Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application discloses a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a network device sends a first data block to a terminal, the first data block corresponding to a first check code; and the terminal sends first information to the network device, the first information being used for indicating that the first data block has been successfully received or that the first data block has not been successfully received, the first information being determined on the basis of a first error tolerance rate and a check result corresponding to the first data block, and the check result being determined on the basis of the first check code. The described method can reduce excessive retransmissions caused by unsuccessful transmission of a first data block, thereby increasing system throughput of a communication system.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410982182.0, filed on July 19, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to communication methods and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] In existing communication systems, the sending end can add a cyclic redundancy code (CRC) to the data before transmission to support verification and retransmission, thus protecting data reliability. Correspondingly, after receiving the data from the sending end, the receiving end can perform a CRC check on the data based on its corresponding CRC. If the CRC check result is incorrect, feedback information will be sent to instruct the receiving end to retransmit the data.

[0004] The above methods often result in frequent data retransmissions, leading to a decrease in the throughput of the communication system. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application discloses a communication method and apparatus, which can increase the system throughput of a communication system.

[0006] The present application is described below from different aspects. It should be understood that the different implementation methods and beneficial effects described below can be referenced from each other.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application discloses a communication method that can be executed by a terminal or a module (e.g., a chip) in the terminal. The method may include: receiving a first data block, the first data block corresponding to a first check code; and sending first information, the first information indicating whether the first data block was successfully received or not successfully received, the first information being determined based on a first fault tolerance rate and a check result corresponding to the first data block, the check result being determined based on the first check code.

[0008] In this embodiment, after receiving a first data block, the terminal can determine the verification result of the first data block based on the first checksum corresponding to the first data block. Then, it can determine first information based on a first fault tolerance rate and the verification result corresponding to the first data block. This first information indicates whether the first data block was successfully received or not. In this method, the terminal determines whether the first information is used to indicate successful reception of the first data block based on the first fault tolerance rate and the verification result. This avoids indicating unsuccessful reception for every data block that is determined to have an error based on the verification result, thus preventing an excessive number of unsuccessful receptions and avoiding data retransmissions due to unsuccessful receptions. Especially for data of low importance or with a high fault tolerance rate, this method can reduce the number of data points indicated as unsuccessfully received, thereby reducing retransmissions and increasing the system throughput of the communication system.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the first data block is less than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate that the first data block was successfully received; or, if the error rate of the first data block is greater than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate that the first data block was not successfully received; the first fault tolerance rate is greater than or equal to 0.

[0010] In this embodiment, the terminal can send first information indicating successful reception of the first data block when the error rate of the first data block is less than or equal to a first fault tolerance rate. This method can reduce the number of data blocks indicated as unsuccessfully received, thereby reducing retransmissions and increasing the system throughput of the communication system.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the first data block is a first transport block (TB); or, the first data block is a first code block (CB); or, the first data block is a first code block group (CBG).

[0012] In this embodiment, when the first data block is a first TB, the first checksum is the checksum corresponding to the first TB, and the first fault tolerance rate is the fault tolerance rate corresponding to the first TB. Performing CRC error detection at the TB granularity can reduce the number of checks and reduce the implementation complexity of the receiver. When the first data block is a first CB, the first checksum is the checksum corresponding to the first CB, and the first fault tolerance rate is the fault tolerance rate corresponding to the first CB. Performing CRC error detection at the CB granularity can reduce the amount of data that needs to be retransmitted, which is beneficial to improving data throughput and reducing latency. When the first data block is a first CBG, the first checksum is the checksum corresponding to the first CBG, and the first fault tolerance rate is the fault tolerance rate corresponding to the first CBG. Performing CRC error detection at the CBG granularity can reduce the signaling overhead introduced by HARQ feedback compared to the CB granularity, and can reduce the throughput reduction and latency increase introduced by retransmitted data compared to the TB granularity.

[0013] Optionally, when the first data block is the first TB, different TBs received by the terminal can correspond to different fault tolerance rates; or, when the first data block is the first CB, different CBs received by the terminal can correspond to different fault tolerance rates; or, when the first data block is the first CBG, different CBGs received by the terminal can correspond to different fault tolerance rates.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: determining a second data block, the second data block including at least one media access control (MAC) sub-protocol data unit (PDU), the fault tolerance rate of the at least one MAC sub-PDU being a second fault tolerance rate.

[0015] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal can assemble MAC sub-PDUs into packets based on the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDU to obtain the second data block.

[0016] For example, a terminal can group MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate into a second data block, which can be a TB, a CB, or a CBG. This method of grouping MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate together improves the efficiency of data verification by the device receiving the second data block (such as a network device).

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the position of at least one MAC sub-PDU in the second data block is determined according to the second fault tolerance rate.

[0018] In this embodiment, the terminal can determine the position of the MAC sub-PDU in the second data block based on the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDU.

[0019] For example, the terminal can arrange MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate consecutively in the second data block. This method, by arranging MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate together, helps improve the efficiency of data verification by the device receiving the second data block (such as a network device).

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, at least one MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-PDU and a second MAC sub-PDU, wherein the positions of the first MAC sub-PDU and the second MAC sub-PDU in the second data block are adjacent.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, determining the second data block includes: determining the second data block based on the fault tolerance rate of the logical channel (LCH) or the fault tolerance rate of the radio bearer (RB), wherein the second fault tolerance rate is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB corresponding to at least one MAC sub-PDU.

[0022] In this embodiment, the LCH may have a corresponding fault tolerance rate, and the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDU from the LCH is the fault tolerance rate of the LCH; or the RB may have a corresponding fault tolerance rate, and the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDU from the RB is the fault tolerance rate of the RB. The terminal can package the MAC sub-PDU into a second data block according to the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB.

[0023] For example, a terminal can group MAC sub-PDUs from LCHs with the same fault tolerance rate into a single data block; or, a terminal can group MAC sub-PDUs from RBs with the same fault tolerance rate into a single data block. This method groups MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate together based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB, which can improve the efficiency of data packetization by the terminal.

[0024] Secondly, this application discloses a communication method that can be executed by a terminal or a module (e.g., a chip) in the terminal. The method may include: determining a second data block, the second data block including at least one MAC PDU, and the fault tolerance rate of at least one MAC sub-PDU being a second fault tolerance rate.

[0025] In this embodiment, the terminal can group MAC sub-PDUs together according to their fault tolerance rates to obtain a second data block. For example, the terminal can group MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate into a second data block, which can be a TB, a CB, or a CBG. This method groups MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate together, which helps improve the efficiency of data verification by the device receiving the second data block.

[0026] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the terminal can send a second data block.

[0027] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the position of at least one MAC sub-PDU in the second data block is determined according to the second fault tolerance rate.

[0028] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, at least one MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-PDU and a second MAC sub-PDU, wherein the first MAC sub-PDU is located adjacent to the second MAC sub-PDU in the second data block.

[0029] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the second data block is determined, including:

[0030] The second data block is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB. The second fault tolerance rate is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB corresponding to at least one MAC sub-PDU.

[0031] Thirdly, this application discloses a communication method that can be executed by a network device or a module (e.g., a chip) in the network device. The method may include: sending a first data block, the first data block including at least one MAC sub-PDU, the fault tolerance rate of the at least one MAC sub-PDU being a first fault tolerance rate; and receiving first information, the first information being used to indicate whether the first data block was successfully received or not successfully received.

[0032] In this embodiment, the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDU included in the first data block sent by the network device is a first fault tolerance rate. The terminal can then determine whether the first information is used to indicate successful reception of the first data block based on the first fault tolerance rate and the verification result of the first data block. This avoids indicating unsuccessful reception for every data block determined to have an error based on the verification result, which would lead to an excessive number of unsuccessful receptions and thus prevent data retransmissions due to unsuccessful receptions. This method can reduce the number of data points indicated as unsuccessfully received, thereby reducing retransmissions and increasing the system throughput of the communication system.

[0033] In conjunction with the third aspect, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: if the first information is used to indicate that the first data block was not successfully received, retransmitting the first data block.

[0034] In conjunction with the third aspect, in one possible implementation, the first data block is a first TB; or, the first data block is a first CB; or, the first data block is a first CBG.

[0035] In conjunction with the third aspect, in one possible implementation, the position of at least one MAC sub-PDU in the first data block is determined according to a first fault tolerance rate.

[0036] In conjunction with the third aspect, in one possible implementation, at least one MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-PDU and a second MAC sub-PDU, wherein the first MAC sub-PDU is located adjacent to the second MAC sub-PDU in the first data block.

[0037] In conjunction with the third aspect, in one possible implementation, the first data block is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the logical channel (LCH) or the fault tolerance rate of the radio bearer (RB), and the first fault tolerance rate is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB corresponding to at least one MAC sub-PDU.

[0038] Fourthly, this application discloses a communication method that can be executed by a terminal or a module (e.g., a chip) in the terminal. The method may include: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the maximum number of retransmissions associated with a first RB or a first LCH; and executing the transmission of a first data block according to the first indication information, the first data block including data in the first RB or data in the first LCH.

[0039] In this embodiment, each data block (such as the first data block) corresponds to a maximum number of retransmissions, and the maximum number of retransmissions may differ for different data blocks. This method reduces the number of retransmissions and increases the system throughput of the communication system by limiting the number of data block retransmissions.

[0040] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the first data block was not successfully received; and if the number of times the first data block was sent is less than the maximum number of retransmissions indicated in the first indication information, performing a retransmission of the first data block.

[0041] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: if the number of times the first data block is sent is greater than or equal to the maximum number of retransmissions indicated in the first indication information, the retransmission of the first data block is not performed.

[0042] In this embodiment, when the terminal receives a second indication message indicating that a first data block was not successfully received, if the number of times the first data block was sent is less than the maximum number of retransmissions indicated in the first indication message, the first data block is retransmitted; if the number of times the first data block was sent is not less than (i.e., greater than or equal to) the maximum number of retransmissions indicated in the first indication message, the first data block is not retransmitted. This method can reduce the number of retransmissions and increase the system throughput of the communication system.

[0043] Fifthly, this application discloses a communication method, which may include:

[0044] The network device sends a first data block to the terminal, and the first data block corresponds to a first checksum.

[0045] The terminal sends first information to the network device. The first information is used to indicate whether the first data block was successfully received or not. The first information is determined based on the first fault tolerance rate and the verification result corresponding to the first data block. The verification result is determined based on the first checksum.

[0046] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the first data block is less than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate successful reception of the first data block; or, if the error rate of the first data block is greater than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate unsuccessful reception of the first data block; the first fault tolerance rate is greater than or equal to 0.

[0047] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, the first data block is a first TB; or, the first data block is a first CB; or, the first data block is a first CBG.

[0048] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, the first data block includes at least one MAC sub-PDU, the fault tolerance rate of the at least one MAC sub-PDU is a first fault tolerance rate, and the position of the at least one MAC sub-PDU in the first data block is determined according to the first fault tolerance rate.

[0049] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, at least one MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-PDU and a second MAC sub-PDU, wherein the first MAC sub-PDU is located adjacent to the second MAC sub-PDU in the first data block.

[0050] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, the first data block is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the logical channel (LCH) or the fault tolerance rate of the radio bearer (RB), wherein the first fault tolerance rate is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB corresponding to at least one MAC sub-PDU.

[0051] Sixthly, this application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal or a chip / circuit therein. The communication device is used to perform the methods in any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the second aspect, or the fourth aspect, or any of them. The communication device includes units having the ability to perform the methods in any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the second aspect, or the fourth aspect, or any of them.

[0052] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a communication device, which may be a network-side backup or a chip / circuit therein. The communication device is used to perform the method in the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The communication device includes units having the ability to perform the method in the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0053] In the sixth or seventh aspect, the aforementioned communication apparatus may include a transceiver unit and a processing unit. Further details regarding the transceiver unit and processing unit can be found in the apparatus embodiments shown below. The beneficial effects of the sixth to seventh aspects can be referenced in the relevant descriptions of the first to fifth aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0054] Eighthly, this application provides a communication device that may include a processor. Optionally, it may also include an interface circuit connected to the processor. The interface circuit is used for exchanging (or sending / receiving or inputting / outputting) information or data, and the processor is used to execute program instructions that cause the communication device to perform the methods described in any possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect above. The interface circuit may be a communication interface or a transceiver. The transceiver may be a radio frequency module in the communication device, or a combination of a radio frequency module and an antenna, or an input / output interface of a chip or circuit.

[0055] Ninthly, this application provides a readable storage medium storing program instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the second aspect, or the third aspect, or the fourth aspect, or any of the aspects described above.

[0056] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a program product containing program instructions that, when executed, cause the method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the second aspect, or the third aspect, or the fourth aspect, or any of the aspects, to be performed.

[0057] Eleventhly, this application provides an apparatus, which can be implemented in the form of a chip or a device, including a processor. The processor is used to read and execute a program stored in a memory to execute one or more of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects described above, or one or more of any possible implementations of any of these aspects, providing an information interaction method. Optionally, the apparatus further includes a memory connected to the processor via a circuit. Further optionally, the apparatus includes a communication interface to which the processor is connected. The communication interface is used to receive information to be processed, the processor obtains the information from the communication interface, processes the information, and outputs the processing result through the communication interface. The communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0058] In one possible implementation, the processor and memory can be physically independent units, or the memory can be integrated with the processor.

[0059] In a twelfth aspect, this application provides a communication system comprising a terminal and a network device; the terminal is used to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the second aspect, or the fourth aspect, or any of the aspects; the communication device is used to perform the method described in any possible implementation of the third aspect, or any of the aspects.

[0060] The technical effects achieved in the above aspects can be referred to each other or to the beneficial effects in the method embodiments shown below, which will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0061] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of physical layer data transmission provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of a physical layer processing flow provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of a TB after CRC processing provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a HARQ retransmission mechanism provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to the communication method of this application embodiment;

[0066] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figures 7A to 8B are schematic diagrams illustrating several communication processes between a sending end and a receiving end, as exemplarily provided in embodiments of this application.

[0069] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 11 is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 12 is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0073] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0074] In the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish different objects and do not limit the quantity or order of execution, nor do they imply that they are necessarily different. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0075] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or". For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. Furthermore, "at least one item", "one or more of the following", or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Here, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0076] In the description of this application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the words "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0077] It is understood that in the description of this application, "when," "if," and "if" all refer to the device performing a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances, and are not time-limited, nor do they require the device to perform a judgment action when it is implemented, nor do they imply any other limitations. The device performing a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances includes: satisfying the objective circumstances, i.e., being able to perform the corresponding action; or satisfying both the objective circumstances and other circumstances, in order to perform the corresponding action.

[0078] In this application, "simultaneously" can be understood as at the same point in time, within a period of time, or within the same cycle; the specific meaning can be determined by considering the context.

[0079] In this application, the use of singular designations for elements is intended to represent "one or more" rather than "one and only one," unless otherwise specified.

[0080] In addition, the terms “system” and “network” are often used interchangeably in this article.

[0081] It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, expressions such as "A corresponds to B", "A and B correspond", "A corresponds to B" or similar expressions indicate that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. Determining B based on A does not mean that B is determined solely based on A; B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0082] The technical terminology and related technologies of this application are introduced below.

[0083] 1. CRC check

[0084] CRC is a data transmission error detection function. The sending end performs polynomial calculations on the data and appends the result to the end of the frame (i.e., cyclic redundancy code). The receiving end also performs a similar algorithm to ensure the correctness and integrity of data transmission.

[0085] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of physical layer data transmission provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, before the data of each channel (the transmitted data block in Figure 1) is transmitted, the transmitting end can add a CRC to the transmitted data block to support verification and retransmission, and protect data reliability. After adding the CRC to the transmitted data block, the transmitting end can also perform encoding, rate matching, modulation, resource mapping, and antenna mapping before transmitting it through the antenna. After receiving the data block, the receiving end can perform encoding, rate matching, modulation, resource mapping, and antenna mapping on the received data block and then perform CRC verification. If the verification fails, an error indication can be generated.

[0086] In some embodiments, the MAC layer at the sending end can assemble data packets into several TBs; then, the MAC layer sends data blocks to the physical layer in the form of TBs, and after receiving the TBs, the physical layer converts the TBs into code words (CWs).

[0087] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of a physical layer processing flow provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2A exemplarily illustrates the process of converting two TBs (TB0 and TB1) into two CWs (CW0 and CW1). Taking the conversion of TB0 to CW0 as an example, the physical layer can first attach a CRC to TB0, and then perform code block segmentation (i.e., splitting TB) to obtain multiple CBs (Figure 2A exemplarily uses 3 CBs as an example); then, after attaching a CRC to each CB, channel coding is performed; the channel-coded multiple CBs are combined to obtain CW0. The basic data unit processed in this process is CB, and the output data unit after code block concatenation is CW. It should be understood that the CRC attached to TB0 and the CRC attached to CB can be the same or different, and this application does not limit this.

[0088] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of a TB after CRC processing according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2B, the TB after CRC processing is TB1, and TB1 may include N CBs, where N is a positive integer. To avoid confusion, in Figure 2B, the CRC attached to TB1 is called TBCRC, the CRC attached to CB0 is called CRC0, the CRC attached to CB1 is called CRC1, and so on, the CRC attached to CB(N-1) is called CRC(N-1). Figure 2B exemplarily shows a CBG including two CBs and their attached CRCs, such as CBG0 including CB0, the CRC attached to CB0, CB1, and the CRC attached to CB1. It should be understood that Figure 2B is only an example, and this application does not limit the number of CBs included in TB or the number of CBs included in CBG.

[0089] Optionally, the size of the CRC appended to the TB (also known as TB CRC) can depend on the size of the TB. For example, a 24-bit CRC can be used for TBs larger than 3824 bits; otherwise, a 16-bit CRC can be used to reduce overhead; after the TB is split, a CRC can be added to each CB, with a length of up to 24 bits.

[0090] 2. CBG

[0091] After receiving a Data Transfer Block (TB), the receiver can perform a CRC check. For high-data-rate transmissions, a TB typically contains hundreds of CBs (Corrected Transaction Blocks). When using Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) retransmission, retransmitting the entire TB if only a few CBs are faulty leads to low spectral efficiency. To receive data more efficiently, it's desirable to retransmit only the faulty CBs. However, if the HARQ mechanism needs to pinpoint a single faulty CB, it incurs significant control signaling overhead. To achieve higher transmission efficiency, improve latency, and reduce control signaling overhead, a CBG (Corrected Transaction Block Group) can be used.

[0092] A CBG (Code Block Group) is a group of code blocks consisting of one or more CBs. The size of a CBG can be specified by radio resource control (RRC) messages, and the CBG to which each CB belongs is determined at the initial transmission and does not change. When an error occurs in the CRC checksum attached to a CB (which can be called CB CRC), feedback is provided per CBG, not per TB; only the CBG to which the erroneous CB belongs needs to be retransmitted, instead of the entire TB, saving resources consumed by retransmission. If all CB CRC checks are correct, but the TB CRC checksum is incorrect, the sender can send a negative acknowledgment (NACK) for all CBGs within that TB and perform a retransmission of all CBGs.

[0093] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a HARQ retransmission mechanism provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 exemplarily shows that TB1 includes four CBGs, namely CBG1, CBG2, CBG3, and CBG4. Assuming that when the sender first sends TB1 to the receiver, the receiver determines that CBG1 and CBG4 were successfully received, while CBG2 and CBG3 failed to be received, the receiver can send a first response message to the sender. This first response message may include an ACK (acknowledgment of knowledge, ACK) corresponding to CBG1, a NACK corresponding to CBG2, a NACK corresponding to CBG3, and an ACK corresponding to CBG4, which are used to indicate that CBG1 was successfully received, CBG2 failed to be received, CBG3 failed to be received, and CBG4 was successfully received, respectively. After receiving the first response message, the sending end can send CBG2 and CBG3 to the receiving end. If the receiving end determines that CBG2 and CBG3 were successfully received, the receiving end can send a second response message to the sending end. The second response message may include the ACK corresponding to CBG1, the ACK corresponding to CBG2, the ACK corresponding to CBG3, and the ACK corresponding to CBG4, which are used to indicate that CBG1, CBG2, CBG3, and CBG4 were successfully received, respectively.

[0094] Existing CRC checksums can achieve near 100% error detection capability. However, for low-latency services (such as XR services) or services that are not sensitive to transmission errors (such as video or live streaming services), 100% error detection capability is not necessarily advantageous. In these types of services, if very few bits are erroneous within a TB (Transmission Block), it can cause retransmission of the CBG (Continuous Block Generation) containing that bit, or even retransmission of the entire TB. However, if this TB is passed up to the upper layer, it will not cause any significant performance degradation; on the contrary, it will increase throughput by avoiding CBG or TB retransmissions.

[0095] In view of this, this application provides a communication method and apparatus. The method can set a corresponding fault tolerance rate for some data blocks (such as TB, CB, or CBG). If the error rate of the data block is less than or equal to the corresponding fault tolerance rate, the data block will not be retransmitted, thereby increasing the system throughput and reducing the transmission latency.

[0096] Based on the above, in order to better understand the communication method and related apparatus proposed in this application, the system architecture of the embodiments of this application will be described below.

[0097] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, satellite communication systems, future communication systems, or integrated systems of multiple systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems or other communication systems.

[0098] In a communication system, one network element can send signals to or receive signals from another network element. These signals can include information, signaling, or data. The term "network element" can also be replaced by an entity, network entity, device, communication equipment, communication module, node, communication node, etc. This disclosure uses a network element as an example. For instance, a communication system can include at least one terminal and at least one network device. The network device can send downlink signals to the terminal, and / or the terminal can send uplink signals to the network device. It is understood that the terminal in this disclosure can be replaced by a first network element, and the network device can be replaced by a second network element, both performing the corresponding communication methods described in this disclosure.

[0099] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to the communication method of this application embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the communication system 100 may include at least one network device, such as network device 110 shown in Figure 4; the communication system 100 may also include at least one terminal, such as terminal 120 shown in Figure 4. Network device 110 and terminal 120 can communicate via a wireless link. The communication devices in this communication system, for example, network device 110 and terminal 120, can communicate via multi-antenna technology.

[0100] In this embodiment of the application, the network device 110 and the terminal 120 can transmit data through the communication method provided in this application.

[0101] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device.

[0102] A terminal can be a device that provides voice / data, such as a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connectivity. Currently, examples of terminals include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, wearable devices, terminals in 5G networks, or future public land mobile communication networks. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scope of terminals, etc. in a network (PLMN).

[0103] By way of example and not limitation, in this embodiment, the terminal can also be a wearable device. Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are feature-rich, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those that focus on a specific type of application function and require the use of other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0104] In this embodiment, the device for implementing the terminal's functions can be a terminal itself, or a device capable of supporting the terminal in implementing those functions, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the terminal or used in conjunction with the terminal. In this embodiment, the chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components. This embodiment only uses a terminal as an example to illustrate the device for implementing the terminal's functions and does not limit the solution of this embodiment.

[0105] The network device in this application embodiment may include a device for communicating with a terminal. This network device may include an access network device, a radio access network device, or a core network device. For example, the network device may be a base station, or an OAM device or CN device for operation, management, and maintenance. In this application embodiment, the access network device may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects the terminal to the wireless network. A base station can broadly encompass, or be replaced by, various names including: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master station, auxiliary station, motor slide retainer (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), radio unit (RU), positioning node, etc. A base station can be a macro base station, micro base station, relay node, donor node, or similar entities, or combinations thereof. A base station can also refer to a communication module, modem, or chip installed within the aforementioned equipment or apparatus. A base station can also be a mobile switching center, a device that performs base station functions in D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, or a device that performs base station functions in future communication systems. A base station can support networks using the same or different access technologies. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or equipment forms used in the network equipment.

[0106] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured as a device to communicate with another base station.

[0107] In some deployments, the network devices mentioned in the embodiments of this application may be devices including CU, DU, or CU and DU, or devices with control plane CU nodes (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)) and user plane CU nodes (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)) and DU nodes. For example, the network devices may include gNB-CU-CP, gNB-CU-UP, and gNB-DU.

[0108] In some deployments, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be CUs, DUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, or RUs. CUs and DUs can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a BBU. RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as RRUs, AAUs, or RRHs.

[0109] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open RAN (ORAN / O-RAN) system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0110] In this embodiment, the apparatus for implementing the functions of a network device can be a network device itself; it can also be an apparatus capable of supporting the network device in implementing those functions, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. This apparatus can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device. In this embodiment, the example of a network device being used to implement the functions of a network device is provided only and does not constitute a limitation on the solutions described in this embodiment.

[0111] Network devices and / or terminals can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the scenario in which the network devices and terminals are located. Furthermore, terminals and network devices can be hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or entities that include dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific form of the terminals and network devices.

[0112] Based on the above system architecture, a communication method provided by an embodiment of this application will be described below.

[0113] Please refer to Figure 5, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. In Figure 5, dashed boxes represent optional steps; that is, step S501 is an optional step.

[0114] As shown in Figure 5, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0115] S501: The network device determines the first data block.

[0116] In this application, a data block can be understood as a bit sequence used to carry information. Optionally, the first data block is a first TB; or, the first data block is a first CB; or, the first data block is a first CBG. It should be understood that a TB can carry a MAC PDU, and in this application, a TB can also be replaced with a MAC PDU.

[0117] Optionally, the first data block includes at least one MAC sub-PDU, and the fault tolerance rate of the at least one MAC sub-PDU is a first fault tolerance rate. It should be understood that one MAC sub-PDU can correspond to one data packet, and a MAC sub-PDU can also be called a data packet; a MAC sub-PDU can include at least one of MAC SDU, MAC CE, or padding.

[0118] Optionally, the fault tolerance rate of at least one MAC sub-PDU included in the first data block is a first fault tolerance rate, or the fault tolerance rate of all MAC sub-PDUs included in the first data block is a first fault tolerance rate. The network device determining the first data block can be understood as including MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of the first fault tolerance rate in the first data block. Optionally, the network device can also determine a third data block, where the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDUs in the third data block can be either the first fault tolerance rate or the third fault tolerance rate. The network device may also consider other factors besides the fault tolerance rate when determining the first data block, without limitation.

[0119] Optionally, the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDU can refer to the fault tolerance rate of the LCH from which the MAC sub-PDU originates or the fault tolerance rate of the RB from which the MAC sub-PDU originates. For example, if the first MAC sub-PDU originates from the first LCH and the fault tolerance rate of the first LCH is the first fault tolerance rate, then the fault tolerance rate of the first MAC sub-PDU is the first fault tolerance rate. Similarly, if the first MAC sub-PDU originates from the first RB and the fault tolerance rate of the first RB is the first fault tolerance rate, then the fault tolerance rate of the first MAC sub-PDU is the first fault tolerance rate.

[0120] It should be understood that a MAC sub-PDU from an LCH can also be called a MAC sub-PDU on an LCH or a MAC sub-PDU corresponding to an LCH; a MAC sub-PDU from an RB can also be called a MAC sub-PDU on an RB or a MAC sub-PDU corresponding to an RB. One MAC sub-PDU can come from one LCH or one RB; one LCH or one RB can include multiple MAC sub-PDUs.

[0121] Optionally, the position of at least one MAC sub-PDU in the first data block is determined based on a first fault tolerance rate. The network device can consider the fault tolerance rate of each MAC sub-PDU when assembling packets. For example, if at least one MAC sub-PDU is multiple MAC sub-PDUs, the network device can determine the position of each MAC sub-PDU in the first data block based on the fault tolerance rate of each of the multiple MAC sub-PDUs. For instance, the network device can arrange MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate consecutively in the first data block. Specifically, when determining the first TB, the network device can place MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate together, so that when dividing a CB or CBG (e.g., the first CB or CBG), the MAC sub-PDUs included in the same CB or CBG have the same fault tolerance rate (e.g., all are at the first fault tolerance rate). Optionally, when dividing a CB or CBG, the physical layer of the network device can group MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate into at least one CB or CBG, and group MAC sub-PDUs with different fault tolerance rates into different CBs or CBGs.

[0122] For example, at least one MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-PDU and a second MAC sub-PDU, with the first MAC sub-PDU and the second MAC sub-PDU positioned adjacent to each other within the first data block. That is, the first MAC sub-PDU and the second MAC sub-PDU are arranged consecutively within the first data block. Determining the position of a MAC sub-PDU within the data block can also be understood as determining its order within the data block.

[0123] Optionally, the first data block may be determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB. The fault tolerance rate (i.e., the first fault tolerance rate) of at least one MAC sub-PDU is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB corresponding to at least one MAC sub-PDU. Here, the LCH corresponding to the MAC sub-PDU is the LCH from which the MAC sub-PDU originates; the RB corresponding to the MAC sub-PDU is the RB from which the MAC sub-PDU originates. For example, the first data block may include MAC sub-PDUs originating from LCHs with the same fault tolerance rate; the aforementioned first fault tolerance rate may be the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB corresponding to at least one MAC sub-PDU.

[0124] For example, each LCH or RB corresponds to a fault tolerance rate. MAC sub-PDUs from the same LCH have the same fault tolerance rate, and MAC sub-PDUs from the same RB have the same fault tolerance rate. The network device can group MAC sub-PDUs from LCHs with the same fault tolerance rate into a first data block, or group MAC sub-PDUs from RBs with the same fault tolerance rate into a first data block. For example, if the first LCH and the second LCH have the same fault tolerance rate, the network device can group MAC sub-PDUs from the first LCH and the second LCH into one data block (as described above); or, if the first RB and the second RB have the same fault tolerance rate, the network device can group MAC sub-PDUs from the first RB and the second RB into one data block (as described above); or, the network device can determine the position of the MAC sub-PDU in the first data block based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or RB when grouping packets. For example, if the first LCH and the second LCH have the same fault tolerance rate, the network device can sequentially order the MAC sub-PDUs from the first LCH and the second LCH in the first data block. For example, if the first RB and the second RB have the same fault tolerance, the network device can sequentially sort the MAC sub-PDUs from the first RB and the second RB in the first data block.

[0125] In this application, fault tolerance can be understood as error tolerance, that is, at the receiving end, the threshold percentage of erroneous bits out of all bits, or the threshold percentage of erroneous bits out of all bits, or the upper limit of the tolerable percentage of erroneous bits out of all bits, etc. For example, if a data block or MAC sub-PDU consists of 1000 bits, and the number of erroneous bits that can be tolerated is 20 bits, then the fault tolerance of the data block or MAC sub-PDU is 2%. Fault tolerance can also be understood as bit error rate, bit error rate, or bit error rate, etc. Fault tolerance can also be called error rate threshold or error tolerance, etc. Fault tolerance indicator is used to indicate the error rate threshold. Fault tolerance can also be compared to importance. Understandably, the higher the importance, the lower the corresponding fault tolerance. Therefore, in this application, fault tolerance rate can be replaced with importance. For example, "fault tolerance rate of at least one MAC sub-PDU" can be replaced with "importance of at least one MAC sub-PDU"; "fault tolerance rate of a data block" can be replaced with "importance of a data block"; "fault tolerance rate of an LCH or RB" can be replaced with "importance of an LCH or RB"; and "fault tolerance rate indicator" can be replaced with "importance indicator," etc. Optionally, "importance" can be derived from "fault tolerance rate." For example, the lower the fault tolerance rate, the higher the importance can be considered. Or, "fault tolerance rate" can be derived from "importance." For example, the higher the importance, the lower the fault tolerance rate. This application uses fault tolerance rate and fault tolerance rate indicator as examples for illustration.

[0126] In this application, the fault tolerance rate can be indicated by an upper layer or predefined. For example, the fault tolerance rate of packets from an upper layer (e.g., the IP layer) can be determined by the upper layer and indicated to the lower layer (e.g., the MAC layer and / or the physical layer); the importance of signaling or packets (e.g., MAC CE or control PDUs of various layers) generated by the access layer can be determined by the access layer or predefined. For example, the fault tolerance rate of MAC CE and / or control PDUs of various layers is predefined as 0.

[0127] S502: The network device sends the first data block to the terminal, and the first data block corresponds to the first checksum.

[0128] Accordingly, the terminal receives the first data block from the network device.

[0129] For example, the first checksum can be a CRC checksum. As another example, the first checksum can be a parity checksum, a vertical redundancy checksum, or a Gray code, etc.

[0130] For example, assuming the first data block can be a TB, the first checksum can be the TB CRC corresponding to that TB. For example, if the first data block is TB1 as shown in Figure 2B, the first checksum can be the CRC (i.e., TB CRC) added to TB1 in Figure 2B. Assuming the first data block can be a CB, the first checksum can be the CBCRC corresponding to that CB. For example, if the first data block is CB0 as shown in Figure 2B, the first checksum can be CRC0. Assuming the first data block is a CBG, the first checksum can be the CRC corresponding to that CBG. For example, if the first data block is CBG0 as shown in Figure 2B, the first checksum can be CRC0 and CRC1.

[0131] Optionally, the first data block corresponds to a first checksum, which may refer to a first checksum generated by the sending end based on the first data block. The first checksum can be used by the receiving end to perform error detection on the first data block, that is, to detect whether the first data block was successfully transmitted or successfully received. Optionally, the first checksum may be generated by the network device.

[0132] Optionally, the network device may send the first data block together with the first checksum to the terminal.

[0133] S503: The terminal sends first information to the network device. The first information is used to indicate whether the first data block was successfully received or not. The first information is determined based on the first fault tolerance rate and the verification result corresponding to the first data block. The verification result is determined based on the first checksum.

[0134] Correspondingly, the network device receives the first information from the terminal.

[0135] Wherein, the first information is used to indicate successful reception of the first data block, or it can mean: the first information is used to indicate that the first data block does not need to be retransmitted; the first information is used to indicate unsuccessful reception of the first data block, or it can mean: the first information is used to indicate that the first data block needs to be retransmitted. It should be understood that the first information indicating successful reception of the first data block can mean: the first data block was successfully verified or the first data block was successfully transmitted, or the verification result corresponding to the first data block meets the fault tolerance rate (e.g., the verification result corresponding to the first data block is less than or equal to the aforementioned first fault tolerance rate), etc.; the first information indicating unsuccessful reception of the first data block can mean: the first data block was incorrectly verified or the first data block was incorrectly transmitted, or the verification result corresponding to the first data block does not meet the fault tolerance rate (e.g., the verification result corresponding to the first data block is greater than or equal to the aforementioned first fault tolerance rate), etc.

[0136] For example, if the first information is used to indicate successful reception of the first data block, the first information can be an acknowledgment message, such as ACK; if the first information is used to indicate unsuccessful reception of the first data block, the first information can be a negative acknowledgment message, such as NACK.

[0137] In some embodiments, after receiving the first data block, the terminal performs error detection on the first data block using a first checksum. The terminal can determine the checksum corresponding to the first data block based on the first checksum; then, it determines first information based on a first fault tolerance rate and the checksum corresponding to the first data block; finally, it sends the first information to the network device. The first fault tolerance rate is the fault tolerance rate of the first data block.

[0138] For example, the method for determining the first information may be: if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the first data block is less than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate successful reception of the first data block; or, if the error rate of the first data block is greater than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate unsuccessful reception of the first data block; the first fault tolerance rate is greater than or equal to 0, for example, the first fault tolerance rate can be 0, or 10%, 20%, etc. Wherein, the error rate of the first data block being less than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate can mean: the error rate of the first data block is less than the first fault tolerance rate, or the error rate of the first data block is equal to the first fault tolerance rate, or the error rate of the first data block is not greater than the first fault tolerance rate.

[0139] Understandably, the method for determining the first information could be: if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the first data block is less than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate successful reception of the first data block; or, if the error rate of the first data block is greater than the first fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate unsuccessful reception of the first data block. Alternatively, the method for determining the first information could be: if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the first data block is less than the first fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate successful reception of the first data block; or, if the error rate of the first data block is greater than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate unsuccessful reception of the first data block.

[0140] Optionally, after receiving the first information, the network device can determine whether to retransmit the first data block based on the content indicated by the first information. For example, if the first information indicates that the first data block was not successfully received, the network device can retransmit the first data block after receiving the first information.

[0141] For example, if the first data block is a first TB, the terminal verifies the correct transmission of the first TB using a first checksum (e.g., TB CRC). If the error rate of the first TB is less than or equal to a first fault tolerance rate, the first information indicates successful reception of the first TB. Alternatively, if the error rate of the first TB is greater than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information indicates unsuccessful reception of the first TB. In this case, the first fault tolerance rate can be the fault tolerance rate of the first TB. After receiving the first information, the network device can determine whether to retransmit the first TB based on the content indicated by the first information.

[0142] For example, if the first data block is the first CB, the terminal verifies the correct transmission of the first CB using a first checksum (e.g., CB CRC). If the error rate of the first CB is less than or equal to a first fault tolerance rate, the first information indicates successful reception of the first CB. Alternatively, if the error rate of the first CB is greater than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information indicates unsuccessful reception of the first CB, or the first information indicates unsuccessful reception of the CBG containing the first CB. In this case, the first fault tolerance rate can be the fault tolerance rate of the first CB. After receiving the first information, the network device can determine whether to retransmit the first CB or the CBG containing the first CB based on the content indicated by the first information.

[0143] For example, if the first data block is a first CBG (Data Block Group), the terminal verifies the correct transmission of the first CBG using a first checksum (e.g., CB CRC). If the error rate of the first CBG is less than or equal to a first fault tolerance rate, the first information indicates successful reception of the first CBG. Alternatively, if the error rate of the first CBG is greater than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information indicates unsuccessful reception of the first CBG. In this case, the first fault tolerance rate is the fault tolerance rate of the first CBG. After receiving the first information, the network device can determine whether to retransmit the first CBG based on the content indicated by the first information.

[0144] Optionally, the error rate of the first data block can be understood as the proportion of erroneous bits out of all bits in the first data block received by the receiving end, or the proportion of erroneous portions out of the total bits in the first data block. It is understandable that the first data block received by the terminal may not be exactly the same as the first data block sent by the network device. For example, during air interface transmission, the first data block may be affected by noise interference or other factors, causing some bits to flip and resulting in transmission errors. Therefore, the error rate of the first data block determined by the terminal can be an estimated or extrapolated value; that is, the error rate of the first data block does not necessarily refer to the actual error rate. Therefore, the error rate can also have other names, such as confidence level.

[0145] For example, the error rate of the first data block can be determined by the verification result of the first data block. For instance, when the first data block fails verification and meets certain conditions, the error rate of the first data block is determined. For example, this specific condition is related to the current channel quality, the channel quality during the transmission of the first data block, or the channel quality measured before or after the transmission of the first data block. The channel quality can be SNR, SINR, RSRQ, or RSRP, etc. Specifically, for example, when the channel quality SNR is a specific value or within a specific range, the error rate of the first data block is determined to be a first value. As another example, the error rate of the first data block can be obtained through artificial intelligence deduction. This application does not limit how the error rate of the first data block is determined.

[0146] In some other embodiments of this application, the terminal can determine whether it has successfully received the CB based on the checksum corresponding to the CB in the first TB and the fault tolerance rate corresponding to the CB, or it can determine whether it has successfully received the CBG based on the checksum corresponding to the CBG in the first TB and the fault tolerance rate corresponding to the CBG. In this case, the fault tolerance rates of the MAC sub-PDUs on the first data block can be different. For example, the first data block is the first TB, and the first TB includes multiple CBs, each CB corresponding to a fault tolerance rate (i.e., MAC sub-PDUs belonging to the same CB have the same fault tolerance rate), or the first TB includes multiple CBGs, each CBG corresponding to a fault tolerance rate (i.e., MAC sub-PDUs belonging to the same CBG have the same fault tolerance rate).

[0147] For example, suppose the first TB includes multiple CBs, each CB corresponds to a fault tolerance rate, and the multiple CBs include the first CB. Taking the first CB as the first fault tolerance rate as an example, the method to determine whether the first CB was successfully received can be: if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the first CB is less than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, determine that the first CB was successfully received; or, if the error rate of the first CB is greater than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, determine that the first CB was not successfully received; the first fault tolerance rate is greater than or equal to 0. Wherein, the error rate of the first CB being less than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate can mean: the error rate of the first CB is less than the first fault tolerance rate, or the error rate of the first CB is equal to the first fault tolerance rate, or the error rate of the first CB is not greater than the first fault tolerance rate.

[0148] For example, suppose the first TB includes multiple CBGs, each CBG corresponding to a fault tolerance rate, and the multiple CBGs include the first CBG. Taking the fault tolerance rate of the first CBG as the first fault tolerance rate as an example, the method to determine whether the first CBG was successfully received can be: if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the first CBG is less than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, determine that the first CBG was successfully received; or, if the error rate of the first CBG is greater than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, determine that the first CBG was not successfully received; the first fault tolerance rate is greater than or equal to 0. Wherein, the error rate of the first CBG being less than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate can mean: the error rate of the first CBG is less than the first fault tolerance rate, or the error rate of the first CBG is equal to the first fault tolerance rate, or the error rate of the first CBG is not greater than the first fault tolerance rate.

[0149] The embodiment shown in Figure 5 illustrates a scenario where a network device sends downlink data to a terminal, where the first data block is downlink data, the network device is the sender of the downlink data, and the terminal is the receiver of the downlink data. The communication method provided in this application is also applicable to scenarios where a terminal sends uplink data to a network device.

[0150] Please refer to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of this application. In Figure 6, the dashed boxes represent optional steps, namely steps S601 and S603.

[0151] S601: The terminal determines a second data block, wherein the second data block includes at least one MAC sub-PDU, and the fault tolerance rate of the at least one MAC sub-PDU is a second fault tolerance rate.

[0152] Optionally, the second data block is a second TB; or, the second data block is a second CB; or, the second data block is a second CBG. It should be noted that the description of the second data block can be found in the relevant content of the first data block, and will not be repeated here.

[0153] Optionally, the fault tolerance rate of at least one MAC sub-PDU included in the second data block is the second fault tolerance rate. This can be understood as the fault tolerance rate of all MAC sub-PDUs included in the second data block being the second fault tolerance rate. The terminal determining the second data block can be understood as the terminal including MAC sub-PDUs with the second fault tolerance rate in the second data block. Optionally, the terminal can also determine a fourth data block, where the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDUs in the fourth data block can be either the second fault tolerance rate or the fourth fault tolerance rate. The terminal can also consider other factors besides the fault tolerance rate when determining the second data block, which are not limited here. For a detailed introduction to the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDUs, please refer to step S501, which will not be repeated here.

[0154] Optionally, the position of at least one MAC sub-PDU in the second data block is determined based on a second fault tolerance rate. The terminal can consider the fault tolerance rate of each MAC sub-PDU when assembling packets. For example, at least one MAC sub-PDU may be multiple MAC sub-PDUs, and the network device can determine the position of each MAC sub-PDU in the second data block based on the fault tolerance rate of each of the multiple MAC sub-PDUs. For instance, the terminal can arrange MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate consecutively in the second data block during packet assembly. Specifically, when determining the second TB, the network device can place MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate together, so that when dividing a CB or CBG (e.g., the second CB or CBG), the MAC sub-PDUs included in the same CB or CBG have the same fault tolerance rate (e.g., all are at the second fault tolerance rate). Optionally, when dividing a CB or CBG, the terminal's physical layer divides MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate into at least one CB or CBG, and divides MAC sub-PDUs with different fault tolerance rates into different CBs or CBGs.

[0155] For example, at least one MAC sub-PDU may include a first MAC sub-PDU and a second MAC sub-PDU, wherein the first MAC sub-PDU is located adjacent to the second MAC sub-PDU in the second data block. That is, the first MAC sub-PDU and the second MAC sub-PDU are arranged consecutively in the second data block.

[0156] In one possible implementation, the terminal can determine the second data block based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB. The fault tolerance rate of at least one MAC sub-PDU (i.e., the second fault tolerance rate) is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB corresponding to at least one MAC sub-PDU. In other words, the second fault tolerance rate is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB corresponding to at least one MAC sub-PDU.

[0157] For example, the terminal determines the second data block based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH. This can be understood as the terminal including MAC sub-PDUs corresponding to LCHs with the same fault tolerance rate (e.g., the second fault tolerance rate) in the second data block. For instance, if the fault tolerance rates of MAC sub-PDUs on the same LCH are the same, then the fault tolerance rate of the LCH is the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDUs on that LCH. The terminal can group MAC sub-PDUs on LCHs with the same fault tolerance rate into packets. If multiple LCHs have the second fault tolerance rate, the terminal groups the MAC sub-PDUs on these multiple LCHs into packets to obtain the second data packet, in which the MAC sub-PDUs all have the second fault tolerance rate. Alternatively, the terminal determines the second data block based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH. This can be understood as the terminal determining the position of the MAC sub-PDU corresponding to the LCH in the second data block based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH. For example, the terminal can sequentially sort MAC sub-PDUs on LCHs with the same fault tolerance rate.

[0158] For example, the terminal determining the second data block based on the fault tolerance rate of the RB can be understood as the terminal including MAC sub-PDUs corresponding to RBs with the same fault tolerance rate (e.g., the second fault tolerance rate) in the second data block. For instance, if the fault tolerance rates of MAC sub-PDUs on the same RB are the same, then the fault tolerance rate of the RB is the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDUs on that RB. The terminal can group MAC sub-PDUs on RBs with the same fault tolerance rate into packets. If multiple RBs have the second fault tolerance rate, the terminal groups the MAC sub-PDUs on these multiple RBs into packets to obtain the second data packet, in which the fault tolerance rates of the MAC sub-PDUs are all the second fault tolerance rate. Alternatively, the terminal determining the second data block based on the fault tolerance rate of the RB can be understood as the terminal determining the position of the MAC sub-PDU corresponding to that RB in the second data block based on the RB's fault tolerance rate. For example, the terminal can sequentially sort MAC sub-PDUs on RBs with the same fault tolerance rate.

[0159] S602: The terminal sends a second data block to the network device.

[0160] Correspondingly, the network device receives a second data block from the terminal.

[0161] Optionally, the second data block corresponds to a second checksum. For example, the second checksum could be a CRC checksum. Alternatively, it could be a parity checksum, a vertical redundancy checksum, or a Gray code, etc.

[0162] For example, assuming the second data block can be a TB, the second checksum can be the TB CRC corresponding to that TB. For example, if the second data block is TB1 as shown in Figure 2B, the second checksum can be the CRC appended to TB1 in Figure 2B (i.e., TB CRC). Assuming the second data block can be a CB, the second checksum can be the CBCRC corresponding to that CB. For example, if the second data block is CB0 as shown in Figure 2B, the second checksum can be CRC0. Assuming the second data block is a CBG, the second checksum can be the CRC corresponding to that CBG. For example, if the second data block is CBG0 as shown in Figure 2B, the second checksum can be CRC0 and CRC1.

[0163] Optionally, the second data block corresponds to a second checksum, which may refer to a second checksum generated by the sending end based on the second data block. The second checksum can be used by the receiving end to perform error detection on the second data block, that is, to detect whether the second data block was successfully transmitted or successfully received. Optionally, the second checksum may be generated by the terminal.

[0164] Optionally, the terminal may send the second data block together with the second checksum to the network device.

[0165] S603: The network device determines whether the second data block has been successfully received based on the second fault tolerance rate.

[0166] The second fault tolerance rate mentioned above can be referred to in the description of the first fault tolerance rate, and will not be repeated here.

[0167] Optionally, after determining whether the second data block has been successfully received based on the second fault tolerance rate, the network device may instruct the terminal whether to resend the second data block.

[0168] Optionally, the network device may send a first message to the terminal to indicate whether to retransmit the second data block, or instruct the terminal to retransmit the second data block through resource scheduling. The first message can be found in the description of the terminal determining the first message in S503, and will not be repeated here.

[0169] In some embodiments, after receiving the second data block, the network device uses a second checksum to perform error detection on the second data block. The network device can determine the checksum corresponding to the second data block based on the second checksum; then, based on the second fault tolerance rate and the checksum corresponding to the second data block, it determines first information and sends the first information to the terminal, or performs resource scheduling based on the second fault tolerance rate and the checksum corresponding to the second data block. For example, the network device can instruct the terminal to retransmit the second data block through a new data indication (NDI) in the downlink control information (DCI). Here, the second fault tolerance rate is the fault tolerance rate of the second data block.

[0170] For example, if the MAC sub-PDUs on the second data block have the same fault tolerance rate, i.e., all have the second fault tolerance rate, then the fault tolerance rate corresponding to the second data block can be the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDUs on the second data block. When the second data block corresponds to a second checksum, the network device can determine the checksum result of the second data block based on the second checksum. Furthermore, based on the checksum result and the second fault tolerance rate, it can determine whether the second data block was successfully received. If it is determined that the second data block was not successfully received, the network device can instruct the terminal to retransmit the second data block, or the network device can schedule the terminal to retransmit the second data block.

[0171] For example, a method for determining whether the second data block has been successfully received could be: if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the second data block is less than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, then the second data block has been successfully received; or, if the error rate of the second data block is greater than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, then the second data block has not been successfully received. The second fault tolerance rate is greater than or equal to 0, for example, the second fault tolerance rate can be 0, 10%, 20%, etc. Wherein, "the error rate of the second data block is less than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate" can mean: the error rate of the second data block is less than the second fault tolerance rate, or the error rate of the second data block is equal to the second fault tolerance rate, or the error rate of the second data block is not greater than the second fault tolerance rate.

[0172] Understandably, the method for determining the first information could be: if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the second data block is less than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate successful reception of the second data block; or, if the error rate of the second data block is greater than the second fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate unsuccessful reception of the second data block. Alternatively, the method for determining the first information could be: if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the second data block is less than the second fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate successful reception of the second data block; or, if the error rate of the second data block is greater than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate unsuccessful reception of the second data block.

[0173] Optionally, after receiving the first information, the terminal may determine whether to retransmit the second data block based on the content indicated by the first information; or the terminal may determine whether to retransmit the second data block based on the scheduling of network equipment (such as a base station).

[0174] For example, if the second data block is a second TB, the network device verifies the correct transmission of the second TB using a second checksum (e.g., TB CRC). If the error rate of the second TB is less than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, the first information indicates successful reception of the second TB. Alternatively, if the error rate of the second TB is greater than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, the first information indicates unsuccessful reception of the second TB. In this case, the second fault tolerance rate can be the fault tolerance rate of the second TB. After receiving the first information, the terminal can determine whether to retransmit the second TB based on the content indicated by the first information or the scheduling.

[0175] For example, if the second data block is the second CB, the network device verifies the correct transmission of the second CB using a second checksum (e.g., CB CRC). If the error rate of the second CB is less than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, the first information indicates successful reception of the second CB. Alternatively, if the error rate of the second CB is greater than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, the first information indicates unsuccessful reception of the second CB, or indicates that the CBG containing the second CB was not successfully received. In this case, the second fault tolerance rate can be the fault tolerance rate of the second CB. After receiving the first information, the terminal can determine whether to retransmit the second CB or the CBG containing the second CB based on the content indicated by the first information or the scheduling.

[0176] For example, if the second data block is a second CBG (Data Block Group), the network device verifies the correct transmission of the second CBG using a second checksum (e.g., CB CRC). If the error rate of the second CBG is less than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, the first information indicates successful reception of the second CBG. Alternatively, if the error rate of the second CBG is greater than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, the first information indicates unsuccessful reception of the second CBG. In this case, the second fault tolerance rate can be the fault tolerance rate of the second CBG. After receiving the first information, the terminal can determine whether to retransmit the second CBG based on the content indicated by the first information or the scheduling.

[0177] Optionally, the error rate of the second data block can be understood as the proportion of erroneous bits out of all bits in the second data block received by the receiving end, or the proportion of erroneous portions out of the total bits in the second data block, etc. It is understandable that the second data block received by the network device may not be exactly the same as the second data block sent by the terminal. For example, during air interface transmission, the second data block may be affected by factors such as noise interference, causing some bits to flip and resulting in transmission errors. Therefore, the error rate of the second data block determined by the network device can be an estimated or extrapolated value; that is, the error rate of the second data block does not necessarily refer to the actual error rate.

[0178] For example, the error rate of the second data block can be determined through the verification result of the second data block. For instance, when the second data block fails verification and meets certain conditions, the error rate of the second data block is determined. For example, this specific condition is related to the current channel quality, the channel quality during transmission of the second data block, or the channel quality measured before or after transmission of the second data block. The channel quality can be SNR, SINR, RSRQ, or RSRP, etc. Specifically, for example, when the channel quality SNR is a specific value or within a specific range, the error rate of the second data block is determined to be a second value. As another example, the error rate of the second data block can be obtained through artificial intelligence deduction. This application does not limit how the error rate of the second data block is determined.

[0179] In other embodiments of this application, the network device can determine whether it has successfully received a CB based on the checksum corresponding to the CB in the second TB and the fault tolerance rate corresponding to the CB, or it can determine whether it has successfully received a CBG based on the checksum corresponding to the CBG in the second TB and the fault tolerance rate corresponding to the CBG. In this case, the fault tolerance rates of the MAC sub-PDUs on the second data block can be different. For example, the second data block is a second TB, which includes multiple CBs, each CB corresponding to a fault tolerance rate (i.e., MAC sub-PDUs belonging to the same CB have the same fault tolerance rate), or the second TB includes multiple CBGs, each CBG corresponding to a fault tolerance rate (i.e., MAC sub-PDUs belonging to the same CBG have the same fault tolerance rate).

[0180] For example, suppose the second TB includes multiple CBs, each CB corresponds to a fault tolerance rate, and the multiple CBs include the second CB. Taking the second CB as the second fault tolerance rate as an example, the method to determine whether the second CB has been successfully received can be: if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the second CB is less than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, determine that the second CB has been successfully received; or, if the error rate of the second CB is greater than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, determine that the second CB has not been successfully received; the second fault tolerance rate is greater than or equal to 0. Here, "the error rate of the second CB is less than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate" can mean: the error rate of the second CB is less than the second fault tolerance rate, or the error rate of the second CB is equal to the second fault tolerance rate, or the error rate of the second CB is not greater than the second fault tolerance rate.

[0181] For example, suppose the second TB includes multiple CBGs, each CBG corresponding to a fault tolerance rate, and the multiple CBGs include the second CBG. Taking the fault tolerance rate of the second CBG as an example, the method to determine whether the second CBG was successfully received could be: if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the second CBG is less than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, the second CBG is determined to have been successfully received; or, if the error rate of the second CBG is greater than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate, the second CBG is determined to have not been successfully received; the second fault tolerance rate is greater than or equal to 0. Here, "the error rate of the second CBG is less than or equal to the second fault tolerance rate" can mean: the error rate of the second CBG is less than the second fault tolerance rate, or the error rate of the second CBG is equal to the second fault tolerance rate, or the error rate of the second CBG is not greater than the second fault tolerance rate.

[0182] The method embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 6 above include many possible implementation schemes. Some of these implementation schemes (such as the packet assembly process of the first data block and the second data block) will be illustrated below with reference to Figures 7A to 8B. It should be noted that the relevant concepts, operations or logical relationships not explained in Figures 7A to 8B can be referred to the corresponding descriptions in the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 6.

[0183] In this application, the embodiments shown in FIG5 and FIG6 can also be used in combination. For example, the terminal can perform the steps of the terminal in FIG5, or it can perform the steps of the terminal in FIG6.

[0184] In this application, the embodiments shown in Figures 7A to 8B can be used as a single embodiment, and the embodiments shown in Figures 7A to 8B can all be independent of the technical solutions in Figures 5 and 6; some steps in the embodiments shown in Figures 7A to 8B can also be used as a single embodiment.

[0185] For ease of description, the device that sends the data to be verified (such as the first and second data blocks mentioned above) will be referred to as the sending end, and the device that receives the data to be verified will be referred to as the receiving end. It is understood that when the terminal is the sending end, the network device can be the receiving end, and vice versa. In some embodiments of this application, the sending end can group MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate into the same MACPDU. For example, this grouping method may include method one and method two.

[0186] Method 1: Package assembly based on DRB and LCH. This assembly process can include Implementation 1-1 and Implementation 1-2. The following explanation uses TB (i.e., MAC PDU) as an example.

[0187] Implementation 1-1: The sending end can map MAC sub-PDUs with different fault tolerance rates to different DRBs, meaning that the fault tolerance rate of MAC sub-PDUs on each DRB is the same. Optionally, this mapping can be performed by the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer. Furthermore, the sending end's MAC layer can assemble packets based on the fault tolerance indicators associated with different DRBs, where each DRB can be associated with a fault tolerance indicator that indicates the fault tolerance level of that DRB.

[0188] For example, the MAC layer can group MAC sub-PDUs on DRBs with the same fault tolerance into the same MAC PDU. If multiple DRBs have the same fault tolerance, the MAC layer will group the MAC sub-PDUs on these multiple DRBs into the same MAC PDU; conversely, it can group MAC sub-PDUs on DRBs with different fault tolerances into different MAC PDUs. In this way, the MAC sub-PDUs of the same MAC PDU originate from DRBs with the same fault tolerance.

[0189] Implementation 1-2: The MAC layer at the sending end can assemble packets based on the fault tolerance indicators associated with different LCHs. Each LCH can be associated with a fault tolerance indicator, and the fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDU on the LCH is the same as the fault tolerance rate of the LCH, that is, both are the fault tolerance rate indicated by the fault tolerance rate of the LCH.

[0190] For example, the MAC layer can group MAC sub-PDUs on LCHs with the same fault tolerance into the same MAC PDU; and group MAC sub-PDUs on LCHs with different fault tolerances into different MAC PDUs. Therefore, MAC sub-PDUs belonging to the same MAC PDU originate from LCHs with the same fault tolerance.

[0191] Optionally, MAC sub-PDUs and / or MAC CEs on the signaling radio bearer (SRB) can be packaged within the same MAC PDU as MAC sub-PDUs with very low fault tolerance (e.g., 0) or high importance.

[0192] Furthermore, after receiving a TB, the receiving end performs a TB CRC check on the TB; then, based on the check result and the importance indications of different DRBs or different LCHs, it performs different processing on different MAC sub-PDUs.

[0193] For example, for a critical MAC sub-PDU received on the RB or LCH, if the CRC check fails, a NACK is sent to the sender, instructing the sender to retransmit. For MAC sub-PDUs of different importance, the error rate threshold (i.e., fault tolerance rate) can be different. Assume the receiver receives a data block (e.g., TB, CB, or CBG) containing MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate, which is a first threshold. If the error rate of this data block is lower than or equal to the first threshold, the data block is submitted to the upper layer, and an ACK is sent to the sender. If the error rate of the data block received by the receiver is higher than or equal to the first threshold, a NACK is sent to the sender, instructing the sender to retransmit.

[0194] Optionally, the fault tolerance rate associated with the aforementioned RB or LCH is indicated or configured by the network device, or predefined by the protocol, such as 10%, 20%, etc.; the error rate thresholds associated with different RBs or different LCHs can be different. For example, the fault tolerance rate of the DRB can be configured by the network, while the fault tolerance rate of the SRB can be defined by the protocol.

[0195] Optionally, for incorrect data blocks (such as TB, CB, or CBG), the physical layer at the receiving end can also indicate the error rate of the data block to the upper layer (such as MAC).

[0196] Figure 7A exemplifies the communication process between the transmitter and receiver when the packet assembly process is implemented as a 1-1 connection. The transmitter can map MAC sub-PDUs with different fault tolerance rates to different RBs. Figure 7A uses a MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 1 and a MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 2 as examples. The transmitter maps the MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 1 and the MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 2 to two RBs respectively. For example, one or more MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of 1 are mapped to the first RB, and one or more MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of 2 are mapped to the second RB. These two RBs correspond to the two packet data convergence protocols (PDCPs) and two radio link controls (RLCs) of the transmitter shown in Figure 7A.

[0197] Furthermore, the MAC layer at the transmitting end can assemble packets based on the fault tolerance rate indication corresponding to the RB. For example, assembling MAC sub-PDUs on RBs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 yields TB1, where the RBs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 can include the aforementioned first RB and other RBs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1. TB1 includes one or more MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1. Similarly, assembling MAC sub-PDUs on RBs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 yields TB2, where the RBs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 can include the aforementioned second RB and other RBs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2. TB2 includes one or more MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2. For instance, a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 indicates that the data is relatively important and cannot be corrupted; a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 indicates that the data is less important and can tolerate a certain threshold of errors.

[0198] After the sending end transmits TB1 and TB2 through the physical layer to the receiving end, the receiving end can perform CRC checks on TB1 and TB2 respectively. If the TB1 CRC check fails, the receiving end can instruct the sending end to retransmit TB1. If the TB2 CRC check succeeds, or if the TB2 CRC check fails and the determined error rate is less than or equal to its corresponding error rate threshold, the receiving end can send an ACK corresponding to TB2 to the sending end. This ACK indicates successful reception of TB2. In this embodiment, the first data block or the second data block can be TB1 or TB2.

[0199] Method 2: Packet assembly based on the fault tolerance rate indication of the MAC sub-PDU. In this method, MAC sub-PDUs with different fault tolerance rates can be mapped to the same DRB or to different DRBs; this application does not impose any limitations on this. The following explanation uses TB (i.e., MAC PDU) as an example.

[0200] For example, the MAC layer at the sending end can assemble packets based on the fault tolerance indicators associated with different MAC sub-PDUs, where each MAC sub-PDU is associated with a fault tolerance indicator. For example, the MAC layer can assemble MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate into the same MAC PDU; and assemble MAC sub-PDUs with different fault tolerance rates into different MAC PDUs.

[0201] Optionally, the fault tolerance indicator for each MAC sub-PDU can be included in the header of the MAC sub-PDU. For example, the MAC sub-PDU header can be an RLC header or a MAC header.

[0202] Then, after receiving a certain TB, the receiving end performs TB CRC verification on the TB; then, based on the verification result and the fault tolerance rate indication of different MAC sub-PDUs, it performs different processing on different MAC sub-PDUs.

[0203] For example, for a more important MAC sub-PDU, if the CRC check fails, a NACK can be sent to the sender, instructing the sender to perform a retransmission. Different error rate thresholds can be set for MAC sub-PDUs of different importance. Assuming the receiver receives a data block (e.g., TB, CB, or CBG) containing MAC sub-PDUs with the same error tolerance rate (a first threshold), if the error rate of the data block is lower than or equal to the first threshold, the data block is submitted to the upper layer, and an ACK is sent to the sender; if the error rate of the data block is higher than the first threshold, a NACK is sent to the sender, instructing the sender to perform a retransmission.

[0204] Figure 7B exemplifies the communication process between the sender and receiver when the packet assembly process is Method 2. Figure 7B uses a MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 1 and a MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 2 as examples. The sender maps the MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 1 and a fault tolerance rate of 2 to two RBs (such as the first RB and the second RB). Since the sender does not map the MAC sub-PDUs to the RBs based on their fault tolerance rates, the first RB can include both MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of 1 and a fault tolerance rate of 2, and the second RB can also include both MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of 1 and a fault tolerance rate of 2. These two RBs correspond to the two PDCPs and two RLCs of the sender shown in Figure 7B.

[0205] Furthermore, the MAC layer at the sending end can assemble packets based on the fault tolerance rate indications corresponding to the MAC sub-PDUs. For example, it can assemble MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 in the first RB and MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 in the second RB to obtain TB1, where TB1 includes one or more MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1; and it can assemble MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 in the first RB and MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 in the second RB to obtain TB2, where TB2 includes one or more MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2. For example, a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 indicates that the data is relatively important and cannot be corrupted; a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 indicates that the data is less important and can tolerate a certain threshold of errors.

[0206] After the sending end transmits TB1 and TB2 through the physical layer to the receiving end, the receiving end can perform CRC checks on TB1 and TB2 respectively. If the TB1 CRC check fails, the receiving end can instruct the sending end to retransmit TB1. If the TB2 CRC check succeeds, or if the TB2 CRC check fails and the determined error rate is less than or equal to its corresponding error rate threshold, the receiving end can send an ACK corresponding to TB2 to the sending end. This ACK indicates successful reception of TB2. In this embodiment, the first data block or the second data block can be TB1 or TB2.

[0207] In other embodiments of this application, the sending end can group MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate into the same CB or CBG. For example, this grouping method may include method three and method four.

[0208] Method 3: Package assembly based on DRB and LCH. This assembly process can include implementation 2-1 and implementation 2-2. The following explanation uses TB (i.e., MAC PDU) as an example.

[0209] Implementation 2-1: Map packets with different fault tolerance rates to different DRBs. Optionally, this mapping can be performed by the SDAP layer; the MAC layer sorts the MAC sub-PDUs according to the fault tolerance indicators associated with different DRBs. For example, the MAC layer can sort the MAC sub-PDUs on DRBs with the same fault tolerance rate consecutively. Furthermore, when the physical layer partitions CBs or CBGs, it can include MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate in the same CB or CBG, and include MAC sub-PDUs with different fault tolerance rates in different CBs or CBGs.

[0210] Implementation 2-2: The MAC layer sorts MAC sub-PDUs according to the fault tolerance indicators associated with different LCHs. Each LCH is associated with a fault tolerance indicator, and the fault tolerance of the MAC sub-PDUs on that LCH is the same, which is the fault tolerance rate indicated by the fault tolerance indicator associated with that LCH.

[0211] For example, the MAC layer can sequentially sort MAC sub-PDUs on LCHs with the same fault tolerance rate based on the fault tolerance rate indication associated with the LCH. Furthermore, when the physical layer divides CBs or CBGs, it can include MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate in the same CB or CBG, and include MAC sub-PDUs with different fault tolerance rates in different CBs or CBGs, based on the fault tolerance rate indication of the MAC sub-PDUs.

[0212] Furthermore, after receiving a certain TB, the receiving end performs TB CRC verification on that TB; furthermore, different MAC sub-PDUs can be processed differently according to the fault tolerance rate indications of different DRBs or different LCHs.

[0213] For example, for a critical MAC sub-PDU received on a RB or LCH, if the CB CRC check fails, a NACK is sent to the CBG containing that CB, instructing the sender to retransmit. Different error rate thresholds can be set for MAC sub-PDUs of different importance. Assuming the receiver receives a data block (such as a CB or CBG) containing MAC sub-PDUs with the same error tolerance rate (a first threshold), if the error rate of this data block is lower than or equal to the first threshold, the data block is submitted to the upper layer, and an ACK is sent to the sender; if the error rate of this data block is higher than the first threshold, a NACK is sent to the sender, instructing the sender to retransmit.

[0214] Optionally, the error rate threshold can be a value configured by the network device or a threshold predefined by the protocol, such as 10%, 20%, etc.; the error rate threshold associated with different RBs or different LCHs can be different.

[0215] Optionally, for incorrect data blocks (such as CB or CBG), the physical layer can also indicate the error rate of the data block to the upper layer.

[0216] Figure 8A exemplifies the communication process between the sender and receiver when the packet assembly process is implemented as 2-1. The sender can map MAC sub-PDUs with different fault tolerance rates to different RBs. Figure 8A uses a MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 1 and a MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 2 as examples. The sender maps the MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 1 and the MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 2 to two RBs respectively. For example, one or more MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of 1 are mapped to the first RB, and one or more MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of 2 are mapped to the second RB. These two RBs correspond to the two PDCPs and two RLCs of the sender shown in Figure 8A.

[0217] Furthermore, the MAC layer at the transmitting end can sort the MAC sub-PDUs according to the fault tolerance rate indication corresponding to the RB. For example, MAC sub-PDUs on RBs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 can be sorted consecutively, where the RBs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 can include the aforementioned first RB and other RBs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1; similarly, MAC sub-PDUs on RBs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 can be sorted consecutively, where the RBs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 can include the aforementioned second RB and other RBs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2. Then, the transmitting end further divides the sorted MAC sub-PDUs into multiple CBs. The fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDUs in each CB is the same. For example, the multiple CBs include CB1 and CB2. CB1 includes one or more MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of 1; CB2 includes one or more MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of 2. Assume that a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 indicates that the data is relatively important and cannot be corrupted; a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 indicates that the data is less important and can tolerate a certain threshold of errors.

[0218] Assuming the checksum corresponding to CB1 is CRC1 and the checksum corresponding to CB2 is CRC2, after the sending end sends CB1, CB2 and their corresponding checksums through the physical layer to the receiving end, the receiving end can perform CRC checks on CB1 and CB2 respectively. If the CRC1 check of CB1 fails, the receiving end can instruct the sending end to retransmit CB1; if the CRC2 check of CB2 succeeds, or if the CRC check of CB2 fails and the determined error rate is less than or equal to its corresponding error rate threshold, the receiving end can send an ACK corresponding to CB2 to the sending end. This ACK is used to indicate successful reception of CB2. In this embodiment, the first data block or the second data block can be CB1 or CB2.

[0219] In some other embodiments of this application, the sending end can perform CBG partitioning and verification. The process of CBG partitioning and verification can be similar to the process of CB partitioning and verification described above, and CB can be replaced with CBG.

[0220] Method 4: Packet assembly based on the fault tolerance rate indication of the MAC sub-PDU. In this method, MAC sub-PDUs with different fault tolerance rates can be mapped to the same DRB or to different DRBs; this application does not impose any limitations on this. The following explanation uses TB (i.e., MAC PDU) as an example.

[0221] For example, the MAC layer sorts MAC sub-PDUs according to the fault tolerance rate indicators associated with different MAC sub-PDUs. For example, the MAC layer can sort MAC sub-PDUs on DRBs with the same fault tolerance rate consecutively based on the fault tolerance rate indicators; furthermore, when the physical layer divides CBs or CBGs, it can include MAC sub-PDUs with the same fault tolerance rate in the same CB or CBG, and include MAC sub-PDUs with different fault tolerance rates in different CBs or CBGs, based on the fault tolerance rate indicators.

[0222] Furthermore, after receiving a certain TB, the receiving end performs TB CRC verification on that TB; and then, different processing can be performed on different MAC sub-PDUs according to the fault tolerance rate indication of the MAC sub-PDU.

[0223] For example, for a critical MAC sub-PDU, if the CB CRC check fails, a NACK is sent to the CBG containing that CB, instructing the sender to perform a retransmission. Different error rate thresholds can be set for MAC sub-PDUs of varying importance. Assuming the receiver receives a data block (such as a CB or CBG) containing MAC sub-PDUs with the same error tolerance rate (a first threshold), if the error rate of this data block is lower than or equal to the first threshold, the data block is submitted to the upper layer, and an ACK is sent to the sender; if the error rate of this data block is higher than the first threshold, a NACK is sent to the sender, instructing the sender to perform a retransmission.

[0224] Figure 8B exemplifies the communication process between the sender and receiver when the packet assembly process is method four. Figure 8B uses a MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 1 and a MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 2 as examples. The sender maps the MAC sub-PDU with a fault tolerance rate of 1 and a fault tolerance rate of 2 to two RBs (such as the first RB and the second RB). Since the sender does not map the MAC sub-PDUs to the RBs based on their fault tolerance rates, the first RB can include both MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of 1 and a fault tolerance rate of 2, and the second RB can also include both MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of 1 and a fault tolerance rate of 2. These two RBs correspond to the two PDCPs and two RLCs of the sender shown in Figure 8B.

[0225] Furthermore, the MAC layer at the transmitting end can sort the MAC sub-PDUs according to the fault tolerance rate indications corresponding to the MAC sub-PDUs. For example, the transmitting end can sort MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 consecutively, such as sorting the MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 in the first RB consecutively and the MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 in the second RB consecutively; and sort MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 consecutively, such as sorting the MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 in the first RB consecutively and the MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 in the second RB consecutively. Then, the transmitting end further divides the sorted MAC sub-PDUs into multiple CBs. The fault tolerance rate of the MAC sub-PDUs in each of the multiple CBs is the same. For example, the multiple CBs include CB1 and CB2. CB1 includes one or more MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of 1; CB2 includes one or more MAC sub-PDUs with a fault tolerance rate of 2. For example, a fault tolerance rate indication of 1 indicates that the data is relatively important and cannot be corrupted; a fault tolerance rate indication of 2 indicates that the data is less important and can tolerate a certain threshold of errors.

[0226] Assuming the checksum corresponding to CB1 is CRC1 and the checksum corresponding to CB2 is CRC2, after the sending end sends CB1, CB2 and their corresponding checksums through the physical layer to the receiving end, the receiving end can perform CRC checks on CB1 and CB2 respectively. If the CRC1 check of CB1 fails, the receiving end can instruct the sending end to retransmit CB1; if the CRC1 check of CB2 succeeds, or if the CRC check of CB2 fails and the determined error rate is less than or equal to its corresponding error rate threshold, the receiving end can send an ACK corresponding to CB2 to the sending end, which is used to indicate successful reception of CB2. In this embodiment, the first data block or the second data block can be CB1 or CB2.

[0227] In some other embodiments of this application, the sending end can perform CBG partitioning and verification. The process of CBG partitioning and verification can be similar to the process of CB partitioning and verification described above, and CB can be replaced with CBG.

[0228] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. In Figure 9, dashed boxes represent optional steps, namely steps S903 and S904.

[0229] As shown in Figure 9, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0230] S901: The network device sends a first indication message to the terminal. The first indication message is used to indicate the maximum number of retransmissions associated with the first RB or the first LCH.

[0231] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first instruction information from the network device.

[0232] The maximum number of retransmissions can be an integer greater than or equal to 1. For example, the maximum number of retransmissions can be understood as the maximum number of retransmissions in HARQ.

[0233] Optionally, the network device can associate different maximum retransmission counts with data blocks or HARQ processes of different importance. For example, the maximum retransmission count is 8 for a data packet with an importance of 1 (or for HARQ process 1); and the maximum retransmission count is 2 for a data packet with an importance of 2 (or for HARQ process 2).

[0234] In some embodiments, network devices can achieve different reliability levels for different RBs and LCHs by enabling or disabling the HARQ mechanism, or by notifying the HARQ process corresponding to the first RB or second LCH of the maximum number of retransmissions. For more important RBs or LCHs with lower fault tolerance, network devices can improve the reliability of data packets on that RB or LCH by enabling the HARQ mechanism or setting a larger maximum number of retransmissions for the corresponding HARQ process. That is, data packets on that RB or LCH can be retransmitted more often, increasing the probability of successful reception. For less important RBs or LCHs with lower fault tolerance, network devices can improve throughput and reduce data transmission latency by disabling the HARQ mechanism or setting a smaller maximum number of retransmissions (e.g., 1) for the corresponding HARQ process. That is, data packets on that RB or LCH can be transmitted only once, or only retransmitted once (excluding new transmission), thereby improving overall throughput, saving more resources to transmit more important data packets, and reducing data packet transmission latency.

[0235] S902: The terminal executes the transmission of a first data block according to the first instruction information. The first data block includes data in the first RB or data in the first LCH.

[0236] For example, the terminal can determine the maximum number of retransmissions of the first data block based on the first instruction information; then, based on the current number of transmissions of the first data block and the determined maximum number of retransmissions, it can determine whether to perform a retransmission of the first data block.

[0237] S903: The network device sends a second indication message to the terminal, which is used to indicate that the first data block was not successfully received.

[0238] Correspondingly, the terminal receives a second instruction from the network device.

[0239] In some embodiments, the first data block may correspond to a first checksum. The network device determines the verification result of the first data block based on the first checksum. When the verification result is a verification failure, the network device sends a second indication message to the terminal. The second indication message indicates that the first data block was not successfully received, such as a NACK corresponding to the first data block. When the verification result is a verification success, the network device sends a third indication message to the terminal. The second indication message indicates that the first data block was successfully received, such as an ACK corresponding to the first data block. For example, the first data block may be a TB, or a CB, or a CBG. The first checksum may be a CRC. Assuming the first data block is a TB, the first checksum may be the TB CRC corresponding to that TB; assuming the first data block is a CB, the first checksum may be the CBCRC corresponding to that CB.

[0240] Optionally, step S903 can be performed before step S902.

[0241] S904: If the number of times the first data block is sent is less than the maximum number of retransmissions indicated in the first indication information, the terminal performs a retransmission of the first data block.

[0242] In some other embodiments of this application, if the number of times the first data block is sent is not less than (i.e. greater than or equal to) the maximum number of retransmissions indicated in the first indication information, the terminal will no longer perform retransmission of the first data block.

[0243] Optionally, if the number of times the first data block is sent is not less than (i.e. greater than or equal to) the maximum number of retransmissions indicated in the first indication information, the terminal may send the aforementioned second indication information to the network device.

[0244] The foregoing details the method provided in this application. To facilitate the implementation of the above-described solutions in the embodiments of this application, corresponding apparatus or devices are also provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0245] This application divides network devices and terminals into functional modules according to the above-described method embodiments. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. It should be noted that the module division in this application is illustrative and represents only one logical functional division; in actual implementation, other division methods may be used. The communication device of this application embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 10 to 12.

[0246] Referring to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application, the communication device may include a transceiver unit 10 and a processing unit 20.

[0247] In some embodiments of this application, the communication device may be a terminal as shown above, or a chip or circuit disposed in a terminal, or a network device, or a chip or circuit disposed in a network device. That is, the communication device may be used to perform the steps or functions performed by the terminal network device in the method embodiments described above.

[0248] In one design, the transceiver unit 10 is used to: receive a first data block, the first data block corresponding to a first check code; and send first information, the first information being used to indicate whether the first data block was successfully received or not successfully received, the first information being determined based on a first fault tolerance rate and the check result corresponding to the first data block, the check result being determined based on the first check code.

[0249] For example, if the verification result is correct, or if the error rate of the first data block is less than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate that the first data block was successfully received; or, if the error rate of the first data block is greater than or equal to the first fault tolerance rate, the first information is used to indicate that the first data block was not successfully received; the first fault tolerance rate is greater than or equal to 0.

[0250] For example, the first data block is a first TB; or, the first data block is a first CB; or, the first data block is a first CBG.

[0251] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 20 is configured to: determine a second data block, the second data block including at least one MAC sub-PDU, the fault tolerance rate of the at least one MAC sub-PDU being a second fault tolerance rate.

[0252] Optionally, the position of at least one MAC sub-PDU in the second data block is determined according to the second fault tolerance rate.

[0253] For example, at least one MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-PDU and a second MAC sub-PDU, wherein the first MAC sub-PDU is located adjacent to the second MAC sub-PDU in the second data block.

[0254] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 20 is configured to: determine a second data block based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB, wherein the second fault tolerance rate is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB corresponding to at least one MAC sub-PDU.

[0255] In this embodiment of the application, the description of the first data block, the first check code, and the first fault tolerance rate can be found in the description of the method embodiment shown in Figure 5 above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0256] It is understood that the specific descriptions of the transceiver unit 10 and processing unit 20 shown in the embodiments of this application are merely examples. For the specific functions or execution steps of the transceiver unit 10 and processing unit 20, please refer to the method embodiment shown in FIG5 above, which will not be described in detail here. In addition, the technical effects of the embodiments of this application are the same as those in the method embodiment shown in FIG5 above, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0257] Reusing Figure 10, in some embodiments of this application, the communication device may be a terminal shown above, or a chip or circuit disposed in a terminal, or a network device, or a chip or circuit disposed in a network device. That is, the communication device may be used to perform the steps or functions performed by the terminal or network device in the method embodiments described above.

[0258] In one design, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: transmit a first data block, the first data block including at least one MAC sub-PDU, the fault tolerance rate of the at least one MAC sub-PDU being a first fault tolerance rate; and receive first information, the first information being used to indicate whether the first data block was successfully received or not.

[0259] For example, the first data block is a first TB; or, the first data block is a first CB; or, the first data block is a first CBG.

[0260] In one possible implementation, the position of at least one MAC sub-PDU in the first data block is determined according to a first fault tolerance rate.

[0261] For example, at least one MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-PDU and a second MAC sub-PDU, wherein the first MAC sub-PDU is located adjacent to the second MAC sub-PDU in the first data block.

[0262] In one possible implementation, the first data block is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB, wherein the first fault tolerance rate is determined based on the fault tolerance rate of the LCH or the fault tolerance rate of the RB corresponding to at least one MAC sub-PDU.

[0263] In this embodiment of the application, the description of the first data block, the first check code, and the first fault tolerance rate can be found in the description of the method embodiment shown in Figure 5 above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0264] It is understood that the specific descriptions of the transceiver unit 10 and processing unit 20 shown in the embodiments of this application are merely examples. For the specific functions or execution steps of the transceiver unit 10 and processing unit 20, please refer to the method embodiment shown in FIG5 above, which will not be described in detail here. In addition, the technical effects of the embodiments of this application are the same as those in the method embodiment shown in FIG5 above, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0265] The network devices and terminals of this application have been described above. The following describes possible product forms of the network devices and terminals. It should be understood that any product possessing the functions of the terminal or network device described in FIG10 above falls within the protection scope of this application. It should also be understood that the following description is merely illustrative and does not limit the product form of the communication devices in this application to these examples.

[0266] In one possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG10, the processing unit 20 can be a processing circuit, and the transceiver unit 10 can be a communication circuit. The processing circuit can be one or more processors, or all or part of the control or processing circuitry within one or more processors. When the communication device is a terminal or network device, the communication circuit can be a transceiver circuit, which can be a transceiver unit. When the communication device is a chip or chip system, the communication circuit can be an interface circuit. When the communication device is a server, the communication circuit can be an interface circuit or a transceiver circuit. The transceiver unit 10 can also be a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit can be a sending circuit, and the receiving unit can be a receiving circuit, integrated into a single device. In this embodiment, the processing circuit and the communication circuit can be coupled, etc., and the connection method between the processing circuit and the communication circuit is not limited in this embodiment. During the execution of the above method, the process of sending information in the above method can be understood as the process of the processing circuit outputting the above information. When outputting the above information, the processing circuit outputs the above information to the communication circuit so that the communication circuit can transmit it. After the aforementioned information is output by the processing circuit, it may require further processing before reaching the communication circuit. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above method can be understood as the process by which the processing circuit receives the input information. When the processing circuit receives the input information, the communication circuit receives the information and inputs it into the processing circuit. Furthermore, after the communication circuit receives the information, it may require further processing before being input into the processing circuit. In one possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG10, the processing unit 20 may be one or more processors, the transceiver unit 10 may be a transceiver, or the transceiver unit 10 may also be a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit may be a transmitter, and the receiving unit may be a receiver, which are integrated into one device, such as a transceiver. In the embodiments of this application, the processor and the transceiver may be coupled, etc., and the connection method of the processor and the transceiver is not limited in the embodiments of this application. During the execution of the above method, the process of sending information in the above method can be understood as the process by which the processor outputs the aforementioned information. When outputting the aforementioned information, the processor outputs the aforementioned information to the transceiver so that the transceiver can transmit it. After being output by the processor, the aforementioned information may require further processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above method can be understood as the process by which the processor receives the input information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the information, it may require further processing before being input into the processor.

[0267] Referring to Figure 11, which is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application, the communication device provided in this application can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments, as can be seen from the description in the above method embodiments. The communication device can be a terminal, a network device, or a chip therein. Exemplarily, the communication device includes one or more processors 1001. The communication device may further include a memory 1003. Optionally, the communication device may further include a transceiver 1002. In one implementation, the communication device also includes an input / output device (not shown in Figure 11).

[0268] The processor 1001 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs. The memory 1003 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1002 may include control circuitry and an antenna. The control circuitry is mainly used for converting baseband signals to radio frequency signals and processing radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0269] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1001 can read the software program in the memory 1003, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1001 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1001. The processor 1001 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0270] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0271] The processor 1001, transceiver 1002, and memory 1003 can be connected via a communication bus.

[0272] For example, when the communication device is used to perform the steps, methods, or functions performed by the network device in the embodiment shown in FIG6, the transceiver 1002 may be used to perform step S601 in FIG6, the processor 1001 may be used to perform S602 in FIG6, and / or other processes of the technology described herein.

[0273] For example, when the communication device is used to perform the steps, methods or functions performed by the terminal in the embodiment shown in FIG6, the transceiver 1002 may be used to perform step S601 in FIG6, the processor 1001 may be used to perform S603 in FIG6, and / or other processes of the technology described herein.

[0274] In any of the above implementations, the processor 1001 may include a transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit can be used for reading and writing code / data, or it can be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0275] In any of the above implementations, the processor 1001 may store instructions, which may be computer programs. These computer programs, running on the processor 1001, cause the communication device to execute the methods described in the above method embodiments. The computer program may be embedded in the processor 1001; in this case, the processor 1001 may be implemented in hardware.

[0276] In one implementation, the communication device may include circuitry capable of performing the functions of transmitting, receiving, or communicating as described in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in this application can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), n-metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), positive channel metal oxide semiconductors (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0277] It is understood that the communication device shown in the embodiments of this application may have more components than those in Figure 11, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this. The methods executed by the processor and transceiver shown above are merely examples, and the specific steps executed by the processor and transceiver can be referred to the description of the method embodiments above.

[0278] In another possible implementation, the communication device provided in this application embodiment may include one or more processors and a memory. The processor executes a program stored in the memory, and when the program is executed, the method embodiment described above is performed. Exemplarily, the processor and memory may also be integrated into a single device, i.e., the processor and memory may be integrated together. For further details regarding the processor and memory, please refer to the relevant content of processor 1001 and memory 1003 in Figure 11.

[0279] In another possible implementation, the communication device shown in Figure 11 may further include a processing unit, which may be one or more logic circuits. The transceiver unit 10 may be an input / output interface, or a communication interface, or an interface circuit, or an interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiver unit 10 may also be a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit may be an output interface, and the receiving unit may be an input interface. The transmitting unit and the receiving unit are integrated into one unit, such as an input / output interface.

[0280] Referring to Figure 12, which is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application, the communication device shown in Figure 12 includes a logic circuit 901 and an interface 902. That is, the processing unit described above can be implemented using the logic circuit 901, and the transceiver unit 10 can be implemented using the interface 902. The logic circuit 901 can be a chip, processing circuit, integrated circuit, or system-on-chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 902 can be a communication interface, input / output interface, pins, etc. For example, Figure 12 illustrates the communication device as a chip, which includes the logic circuit 901 and the interface 902.

[0281] In this embodiment, the logic circuit and the interface can also be coupled to each other. The specific connection method between the logic circuit and the interface is not limited in this embodiment.

[0282] For example, when the communication device is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions performed by the terminal in the method embodiment shown in FIG5 above, interface 902 is used to send first information.

[0283] For example, when the communication device is used to perform the steps, methods, or functions performed by the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG5 above, interface 902 is used to send a first data block.

[0284] In this embodiment, the description of the first data, etc., can be found in the description of the method embodiment shown in Figure 5 above, and will not be detailed here. It is understood that the specific description of the logic circuit 901 and the interface 902 can also be found in the description of the processing unit and transceiver unit shown in Figure 10, and will not be repeated here.

[0285] It is understood that the communication device shown in the embodiments of this application can implement the method provided in the embodiments of this application in hardware form or in software form, etc., and the embodiments of this application do not limit it in this way.

[0286] For specific implementation methods of the various embodiments shown in Figure 12, please refer to the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0287] This application also provides a communication system, which includes a network device and a terminal, and the network device and terminal can be used to perform the methods in any of the foregoing method embodiments (Figure 5 or Figure 6).

[0288] In addition, this application also provides a computer program for implementing the operations and / or processes performed by a communication device (such as the network device and terminal described above) in the method provided in this application.

[0289] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer code that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the operations and / or processes performed by a communication device (such as the network device and terminal described above) in the method provided in this application.

[0290] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer code or a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the operations and / or processes performed by a communication device (such as the network device and terminal described above) in the method provided in this application to be executed.

[0291] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices, or units, or it may be an electrical, mechanical, or other form of connection.

[0292] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0293] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0294] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned readable storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0295] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving a first data block, the first data block corresponding to a first check code; sending first information, the first information being used to indicate successful reception of the first data block or unsuccessful reception of the first data block, the first information being determined according to a first error tolerance and a check result corresponding to the first data block, the check result being determined according to the first check code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, If the check result is correct, or if the error rate of the first data block is less than or equal to the first error tolerance, the first information is used to indicate successful reception of the first data block. Or, if the error rate of the first data block is greater than or equal to the first error tolerance, the first information is used to indicate unsuccessful reception of the first data block. The first error tolerance is greater than or equal to 0.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first data block is a first transport block TB. Or, the first data block is a first code block CB. Or, the first data block is a first code block group CBG.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: determining a second data block, the second data block including at least one medium access control MAC sub-protocol data unit PDU, an error tolerance of the at least one MAC sub-PDU being a second error tolerance.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The position of the at least one MAC sub-PDU in the second data block is determined according to the second error tolerance.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The at least one MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-PDU and a second MAC sub-PDU, the position of the first MAC sub-PDU in the second data block and the position of the second MAC sub-PDU in the second data block being adjacent.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4-6, characterized in that, The determination of the second data block comprises: determining the second data block according to an error tolerance of a logical channel LCH or an error tolerance of a radio bearer RB, the second error tolerance being determined according to an error tolerance of an LCH or an error tolerance of an RB corresponding to the at least one MAC sub-PDU.

8. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending a first data block, the first data block including at least one medium access control MAC sub-protocol data unit PDU, an error tolerance of the at least one MAC sub-PDU being a first error tolerance; receiving first information, the first information being used to indicate successful reception of the first data block or unsuccessful reception of the first data block.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The first data block is a first transport block TB. Or, the first data block is a first code block CB. Or, the first data block is a first code block group CBG.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The position of the at least one MAC sub-PDU in the first data block is determined according to the first error tolerance.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The at least one MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-PDU and a second MAC sub-PDU, the position of the first MAC sub-PDU in the first data block and the position of the second MAC sub-PDU in the first data block being adjacent.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The first data block is determined according to an error tolerance of a logical channel LCH or an error tolerance of a radio bearer RB, the first error tolerance being determined according to an error tolerance of an LCH or an error tolerance of an RB corresponding to the at least one MAC sub-PDU.

13. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises: The receiving unit is configured to receive a first data block, the first data block corresponding to a first check code; The sending unit is configured to send first information, the first information being used to indicate successful reception of the first data block or unsuccessful reception of the first data block, the first information being determined according to a first error tolerance and a check result corresponding to the first data block, the check result being determined according to the first check code.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, If the check result is correct, or if the error rate of the first data block is less than or equal to the first error tolerance, the first information is used to indicate successful reception of the first data block. Or, if the error rate of the first data block is greater than or equal to the first error tolerance, the first information is used to indicate unsuccessful reception of the first data block. The first error tolerance is greater than or equal to 0.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 or 14, wherein, The first data block is a first transport block TB. Or, the first data block is a first code block CB. Or, the first data block is a first code block group CBG.

16. The apparatus of any one of claims 13-15, wherein, The device further includes a processing unit configured to determine a second data block, the second data block including at least one medium access control MAC sub-protocol data unit PDU, an error tolerance of the at least one MAC sub-PDU being a second error tolerance.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, A position of the at least one MAC sub-PDU in the second data block is determined according to the second error tolerance.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein, The at least one MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-PDU and a second MAC sub-PDU, a position of the first MAC sub-PDU in the second data block and a position of the second MAC sub-PDU in the second data block being adjacent.

19. The apparatus of any one of claims 16-18, wherein, The processing unit is specifically configured to: Determine the second data block according to an error tolerance of a logical channel LCH or an error tolerance of a radio bearer RB, the second error tolerance being determined according to an error tolerance of an LCH or an error tolerance of an RB corresponding to the at least one MAC sub-PDU.

20. A communications device, characterized by The device includes: A sending unit configured to send a first data block, the first data block including at least one medium access control MAC sub-protocol data unit PDU, an error tolerance of the at least one MAC sub-PDU being a first error tolerance; A receiving unit configured to receive first information, the first information being used to indicate successful reception of the first data block or unsuccessful reception of the first data block.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein, The first data block is a first transport block TB. Or, the first data block is a first code block CB. Or, the first data block is a first code block group CBG.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 or 21, wherein, A position of the at least one MAC sub-PDU in the first data block is determined according to the first error tolerance.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein, The at least one MAC sub-PDU includes a first MAC sub-PDU and a second MAC sub-PDU, a position of the first MAC sub-PDU in the first data block and a position of the second MAC sub-PDU in the first data block being adjacent.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 or 23, wherein, The first data block is determined according to a fault tolerance rate of a logical channel LCH or a fault tolerance rate of a radio bearer RB, and the first fault tolerance rate is determined according to a fault tolerance rate of an LCH or a fault tolerance rate of an RB corresponding to the at least one MAC subPDU.

25. A communications device, characterized by A processor for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 12 by means of logic circuitry or executing code instructions.

26. A readable storage medium characterized by, A program for storing, which is executed by one or more processors, so that an apparatus comprising the one or more processors performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 12.

27. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product, when running on an electronic device, causes the electronic device to perform the method of any one of claims 1-12.

28. A communication system, characterized by Comprising: A terminal for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 and a network device for performing the method of any one of claims 8 to 12.

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