicator, or a field for a new data indicator. 48.The method of claim 44, wherein the uplink data is received, and the transport block identifier is comprised in a field for a new data indicator. 49.The method of claim 47 or 48, wherein the method further comprises: sending, to the terminal device, configuration information indicating which one or more fields are used to represent the transport block identifier. 50.The method of claim 49, wherein the configuration information is sent via at least one of: a system information block, radio resource control signaling, or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). 51.The method of claim 47 or 48, wherein which one or more fields are used to represent the transport block identifier is predefined. 52.The method of claim 44, wherein the transport block identifier is determined per HARQ process. 53.The method of claim 44, wherein the data comprises the downlink data, and HARQ feedback is disabled. 54.The method of claim 44, wherein the data comprises the uplink data, and HARQ mode B is enabled. 55.An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a network device, downlink control information comprising a transport block identifier; means for comparing the transport block identifier with a stored transport block identifier; and means for processing data based on a result of the comparison, wherein the data comprises uplink data to be sent based on an uplink grant comprised in the downlink control information or downlink data to be received based on a downlink assignment comprised in the downlink control information.

56. An apparatus comprising: means for determining a transport block identifier corresponding to a transport block; means for transmitting, to a terminal device, downlink control information comprising the transport block identifier; and means for transmitting, to the terminal device, downlink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information, or means for receiving, from the terminal device, uplink data of the transport block based on the downlink control information.

57. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any one of claims 28-43 or the method of any one of claims 44-54.

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