Communication method, communication apparatus, storage medium and communication system

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications. Provided are a communication method, a communication apparatus, a storage medium and a communication system. The method comprises: a network device sending initially transmitted data to a terminal by means of a first cell; and by means of a plurality of time slots of a second cell, the network device sending to the terminal retransmitted data corresponding to the initially transmitted data, wherein the second cell is a cell other than the first cell among cells corresponding to the terminal. A network device can determine whether a retransmission cell can complete the transmission of retransmitted data by means of one time slot of the retransmission cell, and when the retransmission cell (e.g., a second cell) cannot complete the transmission of the retransmitted data by means of one time slot, a plurality of portions of the retransmitted data can be transmitted by means of a plurality of cells of the retransmission cell, thereby not only ensuring that the retransmitted data is transmitted, but also reducing the probability of an error occurring in data retransmission, thus improving the transmission efficiency of the retransmitted data.

Description

A communication method, communication device, storage medium, and communication system

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411795305.6, filed on December 6, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method, Communication Device, Storage Medium and Communication System", 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, communication device, storage medium, and communication system. Background Technology

[0003] In mobile communication systems, such as 5G systems, data transmission employs a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) mechanism, meaning the sender can use multiple HARQ processes for parallel transmission. Network devices can configure multiple HARQ processes for a terminal, with each process using a different time slot for transmission. For each HARQ process, the sender first sends initial data to the receiver. If this initial data transmission fails (i.e., the receiver reports a decoding failure), the sender then sends the retransmission data for that HARQ process to the receiver.

[0004] In currently known communication methods, the HARQ process is cell-level, meaning each cell has its own independent HARQ process. Each cell can perform initial data transmission and retransmission based on its own HARQ process. However, in some scenarios, such as when the cell load is high, or transmission capacity is limited, or channel quality deteriorates rapidly, the probability of subsequent data retransmission errors is also relatively high after an initial data transmission error. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, communication device, storage medium, and communication system to ensure the transmission of retransmitted data and reduce the probability of errors occurring during data retransmission.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first communication device. For example, it can be executed by the entire first communication device itself, or by a component (such as a processor, chip, chip system, etc.) configured in the first communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first communication device. This application does not limit the scope of the method.

[0007] The first communication device may be a network device, including but not limited to: an evolved node B (eNB) in a long term evolution (LTE) system, a next generation node B (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), or a base station in a future mobile communication system. This application does not limit the specific type of network device.

[0008] For example, the method includes: sending initial transmission data to a terminal through a first cell; sending retransmission data corresponding to the initial transmission data to the terminal through multiple time slots of a second cell; wherein the second cell is a cell other than the first cell among the cells corresponding to the terminal.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, network equipment can determine whether the retransmission cell can complete the transmission of retransmitted data through one time slot of the retransmission cell. If the retransmission cell (e.g., the second cell) cannot complete the transmission of retransmitted data through one time slot, multiple parts of the retransmitted data can be transmitted through multiple cells of the retransmission cell. Thus, not only can the retransmission data be transmitted, but the probability of data retransmission errors can also be reduced, and the transmission efficiency of retransmitted data can be improved.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, sending the retransmitted data corresponding to the initial transmission data to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell includes: sending the retransmitted data to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell when a first condition is met; wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following: the terminal supports an inter-cell retransmission mechanism; or, the terminal supports an inter-cell retransmission mechanism based on multiple time slots; or, the network device configures an inter-cell retransmission mechanism for the terminal; or, the network device configures an inter-cell retransmission mechanism based on multiple time slots for the terminal; or, the maximum data volume that a time slot of the second cell can carry is less than the data volume of the retransmitted data; or, in the inter-cell retransmission mechanism, the maximum retransmitted data volume that a time slot of the retransmission cell can carry is less than the data volume of the retransmitted data.

[0011] The cross-cell retransmission mechanism mentioned in this application can be understood as follows: the network device sends initial transmission data to the terminal through the first cell, and after receiving a negative-acknowledgement (NACK) message from the terminal regarding the initial transmission data, the network device can send the retransmission data corresponding to the initial transmission data to the terminal through other cells (such as the second cell, which may be associated with the first cell).

[0012] Furthermore, the multi-timeslot-based cross-cell retransmission mechanism mentioned in this application can be understood as follows: the network device sends initial transmission data to the terminal through the first cell, and after receiving the NACK information from the terminal regarding the initial transmission data, the network device can send the retransmission data corresponding to the initial transmission data to the terminal through multiple time slots of other cells (such as the second cell, which may be associated with the first cell).

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the maximum amount of data that a time slot of the second cell can carry is determined based on the information of the second cell, which includes at least: the time-frequency resources of the second cell and / or the channel state of the second cell.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the maximum amount of retransmitted data that a time slot of the retransmission cell can carry is reported by the terminal through its capability information.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: sending first indication information to the terminal, the first indication information including a first field, the first field being used to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is complete retransmitted data or a part of a retransmitted data, and / or, being used to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is the last part of a retransmitted data.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: sending first indication information to the terminal, the first indication information including a second field, the second field being used to indicate how many parts the retransmitted data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication information is divided into.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the first indication information also includes a third field, which indicates which part of the retransmitted data of the HARQ process is being scheduled by the first indication information.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: sending first indication information to the terminal, the first indication information including a fourth field, the fourth field including a first part and a second part, the first part being used to indicate how many parts the retransmitted data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication information is divided into, and the second part being used to indicate which part of the retransmitted data of the HARQ process is scheduled by the first indication information.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: sending a plurality of first indication messages to the terminal, each of the plurality of first indication messages being used to indicate the feedback time for sending the acknowledgment (ACK) / NACK information corresponding to the retransmitted data to the terminal through a plurality of time slots of the second cell, wherein the feedback time indicated by the plurality of first indication messages is the same.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the first indication information is downlink control information (DCI) used to schedule retransmission data.

[0021] Secondly, this application provides a communication method that can be executed by a second communication device. For example, it can be executed by the second communication device itself, or by a component (such as a processor, chip, chip system, etc.) configured in the second communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second communication device. This application does not limit the scope of the method.

[0022] The second communication device may be a terminal, including but not limited to: mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal, or augmented reality (AR) terminal, etc. This application does not limit the specific type of terminal.

[0023] For example, the method includes: receiving initial transmission data from a network device through a first cell; receiving retransmission data corresponding to the initial transmission data through a second cell; wherein the second cell is a cell other than the first cell among the cells corresponding to the terminal.

[0024] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal can receive retransmitted data from the network device through the second cell. This not only ensures that the retransmitted data is transmitted, but also reduces the probability of data retransmission errors and improves the transmission efficiency of retransmitted data.

[0025] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: upon receiving multiple retransmitted data corresponding to the same HARQ process, and if the multiple retransmitted data satisfy the second condition, determining that the multiple retransmitted data are multiple parts of the same retransmitted data.

[0026] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the second condition includes one or more of the following: during the transmission of the multiple retransmitted data, no initial data corresponding to the same HARQ process is received; or, the feedback time of the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the multiple retransmitted data indicated by the network device is the same; or, among the multiple retransmitted data, the other retransmitted data besides the first retransmitted data received are received within a first time to a second time, where the first time is the reception time of the first retransmitted data, and the second time is the feedback time of the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the first retransmitted data indicated by the network device; or, the second time is equal to the feedback time of the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the first retransmitted data minus a time offset, where the time offset is the processing time required for the terminal to receive the retransmitted data; or, the time offset is the processing time required for the terminal to send the ACK / NACK information.

[0027] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving first indication information from the network device, the first indication information including a first field, the first field being used to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is complete retransmitted data or a part of a retransmitted data, and / or, being used to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is the last part of a retransmitted data.

[0028] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving first indication information from the network device, the first indication information including a second field, the second field being used to indicate how many parts the retransmitted data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication information is divided into.

[0029] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the first indication information also includes a third field, which indicates which part of the retransmitted data of the HARQ process is being scheduled by the first indication information.

[0030] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving first indication information from the network device, the first indication information including a fourth field, the fourth field including a first part and a second part, the first part being used to indicate how many parts the retransmitted data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication information is divided into, and the second part being used to indicate which part of the retransmitted data of the HARQ process is scheduled by the first indication information.

[0031] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the first indication information is a DCI used for scheduling retransmitted data.

[0032] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: reporting the capability information of the terminal to the network device, the capability information indicating at least one of the following: the terminal supports an inter-cell retransmission mechanism; or, the terminal device supports an inter-cell retransmission mechanism based on multiple time slots; or, the maximum amount of retransmitted data that a time slot of the retransmission cell can carry in the inter-cell retransmission mechanism.

[0033] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: when multiple parts of a retransmitted data are received, combining the multiple parts into a complete retransmitted data according to the transmission order of the multiple parts.

[0034] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device that enables the methods in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof to be implemented, or enables the methods in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof to be implemented. The device includes corresponding modules for performing the aforementioned methods. The modules included in the device can be implemented in software and / or hardware.

[0035] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor. The processor can be used to execute a computer program stored in memory, causing the methods in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof to be implemented, or causing the methods in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof to be implemented. The device includes corresponding modules for performing the above methods. The modules included in the device can be implemented by software and / or hardware.

[0036] Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface, to which the processor is coupled. The communication interface is used to receive signals from other communication devices besides the aforementioned device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices besides the aforementioned device. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0037] Optionally, the device also includes a memory, to which the processor is coupled. The memory is used to store program instructions and data.

[0038] Fifthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the methods in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof to be executed, or cause the methods in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof to be executed.

[0039] Sixthly, this application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed, causes the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof to be executed, or causes the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof to be executed.

[0040] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the functions involved in implementing the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, or for supporting the functions involved in implementing the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. For example, receiving or processing data involved in the above methods.

[0041] In one possible design, the chip system described above also includes a memory for storing program instructions and data, which may be located inside or outside the processor.

[0042] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0043] Eighthly, this application provides a communication system comprising a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is used to implement the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the second communication device is used to implement the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0044] It should be understood that the third to eighth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first and second aspects 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

[0045] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0046] Figure 2 is another schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0047] Figure 3 is another schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0048] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN) system applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0049] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the network element function division and protocol layer structure of an O-RAN device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the physical downlink sharing channel (PDSCH) transmission mechanism;

[0051] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the cross-cell retransmission mechanism;

[0052] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 10 is another schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0055] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0056] Before describing the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the following points should be noted.

[0057] First, in the embodiments of 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 cell" and "second cell" are merely used to distinguish different cells, and "first field," "second field," "third field," and "fourth field" are merely used to distinguish different fields, without limiting 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.

[0058] Second, in the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplary," "example," or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary," "example," or "for example" should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. The use of the words "exemplary," "example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0059] Third, in the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, 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 represent: a, or b, or c; a and b; or a and c; or b and c; or a, b, and c. Here, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0060] Fourth, in the embodiments of this application, the predefined content generally refers to information defined by standards, which does not require configuration by other devices, and is information pre-recorded / written in the hardware and / or software of the terminal device itself, or can be understood as information that cannot be changed by network devices or other terminal devices. The predefined content generally refers to information pre-recorded / written in the hardware and / or software of the terminal device itself, which can be determined by the equipment manufacturer and can be changed through software or hardware.

[0061] Pre-configuration can be divided into network device pre-configuration and terminal device pre-configuration. If it is network device pre-configuration, it can be done through system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC) signaling. If it is terminal device pre-configuration, it can be done according to PC5-RRC signaling, or it can be configured by the equipment manufacturer.

[0062] Fifth, in the embodiments of this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain instruction is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementation, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only indicate a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction can be implemented by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement of various information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction. It is understood that for the sender of the instruction, the instruction can be used to indicate the information to be instructed, and for the receiver of the instruction, the instruction can be used to determine the information to be instructed.

[0063] Sixth, in the embodiments of this application, communication between different devices can refer to direct communication between different devices (i.e., without the need for relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between different devices through other devices (i.e., requiring relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between a functional unit within a device and other devices through another functional unit. "Send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to a terminal" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal, which can include direct sending via the air interface, or indirect sending via the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving configuration information from a network device" can be understood as the source of the configuration information being the network device, which can include direct reception from the network device via the air interface, or indirect reception from the network device via the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0064] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminals; or they can occur within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within a device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0065] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, before being sent from the source to the destination. Similarly, the destination, upon receiving information from the source, can also perform corresponding processing, such as decoding and demodulation, to interpret the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0066] Seventh, in the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the fact that the device (e.g., network device or terminal) will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. They are not time limits, nor do they require the device (e.g., network device or terminal) to make a judgment action when implementing it, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0067] Eighth, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as LTE systems, 5G communication systems, satellite communication systems, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, new radio (NR) systems, and the solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems or other communication systems. This application does not limit these applications.

[0068] The communication system to which the method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0070] As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in Figure 1), and each device may also include different functional units. Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to core network 200. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0071] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4th generation (4G) mobile communication system, a 5G mobile communication system, or a future communication system. RAN 100 can also be O-RAN, a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a Wi-Fi system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0072] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as network equipment, access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, is part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 1000 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0073] In one possible scenario, RAN nodes can be base stations, eNBs, access points (APs), transmission reception points (TRPs), gNBs, base stations in future communication systems, or access nodes in Wi-Fi systems. RAN nodes can be macro base stations (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), micro base stations or indoor stations (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), relay nodes or donor nodes, or radio controllers in CRAN scenarios. Optionally, RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be roadside units (RSUs).

[0074] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0075] The access network device includes one or more CUs, one or more DUs, and one or more RUs. The CU is used to connect to the core network and one or more DUs. Optionally, the CU may have some of the core network's functions. The CU may include CU-CP and CU-UP. In the embodiments of this application, the access network device typically includes a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs corresponding communication functions. The access network device may also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions.

[0076] 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 in its embodiments. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0077] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), V2X communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc.

[0078] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal devices involved may include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem with wireless communication capabilities. The terminal may be a mobile station (MS), subscriber unit, cellular phone, smartphone, wireless data card, personal digital assistant (PDA) computer, tablet computer, wireless modem, handset, laptop computer, MTC terminal, etc.

[0079] In this embodiment, the network device can be a device deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The network device can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, etc. In systems employing different radio access technologies, the name of the network device may differ, such as a base transceiver station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Node B (NB) in Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), or an eNB or eNodeB in LTE. The network device can also be a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The network device can also be a base station device in a future 5G network or a network device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) network. The network device can also be a wearable device or an in-vehicle device. The network device can also be a TRP (Transmitter Relay Platform).

[0080] Network devices can be used to receive uplink signals from terminals, send downlink signals to terminals, or receive echo signals of signals they themselves transmit. Network devices can be LTE and / or NR network devices, and can be base stations, evolved base stations, next-generation base stations in 5G mobile communication systems, transmit / receive points, 3GPP subsequent evolution base stations, access nodes in Wi-Fi systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, etc. A network device can contain one or more co-located or non-co-located transmit / receive points. For example, a network device can include a CU, a DU, or both CU and DU. This allows multiple network functional entities to implement some functions of the wireless access network device. These network functional entities can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). For example, in V2X technology, a network device can be an RSU. Multiple network devices in a communication system can be base stations of the same type or different types. Base stations can communicate with terminal devices or communicate with terminal devices through relay stations. In this embodiment of the application, the communication device used to implement the function of the network device can be a network device, a network device with base station functions, or a device that can support the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device.

[0081] In this embodiment of the application, the network device may be, for example, the RAN node 110 shown in FIG1, and the terminal may be, for example, the terminal 120 shown in FIG1. ​​This embodiment of the application does not specifically limit the types of network devices and terminals.

[0082] In addition, in the embodiments of this application, the terminal and network device can be hardware devices, or software functions running on dedicated hardware, or software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., cloud platform), or entities that include dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific form of the terminal and network device.

[0083] Figure 2 is another schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. The communication system shown in Figure 2 can be regarded as a simplification of the communication system shown in Figure 1.

[0084] As shown in Figure 2, a communication system applicable to the method provided in the embodiments of this application may include one or more network devices and one or more terminals. A network device may transmit data or control signaling to one or more terminals; multiple network devices may also transmit data or control signaling to a terminal device simultaneously.

[0085] More specifically, as shown in Figure 2a), the communication system includes a network device and at least one terminal (two terminals (terminal 1 and terminal 2) are used as examples in the figure). The network device can transmit data or control signaling to terminal 1 and terminal 2, and correspondingly, terminal 1 and terminal 2 can receive data or control signaling from the network device. As shown in Figure 2b), the communication system includes multiple network devices (three network devices (network device 1, network device 2, and network device 3) are used as examples in the figure), and at least one terminal (one terminal is used as an example in the figure). Network devices 1, 2, and 3 can transmit data or control signaling to the terminal, and correspondingly, the terminal can receive data or control signaling from network devices 1, 2, and 3.

[0086] Figure 3 is another schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. The communication system shown in Figure 3 can be regarded as another representation of the communication system shown in Figure 2.

[0087] As shown in Figure 3, terminal 10 may include a processor 101, a memory 102, and a transceiver 103. Transceiver 103 may include a transmitter 1031, a receiver 1032, and an antenna 1033. The receiver 1032 can be used to receive transmission control information through the antenna 1033, and the transmitter 1031 can be used to send transmission feedback information to network device 20 through the antenna 1033. Network device 20 may also include a processor 201, a memory 202, and a transceiver 203. Transceiver 203 may include a transmitter 2031, a receiver 2032, and an antenna 2033. The transmitter 2031 can be used to send transmission control information to terminal 10 through the antenna 2033, and the receiver 2032 can be used to receive transmission feedback information sent by terminal 10 through the antenna 2033.

[0088] The network device in this embodiment can also be replaced by a chip in the network device, and the terminal device can also be replaced by a chip in the terminal. In other words, the network element structure diagram shown in FIG3 can also represent a chip structure diagram applicable to this embodiment. That is, as shown in FIG3, the chip of terminal 10 may include a processor 101, a memory 102, and a transceiver 103, and the transceiver 103 includes a transmitter 1031, a receiver 1032, and an antenna 1033. The chip of network device 20 may include a processor 201, a memory 202, and a transceiver 203, and the transceiver 203 includes a transmitter 2031, a receiver 2032, and an antenna 2033.

[0089] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0090] As shown in Figure 4, the network device can be the access network device shown in Figure 4. The access network device (RAN, such as an eNB, gNB, or next-generation access network device) can communicate with the core network device through the backhaul link, and the access network device can also communicate with the terminal through the air interface.

[0091] More specifically, the baseband unit (BBU) in the access network equipment can communicate with the core network equipment via the backhaul link, and the radio frequency unit (RU) in the access network equipment can communicate with at least one terminal via the air interface. The BBU can communicate with at least one RU via the fronthaul link, and the BBU and RU may or may not be co-located.

[0092] The BBU includes at least one control unit (CU) and at least one distributed unit (DU), which can communicate via at least one midhaul link.

[0093] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the network element function division and protocol layer structure of an O-RAN device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0094] As shown in Figure 5, in some examples, the CU is a logical node that carries the RRC layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network equipment. The CU is connected to network nodes such as the core network through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as E2 interfaces.

[0095] Optionally, the CU may possess some core network functions. The CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher) connects to the DU (e.g., the radio link control (RLC) layer and lower) through interfaces such as the F1 interface. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). F1AP is the application protocol for the F1 interface, defining the F1 signaling procedures in some examples. The F1 interface supports control plane F1-C and user plane F1-U.

[0096] In some examples, the CU can be split into CU-CP (control unit-control plane) and CU-UP (control unit-user plane). CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and PDCP-C (control plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's control plane functions. CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements in the core network can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G system. AMF network elements are responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover. CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and PDCP-U (user plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's user plane functions. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements in the core network, such as the user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, are responsible for data forwarding and receiving in terminal devices. The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency. Functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0097] In some examples, a DU is a logical node that carries the RLC layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, higher physical (Hig-PHY) layer, and other functionalities.

[0098] In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. The DU connects to the RU through interfaces, which can be fronthaul interfaces.

[0099] In some examples, the Hig-PHY layer includes parts of the PHY layer that handle functions such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation.

[0100] In some examples, RU is a logical node that carries both a lower physical (Low-PHY) layer and radio frequency (RF) processing.

[0101] In some examples, the RU can be a 3GPP TRP or a remote radio head (RRH) or other similar entity.

[0102] In some examples, Low-PHY includes PHY processing functions such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more UEs via a wireless link.

[0103] The DU and RU can be co-located or not. The DU and RU exchange control plane and user plane information via a fronthaul link through the lower layer split control-user-synchronization Plane (LLS-CUS) interface. LLS-CUS may include LLS-C and LLS-U interfaces that provide the control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane), respectively.

[0104] In some examples, the control plane refers to real-time control between the DU and RU. The DU and RU exchange management information via an LLS-M interface on the fronthaul link, while the management plane (M-Plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and RU.

[0105] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0106] 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 in its embodiments.

[0107] The communication system to which the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 5. The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0108] In mobile communication systems (such as 5G mobile communication systems), data transmission uses the HARQ transmission mechanism, and the sending end can use multiple HARQ processes for parallel transmission. Network devices can configure multiple HARQ processes for terminals, and each HARQ process can use different time slots for transmission. For each HARQ process, the sending end first sends the initial data to the receiving end. If the initial data transmission fails (i.e., the receiving end reports a reception decoding failure), the sending end can then send the retransmission data of that HARQ process to the receiving end.

[0109] In the current protocol, the HARQ process is cell-level, meaning each cell has its own independent HARQ process. Each cell can perform initial and retransmission of data based on its own HARQ process. However, in some scenarios, such as when the cell is heavily loaded, has limited transmission capacity, or experiences rapid channel quality deterioration, the probability of subsequent retransmissions failing after an initial data transmission error is also high. In such cases, if both initial and retransmission data are transmitted through the same cell, the transmission efficiency will be very low.

[0110] To address the aforementioned technical issues, this application provides a communication method that, when a terminal fails to decode the initial transmitted data, does not limit the transmission of initial and retransmitted data to the same cell, but instead transmits the retransmitted data corresponding to the initial transmitted data across cells. More specifically, when a terminal fails to decode the initial transmitted data, the network device can transmit the retransmitted data corresponding to the initial transmitted data to the terminal through multiple time slots in other cells, where these other cells are not the cells used when sending the initial transmitted data. This not only reduces the probability of data retransmission errors but also improves data transmission efficiency.

[0111] The communication method (cross-cell retransmission mechanism) provided in this application involves downlink data transmission.

[0112] To facilitate better understanding, before introducing the communication method provided in this application, a brief explanation of PDSCH transmission will be given first.

[0113] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the PDSCH transmission mechanism.

[0114] A network device can send a PDSCH initial transmission data to a terminal. The PDSCH initial transmission data refers to the first transmission of a transport block (TB). For simplicity, the PDSCH initial transmission data will be abbreviated as "initial transmission data" in the following text.

[0115] As shown in Figure 6, in the PDSCH transmission mechanism, a TB can be divided into 4 parts, called 4 redundant versions (RVs). The 4 RVs are numbered 0, 1, 2, and 3, as shown in the figure as RV0, RV1, RV2 and RV3.

[0116] A network device can transmit one RV at a time. The initial data transmission is usually RV0, and the other RVs are transmitted sequentially during retransmission. If the first retransmission transmits RV2, the second retransmission transmits RV3, and the third retransmission transmits RV1, that is, the initial transmission and retransmissions transmit 4 RVs in the order of 0-2-3-1.

[0117] For the same data unit (TB), if the terminal receives multiple virtual registers (RVs) for that TB, it can decode each RV independently or combine multiple RVs for decoding, thereby improving the decoding success rate. For example, upon receiving RV0 for the first time, it can decode independently based on RV0. If decoding RV0 fails, it can then receive RV2 and combine RV0 and RV2 for decoding. If this also fails, the terminal can then receive RV3 and combine RV0, RV2, and RV3 for decoding, and so on. Regardless of whether the decoding is successful or not, the terminal must report the decoding result to the network device. Specifically, if the decoding is successful, the terminal can send an ACK message to the network device; if the decoding fails, the terminal can send a NACK message to the network device.

[0118] The terminal needs to know whether the received data is initial transmission data or retransmission data. If it is retransmission data, it needs to know which initial transmission data it corresponds to and which RV is being retransmitted. All this information can be indicated by the DCI that schedules the PDSCH. The DCI includes a HARQ identifier (ID) field, indicating the HARQ process corresponding to the PDSCH. Initial transmission data and retransmission data within the same TB use the same HARQ ID. The DCI also includes a new data indicator (NDI) field, which indicates whether the PDSCH scheduled by the DCI corresponds to initial transmission data or retransmission data of the HARQ process. The DCI also has an RV indicator field, which indicates which RV the data being transmitted belongs to.

[0119] To facilitate better understanding, the following is a brief explanation of the cross-cell retransmission mechanism.

[0120] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the cross-cell retransmission mechanism.

[0121] As shown in Figure 7, the cross-cell retransmission mechanism mentioned in this application embodiment can be understood as follows: the network device sends initial transmission data to the terminal through the first cell, and after receiving the NACK information from the terminal regarding the initial transmission data, the network device can send the retransmission data corresponding to the initial transmission data to the terminal through other cells (such as the second cell, which can be associated with the first cell).

[0122] Furthermore, the multi-timeslot-based cross-cell retransmission mechanism mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be understood as follows: the network device sends initial transmission data to the terminal through the first cell, and after receiving the NACK information from the terminal regarding the initial transmission data, the network device can send the retransmission data corresponding to the initial transmission data to the terminal through multiple time slots of other cells (such as the second cell, which may be associated with the first cell).

[0123] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0124] The following description uses the interaction between a terminal and a network device as an example, and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application. In practical application scenarios, the interaction can also be between a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device can be a terminal, a communication module within the terminal, or a component within the terminal responsible for communication functions (e.g., circuits, chips (such as modem chips, also known as baseband chips, or system-on-chip (SoC) chips or system-in-package (SIP) chips containing modem cores), chip systems, or processors, etc.). The embodiments of this application do not limit this. The second communication device can be a network device, a communication module within the network device, or a component within the network device responsible for communication functions (e.g., circuits, chips (such as modem chips, also known as baseband chips, or SoC chips or SIP chips containing modem cores), chip systems, or processors, etc.). The embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0125] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of this application. The steps of method 800 are described in detail below.

[0126] In step 810, the network device sends initial transmission data to the terminal through the first cell. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the initial transmission data from the network device through the first cell.

[0127] The first cell is the cell that the terminal is connected to.

[0128] This initial transmission data can be understood as the PDSCH initial transmission data mentioned in Figure 6. A network device can send a PDSCH initial transmission data to a terminal. The PDSCH initial transmission data refers to the first transmission of a TB of PDSCH data.

[0129] After receiving initial data from the network device, the terminal can decode the data. If decoding fails, the terminal can send a NACK message to the network device to inform it that the decoding of the initial data failed. Correspondingly, the network device can receive the NACK message from the terminal.

[0130] In step 820, the network device sends the retransmission data corresponding to the initial transmission data to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell. Accordingly, the terminal receives the retransmission data from the network device through the second cell.

[0131] The second cell is one of the cells corresponding to the terminal, excluding the first cell. The second cell can be associated with the first cell.

[0132] Understandably, in the cross-cell retransmission mechanism, the second cell is a general term for the retransmission cell that transmits the retransmitted data, and does not specifically refer to any particular cell. In other words, the second cell is the retransmission cell.

[0133] Network devices can determine a second cell for transmitting retransmitted data in some way. This application does not limit how the second cell is determined.

[0134] After receiving a NACK message from the terminal for the initial transmission data, the network device can send the retransmission data corresponding to the initial transmission data to the terminal through the second cell. Furthermore, the network device can send the retransmission data to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell.

[0135] In one possible implementation, sending retransmitted data corresponding to the initial transmission data to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell includes: sending retransmitted data to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell when a first condition is met. The first condition includes one or more of the following: the terminal supports an inter-cell retransmission mechanism; or, the terminal supports an inter-cell retransmission mechanism based on multiple time slots; or, the network device configures an inter-cell retransmission mechanism for the terminal device; or, the network device configures an inter-cell retransmission mechanism based on multiple time slots for the terminal device; or, the maximum data volume that a time slot of the second cell can carry is less than the data volume of the retransmitted data; or, in the inter-cell retransmission mechanism, the maximum retransmitted data volume that a time slot of the retransmitting cell can carry is less than the data volume of the retransmitted data.

[0136] In other words, the terminal can support cross-cell retransmission mechanism or cross-cell retransmission mechanism based on multiple time slots. When the terminal supports cross-cell retransmission mechanism, the network device can send retransmitted data to the terminal through one or more time slots of the second cell.

[0137] In addition, network devices can also configure inter-cell retransmission mechanisms or multi-timeslot-based inter-cell retransmission mechanisms for terminals. That is, network devices can configure inter-cell retransmission capabilities for terminals, thereby enabling terminals to support inter-cell retransmission mechanisms; or, network devices can configure multi-timeslot-based inter-cell retransmission capabilities for terminals, thereby enabling terminals to support multi-timeslot-based inter-cell retransmission mechanisms. It is understood that when the first condition includes one or more of the above, as long as any one or more of the above conditions is met, the network device can send retransmitted data to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell.

[0138] Optionally, the method 800 may further include: the terminal reporting its capability information to the network device, the capability information indicating at least one of the following: the terminal supports an inter-cell retransmission mechanism; or, the terminal supports an inter-cell retransmission mechanism based on multiple time slots; or, the maximum amount of retransmitted data that a time slot of the retransmission cell can carry in the inter-cell retransmission mechanism.

[0139] For example, a terminal may report its capability information to a network device during the process of accessing the network, or when accessing a network device; that is, it may send its capability information to the network device. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0140] For example, when a terminal connects to a network device, it can report to the network device whether it supports inter-cell retransmission or multi-timeslot-based inter-cell retransmission. The network device can then determine whether the terminal supports inter-cell retransmission or multi-timeslot-based inter-cell retransmission. If the terminal does not support inter-cell retransmission or supports multi-timeslot-based inter-cell retransmission, the network device can configure inter-cell retransmission capability or multi-timeslot-based inter-cell retransmission capability for the terminal.

[0141] For example, when a terminal accesses a network device, it can report to the network device the maximum amount of retransmitted data that a time slot of the retransmitting cell can carry in the cross-cell retransmission mechanism.

[0142] The terminal's capability information is determined by the terminal itself based on its own capabilities, and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0143] Optionally, the method 800 may further include: the terminal reporting its capability information to the network device, the capability information being used to indicate whether the terminal supports the inter-cell retransmission mechanism.

[0144] For example, a terminal may report its capability information to a network device during the process of accessing the network, or when accessing a network device, that is, send the terminal's capability information to the network device to inform the network device whether the terminal supports the inter-cell retransmission mechanism. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0145] In other words, in this implementation, the maximum amount of retransmitted data that a timeslot of the retransmission cell can carry is reported by the terminal's capability information. That is, the maximum amount of data that a timeslot of the second cell can carry is reported to the network device by the terminal's capability information.

[0146] Optionally, in one implementation, the network device can calculate the maximum amount of data that a time slot of the second cell can carry. That is, the maximum amount of data that a time slot of the second cell can carry is determined by the network device based on the information of the second cell, which includes at least: the time-frequency resources of the second cell and / or the channel state of the second cell.

[0147] For example, after the network device receives the terminal's capability information reported by the terminal and learns that the terminal supports the cross-cell retransmission mechanism, the network device can calculate the maximum amount of data that a time slot of the second cell can carry based on the time-frequency resource data volume and / or channel state information of the second cell.

[0148] In one possible implementation, the method 800 may further include: when the maximum amount of data that a time slot in the second cell can carry is greater than or equal to the amount of retransmitted data corresponding to the initial data, the network device sends the retransmitted data corresponding to the initial data to the terminal through a time slot in the second cell.

[0149] For example, if the network device calculates the maximum data volume that a timeslot of the second cell can carry, or if it learns the maximum retransmission data volume that a timeslot of the retransmission cell can carry through the terminal's capability information reported by the terminal, the network device can determine whether the maximum data volume that a timeslot of the second cell or the retransmission cell can carry is greater than or equal to the retransmission data volume. If the maximum data volume that a timeslot of the second cell or the retransmission cell can carry is greater than or equal to the retransmission data volume corresponding to the initial transmission data, the network device sends the retransmission data corresponding to the initial transmission data to the terminal through a timeslot of the second cell.

[0150] In other words, if the retransmitted data can be transmitted through one time slot of the second cell, the retransmitted data can be sent to the terminal through one time slot of the second cell; if the retransmitted data cannot be transmitted through one time slot of the second cell, the retransmitted data can be sent to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell.

[0151] In another possible implementation, the method 800 further includes: sending the retransmitted data to the terminal device through the first cell if the retransmitted data can be transmitted through a time slot of the second cell.

[0152] In other words, if the maximum data volume that a time slot of the second cell or retransmission cell can carry is greater than or equal to the data volume of the retransmission data corresponding to the initial data, the network device sends the retransmission data corresponding to the initial data to the terminal through a time slot of the second cell; if the maximum data volume that a time slot of the second cell or retransmission cell can carry is less than the data volume of the retransmission data corresponding to the initial data, the network device can send the retransmission data to the terminal device through the first cell.

[0153] If the retransmitted data needs to be transmitted through one time slot of the second cell, the network device can divide the retransmitted data into multiple parts, such as multiple code blocks (CBs) or multiple code block groups (CBGs), and transmit each part separately through multiple time slots of the second cell.

[0154] Optionally, the method 800 further includes: when multiple parts of a retransmitted data are received, the terminal combines the multiple parts into a complete retransmitted data according to the transmission order of the multiple parts.

[0155] For example, after receiving the multiple parts, the terminal can combine the multiple parts to restore the entire retransmitted data and perform decoding processing on the retransmitted data.

[0156] For multiple parts of the retransmitted data, the terminal can simply send back one ACK / NACK message, instead of sending back ACK / NACK messages for each part separately.

[0157] Optionally, the method 800 further includes: the network device sending a plurality of first indication messages to the terminal, each of the plurality of first indication messages being used to indicate the feedback time for sending the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the retransmitted data to the terminal through a plurality of time slots of the second cell, and the feedback time indicated by the plurality of first indication messages being the same.

[0158] In other words, each first indication message is used to indicate the feedback time of the ACK / NACK information corresponding to one of the multiple parts into which the retransmitted data is divided, and the feedback time indicated by the multiple first indication messages is the same.

[0159] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is a DCI used to schedule retransmission of data.

[0160] In other words, the ACK / NACK feedback time of the retransmitted data can be indicated by the DCI that schedules the retransmitted data. The DCIs that schedule multiple parts of the retransmitted data each indicate an ACK / NACK feedback time, and the multiple feedback times indicated by the multiple DCIs corresponding to these multiple parts are the same.

[0161] Optionally, in practical applications, the ACK / NACK information feedback time corresponding to the entire retransmitted data can also be indicated by scheduling the DCI of the first part of the retransmitted data, or by scheduling the DCI of the last part of the retransmitted data. This application does not limit this approach.

[0162] For the terminal, the question is how it determines whether the network device will divide the retransmitted data into multiple parts for transmission, and specifically how many parts it will be divided into. The following provides an illustrative description of a solution to this problem.

[0163] In one possible implementation A, the method 800 further includes: when multiple retransmitted data corresponding to the same HARQ process are received, and the multiple retransmitted data satisfy the second condition, the terminal determines that the multiple retransmitted data are multiple parts of the same retransmitted data.

[0164] The second condition includes one or more of the following: during the transmission of the multiple retransmitted data, no initial data corresponding to the same HARQ process was received; or, the feedback time of the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the multiple retransmitted data indicated by the network device is the same; or, among the multiple retransmitted data, the other retransmitted data besides the first retransmitted data received were received within a first time period to a second time period, where the first time period is the reception time of the first retransmitted data and the second time period is the feedback time of the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the first retransmitted data indicated by the network device; or, the second time period is equal to the feedback time of the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the first retransmitted data minus a time offset, where the time offset is the processing time required for the terminal to receive the retransmitted data; or, the time offset is the processing time required for the terminal to send the ACK / NACK information.

[0165] Here, "first time" refers to the time when the first retransmitted data is received. This can be understood as, for example, the time slot in which the terminal receives the first retransmitted data, or the time slot following the time slot in which the terminal receives the first retransmitted data.

[0166] It is understandable that when the second condition includes multiple of the above, the terminal can determine that the multiple retransmitted data are multiple parts of the same retransmitted data as long as any one of the above multiple conditions is met.

[0167] In one possible implementation B, the method 800 further includes: the network device sending first indication information to the terminal, the first indication information including a first field, the first field being used to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is complete retransmitted data or a part of a retransmitted data, and / or, to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is the last part of a retransmitted data. Accordingly, the terminal receives the first indication information from the network device.

[0168] As an example and not a limitation, the first field could be a 1-bit field. This application does not limit this.

[0169] As an example, the first field is used to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is the complete retransmitted data or a part of a retransmitted data.

[0170] For example, if the retransmitted data in this scheduling is complete, the value of the first field is 0; if the retransmitted data in this scheduling is a part of a retransmitted data, the value of the first field is 1. Alternatively, if the retransmitted data in this scheduling is complete, the value of the first field is 1; if the retransmitted data in this scheduling is a part of a retransmitted data, the value of the first field is 0. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0171] In another example, the first field is used to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is the last part of a retransmitted data.

[0172] For example, a retransmitted data is divided into three parts, with the first field corresponding to the first and second parts of the retransmitted data having a value of 0, and the first field corresponding to the last part of the retransmitted data having a value of 1; or, the first field corresponding to the first and second parts of the retransmitted data having a value of 1, and the first field corresponding to the last part of the retransmitted data having a value of 0. This application does not limit this specific to the embodiments described herein.

[0173] Understandably, if a retransmitted data is a complete retransmitted data, then the first field can also be used to indicate that the retransmitted data is the last part of the retransmitted data. For example, if the first field is 1, indicating that the retransmitted data scheduled this time is the last part of a retransmitted data, then the first field corresponding to the complete retransmitted data can be 1; or, if the first field is 0, indicating that the retransmitted data scheduled this time is the last part of a retransmitted data, then the first field corresponding to the complete retransmitted data can be 0.

[0174] In another example, the first field is used to indicate whether the retransmission data scheduled this time is complete retransmission data or part of a retransmission data, and the second field is used to indicate whether the retransmission data scheduled this time is the last part of a retransmission data.

[0175] For example, a value of 0 for the first field can indicate that the retransmitted data in this scheduling is a part of a retransmitted data set, and that part is not the last part of the retransmitted data set; a value of 1 for the first field can indicate that the retransmitted data in this scheduling is a complete retransmitted data set, or that the retransmitted data in this scheduling is the last part of a retransmitted data set. Alternatively, for another example, a value of 1 for the first field can indicate that the retransmitted data in this scheduling is a part of a retransmitted data set, and that part is not the last part of the retransmitted data set; a value of 0 for the first field can indicate that the retransmitted data in this scheduling is a complete retransmitted data set, or that the retransmitted data in this scheduling is the last part of a retransmitted data set. This application does not limit this specific case.

[0176] In method B above, when the first field indicates that the retransmission data scheduled this time is a complete retransmission data, the terminal can perform decoding processing after receiving the retransmission data scheduled this time, without waiting for other parts.

[0177] When a terminal receives a first indication message that schedules retransmission data corresponding to a HARQ process, and the first field indicates that the retransmission data scheduled this time is not the last part of the retransmission data of the HARQ process, the terminal can continue to receive the remaining retransmission data after receiving the retransmission data scheduled this time, that is, continue to receive subsequent first indication messages and the remaining retransmission data scheduled by subsequent first indication messages.

[0178] When a terminal receives a first indication message that schedules retransmission data for a HARQ process, and the first field indicates that the retransmission data scheduled this time is the last part of the retransmission data of the HARQ process, the terminal can combine this part of the retransmission data with other parts of the retransmission data previously received from the HARQ process for decoding.

[0179] In one possible implementation C, the method 800 further includes: the network device sending first indication information to the terminal, the first indication information including a second field, the second field being used to indicate how many parts the retransmitted data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication information is divided into. Accordingly, the terminal receives the first indication information from the network device.

[0180] As an example rather than a limitation, for example, the second field can be a 1-bit field, or, the second field can be a 2-bit field, or, the second field can be a 3-bit field.

[0181] For example, a network device can use this second field to inform the terminal that the network device has divided the retransmitted data into several parts or segments.

[0182] Optionally, in the above method C, the first indication information further includes a third field, which is used to indicate which part of the retransmitted data of the HARQ process is scheduled by the first indication information.

[0183] By way of example and not limitation, for example, the third field can be a 1-bit field, or a 2-bit field, or a 3-bit field. This application does not limit this.

[0184] For example, the network device can use this third field to inform the terminal which part of the HARQ process's retransmission data the network device is currently scheduling.

[0185] In one possible implementation D, the method 800 further includes: the network device sending first indication information to the terminal, the first indication information including a fourth field, the fourth field including a first part and a second part, the first part indicating how many parts the retransmitted data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication information is divided into, and the second part indicating which part of the retransmitted data of the HARQ process is scheduled by the first indication information. Accordingly, the terminal receives the first indication information from the network device.

[0186] By way of example and not limitation, for example, the fourth field can be a 2-bit field, with the first part occupying 1 bit and the second part occupying 1 bit; or, the fourth field can be a 4-bit field, with the first part occupying 2 bits and the second part occupying 2 bits; or, the fourth field can be a 6-bit field, with the first part occupying 3 bits and the second part occupying 3 bits. This application does not limit the scope of the embodiments described herein.

[0187] For example, the network device can use the fourth field to inform the terminal how many parts the retransmitted data has been divided into, and which part of the retransmitted data from the HARQ process the network device is currently scheduling.

[0188] It is understood that in practical application scenarios, the first part of the fourth field may precede the second part, or the second part of the fourth field may precede the first part. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0189] In either method C or method D above, when the terminal device receives a first indication message that schedules retransmission data corresponding to a HARQ process, and the first indication message indicates that the retransmission data of the HARQ process is divided into a single part, the terminal can perform decoding processing immediately upon receiving the retransmission data without waiting for other parts.

[0190] When the first indication information schedules retransmission data corresponding to a HARQ process, and the first indication information indicates that the retransmission data of the HARQ process is divided into multiple parts, the terminal further determines which part of the retransmission data is scheduled by the first indication information. The terminal can receive all parts of the retransmission data according to the number of parts indicated by the first indication information, and combine the parts sequentially according to which part is indicated by the first indication information.

[0191] Optionally, in methods A to D above, the first indication information can be a DCI used to schedule retransmission of data.

[0192] It is understood that the above method 800 can be applied to an open RAN architecture. For example, in an open RAN architecture (Figure 4 can be regarded as an example of an open RAN architecture), a CU (CU-CP or CU-UP) or DU or RU can be used to perform the steps performed by the network device in the above method 800.

[0193] Based on the above technical solution, in the cross-cell retransmission mechanism, network equipment can determine whether the retransmission cell can complete the transmission of retransmitted data within one time slot. If the retransmission cell cannot complete the transmission within one time slot, multiple parts of the retransmitted data can be transmitted through multiple cells within the retransmission cell. This not only ensures that the retransmitted data is transmitted but also reduces the probability of errors during data retransmission and improves the transmission efficiency of retransmitted data. Alternatively, if the retransmission cell cannot complete the transmission of retransmitted data within one time slot, the retransmitted data can be transmitted through the cell used to transmit the initial data, thus ensuring that the retransmitted data is transmitted.

[0194] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The communication device provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0195] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0196] As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 includes a transceiver module 910, which can realize corresponding communication functions. The transceiver module 910 can also be called an input / output interface or a communication unit.

[0197] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module can be used to perform the sending operation of the network device or terminal in any embodiment of the method 800 described above, and the receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation of the network device or terminal in any embodiment of the method 800 described above.

[0198] It should be understood that when the communication device 900 is a component configured in a network device or terminal, such as a chip, the transmitting module can be an output interface, and the transmitting operation involved in the embodiments of this application can be performed by the output interface; the receiving module can be an input interface, and the receiving operation involved in the embodiments of this application can be performed by the input interface.

[0199] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a processing module 920, which can be used to perform processing operations. It should be understood that if the communication device 900 is a component configured in a network device or terminal, such as a chip, the transceiver module 910 can be an input / output interface.

[0200] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 920 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the device can implement any embodiment of the method 800 described above.

[0201] In one possible design, the communication device 900 can be used to implement the functions of the terminal in any embodiment of the method 800. Alternatively, the communication device 900 can include a unit for implementing any function or operation of the terminal in any embodiment of the method 800, which can be implemented wholly or partially by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof.

[0202] In another possible design, the communication device 900 can be used to implement the functions of the network device in any embodiment of the method 800. Alternatively, the communication device 900 can include a unit for implementing any function or operation of the network device in any embodiment of the method 800, which can be implemented wholly or partially by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof.

[0203] For example, when the communication device 900 is used to implement the function of the network device in the embodiment of the method 800 described above, the transceiver module 910 (specifically, a sending module) can be used to execute step 810 in FIG. 8, sending initial transmission data to the terminal through the first cell. The transceiver module 910 (specifically, a sending module) can be used to execute step 820 in FIG. 8, sending retransmission data corresponding to the initial transmission data to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell.

[0204] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 can be specifically used to send the retransmitted data to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell when a first condition is met; wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following: the terminal supports an inter-cell retransmission mechanism; or, the terminal supports an inter-cell retransmission mechanism based on multiple time slots; or, the network device configures an inter-cell retransmission mechanism for the terminal; or, the network device configures an inter-cell retransmission mechanism based on multiple time slots for the terminal; or, the maximum amount of data that a time slot of the second cell can carry is less than the amount of data of the retransmitted data; or, in the inter-cell retransmission mechanism, the maximum amount of retransmitted data that a time slot of the retransmission cell can carry is less than the amount of data of the retransmitted data.

[0205] Optionally, the maximum amount of data that a time slot of the second cell can carry is determined based on the information of the second cell, which includes at least: the time and frequency resources of the second cell and / or the channel status of the second cell.

[0206] Optionally, the maximum amount of retransmitted data that a time slot of the retransmission cell can carry is reported by the terminal through its capability information.

[0207] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 (specifically the sending module) can also be used to send first indication information to the terminal. The first indication information includes a first field, which is used to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is complete retransmitted data or a part of a retransmitted data, and / or to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is the last part of a retransmitted data.

[0208] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 (specifically the sending module) can also be used to send a first indication information to the terminal. The first indication information includes a second field, which is used to indicate how many parts the retransmitted data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication information is divided into.

[0209] Optionally, the first indication information may further include a third field, which indicates which part of the retransmitted data of the HARQ process is being scheduled by the first indication information.

[0210] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 (specifically the sending module) can also be used to send first indication information to the terminal. The first indication information includes a fourth field, which includes a first part and a second part. The first part is used to indicate how many parts the retransmission data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication information is divided into, and the second part is used to indicate which part of the retransmission data of the HARQ process is scheduled by the first indication information.

[0211] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 (specifically the sending module) can also be used to send a plurality of first indication messages to the terminal. Each of the plurality of first indication messages is used to indicate the feedback time for sending the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the retransmitted data to the terminal through a plurality of time slots of the second cell. The feedback time indicated by the plurality of first indication messages is the same.

[0212] Optionally, the first indication information is a DCI used to schedule retransmission of data.

[0213] For example, when the communication device 900 is used to implement the terminal function in the embodiment of the method 800 described above, the transceiver module 910 (specifically, a receiving module) can be used to execute step 810 in FIG8, receiving initial transmission data from the network device through the first cell. The transceiver module 910 (specifically, a receiving module) can also be used to receive retransmission data corresponding to the initial transmission data through the second cell.

[0214] Optionally, the processing module 920 can be used to determine that the multiple retransmitted data are multiple parts of the same retransmitted data when multiple retransmitted data corresponding to the same HARQ process are received and the multiple retransmitted data meet the second condition.

[0215] Optionally, the second condition includes one or more of the following: during the transmission of the multiple retransmitted data, no initial data corresponding to the same HARQ process is received; or, the feedback time of the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the multiple retransmitted data indicated by the network device is the same; or, among the multiple retransmitted data, the other retransmitted data besides the first retransmitted data received are received within a first time to a second time, where the first time is the reception time of the first retransmitted data, and the second time is the feedback time of the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the first retransmitted data indicated by the network device; or, the second time is equal to the feedback time of the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the first retransmitted data minus a time offset, where the time offset is the processing time required for the terminal to receive the retransmitted data; or, the time offset is the processing time required for the terminal to send the ACK / NACK information.

[0216] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 (specifically, a receiving module) can also be used to receive first indication information from the network device. The first indication information includes a first field, which is used to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is complete retransmitted data or a part of a retransmitted data, and / or to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is the last part of a retransmitted data.

[0217] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 (specifically, a receiving module) can also be used to receive first indication information from the network device. The first indication information includes a second field, which is used to indicate how many parts the retransmitted data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication information is divided into.

[0218] Optionally, the first indication information may further include a third field, which indicates which part of the retransmitted data of the HARQ process is being scheduled by the first indication information.

[0219] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 (specifically, a receiving module) can also be used to receive first indication information from the network device. The first indication information includes a fourth field, which includes a first part and a second part. The first part is used to indicate how many parts the retransmitted data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication information is divided into, and the second part is used to indicate which part of the retransmitted data of the HARQ process is scheduled by the first indication information.

[0220] Optionally, the first indication information is a DCI used to schedule retransmission of data.

[0221] Optionally, the transceiver module 910 (specifically, the sending module) can also be used to report the terminal's capability information to the network device. This capability information indicates at least one of the following: the terminal supports an inter-cell retransmission mechanism; or, the terminal device supports an inter-cell retransmission mechanism based on multiple time slots; or, the maximum amount of retransmitted data that a time slot of the retransmission cell can carry in the inter-cell retransmission mechanism.

[0222] Optionally, the processing module 920 can also be used to combine multiple parts of a retransmitted data into a complete retransmitted data according to the transmission order of the multiple parts when multiple parts of a retransmitted data are received.

[0223] A more detailed description of the transceiver module 910 and the processing module 920 can be obtained directly from the relevant descriptions in any embodiment of the method 800 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0224] It should be noted that the transceiver module can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver machine, or transceiver device, etc. The processing module can also be called a processor, processing board, processing unit, or processing device, etc. Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform the sending and receiving operations on the terminal device or network device side in the above method. The device in the communication module used to implement the receiving function can be considered as the receiving module, and the device in the communication module used to implement the sending function can be considered as the sending module; that is, the transceiver module includes both a receiving module and a sending module.

[0225] In another possible design, the aforementioned transceiver module and / or processing module can be implemented using virtual modules. For example, the processing module can be implemented using software functional modules or virtual devices, and the transceiver module can also be implemented using software functional modules or virtual devices. In another possible design, the processing module or transceiver module can also be implemented using physical devices. For example, if the device is implemented using a chip / chip circuit, the transceiver module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, performing input operations (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operation) and output operations (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operation); the processing module is an integrated processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit.

[0226] 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.

[0227] Figure 10 is another schematic block diagram of the communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of this application. The device 1100 can be a chip system, or it can be a device configured with a chip system to implement the above-described method embodiments. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0228] As shown in FIG10, the device 1100 may include a processor 1110, which can be used to execute computer programs or instructions in memory to implement the steps executed by the terminal or the steps executed by the network device in any of the method embodiments of the above method 800.

[0229] Optionally, the device 1100 further includes a communication interface 1120. The communication interface 1120 can be used to communicate with other devices via a transmission medium, thereby enabling the device 1100 to communicate with other devices. The communication interface 1120 can, for example, be a transceiver, interface, bus, circuit, or a device capable of transmitting and receiving functions. The processor 1110 can use the communication interface 1120 to input and output data and to implement the steps in any of the embodiments of method 800 shown above. Specifically, the device 1100 can be used to implement the functions of a network device or terminal in the above method embodiments.

[0230] When the device 1100 is used to implement any of the steps shown in the method 800 above, the processor 1110 is used to implement the function of the processing module 920 above, and the communication interface 1120 is used to implement the function of the transceiver module 910 above.

[0231] Optionally, the device 1100 further includes at least one memory 1130 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1130 is coupled to the processor 1110. 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, for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1110 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1130. The processor 1110 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 1130. At least one of these memories may be included in the processor.

[0232] 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 1110 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1130. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific connection medium between the processor 1110, communication interface 1120, and memory 1130. In Figure 10, the processor 1110, communication interface 1120, and memory 1130 are connected via a bus 1140. The bus 1140 is represented by a thick line in Figure 10. The connection methods between other components are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting. This bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 10, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0233] It should be understood that when the communication device 1100 is a chip applied to a terminal, the chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives signals from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, and these signals may be sent to the terminal by network devices; or, the terminal chip sends signals to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, and these signals may be sent to the network by the terminal.

[0234] When the communication device 1100 is a chip used in a network device, the chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The chip of the network device receives signals from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and these signals may be sent by the terminal to the network device; or, the chip of the network device sends signals to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and these signals may be sent by the network device to the terminal.

[0235] It should be noted that when the communication device 1100 is a terminal or network device, the communication interface 1120 can be a transceiver, specifically including a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is used to send signals, and the receiver is used to receive signals. When the communication device 1100 is a chip applied to a terminal or network device, the communication interface 1120 can be an input / output circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or other types of communication interface input / output circuit. The input circuit in the input / output circuit can be used for receiving, and the output interface can be used for sending.

[0236] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, can implement the method in any of the embodiments shown in the above method 800.

[0237] 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 method in any of the embodiments shown in the above-described method 800.

[0238] This application also provides a communication system, which includes a terminal and a network device as described above.

[0239] This application also provides a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device is used to implement the function of a network device in any of the embodiments of the above method 800, or the second communication device is used to implement the function of a terminal in any of the embodiments of the above method 800.

[0240] 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 circuits 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 field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or 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 modules can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory; the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0241] 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 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.

[0242] 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.

[0243] 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 the embodiments 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 displayed 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.

[0244] 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.

[0245] 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.

[0246] 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. This 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 flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is 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 via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media can 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 disks, SSDs), etc.

[0247] If a function is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, or the parts that contribute to the technology, or parts of the technical solutions, 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, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of 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.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: Applied to network devices, the method includes: Initial data is sent to the terminal through the first cell; The retransmitted data corresponding to the initial transmission data is sent to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell. The second cell is one of the cells corresponding to the terminal, excluding the first cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The step of sending the retransmitted data corresponding to the initial transmission data to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell includes: If the first condition is met, the retransmitted data is sent to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell; The first condition includes one or more of the following: The terminal supports a cross-cell retransmission mechanism; or... The terminal supports a multi-timeslot-based cross-cell retransmission mechanism; or, The network device is configured with an inter-cell retransmission mechanism for the terminal; or... The network device configures the terminal with a multi-timeslot-based cross-cell retransmission mechanism; or, The maximum amount of data that a single time slot in the second cell can carry is less than the amount of data in the retransmitted data; or, In the cross-cell retransmission mechanism, the maximum amount of retransmitted data that a single time slot of the retransmission cell can carry is less than the amount of retransmitted data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The maximum amount of data that a time slot of the second cell can carry is determined based on the information of the second cell, which includes at least the time-frequency resources of the second cell and / or the channel status of the second cell.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The maximum amount of retransmitted data that a single time slot of the retransmission cell can carry is reported by the terminal through its capability information.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The method further includes: Send a first indication message to the terminal. The first indication message includes a first field, which is used to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is complete retransmitted data or a part of a retransmitted data, and / or to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is the last part of a retransmitted data.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The method further includes: Send a first indication message to the terminal. The first indication message includes a second field, which is used to indicate how many parts the retransmitted data of the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process indicated by the first indication message is divided into.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The first indication information also includes a third field, which is used to indicate which part of the retransmitted data of the HARQ process is scheduled by the first indication information.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The method further includes: Send a first indication message to the terminal. The first indication message includes a fourth field, which includes a first part and a second part. The first part is used to indicate how many parts the retransmitted data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication message is divided into, and the second part is used to indicate which part of the retransmitted data of the HARQ process is scheduled by the first indication message.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The method further includes: Multiple first indication messages are sent to the terminal. Each of the multiple first indication messages is used to indicate the feedback time for sending the positive ACK / negative ACK information corresponding to the retransmitted data to the terminal through multiple time slots of the second cell. The feedback time indicated by the multiple first indication messages is the same.

10. The method of any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein, The first indication information is downlink control information (DCI) used to schedule retransmissions of data.

11. A communication method, comprising: Applied to a terminal, the method includes: Receive initial data from network devices through the first cell; The retransmitted data corresponding to the initial transmitted data is received through the second cell; The second cell is one of the cells corresponding to the terminal, excluding the first cell.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further includes: When multiple retransmission data corresponding to the same Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process are received, and the multiple retransmission data satisfy the second condition, it is determined that the multiple retransmission data are multiple parts of the same retransmission data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The second condition includes one or more of the following: During the transmission of the plurality of retransmitted data, no initial data corresponding to the same HARQ process was received; or, The feedback times for the positive ACK / negative ACK messages corresponding to the plurality of retransmitted data indicated by the network device are the same; or... In the plurality of retransmitted data, the other retransmitted data besides the first retransmitted data are received within a first time period to a second time period. The first time period is the reception time of the first retransmitted data, and the second time period is the feedback time of the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the first retransmitted data indicated by the network device. Alternatively, the second time period is equal to the feedback time of the ACK / NACK information corresponding to the first retransmitted data minus a time offset. The time offset is the processing time required for the terminal to receive the retransmitted data, or the time offset is the processing time required for the terminal to send the ACK / NACK information.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further includes: Receive first indication information from the network device. The first indication information includes a first field, which is used to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is complete retransmitted data or a part of a retransmitted data, and / or to indicate whether the retransmitted data scheduled this time is the last part of a retransmitted data.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further includes: The system receives a first indication message from the network device. The first indication message includes a second field, which indicates how many parts the retransmitted data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication message has been divided into.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The first indication information also includes a third field, which is used to indicate which part of the retransmitted data of the HARQ process is scheduled by the first indication information.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further includes: The system receives first indication information from the network device. The first indication information includes a fourth field, which includes a first part and a second part. The first part is used to indicate how many parts the retransmission data of the HARQ process indicated by the first indication information is divided into, and the second part is used to indicate which part of the retransmission data of the HARQ process is scheduled by the first indication information.

18. The method of any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein, The first indication information is downlink control information (DCI) used to schedule retransmissions of data.

19. The method of any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein, The method further includes: Report the terminal's capability information to the network device, the capability information indicating at least one of the following: The terminal supports a cross-cell retransmission mechanism; or... The terminal device supports a multi-timeslot-based cross-cell retransmission mechanism; or, The maximum amount of retransmitted data that a single time slot in a retransmitting cell can carry in a cross-cell retransmission mechanism.

20. The method of any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein, The method further includes: When multiple parts of a retransmitted data are received, the multiple parts are combined into a complete retransmitted data according to the transmission order of the multiple parts.

21. A communications device, characterized by The processor includes a processor coupled to a memory for storing computer programs, and the processor for executing the computer programs stored in the memory. So that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10; or, So that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 20.

22. A communications device, characterized by It includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor is used to control the communication interface. To implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10; or, To implement the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 20.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The system stores instructions that, when executed, Cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10 to be performed, or, This causes the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 20 to be performed.

24. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product includes: a computer program, which, when run,... Cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10 to be performed, or, This causes the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 20 to be performed.

25. A communication system, characterized by Includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, and the second communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 20.

Images