Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: receiving first information on a first carrier, wherein the first information is used for scheduling M transmission units on a first time unit, the first information includes first indication information, the first indication information indicates N HARQ processes, and the N HARQ processes are associated with the M transmission units, N being an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M being a positive integer greater than or equal to N; and sending or receiving the M transmission units on the first carrier and the first time unit. In this way, under a low delay constraint, the possibility of transmission opportunity conflicts between transmission units to be transmitted by a first communication apparatus is reduced.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411600451.9, filed on November 8, 2024, with the China National Intellectual Property Administration and entitled “A Communication Method and Apparatus”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method and apparatus in the field of communications. Background Technology

[0003] The Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) mechanism is a retransmission mechanism that combines forward error correction (FEC) and automatic repeat request (ARQ). In HARQ, the sender uses the FEC algorithm to encode and add redundant information with error detection and correction capabilities to the transmitted message. The receiver uses a corresponding inverse algorithm to decode the received message. If errors are found, they are corrected. If correction is successful, the message transmission is considered successful; if correction fails, the receiver notifies the sender to retransmit. If errors still exist and correction cannot be successful, a retransmission request is made again until successful reception or the maximum number of retransmissions is exceeded.

[0004] The HARQ mechanism allows multiple stop-and-wait processes to process concurrently. For example, a sender can use one HARQ process to send information, and while that HARQ process is waiting for acknowledgment, the sender can use another HARQ process to continue sending information. Similarly, while the receiver is processing information received by one HARQ process, it can use another HARQ process to continue receiving information.

[0005] Currently, when the transport layer is less than 4, a network device can only schedule one transport unit in a time unit, which is associated with a HARQ process. However, under low latency constraints, there may be transmission opportunity conflicts between multiple transport units to be transmitted by the terminal device. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to reduce the possibility of transmission opportunity conflicts between multiple units to be transmitted in a terminal device under low latency constraints.

[0007] Firstly, this application provides a communication method that can be executed by a first communication device. The first communication device can be a terminal, or a circuit or chip applicable to the terminal (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), and this application does not limit it in this regard.

[0008] For example, the method includes: receiving first information on a first carrier, the first information being used to schedule M transmission units on a first time unit, the first information including first indication information indicating N HARQ processes associated with the M transmission units, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N; and transmitting or receiving the M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit.

[0009] The first information mentioned above is used to schedule M transmission units in the first time unit, or it can be replaced by the first information being used to schedule M transmission units in the first time unit.

[0010] In the above technical solution, the second communication device can schedule multiple transmission units on a single time unit. This helps reduce the possibility of transmission opportunity conflicts between the units to be transmitted in the first communication device under low latency constraints, such as reducing the possibility of transmission opportunity conflicts between newly transmitted transmission units and retransmitted transmission units. Furthermore, these multiple transmission units are associated with multiple HARQ processes, which are independent of each other. This helps reduce the possibility of transmission opportunity conflicts between transmission units associated with different HARQ processes.

[0011] Optionally, the aforementioned transmission unit may refer to the basic unit (or smallest unit) of data transmission. Exemplarily, transmission units include, but are not limited to: transmission block (TB), physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), sub-transport block (Sub-TB), codeword (CW), code block group (CBG), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), or code block cluster (CBC), etc., and this application does not limit this to any particular type.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned N HARQ processes satisfy at least one of the following: only one of the aforementioned N HARQ processes is associated with a transmission unit that is a newly transmitted transmission unit; or, at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the aforementioned N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0013] In other words, if at least one of the above conditions is met, concurrent HARQ processes, by restrictively concurrently running HARQ processes, can, on the one hand, reduce the complexity of the receiver (such as the terminal) in detecting and processing the first information, and on the other hand, reduce the complexity of the sender's scheduling.

[0014] At least one of the above can be predefined, configured, or preconfigured.

[0015] Optionally, at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit, including: at least one of the transmission units associated with each of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0016] It can be seen that the conditions for limiting concurrent HARQ processes are more stringent, which can further reduce the complexity of receiver detection and processing.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned first time unit is the smallest time domain unit used for sending or receiving transmission units.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, at least two of the aforementioned M transmission units correspond to different frequency domain resources; and / or, at least two of the aforementioned M transmission units correspond to different transmission layers.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned M transmission units correspond to M modulation and coding schemes (MCS).

[0020] Different frequency domain resources and transport layers correspond to different channel characteristics. By assigning different transmission units (MTS) to their respective MCS, the values ​​of the indicator domain of each MCS can be configured based on channel characteristics. This facilitates better adaptation to channel characteristics. For example, different frequency bands may have different frequency selection characteristics. Selecting different MCSs based on these different frequency selection characteristics helps improve transmission efficiency. On the other hand, it also helps to utilize time-frequency resources more efficiently, thereby improving their utilization rate.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a first HARQ process associated with one or more transmission units.

[0022] When a HARQ process is associated with a transmission unit, the management of the HARQ process and the transmission unit becomes more direct and flexible. For example, each HARQ process has a buffer that can be used to store data being transmitted or awaiting retransmission. If a HARQ process is associated with a transmission unit, the buffer can be released after the transmission unit is successfully received, reducing unnecessary buffer usage and allowing it to be used to cache other data, thus improving system resource utilization. When a HARQ process is associated with multiple transmission units, more transmission units can be scheduled simultaneously, even when the total number of HARQ processes supported by the user is limited. This reduces the possibility of transmission conflicts between units waiting to be transmitted, improving transmission efficiency.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a second HARQ process, which is associated with M1 transmission units. The M1 transmission units belong to M transmission units, and the M1 transmission units include a first transmission unit. M1 is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and M1 is less than M. When the configuration parameter corresponding to the first transmission unit is set to a first preset value, the first transmission unit is deactivated.

[0024] By providing a way to deactivate the transmission unit, it is beneficial to activate the transmission unit when it is not needed. In this way, the first communication device can determine that the transmission unit does not need to be transmitted, which facilitates unambiguous management of the transmission unit.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a third HARQ process, which is associated with M2 transmission units, which belong to the aforementioned M transmission units, where M2 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M; when the configuration parameter corresponding to each of the aforementioned M2 transmission units is set to a second preset value, the aforementioned M2 transmission units are deactivated, and the aforementioned third HARQ process is deactivated.

[0026] By providing a way to deactivate the HARQ process, it is beneficial to activate the HARQ process when it is not needed, thereby facilitating unambiguous management of the HARQ process.

[0027] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned first information is carried in a downlink control information (DCI); or, the aforementioned first information is carried in N DCIs, and the N DCIs correspond one-to-one with the aforementioned N HARQ processes.

[0028] The aforementioned first piece of information is carried within a single DCI, which helps reduce scheduling complexity and can also reduce signaling overhead to some extent. Furthermore, for the receiver, only one DCI needs to be detected, which helps reduce detection complexity.

[0029] The aforementioned first information is carried across N DCIs, which improves scheduling flexibility. Furthermore, carrying the first information across N DCIs means the number of concurrent HARQ processes is not limited by the size of the DCIs. For example, if the first information were carried across a single DCI, the sum of the sizes of the indication fields corresponding to the M transmission units associated with the N HARQ processes cannot exceed the size of the DCI. The size of the DCI can be represented, for example, by the number of bits.

[0030] It should be noted that the aforementioned first information is carried in the DCI, or it can be replaced by the fact that the aforementioned first information is carried in the DCI. This application does not limit this.

[0031] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, when the aforementioned first information is carried in N DCIs, the N DCIs satisfy the following: the time-domain resources carrying the aforementioned N DCIs are the same, the N DCIs include the first DCI and the second DCI, the interval between the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource is K frequency domain units, the first frequency domain resource is the frequency domain resource carrying the first DCI, the second frequency domain resource is the frequency domain resource carrying the second DCI, K is an integer greater than or equal to 0, and K is predefined, configured, or pre-configured.

[0032] The first communication device receives DCIs based on the aforementioned rules, which helps reduce the complexity of DCI detection. For example, after blindly detecting the first DCI, the first communication device can detect the second DCI based on the aforementioned rules, and so on. In this way, the first communication device does not need to perform blind detection for each DCI, which helps reduce the complexity of detection.

[0033] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, when the aforementioned first information is carried in a DCI, the size of the DCI is used to determine the value of N.

[0034] It is understandable that when the aforementioned first information is carried in a DCI, if the indicator fields corresponding to the M transmission units associated with the N HARQ processes are always reserved, unnecessary signaling overhead may occur when so many HARQ processes are not needed concurrently. Therefore, the size of the DCI and the number of concurrent HARQ processes can be related. For example, if two HARQ processes are concurrently running, the indicator fields corresponding to the transmission units associated with these two HARQ processes are reserved. In this way, the second communication device does not need to reserve too many indicator fields, which can reduce signaling overhead and improve resource utilization. For the first communication device, by detecting the DCI, it can determine the size of the DCI and decide whether to run concurrent HARQ processes based on the size of the DCI. In addition, the first communication device can further determine the number of concurrent HARQ processes.

[0035] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned N HARQ processes are two HARQ processes, which include a fourth HARQ process and a fifth HARQ process; the transmission units associated with the fourth HARQ process are all newly transmitted transmission units, and at least one transmission unit associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit; or, at least one transmission unit associated with the fourth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit, and at least one transmission unit associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0036] Optionally, the above N HARQ processes are two HARQ processes, including a sixth HARQ process and a seventh HARQ process; the transmission units associated with the sixth HARQ process are all newly transmitted transmission units, and the transmission units associated with the seventh HARQ process are all newly transmitted transmission units.

[0037] Secondly, this application provides another communication method, the method comprising: transmitting first information on a first carrier, the first information being used to schedule M transmission units on a first time unit, the first information including first indication information indicating N HARQ processes associated with the aforementioned M transmission units, N being an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M being a positive integer greater than or equal to N; and receiving or transmitting the aforementioned M transmission units on the first carrier and in the aforementioned first time unit.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the method is performed by a second communication device. The second communication device can be a network device, or a circuit or chip applicable to a network device, etc., and this application does not limit its scope. The second communication device can also be a terminal, or a circuit or chip applicable to a terminal, etc., and this application does not limit its scope either.

[0039] In the above technical solution, the second communication device can schedule multiple transmission units on a single time unit. Under low latency constraints, this helps reduce the possibility of transmission opportunity conflicts between the units to be transmitted in the first communication device, such as reducing the possibility of transmission opportunity conflicts between newly transmitted transmission units and retransmitted transmission units. Furthermore, these multiple transmission units are associated with multiple HARQ processes, which are independent of each other. This helps reduce the possibility of transmission opportunity conflicts between transmission units associated with different HARQ processes.

[0040] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned N HARQ processes satisfy at least one of the following: only one of the aforementioned N HARQ processes is associated with a transmission unit that is a newly transmitted transmission unit; or, at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the aforementioned N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0041] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit, including: at least one of the transmission units associated with each of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0042] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned first time unit is the smallest time domain unit used for sending or receiving transmission units.

[0043] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, at least two of the aforementioned M transmission units correspond to different frequency domain resources; and / or, at least two of the aforementioned M transmission units correspond to different transmission layers.

[0044] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned M transmission units correspond to M MCSs.

[0045] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a first HARQ process associated with one or more transmission units.

[0046] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a second HARQ process, which is associated with M1 transmission units. The M1 transmission units belong to M transmission units, and the M1 transmission units include a first transmission unit. M1 is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and M1 is less than M. When the configuration parameter corresponding to the first transmission unit is set to a first preset value, the first transmission unit is deactivated.

[0047] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a third HARQ process, which is associated with M2 transmission units, which belong to the aforementioned M transmission units, where M2 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M; when the configuration parameter corresponding to each of the aforementioned M2 transmission units is set to a second preset value, the aforementioned M2 transmission units are deactivated, and the aforementioned third HARQ process is deactivated.

[0048] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned first information is carried in a single DCI; or, the aforementioned first information is carried in N DCIs, and the N DCIs correspond one-to-one with the aforementioned N HARQ processes.

[0049] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, when the aforementioned first information is carried in N DCIs, the N DCIs satisfy the following: the time-domain resources carrying the aforementioned N DCIs are the same, the N DCIs include the first DCI and the second DCI, the interval between the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource is K frequency domain units, the first frequency domain resource is the frequency domain resource carrying the first DCI, the second frequency domain resource is the frequency domain resource carrying the second DCI, K is an integer greater than or equal to 0, and K is predefined, configured, or pre-configured.

[0050] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, when the aforementioned first information is carried in a DCI, the size of the DCI is used to determine the value of N.

[0051] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned N HARQ processes are two HARQ processes, which include a fourth HARQ process and a fifth HARQ process; the transmission units associated with the fourth HARQ process are all newly transmitted transmission units, and at least one transmission unit associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit; or, at least one transmission unit associated with the fourth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit, and at least one transmission unit associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0052] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device for performing the methods described in the first and second aspects and any possible implementation thereof. Specifically, the communication device includes a module for performing the methods described above.

[0053] Fourthly, this application provides another communication device, including a processor coupled to a memory, which can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the methods in the first to second aspects and any possible implementation of the first to second aspects.

[0054] Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory.

[0055] Optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface, to which the processor is coupled.

[0056] In one implementation, the communication device is a terminal device or a network device. When the communication device is a terminal device or a network device, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0057] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip applicable to terminal devices or network devices. When the communication device is a chip applicable to terminal devices or network devices, the aforementioned communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0058] Fifthly, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute the methods described in the first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0059] In the specific implementation process, the processor can be a chip, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, gate circuit, flip-flop, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation method of the processor and various circuits.

[0060] A sixth aspect provides a communication device including a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory, receive signals via a receiver, and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the methods described in the first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0061] Optionally, the processor may be one or more, and the memory may be one or more.

[0062] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be separated from the processor.

[0063] In the specific implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or set on different chips. This application does not limit the type of memory or the way the memory and processor are set.

[0064] It should be understood that related data interaction processes, such as sending configuration information, can be a process of outputting configuration information from the processor, and receiving configuration information can be a process of the processor receiving input configuration information. Specifically, the processed output data can be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from the receiver. Here, the transmitter and receiver can be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

[0065] The communication device in the sixth aspect above can be a chip. The processor can be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, integrated circuit, etc. When implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor that reads software code stored in memory. The memory can be integrated into the processor or located outside the processor and exist independently.

[0066] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when the computer program is run, causes a computer to perform the methods of the first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0067] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in the first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0068] It should be understood that the second to eighth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first aspect of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0069] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a scenario where a vehicle communicates with other things, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0071] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application;

[0072] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the stop-wait protocol provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of parallel processing of multiple HARQ processes provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of transmission opportunity conflicts provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a possible scenario when scheduling 2 TBs simultaneously, as provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0076] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of simultaneously scheduling two HARQ processes according to an embodiment of this application;

[0077] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a HARQ process associated with a transmission unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0079] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a HARQ process is associated with a transmission unit, as provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a HARQ process associated with two transmission units provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0081] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a HARQ process is associated with two transmission units, as provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0082] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0084] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0085] Before describing the technical solutions in this application, the following points should be noted.

[0086] First, in this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and purpose. For example, "first HARQ process" and "second HARQ process" are used merely to distinguish different HARQ processes and do not limit their order. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0087] Second, in this application, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being described as an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0088] Third, in this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of singular or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0089] Fourth, the correspondences shown in the tables of this application can be configured or predefined. The values ​​of the information in each table are merely examples and can be configured to other values; this application is not limiting. When configuring the correspondences between information and parameters, it is not necessarily required to configure all the correspondences shown in each table. For example, the correspondences shown in some rows of the tables in this application may not be configured. Furthermore, appropriate modifications and adjustments can be made based on the above tables, such as splitting or merging. The names of the parameters shown in the headings of the above tables can also use other names that the communication device can understand, and the values ​​or representations of the parameters can also be other values ​​or representations that the communication device can understand. In implementation, the above tables can also use other data structures, such as arrays, queues, containers, stacks, linear lists, pointers, linked lists, trees, graphs, structures, classes, heaps, hash tables, or hash tables, etc.

[0090] Fifth, in this application, predefined content generally refers to information defined by standards, requiring no configuration from other devices, and pre-recorded / written in the terminal device's own hardware and / or software, or information that cannot be changed by network devices or other terminal devices. Pre-configured content generally refers to information pre-recorded / written in the terminal device's own hardware and / or software, which can be determined by the equipment manufacturer and can be changed through software or hardware.

[0091] Pre-configuration can be divided into network device pre-configuration and terminal device pre-configuration. For network device pre-configuration, it can be done through system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC) signaling; for terminal device pre-configuration, it can be done according to PC5-RRC signaling.

[0092] Sixth, the technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, 5th Generation (5G) systems, New Radio (NR) systems, or future communication systems. Furthermore, the technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to Vehicle to Everything (V2X) systems, Device-to-Device (D2D) communication systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication systems, Machine-Type Communication (MTC) systems, or Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems. This application does not limit the applicable communication systems.

[0093] The architecture of the communication system will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0094] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 illustrates a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN). Optionally, the communication system may also include a core network (CN) and the Internet.

[0095] The wireless access network may include at least one wireless access network device (hereinafter referred to as access network device or network device) and at least one terminal. Figure 1 shows an example of one wireless access network device and one terminal. The terminal can connect to the wireless access network device wirelessly. The wireless access network device can connect to the core network wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network device and the wireless access network device can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and wireless access network logical functions, or they can be the same physical device integrating some core network logical functions and some wireless access network logical functions. This application does not limit this. Terminals can be connected to each other, and wireless access network devices can be connected to each other via wired or wireless connections.

[0096] Optionally, the aforementioned radio access network can be a cellular system related to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), such as an LTE system, a 5G system, or a future communication system. The aforementioned radio access network can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN). The aforementioned radio access network can also be a cloud radio access network (CRAN), etc. This application does not limit this.

[0097] It is understood that Figure 1 only shows one possible communication system architecture that can be applied to the embodiments of this application. In other possible scenarios, the above communication system may also include a greater number of wireless access network devices and terminals. The above communication system may also include other types of devices, such as relay devices and / or backhaul devices, which will not be listed here.

[0098] As an example and not a limitation, wireless access network devices can be used to help terminals achieve wireless access.

[0099] In one possible scenario, wireless access network equipment can be an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a micro base station, a transmitting point (TP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future communication system, a high-altitude platform or satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system, or a wireless controller in a CRAN, etc.

[0100] In another possible scenario, multiple radio access network (RAN) devices collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with each RAN device performing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN devices can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element; for example, CUs and DUs can be included in a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units; for example, RUs can be included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It is understood that RAN devices can be CU nodes, DU nodes, or devices comprising both CU and DU nodes.

[0101] 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 ORAN 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. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. 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 and hardware modules.

[0102] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., or a device used to provide voice or data connectivity to users, or an Internet of Things (IoT) device. Currently, terminals can include, for example: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, smart glasses, etc.), in-vehicle equipment (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), satellite terminals, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, smart point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), light user equipment (UE), reduced capability user equipment (REDCAP UE), wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), smart robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in smart healthcare, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying equipment (such as smart robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. Terminals can also be vehicle devices, such as vehicle units, vehicle modules, vehicle chips, on-board units (OBUs), or telematics boxes (T-BOXs).

[0103] As previously mentioned, the technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to end-to-end direct communication systems such as V2X systems and D2D communication systems. The V2X system and D2D communication system will be explained below.

[0104] V2X systems refer to the data communication between vehicles and other things. V2X includes vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication (as shown in Figure 2a), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication (as shown in Figure 2b), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, and vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication (as shown in Figure 2c). V2X communication in vehicle systems can be extended to D2D communication in other systems.

[0105] In V2X and D2D communication, terminals communicate with each other via the PC5 interface through a sidelink (SL).

[0106] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0107] V2X and D2D communication systems can include communication scenarios with and without network coverage.

[0108] As shown in Figure 3a), multiple terminals are located within the coverage area of ​​the network device. For example, terminal A and terminal B are both within the coverage area of ​​the network device. In other words, both terminal A and terminal B can communicate with the network device. The interface through which terminal A and terminal B communicate with the network device can be the Uu interface. Terminal A and terminal B can communicate with each other via the PC5 interface through a sidelink.

[0109] As shown in Figure 3b), some terminals are located within the coverage area of ​​the network device. For example, terminal A is outside the coverage area (terminal A cannot communicate directly with the network device), while terminal B is within the coverage area (terminal B can communicate directly with the network device). Terminal B can communicate with the network device via the Uu interface. Terminal A and terminal B can communicate via a sidelink through the PC5 interface.

[0110] As shown in Figure 3c), multiple terminals are not within the coverage area of ​​the network device. For example, both terminal A and terminal B are outside the coverage area of ​​the network device. In other words, neither terminal A nor terminal B can directly communicate with the network device through the Uu interface. Terminal A and terminal B can communicate with each other via the PC5 interface through a sidelink.

[0111] It should be understood that the system shown in Figure 3, with two terminals, is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting this application. In practical applications, a greater number of terminals may be included.

[0112] To facilitate understanding of the method provided in this application, the background technology involved in this application will be introduced first before describing the method provided in this application.

[0113] FEC is an error control technique. For example, it refers to the process by which the sender encodes data according to a specific algorithm before sending it, adding redundant information so that the receiver can decode the received data according to the corresponding algorithm, thereby finding and correcting the error codes generated during transmission.

[0114] ARQ refers to the receiver using cyclic redundancy check (CRC) information to determine the correctness of received data and then feeding back the result to the sender. If an error is received, the sender will retransmit the data after receiving the feedback information until the receiver receives it correctly.

[0115] The process of the sender sending data to the receiver for the first time can be called initial transmission (or new transmission), and the process of sending data to the receiver again is called retransmission. It should be noted that the data retransmitted by the sender can be data that was erroneously transmitted in the previous transmission, or it can be all the data from the previous transmission; this application does not limit this.

[0116] HARQ is a retransmission mechanism that combines FEC and ARQ. In HARQ, the sender uses the FEC algorithm to encode the information, adding redundant information with error detection and correction capabilities. The receiver uses a corresponding reverse algorithm to decode the received information. If errors are found, error correction is performed. Successful error correction indicates successful transmission (or successful reception, correct transmission, or correct reception, etc.). If error correction fails, the receiver notifies the sender to retransmit. If errors still exist and error correction cannot be successful, retransmission is requested again until successful reception or the maximum number of retransmissions is exceeded. The HARQ mechanism will be explained in detail below.

[0117] The HARQ mechanism originated from the stop-and-wait protocol, which states that the sender stops sending after each terabyte (TB) and waits for the receiver to respond. The sender then sends the next TB only after receiving the response.

[0118] The stop-and-wait protocol will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the stop-and-wait protocol provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0119] As shown in Figure 4, the sender sends the first TB (e.g., TB 0), and the receiver receives the first TB and sends back the reception result of the first TB. As shown in Figure 4, taking the successful reception of the first TB as an example, the receiver can send back an acknowledgment (ACK).

[0120] The sender receives the feedback result of the first TB. Further, the sender can send a second TB (e.g., TB 1). Correspondingly, the receiver receives the second TB and provides feedback on the reception result of the second TB. As shown in Figure 4, taking the failure to receive the second TB (or the failure to correct errors) as an example, the receiver can provide a negative acknowledgment (NACK). The sender receives the feedback result of the second TB.

[0121] It should be understood that Figure 4 uses two TBs as an example, but this should not constitute any limitation on this application. The sender may send more or fewer TBs.

[0122] It should also be understood that in the example shown in Figure 4, if TB is successfully received, the receiver can send an ACK to the sender. This scenario could be, for example, a scenario where the HARQ-ACK mechanism is enabled.

[0123] The HARQ mechanism can employ multiple stop-and-wait processes in parallel. While one process is waiting for acknowledgment, the sender can use another process to continue sending information. Similarly, while the receiver is processing information received by one process, it can use another process to continue receiving information. In other words, multiple processes can process in parallel. Multiple HARQ processes processing in parallel can form a single HARQ entity. In the HARQ mechanism, a process can be called a HARQ process, but this should not constitute any limitation on this application, and this application does not preclude the possibility of using other names in future protocols.

[0124] It should be noted that the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by a terminal is limited. For example, for downlink, network devices can configure the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the terminal through the field "nrofHARQ-ProcessesForPDSCH" in higher-layer signaling (such as RRC), depending on the network deployment. For example, the value range can be {2, 4, 6, 10, 12, 16}. For uplink, unless otherwise specified, the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the terminal is 16.

[0125] The following figure, in conjunction with Figure 5, provides an example of multiple HARQ processes operating in parallel on a terminal.

[0126] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of parallel processing of multiple HARQ processes provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0127] As shown in Figure 5, HARQ process 0, HARQ process 1, and HARQ process 2 are processed in parallel. For example, the sender can send TB 0, TB 1, and TB 2, where TB 0 is associated with HARQ process 0, TB 1 with HARQ process 1, and TB 2 with HARQ process 2. In other words, the sender sends TB 0 based on HARQ process 0, TB 1 based on HARQ process 1, and TB 2 based on HARQ process 2.

[0128] The receiver receives TB 0, TB 1, and TB 2. It is understood that the receiver can also process these TBs in parallel based on HARQ process 0, HARQ process 1, and HARQ process 2, respectively. Furthermore, the receiver can send back the reception results to the sender, such as NACK for TB 0, ACK for TB 1, and ACK for TB 2.

[0129] After receiving the reception results corresponding to TB 0, TB 1, and TB 2, if the reception result indicates NACK, the sender retransmits the corresponding TB; if the reception result indicates ACK, the sender can send a new TB. For example, if the reception result for TB 0 is NACK, the sender retransmits TB 0 based on HARQ process 0; if the reception result for TB 1 is ACK, the sender sends a new TB (such as TB 3) based on HARQ process 1. For simplicity, the processing flow of each HARQ process will not be listed here.

[0130] It should be understood that the number of HARQ processes in parallel processing shown in Figure 5 (taking 3 as an example) is merely an example and should not constitute any limitation on this application. In practical applications, the number of HARQ processes in parallel processing can be more or less.

[0131] As can be seen from the above, there are situations where multiple HARQ processes are processing in parallel. Therefore, when the receiver receives a TB, it needs to determine which HARQ process the TB belongs to.

[0132] In one possible implementation, different HARQ processes correspond to different HARQ process numbers. The network device can indicate to the terminal the HARQ process to which the TB of this transmission belongs through the HARQ process number. For example, the network device can indicate the HARQ process number through 4 bits in the DCI (assuming that the maximum number of HARQ processes supported by the terminal is 16). For the fields contained in the DCI and their meanings, please refer to the relevant explanations in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) technical specifications (TS) version 38.212 18.0.0, which will not be elaborated here.

[0133] Once the receiver has determined the HARQ process to which the received data transfer (TB) belongs, it can use the new data indicator (NDI) field to determine whether the TB is a new transmission or a retransmission. For example, each HARQ process stores an NDI value, which can be either 0 or 1. The sender uses whether the NDI value is flipped to indicate to the receiver whether the transmission is a new transmission or a retransmission. If the NDI value of the current transmission is opposite to the NDI value of the previous transmission (i.e., the NDI is flipped), it indicates that the data being transmitted is new data; if the NDI value of the current transmission is the same as the NDI value of the previous transmission (i.e., the NDI is not flipped), it indicates that the data being transmitted is retransmission.

[0134] For example, in a new HARQ process 0, the initial value of NDI is 0.

[0135] 1. Initial Transmission: The sender sends a new transmission TB 0 to the receiver in HARQ process 0 and indicates the NDI value to the receiver via DCI to be 0. The receiver receives the above TB 0 and stores it.

[0136] 2. Retransmission (assuming TB 0 was not successfully received): If the receiver fails to receive TB 0, the sender needs to retransmit TB 0. For example, the sender again indicates to the receiver via DCI that the NDI value is 0 (the same as before). The receiver, based on the fact that the NDI has not been flipped (it is still 0), determines that the transmission is a retransmission and receives TB 0 again.

[0137] 3. Next New Transmission (assuming TB 0 is successfully received): Assuming TB 0 is successfully received, the sender prepares to transmit a new transmission TB (such as TB 1) in HARQ process 0. The sender indicates to the receiver that the NDI value is 1 (i.e., NDI flip) via DCI. Based on the NDI flip (from 0 to 1), the receiver determines that the transmission is a new transmission and stores TB 1.

[0138] When NDI is not flipped, the receiver can determine the current redundancy version using the value of the redundancy version (RV). The RV is used to provide different coded bits during retransmissions to improve the reliability of data transmission. A different RV can be used for each retransmission so that the receiver can better recover the original data by combining these retransmissions. The value of the RV can be indicated by a field in the DCI. Table 1 shows examples of RV values.

[0139] Table 1

[0140] As shown in Table 1, the value of RV can be 0, 1, 2, or 3, with different values ​​corresponding to different encoded bits. In one possible implementation, RV = 0 can be used for the initial transmission; RV = 1, 2, or 3 can be used for subsequent retransmissions.

[0141] Currently, network devices can schedule transport layers (TBs) via DCI. For example, on a single carrier, when the transport layer is less than or equal to 4, a DCI can only schedule one TB (e.g., DCI format 1-0) within one transmission time interval (TTI) (hereinafter, one slot is used as an example), and this TB is associated with one HARQ process. However, under low latency constraints, transmission opportunities may conflict between multiple TBs to be transmitted by the terminal device.

[0142] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a transmission opportunity conflict provided in an embodiment of this application. In Figure 6, the remaining transmission opportunity can be understood as the remaining time that the device can use to transmit data within a given time window.

[0143] As shown in Figure 6, during the remaining transmission opportunities, the transmission queue includes multiple retransmission TBs and multiple new transmission TBs waiting to be transmitted. Since only one TB can be scheduled per carrier and per time slot, the sender can only choose one new transmission TB or one retransmission TB from the transmission queue for transmission in the aforementioned time slot. It can be seen that there is a conflict between the transmission opportunities of new transmission TBs and retransmission TBs, which may result in the inability to complete the transmission within the packet delay budget (PDB). For example, the example shown in Figure 6 could be for low-latency services or large packet services. When there are TBs that require retransmission, it may be impossible to complete the transmission of the data packet within the latency requirement. For instance, for a large data packet, assuming its transmission configuration can guarantee transmission within the PDB if no retransmission is needed, but because retransmission is required, and only one TB can be scheduled per carrier and per time slot, it is difficult to guarantee completion within the PDB.

[0144] When the transport layer is greater than 4, a DCI can schedule 2 TBs simultaneously on one carrier and in one time slot, with each TB associated with one HARQ process. Taking DCI format 1-1 as an example, Table 2 shows an example of the indicator field in the DCI.

[0145] Table 2

[0146] As shown in Table 2, one HARQ process can be associated with two TBs. Each TB corresponds to one MCS, NDI, and RV. Different TBs may have the same or different MCS. Similarly, different TBs may have the same or different NDI, and different TBs may have the same or different RV. This application does not impose any limitations on this. In addition, the HARQ process identifier may be, for example, a HARQ process number, used to identify different HARQ processes.

[0147] The following section will explain in detail the scenario of simultaneously scheduling 2 TBs, with reference to Figure 7.

[0148] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a possible scenario when scheduling 2 TBs simultaneously, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0149] One possible scenario is that the initial transmission of TBs all return ACKs, releasing the HARQ process's buffer. As shown in Figure 7a), suppose the network device schedules two TBs (e.g., TB 0 and TB 1) in time slot 0, and these two TBs are associated with HARQ process 0. If all terminals successfully receive the data, the buffer of HARQ process 0 can be released, and subsequent HARQ process 0 can be associated with new transmissions of TBs. For example, in time slot 10, if the network device schedules a transport layer greater than 4, the network device can continue to schedule two more TBs (e.g., TB 2 and TB 3), and these two TBs are associated with HARQ process 0.

[0150] Another possible scenario is that the initial transmission of TBs are all NACKs. As shown in Figure 7b), suppose the network device schedules two TBs (such as TB 0 and TB 1) in time slot 0 and associates them with HARQ process 0. If all terminals fail to receive the data, the buffer of subsequent HARQ process 0 cannot be released and can retain the data for subsequent HARQ merging. Subsequent HARQ process 0 can associate retransmitted TBs. For example, in time slot 10, if the network device schedules a transport layer greater than 4, the network device can continue to schedule two retransmitted TBs, such as TB 0 and TB 1.

[0151] Another possible scenario is that the initial TB portion is NACK. Suppose the network device schedules two TBs (e.g., TB 0 and TB 1) in time slot 0 and associates them with HARQ process 0. One of these two TBs is successfully received, while the other fails. This scenario can be discussed in two cases.

[0152] In case 1, as shown in c) of Figure 7, assuming that TB 0 is successfully received and TB 1 fails to be received, in time slot 10, if the network device schedules a transport layer greater than 4, the network device can simultaneously schedule a new transmission TB (TB 2) and a retransmission TB (TB 1). For the indicator field of the new transmission TB, its NDI is flipped, while for the retransmission TB 1, the NDI is not flipped.

[0153] Scenario 2, as shown in Figure 7d), assumes that TB 0 is successfully received while TB 1 fails to be received. In time slot 10, if the transport layer scheduled by the network device is less than or equal to 4, the network device can only schedule one TB in one time slot, such as scheduling a retransmission of TB 1. In addition, the MCS index of TB 0 can be assigned a value of 26, and the RV index can be assigned a value of 1 to indicate that TB 0 does not need to be transmitted.

[0154] Although network devices can schedule two TBs on one carrier and in one time slot when the transport layer is greater than 4, there may still be transmission opportunity conflicts between the units to be transmitted. For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 6, the network device can schedule two TBs on one carrier and in one time slot, but retransmission TBs belonging to different HARQ processes cannot be scheduled simultaneously. Thus, under low latency constraints, retransmission TBs belonging to different HARQ processes still have transmission opportunity conflicts.

[0155] In view of this, this application provides a communication method in which a second communication device can schedule multiple transmission units on a single time unit. This reduces the likelihood of transmission opportunity conflicts between the units to be transmitted in the first communication device under low latency constraints, such as reducing the possibility of transmission opportunity conflicts between newly transmitted transmission units and retransmitted transmission units. Furthermore, these multiple transmission units are associated with multiple HARQ processes, which helps reduce the possibility of transmission opportunity conflicts between transmission units associated with different HARQ processes, thereby ensuring that transmission is completed within the latency requirements.

[0156] For example, a network device can schedule multiple TBs within a single time unit, and these TBs can be associated with multiple HARQ processes. For instance, as shown in Figure 8a), the network device can schedule two TBs within a single time unit, and these two TBs can be associated with two HARQ processes; that is, one TB is associated with one HARQ process. As another example, as shown in Figure 8b), the network device can schedule four TBs within a single time unit, and these four TBs can be associated with two HARQ processes; that is, every two TBs are associated with one HARQ process. It can be seen that in the above two examples, multiple TBs can be scheduled concurrently, so retransmission TBs and new transmission TBs in the transmission queue can be scheduled simultaneously, resolving the conflict between new transmission TBs and retransmission TBs. Furthermore, the above two examples support concurrent HARQ processes, so even if the transmission queue includes TBs associated with different HARQ processes, the network device can schedule them simultaneously, which helps reduce the possibility of transmission opportunity conflicts between TBs associated with different HARQ processes. A network device can schedule even more TBs within a single time unit, which will not be listed here.

[0157] It should be noted that the terms "HARQ process concurrency," "concurrent HARQ processes," or similar expressions can be understood as follows: For the second communication device, the second communication device can schedule multiple transmission units on a single time unit, and these multiple transmission units can be associated with multiple HARQ processes; or, in other words, the second communication device can schedule multiple HARQ processes on a single time unit. For the first communication device, the first communication device can be scheduled with multiple transmission units on a single time unit, and these multiple transmission units can be associated with multiple HARQ processes; or, in other words, the first communication device can be scheduled with multiple HARQ processes on a single time unit.

[0158] The communication method of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 9. The embodiments shown in this application illustrate the method provided by this application from the perspective of communication device interaction. The specific form and number of each communication device shown are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation of the method provided by this application. Below, taking the first communication device and the second communication device as the execution subjects, the communication method of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail.

[0159] In one possible implementation, the above communication method can be applied to uplink transmission. For example, the first communication device can be a terminal, and the second communication device can be a network device. The network device transmits first information on a first carrier. The first information is used to schedule M transmission units on a first time unit. The first information includes first indication information, which indicates N HARQ processes associated with the M transmission units. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. The terminal transmits the M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit. Correspondingly, the network device receives the M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit.

[0160] In another possible implementation, the above communication method can be applied to downlink transmission. For example, the first communication device can be a terminal, and the second communication device can be a network device. The network device transmits first information on a first carrier. The first information is used to schedule M transmission units on a first time unit. The first information includes first indication information, which indicates N HARQ processes associated with the M transmission units. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. The network device transmits the M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit.

[0161] In another possible implementation, the above communication method can be applied to side-by-side transmission. For example, the second communication device can be a first terminal, and the first communication device can be a second terminal. The first terminal transmits first information on a first carrier. The first information is used to schedule M transmission units on a first time unit. The first information includes first indication information, which indicates N HARQ processes associated with the M transmission units, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. The first terminal transmits the M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit, and correspondingly, the second terminal receives the M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit.

[0162] It should be understood that in this application, the network device can be the network device itself, or a chip, chip system or processor that supports the network device in implementing the communication method, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the network device; the terminal can be the terminal itself, or a chip, chip system or processor that supports the terminal in implementing the communication method, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal, and this application does not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0163] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method 900 provided in an embodiment of this application. This method 900 can be applied, for example, to the communication systems shown in Figures 1 to 3, and includes the following steps:

[0164] In step 910, the second communication device transmits first information on the first carrier. This first information is used to schedule M transmission units on the first time unit. The first information includes first indication information, which indicates N HARQ processes associated with the M transmission units. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first information.

[0165] Where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. That is, the second communication device can schedule multiple transmission units on the first time unit, where at least two transmission units are associated with different HARQ processes. The aforementioned first information is used to schedule M transmission units on the first time unit, or alternatively, the aforementioned first information is used to schedule M transmission units on the first time unit.

[0166] For example, the second communication device transmits first information on the first carrier. This first information is used to schedule two transmission units on the first time unit. These two transmission units are associated with two HARQ processes, that is, each transmission unit is associated with one HARQ process.

[0167] For example, the second communication device transmits first information on the first carrier. This first information is used to schedule four transmission units on the first time unit. These four transmission units are associated with two HARQ processes, such as two transmission units being associated with one HARQ process and the other two transmission units being associated with another HARQ process.

[0168] The aforementioned transmission unit can refer to the basic unit (or smallest unit) of data transmission. For example, transmission units include, but are not limited to: TB, PDSCH, Sub-TB, CW, CBG, PUSCH, PSSCH, or CBC, etc., and this application does not limit them.

[0169] The aforementioned first time unit can refer to the smallest time unit used for transmitting or receiving transmission units. Exemplarily, the first time unit includes, but is not limited to, min-slot, time slot, subframe, or system frame, etc., and this application does not limit it in this regard.

[0170] One possible example is that the second communication device transmits first information on the first carrier, which is used to schedule M data points (TBs) on the first time slot, and the M TBs are associated with N HARQ processes. The M TBs can come from a single medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (PDU) or from M MAC PDUs; this application does not limit the specific source of these PDUs.

[0171] Another possible example is that the second communication device transmits first information on the first carrier, which is used to schedule M PDSCHs on the first time slot, and these M PDSCHs are associated with N HARQ processes. These will not be listed individually here.

[0172] In step 920, the second communication device transmits or receives M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives or transmits the M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit.

[0173] One possible scenario is that the above method 900 is applicable to uplink transmission. The first communication device can be a terminal, and the second communication device can be a network device. The network device transmits first information on a first carrier. This first information is used to schedule M transmission units on a first time unit. The first information includes first indication information, which indicates N HARQ processes associated with the M transmission units, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. Accordingly, the terminal receives the first information on the first carrier and transmits the M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit. Accordingly, the network device receives the M transmission units.

[0174] Another possible scenario is that the above method 900 is applicable to downlink transmission. The first communication device can be a terminal, and the second communication device can be a network device. The network device transmits first information on a first carrier. This first information is used to schedule M transmission units on a first time unit. The first information includes first indication information, which indicates N HARQ processes associated with the aforementioned M transmission units, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. Accordingly, the terminal receives the first information. Further, the network device transmits the aforementioned M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit, and correspondingly, the terminal receives the aforementioned M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit.

[0175] Another possible scenario is that the above method 900 is applicable to side-channel transmission, where the second communication device is a first terminal, and the first terminal transmits first information on a first carrier. This first information is used to schedule M transmission units on a first time unit. The first information includes first indication information, which indicates N HARQ processes associated with the aforementioned M transmission units, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. Accordingly, the second terminal receives the first information. Further, the first terminal transmits the aforementioned M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit, and correspondingly, the second terminal receives the aforementioned M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit.

[0176] In method 900 shown in Figure 9, one possible implementation is that the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a first HARQ process, which is associated with one or more transmission units. The first HARQ process is one of the aforementioned N HARQ processes.

[0177] As can be seen, for any one of the above N HARQ processes, regardless of whether the HARQ process is associated with one or multiple transmission units, this application does not limit the number of transmission layers scheduled.

[0178] When a HARQ process is associated with a transmission unit, the management of the HARQ process and the transmission unit becomes more direct and flexible. For example, each HARQ process has a buffer that can be used to store data being transmitted or awaiting retransmission. If a HARQ process is associated with a transmission unit, the buffer can be released after the transmission unit is successfully received, reducing unnecessary buffer usage and allowing it to be used to cache other data, thus improving system resource utilization. When a HARQ process is associated with multiple transmission units, more transmission units can be scheduled simultaneously, even when the total number of HARQ processes supported by the user is limited, reducing the possibility of transmission opportunity conflicts between units waiting to be transmitted.

[0179] The number of transmission units associated with the aforementioned N HARQ processes includes the following three possible designs:

[0180] Design 1: Each of the above N HARQ processes is associated with a transmission unit, that is, M=N. The above first information is used to schedule M transmission units on the first time unit, and each of the M transmission units is associated with a HARQ process.

[0181] Design 2: Each of the above N HARQ processes is associated with multiple transmission units.

[0182] Design 3: Of the above N HARQ processes, some HARQ processes are associated with one transmission unit, and others are associated with multiple transmission units.

[0183] The following section will provide a detailed explanation of the scenarios where a HARQ process is associated with one transmission unit and where a HARQ process is associated with multiple transmission units.

[0184] Scenario 1: A HARQ process is associated with a transmission unit, which can be a newly transmitted transmission unit or a retransmitted transmission unit.

[0185] Scenario 2: A HARQ process is associated with multiple transmission units. These transmission units can all be new transmission units, all be retransmission transmission units, or some of the transmission units can be new transmission units and others can be retransmission transmission units. New transmission can also be replaced with initial transmission; this application does not limit this terminology.

[0186] In addition, for a specific transmission unit associated with a HARQ process, whether the transmission unit is a new transmission unit or a retransmission transmission unit can be determined based on NDI. For example, if NDI flips, the transmission unit is a new transmission unit; if NDI does not flip, the transmission unit is a retransmission transmission unit. For a more detailed explanation of NDI, please refer to the above text, which will not be repeated here.

[0187] As can be seen from the above different cases of one HARQ process being associated with one transmission unit and one HARQ process being associated with multiple transmission units, when the above N HARQ processes are associated with different numbers of transmission units, there are also different cases for the transmission units associated with the above N HARQ processes.

[0188] When each of the aforementioned N HARQ processes is associated with a transmission unit, this transmission unit can be either a newly transmitted transmission unit or a retransmitted transmission unit. One possible scenario is that each of the aforementioned N HARQ processes is associated with a newly transmitted transmission unit. Another possible scenario is that each of the aforementioned N HARQ processes is associated with a retransmitted transmission unit. Yet another possible scenario is that some of the aforementioned N HARQ processes are associated with a newly transmitted transmission unit, while others are associated with a retransmitted transmission unit.

[0189] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a HARQ process associated with a transmission unit according to an embodiment of this application. It should be understood that in Figure 10, the second communication device schedules two transmission units on the first time unit, each transmission unit is associated with a HARQ process, and the transmission unit is TB as an example. However, this should not constitute any limitation on this application. The second communication device can schedule more transmission units, and the transmission unit can also be PDSCH, Sub-TB, CW, CBG, PUSCH, PSSCH, or CBC, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0190] As shown in Figure 10a), the second communication device schedules two TBs on the first time unit, such as TB1 and TB2. TB1 is associated with HARQ process 0, and TB2 is associated with HARQ process 1. Both TB1 and TB2 are newly transmitted TBs.

[0191] As shown in Figure 10b), the second communication device schedules two transfer units (TBs) on the first time unit, such as TB1 and TB2. TB1 is associated with HARQ process 0, and TB2 is associated with HARQ process 1. TB1 is a new transfer TB, and TB2 is a retransmission TB. This situation could be, for example, a scenario where TB1 has a transmission error and needs to be retransmitted.

[0192] As shown in Figure 10c), the second communication device schedules two data points (TBs) on the first time unit, such as TB1 and TB2. TB1 is associated with HARQ process 0, and TB2 is associated with HARQ process 1. Both TB1 and TB2 are retransmission TBs. This scenario could be, for example, where TB1 associated with HARQ process 0 has a transmission error, and TB2 associated with HARQ process 1 has a transmission error, requiring retransmission for both. In scenarios where there are multiple TBs with reception errors in the transmission queue, and they are associated with different HARQ processes, this allows for the concurrent transmission of TBs associated with different HARQ processes. This results in faster clearing of the transmission queue, or in other words, faster clearing of retransmitted TBs, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0193] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a HARQ process is associated with a transmission unit according to an embodiment of this application. In Figure 11, N=2 is used as an example, but this should not constitute any limitation on this application. For example, the number of HARQ processes can be more, and the number of transmission units associated with each HARQ process can also be more.

[0194] As shown in Figure 11, the second communication device transmits a new transmission of TB0 in time slot 0. TB0 is associated with HARQ process 0, but TB0 is received incorrectly and needs to be retransmitted. In this application, the second communication device schedules TB0 and TB1 in time slot 4, and these two TBs are associated with different HARQ processes, such as TB0 being associated with HARQ process 0 and TB1 being associated with HARQ process 1.

[0195] It should be understood that the scenario shown in Figure 11 is merely an example and should not constitute any limitation on this application.

[0196] When each of the above N HARQ processes is associated with multiple transmission units, these multiple transmission units can all be newly transmitted transmission units, all be retransmitted transmission units, or some of the transmission units can be newly transmitted transmission units and others can be retransmitted transmission units.

[0197] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a HARQ process associated with two transmission units according to an embodiment of this application. It should be understood that in Figure 12, four transmission units on the first time unit are scheduled by the second communication device, and each pair of transmission units is associated with one HARQ process, with TB as an example of a transmission unit. However, this should not constitute any limitation on this application. The number of transmission units scheduled by the second communication device can be more or less, and the transmission units can also be PDSCH, Sub-TB, CW, CBG, PUSCH, PSSCH, or CBC, etc. This application does not limit them.

[0198] As shown in Figure 12a), the second communication device schedules four TBs on the first time unit, such as TB1, TB2, TB3 and TB4. TB1 and TB2 are associated with HARQ process 0, and TB3 and TB4 are associated with HARQ process 1. TB1 and TB2 associated with HARQ process 0 are both new transmission TBs; and TB3 and TB4 associated with HARQ process 1 are both new transmission TBs.

[0199] As shown in Figure 12b), the second communication device schedules four TBs on the first time unit, such as TB1, TB2, TB3 and TB4. TB1 and TB2 are associated with HARQ process 0, and TB3 and TB4 are associated with HARQ process 1. Among TB1 and TB2 associated with HARQ process 0, TB1 is a new transmission TB and TB2 is a retransmission TB. TB3 and TB4 associated with HARQ process 1 are both new transmission TBs.

[0200] As shown in c) of Figure 12, the second communication device schedules four TBs on the first time unit, such as TB1, TB2, TB3 and TB4. TB1 and TB2 are associated with HARQ process 0, and TB3 and TB4 are associated with HARQ process 1. TB1 and TB2 associated with HARQ process 0 are both retransmission TBs; TB3 and TB4 associated with HARQ process 1 are both new transmission TBs.

[0201] As shown in d) of Figure 12, the second communication device schedules four TBs on the first time unit, such as TB1, TB2, TB3 and TB4. TB1 and TB2 are associated with HARQ process 0, and TB3 and TB4 are associated with HARQ process 1. Among TB1 and TB2 associated with HARQ process 0, TB1 is a new transmission TB and TB2 is a retransmission TB. Among TB3 and TB4 associated with HARQ process 1, TB3 is a new transmission TB and TB4 is a retransmission TB.

[0202] As shown in Figure 12e), the second communication device schedules four TBs on the first time unit, such as TB1, TB2, TB3 and TB4. TB1 and TB2 are associated with HARQ process 0, and TB3 and TB4 are associated with HARQ process 1. Among TB1 and TB2 associated with HARQ process 0, TB1 is a new transmission TB and TB2 is a retransmission TB. TB3 and TB4 associated with HARQ process 1 are both retransmission TBs.

[0203] As shown in f) of Figure 12, the second communication device schedules four TBs on the first time unit, such as TB1, TB2, TB3 and TB4. TB1 and TB2 are associated with HARQ process 0, and TB3 and TB4 are associated with HARQ process 1. TB1 and TB2 associated with HARQ process 0 are both retransmission TBs; and TB3 and TB4 associated with HARQ process 1 are both retransmission TBs.

[0204] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a HARQ process is associated with two transmission units according to an embodiment of this application. In Figure 13, N=2 is used as an example, with each HARQ process associated with two TBs, but this should not constitute any limitation on this application.

[0205] As shown in Figure 13, the second communication device schedules new transmissions of TB1 and TB2 in time slot 0 and TB3 and TB4 in time slot 1. TB1 and TB2 are associated with HARQ process 0, and TB3 and TB4 are associated with HARQ process 1. However, TB1 and TB3 have reception errors and need to be retransmitted. In this application, the second communication device can schedule TB1 and TB3 in time slot 4, and TB1 is associated with HARQ process 0 and TB3 is associated with HARQ process 1.

[0206] When some of the aforementioned N HARQ processes are associated with one transmission unit and others are associated with multiple transmission units, the possible transmission unit configurations when one HARQ process is associated with one transmission unit and the other HARQ processes are associated with multiple transmission units can be found in the detailed descriptions when all of the aforementioned N HARQ processes are associated with one transmission unit and when all of them are associated with multiple transmission units. These details will not be repeated here.

[0207] In one possible implementation of method 900 shown in Figure 9, the aforementioned N HARQ processes are two HARQ processes, including a fourth HARQ process and a fifth HARQ process. The transmission units associated with the fourth HARQ process are all newly transmitted transmission units, and at least one transmission unit associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit. For example, in the case shown in b) of Figure 10, HARQ process 0 is an example of the fourth HARQ process, and HARQ process 1 is an example of the fifth HARQ process. As another example, in the cases shown in b) and c) of Figure 12, HARQ process 1 is an example of the fourth HARQ process, and HARQ process 0 is an example of the fifth HARQ process.

[0208] In another possible implementation, at least one of the transmission units associated with the fourth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit, and at least one of the transmission units associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit. For example, in case c) of Figure 10, HARQ process 0 is an example of the fourth HARQ process, and HARQ process 1 is an example of the fifth HARQ process. Other examples include cases d), e), and f) of Figure 12, which will not be listed here.

[0209] In another possible implementation, the aforementioned N HARQ processes are two HARQ processes, including a sixth HARQ process and a seventh HARQ process; the transmission units associated with the sixth HARQ process are all newly transmitted transmission units, and the transmission units associated with the seventh HARQ process are all newly transmitted transmission units. For example, the cases shown in Figure 10a) and Figure 12a).

[0210] Optionally, the above N HARQ processes satisfy at least one of the following: only one of the above N HARQ processes is associated with a transmission unit that is a newly transmitted transmission unit; or, at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the above N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0211] In other words, concurrent execution of the aforementioned N HARQ processes is permitted if at least one of the following conditions is met: at least one of the N HARQ processes is associated with newly transmitted transmission units; or, at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit. Alternatively, when there are no transmission units requiring retransmission, concurrent execution of HARQ processes is not permitted.

[0212] It should be noted that the above statements about N concurrent HARQ processes, or concurrent N HARQ processes, or similar expressions can be understood as follows: For the second communication device, the second communication device can schedule multiple transmission units in a single time unit, and these multiple transmission units can be associated with multiple HARQ processes; or, in other words, the second communication device can schedule multiple HARQ processes in a single time unit. For the first communication device, the first communication device can be scheduled with multiple transmission units in a single time unit, and these multiple transmission units can be associated with multiple HARQ processes; or, in other words, the first communication device can be scheduled with multiple HARQ processes in a single time unit.

[0213] By restrictively concurrently running HARQ processes, the complexity of detecting and processing the initial information by the receiver (e.g., the terminal) is reduced, as is the scheduling complexity by the sender. For example, if HARQ processes are concurrently run unconditionally, the receiver would need multiple HARQ processes running in parallel, such as detecting the initial information and providing feedback on the received results, significantly increasing complexity. Therefore, at least one of the above conditions can be pre-configured, configured, or predefined to allow concurrent HARQ processes when at least one of these conditions is met, thereby reducing the complexity of detection and processing by the receiver.

[0214] One possible implementation is that when only one of the N HARQ processes is associated with a newly transmitted transmission unit, the M transmission units on the first time unit scheduled by the second communication device can be associated with N HARQ processes, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. This is illustrated in cases b) of Figure 10, b) of Figure 12, and c) of Figure 12.

[0215] Another possible implementation is that when at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit, or in other words, when a retransmission transmission unit exists, the M transmission units on the first time unit scheduled by the second communication device can be associated with N HARQ processes, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. Examples include cases shown in Figure 10b), Figure 10c), Figure 12b), Figure 12c), Figure 12d), Figure 12e), and Figure 12f).

[0216] Another possible implementation is that when only one of the N HARQ processes is associated with all newly transmitted transmission units, and at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit, the second communication device can schedule M transmission units on the first time unit that can be associated with N HARQ processes, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. This implementation can be applied, for example, to the following scenario: when only one of the N HARQ processes is associated with all newly transmitted transmission units, and at least one of the transmission units associated with the other HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit. For example, N = 2, the two HARQ processes are HARQ process 1 and HARQ process 2, HARQ process 1 is associated with all newly transmitted transmission units, and at least one of the transmission units associated with HARQ process 2 is a retransmission transmission unit. For example, when N=3, the three HARQ processes are HARQ process 1, HARQ process 2, and HARQ process 3. All transmission units associated with HARQ process 1 are newly transmitted transmission units. At least one transmission unit associated with HARQ process 2 is a retransmission transmission unit. At least one transmission unit associated with HARQ process 3 is a retransmission transmission unit. These will not be listed individually here.

[0217] Optionally, at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit, including: at least one of the transmission units associated with each of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0218] In other words, when each HARQ process is associated with at least one retransmission unit, the M transmission units on the first time unit scheduled by the second communication device can be associated with N HARQ processes, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. This is illustrated in cases c) of Figure 10, d) of Figure 12, e) of Figure 12, and f) of Figure 12.

[0219] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned first information is carried in a DCI, or in other words, the aforementioned first information is carried in a DCI. One possible design is that the aforementioned first information is carried in one DCI. Another possible design is that the aforementioned first information is carried in N DCIs, and these N DCIs correspond one-to-one with the aforementioned N HARQ processes.

[0220] The aforementioned first piece of information is carried within a single DCI, which helps reduce scheduling complexity and can also reduce signaling overhead to some extent. Furthermore, for the receiver, only one DCI needs to be detected, which helps reduce detection complexity.

[0221] The aforementioned first information is carried across N DCIs, which improves scheduling flexibility. Furthermore, carrying the first information across N DCIs eliminates the limitation on the size of the DCIs for the number of concurrent HARQ processes. For example, if the first information were carried across a single DCI, the total size of the indication fields corresponding to the M transmission units associated with the N HARQ processes could not exceed the size of the DCI. The size of the DCI can be represented, for example, by the number of bits.

[0222] One possible example is that the first information is carried in a DCI (Distributed Information Chaining), which includes first indication information. That is, the DCI includes the first indication information, which indicates N HARQ processes, each associated with M transmission units. The format of the DCI is shown in Table 3. It should be understood that Table 3 uses two HARQ processes, each associated with one TB (Transmission Unit), as an example, but this should not constitute any limitation on this application. For example, as shown in Table 4, each of the two HARQ processes is associated with two TBs; these will not be listed individually here. The first indication information may include, for example, the process numbers of the N HARQ processes.

[0223] Table 3

[0224] Table 4

[0225] Another possible example is that the first information is carried in N DCIs, each corresponding one-to-one with one of the N HARQ processes. The first information includes first indication information, which instructs the N HARQ processes. When the first information is carried in N DCIs, each DCI may include indication information for one HARQ process, such as the process number of that HARQ process. The format of the DCIs is shown in Table 5, with one DCI corresponding to one HARQ process. It should be understood that Table 5 uses the example of each HARQ process associated with two TBs, but this should not constitute any limitation on this application. For example, each HARQ process may be associated with one TB, which will not be listed here.

[0226] Table 5

[0227] It is understood that when the first information is carried in N DCIs, the first communication device needs to detect N DCIs. In this application, the N DCIs can meet the following conditions to reduce the complexity of detection: the time domain resources carrying the above N DCIs are the same, the above N DCIs include the first DCI and the second DCI, the interval between the first frequency domain resources and the second frequency domain resources is K frequency domain units, the first frequency domain resources are the frequency domain resources carrying the first DCI, the second frequency domain resources are the frequency domain resources carrying the second DCI, K is an integer greater than or equal to 0, and K is predefined, configured or pre-configured.

[0228] The first communication device receives DCIs based on the aforementioned rules, which helps reduce the complexity of DCI detection. For example, after blindly detecting the first DCI, the first communication device can detect the second DCI based on the aforementioned rules, and so on. In this way, the first communication device does not need to perform blind detection for each DCI, which helps reduce the complexity of detection.

[0229] When K=0, the frequency domain resources carrying the above N DCIs are contiguous. For example, the above N DCIs include DCI 1 and DCI 2. The frequency domain resources occupied by DCI 1 and DCI 2 are contiguous. For example, DCI 1 occupies resource block (RB) 1 and RB 2, and DCI 2 occupies RB 3 and RB 4. RB 2 and RB 3 are contiguous.

[0230] When K is greater than 0, taking the aforementioned N DCIs, such as DCI 1, DCI 2, and DCI 3, as an example, the frequency domain resource carrying DCI 1 is called frequency domain resource 1, the frequency domain resource carrying DCI 2 is called frequency domain resource 2, and the frequency domain resource carrying DCI 3 is called frequency domain resource 3. The intervals of frequency domain resource 1, frequency domain resource 2, and frequency domain resource 3 follow a pattern. For example, the intervals of frequency domain resource 1, frequency domain resource 2, and frequency domain resource 3 are all a fixed value (such as 2 RBs). Another example is that the intervals of frequency domain resource 1, frequency domain resource 2, and frequency domain resource 3 form a geometric sequence, such as the interval between frequency domain resource 1 and frequency domain resource 2 being 3 RBs, and the interval between frequency domain resource 2 and frequency domain resource 3 being 6 RBs, i.e., a geometric sequence with a common ratio of 3. For example, the intervals between frequency domain resources 1, 2, and 3 form an arithmetic sequence. For instance, the interval between frequency domain resources 1 and 2 is 3 RBs, and the interval between them is 5 RBs, i.e., an arithmetic sequence with a common difference of 2. The patterns of the intervals between frequency domain resources 1, 2, and 3 will not be listed here.

[0231] Optionally, when the first information is carried in a DCI, the size of the DCI is used to determine the value of N. The size of the DCI can be represented, for example, by the number of bits.

[0232] It is understandable that when the aforementioned first information is carried in a DCI, if the indicator fields corresponding to the M transmission units associated with the aforementioned N HARQ processes are always reserved (as shown in Table 3, the indicator fields corresponding to the transmission units associated with HARQ process 0 and HARQ process 1, where the indicator fields corresponding to the transmission units associated with HARQ process 0 include MCS, NDI, and RV corresponding to TB 0, and the indicator fields corresponding to the transmission units associated with HARQ process 1 include MCS, NDI, and RV corresponding to TB 1), then unnecessary signaling overhead may occur when so many HARQ processes are not needed concurrently. Therefore, the size of the DCI and the number of concurrent HARQ processes can be related. For example, if two concurrent HARQ processes are used, the indicator fields corresponding to the transmission units associated with these two HARQ processes are reserved. In this way, the second communication device does not need to reserve too many indicator fields corresponding to HARQ processes, which can reduce signaling overhead and improve resource utilization. For the first communication device, by detecting the DCI, it can determine the size of the DCI, and based on the size of the DCI, it can determine whether concurrent HARQ processes are needed. Furthermore, the first communication device can determine the number of concurrent HARQ processes.

[0233] For example, when N=1, the size of the DCI is 10 bits; when N=2, the size of the DCI is 15 bits. When the first communication device detects the DCI and determines that the size is 10 bits, it can determine that no concurrent HARQ processes will occur, meaning N is 1. When the size of the DCI is 15 bits, the first communication device can determine that concurrent HARQ processes will occur, meaning N is greater than 1. For the second communication device, when N=1, there is no need to reserve the indication field corresponding to the transmission unit associated with multiple HARQ processes, thus reducing signaling overhead and improving resource utilization.

[0234] In one possible implementation of the method 900 shown in Figure 9, at least two of the M transmission units correspond to different frequency domain resources; and / or, at least two of the M transmission units correspond to different transmission layers.

[0235] For example, M=2, N=2, meaning the second communication device schedules two transmission units on the first time unit, such as transmission unit 1 and transmission unit 2, with each transmission unit associated with a HARQ process. The frequency domain resources carrying transmission unit 1 are frequency domain resource 1, and the frequency domain resources carrying transmission unit 2 are frequency domain resource 2. Frequency domain resource 1 and frequency domain resource 2 are different, but they can belong to the same carrier, such as the first carrier. The time domain resources carrying transmission unit 1 and the time domain resources carrying transmission unit 2 can be the same, such as the first time unit.

[0236] For example, M=2, N=2, meaning the second communication device schedules two transmission units on the first time unit, such as transmission unit 1 and transmission unit 2, with each transmission unit associated with a HARQ process. The transmission layer corresponding to transmission unit 1 and the transmission layer corresponding to transmission unit 2 can be different. The time-domain resources carrying transmission unit 1 and the time-domain resources carrying transmission unit 2 can be the same, as in the first time unit.

[0237] The two examples above can also be combined. In other words, frequency domain resource 1 and frequency domain resource 2 are different, and the transmission layer corresponding to transmission unit 1 and the transmission layer corresponding to transmission unit 2 are different.

[0238] In one possible implementation of the method 900 shown in Figure 9, the aforementioned M transmission units correspond to M MCSs.

[0239] Different frequency domain resources and transport layers correspond to different channel characteristics. By assigning different transmission units (MTS) to their respective MCS, the values ​​of the indicator domain of each MCS can be configured based on channel characteristics. This facilitates better adaptation to channel characteristics. For example, different frequency bands may have different frequency selection characteristics. Selecting different MCSs based on these different frequency selection characteristics helps improve transmission efficiency. On the other hand, it also helps to utilize time-frequency resources more efficiently, thereby improving their utilization rate.

[0240] In one possible implementation of the method 900 shown in Figure 9, the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a second HARQ process, which is associated with M1 transmission units. The M1 transmission units belong to the aforementioned M transmission units, and the M1 transmission units include a first transmission unit. M1 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M. When the configuration parameter corresponding to the first transmission unit is set to a first preset value, the first transmission unit is deactivated.

[0241] The first transmission unit being deactivated can be understood as the first communication device not needing to transmit the first transmission unit. The term "deactivated" can also be replaced with "disabled," "deactivated," or "invalid," etc., and this application does not limit this interpretation.

[0242] For example, the above configuration parameters include MCS and RV. When the MCS index is assigned a value of 26 and the RV index is assigned a value of 1, the first transmission unit is deactivated.

[0243] By providing a way to deactivate the transmission unit, it is beneficial to activate the transmission unit when it is not needed. In this way, the first communication device can determine that the transmission unit does not need to be transmitted, which facilitates unambiguous management of the transmission unit.

[0244] Optionally, the method 900 shown in FIG9 further includes: a second communication device sending second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the first transmission unit is deactivated / activated. The first communication device receives the second indication information.

[0245] One possible example is that the aforementioned second indication information occupies 1 bit, which corresponds to the first transmission unit. When the bit value is 0, the first transmission unit is deactivated. In this case, the value of the configuration parameter corresponding to the first transmission unit is not limited; or, in other words, the first communication device ignores the value of the configuration parameter corresponding to the first transmission unit. When the bit value is 1, the first transmission unit is activated. Activation of the first transmission unit can be understood as the first communication device needing to transmit the first transmission unit. "Activated" can also be replaced by "activated" or "valid," etc. It is understood that the above examples should not constitute any limitation on this application. For example, when the bit value is 1, the first transmission unit can be deactivated; when the bit value is 0, the first transmission unit is activated. It is also understood that, in the above examples, taking the deactivation / activation of the first transmission unit as an example, other transmission units can also be deactivated / activated in a similar manner, with one transmission unit corresponding to one bit.

[0246] Another possible example is that the second indication information described above can indicate the deactivated / activated transmission unit (such as the first transmission unit). For example, the second indication information can indicate the identifier corresponding to the first transmission unit.

[0247] In one possible implementation of the method 900 shown in Figure 9, the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a third HARQ process associated with M2 transmission units, wherein the M2 transmission units belong to the aforementioned M transmission units, M2 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M; when the configuration parameter corresponding to each of the aforementioned M2 transmission units is set to a second preset value, the M2 transmission units are deactivated, and the aforementioned third HARQ process is deactivated.

[0248] By providing a way to deactivate the HARQ process, it is beneficial to activate the HARQ process when it is not needed, thereby facilitating unambiguous management of the HARQ process.

[0249] For example, the third HARQ process is associated with two transmission units. When the MCS index of each of the two transmission units is assigned a value of 26 and the RV index is assigned a value of 1, the two transmission units are deactivated and the third HARQ process is deactivated.

[0250] Optionally, the method 900 shown in FIG9 further includes: a second communication device sending third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate that a third HARQ process is deactivated / activated. A first communication device receives the third indication information. It is understood that when the third HARQ process is deactivated / activated, the transmission unit associated with the third HARQ process is also deactivated / activated.

[0251] One possible example is that the aforementioned third indication information occupies 1 bit, which corresponds to the third HARQ process. When this bit is 0, the third HARQ process is deactivated. When this bit is 1, the third HARQ process is activated. "Activated" can also be replaced with "activated" or "valid," etc. It is understood that the above example should not constitute any limitation on this application. For example, when this bit is 1, the third HARQ process can be deactivated; when this bit is 0, the third HARQ process is activated. It is also understood that, in the above example, taking the deactivation / activation of the third HARQ process as an example, other HARQ processes can also be deactivated / activated in a similar manner, with one HARQ process corresponding to one bit.

[0252] Another possible example is that the aforementioned third indication information could indicate the HARQ process being deactivated / activated (such as a third HARQ process). For example, the third indication information could indicate the process ID corresponding to the third HARQ process.

[0253] Another possible example is that the third HARQ process can be deactivated / activated if all transmission units associated with the third HARQ process are deactivated / activated.

[0254] It should be noted that the sequence number of the above method embodiments does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0255] The communication method of the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above. The communication device of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below. The communication device includes modules or units for performing each part of the above embodiments. The modules or units may be software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The following is only a brief illustrative example of the communication device. For details of the implementation, please refer to the description of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated below.

[0256] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1400 provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 14, the communication device 1400 includes a transceiver module 1410.

[0257] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1400 is used to implement the steps corresponding to the first communication device in the method 900 described above.

[0258] The transceiver module 1410 is used to receive first information on a first carrier, the first information being used to schedule M transmission units on a first time unit. The first information includes first indication information, which indicates N HARQ processes associated with the M transmission units, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. The transceiver module 1410 transmits or receives the M transmission units on the first carrier and in the first time unit.

[0259] Optionally, the above N HARQ processes satisfy at least one of the following: only one of the above N HARQ processes is associated with a transmission unit that is a newly transmitted transmission unit; or, at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the above N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0260] Optionally, at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit, including: at least one of the transmission units associated with each of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0261] Optionally, the first time unit mentioned above is the smallest time domain unit used for sending or receiving transmission units.

[0262] Optionally, at least two of the M transmission units correspond to different frequency domain resources; and / or, at least two of the M transmission units correspond to different transmission layers.

[0263] Optionally, the above M transmission units correspond to M MCS.

[0264] Optionally, the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a first HARQ process, which is associated with one or more transmission units.

[0265] Optionally, the above N HARQ processes include a second HARQ process, which is associated with M1 transmission units. The M1 transmission units belong to M transmission units, and the M1 transmission units include a first transmission unit. M1 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M. When the configuration parameter corresponding to the first transmission unit is a first preset value, the first transmission unit is deactivated.

[0266] Optionally, the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a third HARQ process, which is associated with M2 transmission units. The M2 transmission units belong to the aforementioned M transmission units, where M2 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M. When the configuration parameter corresponding to each of the aforementioned M2 transmission units is set to a second preset value, the aforementioned M2 transmission units are deactivated, and the aforementioned third HARQ process is deactivated.

[0267] Optionally, the first information is carried in one DCI; or, the first information is carried in N DCIs, and the N DCIs correspond one-to-one with the N HARQ processes.

[0268] Optionally, when the aforementioned first information is carried in N DCIs, the N DCIs satisfy the following: the time-domain resources carrying the N DCIs are the same, the N DCIs include the first DCI and the second DCI, the interval between the first frequency domain resources and the second frequency domain resources is K frequency domain units, the first frequency domain resources are the frequency domain resources carrying the first DCI, the second frequency domain resources are the frequency domain resources carrying the second DCI, K is an integer greater than or equal to 0, and K is predefined, configured, or pre-configured.

[0269] Optionally, when the aforementioned first information is carried in a DCI, the size of the DCI is used to determine the value of N.

[0270] Optionally, the aforementioned N HARQ processes are two HARQ processes, including a fourth HARQ process and a fifth HARQ process; the transmission units associated with the fourth HARQ process are all newly transmitted transmission units, and at least one transmission unit associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit; or, at least one transmission unit associated with the fourth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit, and at least one transmission unit associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0271] In another possible implementation, the communication device 1400 is used to implement the steps corresponding to the second communication device in the method 900 described above.

[0272] The transceiver module 1410 is used to transmit first information on a first carrier, the first information being used to schedule M transmission units on a first time unit, the first information including first indication information indicating N HARQ processes associated with the aforementioned M transmission units, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N; and to receive or transmit the aforementioned M transmission units on the first carrier and in the aforementioned first time unit.

[0273] Optionally, the communication device 1400 further includes a processing module 1420, which is used to determine the first information.

[0274] Optionally, the above N HARQ processes satisfy at least one of the following: only one of the above N HARQ processes is associated with a transmission unit that is a newly transmitted transmission unit; or, at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the above N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0275] Optionally, at least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit, including: at least one of the transmission units associated with each of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0276] Optionally, the first time unit mentioned above is the smallest time domain unit used for sending or receiving transmission units.

[0277] Optionally, at least two of the M transmission units correspond to different frequency domain resources; and / or, at least two of the M transmission units correspond to different transmission layers.

[0278] Optionally, the above M transmission units correspond to M MCS.

[0279] Optionally, the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a first HARQ process, which is associated with one or more transmission units.

[0280] Optionally, the above N HARQ processes include a second HARQ process, which is associated with M1 transmission units. The M1 transmission units belong to M transmission units, and the M1 transmission units include a first transmission unit. M1 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M. When the configuration parameter corresponding to the first transmission unit is a first preset value, the first transmission unit is deactivated.

[0281] Optionally, the aforementioned N HARQ processes include a third HARQ process, which is associated with M2 transmission units. The M2 transmission units belong to the aforementioned M transmission units, where M2 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M. When the configuration parameter corresponding to each of the aforementioned M2 transmission units is set to a second preset value, the aforementioned M2 transmission units are deactivated, and the aforementioned third HARQ process is deactivated.

[0282] Optionally, the first information is carried in one DCI; or, the first information is carried in N DCIs, and the N DCIs correspond one-to-one with the N HARQ processes.

[0283] Optionally, when the aforementioned first information is carried in N DCIs, the N DCIs satisfy the following: the time-domain resources carrying the N DCIs are the same, the N DCIs include the first DCI and the second DCI, the interval between the first frequency domain resources and the second frequency domain resources is K frequency domain units, the first frequency domain resources are the frequency domain resources carrying the first DCI, the second frequency domain resources are the frequency domain resources carrying the second DCI, K is an integer greater than or equal to 0, and K is predefined, configured, or pre-configured.

[0284] Optionally, when the aforementioned first information is carried in a DCI, the size of the DCI is used to determine the value of N.

[0285] Optionally, the aforementioned N HARQ processes are two HARQ processes, including a fourth HARQ process and a fifth HARQ process; the transmission units associated with the fourth HARQ process are all newly transmitted transmission units, and at least one transmission unit associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit; or, at least one transmission unit associated with the fourth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit, and at least one transmission unit associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit.

[0286] It should be understood that the communication device 1400 here is embodied in the form of a functional module. The term "module" here can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that the communication device 1400 may specifically be the first communication device or the second communication device in the above embodiments. The communication device 1400 can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the first or second communication device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0287] The aforementioned communication device 1400 has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the first or second communication device in the above method; the above functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In an embodiment of this application, the communication device 1400 in FIG14 can also be a chip.

[0288] It should be understood that the module division in the embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical entities, or be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0289] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device 1500 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0290] The communication device 1500 can be a chip system, or it can be an apparatus configured with a chip system to implement the methods described in the above-described method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0291] As shown in FIG15, the communication device 1500 may include a processor 1510, which can be used to execute computer programs or instructions in memory to implement the steps performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG9.

[0292] The communication device 1500 also includes a communication interface 1520. The communication interface 1520 can be used to communicate with other devices via a transmission medium, thereby enabling the communication device 1500 to communicate with other devices. The communication interface 1520 can be, for example, a transceiver, interface, pin, bus, circuit, or a device capable of transmitting and receiving functions. The processor 1510 can use the communication interface 1520 to input and output data and to implement the steps performed by the first or second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG9.

[0293] Optionally, the communication device 1500 further includes at least one memory 1530 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1530 is coupled to the processor 1510. The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, and can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1510 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1530. The processor 1510 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 1530. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0294] It should be understood that the coupling in the embodiments of this application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, used for information interaction between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1510 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1530. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific connection medium between the processor 1510, communication interface 1520, and memory 1530. Optionally, the processor 1510, communication interface 1520, and memory 1530 are connected via a bus 1540. The bus 1540 is represented by a thick line in Figure 15. The connection methods between other components are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting. The bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 15, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0295] This application also provides a communication system including a first communication device or a second communication device as described above. In one possible implementation, the first communication device may, for example, implement the steps performed by the first communication device in the method shown in FIG. 9, and the second communication device may, for example, implement the steps performed by the second communication device in the method shown in FIG. 9.

[0296] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also called code or instructions) that, when run, can implement the steps executed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG9.

[0297] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run, it can implement the steps performed by the first or second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG9.

[0298] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an artificial intelligence processor (AI processor) or a neural processing unit (NPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or a combination of one or more discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can reside in a mature storage medium in the field, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0299] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be a cache, random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0300] The terms "unit," "module," etc., used in this specification can be used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. In the embodiments of this application, "unit" and "module" have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

[0301] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application. In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, the division of units is merely 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. Furthermore, the shown or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be through some interfaces; indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0302] 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 to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0303] In addition, 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.

[0304] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., digital video discs, DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state drives, SSDs), etc.

[0305] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they 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 technology, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a 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 storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0306] 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 in that, include: First information is received on a first carrier. The first information is used to schedule M transmission units on a first time unit. The first information includes first indication information, which indicates N Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) processes. The N HARQ processes are associated with the M transmission units, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. The M transmission units are transmitted or received on the first carrier and in the first time unit.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The N HARQ processes satisfy at least one of the following: Of the N HARQ processes, only one HARQ process is associated with all newly transmitted transmission units; or, At least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, At least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit, including: In the N HARQ processes, at least one of the transmission units associated with each HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first time unit is the smallest time domain unit used for sending or receiving transmission units.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, At least two of the M transmission units correspond to different frequency domain resources; and / or, At least two of the M transmission units correspond to different transmission layers.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The M transmission units correspond to M modulation and coding strategies (MCS).

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The N HARQ processes include a first HARQ process, which is associated with one or more transmission units.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The N HARQ processes include a second HARQ process, which is associated with M1 transmission units. The M1 transmission units belong to the M transmission units, and the M1 transmission units include a first transmission unit. M1 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M. When the configuration parameter corresponding to the first transmission unit is set to a first preset value, the first transmission unit is deactivated.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The N HARQ processes include a third HARQ process, which is associated with M2 transmission units. The M2 transmission units belong to the M transmission units, where M2 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M. When the configuration parameter corresponding to each of the M2 transmission units is set to a second preset value, the M2 transmission units are deactivated, and the third HARQ process is deactivated.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The first information is carried in a downlink control information (DCI); or, The first information is carried in N DCIs, and each of the N DCIs corresponds one-to-one with the N HARQ processes.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, When the first information is carried in N DCIs, the N DCIs satisfy: The time-domain resources carrying the N DCIs are the same. The N DCIs include a first DCI and a second DCI. The interval between the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource is K frequency domain units. The first frequency domain resource is the frequency domain resource carrying the first DCI, and the second frequency domain resource is the frequency domain resource carrying the second DCI. K is an integer greater than or equal to 0. K is predefined, configured, or pre-configured.

12. The method as described in claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, When the first information is carried in N DCIs, the size of the DCI is used to determine the value of N.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The N HARQ processes are two HARQ processes, and the two HARQ processes include a fourth HARQ process and a fifth HARQ process. All transmission units associated with the fourth HARQ process are newly transmitted transmission units, and at least one transmission unit associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit; or, At least one of the transmission units associated with the fourth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit, and at least one of the transmission units associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, include: First information is transmitted on a first carrier. The first information is used to schedule M transmission units on a first time unit. The first information includes first indication information, which indicates N Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) processes. The N HARQ processes are associated with the M transmission units, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. The M transmission units are received or transmitted on the first carrier and in the first time unit.

15. The method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The N HARQ processes satisfy at least one of the following: Of the N HARQ processes, only one HARQ process is associated with all newly transmitted transmission units; or, At least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit.

16. The method as described in claim 15, characterized in that, At least one of the transmission units associated with at least one of the N HARQ processes is a retransmission transmission unit, including: In the N HARQ processes, at least one of the transmission units associated with each HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that, The first time unit is the smallest time domain unit used for sending or receiving transmission units.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, At least two of the M transmission units correspond to different frequency domain resources; and / or, At least two of the M transmission units correspond to different transmission layers.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that, The M transmission units correspond to M modulation and coding strategies (MCS).

20. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that, The N HARQ processes include a first HARQ process, which is associated with one or more transmission units.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 20, characterized in that, The N HARQ processes include a second HARQ process, which is associated with M1 transmission units. The M1 transmission units belong to the M transmission units, and the M1 transmission units include a first transmission unit. M1 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M. When the configuration parameter corresponding to the first transmission unit is set to a first preset value, the first transmission unit is deactivated.

22. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 21, characterized in that, The N HARQ processes include a third HARQ process, which is associated with M2 transmission units. The M2 transmission units belong to the M transmission units, where M2 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than M. When the configuration parameter corresponding to each of the M2 transmission units is set to a second preset value, the M2 transmission units are deactivated, and the third HARQ process is deactivated.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22, characterized in that, The first information is carried in a downlink control information (DCI); or, The first information is carried in N DCIs, and each of the N DCIs corresponds one-to-one with the N HARQ processes.

24. The method as described in claim 23, characterized in that, When the first information is carried in N DCIs, the N DCIs satisfy: The time-domain resources carrying the N DCIs are the same. The N DCIs include a first DCI and a second DCI. The interval between the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource is K frequency domain units. The first frequency domain resource is the frequency domain resource carrying the first DCI, and the second frequency domain resource is the frequency domain resource carrying the second DCI. K is an integer greater than or equal to 0. K is predefined, configured, or pre-configured.

25. The method as described in claim 23 or 24, characterized in that, When the first information is carried in N DCIs, the size of the DCI is used to determine the value of N.

26. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 25, characterized in that, The N HARQ processes are two HARQ processes, and the two HARQ processes include a fourth HARQ process and a fifth HARQ process. All transmission units associated with the fourth HARQ process are newly transmitted transmission units, and at least one transmission unit associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit; or, At least one of the transmission units associated with the fourth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit, and at least one of the transmission units associated with the fifth HARQ process is a retransmission transmission unit.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, or includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 26.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor configured to invoke a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, or to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13 to be implemented, or cause the method as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 26 to be implemented.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13 to be implemented, or cause the method as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 26 to be implemented.

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