Patent Description:
Some wireless communication networks include device-to-device (D2D) communication such as, but not limited to, vehicle-based communication devices that can communicate from vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) (e.g., from the vehicle-based communication device to road infrastructure nodes), vehicle-to-network (V2N) (e.g., from the vehicle-based communication device to one or more network nodes, such as a base station), a combination thereof and/or with other devices, which can be collectively referred to as vehicle-to-anything (V2X) communications. Further improvements in multiple-access and D2D technologies are desired.

<CIT> discloses a cooperative UEs system in which the target UE, TUE, sends a control message to cooperative UEs, CUEs, to receive code block groups, CBGs, of a transport block, TB, which have not been correctly received by the TUE during initial transmission. The control message may also contain information such as modulation and coding scheme of the CBGs retransmitted by the CUEs.

<CIT> discloses a source destination multirelay system in which the source uses hierarchical modulation to carry different codeblocks of a packet. Each relay decodes a subset of the codewords depending on channel quality corresponding to the different layers of the hierarchical modulation, and generates redundant codeblocks based on network coding. The destination combines the codeblocks from the sources and network coded packets from the relay to decode the packet.

"<NPL>, discloses different cooperative transmission strategies, among them decode and forward where the same codeblocks as the ones received are decoded and recoded using the same coding scheme or incremental redundancy decode and forward where the decoded codewords are re-encoded and a new redundancy version is generated. Coding may be based on rate compatible punctured convolutional codes, RCPC, or turbo codes.

According to an example, a method of wireless communication by the relay node, including attempting to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received on a first link according to a first encoding configuration. The aspects further include encoding successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions corresponding to the transport block, wherein the second encoding configuration is different from the first encoding configuration. And, the aspects further include transmitting the one or more second transport block portions on a second link and according to the second encoding configuration.

In a further aspect, the present disclosure includes an apparatus for wireless communication including a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The at least one processor may be configured to attempt to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received on a first link according to a first encoding configuration. The at least one processor may be configured to encode successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions corresponding to the transport block, wherein the second encoding configuration is different from the first encoding configuration. The at least one processor may be configured to transmit the one or more second transport block portions on a second link and according to the second encoding configuration.

In an additional aspect, the present disclosure includes an apparatus for wireless communication including means for attempting to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received on a first link according to a first encoding configuration, means for encoding successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions corresponding to the transport block, wherein the second encoding configuration is different from the first encoding configuration, and, means for transmitting the one or more second transport block portions on a second link and according to the second encoding configuration.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure includes a computer-readable medium storing computer executable code, the code when executed by a processor cause the processor to attempt to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received on a first link according to a first encoding configuration, encode successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions corresponding to the transport block, wherein the second encoding configuration is different from the first encoding configuration, and, transmit the one or more second transport block portions on a second link and according to the second encoding configuration.

In another example, a method for wireless communication includes by a relay node includes attempting, at the relay node, to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received on a first link in allocated resources according to a first encoding configuration. The method further includes encoding, at the relay node, successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions, wherein the second encoding configuration is a same configuration as the first encoding configuration. The method also includes mapping, at the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions to the resource allocation, and replacing, at the relay node, unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions with blank resources in the resource allocation. Additionally, the method includes transmitting, from the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions on a second link according to the resource allocation.

In a further aspect, the present disclosure includes an apparatus for wireless communication including a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The at least one processor may be configured to attempt, at the relay node, to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received on a first link in allocated resources according to a first encoding configuration. The at least one processor is further configured to encode, at the relay node, successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions, wherein the second encoding configuration is a same configuration as the first encoding configuration. The at least one processor may be configured to map, at the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions to the resource allocation, and replace, at the relay node, unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions with blank resources in the resource allocation. The at least one processor may be configured to transmit, from the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions on a second link according to the resource allocation.

In an additional aspect, the present disclosure includes an apparatus for wireless communication including means for attempting, at the relay node, to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received on a first link in allocated resources according to a first encoding configuration. The apparatus further includes means for encoding, at the relay node, successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions, wherein the second encoding configuration is a same configuration as the first encoding configuration. The apparatus also includes means for mapping, at the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions to the resource allocation, and replacing, at the relay node, unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions with blank resources in the resource allocation. Additionally, the apparatus includes means for transmitting, from the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions on a second link according to the resource allocation.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure includes a computer-readable medium storing computer executable code, the code when executed by a processor cause the processor to attempt, at the relay node, to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received on a first link in allocated resources according to a first encoding configuration; encode, at the relay node, successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions, wherein the second encoding configuration is a same configuration as the first encoding configuration; map, at the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions to the resource allocation, and replacing, at the relay node, unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions with blank resources in the resource allocation; and transmit, from the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions on a second link according to the resource allocation.

In another example, a method of wireless communication by a receiver node includes receiving, via an access link, one or more first transport block portions of a first transport block. The method also includes receiving, from a sidelink, one or more second transport block portions of the first transport block from a relay node, wherein the one or more second transport block portions are successfully decoded ones of the one or more first transport block portions, wherein the one or more second transport block portions have a second encoding configuration that is a same encoding configuration or a different encoding configuration as a first encoding configuration of the one or more first transport block portions. Additionally, the method includes soft combining the one or more first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions to define a soft combined transport block.

In a further aspect, the present disclosure includes an apparatus for wireless communication including a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The at least one processor may be configured to receive, via an access link, one or more first transport block portions of a first transport block. The at least one processor may be configured to receive, from a sidelink, one or more second transport block portions of the first transport block from a relay node, wherein the one or more second transport block portions are successfully decoded ones of the one or more first transport block portions, wherein the one or more second transport block portions have a second encoding configuration that is a same encoding configuration or a different encoding configuration as a first encoding configuration of the one or more first transport block portions. The at least one processor may be configured to soft combine the one or more first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions to define a soft combined transport block.

In an additional aspect, the present disclosure includes an apparatus for wireless communication including means for receiving, via an access link, one or more first transport block portions of a first transport block. The apparatus also includes means for receiving, from a sidelink, one or more second transport block portions of the first transport block from a relay node, wherein the one or more second transport block portions are successfully decoded ones of the one or more first transport block portions, wherein the one or more second transport block portions have a second encoding configuration that is a same encoding configuration or a different encoding configuration as a first encoding configuration of the one or more first transport block portions. Additionally, the apparatus includes means for soft combining the one or more first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions to define a soft combined transport block.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure includes a computer-readable medium storing computer executable code, the code when executed by a processor cause the processor to receive, via an access link, one or more first transport block portions of a first transport block; receive, from a sidelink, one or more second transport block portions of the first transport block from a relay node, wherein the one or more second transport block portions are successfully decoded ones of the one or more first transport block portions, wherein the one or more second transport block portions have a second encoding configuration that is a same encoding configuration or a different encoding configuration as a first encoding configuration of the one or more first transport block portions; and soft combining the one or more first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions to define a soft combined transport block.

The present aspects generally relate to sidelink relay communications, which includes a relay user equipment (UE) relaying communications from a base station over a sidelink to a multi-link UE, or from the multi-link UE to the base station via the relay UE. The multi-link UE further includes a direct access link to the base station. The multi-link UE in this case may be referred to as a sidelink-assisted multi-link UE, as it can establish a multi-link communication with one or more base stations over two or more communication links, which include at least one direct link and at least one indirect link via a sidelink with the relay UE. Such multi-link communications are desirable, for example, to increase diversity and/or to increase throughput.

Specifically, present disclosure relates to enhancements to the sidelink relay communication scenario, and in particular, to transport block portion-based (or code block group (CBG) based) sidelink relaying. The present disclosure provides apparatus and methods in which the relay UE may re-encode successfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs), either with new encoding or the original encoding, before forwarding the successfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs) to the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE, e.g., in a downlink communication, or to the base station, e.g., in an uplink communication. Additionally, implementations of the present disclosure may include additional features, such as modified resource allocation to reduce transmission/reception resource, blanking of unsuccessfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs) to reduce transmission/reception resources, and/or muting of reference signals associated with blanked transport block portions (or CBGs) to reduce transmission/reception resources. These and other features of the present disclosure are discussed in detail below with regard to <FIG>.

Software may be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

In certain aspects, a relay UE 104b may include a relay multi-link communication component <NUM> for assisting with sidelink relay communications between a base station 102a and a sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a. The sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a may have a first access link 120a directly with the base station 102a, and a second communication link with the base station 102a via a sidelink 158a with the relay UE 104b, which has a second access link 120b to the base station 102a. The relay multi-link communication component <NUM> of the relay UE 104b may include a sidelink relay operation mode component <NUM>, which may be selectively configured to operate according to a modified data encoding relay mode or a non- modified data encoding relay mode.

Correspondingly, the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a may include a UE multi-link communication component <NUM> configured to manage communications with both the relay UE 104b via the sidelink 158a and the base station 102a via the access link 120a.

Similarly, the base station 102a may include a base station multi-link communication component <NUM> configured to manage communications with both the relay UE 104b via the access link 120b and the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a via the access link 120a.

Further details of these sidelink relay operational modes and operations performed by the relay UE 104b, the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a, and the base station 102a are discussed in more detail below.

The base stations <NUM>, including base station 102a, may include macrocells (high power cellular base station) and/or small cells (low power cellular base station).

The base stations <NUM> configured for <NUM> LTE (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) may interface with the EPC <NUM> through backhaul links <NUM> (e.g., S1 interface). The base stations <NUM> configured for <NUM> NR (collectively referred to as Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) may interface with <NUM> core network <NUM> through backhaul links <NUM>. The base stations <NUM> may communicate directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC <NUM> or core network <NUM>) with each other over backhaul links <NUM> (e.g., X2 interface).

The base stations <NUM> may wirelessly communicate with the UEs <NUM>, including relay UE 104b and sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a. The communication links <NUM>, including access links 120a and 120b, between the base stations <NUM> and the UEs <NUM> may include uplink (UL) (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE <NUM> to a base station <NUM> and/or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from a base station <NUM> to a UE <NUM>.

Certain UEs <NUM>, such as relay UE 104b and sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a, may communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication link <NUM>, one example of which includes sidelink 158a.

<FIG> include diagrams of example frame structures and resources that may be utilized in communications between the base stations <NUM>, the UEs <NUM> described in this disclosure.

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> of an example of a slot structure that may be used within a <NUM>/NR frame structure, e.g., for sidelink communication. This is merely one example, and other wireless communication technologies may have a different frame structure and/or different channels.

Each time slot may include a resource block (RB) (also referred to as physical RBs (PRBs)) that extends <NUM> consecutive subcarriers. Some of the REs may comprise control information, e.g., along with demodulation RS (DM-RS). The control information may comprise Sidelink Control Information (SCI). In some implementations, at least one symbol at the beginning of a slot may be used by a transmitting device to perform a Listen Before Talk (LBT) operation prior to transmitting. In some implementations, at least one symbol may be used for feedback, as described herein. In some implementations, another symbol, e.g., at the end of the slot, may be used as a gap. The gap enables a device to switch from operating as a transmitting device to prepare to operate as a receiving device, e.g., in the following slot. Data may be transmitted in the remaining REs, as illustrated. The data may comprise the data message described herein. The position of any of the SCI, feedback, and LBT symbols may be different than the example illustrated in <FIG>. In some implementations, multiple slots may be aggregated together, and the example aggregation of two slots in <FIG> should not be considered limiting, as the aggregated number of slots may also be larger than two. When slots are aggregated, the symbols used for feedback and/or a gap symbol may be different that for a single slot.

<FIG> is a diagram of hardware components of an example transmitting and/or receiving (TX/RX) nodes <NUM> and <NUM>, which may be any combinations of base station <NUM> - UE <NUM> communications, and/or UE <NUM> - UE <NUM> communications in system <NUM>. For example, such communications may including, but are not limited to, communications such as a base station transmitting to a relay UE, a relay UE transmitting to a multi-link UE, a multi-link UE transmitting to a relay UE, or a relay UE transmitting to a base station in an access network. In one specific example, the TX/RX node <NUM> may be an example implementation of base station <NUM> and where TX/RX node <NUM> may be an example implementation of UE <NUM>.

The channel estimate may be derived from a reference signal and/or channel condition feedback transmitted by the tx/rx node <NUM>. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna <NUM> via a separate transmitter 418TX. Each transmitter 418TX may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

At the TX/RX node <NUM>, each receiver 454RX receives a signal through its respective antenna <NUM>. Each receiver 454RX recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the receive (RX) processor <NUM>. The RX processor <NUM> may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the TX/RX node <NUM>. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the TX/RX node <NUM>, they may be combined by the RX processor <NUM> into a single OFDM symbol stream. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the TX/RX node <NUM>. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals that were originally transmitted by the TX/RX node <NUM> on the physical channel.

Similar to the functionality described in connection with the DL transmission by the TX/RX node <NUM>, the controller/processor <NUM> provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) acquisition, RRC connections, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

Channel estimates derived by a channel estimator <NUM> from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the TX/RX node <NUM> may be used by the TX processor <NUM> to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor <NUM> may be provided to different antenna <NUM> via separate transmitters 454TX. Each transmitter 454TX may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

The UL transmission is processed at the TX/RX node <NUM> in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the TX/RX node <NUM>. Each receiver 418RX receives a signal through its respective antenna <NUM>. Each receiver 418RX recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to a RX processor <NUM>.

In the UL, the controller/processor <NUM> provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the tx/rx node <NUM>.

In an implementation, at least one of the TX processor <NUM>, the RX processor <NUM>, and the controller/processor <NUM> may be configured to perform aspects in connection with components <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the present aspects generally relate to a sidelink relay communication scenario <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> that includes relaying communications over a sidelink. As mentioned above, sidelink communication generally includes any type of device-to-device (D2D) communication. D2D communications may be used in applications such as, but not limited to, vehicle-to-anything (V2X) or vehicle to any other device type of communications, sensor networks, public safety-related communication services with limited infrastructure availability, or any other such type of application.

In the sidelink relay communication scenario <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>, a sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a may establish a multi-link communication with one or more base stations 102a and/or 102b over two or more communication links, which include at least one direct link and at least one indirect link via a sidelink with a relay UE 104b. In a first case, such as in the sidelink relay communication scenarios <NUM> and <NUM>, the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a directly communicates with the base station 102a via a first access link (AL) 120a, and indirectly communicates with the base station 102a via a sidelink 158a with the relay UE 104b, which has a second access link 120b with the base station 102a. In general, an access link such as access link 120a or 120b is a communication link between a respective UE and a respective base station (or gNB), which may also be referred to as a Uu interface in <NUM> LTE and/or in <NUM> NR technologies. In general, the sidelink 158a is a communication link between UEs, which may be referred to as a PC5 interface in <NUM> LTE and/or in <NUM> NR technologies. In any case, the sidelink relay communication scenario <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> may be utilized for improved diversity, e.g., sending the same data over two links (access link and sidelink), and/or improved throughput, e.g., sending different, independent data over each link. In an implementation, in a mmW system, this type of multi-link communication may be attained using multiple transmit/receive beams and multiple antenna panels (sub-arrays) between the UEs and/or between a respective UE and a respective base station/gNB.

Further, in a second case, such as in the sidelink relay communication scenario <NUM>, the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a may establish multiple links with multiple base stations 102a and 102b, which may be referred to as a multi-transmit-receive point (multi-TRP) architecture. In this case, the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a directly communicates with the base station 102a via a first access link (AL) 120a, and indirectly communicates with the base station 102b via a sidelink 158a with the relay UE 104b, which has a second access link 120b with the base station 102b. Additionally, in this case, the base stations 102a and 102b may exchange communications over a backhaul link 134a.

Additionally, in the sidelink relay communication scenario <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>, the communications exchanged between the base station 102a/102b, relay UE 104b, and sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a may be uplink (UL) communications <NUM> and/or downlink (DL) communications <NUM> (see <FIG>).

Referring to <FIG>, the present disclosure relates to enhancements to the sidelink relay communication scenario <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> (<FIG> and <FIG>), and in particular to transport block portion-based (or code block group (CBG) based) sidelink relaying. In particular, the present disclosure provides apparatus and methods in which the relay UE 104b may re-encode successfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs), either with new encoding or the original encoding, before forwarding the successfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs) to the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a, e.g., in a DL communication <NUM>, or to the base station 102a or 102b, e.g., in a UL communication <NUM>. For instance, the relay UE 104b may support multiple relay operational modes, including either a modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> or a non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM>, which may be setup on the relay UE 104b by a received configuration message (e.g., from base station 102a/102b or from sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a).

During operation according to the modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> (see <FIG>), the relay UE 104b can modify successfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs) while re-encoding the data for relaying to the receiver node, e.g., the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a for DL communications <NUM> or the base station 102a/102b for UL communications <NUM>. In an example, the modified encoding/relayed transmission parameters may include one or any combination of a redundancy value (RV), a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a resource allocation, a rank, or any other transmission-related parameter for sending the data, of the re-encoded transport block portions (or CBGs) that are being relayed by the relay UE 104b can be different from the corresponding parameter used in the transmission of the original, received transport block portions (or CBGs). In some implementations of this mode, the receiver node (the base station 102a or 102b, e.g., in a UL communication <NUM>, or to the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a, e.g., in a DL communication <NUM>) may first demodulate/decode transport block portions (or CBGs) from the AL 120a/102b and SL 158a separately and combine them (i.e., soft-combining) to improve reliability. Additionally, in some implementations of this mode, the relay UE 104b may convey additional control information via a sidelink message, e.g., by PSSCH or PUCCH, to inform the receiver node of the modified encoding, resource allocation, etc..

During operation according to the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>), the relay UE 104b does not modify successfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs) while re-encoding the data for relaying to the receiver node, e.g., the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a for DL communications <NUM> or the base station 102a/102b for UL communications <NUM>. In other words, the encoding/relayed transmission parameters, which may include one or any combination of an RV, an MCS, a resource allocation, a rank, or any other transmission-related parameter for sending the data, of the re-encoded transport block portions (or CBGs) that are being relayed by the relay UE 104b are maintained to be the same as the corresponding parameter used in the transmission of the original, received transport block portions (or CBGs).

According to the claimed invention, the relay UE 104b transmits a "blank transport block portion" (or a "blank CBG") for the transport block portions (or CBGs) of a decoding failure. In other words, for any unsuccessfully decoded transport block portion (or CBG) of a transport block having data for another node, e.g., a transport block or part thereof that is being relayed, the relay UE 104b operating in the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> blanks the corresponding resource elements, which means that the relay UE 104b does not transmit any data in the corresponding resource element. According to the claimed invention, if a symbol in the resource allocation of the transport block portions (or CBGs) includes a reference signal, such as but not limited to a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and if the symbol only overlaps with blank transport block portions (or CBGs), then the transmission of the reference signal in the symbol is muted, e.g., the entire symbol is blanked or no transmission may occur in the symbol. For instance, the reference signal-muting or -blanking may be based on a rule, such as but not limited to being based on a number or density of reference signal resources being less than a threshold number, a relative position with respect to other non-blanked transport block portions (or CBGs) being less than a relative position threshold, etc., or by an explicit indication (e.g., received from the base station 102a/102b or the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a). In other words, as long as there is no significant performance impact, the reference signal can be muted. For example, if the number of DMRS symbols is large, muting one of them may not have any strong performance impact.

Additionally, in some implementations of this mode, the receiver node (the base station 102a or 102b, e.g., in a UL communication <NUM>, or to the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a, e.g., in a DL communication <NUM>) may perform pre-demodulation (or pre-demapping) combining of the transport block portions (or CBGs) from the different links (e.g., AL 120a and sidelink 158a) for reduced complexity, which may be beneficial for low-complexity receiver devices (e.g., UEs that have relatively low processing and/or memory capabilities). As used herein, a low- complexity device means a low-tier/low-capability device. For example, wireless sensors or meters, and IoT tags may have limited processing capability due to low-cost implementation (e.g., full modem features such as those for smartphone will not implemented on these types of devices). Also, those devices may operate with non-rechargeable/non-replaceable batteries, so low power consumption is necessary, which further limits processing capability.

As such, the selection/configuration of the relay UE 104b to operate according to the modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> or the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> may depend on the capability or preference of the relay UE 104b and/or of the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a. The modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> may entail smaller radio resources for relaying but, at the same time, may entail more control overhead and more processing at the receiver/destination node, because the two paths (access link and relay path) should be separately demodulated/decoded. On the other hand, the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> may entail more radio resources for relaying, but may entail less processing at the receiver/destination node, which would be beneficial for less-capable UEs, such as low-complexity/low-power devices.

Referring specifically to <FIG>, an example modified encoding sidelink relay communication scenario <NUM> for the relay UE 104b operating according to the modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> includes the relay UE 104b receiving an original transport block <NUM> and relaying an encoding-modified transport block <NUM> for either UL communication <NUM> or DL communication <NUM>. The original transport block <NUM> includes a resource allocation of a plurality of resources in both frequency (resource elements (REs) and/or resource blocks (RBs)) and time (e.g., OFDM symbols <NUM> to <NUM>), including first, second, and third reference signal (e.g., DMRS) symbols <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and first, second, third, and fourth transport block portions (or CBGs) <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. In this scenario, the relay UE 104b experiences a decoding failure of the first transport block portion (or first CBG) <NUM>.

As a result, based on operating according to the modified data encoding relay mode <NUM>, the relay UE 104b is configured to perform a relaying transmission, such as for a sidelink communication, by encoding the successfully encoded second, third, and fourth transport block portions (or CBGs) <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> according to a different encoding configuration, as compared to the encoding configuration of second, third, and fourth transport block portions (or CBGs) <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> of the original transport block <NUM>, to generate transport block portions (or CBGs) <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> of a relayed transport block <NUM>.

Additionally, in this case, the resource allocation of transport block portions (or CBGs) <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in relayed transport block <NUM> changes, relative to the resource allocation of the corresponding second, third, and fourth transport block portions (or CBGs) <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> of the original transport block <NUM>. In particular, based on operating according to the modified data encoding relay mode <NUM>, the relay UE 104b may forward only the successfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs), and thus may omit unsuccessfully decoded portions/groups, and hence utilize less resources for transmitting the relayed transport block <NUM>. In this case, for example where the relay UE 104b experiences a decoding failure of the first transport block portion (or first CBG) <NUM>, the relay UE 104b may shift the transport block portions (or CBGs) <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to fill up the original location of the resource allocation for the first transport block portion (or first CBG) <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, example non-modified encoding with blanking sidelink relay communication scenarios <NUM> and <NUM> include the relay UE 104b operating according to the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM>, receiving the original transport block <NUM> (e.g., same as in <FIG>), and relaying a non-encoding-modified, partially blanked transport block <NUM> (for scenario <NUM>) or <NUM> (for scenario <NUM>) for either UL communication <NUM> or DL communication <NUM>.

Notably, the non-encoding-modified, partially blanked transport block <NUM> in scenario <NUM> includes muting of reference signals within a symbol including a blanked transport block portion (or a blanked CBG). According to the claimed invention, scenario <NUM> includes the relay UE 104b experiencing a decoding failure of the first transport block portion (or first CBG) <NUM>. In response, and based on operating according to the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM>, the relay UE 104b replaces the unsuccessfully decoded first transport block portion (or first CBG) <NUM> with blank resources or a blank portion/block <NUM>.

Additionally, in response to identifying a symbol, e.g., symbol <NUM> in this case, including only the blank portion/block <NUM>, and not any successfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs), e.g., the second, third, and fourth transport block portions (or CBGs) <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, the relay UE 104b operating according to the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> mutes the first reference signal symbol <NUM> (e.g., DMRS symbols) within the blank block <NUM>, as represented by muted reference signal symbol <NUM>. In other words, no reference signal symbols are transmitted by the relay UE 104b when the resource allocation in the transport block includes a muted reference signal symbol. Thus, in scenario <NUM> according to the claimed invention, the relay UE 104b blanks unsuccessfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs) and mutes reference signal symbols associated with only the blanked unsuccessfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs).

In contrast, in scenario <NUM>, the relay UE 104b operating according to the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> generates the non-encoding-modified, partially blanked transport block <NUM> in a manner that avoids muting of reference signals within a symbol including a blanked transport block portion (or a blanked CBG) when the symbol also includes resources occupied by successfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs). For example, scenario <NUM> includes the relay UE 104b experiencing a decoding failure of the third transport block portion (or third CBG) <NUM>. In response, and based on operating according to the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM>, the relay UE 104b may replace the unsuccessfully decoded third transport block portion (or third CBG) <NUM> with blank resources or a blank portion/block <NUM>. Additionally, in response to identifying a symbol, e.g., symbol <NUM> in this case, including the blank portion/block <NUM> and a successfully decoded transport block portion (or CBG), e.g., fourth transport block portion (or fourth CBG) <NUM> in this case, the relay UE 104b operating according to the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> may not mute the corresponding third reference signal symbol (e.g., DMRS symbols) <NUM> within symbol <NUM> that includes the blank block <NUM>.

For example, in some cases, the relay UE 104b operating according to the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> may execute a rule or receive an indication to not mute reference signal symbols within a symbol. In an example, which should not be construed as limiting, the rule or indication may dictate to not mute reference signals within a symbol, for instance, when blanked resources and non-blanked resources both are present in the symbol, e.g., the symbol is partially blanked. It should be noted, however, that the relay UE 104b does blank the resource elements within symbol <NUM> of the third unsuccessfully decoded transport block portions (or third CBGs) <NUM>. Thus, in scenario <NUM>, the relay UE 104b blanks unsuccessfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs) and avoids muting reference signal symbols associated with both blanked transport block portions (or blanked CBGs) and successfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs).

Referring to <FIG>, another example non-modified encoding with blanking sidelink relay communication scenario <NUM> includes the relay UE 104b operating according to the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM>, receiving an original transport block <NUM> (similar to original transport block <NUM> in <FIG>, but without second reference signal symbol <NUM>), and relaying a non-encoding-modified, non-muted reference signal transport block <NUM> for either UL communication <NUM> or DL communication <NUM>. Notably, scenario <NUM> is somewhat similar to scenario <NUM>, however, the first reference signal (or DMRS) symbol <NUM> is not muted, even though it is within blank portion/block <NUM>.

For example, in some cases, the relay UE 104b operating according to the non-modified data encoding relay mode <NUM> may execute a rule or receive an indication to not mute reference signal symbols within blanked portions/blocks. In an example, which should not be construed as limiting, the rule or indication may dictate to not mute reference signals within a blanked portion/block, for instance, when the number or density of reference signal resources is under a threshold, or when their relative position to other non-blanked transport block portions (or CBGs) is over a threshold. For example, the rule or indication may be configured to not mute reference signal symbols when such muting may affect the demodulation/decoding performance of a subsequent transport block portion (or CBG) in the transport block.

In scenario <NUM>, if the first reference signal (or DMRS) symbol <NUM> is muted, it may affect the demodulation/decoding performance of the transport block portion (or CBG) <NUM>, because it does not contain any reference signal and is relatively far apart from the next reference signal symbol <NUM>. Thus, in scenario <NUM>, the relay UE 104b blanks unsuccessfully decoded transport block portions (or CBGs) and avoids muting reference signal symbols associated with the blanked transport block portions (or blanked CBGs).

Referring to <FIG>, an example method <NUM> of wireless communication may be performed by the relay UE 104b, which may include one or more components as discussed in <FIG>, <FIG>, or <FIG>, and which may operate according to the modified-data encoding relay mode <NUM> as discussed above with regard to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes attempting, at the relay node, to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received on a first link according to a first encoding configuration. For example, in an aspect, the relay UE 104b may operate one or any combination of antennas <NUM>, RF front end <NUM>, transceiver <NUM>, processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, or relay multi-link communication component <NUM> to attempt to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, which may be transmitted in a signal received by the relay UE 104b from the base station 102a or the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a. For example, any of the above components may include encoding and decoding algorithms for one or more different wireless communication protocols. Aspect regarding the encoding configuration is discussed above in more detail with respect to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes encoding, at the relay node, successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions corresponding to the transport block, wherein the second encoding configuration is different from the first encoding configuration. For example, in an aspect, the relay UE 104b may operate one or any combination of transceiver <NUM>, processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, or relay multi-link communication component <NUM> to encode successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions corresponding to the transport block. For example, any of the above components may include encoding and decoding algorithms for one or more different wireless communication protocols, which may be applied to the successfully decoded transport block portions in the manner described above according to the modified-data encoding relay mode <NUM> to re-encode them for sending to the receiver (or destination) node in the sidelink assisted communication configuration discussed above.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes transmitting, from the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions on a second link according to the second encoding configuration. For example, in an aspect, the relay UE 104b may operate one or any combination of antennas <NUM>, RF front end <NUM>, transceiver <NUM>, processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, or relay multi-link communication component <NUM> to transmit the one or more second transport block portions, according to the second encoding configuration, for example as wireless signals.

In some implementations, method <NUM> may further include omitting unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions from the one or more second transport block portions.

In some implementations, method <NUM> may further include mapping the one or more second transport block portions to a second resource allocation different from a first resource allocation of the plurality of first transport block portions. In some cases, the second resource allocation includes less resource elements that the first resource allocation. In some cases, mapping the one or more second transport block portions to a second resource allocation includes shifting a part of the successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions into resources previously allocated to the unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions.

In some implementations of method <NUM>, the encoding at <NUM> of the successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to the second encoding configuration comprises encoding according to at least one of a second redundancy version, a second modulation and coding scheme, or a second rank that is different from a corresponding one of at least one of a first redundancy version, a first modulation and coding scheme, or a first rank of the first encoding configuration.

In some implementations, method <NUM> may further include transmitting control information to indicate a part of the second encoding configuration different from the first encoding configuration.

In some implementations of method <NUM>, the transmitting at <NUM> of the one or more second transport block portions comprises a downlink transmission transmitted via a sidelink. In other implementations, the transmitting at <NUM> of the one or more second transport block portions comprises an uplink transmission transmitted via an access link.

In some implementations of method <NUM>, the plurality of first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions are code block groups.

Referring to <FIG>, an example method <NUM> of wireless communication may be performed by the relay UE 104b, which may include one or more components as discussed in <FIG>, <FIG>, or <FIG>, and which may operate according to the non-modified-data encoding relay mode <NUM>, as discussed above with regard to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes attempting, at the relay node, to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received on a first link in allocated resources according to a first encoding configuration. For example, in an aspect, the relay UE 104b may operate one or any combination of antennas <NUM>, RF front end <NUM>, transceiver <NUM>, processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, or relay multi-link communication component <NUM> to attempt to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received in allocated resources according to a first encoding configuration, which may be transmitted in a signal received by the relay UE 104b from the base station 102a or the sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a. For example, any of the above components may include encoding and decoding algorithms for one or more different wireless communication protocols. Aspect regarding the encoding configuration is discussed above in more detail with respect to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes encoding, at the relay node, successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions, wherein the second encoding configuration is a same configuration as the first encoding configuration. For example, in an aspect, the relay UE 104b may operate one or any combination of transceiver <NUM>, processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, or relay multi-link communication component <NUM> to encode successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions, wherein the second encoding configuration is a same configuration as the first encoding configuration. For example, any of the above components may include encoding and decoding algorithms for one or more different wireless communication protocols, which may be applied to the successfully decoded transport block portions in the manner described above according to the non-modified-data encoding relay mode <NUM> to re-encode them for sending to the receiver (or destination) node in the sidelink assisted communication configuration discussed above.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes mapping, at the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions to the resource allocation. For example, in an aspect, the relay UE 104b may operate one or any combination of transceiver <NUM>, processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, or relay multi-link communication component <NUM> to the one or more second transport block portions to the resource allocation.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes replacing, at the relay node, unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions with blank resources in the resource allocation. For example, any of the above components may execute rules associated with the non-modified-data encoding relay mode <NUM> to perform the mapping or resource allocations as discussed above in <FIG> and <FIG>.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes transmitting, from the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions on a second link according to the resource allocation. For example, in an aspect, the relay UE 104b may operate one or any combination of antennas <NUM>, RF front end <NUM>, transceiver <NUM>, processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, or relay multi-link communication component <NUM> to transmit the one or more second transport block portions, according to the resource allocation, for example as wireless signals.

In some implementations of method <NUM>, the encoding at <NUM> of the successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to the second encoding configuration comprises encoding according to at least one of a second redundancy version, a second modulation and coding scheme, a second resource allocation, or a second rank that is the same as a corresponding one of at least one of a first redundancy version, a first modulation and coding scheme, a first resource allocation, or a first rank of the first encoding configuration.

In some implementations, method <NUM> further includes determining that a reference signal symbol in the transport block only overlaps with the unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions, and skipping inclusion of the reference signal in the transmitting of the one or more second transport block portions based on the reference signal only overlapping with the unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions.

In some implementations, method <NUM> further includes determining that a reference signal symbol in the transport block only overlaps with the unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions, and wherein transmitting the one or more second transport block portions further includes transmitting the reference signal according to a muting rule or a muting indication and based on the reference signal only overlapping with the unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions.

In some implementations, method <NUM> further includes determining that a reference signal symbol in the transport block overlaps with the unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions and also overlaps with at least one of the successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions, and wherein transmitting the one or more second transport block portions further includes transmitting the reference signal based on the reference signal overlapping with the at least one of the successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions.

In some implementations of method <NUM>, the plurality of first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions are code block groups.

Referring to <FIG>, an example method <NUM> of wireless communication may be performed by a receiver node, such as the sideline-assisted multi-link UE <NUM>, which may include one or more components as discussed in <FIG>, <FIG>, or <FIG>, and which may operate in conjunction with the relay UE 104b communicating according to the modified-data encoding relay mode <NUM> or the non-modified-data encoding relay mode <NUM> as discussed above with regard to <FIG>.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes receiving, via an access link, one or more first transport block portions of a first transport block. For example, in an aspect, the sideline-assisted multi-link UE <NUM> or a modem or processor, receiver chain component, and/or memory thereof may be executed to receive one or more first transport block portions of a first transport block from a base station, such as from received wireless signals.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes receiving, from a sidelink, one or more second transport block portions of the first transport block from a relay node, wherein the one or more second transport block portions are successfully decoded ones of the one or more first transport block portions, wherein the one or more second transport block portions have a same encoding configuration or a different encoding configuration as compared to an encoding configuration of the one or more first transport block portions. For example, in an aspect, the sideline-assisted multi-link UE <NUM> or multi-link communication component, a modem, processor, receiver chain component, and/or memory thereof may be executed to receive one or more first transport block portions of a first transport block from a base station, such as from received wireless signals.

At <NUM>, method <NUM> includes soft combining the one or more first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions to define a soft combined transport block. For example, in an aspect, the sideline-assisted multi-link UE <NUM> or multi-link communication component, a modem, processor, receiver chain component, and/or memory thereof may be executed to soft combining the one or more first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions to define a soft combined transport block. For example, any of the above components may execute one of a plurality of different soft combining algorithms that operably combine different copies of the same data in order to enhance the accuracy of the signal or data.

In an implementation, the soft combing at <NUM> is performed before or after demodulating the one or more first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions. For example, in an aspect, the sideline-assisted multi-link UE <NUM> or multi-link communication component, a modem, processor, receiver chain component, and/or memory thereof may be executed to perform the soft combining before or after demodulating the one or more first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions.

In an implementation where the one or more second transport block portions have the different encoding configuration, method <NUM> may further include receiving control information to indicate a part of the second encoding configuration different from the first encoding configuration, and decoding the one or more second transport block portions based on the second encoding configuration.

In an implementation of method <NUM>, the receiver node comprises a user equipment.

In another implementation of method <NUM>, the receiver node comprises a base station.

Referring to <FIG>, one example of an implementation of UE <NUM>, including relay UE 104b and/or sidelink-assisted multi-link UE 104a, may include a variety of components, some of which have already been described above and are described further herein, including components such as one or more processors <NUM> and memory <NUM> and transceiver <NUM> in communication via one or more buses <NUM>, which may operate in conjunction with modem <NUM> and/or configuration component <NUM> for communicating sidelink capability information.

In an aspect, the one or more processors <NUM> can include a modem <NUM> and/or can be part of the modem <NUM> that uses one or more modem processors. Thus, the various functions related to configuration component <NUM> may be included in modem <NUM> and/or processors <NUM> and, in an aspect, can be executed by a single processor, while in other aspects, different ones of the functions may be executed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in an aspect, the one or more processors <NUM> may include any one or any combination of a modem processor, or a baseband processor, or a digital signal processor, or a transmit processor, or a receiver processor, or a transceiver processor associated with transceiver <NUM>. In other aspects, some of the features of the one or more processors <NUM> and/or modem <NUM> associated with configuration component <NUM> may be performed by transceiver <NUM>.

Also, memory <NUM> may be configured to store data used herein and/or local versions of applications <NUM> or communicating component <NUM> and/or one or more of its subcomponents being executed by at least one processor <NUM>. Memory <NUM> can include any type of computer-readable medium usable by a computer or at least one processor <NUM>, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), tapes, magnetic discs, optical discs, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In an aspect, for example, memory <NUM> may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores one or more computer-executable codes defining configuration component <NUM> and/or one or more of its subcomponents, and/or data associated therewith, when UE <NUM> is operating at least one processor <NUM> to execute configuration component <NUM> and/or one or more of its subcomponents.

The one or more antennas <NUM> may include one or more antenna panels and/or sub-arrays, such as may be used for beamforming.

Referring to <FIG>, one example of an implementation of base station <NUM> (e.g., a base station <NUM>, 102a, and/or 102b, as described above) may include a variety of components, some of which have already been described above, but including components such as one or more processors <NUM> and memory <NUM> and transceiver <NUM> in communication via one or more buses <NUM>, which may operate in conjunction with modem <NUM> and configuration component <NUM> for communicating sidelink capability information.

In the following, further examples are provided:.

In one example, a method of wireless communications by a relay node, includes attempting, at the relay node, to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received on a first link according to a first encoding configuration; encoding, at the relay node, successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions corresponding to the transport block, wherein the second encoding configuration is different from the first encoding configuration; and transmitting, from the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions on a second link according to the second encoding configuration.

One or more of the above examples can further include omitting unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions from the one or more second transport block portions.

One or more of the above examples can further include mapping the one or more second transport block portions to a second resource allocation different from a first resource allocation of the plurality of first transport block portions.

One or more of the above examples can further include that the second resource allocation includes less resource elements that the first resource allocation.

One or more of the above examples can further include that mapping the one or more second transport block portions to a second resource allocation includes shifting a part of the successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions into resources previously allocated to the unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions.

One or more of the above examples can further include encoding the successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to the second encoding configuration comprises encoding according to at least one of a second redundancy version, a second modulation and coding scheme, or a second rank that is different from a corresponding one of at least one of a first redundancy version, a first modulation and coding scheme, or a first rank of the first encoding configuration.

One or more of the above examples can further include transmitting control information to indicate a part of the second encoding configuration different from the first encoding configuration.

One or more of the above examples can further include transmitting the one or more second transport block portions comprises transmitting a downlink transmission, wherein the second link comprises a sidelink and the first link comprises an access link.

One or more of the above examples can further include transmitting the one or more second transport block portions comprises transmitting an uplink transmission, wherein the second link comprises an access link and the first link comprises a sidelink.

One or more of the above examples can further include the plurality of first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions are code block groups.

In another example, a method of wireless communications by a relay node, comprising: attempting, at the relay node, to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received in allocated resources according to a first encoding configuration; encoding, at the relay node, successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions, wherein the second encoding configuration is a same configuration as the first encoding configuration; mapping, at the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions to the resource allocation; replacing, at the relay node, unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions with blank resources in the resource allocation; and transmitting, from the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions according to the resource allocation.

One or more of the above examples can further include encoding the successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to the second encoding configuration comprises encoding according to at least one of a second redundancy version, a second modulation and coding scheme, a second resource allocation, or a second rank that is the same as a corresponding one of at least one of a first redundancy version, a first modulation and coding scheme, a first resource allocation, or a first rank of the first encoding configuration.

One or more of the above examples can further include determining that a reference signal symbol in the transport block only overlaps with the unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions; and skipping inclusion of the reference signal in the transmitting of the one or more second transport block portions based on the reference signal only overlapping with the unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions.

One or more of the above examples can further include determining that a reference signal symbol in the transport block only overlaps with the unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions; and wherein transmitting the one or more second transport block portions further includes transmitting the reference signal according to a muting rule or a muting indication and based on the reference signal only overlapping with the unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions.

One or more of the above examples can further include determining that a reference signal symbol in the transport block overlaps with the unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions and also overlaps with at least one of the successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions; and wherein transmitting the one or more second transport block portions further includes transmitting the reference signal based on the reference signal overlapping with the at least one of the successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions.

One or more of the above examples can further include that the plurality of first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions are code block groups.

In a further example, a method of wireless communication by a receiver node, comprising: receiving, via an access link, one or more first transport block portions of a first transport block; receiving, from a sidelink, one or more second transport block portions of the first transport block from a relay node, wherein the one or more second transport block portions are successfully decoded ones of the one or more first transport block portions, wherein the one or more second transport block portions have a second encoding configuration that is a same encoding configuration or a different encoding configuration as a first encoding configuration of the one or more first transport block portions; and soft combining the one or more first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions to define a soft combined transport block.

One or more of the above examples can further include that the soft combing is performed before or after demodulating the one or more first transport block portions and the one or more second transport block portions.

One or more of the above examples can further include that the one or more second transport block portions have the different encoding configuration, and further comprising: receiving control information to indicate a part of the second encoding configuration different from the first encoding configuration; and decoding the one or more second transport block portions based on the second encoding configuration.

One or more of the above examples can further include that the receiver node comprises a user equipment or a base station.

Further examples include An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors communicatively coupled with the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to perform the operations of one or more of the methods described herein.

Additional examples include a receiver node device for wireless communication, comprising means for performing the operations of one or more of the methods described herein.

Further examples include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors to perform the operations of one or more of the methods described herein.

Claim 1:
A method of wireless communication by a relay node, comprising:
attempting (<NUM>), at the relay node, to decode a plurality of first transport block portions of a transport block, wherein the plurality of first transport block portions are received on a first link in allocated resources according to a first encoding configuration;
encoding (<NUM>), at the relay node, successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to a second encoding configuration to define one or more second transport block portions, wherein the second encoding configuration is a same configuration as the first encoding configuration, and wherein encoding the successfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions according to the second encoding configuration comprises encoding according to at least one of a second resource allocation or a second rank that is the same as a corresponding one of at least one of a first resource allocation or a first rank of the first encoding configuration;
mapping (<NUM>), at the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions to the second resource allocation;
replacing (<NUM>), at the relay node, unsuccessfully decoded ones of the plurality of first transport block portions with blank resources in the second resource allocation, such that the transmission of a reference signal in a symbol of the blank resources is muted; and
transmitting (<NUM>), from the relay node, the one or more second transport block portions on a second link according to the resource allocation, wherein the relay mode does not transmit any data in the blank resources in the second resource allocation.