Multi-cell transmission scheduling
Methods, apparatus, and systems that enable scheduling of related data transmissions across multiple cells and/or carriers are disclosed. In one example aspect, a method for wireless communication includes processing, by a base station, a first data transmission for a user device on a first serving cell and transmitting, by the base station to the user device, a control message that includes a scheduling information of a second data transmission on a second cell that is different than the first serving cell. The control message indicates whether the second data transmission is a new data transmission or a retransmission of the first data transmission. The method also includes processing, by the base station, the second data transmission for the user device on the second cell according to the scheduling information.
1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:
transmitting, by a base station, a first control message that includes a first scheduling information of a first data transmission on a first serving cell to a user device, wherein the first control message comprises a first set of New Data Indicator (NDI) values corresponding to a first set of Transport Blocks (TBs) of the first data transmission;
processing, by the base station, the first data transmission for the user device on the first serving cell according to the first scheduling information;
transmitting, by the base station to the user device, a second control message that includes a second scheduling information of a second data transmission on a second cell that is different from the first serving cell,
wherein the second control message comprises a second set of NDI values corresponding to a second set of TBs of the second data transmission,
wherein the second control message indicates that a TB of the second data transmission is a retransmission of a corresponding TB of the first data transmission upon an NDI value of the TB in the second control message being a same as a prior NDI value of the corresponding TB in the first control message,
wherein the first data transmission is a prior transmission corresponding to the second data transmission, and
wherein the second control message comprises a first identifier for the first serving cell and a first Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process number for the first data transmission, the second control message further comprising a second identifier for the second cell and a second HARQ process number for the second data transmission; and
processing, by the base station, the second data transmission for the user device on the second cell according to the second scheduling information.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second control message comprises a second identifier for the second cell and a second HARQ process number for the second data transmission, wherein there exists an association between the second cell and the first serving cell, and the association specifies that a first set of HARQ processes of the first serving cell corresponds to a second set of HARQ processes of the second cell or that the first serving cell and the second cell share a same HARQ process or a same HARQ entity.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein whether the second data transmission is a new data transmission or a retransmission of the first data transmission is determined based on a first HARQ process number of the first data transmission and a second HARQ process number of the second data transmission, and wherein the second data transmission is a retransmission of the first data transmission in case the second HARQ process number belongs to s second set of the HARQ processes of the second cell.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first serving cell comprises a first carrier and a second carrier that is associated with the first carrier, wherein the first data transmission is performed in the first carrier of the first serving cell, and the method further comprising:
transmitting, by the base station to the user device, a third control message that includes a third scheduling information of a third data transmission or the second data transmission in a second carrier of the first serving cell, wherein the third control message comprises an indicator indicating a carrier to be used for the second data transmission or the third data transmission; and
processing, by the base station, the second data transmission or the third data transmission for the user device in the second carrier according to the third scheduling information.
5. A method for wireless communication, comprising:
receiving, by a user device, a first control message that includes a first scheduling information of a first data transmission on a first serving cell from a base station, wherein the first control message comprises a first set of New Data Indicator (NDI) values corresponding to a first set of Transport Blocks (TBs) of the first data transmission;
processing, by the user device, the first data transmission on the first serving cell according to the first scheduling information;
receiving, by the user device, a second control message from the base station including a second scheduling information of a second data transmission on a second cell that is different than the first serving cell,
wherein the second control message comprises a second set of NDI values corresponding to a second set of TBs of the second data transmission,
wherein the second control message indicates that a TB of the second data transmission is a retransmission of a corresponding TB of the first data transmission upon an NDI value of the TB in the second control message being a same as a prior NDI value of the corresponding TB in the first control message,
wherein the first data transmission is a prior transmission corresponding to the second data transmission, and
wherein the second control message comprises a first identifier for the first serving cell and a first Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process number for the first data transmission, the second control message further comprising a second identifier for the second cell and a second HARQ process number for the second data transmission; and
processing, by the user device, the second data transmission on the second cell according to the second scheduling information.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second control message comprises a second identifier for the second cell and a second HARQ process number for the second data transmission, and wherein there exists an association between the second cell and the first serving cell, and the association specifies that a first set of HARQ processes of the first serving cell corresponds to a second set of HARQ processes of the second cell or that the first serving cell and the second cell share a same HARQ process or a same HARQ entity.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein whether the second data transmission is a new data transmission or a retransmission of the first data transmission is determined based on a first HARQ process number of the first data transmission and a second HARQ process number of the second data transmission, and wherein the second data transmission is a retransmission of the first data transmission in case the second HARQ process number belongs to a second set of the HARQ processes of the first serving cell.
8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first serving cell comprises a first carrier and a second carrier that is associated with the first carrier, wherein the first data transmission is performed in the first carrier of the first serving cell, and the method further comprising:
receiving, by the user device from the base station, a third control message that includes a third scheduling information of a third data transmission or the second data transmission in a second carrier of the first serving cell, wherein the third control message comprises an indicator indicating a carrier to be used for the second data transmission or the third data transmission; and
performing, by the user device, the second data transmission or the third data transmission with the base station in the second carrier according to the third scheduling information.
9. A communication apparatus, comprising a processor configured to:
transmit a first control message that includes a first scheduling information of a first data transmission on a first serving cell to a user device, wherein the first control message comprises a first set of New Data Indicator (NDI) values corresponding to a first set of Transport Blocks (TBs) of the first data transmission;
process the first data transmission for the user device on the first serving cell according to the first scheduling information;
transmit, to the user device, a second control message that includes a second scheduling information of a second data transmission on a second cell that is different from the first serving cell,
wherein the second control message comprises a second set of NDI values corresponding to a second set of TBs of the second data transmission,
wherein the second control message indicates that a TB of the second data transmission is a retransmission of a corresponding TB of the first data transmission upon an NDI value of the TB in the second control message being a same as a prior NDI value of the corresponding TB in the first control message,
wherein the first data transmission is a prior transmission corresponding to the second data transmission, and
wherein the second control message comprises a first identifier for the first serving cell and a first Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process number for the first data transmission, the second control message further comprising a second identifier for the second cell and a second HARQ process number for the second data transmission; and
process the second data transmission for the user device on the second cell according to the second scheduling information.
10. The communication apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the second control message comprises a second identifier for the second cell and a second HARQ process number for the second data transmission, wherein there exists an association between the second cell and the first serving cell, and the association specifies that a first set of HARQ processes of the first serving cell corresponds to a second set of HARQ processes of the second cell or that the first serving cell and the second cell share a same HARQ process or a same HARQ entity.
11. The communication apparatus of claim 9 , wherein whether the second data transmission is a new data transmission or a retransmission of the first data transmission is determined based on a first HARQ process number of the first data transmission and a second HARQ process number of the second data transmission, and, wherein the second data transmission is a retransmission of the first data transmission in case the second HARQ process number belongs to a second set of the HARQ processes of the second cell.
12. The communication apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first serving cell comprises a first carrier and a second carrier that is associated with the first carrier, wherein the first data transmission is performed in the first carrier of the first serving cell, and wherein the processor is further configured to:
transmit, to the user device, a third control message that includes a third scheduling information of a third data transmission or the second data transmission in a second carrier of the first serving cell, wherein the third control message comprises an indicator indicating a carrier to be used for the second data transmission or the third data transmission; and
process the second data transmission or the third data transmission for the user device in the second carrier.
13. A communication apparatus, comprising a processor configured to:
receive a first control message that includes a first scheduling information of a first data transmission on a first serving cell from a base station, wherein the first control message comprises a first set of New Data Indicator (NDI) values corresponding to a first set of Transport Blocks (TBs) of the first data transmission;
process the first data transmission on the first serving cell according to the first scheduling information;
receive a second control message from the base station including a second scheduling information of a second data transmission on a second cell that is different than the first serving cell,
wherein the second control message comprises a second set of NDI values corresponding to a second set of TBs of the second data transmission,
wherein the second control message indicates that a TB of the second data transmission is a retransmission of a corresponding TB of the first data transmission upon an NDI value of the TB in the second control message being a same as a prior NDI value of the corresponding TB in the first control message,
wherein the first data transmission is a prior transmission corresponding to the second data transmission, and
wherein the second control message comprises a first identifier for the first serving cell and a first Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process number for the first data transmission, the second control message further comprising a second identifier for the second cell and a second HARQ process number for the second data transmission; and
process the second data transmission on the second cell according to the second scheduling information.
14. The communication apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the second control message comprises a second identifier for the second cell and a second HARQ process number for the second data transmission, and wherein there exists an association between the second cell and the first serving cell, and the association specifies that a first set of HARQ processes of the first serving cell corresponds to a second set of HARQ processes of the second cell or that the first serving cell and the second cell share a same HARQ process or a same HARQ entity.
15. The communication apparatus of claim 13 , wherein whether the second data transmission is a new data transmission or a retransmission of the first data transmission is determined based on a first HARQ process number of the first data transmission and a second HARQ process number of the second data transmission, and wherein the second data transmission is a retransmission of the first data transmission in case the second HARQ process number belongs to a second set of the HARQ processes of the first serving cell.
16. The communication apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first serving cell comprises a first carrier and a second carrier that is associated with the first carrier, wherein the first data transmission is performed in the first carrier of the first serving cell, and the processor is further configured to:
receive a third control message that includes a third scheduling information of a third data transmission or the second data transmission in a second carrier of the first serving cell, wherein the third control message comprises an indicator indicating a carrier to be used for the second data transmission or the third data transmission; and
perform the second data transmission or the third data transmission with the base station in the second carrier according to the third scheduling information.