METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ENHANCED SPECTRAL EFFICIENCY AND RELIABILITY OF TRANSMISSION WITHOUT GRANT

• US 20180279315A1
• Filed: 03/02/2018
• Published: 09/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: SALEM, MOHAMED ADEL, ISLAM, TOUFIQUL, HERATH, SANJEEWA, BAYESTEH, ALIREZA
• Granted Patent: US 11,102,786 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/00 Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received correcting synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0072 Error control for data other than payload data, e.g. control data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/203 Details of error rate determination, e.g. BER, FER or WER
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria

Abstract

Methods and devices for enhancing the spectral efficiency and/or reliability of uplink transmission without grant are provided. Uplink transmissions without grant are transmitted by UEs or received by base stations in accordance with resource groups that map initial uplink transmissions without grant and non-zero numbers of re-transmissions without grant to sub-regions of a grant-free region of a time-frequency resource.

Claims

1. A method for a base station in a wireless network, the method comprising:

the base station receiving an uplink transmission without grant from a UE in accordance with a resource group that maps an initial uplink transmission without grant and a non-zero number of re-transmissions without grant to sub-regions of a grant-free region of a time-frequency resource.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the resource group is pre-configured such that a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) level for each re-transmission without grant is a same or lower than a MCS level for a corresponding preceding uplink transmission without grant or re-transmission without grant by the UE.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending, by the base station, a resource configuration message to the UE to configure sub-regions and numerology for the initial uplink transmission without grant, and sub-regions and numerology for each re-transmission without grant.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the resource configuration message comprises an indication of the number of retransmissions without grant.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the resource group is configured based upon target signal quality or reliability level of the received transmission without grant.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, through a higher layer signaling, a configuration message to instruct the UE to use the resource group for uplink transmission without grant.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each one of the sub-regions is associated with a different numerology.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource group maps the initial uplink transmission without grant and the non-zero number of successive re-transmissions without grant to sub-regions of the grant-free region of the time-frequency resource such that the re-transmissions without grant occupy a gradually increasing amount of time resources, frequency resources, or both.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the resource group is among a plurality of pre-configured resource groups, each pre-configured resource group in the plurality being associated with a group index,

the base station instructs the UE to change to another pre-configured resource group by transmitting a message to the UE indicating the group index associated with the other pre-configured resource group.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the message indicating the group index associated with the other pre-configured resource group is transmitted through higher layer Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the message indicating the group index associated with the other pre-configured resource group is transmitted within a UE-specific downlink control information (DCI) message or on a group common DCI.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to successfully decoding a transport block received from the UE, the base station transmitting an acknowledgement or DCI signaling to the UE.

13. A method for a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, the method comprising:

the UE transmitting an uplink transmission without grant in accordance with a resource group having a configuration that maps an initial uplink transmission without grant and a non-zero number of re-transmissions without grant to sub-regions of a grant-free region of a time-frequency resource.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the configuration of the resource group is such that a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) level for each re-transmission without grant is a same or lower than a MCS level for a corresponding preceding uplink transmission without grant or re-transmission without grant by the UE.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving, by the UE, a resource configuration message to configure sub-regions and numerology for the initial uplink transmission without grant, and sub-regions and numerology for each re-transmission without grant.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the resource configuration message comprises an indication of the number of retransmissions without grant.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the configuration of the resource group is based upon target signal quality or reliability level of the received transmission without grant.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving, through a higher layer signaling, a configuration message instructing the UE to use the resource group for uplink transmission without grant.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein each one of the sub-regions is associated with a different numerology.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the resource group maps the initial uplink transmission without grant and the non-zero number of successive re-transmissions without grant to sub-regions of the grant-free region of the time-frequency resource such that the re-transmissions without grant occupy a gradually increasing amount of time resources, frequency resources, or both.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the resource group is among a plurality of pre-configured resource groups, each pre-configured resource group in the plurality being associated with a group index,

the UE changes to another pre-configured resource group responsive to receiving a message indicating the group index associated with the other pre-configured resource group.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the message indicating the group index associated with the other pre-configured resource group is received through higher layer Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the message indicating the group index associated with the other pre-configured resource group is received within a UE-specific downlink control information (DCI) message or on a group common DCI.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising terminating re-transmissions without grant in response to any of the following:

the UE receiving an acknowledgement or DCI from a base station indicating a transport block transmitted by the UE has been successfully decoded;

the number of re-transmissions without grant reaching the maximum number.

25. A base station comprising:

a wireless communications interface;

a memory storage comprising instructions; and

one or more processors in communication with the memory storage and the wireless communications interface, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to;

receive an uplink transmission without grant from a UE in accordance with a resource group that maps an initial uplink transmission without grant and a non-zero number of re-transmissions without grant to sub-regions of a grant-free region of a time-frequency resource.

26. The base station of claim 25 wherein the resource group is pre-configured such that a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) level for each re-transmission without grant is a same or lower than a MCS level for a corresponding preceding uplink transmission without grant or re-transmission without grant by the UE.

27. The base station of claim 25 wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to send a resource configuration message to the UE to configure sub-regions and numerology for the initial uplink transmission without grant, and sub-regions and numerology for each re-transmission without grant.

28. The base station of claim 25 wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to transmit, through a higher layer signaling, a configuration message to instruct the UE to use the resource group for uplink transmission without grant.

29. A user equipment (UE) comprising:

a wireless communications interface;

a memory storage comprising instructions; and

one or more processors in communication with the memory storage and the wireless communications interface, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to;

transmit an uplink transmission without grant in accordance with a resource group that maps an initial uplink transmission without grant and a non-zero number of re-transmissions without grant to sub-regions of a grant-free region of a time-frequency resource.

30. The UE of claim 29 wherein the resource group is pre-configured such that a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) level for each re-transmission without grant is a same or lower than a MCS level for a corresponding preceding uplink transmission without grant or re-transmission without grant by the UE.

31. The UE of claim 29 wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to receive a resource configuration message to configure sub-regions and numerology for the initial uplink transmission without grant, and sub-regions and numerology for each re-transmission without grant.

32. The UE of claim 29, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to receive, through a higher layer signaling, a configuration message instructing the UE to use the resource group for uplink transmission without grant.