User equipment, network equipment, and methods for license-free transmissions

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for signaling for semi-static configuration in concession-free uplink transmissions. Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling is used to provide information from a base station to a user equipment (UE) that configures the concession-free transmission resource to be used by the UE. In some implementations, RRC signaling may be used in conjunction with system information that is transmitted to all UEs and / or downlink control information (DCI) that the UE needs for later access to RRC signaling. In some implementations, the DCI includes an enable or disable indicator that the UE monitors to determine when the UE is allowed to transmit to the base station or should stop transmitting. Implementations allow concession-free transmission resources to be configured on an individual user basis and on a group basis.

Description

1 / 134 “USER EQUIPMENT, NETWORK EQUIPMENT, AND METHODS FOR CONCESSION-FREE TRANSMISSIONS” FIELD OF TECHNIQUE

[001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications and, in particular aspects, to methods and systems for concession-free uplink transmissions. BACKGROUND

[002] In some wireless communication systems, a user device (UD) communicates wirelessly with a base station to send data to the base station or receive data from the base station. Wireless communication from an UD to a base station is called uplink communication. Wireless communication from a base station to an UD is called downlink communication.

[003] Resources are required to perform uplink and downlink communications. For example, a UE can wirelessly transmit data to a base station in an uplink transmission at a particular frequency or during a particular time slot. The frequency and time slot used are examples of resources.

[004] In some wireless communication systems, if a UE wishes to transmit data to a base station, the UE requests uplink resources from the base station. The base station grants the uplink resources, and then the UE sends the uplink transmission using the granted uplink resources. An example of uplink resources that can be granted by the base station is a set of time-frequency locations in an uplink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) frame.

[005] The base station is aware of the identity of the UE sending the uplink transmission using the granted uplink resources, since the base station specifically granted those uplink resources to that UE. However, there may be schemes in which the base station does not know which UE, if any, will send an uplink transmission using specific uplink resources. An example is a transmission scheme of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 7 / 145 2 / 134 Grant-free uplink where UEs can send uplink transmissions using certain uplink resources shared by UEs, without specifically requesting the use of the resources and without the resources being specifically granted by the base station. The base station will therefore not know which UE, if any, will send a grant-free uplink transmission using the resources.

[006] In some cases, when a particular UE sends a concession-free uplink transmission, the base station may not have the capability to decode the data in the uplink transmission. SUMMARY

[007] The technical advantages are achieved, in general, through aspects of this disclosure that describe a system and method for unified resource and reference signal (RS) allocation for uplink (UL) grant-free transmissions.

[008] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided for a user equipment (UE) for concession-free transmissions, wherein the method involves receiving, from a network equipment, a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration for the transmission and retransmission of uplink data, wherein the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration includes a time resource, a frequency resource, reference signal (RS) resource information, and an interval between two concession-free transmission opportunities. The method further involves obtaining uplink concession-free transmission resources based on the RRC signal without receiving downlink control (DCI) information for an initial transmission of the uplink data.The method also involves transmitting uplink data to the network equipment using lease-free uplink transmission resources.

[009] In some respects, the method additionally involves, Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 8 / 145 3 / 134 receive, from the network equipment, a DCI message indicating a grant for a retransmission of uplink data and retransmit, to the network equipment, the uplink data based on the grant.

[0010] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes a grant-free UE identifier and the method additionally involves decoding the DCI message using the grant-free UE identifier.

[0011] In some respects, the DCI message includes a new data indicator field set to a value of 1 which indicates the grant for the retransmission of uplink data.

[0012] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes a number of transmission repetitions of the uplink data.

[0013] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes a number of configured HARQ processes.

[0014] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes at least one of the following: power control parameters; a group identifier for a plurality of grant-free UEs; a resource hopping pattern; an RS hopping pattern; and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[0015] In some respects, the method additionally involves retransmitting the uplink data using the uplink grant-free transmission resources if or when no DCI message, which indicates an uplink grant for a retransmission of the uplink data, has been received.

[0016] In some respects, the method additionally involves retransmitting the uplink data using the uplink lease-free transmission resources until the transmission repetition number is reached.

[0017] In accordance with one aspect of this disclosure, user equipment (UE) is provided that is configured for concession-free transmissions, wherein the UE includes a processor and media. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 9 / 145 4 / 134 Computer-readable storage. The computer-readable storage media stores programming instructions for execution by the processor. The programming includes instructions to receive, from a network appliance, a radio resource control (RRC) signal from a network appliance, wherein the RRC signal indicates an uplink lease-free transmission resource configuration for the transmission and retransmission of uplink data, and wherein the uplink lease-free transmission resource configuration includes a time resource, a frequency resource, reference signal (RS) resource information, and an interval between two lease-free transmission opportunities.The program includes instructions for obtaining uplink concession-free transmission resources based on RRC signaling, without receiving downlink control information (DCI) for an initial transmission of uplink data. The program also includes instructions for transmitting uplink data to a network device using uplink concession-free transmission resources.

[0018] In some respects, the computer-readable media has stored within it additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to receive, from the network equipment, a first DCI message indicating an uplink lease for a retransmission of the uplink data and retransmit, to the network equipment, the uplink data based on the lease.

[0019] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes a grant-free UE identifier and the computer-readable media has stored on it computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to: decode the DCI message using the grant-free UE identifier.

[0020] In some respects, the DCI message includes a new data indicator field set to a value of 1 which indicates the grant for the retransmission of uplink data.

[0021] In some respects, RRC signaling includes, Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 10 / 145 5 / 134 additionally, a number of transmission repetitions of the uplink data.

[0022] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes a number of configured HARQ processes.

[0023] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes at least one of the following: power control parameters; a group identifier for a plurality of grant-free UEs; a resource hopping pattern; an RS hopping pattern; and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[0024] In some respects, the computer-readable media has stored within it computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to retransmit uplink data using uplink grant-free transmission resources if or when no DCI message, which indicates an uplink grant for a retransmission of uplink data, has been received.

[0025] In some respects, computer-readable media has stored within it computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to retransmit uplink data using uplink lease-free transmission resources until the number of transmission repetitions is reached.

[0026] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided for network equipment for concession-free transmissions, wherein the method involves transmitting to a user equipment (UE) a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration for the transmission and retransmission of uplink data, wherein the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration includes at least one time resource, one frequency resource, reference signal (RS) resource information, and an interval between two concession-free transmission opportunities. The method also involves receiving from the UE transmitted uplink data using resources. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 11 / 145 6 / 134 of uplink lease-free transmission slots allocated based on RRC signaling, without the network equipment transmitting downlink control information (DCI) for an initial transmission of uplink data.

[0027] In some respects, the method additionally involves transmitting to the UE a DCI message indicating an uplink grant for a retransmission of the uplink data; and receiving from the UE the uplink data retransmitted on the basis of the grant.

[0028] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes a concession-free EU identifier.

[0029] In some respects, the DCI message includes a new data indicator field set to a value of 1 which indicates the granting of an uplink for the retransmission of uplink data.

[0030] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes a number of transmission repetitions of the uplink data.

[0031] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes a number of configured HARQ processes.

[0032] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes at least one of the following: power control parameters; a group identifier for a plurality of grant-free UEs; a resource hopping pattern; an RS hopping pattern; and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[0033] In some respects, the method additionally involves receiving a retransmission of uplink data using uplink lease-free transmission resources.

[0034] In some respects, the method additionally involves receiving a retransmission of the uplink data using the uplink lease-free transmission resources until the transmission repetition number is reached.

[0035] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, it is Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 12 / 145 7 / 134 provided a network device configured for concession-free transmissions, wherein the network device includes a processor and a computer-readable storage medium that stores programming instructions for execution by the processor. The programming includes instructions to transmit, to a user device (UE), a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration for the transmission and retransmission of uplink data, wherein the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration includes a time resource, a frequency resource, reference signal (RS) resource information, and an interval between two concession-free transmission opportunities.The programming also includes instructions to receive uplink data from the UE transmitted using grant-free uplink transmission resources allocated based on RRC signaling, without the network equipment transmitting downlink control information (DCI) for an initial transmission of the uplink data.

[0036] In some respects, the computer-readable media that has stored on it computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the network equipment to transmit to the UE a DCI message indicating a grant for a retransmission of uplink data; and receive from the UE the uplink data retransmitted based on the grant.

[0037] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes a concession-free EU identifier.

[0038] In some respects, the DCI message includes a new data indicator field set to a value of 1 which indicates the grant for the retransmission of uplink data.

[0039] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes a number of transmission repetitions of the uplink data.

[0040] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes a number of configured HARQ processes. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 13 / 145 8 / 134

[0041] In some respects, RRC signaling additionally includes at least one of the following: power control parameters; a group identifier for a plurality of grant-free UEs; a resource hopping pattern; an RS hopping pattern; and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[0042] In some respects, computer-readable media has stored within it computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the network equipment to receive a retransmission of uplink data using the uplink lease-free transmission resources.

[0043] In some respects, computer-readable media that has stored on it computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network equipment to receive a retransmission of uplink data using the uplink lease-free transmission resources until the number of transmission repetitions is reached.

[0044] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided for a user equipment for concession-free transmissions, wherein the method includes receiving, from a network equipment, a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration, wherein the configuration includes a number of transmission repeats K. The method further includes receiving, from the network equipment, a first downlink control information (DCI) message, wherein the DCI message includes an activation indication indicating that the UE is permitted to perform uplink concession-free data transmissions and reference signal (RS) information indicating an RS allocated to the UE.The method additionally includes obtaining uplink lease-free transmission resources based on the uplink lease-free transmission resource configuration indicated in the RRC signaling and DCI message. The method also includes transmitting uplink data to the network equipment using the lease-free transmission resources. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 14 / 145 9 / 134 ascending link.

[0045] In some respects, the method additionally involves receiving a second DCI message from the network equipment, wherein the second DCI message includes a disable indication that indicates that the UE is not permitted to perform uplink grant-free data transmissions, and interrupting uplink data transmissions using uplink grant-free transmission resources.

[0046] In some respects, the DCI message additionally includes feature block information and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[0047] In some respects, the method additionally involves receiving a third DCI message from the network equipment, wherein the third DCI message indicates an uplink grant for a retransmission of the uplink data.

[0048] The method additionally involves RRC signaling that includes at least one of a range between two concession-free transmission opportunities, power control-related parameters, a number of configured HARQ processes, and a concession-free UE identifier.

[0049] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) configured for concession-free transmissions is provided, wherein the UE includes a processor and a computer-readable storage medium that stores programming instructions for execution by means of the processor. The programming includes instructions to receive, from a network device, a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration, wherein the configuration includes a number of transmission repeats K. The programming includes instructions to receive, from the network device, a first downlink control information (DCI) message, wherein the DCI message includes an activation indication indicating that the UE has Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 15 / 145 10 / 134 permission to perform uplink grant-free data transmissions and reference signal (RS) information indicating an RS allocated to the UE. The programming includes instructions for obtaining uplink grant-free transmission resources based on the uplink grant-free transmission resource configuration indicated in the RRC signaling and DCI message. The programming includes instructions for transmitting uplink data to the network equipment using uplink grant-free transmission resources.

[0050] In some respects, the computer-readable media has stored on it computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to receive a second DCI message from the network equipment, wherein the second DCI message includes a disable indication which indicates that the UE is not permitted to perform uplink grant-free data transmissions, and interrupt uplink data transmissions using uplink grant-free transmission resources.

[0051] In some respects, the DCI message additionally includes feature block information and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[0052] In some respects, the computer-readable media has stored within it computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to receive a third DCI message from the network equipment, wherein the third DCI message indicates an uplink grant for a retransmission of uplink data.

[0053] In some respects, RRC signaling includes at least one of a range between two concession-free transmission opportunities, parameters related to power control, a number of configured HARQ processes, and a concession-free UE identifier.

[0054] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided for network equipment for concession-free transmissions, wherein the method includes transmitting to network equipment Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 16 / 145 11 / 134 user (UE), a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration, wherein the configuration includes a number of K transmission repeats. The method further includes transmitting to the UE a first downlink control information (DCI) message, wherein the DCI message includes an activation indication indicating that the UE is permitted to perform uplink concession-free data transmissions and reference signal (RS) information indicating an RS allocated to the UE. The method further includes receiving from the UE uplink data transmitted using uplink concession-free transmission resources allocated based on the RRC signal and the DCI message.

[0055] In some respects, the method additionally involves transmitting a second DCI message to the UE, wherein the second DCI message includes a disable indication that indicates that the UE is not permitted to carry out grant-free uplink data transmissions.

[0056] In some respects, the method additionally includes the DCI message which additionally includes feature block information and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[0057] In some respects, the method additionally involves transmitting a third DCI message from the network equipment to the UE, wherein the third DCI message indicates an uplink grant for a retransmission of the uplink data.

[0058] In some respects, the method additionally includes RRC signaling which includes at least one of a range between two concession-free transmission opportunities, parameters related to power control, a number of configured HARQ processes and a concession-free UE identifier.

[0059] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, network equipment configured for concession-free transmissions is provided, wherein the network equipment includes a processor and a computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 17 / 145 12 / 134 programming for execution via the processor. The programming includes instructions to transmit, to a user equipment (UE), a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration, wherein the configuration includes a number of transmission repeats K. The programming also includes instructions to transmit, to the UE, a first downlink control information (DCI) message, wherein the DCI message includes an activation indication indicating that the UE is permitted to perform uplink concession-free data transmissions and reference signal (RS) information indicating an RS allocated to the UE. The programming also includes instructions to receive, from the UE, uplink data transmitted using uplink concession-free transmission resources allocated based on the RRC signal and the DCI message.

[0060] In some respects, the computer-readable media has stored on it computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the network equipment to transmit to the UE a second DCI message, wherein the second DCI message includes a disable indication which indicates that the UE is not permitted to perform uplink grant-free data transmissions.

[0061] In some respects, the DCI message additionally comprises feature block information and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[0062] In some respects, the computer-readable media has stored within it computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the network equipment to transmit to the UE a third DCI message from the network equipment, wherein the third DCI message indicates an uplink grant for a retransmission of the uplink data.

[0063] In some respects, RRC signaling includes at least one of a range between two concession-free transmission opportunities, parameters related to power control, a number of configured HARQ processes, and a concession-free UE identifier. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 18 / 145 13 / 134 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0064] For a fuller understanding of the present disclosure, and of its advantages, reference is now made to the following description obtained in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0065] Figure 1 illustrates a network for communicating data;

[0066] Figure 2A illustrates a diagram of an example of an electronic device (ED), such as a user equipment (UE);

[0067] Figure 2B illustrates a diagram of an example base station;

[0068] Figure 2C illustrates a network for communicating data;

[0069] Figures 3A to 3K illustrate eleven flowcharts of eleven examples of methods for concession-free transmissions, according to one aspect of disclosure;

[0070] Figure 4 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary concession-free transmission scheme;

[0071] Figures 5A to 5D illustrate examples of resource allocation patterns, according to aspects of disclosure;

[0072] Figure 5E illustrates an exemplary reference signal space (RS) expansion scheme, according to one aspect of the revelation;

[0073] Figure 5F illustrates an exemplary fixed feature grouping pattern, according to an aspect of the revelation;

[0074] Figure 5G illustrates an exemplary semi-static grant-free feature update, according to one aspect of the disclosure;

[0075] Figure 6A illustrates examples of message formats, according to aspects of the revelation;

[0076] Figure 6B illustrates additional examples of message formats, according to one aspect of the revelation;

[0077] Figure 7 illustrates a diagram of a computer system, according to one aspect of the revelation; and

[0078] Figure 8 illustrates an exemplary concession-free transmission resource allocated to multiple UEs, according to an aspect Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, p. 19 / 145 14 / 134 of the revelation; and

[0079] Figure 9 illustrates an exemplary concession-free transmission resource assigned to multiple UEs where the UEs are grouped in a consistent manner according to an aspect of the disclosure.

[0080] The numerals and corresponding symbols in the different figures generally refer to corresponding parts, unless otherwise indicated. The figures are produced to clearly illustrate the relevant aspects of the modalities and are not necessarily produced to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE MODALITIES

[0081] The structure, manufacture, and use of the present embodiments are discussed in detail below. It should be noted, however, that the present disclosure provides many applicable inventive aspects that can be incorporated into a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrations of specific ways of producing and using the disclosure, and do not limit the scope of the disclosure.

[0082] In this disclosure, concession-free transmissions refer to data transmissions that are carried out without communicating concession-based signaling on a dynamic control channel, such as an Uplink Physical Control Channel (PUCCH) or a Downlink Physical Control Channel (PDCCH). Concession-free transmissions may include uplink or downlink transmissions, and shall be interpreted as such unless otherwise specified.

[0083] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary communication system 100. In general, system 100 enables multiple wired or wireless user devices to transmit and receive data and other content. System 100 may implement one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA).

[0084] In this example, the communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a to 110c, radio access networks (RANs) 120a to 120b, a main network 130, a public switched telephone network Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 20 / 145 15 / 134 (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150 and other networks 160. Although certain quantities of these components or elements are shown in Figure 1, any quantity of these components or elements can be included in the system 100.

[0085] EDs 110a to 110c are configured to operate or communicate on the 100 system. For example, EDs 110a to 110c are configured to perform transmission or reception via wired or wireless communication channels. Each ED 110a to 110c represents any suitable end-user device and may include such devices (or may be designated as) a user equipment / device (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, touchpad, wireless sensor, or consumer electronic device.

[0086] In this document, RANs 120a and 120b include base stations 170a and 170b, respectively. Each base station 170a and 170b is configured to wirelessly interface with one or more of the EDs 110a to 110c to enable access to a backhaul network, wherein the backhaul network, in Figure 1, comprises the main network 130, the PSTN 140, the Internet 150, or other networks 160. As an example, the backhaul network may comprise a 5G communication system network or a future next-evolution system network. For example, base stations 170a and 170b may include (or be) one or more of several well-known devices, such as a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B (NodeB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a home NodeB, a home eNodeB, an on-site controller, an access point (AP), or a wireless router.EDs 110a and 110c are configured to interface and communicate with the internet 150 and can access the main network 130, the PSTN 140 or other networks 160.

[0087] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, base station 170a is part of RAN 120a, which may include other base stations, elements, or devices. Furthermore, base station 170b is part of RAN 120b, which may include other base stations, elements, or devices. Each base station 170a and 170b operates to transmit or receive wireless signals. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 21 / 145 16 / 134 within a particular geographic area or region, sometimes referred to as a “cell”. In some embodiments, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology may be employed, having multiple transceivers for each cell.

[0088] Base stations 170a and 170b communicate with one or more of the EDs 110a to 110c on one or more 190 air interfaces using wireless communication links. The 190 air interfaces may utilize any suitable radio access technology.

[0089] It is contemplated that the 100 system may use multi-channel access functionality, including such schemes as described above. In particular embodiments, base stations and EDs deploy LTE, LTE-A or LTE-B. Obviously, other multi-access schemes and wireless protocols may be used.

[0090] RANs 120a and 120b communicate with main network 130 to provide EDs 110a to 110c with voice, data, application, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or other services. Understandably, RANs 120a and 120b or main network 130 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown). Main network 130 may also serve as a gateway access to other networks (such as PSTN 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160). In addition, some or all EDs 110a to 110c may include functionality to communicate with different wireless networks over different wireless links using different wireless protocols or technologies. Instead of wireless communication (or in addition to it), EDs 110a to 110c can communicate via wired communication channels with a service provider or switch (not shown), and with the internet 150.

[0091] Although Figure 1 illustrates an example of a communication system, various changes can be made to Figure 1. For example, communication system 100 can include any number of EDs, base stations, networks, or other components in any suitable configuration.

[0092] Figures 2A and 2B illustrate exemplary devices that can implement the methods and teachings, according to this revelation. In particular, Figure 2A illustrates an exemplary ED 110 that corresponds to Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, p. 22 / 145 17 / 134 110a, 110b, 110c, and Figure 2B illustrates an exemplary base station 170 that corresponds to 170a or 170b. These components can be used in system 100 or any other suitable system.

[0093] As shown in Figure 2A, the ED 110 includes at least one processing unit 200. The processing unit 200 implements various processing operations of the ED 110. For example, the processing unit 200 may perform signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other functionality that enables the ED 110 to operate in the system 100. The processing unit 200 also supports the methods and teachings described in more detail above and below. Each processing unit 200 includes any suitable processing or computing device configured to perform one or more operations. Each processing unit 200 may include, for example, a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field-programmable gate array, or application-specific integrated circuit.

[0094] The ED 110 also includes at least one 202 transceiver. The 202 transceiver is configured to modulate data or other content for transmission via at least one 204 antenna or NIC (Network Interface Controller). The 202 transceiver is also configured to demodulate data or other content received via at least one 204 antenna. Each 202 transceiver includes any structure suitable for generating signals for wired or wireless transmission or processing received signals in wired or wireless mode. Each 204 antenna includes any structure suitable for transmitting or receiving wired or wireless signals. One or multiple 202 transceivers may be used in the ED 110, and one or multiple 204 antennas may be used in the ED 110. Although shown as a single functional unit, a 202 transceiver may also be deployed using at least one separate transmitter and at least one separate receiver.

[0095] The ED 110 additionally includes one or more input / output devices 206 or interfaces (such as a wired internet interface 150). The input / output devices 206 facilitate interaction with a user or other devices (network communications) on the network. Each device of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 23 / 145 18 / 134 input / output 206 includes any structure suitable for providing information to or receiving / providing information from a user, such as a loudspeaker, microphone, numeric keypad, keyboard, display or touch screen, including network interface communications.

[0096] In addition, the ED 110 includes at least one 208 memory. The 208 memory stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the ED 110. For example, the 208 memory may store software or firmware instructions executed by the 200 processing unit (or unit) and data used to reduce or eliminate interference in received signals. Each 208 memory includes any suitable volatile or non-volatile storage and retrieval device(s). Any suitable type of memory may be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory card, secure digital memory card (SD), and the like.

[0097] As shown in Figure 2B, base station 170 includes at least one processing unit 250, at least one transmitter 252, at least one receiver 254, one or more antennas 256, at least one memory 258, and one or more input / output interfaces or devices 266. A programmer, which will be understood by a person skilled in the art, may also be coupled to the processing unit 250. The programmer may be included within or operated separately from base station 170. The processing unit 250 implements various processing operations of base station 170, such as signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other functionality. The processing unit 250 may also support the methods and teachings described in more detail above.Each 250 processing unit includes any suitable processing or computing device configured to perform one or more operations. Each 250 processing unit may include, for example, a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field-programmable gate array, or application-specific integrated circuit.

[0098] Each 252 transmitter includes any suitable structure for Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 24 / 145 19 / 134 generate signals for wired or wireless transmission to one or more EDs or other devices. Each receiver 254 includes any suitable structure for processing signals received wired or wirelessly from one or more EDs or other devices. Although shown as a separate transmitter 252 and receiver 254, these two devices can be combined as a transceiver. Each antenna 256 includes any suitable structure for transmitting or receiving wired or wireless signals. Although a common antenna 256 is shown in this document as being coupled to the transmitter 252, one or more antennas 256 can be coupled to the receiver 252, which allows separate antennas 256 to be coupled to the transmitter and receiver as separate components. Each memory 258 includes any suitable volatile or non-volatile storage and retrieval device(s).Each 266 input / output device facilitates interaction with a user or other devices (network communications) on the network. Each 266 input / output device includes any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving / providing information from a user, including network interface communications.

[0099] Figure 2C illustrates an exemplary network 280 for communicating data. The network 280 comprises a Base Station (BS) 283 which has a coverage area 281, a plurality of mobile devices 282 (282a, 282b) and a backhaul network 284. As shown, the base station 283 establishes uplink (long dashed line) or downlink (short dashed line) connections with the mobile devices 282, which serve to carry data from the mobile devices 282 to the BS 283 and vice versa. The data carried through the uplink / downlink connections may include data communicated between the mobile devices 282, as well as data communicated to / from a remote end device (not shown) via the backhaul network 284.

[00100] Network 280 can deploy a concession-free uplink transmission. Concession-free uplink transmissions are sometimes referred to as “no concession,” “schedule-free,” or “schedule-free” transmissions. A concession-free uplink transmission may also be referred to as a “concession-free UL transmission.” Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 25 / 145 20 / 134 concession”, “UL transmission without dynamic concession”, “transmission without dynamic programming”, “transmission using configured concession”. Sometimes, concession-free resources configured in RRC without DCI signaling may be referred to as an RRC-configured concession or a configured concession type. A concession-free resource configured using both RRC and DCI signaling may also be referred to as a configured concession, a DCI-configured concession, or another configured concession type. Concession-free uplink transmissions from different mobile devices may be transmitted using the same designated resources, for example, contention transmission unit (CTU) access regions, in which case concession-free uplink transmissions are contention-based transmissions.One or more base stations, for example, BS 283, can perform blind detection on concession-free uplink transmissions.

[00101] Concession-free uplink transmissions may be suitable for transmitting burst traffic with small packets from mobile devices 282 to BS 283, or for transmitting data to BS 283 in real time or with low latency. Examples of applications where a concession-free uplink transmission scheme can be used include: massive machine-type communication (m-MTC), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), smart electricity meters, teleprotection in smart grids, and autonomous drive. However, concession-free uplink transmission schemes are not limited to the applications described above.

[00102] BS 283 can implement a concession-free uplink transmission scheme, and contention transmission unit (CTU) access regions can be defined so that 282 mobile devices can compete for and access uplink resources without a request / grant mechanism. The concession-free uplink transmission scheme can be defined by BS, or it can be defined in a wireless standard (e.g., 3GPP). 282 mobile devices can be mapped to various CTU access regions to Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 26 / 145 21 / 134 avoid collision (that is, when two or more mobile devices attempt to transmit data on the same uplink resource). However, if a collision occurs, mobile devices 282 can resolve collisions using an asynchronous HARQ (hybrid automatic repeat request) method. BS 283 can blindly detect (that is, without explicit signaling) active mobile devices and decode received uplink transmissions.

[00103] Under this scheme, mobile devices 282 can send uplink transmissions without BS 283 allocating resources for request / grant mechanisms. Therefore, total network overhead resources can be saved. Furthermore, this system can allow for time savings during uplink transmissions by bypassing the request / grant scheme. Although only one BS 283 and two mobile devices 282 are illustrated in Figure 2C, a typical network may include multiple BS, each covering transmissions from a varying number of mobile devices within its geographic coverage area.

[00104] The 280 network uses several high-level signaling mechanisms to enable and configure concession-free transmissions. 282 mobile devices capable of concession-free transmissions can signal this capability to BS 283. This can allow BS 283 to support both concession-free transmissions and traditional signal / concession transmissions (e.g., for older mobile device models) simultaneously. Relevant mobile devices can signal this capability, for example, through RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling defined in the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) standard. A new field can be added to the mobile device capability list in RRC signaling to indicate whether the mobile device supports concession-free transmissions. Alternatively, one or more existing fields can be modified or inferred to indicate concession-free support.

[00105] BS 283 can also use high-level mechanisms (e.g., a broadcast channel or a slow signaling channel) to notify mobile devices 282 of information needed to enable and configure a concession-free transmission scheme. For example, BS Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 27 / 145 22 / 134 BS 283 may indicate that it supports concession-free transmissions, a search space location (which defines a time-frequency resource) and access codes for CTU access regions, a maximum size of a subscription set (i.e., the total number of subscriptions defined), a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) definition, and the like. Furthermore, BS 283 may update this information from time to time using, for example, a slow signaling channel (e.g., a signaling channel that occurs only on the order of hundreds of milliseconds instead of occurring at each transmission time interval (TTI)).

[00106] Common free resource information for more than one mobile device can be predefined or defined in a broadcast channel or system information. An example of how system information can be transmitted by the BS includes using System Information Blocks (SIBs). System information may include, but is not limited to, free frequency bands (start and end), free frequency delimitation, and free partition size.

[00107] The SIB may include, for example, fields to define the start of the free-of-charge frequency transmission feature (GFfrequencyStart) and the end of the free-of-charge frequency transmission feature (GFfrequencyFinish) in order to define a full free-of-charge transmission feature for all mobile devices. However, there may be other ways to define the general free-of-charge transmission feature available.

[00108] The SIB may include, for example, fields in order to define a concession-free CTU size, such as the CTU frequency size (GFCTUSizeFrquency) and the CTU time size (GFCTUSizeTime).

[00109] The fields above assume a continuous grant-free resource allocation. However, in some modalities, the grant-free resource may not be continuous, and there may be other ways to define GF resources. Any of the fields above can also be optional, as resources can be predefined.

[00110] Regarding the definition of the search space location for control channel (DCI) for lease-free mobile devices, the Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 28 / 145 23 / 134 The location of the Downlink Control Information (DCI) search space can be provided by an index of potential control channel elements (CCEs) in each subframe / TTI, for which the index may have a predefined relationship derived from the grant-free user equipment identifier (UE ID) (such as a GF_RNTI) or grant-free group ID (such as a group_RNTI) assigned to the UE. This method may be similar to the definition of the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) PDCCH search space.

[00111] Another way to define the search space can be to explicitly signal the DCI search space locations. The format provided can be a time-frequency region within which the lease-free UE (i.e., a UE that is configured for lease-free operation) must search all CCEs. This explicit signaling can be done in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. This is similar to Enhanced PDCCH search space (ePDCCH) defined in LTE, for example, defined in ePDCCH_Config in RRC signaling.

[00112] The concession-free transmission uplink scheme implemented by BS 283 can define CTU access regions to enable concession-free transmissions via mobile devices 120. A CTU is a basic resource, predefined by a network, for contention transmissions. Messages are transmitted using a multiple access (MA) resource. An MA resource comprises a physical MA resource (e.g., a time-frequency block) and at least one MA signature. The MA signature may include (but is not limited to) at least one of the following: a codebook / codeword, a sequence, an interleaver or mapping pattern, a demodulation reference signal (e.g., a channel estimation reference signal), a preamble, a spatial dimension, and a power dimension. The term “pilot” refers to a signal that includes at least one reference signal (RS).In some modes, the pilot may include the demodulation reference signal (DMRS), possibly in conjunction with a channel estimation-driven preamble or a random access channel preamble (RACH similar to LTE). Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 29 / 145 24 / 134

[00113] A CTU access region is a time-frequency region in which contention transmission occurs. The concession-free uplink transmission scheme can define multiple CTU access regions for a network, such as network 100 in Figure 1. The concession-free uplink transmission scheme can be defined by BS through high-level signaling (e.g., via a broadcast channel) or can be predefined by a standard and deployed in UEs (e.g., in UE firmware). Regions can exist in one or more frequency bands (intraband or interband) and can occupy the entire uplink transmission bandwidth or a portion of the total BS 283 transmission bandwidth or a carrier supported by BS 283.A CTU access region that occupies only a portion of the bandwidth allows BS 283 to simultaneously support uplink transmissions under a traditional request / grant scheme (e.g., for older mobile device models that do not support grant-free transmissions). Additionally, BS 283 can utilize unused CTUs for scheduled transmissions under a request / grant scheme, or BS 283 can adjust the size of CTU access regions if portions of the access regions are not used for a period of time. Furthermore, CTU access regions can periodically hop frequencies. BS 283 can signal these changes in CTU access region size and frequency to 282 mobile devices via a slow signaling channel.

[00114] CTU access regions can be defined within a total available time-frequency region. Figures 5A to 5D show examples of 5 CTU regions defined within a time frame. CTU regions may not have equal sizes in terms of assigned time and frequency resources, as shown in Figure 5A. CTU regions can be indexed by a predefined pattern that is known to both the BS and the UEs within a time frame. For example, the 5 CTU regions in Figure 5A can be indexed as CTU 0 to 4, as shown in the first time interval (Time interval 1). CTU regions can also be partitioned into different resource sets, each Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 30 / 145 25 / 134 sets typically represent a time slot, and within a resource, there may be multiple CTU regions that typically occupy different frequency bands. In this case, the CTU regions can be indexed by two-dimensional indices, containing a time slot index and a frequency location index. Time slots are often defined as a unit interval of time within which a UE or resource can be provided with an opportunity or capability to access in a concession-free manner. For example, CTU 0 to CTU 4 can be indexed by a time slot index of 0 and a frequency location index of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4. CTUs that have the same frequency location or time slot indices may not necessarily be aligned in the actual physical frequency or time domain.However, the combination of a frequency location index and a time location index can uniquely determine the CTU index in the frame, which corresponds to a predefined physical frequency and time location. For example, in Figure 5D, CTUs 0, 5, 10, and 15 have the same frequency location index of 0, but their physical frequency location is different because CTU 0 and CTU 10 are in a physical frequency band f1, and CTU 5 and CTU 15 are in a physical frequency band fn. This has the advantage of providing frequency diversity gain through feature frequency hopping when two or more of these CTU regions are assigned to the same UE. For example, both CTU 0 and CTU 6 can be assigned to the same UE (denoted as UE 1). UE 1 can perform an initial grant-free transmission of a packet in CTU 0 and a retransmission of the same packet in CTU 6.BS combines the signals received from UE 1 at CTU 0 and CTU 6 for decoding. Since CTU 0 and CTU 6 are located in different frequency bands, a frequency diversity gain can be obtained to aid decoding compared to the case where CTU 0 and CTU 6 occupy the same frequency bands.

[00115] Some CTU access region information may also be signaled by the BS. For example, CTU access regions may be dedicated frequency bands within the entire available bandwidth. In this case, the BS may indicate the beginning or end of the bandwidth. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 31 / 145 26 / 134 allocated for concession-free access. In some scenarios, there are multiple predefined patterns for concession-free CTU access regions. The BS can signal to concession-free UEs the index of the predefined pattern used. The BS can also update CTU region definition information via signaling. Signaling and updating of CTU region information can be ported via broadcast channel or control channel.

[00116] With a concession-free transmission scheme, the receiver can perform activity detection, channel estimation, and data decoding without prior knowledge of transmitter pilots. Channel estimation can be performed based on pilot signals received from each mobile device. A set of consecutive values ​​used for a pilot signal (e.g., P1, P2, ... PN) is called a pilot sequence. Mobile devices can generally transmit one or more instances of a pilot sequence in a given uplink frame. For example, in LTE 4G, UEs typically transmit two Zadoff-Chu pilot sequences in two OFDM symbols of an uplink subframe.

[00117] To mitigate interference between pilot sequence transmissions from different mobile devices, mobile devices can select pilot sequences from a cluster of pilot sequences. Pilot sequence selection can be random or based on a predefined selection rule. The cluster of pilot sequences can be generated by cyclically shifting a Zadoff-Chu sequence with the same root. Pilot sequences generated using cyclic shifting of a Zadoff-Chu sequence with the same root are orthogonal to each other. Therefore, a pilot cluster generated in this way contains only orthogonal pilots. Orthogonal pilots are desirable because mutual interference between two pilot signals is minimal when using orthogonal pilots. However, the number of pilot sequences that are orthogonal to each other may be limited for a given pilot sequence length.More pilot sequences can be generated if different pilot sequences are allowed to be non-orthogonal to each other. For example, more pilot sequences could be... Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 32 / 145 27 / 134 generated using different roots of Zadoff-Chu sequences. The pilot sequences generated in this way may not be orthogonal to each other, but still have low correlations.

[00118] Pilot collision refers to cases where multiple mobile devices simultaneously access the same frequency-time-signature resources using the same pilot sequence. Pilot collisions can lead to irreparable results in a concession-free transmission scheme. This is because BS 283 lacks the ability to decode mobile device transmission information in pilot collision scenarios, as BS 283 cannot estimate individual mobile device channels using the same pilot. For example, assuming two mobile devices (mobile devices 282a and 282b) have the same pilot and their channels are h1 and h2, then BS 283 can only estimate a quality channel of h1 + h2 for the two mobile devices 282a and 282b. Thus, the transmitted information will likely not be decoded correctly.Several modalities can define a number of unique drivers depending on the number of mobile devices supported in the system. Since many mobile devices can access the same uplink channel in next-generation networks, a universal RS and resource mapping scheme that supports different numbers of users in concession-free uplink multi-access transmissions for 5G is desirable.

[00119] The embodiments of this disclosure provide a universal RS and resource mapping scheme that supports varying numbers of users in uplink concession-free multiple access transmissions. In some embodiments, a number of UEs are grouped into a first set of groups based on a predefined rule, and a time-frequency resource is assigned to each group of UEs for a first time slot. The UEs can be regrouped, and the time-frequency resources reassigned for a second time slot. The results of time-frequency resource assignment can be transmitted to the UEs. RS sequence assignment can be determined based on the time-frequency resource assignment results to avoid RS collisions in the Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 33 / 145 28 / 134 same time-frequency resources. A cluster of RS can be gradually expanded from orthogonal pilot sequences to non-orthogonal pilot sequences and then to a random pilot sequence cluster when more and more UEs need to be supported.

[00120] System information broadcast to all UEs may include information that can be used by all concession-free UEs. For example, system information may include concession-free frequency bands (start and end) of the concession-free frequency delimitation and concession-free partition size. However, such information may not necessarily be included in the system information and, if not, may be included in the RRC signaling. In some other embodiments, such information from common concession-free resources may be predefined. RRC signaling information is UE-specific or group-specific and may include information such as one or more of the following: UE ID, DCI search space, resource hop, RS hop, and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information. Additional control signaling may be transmitted to UEs in DCI messages.DCIs can be used to send MCS, first RS, first transmission resources, ACK, NACK, or grant information for transmission information, or possibly additional updates for grant-free resource assignments.

[00121] In some embodiments, the concession-free UE is configured, in a semi-static manner, to combine 1) RRC signaling information and system information, 2) RRC signaling information and DCI information, or 3) RRC signaling information, system information, and DCI information, to determine an assigned transmission resource. Whether the UE-specific information is provided in an index / sequence-based format or is fully defined may depend, for example, on the type of information that is defined in the system information and whether or not supplementary DCI is available.

[00122] The semi-static mode is defined in comparison to the dynamic option that is operating in each time slot. For example, semi-static Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 34 / 145 29 / 134 can mean periodically within a given time period, such as, for example, 200 or longer time slots. Semi-static can also mean configured once and updated only occasionally.

[00123] In some embodiments, a lease-free UE can configure resources in a semi-static mode where LTE paging-like or Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH)-like signaling can be used for resource (re)configuration signaling messages. For example, for a group of UEs with the same group ID, the group ID can be used to configure or update lease-free resources for the group of UEs, using DCI configuration indication and an RRC message on the DL data channel (indicated in DCI), or using PBCH-like signaling messages (multiplexing with other system information in Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) or Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)).Furthermore, the UEs in the group can be associated with the same beams or different beams in a multi-beam system, and if the UEs are associated with different beams, this paging-like or PBCH-like signaling message must be designed in a way that allows it to support the group of UEs using different beams; for example, the same signaling message for semi-static resource (re-)configuration can be transmitted across the different beams supported for the UEs.

[00124] In some embodiments, for a concession-free UL transmission scheme, at least semi-static resource (re-)configuration can be used, where the resource includes at least physical resources in the frequency and time domain, and other MA resources / parameters, such as RS and code. Resource configuration signaling can be done, for example, as the semi-persistent LTE configuration. Furthermore, the RS is transmitted together with data, where the concession-based data transmission channel structure or LTE DMRS designs can be considered as a starting point and enhancements can be used. For a concession- / concession-free UL transmission scheme, K repetitions (K>=1, i.e., with equal or different redundancy versions (RVs) or different MCSs) for the same transport block with pre-configured resources can be used. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 35 / 145 30 / 134 where K is determined, for example, by the number of transmissions until the ACK is received, or a pre-configured or fixed number. In some modes, the UE resource hopping in transmissions can be configured.

[00125] In other modes, the UE may begin transmitting data using grant-based transmissions one or more times via scheduling request (SR) and DCI signaling, and then switch to grant-free transmissions via the resource(s) once it has arrived data without SR signaling, where the UE's grant-free resource(s) may be configured via RRC signaling, for example, on the initial UE access and subsequently updated in a semi-static manner. This can be beneficial when the arrival packet size is small. This can reduce signaling overhead and also latency.

[00126] In other modes, the UE can be configured in a semi-static, concession-free mode and begin transmitting initial concession-free data. The UE can then begin constantly monitoring DCI signaling from the base station. If a scheduling grant is received, the UE can dynamically switch to concession-based transmission. If no dynamic grant, such as DCI signaling, is received after a certain period of time after transmitting concession-free data, the UE can continue to use concession-free transmissions for data arrivals. Use of RRC Signaling Only for Grant-Free Resource Allocation

[00127] Figure 3A illustrates a modality for concession-free uplink (UL) transmissions using Radio Resource Control (RRC) information without a UE having to verify for Downlink Control Information (DCI) before initial data transmission. The concession-free UE can still verify ACK / NACK feedback either through a dedicated ACK / NACK channel, such as a Physical HARQ Indication Channel (PHICH) or DCI.

[00128] RRC signaling is used to signal specific EU or group-specific transmission resource or reference signaling configuration. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 36 / 145 31 / 134

[00129] With regard to specific EU information, RRC signaling can be used to notify the concession-free EU about information relevant to concession-free transmission, such as, but not limited to, EU ID, DCI search space, concession-free transmission resources, RS resources, and other relevant information that may include, for example, MCS.

[00130] RRC signaling can include a grant-free ID field (such as GF-RNTI) and one or more configuration fields to configure for UL (gf-ConfigUL) or to configure for downlink (DL) (gf-ConfigDL).

[00131] The fields in the UL configuration signaling may include, but are not limited to, the following examples.

[00132] A grant-free frame interval UL field that defines the periodicity of the feature jump pattern in terms of a number of subframes. The same can use frame length, in which case the field can be optional (use frame length defined for the system by default).

[00133] A UL field for grant-free scheduling interval that defines the interval between two grant-free transmission opportunities. In some deployments, the field defaults to 1 if not specified. The interval can be the time interval between two grant-free resources, which is sometimes referred to as the grant-free resource periodicity.

[00134] There may also be fields for parameters related to power control that may serve a similar purpose to that used for LTE semi-persistent programming (SPS).

[00135] A CTU-size frequency field that defines the number of resource blocks (RBs) used per CTU in a frequency domain or CTU region block size. In some embodiments, the frequency domain indication of the grant-free resource may indicate the resource block index (physical resource block index or virtual resource block index). The resource block index may also be indicated using the initial or final RB index and the number of RBs. In some deployments, the Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 37 / 145 32 / 134 Time domain size can be standardized to a subframe or TTI, so only frequency domain size is needed. The field is not needed if it is defined in SIB or there is complementary DCI signaling. The time domain size of the resource (e.g., TTI) can also be defined in RRC, for example, a slot, a minislot, multiple slots, an OFDM symbol, or multiple OFDM symbols. There may be another field that defines the time domain location of grant-free resources. For example, there may be an offset value in addition to the periodicity signaled in the RRC signaling. The offset value indicates the time location of a grant-free resource, for example, the offset value may indicate the time location (e.g., a slot index) of the grant-free resource relative to a system frame number (SFN)=0.In some modes, the deviation may not need to be signaled; it may have a default value, for example, in slot 0.

[00136] A resource jump pattern field to define the resource jump pattern. In some modes, the resource jump pattern field is defined by a sequence of frequency location indices in each frame and in each time interval with a time unit equal to a grant-free scheduling interval UL value. In some modes, the resource jump pattern field is defined as a sequence of frequency location indices in each frame in each time interval in general. The time interval can be a TTI, a slot, a time slot, a subframe, a minislot, an OFDM symbol, a number of OFDM symbols, or any time unit. The time interval can also be the time location of grant-free resources; the grant-free resource location can be separated by the configured periodicity of the resource.For example, the feature hopping pattern can be defined as a frequency partition or sub-band index in each slot within a frame or within a feature hopping pattern periodicity. In some embodiments, the feature hopping pattern field is defined by a sequence of CTU indices in each time interval in each frame. A feature hopping pattern can be provided to the UE free of charge in the form of any one of 1) a single UE index defined a. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 38 / 145 33 / 134 based on a predefined resource allocation rule, 2) a resource hopping index sequence indicating the frequency index of each time slot, or 3) any implicit or explicit signaling of actual physical time-frequency resources that can be used in each time slot. In this document, the resource hopping pattern also includes the time-frequency resource indication of grant-free resources.

[00137] An RS hopping sequence field to define the RS hopping sequence. The RS hopping sequence field may include an RS index to be used in frame n. If the RS changes at each time interval, the field may include a sequence of indices in each time interval. The RS hopping sequence may not be required if supplementary DCIs are available. An RS hopping sequence may be provided to the concession-free UE in the form of either 1) Fixed RS and 2) an RS hopping sequence in each frame. The RS hopping sequence generally refers to the indication of a reference signal on different resources. This may be a single RS index or different RS indices on different time-frequency concession-free resources. There may be multiple RS indices signaled for different transmission or retransmission states.For example, one RS index might be signaled to an UE for initial concession-free transmission, and another RS ​​index might be signaled to the UE for the remaining replays / retransmissions.

[00138] An MCS field to provide MCS information if no additional DCI signaling is being used.

[00139] A search space field for additional DCI grant that can also be predefined by a grant-free identifier (GF_ID) or a group grant-free identifier (Group_ID).

[00140] The RRC format may include an indication that the UE is a grant-free UE or that the UE is permitted to transmit using grant-free resources. The RRC format may include a grant-free UE ID (such as GF_RNTI) or a group-based ID (such as Group_RNTI) that is used to decode additional instructions using DCI.

[00141] In the example in Figure 3A, the concession-free EU is not Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 39 / 145 34 / 134 needs to constantly check for DCI within the search space and does not require DCI to enable concession-free transmission. DCI signaling can provide additional control signaling to the UE.

[00142] Before the start of the steps in Figures 3A to 3H, system information (described above) may be transmitted periodically by the base station. System information may include information that can be used by the UE. If the information to be used by the UE is not defined in the system information, then this information will be provided in the RRC signaling and / or DCI messages.

[00143] As shown in Figure 3A, in step 300, a UE with concession-free transmission capability first enters a network supported by a transmit / receive point (TRP) or BS and can perform initial access, for example, by sending a preamble through a random access (RA) channel as part of a random access procedure (RACH) on an LTE network. The UE can signal to the BS an indication that the UE has concession-free transmission capability, for example, when the UE expects to transmit a large number of small data packets.

[00144] In step 301, the BS can receive the RACH RA preamble and select a UL transmission resource to be used by the UE. One embodiment of this disclosure provides UL transmission resources comprising a predefined MA hopping pattern in a frame. For example, the MA hopping pattern might include a predefined time-frequency resource hopping pattern in a frame or a predefined RS hopping pattern. The MA hopping pattern provides a universal RS and transmission resource mapping scheme that supports different quantities of UEs in uplink concession-free multiple access transmissions. The BS can obtain the predefined MA hopping pattern from the network, for example, to save the MA hopping pattern, or the BS can obtain the MA hopping pattern by generating the MA hopping pattern itself based on a predefined pattern generation scheme or a predefined rule.As described above, in addition to the MA hopping pattern, there are several other elements used to define the transmission feature that are included in. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 40 / 145 35 / 134 RRC signals that are transmitted to the EU.

[00145] In step 302 of Figure 3A, the BS sends a UL transmission resource assignment to the UE via RRC signaling after selecting the transmission resource to be used for the grant-free UE. Examples of the RRC signaling message contents were described above.

[00146] In step 303, the grant-free UE obtains all transmission resources from UL. In some embodiments, the UE can derive transmission resources based on predefined rules, which will be described in more detail below, after receiving the transmission resource assignment. Alternatively, the UE can query the predefined transmission resource tables and hopping pattern after receiving the transmission resource assignment above. The UE can save the predefined transmission resource pattern and tables. Furthermore, the UE can update the predefined transmission resource pattern and tables after receiving the signaling to instruct the update information. In other words, the UE can update the grant-free resource after receiving signaling to instruct the update of resource parameters. The signaling can be DCI signaling or RRC signaling, as described in this disclosure.

[00147] In stage 3031, the first batch of data arrives in the EU concession-free for transmission to BS.

[00148] In step 304, after the first batch of data arrives, the UE transmits the first batch of data based on the assigned grant-free transmission resource. Grant-free resources can be assigned to the UE in semi-static mode. Semi-static mode is used in this document in comparison to the dynamic option that operates in each time slot. For example, semi-static mode can operate periodically with a given time period, e.g., 200 or longer time slots. Once the grant-free UE obtains the assigned resources, it can transmit data using the assigned resources immediately after the data arrives without obtaining a grant. The UE can transmit the initial transmission of the first batch of data using the assigned UL transmission resources. In some modes, Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 41 / 145 36 / 134 Once the first batch of data arrives in the lease-free temporary UE storage, the UE determines the CTU regions of the next time slot or the previous opportunity that it can access from the resource assigned to the UE. The UE determines the next time slot for CTU access after the data arrives; the UE searches the CTU region in that time slot based on the assigned resource hop sequence. The UE can then transmit the initial first batch of data using that CTU region and RS assigned to that region. The transmission may include an RS signal and a data signal. Examples of the transmitted data format are shown in Figures 6A and 6B and will be described below.

[00149] In step 305, the BS detects the data after receiving the first batch of data transmission. In some embodiments, when the UE sends a message to the BS, the BS first attempts to detect the MA signature. Detecting the MA signature is called activity detection. If activity detection is successful, the BS knows that a UE has sent a concession-free uplink transmission. However, successful activity detection may or may not reveal the UE's identity to the base station. If there is a predefined RS pattern between a UE and an MA signature, for example, as shown in Tables 8 and 9 below, then successful activity detection reveals the identity of the UE that sent the concession-free uplink transmission. In some embodiments, activity detection may additionally include obtaining the UE ID, for example, if the UE ID is encoded separately from the data.

[00150] After successful activity detection, the BS then attempts to perform channel estimation based on the MA signature and, optionally, additional reference signals multiplexed with the data message, and then decodes the data.

[00151] In step 306, the BS sends an ACK or NACK based on the decoding result. The BS attempts to decode the initial transmission of the first batch of data by first performing activity detection, decoding the RS signal, and then performing channel estimation using the Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 42 / 145 37 / 134 RS signal and then attempting to decode the data. If the BS can successfully decode the data, the BS may send an ACK to the UE to confirm successful decoding. If the BS does not successfully decode the data, the BS may send a NACK to the UE or send no feedback at all. In some embodiments, after the initial transmission of the first batch of data in step 304, the UE may choose to immediately retransmit the first batch of data using the next available resources according to the resource allocation in step 303. In some other embodiments, the UE may wait for a predefined period and, if the UE receives an ACK within the predefined period, the UE will not retransmit. Otherwise, the UE may retransmit the first batch of data on the next available CTU resources after the predefined period.

[00152] The UE can check ACK / NACK feedback either through a dedicated ACK / NACK channel, such as the HARQ Physical Channel indicator (PHICH), or through DCI searching in the search space.

[00153] In Figure 3A, it is assumed that the BS transmitted an ACK in step 306 because the concession-free UE received a second data batch transmission and is not retransmitting the first data batch transmission. The UE transmits the second data batch, in step 307, based on the transmission resource obtained without communicating a corresponding transmission resource allocation to the network entity that assigns transmission resources to the UE. In step 308, the BS detects the data after receiving the second data batch transmission. Steps 307 to 309 perform similar activity to steps 304 to 306.

[00154] If the BS has sent a NACK, then the UE will retransmit the first batch of data based on the assigned transmission resource defined in the RRC signaling or an alternative transmission resource that is provided to the UE.

[00155] In some modes of Figure 3A, the UE can only check if there is a dedicated ACK / NACK channel, such as PHICH, but does not check for DCI after a first transmission. Therefore, the UE can only perform concession-free transmission and retransmission. The UE can save energy by Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 43 / 145 38 / 134 does not require DCI verification even after the first transmission. RRC and DCI signaling for retransmission

[00156] Figure 3B illustrates another modality procedure for concession-free UL transmissions that includes the use of supplementary RRC and DCI signaling after an initial transmission. Similar to Figure 3A, as part of the initial resource configuration, the concession-free UE does not check the DCIs before the initial transmission to the BS. After the initial transmission, the UE checks the DCIs for possible retransmission instructions. In some modalities, if retransmission is necessary, the BS can switch to a concession-based scheme.

[00157] Steps 300, 301, 302, 303, 3031 and 304 in Figure 3B are the same as the steps in Figure 3A.

[00158] In step 3041 of Figure 3B, the grant-free UE checks for DCI signaling at a designated time after the transmission of step 304. Based on information received from the BS, such as system information or the assigned UE ID that defines the search space where the DCI message is located, the grant-free UE detects the DCIs. The grant-free UE then decodes the DCIs by first verifying that the CRC in the DCI payload is scrambled using a grant-free UE ID (such as GF_RNTI). If the CRC includes the grant-free UE ID, the UE decodes all other fields. Otherwise, the DCIs are not a target for the UE.

[00159] The DCI message may indicate an ACK, NACK, or grant for retransmission, as appropriate. If no grant-free DCI signaling is detected by the UE, the UE may retransmit the first batch of data based on the assigned transmission resource, as shown in step 3042.

[00160] Once the BS has detected the data, in step 305, the BS is shown sending an ACK to the grant-free UE in the DCI message, in step 3061, since the data was successfully detected.

[00161] Once the UE has verified that DCI is present and detected ACK 3043, the UE may interrupt any retransmission that may have been Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 44 / 145 39 / 134 planned.

[00162] Alternatively, BS may send a grant for retransmission. This situation is shown in Figure 3C.

[00163] Figure 3C illustrates another modality procedure for UL concession-free transmissions that includes the use of RRC and DCI signaling for retransmission. Figure 3C provides an example of when data is not successfully received by the BS and, therefore, the BS arranges for retransmission by the UE.

[00164] Steps 300, 301, 302, 303, 3031 and 304 are the same as the steps in Figure 3B.

[00165] Once the BS has detected the data in step 305, if the BS is unsuccessful in detecting the data, the BS may send a DCI message that includes a grant for the retransmission of the data, as shown in step 306.

[00166] In some modes, the DCI message may implicitly or explicitly include a NACK. If the UE receives a NACK without a grant for retransmission, the UE may retransmit on the same grant-free resource configured in the RRC signaling of step 302. In some modes, the DCI message may define a new grant and an indication to reschedule the transmission of the failed packet. In some modes, the DCI message may define the same transmission resource that was previously defined for grant-free transmission so that the UE may retransmit on the same resource. In some modes, DCIs may include an updated transmission scheme, such as MCS, to be used by the UE.

[00167] In step 3041, the concession-free UE checks for DCI signaling. This is the same as in Figure 3B and is described above. Upon detection of the retransmission concession from the BS, in step 3042, the UE can retransmit the first batch of data transmission based on the transmission resource assigned in the retransmission concession.

[00168] Once BS has detected the data in step 308, if the data is successfully detected, BS sends an ACK to UE, as shown in step 3061. If the data is unsuccessful, Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 45 / 145 40 / 134 BS sends a NACK or other authorization for retransmission and steps 306, 3041 and 3042 can be repeated.

[00169] Once the UE has detected the ACK, the UE can stop any retransmission of the first batch of data transmission at step 310.

[00170] The DCI signaling format may include, for grant-based retransmission, a typical DCI format. The DCI format may include, for example, MCS, resource block used, redundancy version (RV), new data indicator (NDI), etc.). The DCI format for a grant-based retransmission may be similar to Table 1 below. Setting NDI to 1 may implicitly indicate that this is a NACK and the retransmission is granted using the resource defined in the DCI. Table 1 - DCI Fields and Formats Field MCS / RV Value RV=next RV value (different from 0), may include new MCS value for NDI 1 retransmission (retransmission) Cyclic DMRS Offset Signal the actual RS value to be used for grant-based retransmission Resource Block Allocation Signal the actual resource block to be used for grant-based retransmission

[00171] More generally, the DCI signaling or message used for retransmissions can indicate whether the retransmission is concession-free or concession-based. For example, for single-packet retransmissions, DCIs may include a new or existing field indicating whether the retransmission is concession-based using the transmission resource assigned in the concession for retransmission, as suggested above, or concession-free using pre-configured concession-free resources. In a deployment, one NDI value indicates a concession-based retransmission, while a different NDI value indicates a concession-free retransmission. In some embodiments, the fact that the retransmission is concession-free Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 46 / 145 41 / 134 concession or concession-based may be implicitly derived from some existing fields.

[00172] Alternatively, DCI signaling can indicate different resources for different retransmissions. For example, DCI signaling can indicate (implicitly or explicitly) concession-based resources for a first retransmission and / or concession-free resources for subsequent (up to N) retransmissions using pre-configured concession-free resources. In another example, DCI signaling can indicate (implicitly or explicitly) concession-based resources for a first retransmission or different concession-based resources for the second (up to N) retransmission in the same DCI signaling or different DCI signaling. Other possibilities exist for DCI signaling that indicate whether a retransmission is concession-free or concession-based and the indicated resources to be used.

[00173] In some embodiments, an UE initiates initial grant-free transmission (or first packet) of a packet, where one or multiple retransmissions may be included in the initial transmission based on the UE's grant-free resource preconfiguration. After the initial transmission, the UE will await an ACK, a NACK, or a DCI signaling grant from the BS. If the NACK message (e.g., to the UE pilot), or nothing, is received, the UE may use the grant-free resource for retransmissions as configured. The number of retransmissions to be performed by the UE, K, may be configured in RRC signaling, as described in this disclosure. The grant-free retransmission may include another set of K retransmissions.If the DCI signaling includes a UL grant, the UE can switch to grant-based retransmissions, where the BS can optionally use other DCI-based signaling to change the grant-based retransmissions, for the packet, to grant-free retransmissions using pre-configured resources.

[00174] In other modes, indicated by other DCI markings, the first retransmission of a packet uses the concession-based resource, and the second N retransmission of the packet (when applicable) uses the concession-free allocated resources. In another mode, the first Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 47 / 145 42 / 134 retransmission of a packet uses the concession-based resource, indicated by a DCI flag, and the second-N retransmission of the packet (when applicable) uses the concession-free allocated resources, indicated by another DCI flag. These changes may also be indicated by other flags or options. For the next transmission of a new data packet, the UE still uses concession-free transmissions with pre-allocated (or pre-configured) resources. This may mean that, in the concession-free scheme, the new data packet always uses concession-free transmissions and retransmissions until the UE is notified by the BS to switch to concession-based transmissions for the retransmission packets.

[00175] The two examples in Figures 3B and 3C illustrate initial access followed by a single data transmission and ACK, and initial access followed by a single data transmission and grant for retransmission. It should be understood that initial access is not required before each transmission. The examples each show a single scenario for clarity, and thus it will be understood that a series of ACK, NACK, or grant for retransmission occurrences can occur for a series of data packets being transmitted from UE to BS. RRC signaling with a group assignment

[00176] Figure 3D illustrates another modality procedure for grant-free UL transmissions that includes the use of RRC signaling with a group assignment. RRC signaling assigns a group ID to the grant-free UE. Other UEs in the same group can be provided with the same group ID through the other UE's own respective RRC signaling, since RRC signaling is UE-specific. The UE is configured to search a predefined search space of a transmission resource for additional DCI messages that are addressed to a group of grant-free UEs to which the group ID has been assigned.

[00177] In Figure 3D, the UE does not need to check for group DCIs before the first transmission. In Figure 3E, which will be described below, the UE needs to constantly check for group DCIs and, after obtaining the group DCIs, it can perform grant-free transmission. Furthermore, Figure 3E includes DCI signaling before grant-free resource allocation. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 48 / 145 43 / 134 concession, while the 3D Figure depends only on RRC signage, the signage format may also be different.

[00178] Steps 300 and 301 are the same as the steps in Figure 3A.

[00179] Step 3021 is similar to step 302 in Figure 3A, except that the RRC signaling includes a group ID.

[00180] Steps 303, 3031, 304 are the same as the steps in Figure 3D.

[00181] Once the BS has detected the data in step 305, the BS sends a DCI message that includes an ACK or NACK, as shown in step 3063.

[00182] In step 3041, the grant-free UE checks for DCI signaling in a manner similar to that described in Figures 3B and 3C. The grant-free UE checks a predefined search space and uses the group ID to decode the DCIs for additional instructions in resource allocation and other instructions.

[00183] In step 3062, BS assigns or updates a new transmission resource using DCIs with the group identifier.

[00184] When a second batch of data transmission arrives at the UE, the UE transmits the second batch of data, in step 3071, based on the updated transmission resource from the group DCI. Steps 308 and 309 perform similar activity to the activity in steps 305 and 306.

[00185] Figure 3E illustrates another modality procedure for UL concession-free transmissions that includes the use of RRC signaling with a group assignment.

[00186] Steps 300, 301, 3021 and 303 are the same as the steps in Figure 3D.

[00187] In step 3041, the grant-free UE checks for DCI signaling in a manner similar to that described in Figure 3D. The UE checks the predefined search space and uses the group ID to decode the DCIs for additional instructions in resource allocation and other instructions.

[00188] In step 3062, BS assigns or updates a new transmission resource using group DCI.

[00189] When a first batch of data arrives at the UE (step 3031), the UE transmits the first batch of data, at step 304, based on Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 49 / 145 44 / 134 transmission resource assigned from group DCIs. Once the BS has detected the data in step 308, the BS sends a DCI message that includes an ACK or NACK, as shown in step 309. RRC signaling with DCI activation

[00190] Figure 3F illustrates another modality procedure for concession-free UL transmissions that includes the use of RRC signaling with complementary DCI signaling. DCI signaling can function as an enable or disable for transmission on the concession-free assigned resource. Enable and disable indicators are sent by the BS using DCI messages to indicate whether the UE is or is not permitted to conduct concession-free transmission. In this case, DCI enablement can provide additional information for concession-free resource allocation. Without DCI enablement, the UE may not be able to obtain sufficient information for concession-free transmission using RRC signaling alone.

[00191] In some modalities, the DCI may have the format shown in Table 2 below. Table 2 - DCI Fields and Formats Field Value MCS / RV Initial MCS value, RV=0 NDI 0 (new transmission) Cyclic DMRS Offset Signal the first RS value in a given frame Resource Block Allocation Signal a first resource block allocation in a first time interval

[00192] Based on the first RS value, first resource block in combination with resource jump sequence and RS jump sequence (or just predefined frame RS jump rule), the UE can determine the particular resource / RS allocation in each CTU.

[00193] RRC signaling assigns a grant-free UE ID or a group ID to a group of UEs. RRC signaling also includes defining the search space so that the UE knows where to search for DCI activation. After receiving RRC signaling, the UE cannot yet perform GF transmission until it receives additional DCI signaling. In Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 50 / 145 45 / 134 In some cases, DCI signaling can serve as an activation of concession-free transmission. In some modes, DCI signaling serves only as a semi-static complementary signaling to help specify some concession-free resources for the UE. The UE needs to wait until it receives the DCI activation. Thus, the UE needs to monitor the search space for activation and deactivation indicators. The concession-free UE decodes DCIs using the assigned concession-free ID or group ID to activate or deactivate concession-free transmissions.

[00194] Steps 300 and 301 are the same as the steps in Figure 3A.

[00195] Step 3022 is similar to step 302 in Figure 3A, except that the RRC signaling includes a grant-free ID.

[00196] Step 3023 includes the UE which checks for a DCI message that includes an activation in a search space defined in the RRC signaling or possibly a combination of system and RRC signaling.

[00197] In step 3024, BS sends a DCI activation message to UE.

[00198] Steps 303, 3031, 304, 305 and 306 are the same as the steps in Figure 3A.

[00199] After activation, UE performs concession-free transmission on allocated resources based on both RRC signaling and DCI activation.

[00200] The UE does not constantly check DCI after receiving DCI activation. The UE can transmit in grant-based format until DCI activation is enabled.

[00201] The DCI message can also be used for deactivation. When the UE receives a deactivation DCI, the UE stops transmitting on the lease-free resources.

[00202] DCIs for grant-free UE feature activation or configuration may include a first RS value, a first feature block, and a first MCS value in a first subframe. With this information in combination with a feature hop sequence and Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 51 / 145 46 / 134 RS hop sequence that are configured in RRC signaling, the UE can verify exact resource / RS allocation in each CTU.

[00203] In some other modes, after RRC signaling, the UE may continue checking for additional DCI messages. If there are DCIs that dynamically schedule the UE for grant-based transmission, the grant-free UE may still have the ability to perform grant-based transmission based on the DCIs. After transmission, the grant-free UE may switch back to grant-free transmission. In some other modes, the DCIs may schedule an initial transmission to the UE, and also provide information such as MCS, initial RS, initial resource that helps configure the grant-free allocation of the UE in conjunction with RRC signaling.

[00204] In some modes, an UE initiates initial grant-free transmission (or first packet) of a packet, where one or multiple retransmissions may be included in the initial transmission based on the UE's pre-configured grant-free resource. After the initial transmission, the UE will await an ACK, a NACK, or a DCI signaling grant from the BS. If the NACK message (e.g., to the UE pilot), or nothing, is received, the UE will use the grant-free resource for retransmissions as configured, and if the DCI signaling includes a UL grant, the UE will switch to grant-based retransmissions, where the BS may optionally use other DCI-based signaling to change the grant-based retransmissions, for the packet, to grant-free retransmissions using the pre-configured resources.

[00205] In other modes, indicated by another DCI signal, the first retransmission of a packet uses the resource on a grant basis, and the second-N retransmission of the packet (when applicable) uses the allocated grant-free resources. In another mode, the first retransmission of a packet uses the resource on a grant basis, indicated by one DCI signal, and the second-N retransmission of the packet (when applicable) uses the allocated grant-free resources, indicated by another DCI signal. These changes may also be indicated by other indicators or options. For a subsequent transmission of a new data packet, Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 52 / 145 47 / 134 the UE still uses concession-free transmissions with pre-allocated (or pre-configured) resources, which means that, under the concession-free scheme, the new data packet always uses concession-free transmissions and retransmissions, until the UE is notified by the BS to switch to concession-based transmissions for the retransmission packets.

[00206] For packet retransmissions, the BS can use DCI signaling to switch to concession-based transmissions. In some modes, there may be new DCI signaling to switch retransmissions back to concession-free transmission mode with pre-configured features. The new DCI signaling may be a bit. For example, in the DCI format, there may be a new field, a concession-free or concession-based transmission indicator, where a value of 0 indicates that the retransmission is concession-based transmission and a value of 1 indicates that the retransmission is switching back to concession-free transmission.

[00207] There may be at least two types of UEs configured by the BS. The configuration can be done via RRC signaling, control channel, or predefined for the UE. For the first type of UE, after the initial GF transmission, the UE only monitors an ACK / NACK message. There may be different possibilities for the UE when monitoring an ACK. In some modes, the UE may continuously monitor an ACK / NACK and conduct consecutive transmissions until it correctly receives an ACK. There may be a maximum number of consecutive transmissions K; the number K can be configured by the network, for example, via RRC signaling or configured in DCI. In another mode, the UE may wait for an ACK / NACK to arrive within a predefined time slot before retransmission. If the UE receives an ACK within the predefined time limit, the UE interrupts the retransmission; otherwise, the UE retransmits.In some other modes, the UE can continuously perform K transmissions before checking for ACK / NACK feedback. If the UE does not receive an ACK when it checks, the UE can perform another K transmissions. In another mode, the UE can perform continuous transmissions K times without checking for ACK / NACK and then enter. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 53 / 145 48 / 134 in DRX / inactive mode. The ACK / NACK can be transmitted through a dedicated ACK / NACK channel, such as PHICH, or a control channel, for example, in DCI.

[00208] For the second type of UE, after initial concession-free transmission, the UE can monitor both ACK / NACK and programming information. Programming information is typically transmitted in DCI. Programming information may include transmission resource blocks, a reference signal, MCS, redundancy version (RV), and other transmission parameters. In some modes, the UE monitoring interval T (in subframe / TTI units) can be configured by the network. In some modes, T>1. In other modes, T=1.

[00209] Figure 3G illustrates another modality procedure for UL concession-free transmissions that includes the use of RRC signaling with complementary DCI signaling.

[00210] The RRC signaling information described below may also be applicable to all other modalities and examples (Figures 3A to 3G) described in this disclosure.

[00211] RRC signaling may include information to define the concession-free transmission resource that has a format similar to that of known semi-persistent programming (SPS), for example, RRC signaling for LTE-SPS format configuration.

[00212] The fields in the UL configuration field may include, but are not limited to, the following examples.

[00213] RRC signaling can include a grant-free ID field (such as GF-RNTI) and one or more configuration fields to configure for UL (gf-ConfigUL) or to configure for downlink (DL) (gf-ConfigDL).

[00214] In some embodiments, the grant-free ID (GF-RNTI) or group ID (group_RNTI) can be assigned so that it has a predefined mapping relationship with the feature jump pattern. For example, the GF-RNTI may include the UE index shown in Figure 5A, which has a unique mapping with the feature jump pattern as described in the disclosure. In some embodiments, the GF-RNTI may contain both the index of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 54 / 145 49 / 134 UE (which is used to identify the feature hop pattern and RS hop pattern) as well as a UE ID (C-RNTI) that is used to decode DCI. In some embodiments, the UE index may be among the first few bits of GF-RNTI and the UE ID for decoding DCI may be the other few bits. In some embodiments, the UE index and the UE ID for decoding DCI may be hidden together in GF-RNTI and can be retrieved by performing an XOR function with a predefined value. In some embodiments, GF-RNTI has a one-to-one mapping relationship with the feature hop pattern and the RS hop pattern. In such scenarios, the feature hop pattern and the RS hop pattern may not need to be explicitly signaled in RRC.

[00215] The fields in the UL configuration field may include, but are not limited to, the following examples. All fields may be optional depending on the situation.

[00216] A field indicating a number of empty transmissions before an implicit release. The value e2 corresponds to 2 transmissions, e3 corresponds to 3 transmissions, and so on. (implicitReleaseAfter) [see 3GPP TS 36.321: Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol specification. [6, 5.10.2] (1, p )

[00217] A field for Parameter List:npucch for antenna port P0 and for antenna port P1, respectively. The n1-PUCCHAN-PersistentListP1 field is applicable only if the twoAntennaPortActivatedPUCCHFormatlalb in PUCCH-ConfigDedicated-v1020 is set to true. Otherwise, this field may not be configured. (n1PUCCHAN-PersistentList, n1PUCCH-AN-PersistentListP1) [see 3GPP TS 36.213: “Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical layer procedures. [23, 10.1]

[00218] A field that defines a number of HARQ processes configured for Downlink Semi-Persistent Scheduling. (numberOfConfSPS-Processes) [see TS 36.321 [6]].

[00219] A field that defines the number of HARQ processes configured for Uplink Semi-Persistent Scheduling or Uplink Grant-Free Transmission. This field can be Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 55 / 145 50 / 134 configured for asynchronous UL HARQ. Otherwise, this field may not be configured. (numberOfConfUISPS-Processes) see TS 36.321 [6]

[00220] A field that is a parameter: po_nominal_pusch(°) . unit dBm step 1. This field applies to persistent programming or lease-free transmission configuration only. If the choice setting is used and p0-Persistent is absent, apply the value of p0-NominalPUSCH to p0NominalPUSCH-Persistent. If uplink power control subframe sets are configured via tpcSubframeSet, this field applies to uplink power control subframe set 1.(p0-NominalPUSCH-Persistent) See TS 36.213 [23, 5.1.1.1]

[00221] A field that is a parameter: P°_NOMINAL_pusch(0). unit dBm step 1. This field applies to persistent programming only. If p0PersistentSubframeSet2-r12 is not configured, apply the value of p0NominalPUSCH-SubframeSet2-r12 to p0-NominalPUSCHPersistentSubframeSet2. E-UTRAN configures this field only if uplink power control subframe sets are configured via tpc-SubframeSet, in which case this field applies to uplink power control subframe set 2.(p0NominalPUSCH-PersistentSubframeSet2) See TS 36.213 [23, 5.1.1.1],

[00222] A field that is a parameter: p°_ue_pusch(0). unit dB. This field applies to persistent programming only. If choice definition is used and p0-Persistent is absent, apply the value of p0-UE-PUSCH to p0-UE-PUSCH-Persistent. If uplink power control subframe sets are configured via tpcSubframeSet, this field applies to uplink power control subframe set 1.(p0-UE-PUSCH-Persistent) See TS 36.213 [23, 5.1.1.1],

[00223] A field that is a parameter: p°_ue_pusch(0). unit dB. This field is applicable to persistent programming and grant-free transmission only. If p0-PersistentSubframeSet2-r12 is not configured, apply the value of p0-UE-PUSCH-SubframeSet2 to p0-UE-PUSCH. (Reference to 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 56 / 145) 51 / 134 PersistentSubframeSet2. E-UTRAN configures this field only if the uplink power control subframe sets are configured via tpc-SubframeSet, in which case this field applies to uplink power control subframe set 2. (p0UE-PUSCH-PersistentSubframeSet2) See TS 36.213 [23, 5.1.1.1]

[00224] A field to define the Semi-Persistent Scheduling C-RNTI, [see TS 36.321 [6]].(semiPersistSchedC-RNTI) and, in the case of grant-free transmission, the EU ID for grant-free transmission (GF-RNTI) or a group ID for group-based grant-free transmission (Group-RNTI)

[00225] A field that defines a semi-persistent scheduling interval in descending order. Value in number of subframes. The value sf10 corresponds to 10 subframes, sf20 corresponds to 20 subframes, and so on. For TDD, the UE must round this parameter down to the nearest integer (of 10 subframes), for example, sf10 corresponds to 10 subframes, sf32 corresponds to 30 subframes, sf128 corresponds to 120 subframes. (semiPersistSchedIntervalDL), see TS 36.321 [6]

[00226] A field that defines a semi-persistent scheduling interval or grant-free transmission interval on an uplink, Value in number of subframes. The value sf10 corresponds to 10 subframes, sf20 corresponds to 20 subframes, and so on. For TDD, the UE must round this parameter down to the nearest integer (of 10 subframes), for example, sf10 corresponds to 10 subframes, sf32 corresponds to 30 subframes, sf128 corresponds to 120 subframes. (semiPersistSchedIntervalUL)[see TS 36.321 [6].]

[00227] A field for enabling two-interval Semi-Persistent Scheduling or two-interval grant-free transmission on uplink. If this field is present, two-interval SPS is enabled for uplink. Otherwise, this field can be disabled. (twoIntervalsConfig) [See TS 36.321 [6, 5.10]].

[00228] A grant-free frame interval for UL field that defines the feature hop pattern periodicity in terms of a Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 57 / 145 52 / 134 number of subframes. The same can use frame length, in which case the field can be optional (use frame length defined for the system by default).

[00229] A UL field for grant-free scheduling interval that defines the interval between two grant-free transmission opportunities. In some deployments, the field defaults to 1 if not specified. The interval can be the time interval between two grant-free resources, which is sometimes referred to as the grant-free resource periodicity.

[00230] There may also be fields for parameters related to power control that may serve a similar purpose to that used for LTE semi-persistent programming (SPS).

[00231] A CTU size frequency field that defines the number of RBs used per CTU in frequency domain or CTU region block size. In some embodiments, the grant-free resource frequency domain indication may indicate the resource block index (physical resource block index or virtual resource block index). The resource block index may also be indicated using the initial or final RB index and the number of RBs. In some deployments, the time domain size may be standardized to a subframe or TTI, so only frequency domain is required. The field is not required if it is defined in SIB or there is complementary DCI signaling. The resource time domain size (e.g., TTI) may also be defined in RRC, for example, one slot, one minislot, multiple slots, one OFDM symbol, or multiple OFDM symbols.There may be another field that defines the time domain location of grant-free resources. For example, there may be an offset value in addition to the periodicity signaled in the RRC signaling. The offset value indicates the time location of a grant-free resource; for example, it may indicate the time location (e.g., a slot index) of the grant-free resource relative to a system frame number (SFN)=0. In some modes, the offset may not need to be signaled; it may have a default value, for example, in slot 0.

[00232] A feature jump pattern field to define the Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 58 / 145 53 / 134 Resource Jump Pattern. In some modes, the resource jump pattern field is defined as a sequence of frequency location indices in each frame and in each time interval with unit time equal to a grant-free scheduling interval UL value. In some modes, the resource jump pattern field is defined as a sequence of frequency location indices in each frame in each time interval in general. The time interval can be a TTI, a slot, a time slot, a subframe, a minislot, an OFDM symbol, a number of OFDM symbols, or any unit of time. The time interval can also be the time location of grant-free resources; the location of grant-free resources can be separated by the configured periodicity of the resource.For example, the resource hopping pattern can be defined as a sub-band index or frequency partition in each slot within a frame or within a resource hopping pattern periodicity. In some embodiments, the resource hopping pattern field is defined by a sequence of CTU indices in each time slot in each frame. A resource hopping pattern can be provided to the grant-free UE in the form of any one of 1) a single UE index defined from a predefined resource allocation rule, 2) a resource hopping index sequence indicating the frequency index of each time slot, or 3) any implicit or explicit signaling of actual physical time-frequency resources that can be used in each time slot. In this document, the resource hopping pattern also includes the time-frequency resource indication of the grant-free resources.

[00233] An RS jump sequence field to define the RS jump sequence. The RS jump sequence field may include an RS index to be used in frame n. If the RS changes at each time interval, the RS jump sequence field may include a sequence of indices at each time interval. The RS jump sequence may not be required if supplementary DCIs are available. An RS jump sequence may be provided to the UE free of charge in the form of either 1) Fixed RS and 2) an RS jump sequence in each frame. The RS jump sequence generally refers to the reference signal indication. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 59 / 145 54 / 134 across different resources. This could be a single RS index or different RS indices across different time-frequency free resources. There may be multiple RS indices signaled for different transmission or retransmission states. For example, one RS index might be signaled to a UE for initial concession-free transmission and another RS ​​index might be signaled to the UE for the remainder of the replays / retransmissions.

[00234] An MCS field to provide MCS information if no additional DCI signaling is being used.

[00235] A search space field for granting additional DCI that can also be predefined by GF_ID or Group_ID.

[00236] The RRC format may include an indication that the UE is a grant-free UE or that the UE is permitted to transmit using the GF resource. The RRC format may include a grant-free UE ID (such as GF_RNTI) or a group-based ID (such as Group_RNTI) that is used to decode additional instructions using DCI.

[00237] In some modalities, DCI signaling can be used to provide additional relevant information to the UE. In some deployments, an enable or disable indicator can be provided using DCI. Enable and disable indicators can be sent by the BS to indicate whether or not the UE is permitted to use the concession-free transmission resource defined for the UE.

[00238] In some modes, without DCI activation, the UE may not be able to obtain sufficient information for concession-free transmission using RRC signaling alone. DCI format

[00239] The DCI format that is used to activate / release the grant-free mode in UL or to send or grant for transmission / retransmission or used to configure grant-free capability in conjunction with RRC signaling. The DCI format may be similar to the DCI format that is used for PUSCH programming in a UL cell.

[00240] The following information may be included in the DCI format transmitted via the DCI format. The DCI format may have other new fields, some of which are described in the disclosure and all fields Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 60 / 145 55 / 134 may be optional.

[00241] A carrier indicator field that can be 0 or 3 bits. This field is present according to the definitions in (3GPP TS 36.213: “Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical layer procedures. [3])

[00242] A flag for differentiating format0 / format1A that can be 1 bit, where a value equal to 0 indicates format 0 and a value equal to 1 indicates format 1A.

[00243] A frequency hopping flag that is 1 bit, as defined in section 8.4 of [3]. This field is used as the most significant bit (MSB) of the corresponding resource allocation field for resource allocation type 1.

[00244] A resource block assignment and hop resource allocation field that is ílog2(tf1tfJUL +1) / 2)l bits. In the case of a PUSCH hop for a resource allocation of type 0 only), NuL_hop MSB bits are used to obtain the value of nPRB(i) as indicated in section 8.4 of [3]. A number of U·* . íBog2(tfUL( ^ UL + 1) / 2)l — tf ULhop Ί_ . bits equal to av_ > bits provides the resource allocation of the first slot in the UL subframe. In the case of non-PUSCH hopping with resource allocation f[iog2(tf UL (tf UL+1) / 2)l Ί of type 0,v / bits provide the resource allocation in the UL subframe, as defined in section 8.1.1 of [3]. In the case of non-PUSCH hopping with type 1 resource allocation, the concatenation of the frequency hopping flag field and the resource block assignment and hopping resource allocation field provides the resource allocation field in the UL subframe, as defined in section 8.1.2 of [3].

[00245] A modulation and encoding scheme field and redundancy version that is 5 bits, as defined in section 8.6 of [3].

[00246] A new data indicator field that is 1 bit.

[00247] A programmed TPC to PUSCH command - 2 bits, as defined in section 5.1.1.1 of [3].

[00248] A cyclic offset for OCC and DM RS index field that is 3 bits, as defined in section 5.5.2.1.1 of (3GPP TS 36.211: Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 61 / 145 56 / 134 “Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical layer procedures. [2]).

[00249] A UL index field that is 2 bits, as defined in sections 5.1.1.1, 7.2.1, 8 and 8.4 of [3]. This field is present only for TDD operation with uplink-downlink configuration 0.

[00250] A Downlink Assignment Index (DAI) field that is 2 bits, as defined in section 7.3 of [3]. This field is present only for cases with TDD primary cell and both TDD operation with uplink-downlink configurations 1 to 6 or FDD operation. A CSI request field that is 1, 2 or 3 bits, as defined in section 7.2.1 of [3].The 2-bit field applies to UEs configured with no more than five DL cells and to UEs that are configured with more than one DL cell and when the corresponding DCI format is mapped onto the UE-specific search space provided by C-RNTI, as defined in [3], UEs that are configured by higher layers with more than one CSI process and when the corresponding DCI format is mapped onto the UE-specific search space provided by C-RNTI, as defined in [3], and UEs that are configured with two sets of CSI measurement by higher layers with the csiMeasSubframeSet parameter, and when the corresponding DCI format is mapped onto the UE-specific search space provided by C-RNTI, as defined in [3].The 3-bit field applies to UEs that are configured with more than five DL cells and when the corresponding DCI format is mapped onto the UE-specific lookup space provided by C-RNTI, as defined in [3]. For scenarios not covered by the 2-bit or 3-bit fields, the 1-bit field applies.

[00251] An SRS request field that is 0 or 1 bit. This field can only be present in DCI formats that program PUSCH that are mapped onto the specific UE lookup space provided by C-RNTI, as defined in [3]. The interpretation of this field is given in section 8.2 of [3].

[00252] A resource allocation field that is 1 bit. This Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 62 / 145 57 / 134 The N UL < N DL field is present only when RB RB . The interpretation of this field is given in section 8.1 of [3]. If the number of bits of information in format 0 mapped over a given search space is less than the payload size of format 1A to program the same server cell and mapped over the same search space (including any padding bits attached to format 1A), zeros must be appended to format 0 until the payload size is equal to that of format 1A.

[00253] In some modes, the activation DCIs may have the following format: Table 3 - DCI Fields and Formats Field Value for DCI 0 TPC Command for PUSCH Programmed “00” Cyclic Shift DM RS “000” Modulation and Coding Scheme and MSB Redundancy Version set to “0” HARQ Process Number N / A Modulation and Coding Scheme N / A Redundancy Version N / A

[00254] In some modes, the deactivation (or release) DCIs may have the following format: Table 4 - DCI Fields and Formats Field Value for DCI 0 TPC Command for PUSCH Programmed “00” Cyclic Shift DM RS “000” Modulation and Coding Scheme and Redundancy Version “11111” Resource Block Assignment and Set all to “1”s Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 63 / 145 58 / 134 Resource allocation for hopping; HARQ Process Number N / A; Modulation and Coding Scheme N / A; Redundancy Version N / A; Resource Block Assignment N / A

[00255] In some modes, the activation DCIs may have the following format: Table 5 - DCI Fields and Formats Field Value MCS / RV Initial MCS value, RV=0 NDI 0 (new transmission) Cyclic DMRS Offset Signal the first RS value in a given frame Resource Block Allocation Signal a first resource block allocation in a first time interval

[00256] In the format above, DCI activation also includes some information for semi-static resource configuration or an initial scheduling grant. When used for semi-static resource configuration. Based on the first RS value, first resource block in combination with resource jump sequence and RS jump sequence (or just predefined frame RS jump rule), the UE can ascertain the particular resource / RS allocation in each CTU.

[00257] In some modes, DCIs can be used to schedule a continuous transmission until an ACK is received instead of a single transmission. The transmission hopping pattern can be predefined, configured for UE in RRC signaling, or indicated in DCI format. The indicator for the continuous retransmission hopping pattern can be in an existing field, for example, defined in the resource block field, or in a new field, for example, a hopping index indicating the hopping pattern.

[00258] In some deployments, additional information regarding the allocation of concession-free resources may be provided by BS using DCIs. For example, DCIs may be used to provide the UE with, Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 64 / 145 59 / 134 information, such as a resource hop pattern or a reference signal (RS) hop pattern. In this scenario, RRC signaling may not need to configure the resource hop pattern and the reference signal (RS) hop pattern. In some modes, there may be new fields in DCI, such as the resource hop pattern or the RS hop pattern, which is similar to the field as described in relation to RRC signaling. In some scenarios, this information may be indicated in an existing DCI format. For example, the resource hop pattern may be indicated in the resource block assignment field. In some modes, the RS hop pattern may be indicated in the DMRS cyclic shift field.

[00259] RRC signaling assigns a grant-free UE ID or a group ID to a group of UEs. RRC signaling can also include defining the search space so that the UE knows where to search for DCI activation. Alternatively, this can be included in the system information broadcast by BS.

[00260] After receiving RRC signaling, the UE cannot yet perform concession-free transmission until the UE receives DCI signaling. In some cases, DCI signaling can serve as the activation of concession-free transmission. In some modes, DCI signaling serves only as a semi-static complementary signaling to help specify some concession-free resources for the UE. The UE needs to wait until it receives DCI activation before performing any concession-free transmission. In this way, the UE monitors the search space for at least activation and deactivation indicators, but also possibly additional resources that can be used by the UE to help determine the transmission resource.

[00261] The concession-free EU decodes DCIs using the assigned concession-free EU ID or group ID to enable or disable concession-free transmissions or additional information that may be used by the EU.

[00262] Referring to Figure 3G, steps 300 and 301 are the same as the steps in Figure 3F.

[00263] In step 302, BS sends a resource assignment of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 65 / 145 60 / 134 UL to UE transmission via RRC signaling after selecting the transmission resource to be used for the concession-free UE. RRC signaling includes a concession-free ID and other fields that may be consistent with existing SPS signaling and as described above. There may be other fields not used in LTE SPS signaling, such as the resource hopping pattern fields or concession-free frame interval fields described earlier in the disclosure. RRC signaling may optionally include all RRC signaling fields described for Figure 3A. RRC signaling may include resource periodicity, power control parameters, K-repeat number, a hopping flag indicating whether or not frequency hopping is used, etc.

[00264] Step 303 includes the UE checking for DCIs in a search space defined in the RRC signaling. In some deployments, DCIs may include additional information to be used by the UE to determine the concession-free transmission resource in combination with RRC signaling or system information. In some deployments, DCIs may include an activation indicator. The UE may search for DCIs in a search space defined in the RRC signaling or possibly a combination of RRC signaling and system signaling.

[00265] In step 3021, BS sends a DCI message that may include information or an activation indicator for use in defining the resource allocation to the UE.

[00266] In step 3032, the UE obtains all UL transmission resources. This may involve the UE using any of the RRC signaling information, system information, DCI information, or combinations thereof to determine the concession-free transmission resource.

[00267] In stage 3031, the first batch of data arrives at the concession-free UE for transmission to the base station.

[00268] In step 304, after the first batch of data arrives, the UE transmits the first batch of data based on the assigned concession-free transmission resource. Concession-free resources can be assigned to the UE in semi-static mode. Semi-static mode is Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 66 / 145 61 / 134 used in this document, in comparison to the dynamic option that operates in each time slot. For example, the semi-static mode can operate periodically with a given time period, for example, 200 or longer time slots. Once the lease-free UE obtains the allocated resources, it can transmit data using allocated resources immediately after the data arrives without obtaining a lease. The UE can transmit the initial transmission of the first batch of data using the allocated UL transmission resources. In some modes, once the first batch of data arrives in the lease-free UE temporary storage, the UE determines the CTU regions of the next time interval or the previous opportunity that it can access from the resource allocated to the UE.The UE determines the next time slot for CTU access after the data arrives; the UE searches for the CTU region within that time slot based on the assigned resource hop sequence. The UE can then transmit the initial first batch of data using that assigned CTU region and RS. The transmission may include an RS signal and a data signal.

[00269] In step 305, the BS detects the data after receiving the first batch of data transmission. In some embodiments, when the UE sends a message to the BS, the BS first attempts to detect the MA signature. The detection of the MA signature is called activity detection. If activity detection is successful, the BS knows that a UE has sent a concession-free uplink transmission. However, successful activity detection may or may not reveal the UE's identity to the BS. If there is a predefined RS pattern between a UE and an MA signature, for example, as shown in Tables 8 and 9 below, then successful activity detection reveals the identity of the UE that sent the concession-free uplink transmission. In some embodiments, activity detection may additionally include obtaining the UE ID, for example, if the UE ID is encoded separately from the data.

[00270] After successful activity detection, BS then attempts to perform channel estimation based on the MA signature and, Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, p. 67 / 145 Optionally, 62 / 134 additional reference signals are multiplexed with the data message, and then the data is decoded.

[00271] In step 306, the BS sends an ACK or NACK based on the decoding result. The BS attempts to decode the initial transmission of the first data batch by first performing activity detection by decoding the RS signal, then performing channel estimation using the RS signal, and finally attempting to decode the data. If the BS can successfully decode the data, the BS may send an ACK to the UE to confirm successful decoding. If the BS does not successfully decode the data, the BS may send a NACK to the UE or send no feedback at all. In some embodiments, after the initial transmission of the first data batch in step 304, the UE may choose to immediately retransmit the first data batch using the next available resources according to the resource allocation in step 303.In some other modes, the UE may wait for a predefined period and, if the UE receives an ACK within the predefined period, the UE will not perform the retransmission. After activation, the UE performs concession-free transmission on the allocated resources based on both RRC signaling and DCI activation.

[00272] In some modes, the UE does not constantly check for DCI after receiving DCI activation. In some modes, the UE monitors for DCI messages in case the BS can use DCI to switch the UE to grant-based transmission. In some modes, the UE monitors for DCI messages in case of DCI deactivation. In some modes, the UE can transmit in grant-based format until DCI activation is enabled.

[00273] The DCI message can also be used for deactivation. When the UE receives a deactivation DCI, it stops transmitting on lease-free resources.

[00274] DCIs for grant-free UE feature configuration or activation may include a first RS value, a first feature block, and a first MCS value in a first subframe. With this information in combination with the feature hop sequence and sequence of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 68 / 145 63 / 134 RS jumps that are configured in the RRC signaling, the UE can verify the exact resource / RS allocation in each CTU.

[00275] In some other modes, after RRC signaling, the UE may continue checking for additional DCI messages. If there are DCIs that dynamically schedule the UE for grant-based transmission, the grant-free UE may still have the ability to perform grant-based transmission based on the DCIs. After transmission, the grant-free UE may switch back to grant-free transmission. In some other modes, the DCIs may schedule an initial transmission to the UE, and also provide information such as MCS, initial RS, initial resource that helps configure the grant-free allocation of the UE in conjunction with RRC signaling.

[00276] Figure 3H illustrates another modality procedure for UL concession-free transmissions that includes the use of RRC signaling with complementary DCI signaling. A difference between Figure 3H and Figure 3G is that, in Figure 3H, DCI activation may provide only an activation signal and may not contain necessary information such as MCS, resource block, RS for UE resource configuration. The UE may not have all the necessary system or RRC information to enable initial transmission or retransmission and, therefore, additional information defining the transmission resource must be provided to the UE for the initial transmission or subsequent transmissions in additional DCIs beyond the activation DCIs.In Figure 3G, DCI activation may also have provided some additional resource configuration information, such as an initial MCS, RS, and resource block; therefore, the UE can initiate lease-free transmission after DCI activation.

[00277] Steps 300 and 301 are the same as the steps in Figure 3G.

[00278] In step 302, the BS sends a UL transmission resource assignment to the UE via RRC signaling after selecting the transmission resource to be used for the lease-free UE. The RRC signaling includes a lease-free ID and other fields that may be consistent with existing SPS signaling and as described above. There may be other fields not used in LTE SPS signaling, such as Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 69 / 145 64 / 134 the feature jump pattern fields or the grant-free frame range fields described earlier in the disclosure.

[00279] Step 303 includes the UE checking DCI in a lookup space defined in the RRC signaling. In some deployments, the DCI may include additional information to be used by the UE to determine the concession-free transmission resource in combination with the RRC signaling or system information. In some deployments, the DCI may include an activation indicator. The UE may search for the DCI in a lookup space defined in the RRC signaling or possibly a combination of the RRC signaling and system signaling.

[00280] In step 3021, BS sends a DCI message that may include an activation indicator.

[00281] In a repeat of step 303, the UE is again checking the search space for DCI.

[00282] In step 3022, BS transmits DCI for initial programming.

[00283] In step 3032, the UE obtains all UL transmission resources. This may involve the UE using any of the RRC signaling information, system information, DCI information, or combinations thereof to determine the concession-free transmission resource.

[00284] In stage 3031, the first batch of data arrives at the concession-free UE for transmission to the base station.

[00285] In step 304, after the first batch of data arrives, the UE transmits the first batch of data based on the assigned grant-free transmission resource. Grant-free resources can be assigned to the UE in semi-static mode. Semi-static mode is used in this document in comparison to the dynamic option that operates in each time slot. For example, semi-static mode can operate periodically with a given time period, for example, 200 or longer time slots. Once the grant-free UE obtains the assigned resources, it can transmit data using the assigned resources immediately after the data arrives without obtaining a grant. The UE can transmit the initial transmission of the first batch of data with the Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 70 / 145 65 / 134 Use of assigned UL transmission resources. In some embodiments, once the first batch of data arrives in the lease-free temporary UE storage, the UE determines the CTU regions of the next time slot or the previous opportunity that the UE can access from the resource assigned to the UE. The UE determines the next time slot for CTU access after the data arrives; the UE searches for the CTU region in that time slot based on the assigned resource hop sequence. The UE can then transmit the initial first batch of data using that CTU region and RS assigned to that region. The transmission may include an RS signal and a data signal.

[00286] In step 305, the BS detects the data after receiving the first batch transmission of data. In some embodiments, when the UE sends a message to the BS, the BS first attempts to detect the MA signature. The detection of the MA signature is called activity detection. If activity detection is successful, the base station knows that a UE has sent a concession-free uplink transmission. However, successful activity detection may or may not reveal the UE's identity to the BS. If there is a predefined RS pattern between a UE and an MA signature, for example, as shown in Tables 8 and 9 below, then successful activity detection reveals the identity of the UE that sent the concession-free uplink transmission. In some embodiments, activity detection may additionally include obtaining the UE ID, for example, if the UE ID is encoded separately from the data.

[00287] After successful activity detection, the BS then attempts to perform channel estimation based on the MA signature and, optionally, additional reference signals multiplexed with the data message, and then decode the data.

[00288] In step 306, the BS sends an ACK or NACK based on the decoding result. The BS attempts to decode the initial transmission of the first batch of data by first performing activity detection by decoding the RS signal, then performing channel estimation using the RS signal, and finally attempting to decode the data. If the BS can decode Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 71 / 145 66 / 134 If the data is successfully decoded, the BS may send an ACK to the UE to confirm successful decoding. If the BS does not successfully decode the data, the BS may send a NACK to the UE or send no feedback at all. In some modes, after the initial transmission of the first batch of data, in step 304, the UE may choose to immediately retransmit the first batch of data using the next available resources according to the resource allocation in step 303. In some other modes, the UE may wait for a predefined period and, if the UE receives an ACK within the predefined period, the UE will not perform the retransmission. After activation, the UE performs concession-free transmission on the allocated resources based on both RRC signaling and DCI activation.

[00289] In step 3026, the BS may transmit DCI for disabling or releasing the grant-free transmission feature. Although only a single transmission is shown before disabling / releasing, it is understood that there may be a series of transmissions, some of which are successfully decoded and others that are not, which may require retransmission, and any signaling that may encompass them. DCI for continuous transmission up to ACK

[00290] In some embodiments, DCIs can define a functionality that programs a transmission resource for multiple transmissions until a trigger is reached to stop the transmissions. For example, in one deployment, the resource might be programmed to transmit repeatedly from 1 to K times, including the initial transmission. Upon reaching a maximum of K times, the UE will stop using that resource to attempt to transmit that data. In another deployment, the resource might be programmed to transmit repeatedly until an ACK is received from the base station. Once the ACK is received, the UE will stop using that resource to attempt to transmit that data.

[00291] In order to implement the functionality, DCIs can include information to schedule an initial transmission for the data, as illustrated in step 3022 in Figure 3H. The transmission feature for Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 72 / 145 67 / 134 subsequent retransmissions may be known to the UE from a predefined pattern that is provided to the UE in at least one of the RRC signaling or other DCIs.

[00292] In some modes, an UE initiates initial grant-free transmission (or first packet) of a packet, where one or multiple retransmissions may be included in the initial transmission based on the UE's pre-configured grant-free feature. After the initial transmission, the UE will await ACK / NACK or a DCI signaling grant from the BS. If the NACK message (e.g., to the UE pilot), or nothing, is received, the UE will use the grant-free feature for retransmissions as configured, and if the DCI signaling includes a UL grant, the UE will switch to grant-based retransmissions, where the BS may optionally use other DCI-based signaling to change the grant-based retransmissions for the packet to grant-free retransmissions using the pre-configured features.

[00293] In other modes, indicated by another DCI signal, the first retransmission of a packet uses the concession-based resource, and the second N retransmission of the packet (when applicable) uses the concession-free allocated resources. In another mode, the first retransmission of a packet uses the concession-based resource, indicated by one DCI signal; and the second-N retransmission of the packet (when applicable) uses the concession-free allocated resources, indicated by another DCI signal. These changes may also be indicated by other indicators or options.For the next transmission of a new data packet, the UE still uses concession-free transmissions with a pre-allocated (or pre-configured) resource, which means that, under the concession-free scheme, the new data packet always uses concession-free transmissions and retransmissions, until the UE is notified by the BS to switch to concession-based transmissions for the retransmission packets.

[00294] For retransmissions of a packet, BS may use DCI signaling to switch to concession-based transmissions. In some modes, there may be new DCI signaling to switch to Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 73 / 145 68 / 134 retransmissions back to concession-free transmission mode with pre-configured features. The signaling of the new DCI signaling can be a bit. For example, in the DCI format, there may be a new field, an indicator of concession-free or concession-based transmission, where a value of 0 indicates that the retransmission is concession-based transmission and a value of 1 indicates that the retransmission is switching back to concession-free transmission.

[00295] There may be at least two types of UEs that are configured by the BS. The configuration can be done in the RRC signaling, control channel, or predefined for the UE. For the first type of UE, after the initial GF transmission, the UE only monitors an ACK / NACK message. There may be different possibilities for the UE to monitor an ACK. In some modes, the UE may continuously monitor ACK / NACK and conduct consecutive transmissions until the UE correctly receives an ACK. There may be a maximum number of consecutive transmissions K, the number K may be configured by the network, for example, through RRC signaling or configured in DCI. In some other modes, the UE may continuously transmit K transmissions where K is predefined or signaled. In another mode, the UE may wait for an ACK / NACK to arrive within a predefined time slot before retransmission.If the UE receives an ACK within the predefined time limit, the UE interrupts the retransmission; otherwise, the UE retransmits. In some other modes, the UE can continuously perform K transmissions before checking ACK / NACK feedback. If the UE does not receive an ACK when the UE checks, the UE can perform another K transmissions. In another mode, the UE can perform K continuous transmissions without checking ACK / NACK and enter a DRX / inactive mode. The ACK / NACK can be transmitted through a dedicated ACK / NACK channel, such as PHICH, or a control channel, for example, in DCI.

[00296] For the second type of UE, after initial concession-free transmission, the UE can monitor both ACK / NACK and programming information. Programming information is typically transmitted in DCI. Programming information may include resource blocks of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 74 / 145 69 / 134 transmission, reference signal, MCS, redundancy version (RV), and other transmission parameters. In some modes, the UE T monitoring interval (in subframe / TTI units) can be configured by the network. In some modes, T>1. In other modes, T=1.

[00297] The following description can be applied to all cases described in the disclosure. After a grant-free UE performs initial transmission, one option is for the UE to transmit continuously until an ACK is received, then the number of transmissions K is dynamic depending on channel conditions and ACK delay. Another option is to establish a fixed number for consecutive transmissions, for example, 3, 4, which is configured in a semi-static way. There are two options for determining the number of transmissions K. For a grant-free UL transmission occasion, K consecutive transmissions (or repeats) are performed without waiting for an ACK / NACK until K transmissions are completed. For a grant-free UL transmission occasion, up to K consecutive transmissions (or repeats) are performed with the expectation that an ACK may arrive at any time slot for early transmission termination.

[00298] Figure 3I illustrates another type of procedure for concession-free UL transmissions. As shown in Figure 3I, in step 300, a UE capable of concession-free transmissions first enters a network supported by a TRP or BS and can perform initial access, for example, by sending a preamble through a random access (RA) channel as part of a random access procedure (RACH) on an LTE network. The UE can signal to the BS an indication that the UE has concession-free transmission capability, for example, when the UE expects to transmit a large number of small data packets.

[00299] In step 301, the BS can receive the RACH RA preamble and select a UL transmission resource to be used by the UE. Modes for providing UL transmission resources may include a predefined MA hopping pattern in a frame. As an example, the MA hopping pattern may include a time resource hopping pattern. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 75 / 145 70 / 134 predefined frequency in a frame or a predefined RS hopping pattern, or both. The MA hopping pattern provides a universal RS and transmission resource mapping scheme that supports different amounts of UEs in uplink lease-free multiple access transmissions. The BS can obtain the predefined MA hopping pattern from the network, as an example, to save the MA hopping pattern, or the BS can obtain the MA hopping pattern by generating the MA hopping pattern itself based on a predefined pattern generation scheme or a predefined rule.

[00300] In step 302 of Figure 3I, the UE sends a UL transmission resource assignment to the UE after selecting the transmission resource to be used for the UE. In this mode, there are 3 options for allocating the transmission assignment. These will be described in more detail below.

[00301] In step 303, the UE obtains all transmission resources from UL. In some embodiments, the UE can derive transmission resources based on predefined rules described in this disclosure after receiving the transmission resource assignment. In some embodiments, the UE can query the tables and the predefined transmission resource hopping pattern after receiving the transmission resource assignment above. The UE can save the predefined transmission resource pattern and tables, and the UE can also update the predefined transmission resource pattern and tables after receiving the signaling to instruct the update information.

[00302] In step 304, when data arrives at the UE, the UE transmits a first batch of data based on the assigned transmission resource. Grant-free resources can be assigned to the UE in a semi-static manner. Once the grant-free UE obtains the assigned resources, the UE can transmit data using the assigned resources immediately after the data arrives without obtaining a grant. In step 304, the UE can transmit the initial first batch of data using the assigned UL transmission resources. Prior to step 304, the UE has determined the resources it can access from any method described above. In some deployments, step 304 may include the following procedure: once the first batch of data arrives at the UE's temporary storage, the UE determines the CTU regions of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 76 / 145 71 / 134 next time slot or the earliest opportunity you can access from the resource assigned to the UE. The process may be as follows: the UE determines the next time slot for CTU access after the data arrives, the UE searches the CTU region in that time slot based on the assigned resource hop sequence. The UE may then transmit the initial first batch of data using that CTU region and RS assigned to that region. The transmission may include an RS signal and a data signal. In step 305, the BS detects the data after receiving the first batch of data transmission. When the UE sends a message to the BS, the BS first attempts to detect the MA signature. The detection of the MA signature is called activity detection. If activity detection is successful, the BS knows that a UE has sent a grant-free uplink transmission.However, successful activity detection may or may not reveal the UE's identity to the BS. There is a predefined RS pattern between a UE and an MA signature, as shown in Tables 8 and 9, so successful activity detection reveals the identity of the UE that sent the grant-free uplink transmission. In some embodiments, activity detection may additionally include obtaining the UE ID, for example, if the UE ID is encoded separately from the data, as in example message 128 in Figure 6A described below.

[00303] After successful activity detection, the BS then attempts to perform channel estimation based on the MA signature and, optionally, additional reference signals multiplexed with the data message, and then decode the data.

[00304] In step 306, the BS sends an ACK or NACK based on the decoding result. The BS attempts to decode the initial transmission of the first batch of data by first performing activity detection by decoding the RS signal, then performing channel estimation using the RS signal, and finally attempting to decode the data. If the BS can successfully decode the data, it may send an ACK to the UE to confirm successful decoding. If the BS does not successfully decode the data, it may send a NACK to the UE or not send anything. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 77 / 145 72 / 134 any feedback in any way. In some modes, after the initial transmission of the first data batch, in step 304, the UE may choose to immediately retransmit the first data batch using the next available resources according to the resource allocation in step 303. In some other modes, the UE may wait for a predefined period; if the UE receives an ACK within the predefined period, the UE will not retransmit. Otherwise, the UE will retransmit the first data batch on the next available CTU resources after the waiting period.

[00305] When the second data batch arrives at the UE, the UE transmits the second data batch in step 307 based on the obtained transmission resource without communicating a corresponding transmission resource allocation to the network entity that assigns transmission resources to the UE. In step 308, the BS detects the data after receiving the second data batch transmission. Steps 307 to 309 perform similar activity to the activity in steps 304 to 306.

[00306] Figure 3J illustrates another procedure modality for UL concession-free transmissions. Comparing Figure 3I with Figure 3J, Figure 3J shows a retransmission process. The retransmission process can be an ARQ or HARQ process. HARQ retransmission can be implemented using Match by Seek (CC) or Incremental Redundancy (IR) as a similar HARQ process used in LTE. Steps 300, 301, 302, 303, and 304 are similar to the steps in Figure 3I. In step 305, the BS detects the data after receiving the first batch of data transmission. The decoding attempt may fail, and the BS may not send an ACK after the first transmission.

[00307] In step 3041, the UE sends the retransmission data packet based on the transmission capabilities obtained above based on Figures 5A to 5D, and Tables 7 to 10. In step 308, the BS attempts to decode the data after receiving the retransmission of the first batch of the signal. Decoding may involve combining signals received from the retransmission and initial transmission to decode the data signal. If the data is successfully decoded, in step 3061, the BS can send an ACK to the UE. The UE can continue retransmitting the first batch of data. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 78 / 145 73 / 134 using the next available resources according to the resource allocation in step 303, after step 3061, until an ACK is received, if an ACK is not received after the initial transmission. The resource used from the initial transmission for retransmissions may follow the resource and RS hopping pattern or assigned sequence. When the UE receives an ACK from the BS (e.g., after step 3061), in step 310, the UE may stop retransmitting the first batch of data.

[00308] In some situations, the first batch of data may have been successfully decoded, but the UE may not yet have received an ACK from the BS due to a delay. In this case, the UE may still retransmit the first batch of data, as in step 3041, until an ACK is received. The BS may receive redundant data since the data was decoded in previous transmissions. In this case, the BS may choose to discard the data signal received after successful decoding of the same batch of data.

[00309] Figure 3K illustrates another mode of procedures for grant-free UL transmissions. Resource regions can be allocated as grant-based only or a mixture of grant-free and grant-based. There may be no dedicated grant-free region since a BS can determine the possibility of scheduling anything in a grant-free region. Alternatively or additionally, resource regions can be allocated for different applications. For example, an mMTC region can be different from an URLLC region, since mMTC regions can be divided into sub-regions for different levels of coverage. URLLCs can be assigned to the mixed grant-free / grant-based region only when eMBB can always be scheduled or in any region. Comparing with Figure 3I, in step 3001 of Figure 3K, the UE receives signaling to instruct the UE to perform the grant-free mode.In this situation, the BS finds that the UE has a batch of small data packets to transmit, and selects the concession-free transmission resource to indicate that the UE should transmit in concession-free mode. In some modes, the BS may instruct the UE to perform concession-free mode and allocate the concession-free transmission resources. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 79 / 145 74 / 134 of concession at the same time, for example, stage 3001 and stage 302 can be signaled in one stage. Stages 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308 and 309 are similar to the same stages in Figure 3I. RS for transmission / retransmission identification

[00310] In some of the examples above, a single RS is assigned to a UE. When an RS is also used to identify initial transmission / retransmission attempt(s) and a redundancy version (RV), multiple RSs or a tuple of RSs may be assigned to a single UE. Initial transmissions and retransmissions may use different RVs. When data is encoded, the encoded bits may be partitioned into different sets (which may possibly overlap each other). Each set is a different RV. For example, some RVs may have more parity bits than other RVs. Each RV is identified by an RV index (e.g., RV 0, RV 1, RV 2, ...etc.). When an uplink transmission is sent using a particular RV, then only the encoded bits that correspond to that RV are transmitted.Different channel codes can be used to generate the encoded bits, for example, turbocodes, low-density parity check (LDPC) codes, polar codes, etc. An error control encoder in a UE can perform channel encoding. In order to decode the data, it may be necessary for a base station to know the RV index of the data being received in a concession-free uplink transmission, unless there is only one predefined RV.

[00311] For example, when only one RS is assigned to a single UE, p1 can be assigned to UE1. When two RSs are assigned to a single UE, p11 can indicate an initial transmission attempt and p12 can indicate any retransmission attempts. When more than two RSs are assigned to a single UE, p11 can indicate an initial transmission, and each subsequent retransmission attempt can be indicated by p12 (RV2), p13 (RV3), p14 (RV1), etc. Fixed group assignment

[00312] As illustrated in Figure 5F, the grouping of UEs may not change with the fixed group assignment scheme. Different resources 402 to 408 can be assigned to each group of UEs for each time interval. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 80 / 145 75 / 134 within a frame. The RS can be reused between different groups, but it can be different between UEs in the same group to avoid RS collisions. For example, UEs 1 to 6 can be assigned six different RS sequences, but UE 1 and UE 7 can be assigned the same RS sequence. UEs can be assigned to groups via broadcast channel or RRC signaling. Group-based signaling, such as group-based selective broadcast DCI, can be used to change the feature hopping pattern of groups. If a UE is assigned a fixed ID between each group, the UE can select its RS based on its ID between groups without extra signaling. RSs assigned to each UE can follow a pseudorandom hopping pattern so that two UEs cannot collide with each other. A seed or sequence can represent the RS hopping pattern.When the number of UEs exceeds the number of available RSs that can support, a BS can signal via broadcast or RRC signaling so that the remaining UEs can randomly select physical resources and RS hopping patterns.

[00313] The fixed clustering feature pattern can also be generated using the cyclic shift method. A first cyclic shift number between the UE set i and the UE set i-1, at time interval index k, is equal to a second cyclic shift number between the UE set i and the UE set i-1, at time interval index k-1, where k is any value from 1 to M, and i is 2 to N. In some embodiments, the UE set i, at time interval index k, has a cyclic shift relationship with the UE set i, at time interval index k-1. This cyclic shift procedure ensures that the same UE has different frequency location indices at different time intervals in a frame, which provides frequency diversity gain.

[00314] The fixed grouping feature pattern can also be generated using an equation-based rule, for example, the frequency location index of a UE = (UE index + time slot index + constant) mod (number of frequency partitions M). The difference between the fixed group feature pattern equation (Figure 5F) and the UE regrouping feature pattern (Figure 5A), described earlier, is that the UE set index is always set to 1. Similarly to the pattern of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 81 / 145 76 / 134 UE regrouping feature, described in Figure 5A, the feature pattern can be fixed from frame to frame or it can change from frame to frame following a predefined pattern. For example, a frame number or cell ID can be added to the equation in a similar way to the method described for the UE regrouping feature pattern (Figure 5A).

[00315] Figure 4 illustrates one embodiment of method 400 for universal resource allocation (e.g., MA hopping pattern) for UL grant-free transmissions, as can be performed by a wireless device such as a controller (e.g., base station (BS), gNB, etc.). Referring to Figure 4, method 400 begins at step 410, where a plurality of user equipment (UEs) is grouped by the BS into a first set of groups based on a predefined rule. The plurality of UEs is grouped based on a cyclic shift scheme or a pseudo-random scheme to generate the time-frequency resource hopping pattern; the plurality of UEs is grouped based on an RS collision avoidance scheme to generate the RS hopping pattern.Based on the cyclic shifting scheme or pseudorandom scheme above, UEs can be grouped differently in each grant-free resource so that the same UEs do not always collide with each other. The cyclic shifting scheme can ensure that, when the number of UEs is below a certain threshold, two UEs do not belong to the same group in two grant-free opportunities if the number of partitions is a prime number and greater than or equal to the number of grant-free resource opportunities that a UE can access in a frame.

[00316] Based on the RS collision avoidance scheme above, RS sequence assignment can be determined based on time-frequency resource assignment results to avoid RS collisions on the same time-frequency resources. An RS cluster can be gradually expanded from orthogonal pilot sequences to non-orthogonal pilot sequences and then to a random pilot sequence cluster as more concession-free UEs enter the system. An index of the mapping scheme can be updated based on a change in at least one of the traffic load, a number of UE plurality, Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 82 / 145 77 / 134 RS resources or time-frequency resources, and the update can be transmitted to the UEs through at least one of the following: system information, a broadcast channel, a common control channel, or a UE-specific control channel. These and other aspects are described in more detail below.

[00317] As mentioned above, RS detection can be crucial for concession-free communications, and an RS collision avoidance scheme for concession-free communications is desirable. It should be noted that while RS is described as a preferred mode in this disclosure, the modes described herein are also applicable to other multiple access (MA) signatures. An MA signature may include (but is not limited to) at least one of the following: a codebook / codeword, a sequence, an interleaver or mapping pattern, a demodulation reference signal (e.g., a channel estimation reference signal), a preamble, a spatial dimension, and a power dimension. The term “pilot” refers to a signal that includes at least one reference signal.In some modes, the pilot may include the demodulation reference signal (DMRS), possibly in conjunction with a channel estimation-driven preamble or a random access channel preamble (RACH similar to LTE).

[00318] In some modes, when a new lease-free UE accesses the network or a lease-free UE leaves the network and releases the MA resource, the network or BS may update the predefined MA hopping pattern based on the rules above.

[00319] Method 400 proceeds to step 420, where the plurality of UEs is regrouped into a second set of groups. Subsequently, time-frequency resources are reassigned based on the second set of groups for a second time interval.

[00320] To take advantage of channel diversity and user traffic imbalance between resource units, (re)grouping of resource units with some resource hopping can be considered for different transmissions if multiple resource units are available for each transmission slot. Namely, resource units can be configured in Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 83 / 145 78 / 134 different frequency locations and in different time slots following some pre-configured hopping patterns. UEs can then have transmissions on different resource units in different time slots, resulting in UE (re)grouping in transmission slots. In this document, the different transmissions can be initial transmissions or retransmissions from a UE. Figures 5A to 5D are examples to demonstrate the idea, where the number of UEs sharing the same resource units is limited, and the resource units in consecutive retransmissions have different frequency locations. One of the benefits of such a resource hopping scheme with UE (re)grouping is to balance resource usage between different resource units in cases where non-uniform traffic loads occur between resource units. Semi-static update of GF resources without reconfiguring UE grouping.

[00321] A network or a BS can update the amount of lease-free resources based on traffic load, number of UEs, RS resources, or physical resources. Lease-free resources can include several predefined patterns, and each pattern can represent a specific amount of lease-free resources allocated among all resources with a fixed pattern(s). In one mode, the lease-free resource configuration and update can indicate only one index of the pattern used. The BS can notify UEs of the lease-free resource allocation update through system information, a broadcast channel, or a common control channel.

[00322] When grant-free resources increase or decrease, the sequence can be punctured to maintain collision-free RS allocation and controlled collision UE grouping without signaling individual UEs. As illustrated in Figure 5G, after halving grant-free resources, the number of opportunities can be halved, but the maximum number of collisions and RS resource requirements can remain the same. As shown in the example in Figure 5G, since half of the grant-free resources are eliminated, the automatic resource jump sequence update can be: Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 84 / 145 79 / 134

[00323] UE1: 0, 0, 0, 1 => 0, 0;

[00324] UE2: 0, 1, 1, 1 => 0, 1;

[00325] UE3: 1.0, 1.0 => 1, 1; and

[00326] UE4: 1, 1, 0, 0 => 1, 0, where 0, 1 denote frequency location index, and p1, p2 denote different pilot sequences for UEs assigned with the same frequency time feature. Thus, the original feature jump sequences “0, 0, 0, 1”, “0, 1, 1, 1”, “1, 0, 1, 0” and “1, 1, 0, 0” are for time intervals 1, 2, 3 and 4, and the updated feature jump sequences “0, 0”, “0, 1”, “1, 1” and “1, 0” are for time intervals 1 and 3. The cyclic displacement scheme

[00327] The clustering based on the cyclic shift scheme is for clustering the time-frequency resource hopping pattern, wherein the time-frequency resource hopping pattern comprises M transmission resources allocated to N sets of UEs at time interval index k, wherein each set of UEs comprises M UEs, wherein the set of UE i, at time interval index k, has a cyclic shift relationship with the set of UE i-1, at time interval index k. In some embodiments, the set of UE i, at time interval index k, has a cyclic shift relationship with the set of UE i, at time interval index k-1, wherein k is any value from 1 to M, and i is 1 to N.In some embodiments, where a first cyclic displacement number between the set of UE i and the set of UE i-1, at time interval index k, is different from a second cyclic displacement number between the set of UE i and the set of UE i-1, at time index k-1, where k is any value from 1 to M, and i is 2 to N. In some embodiments, where a first cyclic displacement number between the set of UE i and the set of UE i-1, at time interval index k, is equal to a second cyclic displacement number between the set of UE i and the set of UE i-1, at time index k-1, where k is any value from 1 to M, and i is 2 to N.

[00328] Figures 5A to 5D illustrate a resource allocation and jump scheme based on the cyclic displacement scheme. Each block in Figures 5A to 5D, such as CTU 0 to CTU 19, represents a Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 85 / 145 80 / 134 time-frequency resource. It should be noted that although the time-frequency resources shown in Figures 5A to 5D are the same, in other modalities, the time-frequency resources assigned to each UE group may not be the same. The numbers 0 to 19 within each time-frequency resource block may denote UE group index. The time location index 0 to 4 may represent time intervals 1 to 4; the location index may represent continuous time intervals or non-continuous time intervals. In one modality, the time location index 0 to 4 may correspond to subframes 0 to 3. In another modality, the time location index 0 to 4 may correspond to subframes 0, 2, 4, and 6, or other subframes in other modalities.

[00329] Referring to Figure 5A as an example, Figure 5A shows a predefined time-frequency location of 20 CTU regions in each frame. The 20 CTU regions can be indexed as CTU 0 to CTU 19, as shown in Figure 5A and Table 6. The size and time-frequency location of the CTU regions are known to both the BS and the GF UEs. If the UEs know the CTU region index to access, they can ascertain the time and physical frequency location of the CTU region to access. Table 7 shows the predefined time-frequency location table for different CTU regions shown in Figure 5A. Since the table is known to the UE before performing a concession-free transmission, the UE can ascertain the time-frequency location of the CTU region if the CTU index is known. For example, a CTU 10 has a time-frequency location (t3, f1).The time frequency location can be an index of time slots, frequency bands, or it can be a time interval with known initial and final frequency and time bands with a known initial and final bandwidth. Table 6 - EU index map and transmission resource hopping pattern EU Time Index EU Time Index 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 1 CTU 0 CTU 6 CTU 12 CTU 18 11 CTU 0 CTU 8 CTU 11 CTU 19 2 CTU 1 CTU 7 CTU 13 CTU 19 12 CTU 1 CTU 9 CTU 12 CTU 15 Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 86 / 145 81 / 134 3 CTU 2 CTU 8 CTU 14 CTU 15 13 CTU 2 CTU 5 CTU 13 CTU 16 4 CTU 3 CTU 9 CTU 10 CTU 16 14 CTU 3 CTU 6 CTU 14 CTU 17 5 CTU 4 CTU 5 CTU 11 CTU 17 15 CTU 4 CTU 7 CTU 10 CTU 18 6 CTU 0 CTU 7 CTU 14 CTU 16 16 CTU 0 CTU 9 CTU 13 CTU 17 7 CTU 1 CTU 8 CTU 10 CTU 17 17 CTU 1 CTU 5 CTU 14 CTU 18 8 CTU 2 CTU 9 CTU 11 CTU 18 18 CTU 2 CTU 6 CTU 10 CTU 19 9 CTU 3 CTU 5 CTU 12 CTU 19 19 CTU 3 CTU 7 CTU 11 CTU 15 10 CTU 4 CTU 6 CTU 13 CTU 15 20 CTU 4 CTU 8 CTU 12 CTU 16 Table 7 - Example of a time frequency location table for different CTU regions Time location Frequency location Time location Frequency location CTU 0 t1 f1 CTU 10 t3 f1 CTU 1 t1 f2 CTU 11 t3 f2 CTU 2 t1 f3 CTU 12 t3 f3 CTU 3 t1 f4 CTU 13 t3 f4 CTU 4 t1 f5 CTU 14 t3 f5 CTU 5 t2 f1 CTU 15 t4 f1 CTU 6 t2 f2 CTU 16 t4 f2 CTU 7 t2 f3 CTU 17 t4 f3 CTU 8 t2 f4 CTU 18 t4 f4 CTU 9 t2 f5 CTU 19 t4 f5

[00330] In some modes, the time-frequency locations of the CTU regions may not be predefined, but configured in a semi-persistent manner. They may be signaled on the broadcast channel or common control channel. A UE may decode the information before accessing the network or at least before performing a concession-free transmission.

[00331] A subframe can typically represent a time interval for each concession-free resource, or a time interval in which an UE has at least one opportunity to access a concession-free resource. A subframe can be an LTE / 5G subframe, a time slot, a TTI, a few milliseconds, etc. The subframe or location index of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 87 / 145 82 / 134 time 0 to 3 shown in Figures 5A to 5D may be a logical index that can map to a different physical feature index. A frame typically represents a time period in which a feature or RS pattern may begin to repeat or change based on a predefined rule. The terms “subframe index”, “time location index”, “time index”, and “time slot index” are used interchangeably throughout this disclosure.

[00332] An UE may have the ability to access one or more grant-free access opportunities at each time unit, for example, TTI, time interval, or subframe. A UE may be assigned physical resource or RS hop sequences that indicate the resource hop pattern and an RS index or RS hop pattern index. RS and resource hop patterns may include different RS and resource assignments for grant-free opportunities within a frame and may be a repeating pattern for each frame or any time unit / frequency defined in the frame structure. In mMTC, the pattern may differ within a superframe and may repeat across each superframe. The RS and physical resource assignment pattern may also change within each frame / superframe, but may follow a predefined rule that is known to both the BS and the UEs.

[00333] With the feature jump pattern generation based on cyclic shifting, it is assumed that M is the number of partitions, such as frequency partitions (or the number of frequency location indices), and L is the number of free grant opportunities for each UE per frame (or the number of time location indices). In Figure 5A, M=5 and L=4. If M is a prime number and M>=L, when the number of UEs is less than or equal to M2, all UEs can be assigned to groups so that no two UEs belong to the same group in two opportunities within a frame. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 88 / 145 83 / 134

[00334] For the first M number of UEs or the first set of M UEs, M distinct permutations of UE indices can be found, L permutations among the M distinct permutations can be chosen, and the L chosen permutations can be mapped to the M frequency locations of the L time location indices. M distinct permutations can be generated by cyclically shifting a permutation pattern. For example, the UE indices 1 to 5 in order may include M distinct permutations {1 2 3 4 5}, {5 1 2 3 4}, {4 5 1 2 3}, {3 4 5 1 2}, and {2 3 4 5 1}, which are generated by cyclically shifting the permutation {1 2 3 4 5} with cyclic shift numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, respectively. This cyclic shifting procedure ensures that the same UE has different frequency location indices at different time intervals within a frame, which provides frequency diversity gain.

[00335] In general, any L of the M permutations can be used for grant-free resource pattern generation. In this example, only the first four permutations are used for grant-free opportunities within a frame since L=4. The first four permutations {1 2 3 4 5}, {5 1 2 3 4}, {4 5 1 2 3} and {3 4 5 1 2} can be used for time intervals 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The order of the indices in each permutation corresponds to the frequency location indices. For the next M UEs or the second set of M UEs, the previous allocation of M UEs can be cyclically shifted by the subframe index or time location index relative to the locations of the first set of M UEs in the same subframe: {6 7 8 9 10}, {9 10 6 7 8}, {7 8 9 10 6} and {10 6 7 8 9}.Similarly, the next set of M UEs for each subframe or time location can be cyclically shifted by the subframe index relative to the previous set of M UEs {11 12 13 14 15}, {13 14 15 11 12}, {15 11 12 13 14}, and {12 13 14 15 11}. The mapping of the last M UEs, or the fourth set of M UEs, can therefore be {16 17 18 19 20}, {17 18 19 20 16}, {18 19 20 16 17}, and {19 20 16 17 18} for the four time intervals. It should be noted that cyclic shifting by subframe index is used as a preferred method in this disclosure, and another number may be used for the cyclic shifting procedure in another method. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, page 89 / 145 84 / 134

[00336] UEs from the same location from the sets to a corresponding subframe can be grouped into a group and assigned to the same time-frequency resource. For example, in time interval 1, UEs 1, 6, 11, and 16, in the first location of each set, are grouped and assigned time-frequency resource CTU 0. It should be noted that the terms “set” and “group” are used in this document to differentiate between the permutation of UEs and groups of UEs for resource assignment. For example, UEs 1 to 5 are in the first set of UEs, but in different groups for resource assignment.Referring to time intervals 1, 2, 3, and 4 in Figure 5A as an example, compared to time interval 1, the cyclic displacement number of the first set of UEs from UEs 1 to 5, in time interval 2, is 1; compared to time interval 2, the cyclic displacement number of the first set of UEs from UEs 1 to 5, in time interval 3, is 1; compared to time interval 3, the cyclic displacement number of the first set of UEs from UEs 1 to 5, in time interval 4, is 1. Compared to time interval 1, the cyclic displacement number of the second set of UEs from UEs 6 to 10, in time interval 2, is 2; compared to time interval 2, the cyclic displacement number of the second set of UEs from UEs 6 to 10, in time interval 3, is 2; Compared to time interval 3, the number of cyclic displacements of the second set of UEs from UEs 6 to 10, in time interval 4, is 2.Compared to time interval 1, the cyclical shift number of the third set of EUs from EUs 11 to 15, in time interval 2, is 3; compared to time interval 2, the cyclical shift number of the third set of EUs from EUs 11 to 15, in time interval 3 is 3; compared to time interval 3, the cyclical shift number of the third set of EUs from EUs 11 to 15, in time interval 4, is 3. Compared to time interval 1, the cyclical shift number of the fourth set of EUs from EUs 16 to 20, in time interval 2, is 4; compared to time interval 2, the cyclical shift number of the fourth set of EUs from EUs 16 to 20, in time interval 3, is 4; In comparison to time interval 3, the fourth set of EUs from EUs 16 to 20, in time interval 4, is 4. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 90 / 145 85 / 134

[00337] Compared to Figure 5A, the difference from Figure 5B is that the first to fourth sets of UE clustering patterns in time interval 4 are moved to time interval 2, the UE clustering pattern in time interval 2 is moved to time interval 3, and the UE clustering pattern in time interval 3 is moved to time interval 4. Based on this alternative design, the time-frequency resource hopping pattern in time intervals 1 to 4 can still satisfy the requirement that the same CUT cannot be allocated to any two UEs in time intervals 1 to 4. Figure 5B shows only one example; however, it should be understood that the UE clustering pattern in one time interval can be moved to another time interval.

[00338] Physical resources can be assigned to a UE that provides a unique definition of grant-free (GF) resources used for each frame. Time-frequency resources in a frame can be partitioned for this purpose. For example, an entire uplink transmission bandwidth can be divided into a number of partitions for a time period, such as each time slot in a frame, and each time-frequency resource block can be assigned to UE(s). The physical resource allocation pattern can differ within a frame and can repeat in each frame. The physical resource allocation pattern can also change in each frame, but it can follow a predefined rule that is known to both the BS and the UEs. For example, this can be implemented by adding a frame number, as described in more detail later in this disclosure.In comparison to Figure 5A, the difference in Figure 5C is that the first to fourth sets of EU clustering patterns in time intervals 1 to 4 of frame n have the same clustering pattern in time intervals 1 to 4 of frame n+1. Figure 5C only provides an example of the same clustering pattern in a different frame; alternatively, a different clustering pattern can be adopted in a different frame. For example, frame n adopts the clustering pattern of Figure 5A, and frame n+1 adopts the clustering pattern of Figure 5B.

[00339] Figure 5C also illustrates a resource allocation scheme for automatic retransmissions until an ACK is received, Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 91 / 145 86 / 134 as discussed above. As shown, the data arrives for UE 1 to transmit before time index 1 of frame n, and UE 1 performs an initial data transmission at time index 1 of frame n using a resource with frequency index 1. At time indices 2 and 3 of frame n and at time index 0 of frame (n+1), UE 1 performs the first, second, and third retransmissions of the data using resources with frequency indices 2, 3, and 0, respectively. UE 1 interrupts the retransmission after receiving an ACK at time index 1 of frame (n+1).

[00340] Similarly to Figure 5C, if the UE arrives between time index 1 and time index 2, UE1 can perform an initial data transmission at time index 2 of frame n using a resource with frequency index 2. UE1 can then perform the first and second retransmissions (or repetitions) of the data using the resource with time index 3, frequency index 3 of frame n and time index 0, frequency index 0 of frame n+1, respectively. The UE can interrupt the retransmission / repetition when the number of transmissions / repetitions reaches K or a UL grant indicating that a retransmission is received, and optionally, the repetition can be interrupted if the UE receives an ACK from the BS.

[00341] There are several advantages to the UE regrouping scheme with the feature hopping pattern defined in Figures 5A to 5D compared to the fixed grouping scheme (such as the feature pattern defined in Figure 5F) when combined with the UE retransmission scheme. First, as can be seen in Figure 5C, the feature units in consecutive retransmissions for the same UE have different frequency locations; this provides a frequency diversity gain compared to the case where transmission / retransmission used the same frequency band. Second, the design in all Figures 5A to 5D and 5F limited the number of potential collisions in each CTU to a maximum number (4 in the example of Figures 5A to 5D and 5F for 20 UEs). Third, the UE regrouping scheme can prevent continuous transmission of two or more UEs in different transmission attempts and retransmissions of the same data.For example, EU 1 and EU 10 may carry out initial concession-free transmission on the same account. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 92 / 145 87 / 134 CTU 6 in Figure 5C. In the next time slot, the UE 1 retransmission jumped to CTU 12 while the UE 10 retransmission jumped to CTU 13, thus avoiding continuous collision of the two UEs in the next time slot. For a fixed UE grouping scheme, as defined in Figure 5F, two UEs that collide in the initial transmission may continuously collide in the retransmission. Fourth, UE regrouping can better handle user traffic imbalance. For example, in Figures 5A to 5D, if the UE groups in CTU 0 (UE 1, UE 6, UE 11, UE 16) all have very high data arrival rates compared to other UEs where they may collide with high probability, in the next slot, due to UE regrouping, the four UEs will be redistributed to different groups, thus reducing the probability of collision.Therefore, cyclic shifting and other methods used to design the feature hopping pattern aim to reduce the probability that two UEs will be grouped into clusters in multiple locations at consecutive or nearby time intervals.

[00342] Figure 5C shows an example of the process in Figure 3B with the resource pattern defined in Figure 5A. In Figure 5C, two frames with a repeated resource pattern for each frame are shown. In this example, from the resource assignment, UE 1 found that the resource hopping sequence or pattern for UE 1 is CTU 0, CTU 6, CTU 12, CTU 18. The first batch of data for UE 1 arrives between time location index 0 and 1. Therefore, the next time interval for UE 1 is time location 1. Therefore, UE 1 performs continuous transmission / retransmission of the first batch of data in the resource region CTU 6 of Frame n, CTU 12 of Frame n, CTU 18 of Frame n and CTU 0 of Frame n+1. UE 1 then receives an ACK from TRP between time location 0 and 1 in frame n+1. As a result, UE 1 stops any further retransmission of the first batch of data.

[00343] To generate a resource allocation pattern, such as that defined by Figure 5A, two methods are described above: a cyclic shift method and a pseudorandom method. UEs can be grouped differently in each grant-free resource so that the same UEs do not always collide with each other. The method of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 93 / 145 88 / 134 cyclic shifting can ensure that two UEs do not belong to the same group in two grant-free opportunities if the number of partitions is a prime number and greater than or equal to the number of grant-free resource opportunities that a UE can access in a frame when the total number of UEs is below some threshold.

[00344] Figure 5D illustrates an exemplary resource group hopping and UE resource regrouping over retransmissions, compared to Figures 5A, 5B and 5C. The difference from Figure 5D is that CTU 5 occupies the frequency resource fn, and not the frequency resource f1 in Figure 5A; CTU 15 occupies the frequency resource fn, and not the frequency resource f1 in Figure 5A. The use of different frequency resources can provide some frequency diversity gain when combined with the retransmission scheme. Feature jump sequence generation based on pseudorandom method

[00345] Feature jump pattern generation can also be achieved using a pseudorandom scheme. The pseudorandom method means that once determined, the clustering can be fixed later. A pseudorandom method can be generated as follows. After the first M UEs are assigned to a cluster using distinct permutations, the 2nd and subsequent sets of UEs that may collide with the first set of M UEs can be assigned in the same order as the first set of UEs to the first subframe or time interval in a frame. The first set of UEs are UEs 1-M, the second set of UEs are UEs (M+1)-(2M), the third set of UEs are UEs (2M+1)-(3M), etc. For the second and each subsequent subframe, the frequency partition can be randomly selected for one UE to avoid all other UEs that were clustered together with the UE before.Furthermore, the partition that an UE chooses must also exclude all partitions that previous UEs selected in the same set. For example, since UE 8 and UE 3 can access the same grant-free resources in the first subframe, UE 8 will avoid selecting the same partition as UE 3 in the second subframe. Additionally, UE 8 cannot be placed in groups with UEs 6 and 7. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 94 / 145 89 / 134 that are in the same set.

[00346] In another embodiment, the resource hopping sequence based on a pseudorandom method can be generated in the following ways. For a set of M UEs as defined previously, the BS can list all possible permutations of the M UE index. For example, for the first set of M users, in Figure 5A, where M=5, one can have permutations {1,2,3,4,5}, {1,3,5,4,2}, {2, 1, 4, 3, 5}, {3,4, 5, 2, 1}, {5, 1, 4, 2, 3} ... etc. Then, the BS can randomly select L permutations from all possible permutations to be mapped onto the L subframes in the resource allocation pattern (e.g., in Figure 5A) for each time location index. The resource sequence (RS) can be determined by the same method described previously, either fixed or with a jump sequence, but with a guarantee that there will be no RS collision with other UEs in the same group. Then, the BS can send the resource and the RS jump sequences determined from the resource clustering mapping to the UE.

[00347] In another embodiment, the pseudorandom method above can be applied over the cyclic shift method when the number of UEs is greater than a threshold. This is because, when the number of UEs is greater than a certain number, it may not be possible to guarantee that two UEs will not access the same grant-free resource twice within a frame. In this case, it may be better to apply the pseudorandom method when the number of UEs is greater than a threshold. For example, in Figure 5A, the pseudorandom scheme can be applied when the number of UEs is greater than 20. RS Standard

[00348] The RS sequence assignment can be determined based on the time-frequency resource assignment results to avoid RS collisions on the same time-frequency resources. An RS can be assigned to each set of UEs for an entire frame, as shown in Table 8, for example, RSs P1 to P6 can be assigned as: P1 to UE1 to 5, P2 to UE6 to 10, P3 to UE11 to 15, P4 to UE16 to 20, P5 to UE21, and P6 reserved for concession-based (GB) communications. Alternatively, the same RS can still be assigned to each set of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 95-145 90 / 134 UEs, but the RS can skip subframes within a frame, as shown in Table 9. P1 to P6 can represent the same RS, different RS skipping patterns, or multiple RS tuples (e.g., for retransmission identification). Thus, for the RS index assigned to different UEs on the same physical resource, the RSs can be distinct, for example, by using an RS index permutation for each transmission time interval (TTI). For example, RS skipping indices 1 to 6 can mean: P1: 1, 2, 3, 4; P2: 2, 3, 4, 5; P3: 3, 4, 5, 6; P4: 4, 5, 6, 1; P5: 5, 6, 1, 2; P6 (reserved for GB or for a GF UE to access all opportunities): 6, 1, 2, 3. Table 8 - RS index table (RS fixed in a frame) UE Index Time Location Index UE Index Time Location Index 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 1 p1 p1 p1 p1 11 p3 p3 p3 p3 2 p1 p1 p1 p1 12 p3 p3 p3 p3 3 p1 p1 p1 p1 13 p3 p3 p3 p3 4 p1 p1 p1 p1 14 p3 p3 p3 p3 5 p1 p1 p1 p1 15 p3 p3 p3 p3 6 p2 p2 p2 p2 16 p4 p4 p4 p4 7 p2 p2 p2 p2 17 p4 p4 p4 p4 8 p2 p2 p2 p2 18 p4 p4 p4 p4 9 p2 p2 p2 p2 19 p4 p4 p4 p4 10 p2 p2 p2 p2 20 p4 p4 p4 p4 Table 9 - RS index table (with RS jump) EU Index Time Location Index EU Index Time Location Index 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 1 p1 p2 p3 p4 11 p3 p4 p5 p6 2 p1 p2 p3 p4 12 p3 p4 p5 p6 3 p1 p2 p3 p4 13 p3 p4 p5 p6 4 p1 p2 p3 p4 14 p3 p4 p5 p6 Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 96 / 145 91 / 134 5 p1 p2 p3 p4 15 p3 p4 p5 p6 6 p2 p3 p4 p5 16 p4 p5 p6 p1 7 p2 p3 p4 p5 17 p4 p5 p6 p1 8 p2 p3 p4 p5 18 p4 p5 p6 p1 9 p2 p3 p4 p5 19 p4 p5 p6 p1 10 p2 p3 p4 p5 20 p4 p5 p6 p1

[00349] The examples above show RS assignment within a The RS assignment can change from frame to frame while avoiding RS collisions. As one example, each UE can add a frame number modulo the total number of RS to the index. As another example, the RS assignment or RS index can skip frames, for example, RS index = index assigned to frame 0 + (frame node) + (cell ID) mod (total available RS). The terms “frame node” and “(cell ID) mod (total available RS)” are optional in this equation. The term “frame node” denotes frame index in this document, and mod denotes a remaining operator. Alternatively, the RS index can skip subframes or time intervals within a frame, for example, to ensure that there is no RS collision at each GF opportunity.For example, RS index = index assigned to frame 0 + (frame node) + (cell ID) mod (total available RS) + (subframe node) mod (total available RS), where “frame node”, “(cell ID) mod (total available RS)”, and “(subframe node) mod (total available RS)” are optional.

[00350] The time / subframe location index of the resource allocation pattern can be shuffled to improve time-frequency resource utilization or communication efficiency, for example, to maximize frequency diversity. For example, the original time-frequency assignment result obtained from the above method, as shown in Figure 5A, can be shuffled to obtain the result shown in Figure 5B. As in the example shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the assignment result in time interval 2 in Figure 5A is moved to time interval 3 in Figure 5B, and the assignment result in time interval 4 in Figure 5A is moved to time interval 2 in Figure 5B. Alternatively or additionally, the frequency location index corresponding to groups in the same time interval can be shuffled. For example, the index of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 97 / 145 92 / 134 frequency 0 and frequency index 1, in the same time interval, can be swapped. Thus, in Figure 5B, the CTU assignment results can be swapped.

[00351] The time-frequency assignment method above can be represented in an equation, such as, for example, frequency location index of a UE = (UE index + (UE set index) * time slot index + constant) mod (number of frequency partitions M), where the UE set index = floor ((UE index-1) / M)+1, and the time location index and the frequency location index start at 0. For example, for UE 12 and M=5, UE set index=2. At time location index 2, using constant=-1, then the frequency index of UE_12= (12+3*2 -1) mod 5=2, as shown in Figure 5A.

[00352] In another embodiment, the time slot or time location index can be a subframe index or some other time index. In yet another embodiment, a frame index can be added and the above equation: frequency index of a UE = (UE index + (UE set index) * time slot index + frame index + constant) mod (number of frequency partitions M). In yet another embodiment, a cell ID can be added and the above equation can be: frequency location index of a UE = (UE index + (UE set index) * time slot index + cell ID + constant) mod (number of frequency partitions M). After the equation, the time slot or frequency index can be scrambled as mentioned above. Signaling can be very resource-efficient since the BS may only need to signal a UE index.The time-frequency assignment result can be generated by the UE from the equation when the equation is a priori knowledge for the UE.

[00353] Starting from the (L+1)th concession-free opportunity or time intervals, the grouping of UEs can repeat as in the first L concession-free opportunities. In one modality, the grouping can be reshuffled for resource mapping to achieve better frequency diversity.

[00354] Referring back to Figure 3A, in step 302, BS sends Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 98 / 145 93 / 134 a UL transmission resource allocation to the UE after selecting the transmission resource to be used for the UE. In this mode, there are 3 options for allocating the transmission allocation.

[00355] Option 1: The UL transmission resource allocation includes a UE index to indicate the transmission resource hopping pattern assigned to the UE. In step 301, the BS selects transmission resources for the grant-free UE, which may include assigning at least one of the physical and RS resources to the UE. The BS may allocate transmission resources according to a resource allocation pattern. The resource allocation pattern may include at least one of a physical resource allocation pattern and an RS allocation pattern. A physical resource allocation pattern may define the CTU regions that different UEs can access. Figure 5A shows an example of such a physical resource allocation pattern. In Figure 5A, the index within a CTU region box refers to the UEs that are allowed to access that CTU region. For example, UEs with assigned index 1, 6, 11, 16 may access CTU 0. Table 8 shows an example of an RS allocation pattern.In one embodiment, in step 302, the BS only assigns a UE index to a UE, and the UE can determine the CTU regions that the UE can access and the RS to be used from the resource allocation pattern and RS allocation pattern based on Table 10. Table 4 provides the table that defines the mapping of the UE index to the RS and resource hopping pattern derived from Figure 5A and Tables 8 and 9. For example, if a UE is assigned a UE index of 5, the UE can access the CTU regions: CTU 4, CTU 5, CTU 11, CTU 17, and using RSs p1, p1, p1, p1, respectively. Once the UE determines the CTU index that the UE can access, the UE can use the predefined or flagged CTU location table (e.g., Table 7) to obtain the time-frequency of the physical resources it can access. Similarly, the UE can determine the RS sequence to be used based on the RS index. Table 10 - Mapping of EU index and RS feature and jump pattern EU Index Time Location Index EU Index Time Location Index 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 99 / 145 94 / 134 1 CTU 0, p1 CTU 6, p1 CTU 12, p1 CTU 18, p1 11 CTU 0, p3 CTU 8, p3 CTU 11, p3 CTU 19, p3 2 CTU 1, p1 CTU 7, p1 CTU 13, p1 CTU 19, p1 12 CTU 1, p3 CTU 9, p3 CTU 12, p3 CTU 15, p3 3 CTU 2, p1 CTU 8, p1 CTU 14, p1 CTU 15, p1 13 CTU 2, p3 CTU 5, p3 CTU 13, p3 CTU 16, p3 4 CTU 3, p1 CTU 9, p1 CTU 10, p1 CTU 16, p1 14 CTU 3, p3 CTU 6, p3 CTU 14, p3 CTU 17, p3 5 CTU 4, p1 CTU 5, p1 CTU 11, p1 CTU 17, p1 15 CTU 4, p3 CTU 7, p3 CTU 10, p3 CTU 18, p3 6 CTU 0, p2 CTU 7, p2 CTU 14, p2 CTU 16, p2 16 CTU 0, p4 CTU 9, p4 CTU 13, p4 CTU 17, p4 7 CTU 1, p2 CTU 8, p2 CTU 10, p2 CTU 17, p2 17 CTU 1, p4 CTU 5, p4 CTU 14, p4 CTU 18, p4 8 CTU 2, p2 CTU 9, p2 CTU 11, p2 CTU 18, p2 18 CTU 2, p4 CTU 6, p4 CTU 10, p4 CTU 19, p4 9 CTU 3, p2 CTU 5, p2 CTU 12, p2 CTU 19, p2 19 CTU 3, p4 CTU 7, p4 CTU 11, p4 CTU 15, p4 10 CTU 4, p2 CTU 6, p2 CTU 13, p2 CTU 15, p2 20 CTU 4, p4 CTU 8, p4 CTU 12, p4 CTU 16, p4

[00356] In step 301, the BS can choose to allocate resources to the UE based on the order in which the UE accesses the system. For example, the first grant-free UE that accesses the system can be assigned UE index 1 in the resource allocation pattern. The second grant-free UE that accesses the system can be assigned UE index 2, etc. When a grant-free UE is no longer in the connected state or no longer requires grant-free resources, the BS can reassign the same index that was previously assigned to that UE to a new grant-free UE that is connected to the system. In some modes, the BS or the TRP can allocate resources based on other orders. For example, the BS can randomly choose an index from among the UE indices that is below a threshold and has not been used before and assign it to a new UE connected to the system.

[00357] Option 2: UL transmission resource assignment includes Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 100 / 145 95 / 134 a CTU index to indicate the transmission resource hopping pattern assigned to the UE. In step 301, the BS selects the transmission resource for a lease-free UE; the TRP or the BS can signal the index of the CTU regions that a UE can access. From the CTU index, the UE can obtain the physical location of the resources it can access. Additionally, the BS can directly signal the RS index to the UE; the CTU index and the RS index can be ported in the same transmission resource allocation or sent via a separate transmission resource allocation. For example, according to the resource allocation pattern defined in Figure 5A, instead of assigning index 5 to the UE, the BS can directly signal the index of the CTU regions: CTU 4, CTU 5, CTU 11, CTU 17. The index of the CTU regions that a UE can access can be called a resource hopping pattern or a resource hopping sequence.Similarly to the example, the BS can also signal the actual RS index p1, p1, p1, p1, see the RS index used to access the 4 CTU regions, respectively. The RS index used to access all CTU regions for a UE can be called an RS jump pattern or an RS jump sequence. In some embodiments, the RS index for each UE can be fixed throughout the entire frame. In this case, the BS can choose to signal a single RS index p1 for all CTU regions for UE 5. In some embodiments, the TRP can signal some parameters of the actual RS sequence to be used by the UE. For example, when a Zadoff Chu sequence is used, the BS can signal the root index and cyclic offset to be used for the Zadoff Chu sequence.

[00358] For the resource allocation pattern, CTU regions can also be indexed by two dimensional indices, which typically include frequency and time location indices and partitioned based on actual time and frequency locations. For example, in Figure 5A, the 20 CTU regions can be divided into 4 sets of resource regions with time location index 0 to 3. Each time location index can contain 5 CTU regions that are additionally indexed by frequency location index 0 to 4. CTU 4 can correspond to a time location index of 0 and a frequency location index of 4, which Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 101 / 145 96 / 134 correspond to a physical resource location of time slot 1 and frequency band f5. The time location index can correspond to different subframes, different time slots, etc. In this disclosure, time location index, time slot index, and subframe index can be used interchangeably. The frequency location index can correspond to different frequency bands. The time location index and the frequency location index can be logical indices and can have different mappings to the actual physical time frequency resources.

[00359] As described above, in some embodiments, CTUs that have the same frequency location index or time location index may not necessarily be aligned in the actual physical time or frequency locations. The same frequency location index in different time location indexes may correspond to different physical frequency bands. This has the advantage of providing frequency diversity gain through feature frequency hopping when the two CTU regions are assigned to the same UE.

[00360] Option 3: The UL transmission resource allocation includes a frequency location index that corresponds to each time location index of the CTU regions, which indicates the transmission resource hopping pattern assigned to the UE. In step 301, the BS selects the transmission resource for a lease-free UE; the TRP can signal the frequency location index of the CTU regions that a UE can access at each time location index. For example, according to the resource allocation pattern defined in Figure 5A, instead of assigning index 5 to the UE, the TRP can directly signal the sequence of frequency location indexes of the CTU regions that the UE can access at each time location index: 4, 0, 1, 2. The mapping between the UE index and the frequency location index of CTU regions at each time location index derived from Figure 5A is shown in Tables 7 to 10.This frequency index sequence of CTU regions that a UE can access can also be called a resource hopping pattern or a resource hopping sequence. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 102 / 145 97 / 134

[00361] Figure 5E illustrates one embodiment of an RS and UE space expansion scheme. In this example, the RS assignment space gradually expands based on pilot sequences or RS sequences. Specifically, the RS assignment space can expand from orthogonal pilot sequence space 506 first to non-orthogonal pilot sequence space 504 and finally to a random pilot sequence cluster 502.

[00362] A number of first registered UEs can be assigned to different resources so that two UEs cannot access the same lease-free resources at the same time, and this scheme in 508 space can be similar to a contention-free semi-persistent programming (SPS) scheme. In this case, each UE can be assigned the same RS or different RSs, and there can be no data or RS collision. The RS and resource assignment in Figure 5A can achieve this goal. For example, if only 5 lease-free UEs are connected to the system, the BS can assign UE index 1 to 5 to the 5 UEs according to the resource allocation pattern in Figure 5A. In this situation, lease-free access is contention-free since two UEs cannot access the same region. Furthermore, UE resources are hopping on different frequency bands, thus providing diversity gain for retransmissions.

[00363] The RS space can expand into orthogonal RS space 206 when the total number of UEs exceeds a limit, which typically corresponds to the number of UEs that the contention-free SPS scheme can support. In this case, multiple UEs can be assigned to the same grant-free resource, and UEs accessing the same grant-free resource region can be assigned distinct orthogonal RSs. The RS space can expand into non-orthogonal RS space when the total number of UEs exceeds what orthogonal pilot sequences can support. New non-orthogonal RS sequences can be assigned to UEs that have just entered a connected state. The non-orthogonal RS space can still guarantee that there are no pilot collisions. When the number of UEs exceeds what the non-orthogonal pilot sequence can support, or when UEs are unaware of their current RS assignment, a UE can randomly select an RS from Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 103 / 145 98 / 134 of the random RS space 502 and the random hop between available RSs.

[00364] As shown in Figure 5A, an example with five frequency partitions, with a contention-free SPS scheme, can support a maximum of five UEs with an orthogonal sequence (OS). Each UE can be assigned a distinct frequency resource block. All five UEs within the 508 SPS space can be assigned the same RS, a fixed RS hopping index, or different RSs. With six cyclic offsets (CS) and a Zadoff Chu sequence root, six orthogonal pilot sequences can be obtained, and a maximum of thirty UEs can be supported in the 506 orthogonal RS space using six collision-free orthogonal pilot sequences, as in ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). With six orthogonal pilot sequences and thirty available roots, one hundred and eighty non-orthogonal pilot sequences can be obtained.A maximum of nine hundred UEs can be supported in the non-orthogonal 504 RS space without RS collisions, as in URLLC or massive machine-type communications (mMTC). With a scheme where a BS assigns RS sequences to UEs, when UEs are no longer active, for example, inactive for a predefined period of time, the BS can release the assigned RS sequences and hop resources to a newly connected UE. The random 502 RS space can support any number of UEs, for example, for massive connections, with physical resource selection or random RS, as in mMTC. Non-orthogonal pilot sequences may be subject to possible RS collisions. The random 502 RS space can support UEs in an unconnected state, as it may be more difficult for the BS to assign RS sequences to UEs in an unconnected state.

[00365] When a UE performs initial access, at least one of the frequency time and RS hop pattern index resources can be assigned to the user that provides a unique definition of RSs and grant-free (GF) resources used for each frame. Frequency and time resources are examples of physical resources. Physical resources and MA signatures or RS sequences can be assigned via upper-layer signaling, such as RRC signaling, or during the initial access procedure, for example, during Random Access Response (RAR). Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 104 / 145 99 / 134 Initial access or random access procedure. An active UE can be assigned a resource hopping index or RS sequences during the initial access or radio resource control (RRC) connection stage.

[00366] The most active UEs can be maintained within the orthogonal pilot sequence space. RS assignment can jump over time-frequency resources or update based on UE activity. The RS sequence jump pattern can be termed an RS jump sequence or RS jump pattern; the physical resource jump pattern for a UE can be termed a resource jump pattern or resource jump sequence. RS and UE resource selections can be updated dynamically via downlink control information (DCI) or group DCI.

[00367] Figure 6A shows exemplary message formats which are illustrated in dotted dome 124. In example 126, the message includes an MA signature 152, in detail in the embodiment above, the MA signature is the RS, as in one example, the RS index to indicate the pilot. As well as data 154 and an indication of the UE identity: UE ID 156 (or UE index). The data 154 and the UE ID 156 are encoded together, and a corresponding cyclic redundancy check (CRC) 158 is generated and included in the message 126. In some embodiments, the UE ID 156 is instead embedded in the CRC 158, which can reduce the payload size. In another example, the MA signature 152 may be optional if the signature has been previously confirmed for use. Example 128 is a variation of Example 126 where EU ID 156 is encoded separately from data 154. Therefore, a separate CRC 161 is associated with EU ID 156.In some embodiments, the EU ID 156 may be within one or more other headers, in which case CRC 161 refers to the headers where CRC 161 is located. In example 128, the EU ID 156 may be transmitted with a lower modulation and coding scheme (MCS) than the 154 data in order to facilitate the decoding of the EU ID 156. There may be situations where the EU ID 156 is successfully decoded, but the 154 data is not successfully decoded.

[00368] Referring to Figure 3A, the first batch of data can Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 105 / 145 100 / 134 can be transmitted in a form that may contain only an MA signature which is sent followed by a normal message that includes both an MA signature and data information. Figure 6B shows another group of exemplary message formats sent by UEs in a concession-free uplink transmission on an uplink channel. In example 326, the message includes UE ID 356 and a combination of data and one or more pilots 354.

[00369] In example 328, a first message includes a preamble 358 and a second message includes data and at least one pilot 354. In a particular example where the UE is using URLLC, the preamble 358 may be a sequence assigned to the URLLC UE for dedicated use where the preamble 358 has a one-to-one mapping relationship with UE ID 356 to the URLLC UE. The first message may be transmitted separately from the data and at least one pilot 354. The BS receives the first message and identifies the URLLC UE based on the mapping relationship. The BS receives the second message, detects the pilot in the second message, performs channel estimation using the detected pilot, and then decodes the data.

[00370] In another embodiment, the preamble 358 may be linked to a dedicated UE connection ID wherein the preamble 358 has a one-to-one mapping relationship with the UE connection ID. The UE connection ID may be a dedicated Cellular Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) or an assigned C-RNTI.

[00371] This scheme may also be applicable to other services, such as eMBB.

[00372] In example 329, EU ID 356 can be transmitted separately from the data and at least one pilot 354. A first message includes EU ID 356 and a second message includes data and pilot 354.

[00373] The BS receives the first message and identifies the UE ID. The BS then receives the second message, detects the pilot in the second message, performs channel estimation using the detected pilot, and then decodes the data.

[00374] In a deployment of example 329, the UE ID 356 can Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 106 / 145 101 / 134 can be transmitted separately from data and pilot 354, and the EU ID message is protected by a Cyclic Redundancy Code (CRC). The first message can be transmitted using a different numerology than the second message. The symbols used for EU ID message 356 can use different numerology than the symbols used for data and pilot 354. In a particular embodiment, the symbols used for EU ID message 356 can use a higher Cyclic Prefix (CP) than the symbols used for data and pilot 354.

[00375] In some deployments, the UE ID 356 from example 329, the preamble 358 from example 328, or the pilot, included in the examples, may also carry temporary storage status information as well as MCS. This may allow the network to decide on an appropriate resource size when granting UL for future UE transmissions.

[00376] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a computing system 700 that can be used to deploy the devices and methods disclosed in this document. For example, the computing system can be any UE, access node (AN), MM, SM, UPGW, AS entity. Specific devices may utilize all the components shown or only a subset of the components, and the levels of integration may vary from device to device. Furthermore, a device may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processing units, processors, memories, transmitters, receivers, etc. Computing system 700 includes a processing unit 702. The processing unit includes a central processing unit (CPU) 714, memory 708 and may additionally include a mass storage device 704, a video adapter 710 and an I / O interface 712 connected to a bus 720.

[00377] The 720 bus may be one or more of any type from various bus architectures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, or a video bus. The 714 CPU may comprise any type of data electronics processor. The 708 memory may comprise any type of non-transient system memory, such as static access memory. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 107 / 145 102 / 134 random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the 708 memory may include ROM for use at initialization, and DRAM for program and data storage for use while executing programs.

[00378] Mass storage 704 may comprise any type of non-transient storage device configured to store data, programs, and other information and to make the data, programs, and other information accessible via the 720 bus. Mass storage 704 may comprise, for example, one or more of a solid-state drive, hard disk drive, magnetic disk drive, or optical disk drive.

[00379] The video adapter 710 and the I / O interface 712 provide interfaces for connecting external input and output devices to the processing unit 702. As illustrated, examples of input and output devices include a display 718 connected to the video adapter 710 and a mouse / keyboard / printer 716 connected to the I / O interface 712. Other devices can be connected to the processing unit 702, and more or less interface cards can be used. For example, a serial interface, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) (not shown), can be used to provide an interface to an external device.

[00380] The 702 processing unit also includes one or more 706 network interfaces, which may comprise wired links, such as an Ethernet cable, or wireless links to access nodes or different networks. The 706 network interfaces allow the 702 processing unit to communicate with remote units over networks. For example, the 706 network interfaces may provide wireless communication via one or more transmitting / transmitting antennas and one or more receiving / receiving antennas. In one embodiment, the 702 processing unit is coupled to a 722 local area network or a wide area network for data processing and communications with remote devices, such as other processing units, the Internet, or remote storage facilities. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 108 / 145 103 / 134

[00381] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a concession-free time-frequency transmission resource that can be used for multiple UEs. The numbers 1 to 20 in the blocks of Figure 8 refer to twenty separate UEs. In the time dimension, the concession-free transmission resource in Figure 8 is a 10 ms frame containing 5 time slots, where each time slot corresponds to 2 subframes or 2 ms. In the frequency dimension, the transmission resource occupies 5 frequency slots. There are 5 RBs in each frequency slot. Therefore, there are a total of 25 resource blocks (RB). Figure 8 is just an example, and thus a concession-free transmission resource may have a different number of time slots, frequency slots, and resource blocks.

[00382] System information (e.g., SIB signaling) can define the concession-free transmission resource by setting a concession-free frequency start point at f0 and a concession frequency end point at f5.

[00383] The SIB can also define a concession-free CTU frequency size equal to Af, in terms of the RB size (in the case of Figure 8, it is equivalent to 5), concession-free CTU time size equal to Δ^ which is equal to 2 ms. In some modes, there may be a standard unit for subframe=1ms.

[00384] The above information transmitted in the SIB defines all of the size, locations, number of partitions and CTU region time slots within a frame.

[00385] As part of EU-specific RRC signaling, BS can transmit information in several fields.

[00386] A field may include a grant-free EU identifier.

[00387] A field may include information that defines the grant-free frame range for UL equal to 10, which is equivalent to 10 subframes or 10 ms. Alternatively, the grant-free frame range for the UL field may be empty since this may, by default, be the same frame defined for grant-based transmission.

[00388] A field can include information that defines the range. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 109 / 145 104 / 134 of free programming for UL equals 2, which equates to 2 ms per time interval.

[00389] A field may include information that defines CTU size in the frequency domain. The same may be defined in terms of the number of RBs. In some modes, a default is equal to 5. If this is defined in the SIB, as described above, this field may not be used.

[00390] A field can include information that defines a feature hopping pattern. Referring to UE2 in Figure 8, for example, the feature assigned to UE2 is (1,2, 3, 4, 0). This means that UE2 appears in frequency partition 1 (from 0 to 4 frequency partitions, with 0 being the top frequency partition in Figure 8) in a first time slot of the frame, in frequency partition 2 in a second time slot of the frame, in frequency partition 3 in a third time slot of the frame, in frequency partition 4 in a fourth time slot of the frame, and in frequency partition 0 in a fifth time slot of the frame.

[00391] A field may include information that defines an RS jump pattern. The RS jump pattern may be an RS index or a cyclic offset value, for example, index p1. In some embodiments, this field may be optional if the RS jump pattern can be derived from the feature jump pattern.

[00392] A field may include information that defines an MCS field. This field may also be optional since the MCS may be predefined, the UE may select the MCS itself, or the MCS may be provided via supplemental DCI signaling, as described above.

[00393] A field may include information that defines a search space for granting additional DCI. The search space may be defined as part of RRC signaling or predefined as described previously.

[00394] The RRC and SIB signaling above is sufficient to define RS allocation and grant-free resource for UE2 in Figure 8.

[00395] In some deployments, complementary DCIs may be used if, for example, RRC and SIB signaling do not define the CTU region, but RRC defines the feature hop pattern in terms of a sequence. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 110 / 145 105 / 134 index.

[00396] With regard to Figure 8, a DCI message can indicate a first transmission resource in the first interval (e.g., specifying RBs or the initial and final frequency band in time interval 0), the RS p1 index to be used for time interval 0, and MCS. Based on this DCI message, the UE can derive the remaining resources based on the first resource and RS in time interval 0 and the resource hopping pattern defined in the RRC signaling.

[00397] Figure 9 illustrates another example of a concession-free time-frequency transmission resource that can be used for multiple UEs. The numbers 1 to 20, in the blocks of Figure 9, refer to twenty separate UEs. The size and intervals are the same as in Figure 8. However, Figure 9 differs from Figure 8 in that groups of the same four UEs occur in different frequency partitions in each time slot, that is, UEs 1, 6, 11 and 16 appear in frequency partition 0 (from 0 to 4 frequency partitions) in the first time slot of the frame, in frequency partition 1 in the second time slot of the frame, in frequency partition 2 in the third time slot of the frame, in frequency partition 3 in the fourth time slot of the frame and in frequency partition 4 in the fifth time slot of the frame.This allows all UEs to which a given set of RBs has been assigned to be given the same grant-free group ID as opposed to individual grant-free UE IDs.

[00398] In this type of fixed grouping resource allocation, system information (SIB) can define the same grant-free CTU regions as the previous example described above referring to Figure 8.

[00399] Regarding RRC signaling, the same grant-free group identifier can be assigned to groups of UEs, for example, UEs 2, 7, 12, 17, in Figure 9.

[00400] With reference to DCI messages, the DCI message can configure grant-free resources and RS for a group of UEs, for example, UEs 2, 7, 12, 17, in Figure 9, or schedule relaying to the group of UEs as a group, using the grant-free group identifier assigned to them. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 111 / 145 106 / 134

[00401] It must be verified that one or more steps of the modality methods, provided in this document, can be performed by corresponding units or modules. For example, a signal can be transmitted by a transmission unit or a transmission module. A signal can be received by a receiving unit or a receiving module. A signal can be processed by a processing unit or a processing module. Other steps can be performed by means of an establishment unit / module to establish a server cluster, an instance unit / module, an establishment unit / module to establish a session link, a maintenance unit / module, another implementation unit / module to perform the step of the above step. The respective units / modules can be hardware, software, or a combination thereof.For example, one or more of the units / modules may be an integrated circuit, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[00402] According to a first example, a method for uplink data transmission is provided. The method comprises receiving, through a first user equipment (UE), a transmission resource assignment from a network entity, wherein the transmission resource assignment comprises an index, the index having a predefined relationship with a transmission resource hopping pattern, the transmission resource hopping pattern comprising a time-frequency resource hopping pattern and a reference signal (RS) pattern, the combination of each time-frequency resource and each RS being unique for each UE. The method also comprises obtaining, through the first UE, time-frequency resources and RSs corresponding to each time interval of a frame based on the predefined relationship.The method also comprises transmitting, through the first UE, data packets based on the time-frequency resources obtained without communicating, to the network entity, a corresponding transmission resource request that the transmission resources be allocated to the first UE.

[00403] According to a second example, the method is provided. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 112 / 145 107 / 134 of the first example, wherein the index comprises any one of the following: an UE index to indicate the first time-frequency resources assigned to the UE and at least one RS; at least one contention transmission unit (CTU) index to indicate the time-frequency resources assigned to the UE; or at least one frequency location index that corresponds to each time location index of the CTU regions to indicate the time-frequency resources assigned to the UE.

[00404] According to a third example, the method of the first example or the second example is provided, wherein the index has a predefined relationship with a time-frequency feature hopping pattern and a reference signal (RS) pattern comprises: each UE index has a predefined relationship with a corresponding CTU index and an RS in each time interval of a frame, wherein each CTU index indicates a unique time and frequency feature.

[00405] According to a fourth example, the method of the third example is given, wherein the time-frequency resource hopping pattern comprises M transmission resources allocated to N sets of UEs at time slot index k, wherein each set of UEs comprises M UEs, wherein the set of UE i at time slot index k has a cyclic offset relationship with the set of UE i-1 at time slot index k.

[00406] According to a fifth example, the method of the fourth example is given, in which the UE set i at time slot index k has a cyclic shift relation with the UE set i at time slot index k-1.

[00407] According to a sixth example, the method of the fifth example is provided, in which the method additionally comprises: wherein a first cyclic shift number between the UE set i and the UE set i-1 at time slot index k is different from a second cyclic shift number between the UE set i at time slot index k and the UE set i-1 at time slot index k-1.

[00408] According to a seventh example, the method of the fifth example is provided, in which the method additionally comprises: where a first cyclic shift number between the UE set ieo set Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 113 / 145 108 / 134 of UE i-1 at time slot index k is equal to one second cyclic shift number between the set of UE i, at time slot index k, and the set of UE i-1, at time slot index k-1.

[00409] According to an eighth example, a method for uplink data transmission is provided. The method comprises transmitting, through a network entity, a transmission resource assignment to a user equipment (UE), wherein the transmission resource assignment comprises an index, wherein the index has a predefined relationship with a transmission resource hopping pattern, wherein the transmission resource hopping pattern comprises a time-frequency resource hopping pattern and a reference signal (RS) pattern, wherein the combination of each time-frequency resource and each RS is unique for each UE. The method also comprises receiving, through the network entity, data packets transmitted through a time-frequency resource based on the transmission resource assignment.

[00410] According to a ninth example, a user equipment (UE) configured for wireless communications is provided. The UE comprises: a non-transient memory store comprising instructions; and one or more processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more processors execute instructions to: receive a transmission resource assignment from a network entity, wherein the transmission resource assignment comprises an index, wherein the index has a predefined relationship with a transmission resource hopping pattern, wherein the transmission resource hopping pattern comprises a time-frequency resource hopping pattern and a reference signal (RS) pattern, wherein the combination of each time-frequency resource and each RS is unique for each UE; obtain time-frequency resources and RSs corresponding to each time interval of a frame based on the predefined relationship;and transmit data packets based on the time-frequency resources obtained without communicating a corresponding transmission resource request to the network entity, which requests the transmission resources to be allocated to the first UE.

[00411] According to a tenth example, a Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 114 / 145 109 / 134 network entity, wherein the network entity comprises: a non-transient memory store comprising instructions; and one or more processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more processors execute instructions to: transmit a transmission resource allocation to a user equipment (UE), wherein the transmission resource allocation comprises an index, wherein the index has a predefined relationship with a transmission resource hopping pattern, wherein the transmission resource hopping pattern comprises a time-frequency resource hopping pattern and a reference signal (RS) pattern, wherein the combination of each time-frequency resource and each RS is unique for each UE; and receive data packets transmitted via time-frequency resource based on the transmission resource allocation.

[00412] According to an eleventh example, a method for data transmission is provided, comprising: receiving, through a first user equipment (UE), a transmission resource allocation from a network entity, wherein the transmission resource allocation indicates transmission resources to be used for the first UE, wherein the transmission resources comprise a predefined relationship with a time-frequency resource hopping pattern in a frame, wherein the time-frequency resource hopping pattern comprises M transmission resources allocated to N UE sets at time slot index k, wherein each UE set comprises M UEs, wherein UE set i, at time index k, has a cyclic offset relationship with UE set i-1 at time index k; and sending, through the UE, a first data transmission based on the allocated transmission resource; wherein k is any value from 1 to N, and i is 2 to N.

[00413] According to a twelfth example, the method of the eleventh example is given, in which the method further comprises: wherein the set of UE i, at time index k, has a cyclic shift relation with the set of UE i at time index k-1; wherein k is any value from 2 to N.

[00414] According to a thirteenth example, the method of the eleventh example or twelfth example is given, in which the Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 115 / 145 The 110 / 134 method further comprises: wherein a first cyclic shift number between the UE set i and the UE set i-1, at time index k, is different from a second cyclic shift number between the UE set i, at time index k and the UE set i-1, at time index k-1.

[00415] According to a fourteenth example, the method of the thirteenth example is given, in which the first data transmission comprises a data field and a reference signal (RS) field.

[00416] According to a fifteenth example, the method of the fourteenth example is provided, in which each RS has a predefined relationship with each set of UE.

[00417] According to a sixteenth example, the method of the fifteenth example is provided, in which the transmission resource allocation comprises a first index, wherein the first index has a relationship with time-frequency resource units.

[00418] According to a seventeenth example, the method of the eleventh example or twelfth example is given, in which the method further comprises: where a first cyclic shift number between the UE set i and the UE set i-1, at time index k, is equal to a second cyclic shift number between the UE set i, at time index k, and the UE set i-1, at time index k-1.

[00419] According to an eighteenth example, the method of the eleventh example is provided, in which the UEs of the same location in each set are grouped into one group and the same time-frequency resource is assigned to them.

[00420] According to a nineteenth example, the method of the eighteenth example is given, in which the same reference signal sequence (RS) is assigned to the UEs in each set.

[00421] According to a twentieth example, the method of the nineteenth example is provided, in which the RS sequence assignment is determined based on the time-frequency resource assignment results to avoid RS collisions on the same time resources. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 116 / 145 111 / 134 frequency.

[00422] According to a twenty-first example, the twentieth example method is given, in which an RS sequence identifies at least one of an initial transmission or a retransmission, or a redundancy version (RV).

[00423] According to a twenty-second example, the method of the nineteenth example is provided, in which an RS sequence assigned to a UE is reassigned to a second UE when a first UE becomes inactive.

[00424] According to a twenty-third example, the method of the nineteenth example is provided, in which the RS sequence assignment results are transmitted during at least one of an initial access period or RRC connection stage.

[00425] According to a twenty-fourth example, the method of the twenty-third example is given, in which the RS sequence assignment results include an RS index.

[00426] According to a twenty-fifth example, the method of the twenty-fourth example is provided, in which an RS sequence assignment scheme comprising the RS index is a priori knowledge of the UE.

[00427] According to a twenty-sixth example, the method of the eighteenth example is provided, in which the time-frequency resources assigned to a first group in the first time index and in the second time index are different.

[00428] According to a twenty-seventh example, the method of the eighteenth example is provided, in which the time-frequency resource allocation results are transmitted during at least one of an initial access period or radio resource control (RRC) connection stage.

[00429] According to a twenty-eighth example, the eighteenth example method is provided, in which the time-frequency feature assignment results include a time-frequency feature index.

[00430] According to a twenty-ninth example, the method of the twenty-eighth example is given, in which an assignment scheme of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 117 / 145 112 / 134 time-frequency resource comprising the time-frequency resource index is a priori knowledge of the EU.

[00431] According to a thirtieth example, the method of the eighteenth example is given, the time-frequency feature assignment results include at least one of an initial time-frequency feature assignment and a time-frequency feature jump pattern.

[00432] According to a thirty-first example, a method for data transmission is provided, comprising: sending, through a network entity, a transmission resource allocation from a network entity, wherein the transmission resource allocation indicates transmission resources to be used for the first UE, wherein the transmission resources comprise a predefined relationship with a time-frequency resource hopping pattern in a frame, wherein the time-frequency resource hopping pattern comprises M transmission resources allocated to N UE sets at time slot index k, wherein each UE set comprises M UEs, wherein UE set i, at time index k, has a cyclic offset relationship with UE set i-1, at time index k; and receiving, through the network entity, a first data transmission based on the allocated transmission resource; wherein k is any value from 1 to N, and i is 2 to N.

[00433] According to a thirty-second example, a method from the thirty-first example is provided, in which the method further comprises: wherein the UE set i, at time index k, has a cyclic shift relation with the UE set i, at time index k1; wherein k is any value from 2 to N.

[00434] According to a thirty-third example, a method is provided for the thirty-first example or the thirty-second example, wherein the method further comprises: wherein a first cyclic shift number between the UE set i and the UE set i-1, at time index k, is different from a second cyclic shift number between the UE set i, at time index k, and the UE set i-1, at time index k-1.

[00435] According to a thirty-fourth example, a Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 118 / 145 113 / 134 method, according to any one of the thirty-first example to the thirty-third example, wherein the first data transmission comprises a data field and a reference signal (RS) field.

[00436] According to a thirty-fifth example, a method is provided, according to any one of the thirty-first example to the thirty-fourth example, in which each RS has a predefined relation with each set of UE.

[00437] According to a thirty-sixth example, a method is provided for the thirty-fifth example, which further comprises: identifying, by means of the network entity, the RS based on the predefined relationship with a set of UEs comprising a UE.

[00438] According to a thirty-seventh example, a method is provided for the thirty-sixth example, which further comprises: identifying, by means of the network entity, the UE based on the predefined relationship between the transmission resources and the set of UE groups; and decoding, by means of the network entity, the data based on the first data transmission.

[00439] According to a thirty-eighth example, a user equipment (UE) configured for wireless communications is provided, wherein the UE comprises: a non-transient memory storage comprising instructions;and one or more processors in communication with memory, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to: receive a transmission resource allocation from a network entity, wherein the transmission resource allocation indicates transmission resources to be used for the first UE, wherein the transmission resources comprise a predefined relationship with a time-frequency resource hopping pattern in a frame, wherein the time-frequency resource hopping pattern comprises M transmission resources allocated to N UE sets at time slot index k, wherein each UE set comprises M UEs, wherein UE set i, at time index k, has a cyclic offset relationship with UE set i-1 at time index k; and send a first data transmission based on the allocated transmission resource; wherein k is any value from 1 to N, and i is 2 to N. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 119 / 145 114 / 134

[00440] According to a thirty-ninth example, a network entity configured for wireless communications is provided, wherein the network entity comprises: a non-transient memory store comprising instructions; and one or more processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to: send a transmission resource assignment to a user equipment (UE), wherein the transmission resource assignment indicates transmission resources to be used for the first UE, and the transmission resources have a predefined relationship with a time-frequency resource hopping pattern in a frame, and the time-frequency resource hopping pattern comprises M set transmission resources allocated to N sets UE groups, wherein set UE group i in the k sets transmission resource has a cyclic shift relationship with set UE group i-1 in the k sets transmission;and receive an initial data transmission based on the transmission resource allocated from the UE; where the value of k is 2 to M, and the value of i is 2 to N.

[00441] According to a fortieth example, a method is provided for assigning reference signals (RS) for concession-free (GF) uplink (UL) transmissions, wherein the method comprises: assigning, by means of a base station (BS), a plurality of orthogonal RS sequences to a first set of user equipment (UEs) when a number of the first set of UEs is below a first threshold, one UE using an RS for each GF opportunity; and transmitting, by means of the BS, RS sequence assignment results to at least one UE of the first set of UEs.

[00442] According to a forty-first example, the method of the fortieth example is provided, which further comprises: assigning, by means of the BS, a plurality of non-orthogonal RS sequences to a second set of UEs when a total number of the first set of UEs and the second set of UEs is above the first limit and below a second limit; and transmitting, by means of the BS, RS sequence assignment results to at least one UE of the second set of UEs. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 120 / 145 115 / 134

[00443] According to a forty-second example, a method of the fortieth example is provided, which further comprises: assigning, by means of the BS, a cluster of random RS sequences to a third set of UEs when a total number of the first set of UEs, the second set of UEs and the third set of UEs is above the second limit; and transmitting, by means of the BS, RS sequence assignment results to at least one UE of the third set of UEs.

[00444] According to a forty-third example, a method is given for the fortieth example, whereby an RS sequence identifies at least one of an initial transmission or a retransmission, or a redundancy version (RV).

[00445] According to a forty-fourth example, a method of the fortieth example is provided, in which an UE from the third set of UEs randomly selects a sequence of RS from the clustering of random RS sequences.

[00446] According to a forty-fifth example, a method is provided for the fortieth example, in which the RS sequence assignment results are transmitted during at least one of an initial access period or radio resource control (RRC) connection stage.

[00447] According to a forty-sixth example, a method is provided for the fortieth example, in which a sequence of RS, assigned to a first UE, is reassigned to a second UE when the first UE becomes inactive.

[00448] According to a forty-seventh example, a network entity configured for wireless communications is provided, wherein the network entity comprises: a non-transient memory store comprising instructions; and one or more processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more processors execute instructions to: assign a plurality of orthogonal RS sequences to a first set of user equipment (UEs) when a number of the first set of UEs falls below a first threshold, a UE using one RS for each GF opportunity; and transmit assignment results of Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 121 / 145 116 / 134 RS sequence for at least one UE from the first set of UEs.

[00449] According to a forty-eighth example, a method is provided for unified resource and reference signal (RS) assignment for grant-free uplink (UL) transmissions, wherein the method comprises: transmitting, via a base station (BS), an index of at least one of time-frequency resources or RS sequences to a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and updating an index of the mapping scheme based on a change in at least one of traffic load, a number of UE pluralities, RS resources, or time-frequency resources.

[00450] According to a forty-ninth example, a method is provided for the forty-eighth example, wherein the mapping scheme is transmitted to the plurality of user equipment (UEs) during at least one of an initial access procedure or a random access procedure.

[00451] According to a fiftieth example, a method is provided for the forty-eighth example, in which the update in the mapping scheme index is transmitted to the plurality of UEs through at least one of the system information, a broadcast channel or a common control channel.

[00452] According to a fifty-first example, a network entity configured for wireless communications is provided, wherein the network entity comprises: a non-transient memory store comprising instructions; and one or more processors communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more processors execute instructions to: transmit an index of at least one of time-frequency resources or RS sequences to a plurality of user equipment (UEs); and update an index of the mapping scheme based on a change in at least one of traffic load, a number of the plurality of UEs, RS resources, or time-frequency resources.

[00453] According to a fifty-second example, a method is provided for grant-free uplink (UL) transmissions, wherein the method comprises: receiving, by means of a Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 122 / 145 117 / 134 User equipment (UE), resource allocation from a base station (BS), wherein the resource allocation comprises transmit resource information for each time slot; transmit, via the UE, a first data packet using the allocated resource of a first time slot; retransmit, via the UE, the first data packet using the allocated resource of a second time slot; receive an acknowledgment for the first data packet from the BS; and stop the retransmission of the first data packet.

[00454] According to a fifty-third example, a user equipment (UE) configured for wireless communications is provided, wherein the UE comprises: a non-transient memory store comprising instructions; and one or more processors in communication with the memory, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to: receive resource allocation from a base station (BS), wherein the resource allocation comprises transmission resource information for each time slot; transmit a first data packet using the allocated resource of a first time slot; retransmit the first data packet using the allocated resource of a second time slot; receive an acknowledgment for the first data packet from the BS; and interrupt the retransmission of the first data packet.

[00455] According to a fifty-fourth example, a method is provided for setting up concession-free transmission comprising: transmitting a concession-free uplink transmission resource allocation to a User Equipment (UE) using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[00456] According to a fifty-fifth example, a fifty-fourth example method is provided, wherein the RRC signaling format includes at least one of: a grant-free UE identifier; a group identifier for a plurality of grant-free UEs; a transmission resource; a resource hopping pattern; a reference signaling (RS) hopping pattern; modulation and encoding scheme (MCS) information; and a definition of a search space for a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 123 / 145 Location 118 / 134.

[00457] According to a fifty-sixth example, a method is provided for the fifty-fifth example that further comprises determining the value to be transmitted for at least one of: a grant-free UE identifier; a group identifier for a plurality of grant-free UEs; a transmission resource; a resource hop pattern; a reference signaling (RS) hop pattern; modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information; and a definition of a search space for a location Downlink Control Information (DCI) message.

[00458] According to a fifty-seventh example, a method is provided for the fifty-fourth example comprising: receiving a first data transmission or a subsequent retransmission on the allocation of concession-free uplink transmission resource assigned to the UE.

[00459] According to a fifty-eighth example, a fifty-seventh example method is provided which comprises, in response to receiving the first data transmission or a subsequent retransmission, transmitting at least one of: an acknowledgment (ACK) if the first data transmission or subsequent retransmission was successfully decoded; a negative acknowledgment (NACK) if the first data transmission or subsequent retransmission was not successfully decoded; and a grant for retransmission if the first data transmission or subsequent retransmission was not successfully decoded.

[00460] According to a fifty-ninth example, a method is provided for the fifty-eighth example comprising transmitting the ACK, NAK, or grant for retransmission in a Downward Link Control Information (DCI) message.

[00461] According to a sixtieth example, a method is provided for the fifty-fourth example comprising transmitting a transmission resource update in a DCI message.

[00462] According to a sixty-first example, it is provided Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 124 / 145 119 / 134 a method from the sixtieth example in which the DCI message is encoded with a grant-free group ID.

[00463] According to a sixty-second example, a method is provided for the fifty-fourth example comprising transmitting an activation indicator in a DCI message.

[00464] According to a sixty-third example, a method is provided for the fifty-fourth example comprising transmitting a disable indicator in a DCI message.

[00465] According to a sixty-fourth example, a fifty-fourth example method is provided which additionally comprises disseminating system information accessible to a plurality of EUs.

[00466] According to a sixty-fifth example, a method is provided for the sixty-fourth example in which the system information includes at least one piece of information that defines the start of a concession-free frequency transmission resource (GFfrequencyStart), the end of the concession-free frequency transmission resource (GFfrequencyFinish), a concession-free CTU size, and the CTU time size (GFCTUSizeTime).

[00467] According to a sixty-sixth example, a method is provided for setting up concession-free transmission comprising: receiving a concession-free uplink transmission resource allocation for a User Equipment (UE) using Radio Resource Control (RRC).

[00468] According to a sixty-seventh example, a method of the sixty-sixth example is provided, wherein the RRC signaling format includes at least one of: a grant-free UE identifier; a group identifier for a plurality of grant-free UEs; a transmission resource; a resource hop pattern; a reference signaling hop pattern (RS); modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information; and a definition of a search space for a location Downlink Control Information (DCI) message.

[00469] According to a sixty-eighth example, it is provided Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 125 / 145 120 / 134 a method of the sixty-sixth example comprising: transmitting a first data transmission or a subsequent retransmission on the allocation of concession-free uplink transmission resource assigned to the EU.

[00470] According to a sixty-ninth example, a method is provided for the sixty-eighth example comprising receiving at least one of: an acknowledgment (ACK) if the first data transmission or subsequent retransmission has been successfully decoded; a negative acknowledgment (NACK) if the first data transmission or subsequent retransmission has not been successfully decoded; and a grant for retransmission if the first data transmission or subsequent retransmission has not been successfully decoded.

[00471] According to a seventieth example, a method is provided for the sixty-ninth example comprising receiving the ACK, NAK, or grant for retransmission in a Downward Link Control Information (DCI) message.

[00472] According to a seventy-first example, a method is provided for the seventieth example which comprises searching in a predetermined search space for the DCI message.

[00473] According to a seventy-second example, a method is provided for the seventy-first example which further comprises decoding the DCI message based on a grant-free UE identifier assigned to the grant-free UE in the RRC signaling.

[00474] According to a seventy-third example, a method is provided for the sixty-sixth example which comprises receiving a transmission resource update in a DCI message.

[00475] According to a seventy-fourth example, a method is provided from the seventy-third example in which the DCI message is encoded with a grant-free group ID.

[00476] According to a seventy-fifth example, a method is provided for the sixty-sixth example comprising receiving Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 126 / 145 121 / 134 is an activation indicator in a DCI message.

[00477] According to a seventy-sixth example, a method is provided for the sixty-sixth example comprising receiving a disable indicator in a DCI message.

[00478] According to a seventy-seventh example, a method is provided for the sixty-sixth example which additionally comprises receiving system information that defines information for a plurality of UEs.

[00479] According to a seventy-eighth example, a method is provided for the seventy-sixth example in which the system information includes at least one piece of information that defines the start of a concession-free frequency transmission resource (GFfrequencyStart), the end of the concession-free frequency transmission resource (GFfrequencyFinish), a concession-free CTU size, and the CTU time size (GFCTUSizeTime).

[00480] According to a seventy-ninth example, a method is provided for the sixty-sixth example in which the transmission resource to be used for concession-free transmission is determined based on RRC information and at least one of: system information; and decoded DCI messages.

[00481] According to an eightieth example, a network device is provided comprising: a processor; and a computer-readable storage medium that stores programming for execution by means of the processor, the programming including instructions for performing actions in accordance with a method in any one of the fifty-fourth example through the sixty-fifth example.

[00482] According to an eighty-first example, a UE is provided comprising: a processor; and a computer-readable storage medium that stores programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions for performing actions in accordance with a method in any of the sixty-sixth to seventy-ninth examples.

[00483] Example 1A. A method for a user device Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 127 / 145 Regulation (EU) No 122 / 134 / 2014 for concession-free transmissions, wherein the method comprises: receiving, from a network equipment, a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration for the transmission and retransmission of uplink data, wherein the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration includes a time resource, a frequency resource, reference signal (RS) resource information and an interval between two concession-free transmission opportunities, obtaining uplink concession-free transmission resources based on the RRC signal, without receiving downlink control information (DCI) for an initial transmission of the uplink data, and transmitting, to the network equipment, the uplink data using the uplink concession-free transmission resources.

[00484] Example 2A. The method, according to Example 1A, wherein the method further comprises: receiving from the network equipment a DCI message indicating a grant for a retransmission of uplink data; and retransmitting to the network equipment the uplink data based on the grant.

[00485] Example 3A. The method, according to Example 2A, wherein the RRC signaling additionally comprises a grant-free UE identifier, wherein the method additionally comprises: decoding the DCI message using the grant-free UE identifier.

[00486] Example 4A. The method, according to Example 2A, in which the DCI message comprises a new data indicator field set to a value of 1 indicating the grant for the retransmission of uplink data.

[00487] Example 5A. The method, according to any of Examples 1A to 4A, in which the RRC signaling additionally comprises a number of repetitions of the uplink data transmission.

[00488] Example 6A. The method, according to any of Examples 1A to 5A, in which the RRC signaling additionally comprises Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 128 / 145 123 / 134 a number of HARQ processes configured.

[00489] Example 7A. The method, according to any of Examples 1A to 6A, wherein the RRC signaling additionally comprises at least one of the following: power control parameters; a group identifier for a plurality of grant-free UEs; a resource hopping pattern; an RS hopping pattern; and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[00490] Example 8A. The method, according to any of Examples 1A to 7A, which further comprises retransmitting the uplink data using the grant-free uplink transmission resources if no DCI message indicating a grant for a retransmission of the uplink data has been received.

[00491] Example 9A. The method, according to Example 5A, which additionally comprises retransmitting the uplink data using the uplink lease-free transmission resources until the transmission repetition number is reached.

[00492] Example 10A. A user equipment (UE) configured for concession-free transmissions, wherein the UE comprises: a processor; and a computer-readable storage medium that stores programming instructions for execution by the processor, wherein the programming includes instructions for: receiving, from a network device, a radio resource control (RRC) signal from a network device, wherein the RRC signal indicates an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration for the transmission and retransmission of uplink data, and wherein the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration includes a time resource, a frequency resource, reference signal (RS) resource information, and an interval between two concession-free transmission opportunities;to obtain concession-free uplink transmission resources based on RRC signaling, without receiving downlink control information (DCI) for an initial transmission of uplink data; and to transmit, to the equipment of; Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 129 / 145 124 / 134 network, uplink data using lease-free uplink transmission resources.

[00493] Example 11A. The UE, according to Example 10A, wherein the computer-readable media has stored on it computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to: receive, from the network equipment, a DCI message indicating a grant for a retransmission of uplink data; and retransmit, to the network equipment, the uplink data based on the grant.

[00494] Example 12A. The UE, according to Example 11A, wherein the RRC signaling additionally comprises a grant-free UE identifier, wherein the computer-readable media has stored therein computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to: decode the DCI message using the grant-free UE identifier.

[00495] Example 13A. The UE, in accordance with Example 11A, where the DCI message comprises a new data indicator field set to a value of 1 indicating the grant for the retransmission of uplink data.

[00496] Example 14A. The UE, according to any of Examples 10A to 13A, wherein the RRC signaling additionally comprises a number of transmission repetitions of the uplink data.

[00497] Example 15A. The UE, according to any of Examples 10A to 14A, wherein the RRC signaling additionally comprises a number of configured HARQ processes.

[00498] Example 16A. The UE, according to any of Examples 10A to 15A, wherein the RRC signaling additionally comprises at least one of the following: power control parameters; a group identifier for a plurality of grant-free UEs; a resource hopping pattern; an RS hopping pattern; and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[00499] Example 17A. The EU, according to any of the Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 130 / 145 125 / 134 Examples 10A to 16A, wherein the computer-readable media has stored computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to: retransmit uplink data using grant-free uplink transmission resources if no DCI message indicating a grant for a retransmission of uplink data has been received.

[00500] Example 18A. The UE, according to Example 14A, wherein the computer-readable media has stored on it computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to: retransmit uplink data using uplink lease-free transmission resources until the transmission repetition number is reached.

[00501] Example 19A. A method for a network equipment for concession-free transmissions, wherein the method comprises: transmitting to a user equipment (UE) a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration for the transmission and retransmission of uplink data, wherein the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration includes a time resource, a frequency resource, reference signal (RS) resource information, and an interval between two concession-free transmission opportunities, and receiving from the UE transmitted uplink data using allocated uplink concession-free transmission resources based on the RRC signal, without transmitting downlink control (DCI) information for an initial transmission of the uplink data.

[00502] Example 20A. The method, according to Example 19A, wherein the method further comprises: transmitting to the UE a DCI message indicating a grant for a retransmission of uplink data; and receiving from the UE the uplink data retransmitted on the basis of the grant.

[00503] Example 21A. The method, according to Example 19A or the Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 131 / 145 126 / 134 Example 20A, where the RRC signage additionally includes a concession-free EU identifier.

[00504] Example 22A. The method, according to Example 20A, where the DCI message comprises a new data indicator field set to a value of 1 indicating the grant for the retransmission of uplink data.

[00505] Example 23A. The method, according to any of Examples 19A to 22A, in which the RRC signaling additionally comprises a number of transmission repetitions of the uplink data.

[00506] Example 24A. The method, according to any of Examples 19A to 23A, in which the RRC signaling additionally comprises a number of configured HARQ processes.

[00507] Example 25A. The method, according to any of Examples 19A to 24A, wherein the RRC signaling additionally comprises at least one of the following: power control parameters; a group identifier for a plurality of grant-free UEs; a resource hopping pattern; an RS hopping pattern; and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[00508] Example 26A. The method, according to any of Examples 19A to 25A, which additionally comprises receiving a retransmission of the uplink data using the uplink lease-free transmission resources.

[00509] Example 27A. The method, according to Example 23A, which additionally comprises receiving a retransmission of the uplink data using the uplink lease-free transmission resources until the transmission repetition number is reached.

[00510] Example 28A. A network equipment configured for license-free transmissions, wherein the network equipment comprises: a processor; and a computer-readable storage medium that stores programming instructions for execution by means of the processor, wherein the programming includes instructions for: transmitting, to Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 132 / 145 127 / 134 a user equipment (UE), a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration for the transmission and retransmission of uplink data, wherein the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration includes a time resource, a frequency resource, reference signal (RS) resource information and an interval between two concession-free transmission opportunities, and receive, from the UE, uplink data transmitted using uplink concession-free transmission resources allocated based on the RRC signal, without transmitting downlink control (DCI) information for an initial transmission of the uplink data.

[00511] Example 29A. The network equipment, according to Example 28A, having computer-readable media stored thereon computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the network equipment to: transmit to the UE a DCI message indicating a grant for a retransmission of uplink data; and receive from the UE the uplink data based on the grant.

[00512] Example 30A. Network equipment, according to Example 28A or Example 29A, wherein the RRC signaling additionally comprises a concession-free UE identifier.

[00513] Example 31A. The network equipment, according to Example 29A, in which the DCI message comprises a new data indicator field set to a value of 1 indicating the grant for the retransmission of uplink data.

[00514] Example 32A. Network equipment, according to any of Examples 28A to 31A, in which the RRC signaling additionally comprises a number of uplink data transmission repetitions.

[00515] Example 33A. Network equipment, according to any of Examples 28A to 32A, in which the RRC signaling additionally comprises a number of configured HARQ processes. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 133 / 145 128 / 134

[00516] Example 34A. Network equipment according to any of Examples 28A to 33A, wherein the RRC signaling additionally comprises at least one of the following: power control parameters; a group identifier for a plurality of lease-free UEs; a resource hopping pattern; an RS hopping pattern; and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[00517] Example 35A. Network equipment, according to any of Examples 28A to 34A, wherein the computer-readable media has stored thereon computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the network equipment to: receive a retransmission of uplink data using the uplink lease-free transmission resources.

[00518] Example 36A. The network equipment, according to Example 32A, wherein the computer-readable media has stored on it computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the network equipment to: receive a retransmission of uplink data using the uplink lease-free transmission resources until the number of transmission repetitions is reached.

[00519] Example 37A.A method for a user equipment (UE) for concession-free transmissions, wherein the method comprises: receiving, from a network equipment, a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration, wherein the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration includes a number of transmission repeats K, receiving, from the network equipment, a first downlink control information (DCI) message, wherein the first DCI message includes an activation indication indicating that the UE is permitted to perform uplink concession-free data transmissions and a reference signal (RS) value for the UE assigned from a group of RS values, obtaining uplink concession-free transmission resources based on the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 134 / 145 129 / 134 uplink indicated in the RRC signaling and in the first DCI message, and transmit uplink data to the network equipment using the uplink lease-free transmission resources.

[00520] Example 38A. The method, according to Example 37A, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, from the network equipment, a second DCI message, wherein the second DCI message includes a disable indication indicating that the UE is not permitted to perform uplink grant-free transmissions, and interrupting transmissions using uplink grant-free transmission resources.

[00521] Example 39A. The method, according to Example 37A, in which the first DCI message additionally comprises resource block information and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[00522] Example 40A. The method, according to Example 37A, wherein the method further comprises: receiving a third DCI message from the network equipment, wherein the third DCI message indicates an uplink grant for a retransmission of the uplink data.

[00523] Example 41A. The method, according to Example 37A, wherein the RRC signaling includes at least one of a range between two concession-free transmission opportunities, power control-related parameters, a number of configured HARQ processes, and a concession-free UE identifier.

[00524] Example 42A. The method, according to Example 37A, where the RS value for UE is different from an RS value for another UE.

[00525] Example 43A. The method, according to Example 37A, in which the RS values ​​assigned from the group of RS values ​​are generated from orthogonal RS sequences.

[00526] Example 44A. A user equipment (UE) configured for concession-free transmissions, wherein the UE comprises: a processor; and a computer-readable storage medium that stores programming instructions for execution by the processor, wherein the programming includes instructions for: receiving, from an equipment Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 135 / 145 Network 130 / 134, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink lease-free transmission resource configuration, wherein the uplink lease-free transmission resource configuration includes a number of K transmission repeats, receive from the network equipment a first Downlink Control Information (DCI) message, wherein the first DCI message includes an activation indication indicating that the UE is permitted to perform uplink lease-free data transmissions and Reference Signal (RS) information indicating an RS allocated to the UE, obtain uplink lease-free transmission resources based on the uplink lease-free transmission resource configuration indicated in the RRC signal and the first DCI message, and transmit to the network equipment,Uplink data using grant-free uplink transmission resources.

[00527] Example 45A. The UE, according to Example 44A, wherein the programming additionally includes instructions to: receive, from the network equipment, a second DCI message, wherein the second DCI message includes a disable indication that indicates that the UE is not permitted to perform uplink grant-free transmissions, and interrupt transmissions using uplink grant-free transmission resources.

[00528] Example 46A. The UE, in accordance with Example 44A, wherein the first DCI message additionally comprises resource block information and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[00529] Example 47A. The UE, according to Example 44A, wherein the programming additionally includes instructions for: receiving a third DCI message from the network equipment, wherein the third DCI message indicates an uplink lease for a retransmission of the uplink data.

[00530] Example 48A. The UE, in accordance with Example 44A, where RRC signaling includes at least one of a range between two concession-free transmission opportunities, parameters related to Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 136 / 145 131 / 134 power control, a number of HARQ processes configured and a grant-free UE identifier.

[00531] Example 49A. The UE, according to Example 44A, where the RS value for the UE is different from an RS value for another UE.

[00532] Example 50A. The UE, according to Example 44A, where the assigned RS values ​​from the group of RS values ​​are generated from orthogonal RS sequences.

[00533] Example 51A. A method for a network equipment for concession-free transmissions, wherein the method comprises: transmitting to a user equipment (UE) a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration, wherein the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration includes a number of transmission repeats K; transmitting to the UE a first downlink control information (DCI) message, wherein the first DCI message includes an activation indication indicating that the UE is permitted to perform uplink concession-free transmissions and reference signal (RS) information indicating an RS allocated to the UE; receiving from the UE,Uplink data transmitted using grant-free uplink transmission resources allocated based on RRC signaling and the first DCI message.

[00534] Example 52A. The method, according to Example 51A, wherein the method further comprises: transmitting to the UE a second DCI message, wherein the second DCI message includes a disable indication indicating that the UE is not permitted to perform grant-free uplink transmissions.

[00535] Example 53A. The method, according to Example 51A, wherein the first DCI message additionally comprises resource block information and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[00536] Example 54A. The method, according to Example 51A, wherein the method further comprises: transmitting a third DCI message to the UE, wherein the third DCI message indicates an uplink grant for a retransmission of the link data. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 137 / 145 132 / 134 ascending.

[00537] Example 55A. The method, according to Example 51A, wherein the RRC signaling includes at least one of a range between two concession-free transmission opportunities, power control-related parameters, a number of configured HARQ processes, and a concession-free UE identifier.

[00538] Example 56A. The method, according to Example 51A, where the RS value for UE is different from an RS value for another UE.

[00539] Example 57A. The method, according to Example 51A, in which the assigned RS values ​​from the group of RS values ​​are generated from orthogonal RS sequences.

[00540] Example 58A. A network equipment configured for concession-free transmissions, wherein the network equipment comprises: a processor; and a computer-readable storage medium that stores programming instructions for execution by the processor, wherein the programming includes instructions for: transmitting to a user equipment (UE) a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration, wherein the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration includes a number of transmission repeats K, transmitting to the UE a first downlink control information (DCI) message,wherein the first DCI message includes an activation indication that indicates that the UE is permitted to perform concession-free uplink transmissions and reference signal (RS) information indicating an RS allocated to the UE, and to receive, from the UE, uplink data transmitted using concession-free uplink transmission resources allocated based on RRC signaling and the first DCI message.

[00541] Example 59A. The network equipment, according to Example 58A, wherein the method further comprises: transmitting to the UE a second DCI message, wherein the second DCI message includes a disable indication indicating that the UE is not permitted to carry out grant-free uplink transmissions. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 138 / 145 133 / 134

[00542] Example 60A. Network equipment, according to Example 58A, wherein the first DCI message additionally comprises resource block information and modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information.

[00543] Example 61 A. The network equipment, according to Example 58A, wherein the method further comprises: transmitting a third DCI message to the UE, wherein the third DCI message indicates an uplink grant for a retransmission of the uplink data.

[00544] Example 62A. Network equipment, according to Example 58A, in which the RRC signaling includes at least one of a range between two concession-free transmission opportunities, power control-related parameters, a number of configured HARQ processes, and a concession-free UE identifier.

[00545] Example 63A. The network equipment, according to Example 58A, wherein the RS value for UE is different from an RS value for another UE.

[00546] Example 64A. The network equipment, according to Example 58A, in which the RS values ​​assigned from the group of RS values ​​are generated from orthogonal RS sequences.

[00547] Example 65A. A user equipment (UE) for concession-free transmissions, comprising: means for receiving, from a network equipment, a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration, wherein the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration includes a number of transmission repeats K; means for receiving, from the network equipment, a first downlink control information (DCI) message, wherein the first DCI message includes an activation indication indicating that the UE is permitted to carry out uplink concession-free data transmissions and a reference signal (RS) value for the UE assigned from a group of RS values; means for obtaining uplink concession-free transmission resources. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pages 139 / 145 134 / 134 based on the uplink lease-free transmission resource configuration indicated in the RRC signaling and the first DCI message, and means to transmit uplink data to the network equipment using uplink lease-free transmission resources.

[00548] Example 66A. A network equipment for concession-free transmissions, wherein the network equipment comprises: means for transmitting to a user equipment (UE) a radio resource control (RRC) signal indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration, wherein the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration includes a number of transmission repeats K, means for transmitting to the UE a first downlink control information (DCI) message, wherein the first DCI message includes an activation indication indicating that the UE is permitted to carry out uplink concession-free transmissions and reference signal (RS) information indicating an RS allocated to the UE, and means for receiving from the UE,Uplink data transmitted using grant-free uplink transmission resources allocated based on RRC signaling and the first DCI message.

[00549] Although this disclosure has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be interpreted in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the disclosure, will be evident to persons skilled in the art by reference to the description. It is therefore intended that the appended claims cover any such modifications or embodiments. Petition 870190072139, dated 07 / 29 / 2019, pp. 140 / 145

Claims

1 / 4 CLAIMS 1. Method for a user equipment, UE, for concession-free transmissions, the method CHARACTERIZED by comprising: receiving, from a network equipment, a radio resource control signal, RRC, (302) indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration, the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration including a number of transmission repeats K, receiving, from the network equipment, a first downlink control information message, DCI, (3021), wherein the first DCI message activates the UE to perform uplink concession-free data transmissions and indicates a reference signal value, RS, for the UE assigned from a group of RS values,obtain uplink concession-free transmission resources (3032) based on the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration indicated in the RRC signaling and the first DCI message; transmit (304) uplink data to the network equipment using uplink concession-free transmission resources; receive a second DCI message from the network equipment, wherein the second DCI message disables the UE from performing uplink concession-free transmissions; and stop transmissions using uplink concession-free transmission resources.

2. Method according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the first DCI message additionally comprises feature block information and modulation and encoding scheme information, MCS.

3. Method, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the method further comprises: receiving a third DCI message from the network equipment, wherein the third DCI message indicates an uplink grant for a retransmission of the uplink data.

4. Method, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the RRC signaling includes at least one of a range between two concession-free transmission opportunities, power control-related parameters, a number of configured Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) processes, and a concession-free UE identifier.

5. Method, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the RS value for one UE is a different RS value from that for another UE.

6. Method, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the RS value assigned from the group of RS values ​​is generated from orthogonal RS sequences.

7. User Equipment, UE, configured for concession-free transmissions, the UE CHARACTERIZED by comprising: a processor; and a processor-readable storage medium that stores instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method as defined in any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. Method for a network equipment for concession-free transmissions, the method CHARACTERIZED by comprising: transmitting to a user equipment, UE, a radio resource control signal, RRC, (302) indicating an uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration, the uplink concession-free transmission resource configuration including a number of transmission repeats K, transmitting to the UE a first downlink control information message, DCI, (3021), wherein the first DCI message activates the UE to perform uplink concession-free transmissions and reference signal information, RS, indicating an RS allocated to the UE, receiving from the UE uplink data (304) Petition 870250017666, dated 06 / 03 / 2025, p.17 / 23 3 / 4 transmitted using uplink grant-free transmission resources allocated based on RRC signaling and the first DCI message; transmit a second DCI message to the UE, wherein the second DCI message disables the UE from performing uplink grant-free transmissions; and stop transmissions using uplink grant-free transmission resources.

9. Method according to claim 8, CHARACTERIZED in that the first DCI message additionally comprises feature block information and modulation and encoding scheme (MCS) information.

10. Method according to claim 8, CHARACTERIZED in that the method further comprises: transmitting a third DCI message to the UE, wherein the third DCI message indicates an uplink grant for a retransmission of the uplink data.

11. Method, according to claim 8, CHARACTERIZED in that the RRC signaling includes at least one of a range between two concession-free transmission opportunities, power control-related parameters, a number of configured HARQ processes, and a concession-free UE identifier.

12. Method, according to claim 8, CHARACTERIZED in that the RS value for one UE is a different RS value from that for another UE.

13. Method, according to claim 8, CHARACTERIZED in that the RS value assigned from the group of RS values ​​is generated from orthogonal RS sequences.

14. Network equipment configured for concession-free transmissions, the network equipment CHARACTERIZED by comprising: a processor; and a processor-readable storage medium that stores instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method as defined in any one of claims 8 to 13.

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