Retransmission method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a retransmission method and an apparatus. The method comprises: in the case of an initial transmission error of a transmission unit, on the basis of the size of an initial transmission resource carrying a first code block and a mother code length corresponding to the first code block, determining a retransmission method corresponding to the first code block, wherein the retransmission method comprises CC-HARQ retransmission, re-encoding-based IR-HARQ retransmission, or non-re-encoding-based IR-HARQ retransmission, the transmission unit comprises a plurality of code blocks, the first code block is any one of the plurality of code blocks, and retransmission methods corresponding to at least two of the plurality of code blocks are different; and retransmitting the first code block on the basis of the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block. In this way, it is beneficial to avoid adopting re-encoding-based IR-HARQ retransmission for all code blocks, thereby avoiding complex construction for some code types that are difficult to support re-encoding-based IR-HARQ construction, and thus reducing overall complexity.

Description

A retransmission method and apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411871091.6, filed on December 17, 2024, entitled “A Retransmission Method and Apparatus”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] Currently, in hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) technology, after the sender transmits a transport block (TB) / code block group (CBG), the receiver can send feedback to the sender regarding whether the transmission was correct. For example, if the TB / CBG is transmitted correctly, the receiver can send an acknowledgment (ACK); if the TB / CBG is transmitted incorrectly, the receiver can send a negative acknowledgment (NACK). When the sender receives a NACK message, it can retransmit all CBs within the TB / CBG using the same HARQ retransmission method. For example, all retransmissions can use incremental redundancy (IR)-HARQ retransmission, or all retransmissions can use chase combining (CC)-HARQ retransmission.

[0004] The above retransmission method can be applied to scenarios where all CBs in the TB / CBG occupy the same amount of initial transmission resources. However, if there are CBs in the TB / CBG that occupy different initial transmission resources, continuing to use the above retransmission method may introduce additional complexity. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a retransmission method and apparatus to solve the retransmission problem when there are CBs in TB / CBG that occupy different initial transmission resources.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a retransmission method, which can be executed by a first communication device, such as a radio access network (RAN) device or a terminal device, or a component (such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc.) configured in the RAN device or terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the RAN device or terminal device. This application does not limit the scope of the method.

[0007] The first communication device can be regarded as the encoding end of information, or the sending end of information.

[0008] For example, the method includes: in the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, determining a retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, wherein the retransmission method includes CC-HARQ retransmission, recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, wherein the transmission unit includes multiple code blocks, the first code block is any one of the multiple code blocks, and at least two of the multiple code blocks have different retransmission methods; and retransmitting the first code block based on the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block.

[0009] In the above scheme, in the event of an initial transmission error in a transmission unit, for any code block included in the transmission unit, the method of retransmission is determined based on the size of the initial transmission resource corresponding to the code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the code block. This method determines whether the code block should be retransmitted using CC-HARQ, recoded IR-HARQ, or non-recoded IR-HARQ. In other words, it allows code blocks with different code types (such as different initial transmission resources corresponding to the code blocks) included in the transmission unit to use different retransmission methods. This helps to avoid using recoded IR-HARQ for all code blocks, and further avoids complex construction for some code types that are difficult to construct recoded IR-HARQ, thereby reducing the overall complexity.

[0010] Secondly, this application provides a retransmission method, which can be executed by a second communication device, such as RAN equipment or terminal equipment, or a component (such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc.) configured in RAN equipment or terminal equipment, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of RAN equipment or terminal equipment. This application does not limit the scope of the method.

[0011] The second communication device can be viewed as an information receiver, or an information decoder.

[0012] For example, the method includes: in the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, determining a retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, wherein the retransmission method includes CC-HARQ retransmission, recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, wherein the transmission unit includes multiple code blocks, the first code block is any one of the multiple code blocks, and at least two of the multiple code blocks have different retransmission methods; and receiving a retransmission of the first code block based on the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block.

[0013] In the above scheme, in the event of an initial transmission error in a transmission unit, for any code block included in the transmission unit, the method of retransmission is determined based on the size of the initial transmission resource corresponding to the code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the code block. This method determines whether the code block should be retransmitted using CC-HARQ, recoded IR-HARQ, or non-recoded IR-HARQ. In other words, it allows code blocks with different code types (such as different initial transmission resources corresponding to the code blocks) included in the transmission unit to use different retransmission methods. This helps to avoid using recoded IR-HARQ for all code blocks, and further avoids complex construction for some code types that are difficult to construct recoded IR-HARQ, thereby reducing the overall complexity.

[0014] In some possible implementations of the first or second aspect, determining the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the corresponding mother code in the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit includes: determining the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block as recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the corresponding mother code; or determining the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block as CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the corresponding mother code.

[0015] In the above scheme, the retransmission method of the first code block is determined by the relationship between the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the corresponding mother code. More specifically, when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is smaller than the length of the corresponding mother code, the retransmission method of the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission or IR-HARQ retransmission without recoding. In this way, it is possible to avoid constructing recoded IR-HARQ information bits in the puncturing or shortening mode, which helps to reduce the overall complexity.

[0016] In some possible implementations of the first or second aspect, determining that the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block includes: determining that the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a first threshold.

[0017] In the above scheme, the first code block is recoded and retransmitted using IR-HARQ only when the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to the first threshold. This helps avoid the problem of needing to align the information bits in the V and U codes of the retransmitted mother code when the mother code length is too short. For example, if the first threshold is 1024 bits, then the first code block is recoded and retransmitted using IR-HARQ only when the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to 1024 bits. This can be extended from 1024 to 2048 bits, similar to the sequence extension method in the StarSpark protocol.

[0018] In some possible implementations of the first or second aspect, the method further includes: determining the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block as CC-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a first threshold.

[0019] In the above scheme, when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the corresponding mother code, and the length of the corresponding mother code is less than a first threshold, the first code block is retransmitted using CC-HARQ. This helps avoid the problem of needing to align the information bits in the V and U codes of the retransmitted mother code when the mother code length is too short. For example, when the length of the corresponding mother code is less than 1024, the first code block is retransmitted using CC-HARQ without needing to align the information bits in the V and U codes, which helps reduce the overall system complexity.

[0020] In some possible implementations of the first or second aspect, determining the retransmission method of the first code block as CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoding IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block includes: determining the retransmission method of the first code block as non-recoding IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block and the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is puncturing; or, determining the retransmission method of the first code block as CC-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block and the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is shortening.

[0021] In the above scheme, under the puncturing mode, non-recoding IR-HARQ retransmission is considered. That is, retransmitting the unsent codewords can obtain a certain code length gain.

[0022] In some possible implementations of the first or second aspect, determining that the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block and the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is puncturing includes: determining that the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is puncturing, and the first code block satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a first threshold; the ratio of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a second threshold; or, the ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a third threshold.

[0023] In some possible implementations of the first or second aspect, the method further includes: determining that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the first code block satisfies the following conditions: the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block; the rate matching mode corresponding to the first code block is puncturing; the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a first threshold; the ratio of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a second threshold; and the ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource corresponding to the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0024] When there are many retransmission resources, the ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource corresponding to the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block may be greater than or equal to the third threshold. This indicates that the sum of the size of the retransmission resource and the size of the initial transmission resource is close to twice the length of the initial transmission mother code. In this case, it is beneficial to adopt IR-HARQ retransmission by recoding, which can bring performance gains.

[0025] In some possible implementations of the first or second aspect, when the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, and the retransmission method corresponding to the second code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, the ratio of the retransmission resources corresponding to the first code block to the retransmission resources corresponding to the second code block is greater than the ratio of the initial transmission resources corresponding to the first code block to the initial transmission resources corresponding to the second code block, and the second code block is one of the code blocks other than the first code block among the above plurality of code blocks.

[0026] CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission has low performance gain. Allocating more resources to the code blocks of CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission can help improve the retransmission performance of the code blocks, so that the code blocks will not become the performance bottleneck.

[0027] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device that can implement the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof; or, can implement the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. The device includes corresponding modules for performing the above-described methods. The modules included in the device can be implemented in software and / or hardware.

[0028] The communication device may be a first communication device for implementing the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include modules or units that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect. These modules or units may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0030] The communication device may also be a second communication device for implementing the methods described in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect. In one possible implementation, the communication device may include modules or units that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect. These modules or units may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0031] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor, which can be used to implement the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or to implement the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect, by executing a computer program in memory and / or by logic circuitry.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the device further includes a communication interface. The communication interface is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the device. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, pin, or other type of communication interface.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the device further includes a memory. The memory stores program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, can implement the methods described in the preceding aspects. Optionally, the memory and the processor can be integrated together; alternatively, the memory can be located outside the processor and exist independently.

[0034] Fifthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed, implements the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, or implements the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0035] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising instructions (also referred to as code) that, when executed, implement the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, or implement the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0036] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect, such as receiving or processing data involved in the above methods.

[0037] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing program instructions and data, which is located either inside or outside the processor.

[0038] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0039] 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 described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the second communication device is used to implement the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0040] 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

[0041] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0042] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the polarization coding process provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the information transmission process provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the retransmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 6 is another schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram applicable to the access network equipment provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0048] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] Before introducing the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the following points should be noted.

[0050] First, in this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. For example, "first threshold" and "second threshold" are merely used to distinguish different thresholds; similarly, "first code block" and "second code block" are merely used to distinguish different code blocks and do not limit their order. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0051] Second, in this application, "when," "under the circumstances," "if," "if," or similar expressions all refer to the device making a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require the device to make a judgment action when it is implemented, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0052] Third, in this application, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate that they are examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design options. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0053] Fourth, in this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to RAN equipment" can be understood as the destination of the information being the RAN equipment, which may include direct transmission via the air interface, or indirect transmission via the air interface by other devices, units, or modules. "Receive information from terminal equipment" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal equipment, which may include direct reception from the terminal equipment via the air interface, or indirect reception from the terminal equipment via the air interface by other devices, 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.

[0054] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between RAN devices and terminal devices; or they can occur within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, wiring, or interfaces.

[0055] 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 statements in this application can be understood in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0056] Fifth, the method provided in this application can be applied to fourth-generation (4G) communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) communication systems, as well as fifth-generation (5G) communication systems, such as 5G new radio (NR) communication systems, and can also be applied to future communication systems, etc. This application does not limit it in this regard.

[0057] The system architecture applicable to this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 1.

[0058] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the method provided in the embodiments of this application. The application scenarios applicable to this application are illustrated using the communication system architecture shown in Figure 1 as an example. Figure 1 shows a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a RAN 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system also includes an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one access network device (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). The terminal device 120 is wirelessly connected to the access network device 110. The access network device 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the access network equipment 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device that integrates core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0059] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future communication systems. RAN 100 can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN). RAN 100 can also be a cloud radio access network (CRAN), etc. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0060] It is understood that Figure 1 only shows one possible communication system architecture that can be applied to the embodiments of this application, and other devices may also be included in the communication system architecture in other possible scenarios.

[0061] In the aforementioned communication system, access network device 110 assists terminal devices in achieving wireless access. Multiple access network devices 110 in this communication system can be nodes of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of access network device 110 and terminal device 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 terminal devices 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal device. Access network device 110 and terminal device 120 are sometimes 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.

[0062] In one possible scenario, access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, a satellite, or an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or an access network device in a mobile switching center non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system, i.e., it can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or satellite, etc. Access network equipment can also be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Access network equipment can also function as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, drone communication, and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. Alternatively, the access network equipment can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0063] In another possible scenario, multiple access network devices collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with each device performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, access network devices can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, 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). It is understood that access network devices can be CU nodes, DU nodes, or devices comprising both CU and DU nodes. Furthermore, CUs can be classified as access network devices within the RAN (RAN) or the CN (CN), without limitation.

[0064] In this embodiment, the form of the access network device is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the access network device can be the access network device itself; or it can be a device that supports the access network device in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the access network device or used in conjunction with the access network device.

[0065] In this application, the terminal device may also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., or a device used to provide voice or data connectivity to a user, or an Internet of Things (IoT) device. For example, terminal devices include handheld devices with wireless connectivity, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. Currently, terminal devices can include, for example: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, smart glasses, etc.), in-vehicle devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), satellite terminals, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, smart point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), light user equipment (UE), reduced capability user equipment (REDCAP UE), wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), smart robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in smart healthcare, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying equipment (such as smart robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. The terminal can also be a vehicle device, such as a vehicle unit, vehicle module, vehicle chip, on-board unit (OBU), or telematics box (T-BOX). The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal functions. For example, the terminal device can also be a device that plays the role of a terminal in D2D communication.

[0066] This application does not limit the form of the terminal device. The device used to implement the terminal's functions can be a terminal device itself, or it can be a device that supports the terminal in implementing those functions, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the terminal or used in conjunction with the terminal. In this application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete components.

[0067] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the technical terms involved in the following embodiments will be briefly explained first.

[0068] I. Polar codes: These are forward error-correcting codes used for signal transmission. The core of polar code construction is to make each sub-channel exhibit different reliability through channel polarization processing on the coding side. As the code length continues to increase, the capacity of some channels tends to 1, while the capacity of other channels tends to 0. Directly transmitting information on channels with a capacity tending to 1 to approximate the channel capacity is the only method that can be rigorously proven to reach the Shannon limit.

[0069] The construction process of polar codes will be explained below. In the following text, the unencoded sequence is referred to as the sequence to be encoded, and the encoded sequence is referred to as the encoded sequence. The sequence to be encoded may include information bits and frozen bits. The information bits carry information, while the frozen bits are set to a fixed value (usually 0, but other values ​​are also possible). The frozen bits generally do not carry actual information.

[0070] The construction process of polar codes can also be understood as the selection process of information bits. In one possible implementation, rate matching is not considered, for example, in a scenario where the target code length is equal to the mother code length. Here, the target code length can be understood as the length of the bit sequence that the physical channel can carry. The construction process of polar codes includes: constructing a sequence Z[Q[i]] = i, where the value of i represents the reliability of the sub-channel. For example, the larger the value of i, the higher the reliability of the corresponding sub-channel. Q[i] represents the position of the sub-channel, or in other words, the index / number of the sub-channel, etc. The length of the sequence Q is the length of the mother code N. It can be seen that in the sequence Z, the position index of the information bit or frozen bit is directly used as the value in the sequence Z, so that the values ​​in the sequence Z conform to the natural order. In one possible implementation, the sequence Q is arranged in ascending order of reliability. The last K positions in the sequence Q are the K positions with the largest values ​​in the sequence Z. In this case, the positions with values ​​greater than or equal to (NK) are the positions of the information bits, where K is the number of information bits, K is an integer greater than or equal to 0, and K is less than or equal to N, N is the length of the mother code, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 0.

[0071] In another possible implementation, consider rate matching, for example, in scenarios where the target code length is not equal to the mother code length. Before detailing the polar code construction process in this scenario, rate matching will first be explained in detail below.

[0072] Rate matching refers to the puncturing, shortening, or repeating of certain bits to match the carrying capacity of the physical channel. Correspondingly, punctured bits are called punctured bits, shortened bits are called shortened bits, and repeated bits are called repeating bits. The carrying capacity of the physical channel can be understood as the length of the bit sequence that the physical channel can carry. When the number of bits in the input sequence (or the number of bits in the encoded sequence) exceeds the carrying capacity of the physical channel, the input sequence can be punctured or shortened. Puncture of a bit means that the encoder does not transmit that bit, and the decoder recovers the punctured bit based on the received bits. Shortening of a bit means that the encoder sets that bit to a fixed value and does not transmit it, and the decoder knows this fixed value. The similarity between puncturing and shortening is that the encoding end does not transmit the bit. The difference is that in the puncturing method, the value of the untransmitted bit is affected by the information value it carries. Therefore, the decoding end needs to recover the value of the bit based on the decoding method. In the shortening method, the encoding end and the decoding end have agreed on the value of the bit (that is, the fixed value mentioned above). The value of the bit is not affected by the information value it carries. Therefore, the decoding end does not need to recover the value of the bit based on the decoding method.

[0073] When the number of bits in the input sequence does not meet (or is less than) the carrying capacity of the physical channel, all or part of the input bits must be repeated.

[0074] It is understandable that when the mother code exceeding the target code length is punctured or shortened to reach the target code length, rate matching needs to be de-matched during decoding to pad the received decoded sequence back to the mother code length. In this application, rate matching can be viewed as the inverse process of rate matching, or as the process by which the decoder restores the decoded segments to the corresponding mother code length.

[0075] The following is an example of the polarization coding process, with reference to Figure 2.

[0076] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the polarization coding process provided in an embodiment of this application. In Figure 2, it is assumed that the sequence to be encoded is {u0, u1, u2, ..., u7}.

[0077] As shown in Figure 2, u3, u5, u6, and u7 are the four bits with the highest reliability; these four bits are information bits. u0, u1, u2, and u4 are the remaining four bits; these four bits are frozen bits. The reliability of a particular bit can be understood as the reliability of the polarization sub-channel carrying that bit.

[0078] First, the sequence to be encoded is encoded by the polarization channel layer. Assume that after polarization encoding by the polarization channel layer, the sequence to be encoded is obtained as v0 to v7. For example, v0 can be obtained by XORing u0 with u1, v1 can be obtained directly based on u1, v2 can be obtained by XORing u2 with u3, v3 can be obtained directly based on u3, v4 can be obtained by XORing u4 with u5, v5 can be obtained directly based on u5, v6 can be obtained by XORing u6 with u7, and v7 can be obtained directly based on u7.

[0079] Secondly, v0 to v7 are encoded through an intermediate polarization layer. The process of encoding v0 to v7 through the intermediate polarization layer is similar to the process of polarization encoding of the sequence to be encoded through the polarization channel layer. The sequence obtained after encoding is shown in Figure 2, which will not be described in detail here.

[0080] Finally, the encoding end transmits the encoded sequence through a physical channel (represented by W in Figure 2). This encoded sequence can be a punctured, shortened, or repeated encoded sequence, or it can be an encoded sequence without rate matching; this application does not limit this.

[0081] The polarization encoding process at the encoding end has been explained in detail above. The decoding process at the decoding end will be described below. It is understood that in this application, the decoding end can also be called the decoding end; similarly, decoding can also be called decoding, and this application does not limit the terminology.

[0082] After receiving the encoded sequence, the decoding end decodes it.

[0083] Polar code decoding methods mainly include successive cancellation decoding algorithms. Successive cancellation decoding refers to a decoder progressively decoding the received codeword, using previously decoded bits to aid in decoding subsequent bits. For example, the decoder starts from the first bit and decodes each bit sequentially. For each bit, previously decoded bits are used as known information to improve the decoding accuracy of the current bit. Successive cancellation decoding algorithms include, but are not limited to: successive cancellation (SC) decoding, successive cancellation list (SCL) decoding, or CRC-aided successive cancellation list (CA-SCL) decoding. Among these, SC decoding has relatively poor performance, SCL decoding offers improved performance compared to SC decoding, and CA-SCL decoding can make polar codes perform better than low-density parity check codes (LDPC) and turbo codes (Turbo).

[0084] The following example, with reference to Figure 3, illustrates the detailed process of information being encoded and transmitted at the encoding end, and received and decoded at the decoding end.

[0085] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the information transmission process provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0086] As shown in Figure 3, the information source is the origin of information and information sequences. The information source outputs an information sequence, which is converted into a binary (or multi-level) information sequence through source coding. Then, this information sequence (or the sequence to be encoded) is channel-coded to obtain an encoded sequence, thereby improving the reliability of message transmission. Further, the encoded sequence can be modulated and then transmitted through the channel. Correspondingly, after receiving the modulated encoded sequence (or modulation symbol), the receiving end demodulates it and then performs channel decoding using decoding techniques corresponding to channel coding. Further source decoding is then performed to obtain the original information sequence. The information sink is the object (or destination) of information transmission. The method provided in this application mainly involves channel coding and channel decoding. Furthermore, the channel coding in this application mainly involves polar coding.

[0087] It is understandable that when polar codes are applied to data channels, they can be used not only for initial transmissions but also for retransmissions, such as hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmissions. HARQ is a retransmission mechanism that combines forward error correction (FEC) and automatic repeat request (ARQ). In the HARQ mechanism, if the receiver fails to decode, it saves the received data and requests the sender to retransmit the data. The receiver then combines the retransmitted data with the previously received data before decoding, thereby generating diversity gain, reducing the number of retransmissions, and thus reducing latency.

[0088] HARQ retransmission can be divided into CC-HARQ retransmission and IR-HARQ retransmission. CC-HARQ retransmission involves retransmitting part or all of the codewords from the initial transmission. At the receiving end, the received data, based on the consistent positions of the data within the codewords, is merged and then decoded. CC-HARQ retransmission can also be used in scenarios where the entire initial master code is transmitted. IR-HARQ retransmission occurs when the initial master code is not fully transmitted; the codewords not initially transmitted are incrementally transmitted during retransmission.

[0089] Polar code IR-HARQ retransmission includes recoded IR-HARQ and non-recoded IR-HARQ. Recoded IR-HARQ refers to constructing a retransmission master code twice the length of the initial master code, based on the length of the initial transmission, the number of information bits, and the length of the retransmission. That is, the length of the retransmission master code is 2*N, where N is the length of the initial master code. The retransmission master code includes a V code part and a U code part. The V code part (0 to N-1) is the retransmission reconstructed codeword and needs to be sent during retransmission. The U code part (N to N*2-1) is the same as the initial codeword and does not need to be retransmitted. After receiving the retransmission result, the receiving end combines the retransmission result and the initial transmission result into a long code for decoding. Non-retransmission coded IR-HARQ refers to the situation where, when the polar code rate matching is in punctuation mode, a portion of the codewords in the initial master code were not sent during the initial transmission. During retransmission, this unsent portion of the codewords is sent.

[0090] Currently, the positions of the information bits in the retransmitted IR-HARQ code are still constructed using a sequence method. For example, if the length of the initial master code is 512, then the length of the retransmitted master code is 512 * 2 = 1024. The construction method includes selecting K bits from a sequence of length 1024 as the information bits I of the retransmitted combined long code. 1024 K bits are selected from a 512-bit sequence as the initial information bits I. 512 Among them, the retransmitted information bits I 1024(0:511) refers to the information bits selected from the 0-511 positions in a sequence of length 1024.

[0091] I 1024 It is the information bit distribution after recoding with a code length of 2N, I 512 It refers to the information bit distribution under a code length of N during initial transmission, specifically the bits I located at positions 512-1023 in a sequence of length 1024. 1024 (512:1023) and bit I in a sequence of length 512 512 (0:511) makes comparisons, including the following four cases:

[0092] Case 1: The i-th position, I 1024 (i+512) and I 512 (i) are all information bits;

[0093] Case 2: The i-th position, I 1024 (i+512) and I 512 (i) are all frozen bits;

[0094] Case 3: The i-th position, I 1024 (i+512) is the freeze bit, I 512 (i) is an information bit;

[0095] Case 4: The i-th position, I 1024 (i+512) is the information bit, I 512 (i) is the frozen bit; where 0≤i≤511 and i is an integer.

[0096] Both Case 1 and Case 2 can be encoded and decoded. Case 3 is the information copy bit in the polar code IR-HARQ, which means that the current i+512 bits are treated as dynamically frozen bits.

[0097] Case 4 is not allowed because bits 512-1023 in the retransmission master code contain the information from the initial transmission. Therefore, bits that were frozen during the initial transmission can only be frozen during the retransmission. Thus, bit i+512 must be forcibly changed to a frozen bit, and additional bits must be selected from the retransmission master code as information bits.

[0098] Case 4 arises because the sequences formed by the values ​​of Q (0-511 and 512-1023) are not perfectly symmetric, meaning that Q... 1024 (Q 1024 <512) is not equal to Q 1024 (Q 1024 ≥512)-512.

[0099] In the starburst standard, considering the above issues, the extended portion is fully aligned when expanding the sequence from 1024 to 2048 and 4096. For example, Q 2048 (Q 2048 <1024)=Q 2048 (Q 2048 ≥1024)-1024, Q 4096 (Q 4096 <2048)=Q 4096 (Q 4096 ≥2048)-2048, where Q 2048 (Q 2048 <1024) is Q 1024 Q 4096 (Q 4096 <2048) is Q 2048 .

[0100] In HARQ technology, after the sender transmits a TB / CBG, the receiver can send feedback to the sender regarding whether the transmission was correct. For example, if the TB / CBG is transmitted correctly, the receiver can send an ACK; if the TB / CBG is transmitted incorrectly, the receiver can send a NACK. When the sender receives a NACK message, it can retransmit all CBs within the TB / CBG using the same HARQ retransmission method, for example, retransmitting all CBs using IR-HARQ or retransmitting all CBs using CC-HARQ.

[0101] The above retransmission method can be applied to scenarios where all CBs in the TB / CBG occupy the same initial transmission resource size. However, when there are CBs in the TB / CBG that occupy different initial transmission resources, if the above retransmission method is continued, that is, if there are CBs of different lengths among the multiple CBs obtained by segmenting the TB, and all of these CBs are still retransmitted using IR-HARQ, it may bring additional complexity. If all are retransmitted using CC-HARQ, it may reduce performance.

[0102] In view of this, this application provides a retransmission method. In the event of an initial transmission error in a TB / CBG, for any code block included in the TB / CBG, the method determines whether to use CC-HARQ retransmission, recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission based on the size of the initial transmission resource corresponding to the code block and the length of the corresponding mother code. In other words, different retransmission methods can be used for code blocks of different code types. This avoids complex construction for some code types that are difficult to recoded IR-HARQ, thereby reducing the overall complexity. In cases where some codewords were not sent in the initial transmission, CC-HARQ retransmission can be avoided to improve decoding performance.

[0103] The retransmission method of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 4. The method provided by this application is illustrated from the perspective of communication device interaction. This application does not limit the specific form or number of each communication device. Below, taking the first communication device and the second communication device as the execution subjects, the retransmission method of this application embodiment will be described in detail. The method described below can be applied, for example, to the system shown in Figure 1. The first communication device can be, for example, the terminal device 120 in the system shown in Figure 1, and the second communication device can be, for example, the access network device 110 in the system shown in Figure 1. Alternatively, the first communication device can be, for example, the access network device 110 in the system shown in Figure 1, and the second communication device can be, for example, the terminal device 120 in the system shown in Figure 1. These will not be listed individually here.

[0104] It should be understood that the first communication device can be the terminal device or access network device itself, or it can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal device or access network device in implementing the retransmission method, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device or access network device. This application does not specifically limit it in this regard. The second communication device can be the terminal device or access network device itself, or it can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal device or access network device in implementing the retransmission method, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device or access network device. This application does not specifically limit it in this regard.

[0105] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the retransmission method 400 provided in an embodiment of this application. The method 400 includes the following steps:

[0106] In step 410, if the initial transmission of the transmission unit is incorrect, the first communication device determines the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block.

[0107] The aforementioned transmission unit comprises multiple code blocks, and the aforementioned first code block is any one of these multiple code blocks. The multiple transmission units comprising multiple code blocks can be understood as meaning that the aforementioned transmission unit can be segmented to obtain multiple code blocks.

[0108] In the method shown in Figure 4, the lengths of the multiple code blocks included in the transmission unit may not be completely identical; that is, there may be at least two code blocks of different lengths among the multiple code blocks. Since there are at least two code blocks of different lengths among the multiple code blocks, after polar coding of the multiple code blocks, there may be at least two mother codes of different lengths among the multiple mother codes corresponding to the multiple code blocks. In other words, after segmenting the transmission resources occupied by the transmission unit, multiple segments can be obtained, each segment corresponding one-to-one with the multiple code blocks. Each segment is used to carry the corresponding code block, and at least two of the multiple segments have different lengths / sizes.

[0109] Optionally, the aforementioned transmission unit can be either a TB or a CBG. This application does not limit the granularity of the transmission unit.

[0110] The retransmission methods mentioned above include CC-HARQ retransmission, IR-HARQ retransmission, or IR-HARQ retransmission without recoding. That is, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block can be CC-HARQ retransmission, IR-HARQ retransmission, or IR-HARQ retransmission without recoding. At least two of the aforementioned code blocks correspond to different retransmission methods.

[0111] The size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block can be replaced by the size of the initial transmission resource corresponding to the first code block. The size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block can be understood as the length of the bit sequence that the initial transmission resource can carry, or the number of bits that the initial transmission resource can carry, or the amount of data that the initial transmission resource can carry.

[0112] The length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block can be determined based on the size of the initial transmission resource corresponding to the first code block. For example, the mother code length is represented by N, where N is a positive integer and is a power of 2. The size of the initial transmission resource can be represented by E, where E is an integer greater than or equal to 0. When the size of the initial transmission resource is not a power of 2, one approach is to determine based on... Calculate the corresponding mother code length. This indicates rounding up. It should be understood that the corresponding mother code length can also be calculated in other ways, and this application does not limit this.

[0113] The length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is specifically the length of the initial transmission mother code corresponding to the first code block, that is, the length of the mother code corresponding to the initial transmission of the first code block.

[0114] For example, in the event of an initial transmission error in the TB, the first communication device determines the retransmission method for each CB based on the size of the initial transmission resource corresponding to each CB among the plurality of CBs included in the TB and the length of its corresponding master code. At least two of the plurality of CBs have different retransmission methods. For instance, if the TB includes CB 0, CB 1, CB 2, and CB 3, the first communication device determines that the retransmission method for CB 0 and CB 3 is CC-HARQ retransmission based on the size of the initial transmission resource corresponding to CB 0 and the length of its corresponding master code. Similarly, the first communication device determines that the retransmission method for CB 1 and CB 2 is IR-HARQ retransmission.

[0115] In step 420, if the initial transmission of the transmission unit is incorrect, the second communication device determines the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block.

[0116] The second communication device can be viewed as an information receiver, or an information decoder.

[0117] It is understandable that, in the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, the second communication device needs to determine the retransmission method corresponding to each code block among the multiple code blocks included in the transmission unit, in order to receive the retransmissions of the aforementioned code blocks. It should be noted that the method used by the second communication device to determine the retransmission method corresponding to each code block is the same as that used by the first communication device. Taking the first code block as an example, the second communication device can also determine the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the corresponding master code. For a detailed description of the method for determining the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block, please refer to the description below; it will not be elaborated upon here.

[0118] In step 430, the first communication device retransmits the first code block according to the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the retransmission of the first code block according to the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block.

[0119] It should be noted that this application does not limit the order of the steps shown in Figure 4. For example, step 430 may be executed first, followed by step 420; or step 420 may be executed first, followed by step 430. Examples will not be given here.

[0120] For example, in the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, the second communication device can send a NACK message to the first communication device and determine the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the corresponding master code. Here, the first code block is any one of the multiple code blocks included in the aforementioned transmission unit. After receiving the NACK message, the first communication device can determine the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the corresponding master code, and retransmit the first code block based on the retransmission method. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the retransmission of the first code block based on the retransmission method.

[0121] The specific implementation of the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block by the first communication device / second communication device will be described in detail below.

[0122] In one possible implementation, when the first communication device / second communication device encounters an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, it determines the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the corresponding mother code. This includes: if the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the corresponding mother code, the first communication device determines that the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; or, if the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the corresponding mother code, the first communication device determines that the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission.

[0123] It is understandable that when the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is equal to the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block, no rate matching is required; when the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block, the mother code corresponding to the first code block needs to be punched or shortened to match the carrying capacity of the initial transmission resource; when the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block, the mother code corresponding to the first code block needs to be repeated. For a detailed explanation of punching, shortening, and repeating, please refer to the above text, which will not be repeated here.

[0124] In the above scheme, the retransmission method of the first code block is determined by the relationship between the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the corresponding mother code. More specifically, when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is smaller than the length of the corresponding mother code, the retransmission method of the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission or IR-HARQ retransmission without recoding. In this way, it is possible to avoid constructing recoded IR-HARQ information bits in the puncturing or shortening mode, which helps to reduce the overall complexity.

[0125] In the following text, the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is denoted as E0, and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is denoted as N.

[0126] For example, when E0≥N, the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; when E0<N, the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission or CC-HARQ retransmission.

[0127] It is understood that in this application, the following conditions can be predefined / preconfigured / configured: when the size of the initial transmission resource of the bearer code block is greater than or equal to the length of the corresponding mother code, the retransmission method corresponding to the code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; or, when the size of the initial transmission resource of the bearer code block is less than the length of the corresponding mother code, the retransmission method corresponding to the code block is CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission. In the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, the first communication device / second communication device can determine the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource of the first code block, the length of the corresponding mother code, and the above conditions.

[0128] In one possible implementation, determining that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block includes: determining that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a first threshold.

[0129] The first threshold can be predefined / preconfigured / configured. For example, the first threshold mentioned above could be 1024.

[0130] In the above scheme, the first code block is recoded and retransmitted using IR-HARQ only when the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to the first threshold. This helps avoid the problem of aligning the information bits in the V and U codes of the retransmitted mother code. For example, if the first threshold is 1024, then the first code block is recoded and retransmitted using IR-HARQ only when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to 1024. This can be similar to the sequence extension method in the Star Flash protocol, extending 1024 to 2048, thus avoiding the problem of aligning the information bits in the V and U codes of the retransmitted mother code.

[0131] In one possible implementation, the above method further includes: if the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than the first threshold, then the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is determined to be CC-HARQ retransmission.

[0132] In the above scheme, when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the corresponding mother code, and the length of the corresponding mother code is less than a first threshold, the first code block is retransmitted using CC-HARQ. This helps avoid the problem of needing to align the information bits in the V and U codes of the retransmitted mother code when the mother code length is too short. For example, when the length of the corresponding mother code is less than 1024, the first code block is retransmitted using CC-HARQ without needing to align the information bits in the V and U codes, which helps reduce the overall system complexity.

[0133] For example, when E0≥N, and when the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to 1024, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; when E0≥N, and when the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than 1024, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission; when E0<N, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission.

[0134] It is understood that in this application, the following conditions can be predefined / preconfigured / configured: when the size of the initial transmission resource of the bearer code block is greater than or equal to the length of the corresponding mother code, and the length of the corresponding mother code is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the retransmission method corresponding to the code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; when the size of the initial transmission resource of the bearer code block is greater than or equal to the length of the corresponding mother code, and the length of the corresponding mother code is less than the first threshold, the retransmission method corresponding to the code block is CC-HARQ retransmission; or, when the size of the initial transmission resource of the bearer code block is less than the length of the corresponding mother code, the retransmission method corresponding to the code block is CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission. In the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, the first communication device / second communication device can determine the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource of the first code block, the length of the corresponding mother code, and the above conditions.

[0135] In one possible implementation, determining the retransmission method of the first code block as CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the corresponding mother code includes: determining the retransmission method of the first code block as non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the corresponding mother code and the rate matching method of the first code block is puncturing; or, determining the retransmission method of the first code block as CC-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the corresponding mother code and the rate matching method of the first code block is shortening.

[0136] In the above scheme, under the puncturing mode, non-recoding IR-HARQ retransmission is considered. That is, retransmitting the unsent codewords can obtain a certain code length gain.

[0137] One possible implementation is that when E0≥N, and when the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to 1024, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; when E0≥N, and when the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than 1024, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission; when E0<N, and when the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is puncturing, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; when E0<N, and when the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is shortening, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission.

[0138] It is understood that in this application, the following conditions can be predefined / preconfigured / configured: when the size of the initial transmission resource of the bearer code block is greater than or equal to the length of the corresponding mother code, and the length of the corresponding mother code is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the retransmission method of the code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; when the size of the initial transmission resource of the bearer code block is greater than or equal to the length of the corresponding mother code, and the length of the corresponding mother code is less than the first threshold, the retransmission method of the code block is CC-HARQ retransmission; or, when the size of the initial transmission resource of the bearer code block is less than the length of the corresponding mother code, and the rate matching method of the code block is puncturing, the retransmission method of the code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; or, when the size of the initial transmission resource of the bearer code block is less than the length of the corresponding mother code, and the rate matching method of the code block is shortening, the retransmission method of the code block is CC-HARQ retransmission. In the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, the first communication device / second communication device can determine the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource of the first code block, the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the aforementioned conditions.

[0139] Another possible implementation is that when E0≥N, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; when E0<N, and when the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is puncturing, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; when E0<N, and when the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is shortening, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission.

[0140] It is understood that in this application, the following conditions can be predefined / preconfigured / configured: if the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the code block is greater than or equal to the length of the corresponding mother code, the retransmission method for the code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; or, if the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the code block is less than the length of the corresponding mother code, and the rate matching method for the code block is puncturing, the retransmission method for the code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; or, if the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the code block is less than the length of the corresponding mother code, and the rate matching method for the code block is shortening, the retransmission method for the code block is CC-HARQ retransmission. In the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, the first communication device / second communication device can determine the retransmission method for the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource of the first code block, the length of the corresponding mother code, and the above conditions.

[0141] In one possible implementation, determining that the retransmission method for the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block and the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is puncturing includes: determining that the retransmission method for the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is puncturing, and the first code block satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a first threshold; the ratio of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a second threshold; or, the ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a third threshold.

[0142] Correspondingly, the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is determined to be recoded IR-HARQ retransmission if the following conditions are met: the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block; the rate matching mode corresponding to the first code block is puncturing; the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a first threshold; the ratio of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a second threshold; and the ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource corresponding to the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0143] The second or third threshold mentioned above can be predefined / preconfigured / configured. The second threshold is greater than or equal to 0 and less than 1, and the third threshold is greater than 1.

[0144] In other words, when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is smaller than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and when the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is punched, the following distinctions can also be made;

[0145] When the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a first threshold; and the ratio of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a second threshold; and the ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource corresponding to the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a third threshold, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; otherwise, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, such as when the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than the first threshold; or, the ratio of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than the second threshold; or, the ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than the third threshold, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission.

[0146] When retransmission resources are limited, non-recoding IR-HARQ retransmission is used to reduce complexity. When retransmission resources are abundant, the ratio of the sum of the initial transmission resource size carrying the first code block and the retransmission resource size corresponding to the first code block to the length of the corresponding mother code block may be greater than or equal to the third threshold. This indicates that the sum of the retransmission resource size and the initial transmission resource size is close to twice the length of the initial mother code. In this case, recoding IR-HARQ retransmission is considered, which can bring performance gains.

[0147] Let E1 be the size of the retransmission resource corresponding to the first code block. In the scenario where the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is puncturing, when N is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and E0 / N is greater than or equal to the second threshold, and (E0+E1) / N is greater than or equal to the third threshold, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; when the first code block satisfies at least one of the following, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission: N is less than the first threshold, or E0 / N is less than the second threshold, or (E0+E1) / N is less than the third threshold.

[0148] Assuming the second threshold is 3 / 4 and the third threshold is 5 / 4, for example, E0 = 7N / 8 and E1 = 5N / 8, then E0 / N = 7 / 8 > 3 / 4, (5N / 8 + 7N / 8) / N = 6 / 4 > 5 / 4. Therefore, the retransmission method is recoding IR-HARQ retransmission, where E1 is the size of the retransmission resource.

[0149] For example, if E0 = 5N / 8 and E1 = 5N / 8, then E0 / N = 5 / 8 < 3 / 4. Therefore, the retransmission method is IR-HARQ retransmission without recoding.

[0150] For example, if E0 = 7N / 8 and E1 = 2N / 8, then E0 / N = 7 / 8 > 3 / 4, but (2N / 8 + 7N / 8) / N = 4.5 / 4 > 5 / 4. Therefore, the retransmission method is IR-HARQ retransmission without recoding.

[0151] In one possible implementation, when the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, and the retransmission mode corresponding to the second code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, the ratio of the retransmission resources corresponding to the first code block to the retransmission resources corresponding to the second code block is greater than the ratio of the initial transmission resources corresponding to the first code block to the initial transmission resources corresponding to the second code block. The second code block is one of the code blocks other than the first code block among the above multiple code blocks.

[0152] CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission has low performance gain. Allocating more retransmission resources to the code blocks of CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission can help improve the retransmission performance of the code blocks, so that the code blocks will not become the performance bottleneck.

[0153] For example, the transmission unit is TB, which includes 11 CBs. The initial transmission resource size of each CB in 10 of the CBs is 1024 bits. The initial transmission resource size of the other CB is 512 bits. Assuming that the CB with an initial transmission resource size of 1024 bits (example of the second code block) is re-coded IR-HARQ retransmission and the CB with an initial transmission resource size of 512 bits (example of the first code block) is retransmitted CC-HARQ, the initial transmission resource size of each CB is equal to the corresponding mother code length, and the ratio of the initial transmission resource of the first code block to the initial transmission resource of the second code block is 1:2. During retransmission, if the retransmission resource is 1050, according to existing technology, the retransmission resource should be allocated according to a ratio of 1:2 between the retransmission resource corresponding to the first code block and the retransmission resource corresponding to the second code block. That is, each of the 10 CBs with an initial transmission resource size of 1024 will be allocated 100, and each CB with an initial transmission resource size of 512 will be allocated 50. However, in this application, we consider allocating more resources to the CBs with an initial transmission resource size of 512, for example, by allocating 50 more. Therefore, each of the 10 CBs with an initial transmission resource size of 1024 will be allocated 95 bits, and each CB with an initial transmission resource size of 512 will be allocated 100 bits. The ratio of the retransmission resource corresponding to the first code block and the retransmission resource corresponding to the second code block is 100:95, which is an improvement compared to the ratio of the initial transmission resources, thereby improving the retransmission performance of the first code block.

[0154] It should be understood that the above examples are merely illustrative and should not constitute any limitation on this application. The ratio of the retransmission resources corresponding to the first code block and the retransmission resources corresponding to the second code block can also be other values, and this application does not limit this.

[0155] It should also be understood that the retransmission method described above is applicable not only to TB retransmission but also to CBG retransmission, and this application does not limit it in this regard.

[0156] The retransmission method of the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above. The communication device of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below. The communication device includes modules or units for performing each part of the above embodiments. The modules or units can be software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The following only provides a brief illustrative example of the communication device; for details of the implementation, please refer to the description of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated below.

[0157] It should be understood that the devices shown in Figures 5 to 7 can be used to implement the functions of the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0158] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram of the communication device 500 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0159] As shown in Figure 5, the communication device 500 includes a processing module 510 and a transceiver module 520. This communication device 500 can be used to implement the functions of the first communication device or the first communication device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4.

[0160] The modules included in the communication device 500 can be implemented through software and / or hardware.

[0161] One possible implementation is that the communication device 500 can be used to implement the steps performed by the first communication device in the method embodiment shown in FIG4. The first communication device can be an access network device or a terminal device, or a component (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a processor) in the access network device or terminal device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the access network device or terminal device, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device or terminal device.

[0162] Another possible implementation is that the communication device 500 can be used to implement the steps performed by the second communication device in the method embodiment shown in FIG4. The second communication device can be an access network device or a terminal device, or a component (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a processor) in the access network device or terminal device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the access network device or terminal device, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device or terminal device.

[0163] For example, the communication device 500 may include modules or units that correspond one-to-one with the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the method embodiment shown in FIG4. The modules or units may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0164] For example, when the communication device 500 is used to implement the function of the first communication device in the method embodiment shown in FIG4, the processing module 510 is used to determine the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block according to the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block in the case of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit. The retransmission method includes CC-HARQ retransmission, recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission. The transmission unit includes multiple code blocks, and the first code block is any one of the multiple code blocks. At least two of the multiple code blocks have different retransmission methods. The transceiver module 520 is used to retransmit the first code block based on the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block.

[0165] In one possible implementation, the processing module 510 is specifically used to determine the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block as recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block; or, when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, determine the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block as CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission.

[0166] In one possible implementation, the processing module 510 is specifically used to determine that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to the first threshold.

[0167] In one possible implementation, the processing module 510 is further configured to determine that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a first threshold.

[0168] In one possible implementation, the processing module 510 is specifically used to determine that the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block and the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is puncturing; or, when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block and the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is shortening, it determines that the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission.

[0169] In one possible implementation, the processing module 510 is specifically used to determine that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, the rate matching mode corresponding to the first code block is puncturing, and the first code block satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a first threshold; the ratio of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a second threshold; or, the ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a third threshold.

[0170] In one possible implementation, the processing module 510 is further configured to determine that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission if the first code block satisfies the following conditions: the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block; the rate matching mode corresponding to the first code block is puncturing; the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a first threshold; the ratio of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a second threshold; and the ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource corresponding to the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0171] In one possible implementation, when the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, and the retransmission mode corresponding to the second code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, the ratio of the retransmission resources corresponding to the first code block to the retransmission resources corresponding to the second code block is greater than the ratio of the initial transmission resources corresponding to the first code block to the initial transmission resources corresponding to the second code block. The second code block is one of the code blocks other than the first code block among the above multiple code blocks.

[0172] For example, when the communication device 500 is used to implement the function of the second communication device in the method embodiment shown in FIG4, the processing module 510 is used to determine the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block according to the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block in the case of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit. The retransmission mode includes CC-HARQ retransmission, recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission. The transmission unit includes multiple code blocks, and the first code block is any one of the multiple code blocks. At least two of the multiple code blocks have different retransmission modes. The transceiver module 520 is used to receive the retransmission of the first code block based on the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block.

[0173] In one possible implementation, the processing module 510 is specifically used to determine the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block as recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block; or, when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, determine the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block as CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission.

[0174] In one possible implementation, the processing module 510 is specifically used to determine that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to the first threshold.

[0175] In one possible implementation, the processing module 510 is further configured to determine that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a first threshold.

[0176] In one possible implementation, the processing module 510 is specifically used to determine that the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block and the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is puncturing; or, when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block and the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is shortening, it determines that the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission.

[0177] In one possible implementation, the processing module 510 is specifically used to determine that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, the rate matching mode corresponding to the first code block is puncturing, and the first code block satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a first threshold; the ratio of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a second threshold; or, the ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a third threshold.

[0178] In one possible implementation, the processing module 510 is further configured to determine that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission if the first code block satisfies the following conditions: the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block; the rate matching mode corresponding to the first code block is puncturing; the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a first threshold; the ratio of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a second threshold; and the ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource corresponding to the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a third threshold. In one possible implementation, when the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, and the retransmission mode corresponding to the second code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, the ratio of the retransmission resources corresponding to the first code block to the retransmission resources corresponding to the second code block is greater than the ratio of the initial transmission resources corresponding to the first code block to the initial transmission resources corresponding to the second code block. The second code block is one of the code blocks other than the first code block among the above multiple code blocks.

[0179] For a more detailed description of each of the above modules, please refer directly to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4, which will not be repeated here.

[0180] 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.

[0181] Figure 6 is another schematic block diagram of the communication device 600 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0182] The communication device 600 can be a chip system, or an apparatus configured with a chip system to implement the methods described in the above-described method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0183] As shown in FIG6, the communication device 600 may include a processor 610, which can be used to execute computer programs or instructions in memory to implement the steps performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG4.

[0184] In one possible implementation, the communication device 600 further includes a communication interface 620. The communication interface 620 can be used to communicate with other devices via a transmission medium, thereby enabling the communication device 600 to communicate with other devices. The communication interface 620 can be, for example, a transceiver, interface, pin, bus, circuit, or a device capable of transmitting and receiving functions. The processor 610 can use the communication interface 620 to input and output data and to implement the steps performed by the first or second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0185] In one possible implementation, the communication device 600 further includes at least one memory 630 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 630 is coupled to the processor 610. 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 610 may operate in conjunction with the memory 630. The processor 610 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 630. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0186] 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 610 may operate in conjunction with the memory 630. The specific connection medium between the processor 610, communication interface 620, and memory 630 is not limited in the embodiments of this application. Optionally, the processor 610, communication interface 620, and memory 630 are connected via a bus 640. The bus 640 is represented by a thick line in Figure 6. The connection methods between other components are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting. The bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 6, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0187] In one possible implementation, the communication device 600 is a system-on-a-chip (SoC). Alternatively, the processor 610 is an SoC.

[0188] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram applicable to the access network equipment provided in this application. As shown in Figure 7, the access network equipment includes one or more CUs, one or more DUs, and one or more RUs. For clarity, only one CU, DU, and RU are shown in Figure 7. The CU is used to connect to the core network and one or more DUs. Optionally, the CU may have some of the functions of the core network. The CU may include CU-CP and CU-UP.

[0189] The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement: for example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (such as the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and / or the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer); the DU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and / or the Physical (PHY) layer). Alternatively, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers above the PDCP layer (such as the RRC and / or SDAP layers), and the DU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the RLC, MAC, and / or PHY layers).

[0190] When a CU includes CU-CP and CU-UP, CU-CP is used to implement the control plane functions of the CU, and CU-UP is used to implement the user plane functions of the CU. For example, when a CU is configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer, RRC layer, and SDAP layer, CU-CP is used to implement the RRC layer functions and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer, and CU-UP is used to implement the SDAP layer functions and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer.

[0191] The CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the AMF network element in a 5G system. The AMF network element is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover.

[0192] CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements, such as the user plane function (UPF) element in a 5G system, are responsible for forwarding and receiving data in terminal devices.

[0193] 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.

[0194] 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.

[0195] 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 an open-CU (open-CU, O-CU), DU can also be called an open-DU (open-DU, O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open-CU-CP (open-CU-CP, O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open-CU-UP (open-CU-UP, O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an open-RU (open-RU, O-RU). For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0196] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, when the first communication device is an access network device, the specific implementation of step 410 can be as follows: In the case of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, the DU corresponding to the access network device determines the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block according to the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block. The retransmission method includes CC-HARQ retransmission, recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission. The transmission unit includes multiple code blocks, and the first code block is any one of the multiple code blocks. At least two of the multiple code blocks have different retransmission methods. In the O-RAN system, step 410 can be specifically implemented as follows: When the O-DU corresponding to the access network device has an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, it determines the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block. The retransmission method includes CC-HARQ retransmission, recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission. The transmission unit includes multiple code blocks, and the first code block is any one of the multiple code blocks. At least two of the multiple code blocks have different retransmission methods.

[0197] Step 430 can be implemented as follows: the DU corresponding to the access network device retransmits the first code block through the RU based on the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block. In the O-RAN system, step 420 can be implemented as follows: the O-DU corresponding to the access network device retransmits the first code block through the O-RU based on the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block.

[0198] When the second communication device is an access network device, step 420 can be implemented as follows: In the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, the DU corresponding to the access network device determines the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block. The retransmission method includes CC-HARQ retransmission, recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission. The transmission unit includes multiple code blocks, and the first code block is any one of the multiple code blocks. At least two of the multiple code blocks have different retransmission methods. In the O-RAN system, step 420 can be implemented as follows: In the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit of the O-DU corresponding to the access network device, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is determined according to the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block. The retransmission method includes CC-HARQ retransmission, recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission. The transmission unit includes multiple code blocks, and the first code block is any one of the multiple code blocks. At least two of the multiple code blocks have different retransmission methods.

[0199] Step 430 can be implemented as follows: the DU corresponding to the access network device receives the retransmission of the first code block through the RU based on the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block. In the O-RAN system, step 420 can be implemented as follows: the O-DU corresponding to the access network device receives the retransmission of the first code block through the O-RU based on the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block.

[0200] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also known as code or instructions) that, when run, can implement the steps executed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG4.

[0201] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run, it can implement the steps performed by the first or second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG4.

[0202] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an artificial intelligence processor (AI processor) or a neural processing unit (NPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or a combination of one or more discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can reside in a mature storage medium in the field, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0203] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be a cache, random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0204] 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.

[0205] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application. In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the shown or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be through some interfaces; indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0206] 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.

[0207] 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.

[0208] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media 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 drives, SSDs), etc.

[0209] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the technology, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0210] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A retransmission method, characterized in that, include: In the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is determined based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block. The retransmission method includes append-merge hybrid automatic repeat request (CC-HARQ) retransmission, recoded incremental redundancy hybrid automatic repeat request (IR-HARQ) retransmission, or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission. The transmission unit includes multiple code blocks, and the first code block is any one of the multiple code blocks. At least two of the multiple code blocks have different retransmission methods. The first code block is retransmitted based on the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block.

2. A retransmission method, characterized in that, include: In the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is determined based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block. The retransmission method includes append-merge hybrid automatic repeat request (CC-HARQ) retransmission, recoded incremental redundancy hybrid automatic repeat request (IR-HARQ) retransmission, or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission. The transmission unit includes multiple code blocks, and the first code block is any one of the multiple code blocks. At least two of the multiple code blocks have different retransmission methods. Based on the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block, the retransmission of the first code block is received.

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, In the event of an initial transmission error in the transmission unit, determining the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block based on the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block includes: If the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is determined to be recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; or, If the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is determined to be either CC-HARQ retransmission or IR-HARQ retransmission without recoding.

4. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, When the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, determining that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission includes: If the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is determined to be recoded IR-HARQ retransmission.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is greater than or equal to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a first threshold, determining that the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, When the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, determining whether the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoding IR-HARQ retransmission includes: If the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is puncturing, then the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is determined to be non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission; or, If the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the rate matching mode corresponding to the first code block is shortened, then the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is determined to be CC-HARQ retransmission.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The step of determining the retransmission mode of the first code block as non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission when the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is smaller than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the rate matching mode corresponding to the first code block is puncturing, includes: If the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is less than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block, and the rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is puncturing, and the first code block satisfies at least one of the following conditions, then the retransmission method corresponding to the first code block is determined to be non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission: The length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than the first threshold; The ratio of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a second threshold; or, The ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is less than a third threshold.

8. The method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the first code block meets the following conditions, the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is determined to be recoded IR-HARQ retransmission: The size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block is smaller than the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block; The rate matching method corresponding to the first code block is punching; The length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to the first threshold; The ratio of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a second threshold; and, The ratio of the sum of the size of the initial transmission resource carrying the first code block and the size of the retransmission resource corresponding to the first code block to the length of the mother code corresponding to the first code block is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, When the retransmission mode corresponding to the first code block is CC-HARQ retransmission or non-recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, and the retransmission mode corresponding to the second code block is recoded IR-HARQ retransmission, the ratio of the retransmission resources corresponding to the first code block to the retransmission resources corresponding to the second code block is greater than the ratio of the initial transmission resources corresponding to the first code block to the initial transmission resources corresponding to the second code block, and the second code block is one of the code blocks other than the first code block among the plurality of code blocks.

10. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for invoking a computer program in memory to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

13. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor, the processor being configured to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 by executing a computer program in memory and / or by logic circuitry.

15. The communication device according to claim 14, characterized in that, It also includes the memory.

16. The communication device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, It also includes a communication interface for communicating with other devices.

17. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1, 3-9, and the second communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 2-9.

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