# US 12,120,061 B2 · Scheduling HARQ transmissions in mini-slots > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,120,061 B2 - Document ID: US12120061B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/557,723 - Filed: 2021-12-21 - Published: 2022-04-14 - Granted: 2024-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2018-11-30 - Assignees: T-Mobile USA, Inc. - Applicants: T-Mobile USA, Inc. - Inventors: Shuqing Xing; Wafik Abdel Shahid; Scott Francis Migaldi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12120061B2 ## CPC - H04L 1/1887: {Scheduling and prioritising arrangements} - H04L 5/0055: {Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK (for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861)} - H04L 1/1819: {with retransmission of additional or different redundancy} - H04L 1/1825: Adaptation of specific ARQ protocol parameters according to transmission conditions - H04L 1/1854: {Scheduling and prioritising arrangements} - H04L 5/0069: {Allocation based on distance or geographical location} - H04W 28/04: Error control - H04W 72/0446: Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames - H04W 72/1273: of downlink data flows - H04W 72/51: based on terminal or device properties - H04L 1/1812: Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ] - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Systems, methods, and devices can be utilized to schedule at least one Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) transmission and at least one HARQ feedback message in the same Physical Resource Block (PRB). A HARQ transmission can be scheduled in a mini-slot of the PRB. Accordingly, latencies associated with transmitting and receiving the PRB can be reduced, while the high reliability of HARQ can be retained. Implementations can be applied to 5G technologies such as Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLCs) and enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB), as well as other low-latency communications. A method can include determining a location of a device; selecting, based at least in part on the location of the device, a mini-slot size; scheduling, in one or more mini-slots having the mini-slot size in a PRB, a HARQ transmission; and transmitting, to the device, the HARQ transmission in the one or more mini-slots of the PRB. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: one or more processors; a memory; and one or more components stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: receiving a request for services from a user equipment (UE); determining that dynamic mini-slot assignment is selected based on at least one of a radio frequency condition of the request or a round trip delay of messages exchanged with the UE; and based at least in part on determining that dynamic mini-slot assignment is selected: identifying a fading condition of at least one of the UE or the services; scheduling, in one or more first mini-slots of a physical resource block (PRB), one or more hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) transmissions based at least in part on the fading condition; and scheduling, in one or more second mini-slots of the PRB, one or more HARQ feedback messages based at least in part on the fading condition. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise selecting a size of at least one of the one or more first mini-slots or the one or more second mini-slots based at least in part on the fading condition. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein scheduling the one or more HARQ transmissions comprises: determining that the fading condition compromises a slow-fading condition; selecting one or more small mini-slots as the one or more first mini-slots based at least in part on determining that the fading condition comprises the slow-fading condition; and scheduling the one or more HARQ transmissions in the one or more first mini-slots. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more small mini-slots comprise one or more mini-slots of a size of four or fewer symbols. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein scheduling the one or more HARQ transmissions comprises: determining that the fading condition compromises a fast-fading condition; selecting one or more large mini-slots as the one or more first mini-slots based at least in part on determining that the fading condition comprises the fast-fading condition; and scheduling the one or more HARQ transmissions in the one or more first mini-slots. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more large mini-slots comprises one or more mini-slots of a size of seven or more symbols. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein scheduling the one or more HARQ feedback messages comprises: determining that the fading condition compromises a slow-fading condition; and selecting one or more mini-slots that overlap with the one or more first mini-slots in at least one of time or frequency as the one or more second mini-slots based at least in part on determining that the fading condition comprises the slow-fading condition. ### Claim 8 A method comprising: receiving a request for services from a user equipment (UE); determining that dynamic assignment is selected based on at least one of a radio frequency condition of the request or a round trip delay of messages exchanged with the UE; and based at least in part on determining that dynamic assignment is selected: identifying a fading condition of at least one of the UE or the services; scheduling, in one or more first mini-slots of a physical resource block (PRB), one or more first transmissions of a first transmission type based at least in part on the fading condition; and scheduling, in one or more second mini-slots of the PRB, one or more second transmissions of a second transmission type based at least in part on the fading condition, wherein the first transmission type is distinct from the second transmission type. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first transmission type or the second transmission type comprises: a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) transmission; a HARQ retransmission; and a HARQ feedback message. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein scheduling the one or more first transmissions comprises: determining that the UE is located in a cell-edge region; selecting one or more multiple-symbol size mini-slots as the one or more first mini-slots based at least in part on determining that the UE is located in the cell-edge region; and scheduling the one or more first transmissions in the one or more first mini-slots. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein scheduling the one or more first transmissions comprises: determining that the UE is located in a mid-cell region; selecting one or more single-symbol size mini-slots as the one or more first mini-slots based at least in part on determining that the UE is located in the mid-cell region; and scheduling the one or more first transmissions in the one or more first mini-slots. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein: scheduling the one or more first transmissions comprises scheduling a HARQ transmission in a plurality of the one or more first mini-slots; and scheduling the one or more second transmissions comprises scheduling a HARQ feedback message in one symbol in one of the one or more second mini-slots. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein scheduling the one or more second transmissions comprises: determining that the fading condition compromises a fast-fading condition; and selecting one or more mini-slots that do not overlap with the one or more first mini-slots in at least one of time or frequency as the one or more second mini-slots based at least in part on determining that the fading condition comprises the fast-fading condition. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more second transmissions comprise a final symbol for a slot of the PRB. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more components that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: receiving a request for services from a user equipment (UE); determining that dynamic assignment is selected based on at least one of a radio frequency condition of the request or a round trip delay of messages exchanged with the UE; and based on determining that dynamic assignment is selected: identifying a fading condition of at least one of the UE or the services; scheduling, in one or more first mini-slots of a physical resource block (PRB), one or more first transmissions of a first transmission type based on the fading condition; and scheduling, in one or more second mini-slots of the PRB, one or more second transmissions of a second transmission type based on the fading condition, wherein the first transmission type is distinct from the second transmission type. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein scheduling the one or more first transmissions comprises: determining that the services comprise a small-packet service; selecting one or more small mini-slots as the one or more first mini-slots based at least in part on determining that the services comprise the small-packet service; and scheduling the one or more first transmissions in the one or more first mini-slots. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more small mini-slots comprise one or more mini-slots of a size of four or fewer symbols. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein scheduling the one or more first transmissions comprises: determining that the services do not comprise a small-packet service; selecting one or more large mini-slots as the one or more first mini-slots based at least in part on determining that the services do not comprise the small-packet service; and scheduling the one or more first transmissions in the one or more first mini-slots. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more large mini-slots comprises one or more mini-slots of a size of seven or more symbols. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein at least one of the first transmission type or the second transmission type comprises: a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) transmission; a HARQ retransmission; and a HARQ feedback message.