Method, communication device and infrastructure equipment for multiple configured grants

Abstract

There is provided a method of transmitting data by a communications device to an infrastructure equipment in a cell of a wireless communications network. The method comprises receiving an indication of a plurality of configured grants, each of the configured grants allocating a set of communications resources for transmission of data by the communications device within one of a plurality of bandwidth parts of a frequency range within a system bandwidth of the cell; determining that one or more of the plurality of configured grants should be activated and / or determining that one or more of the plurality of configured grants should be deactivated; and transmitting one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal to the infrastructure equipment, the activation signal being transmitted to the infrastructure equipment if the communications device determines that one or more configured grants should be activated, the deactivation signal being transmitted to the infrastructure equipment if the communications device determines that one or more configured grants should be deactivated. The activation signal indicates that the set of communications resources of each of the one or more configured grants that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communications device, and the deactivation signal indicates that the set of communications resources of each of the one or more configured grants that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communications devices.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to communication devices, infrastructure equipment, and methods for transmitting data from communication devices in a wireless communication network.

[0002] This application claims priority under the Paris Convention for European Patent Application No. EP 19182371, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0003] The "Background Art" description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of this disclosure. Within the scope described in this Background Art section, the work of the currently named inventors and aspects of the description that may not be limited to prior art at the time of submission are neither expressly nor implicitly acknowledged as prior art relative to this invention.

[0004] Third and fourth generation mobile telecommunications systems (e.g., those based on the UMTS and LTE architectures defined by 3GPP) are capable of supporting more complex services than the simple voice and messaging services offered by previous generations of mobile telecommunications systems. For example, with the improved radio interface and enhanced data rates provided by LTE systems, users can enjoy high-data-rate applications such as mobile video streaming and mobile video conferencing, which were previously only available via fixed-line data connections. Therefore, the demand for deploying such networks is strong, and the coverage areas of these networks (i.e., the geographical locations where network access is available) are likely to increase more rapidly.

[0005] Compared to current systems optimized for support, future wireless communication networks are expected to routinely and efficiently support communications using a wider range of devices associated with broader traffic profiles and types. For example, future wireless communication networks are expected to efficiently support communications with devices, including reduced-complexity devices, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, high-resolution video displays, and virtual reality headsets. Some of these different types of devices (e.g., low-complexity devices supporting the “Internet of Things”) can be deployed in very large numbers and can typically be associated with the transmission of a relatively small amount of data with relatively high latency tolerance.

[0006] In view of this, there is a need for future wireless communication networks (e.g., those that may be called 5G or New Radio (NR) systems / New Radio Access Technology (RAT) systems[1]) and future iterations / releases of existing systems to effectively support connectivity for a wide range of devices associated with different applications and different characteristics of data traffic files.

[0007] One example of the new service is called Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) service, which, as the name suggests, requires data units or packets to communicate with high reliability and low latency. Therefore, URLLC type services represent a challenging example for both LTE-type communication systems and 5G / NR communication systems.

[0008] The increasing use of different types of network infrastructure equipment and terminal devices associated with different traffic profiles presents new challenges that need to be addressed in efficiently processing communications in wireless telecommunications systems. Summary of the Invention

[0009] This disclosure can help resolve or at least mitigate some of the problems discussed above.

[0010] Embodiments of this technology can provide a method for transmitting data from a communication device to infrastructure equipment in a cell of a wireless communication network. The method includes: receiving indications of a plurality of configuration grants, each of which allocates a set of communication resources for data transmission by the communication device within one of a plurality of bandwidth portions of a frequency range defining the system bandwidth of the cell; determining that one or more of the plurality of configuration grants should be activated and / or determining that one or more of the plurality of configuration grants should be deactivated; and transmitting one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal to the infrastructure equipment, wherein if the communication device determines that one or more configuration grants should be activated, an activation signal is transmitted to the infrastructure equipment, and if the communication device determines that one or more configuration grants should be deactivated, a deactivation signal is transmitted to the communication device. The activation signal indicates that a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration grants that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device, and the deactivation signal indicates that a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration grants that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices.

[0011] Embodiments of this technology further relate to communication devices, infrastructure equipment, methods for operating infrastructure equipment, and circuitry for communication devices and infrastructure equipment, allowing for enhanced resource efficiency at the gNodeB, thereby activating CG resources when there is a transmission from the UE and deactivating CG resources when there is no transmission from the UE.

[0012] The various aspects and features of this disclosure are defined in the appended claims.

[0013] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present technology are exemplary and not limiting. The described embodiments and other advantages will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0014] A more complete understanding of this disclosure and its many accompanying advantages will readily be obtained when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which will be further understood by referring to the following detailed description, wherein similar reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts throughout several views, and wherein:

[0015] Figure 1 These illustrations represent aspects of an LTE-type wireless telecommunications system that can be configured to operate according to certain embodiments of this disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2 This illustration schematically depicts some aspects of a novel radio access technology (RAT) wireless communication network that can be configured to operate according to embodiments of this disclosure;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic block diagram of exemplary infrastructure equipment and communication devices that can be configured to operate according to certain embodiments of this disclosure;

[0018] Figure 4 A partial schematic and partial message flow diagram representation of a wireless communication network including communication devices and infrastructure equipment according to embodiments of the present technology is shown;

[0019] Figure 5 Examples of multiple sets of uplink configuration authorization resources with different periods according to embodiments of the present technology are shown;

[0020] Figure 6 Examples of logical channels according to embodiments of the present technology being mapped to one or more sets of configuration licensed resources are shown; and

[0021] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating the communication process in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present technology is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Long Term Evolution (LTE) Advanced Wireless Access Technology (4G)

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram is provided illustrating some basic functions of a mobile telecommunications network / system 100, which typically operates based on LTE principles but may also support other radio access technologies and may be adapted to implement embodiments of the present disclosure as described herein. Figure 1The various components and certain aspects of their respective operating modes are well known and defined in relevant standards managed by the 3GPP (RTM) organization, and described in numerous books on the subject (e.g., Holma H. ​​and Toskala A[2]). It will be understood that the operational aspects of the telecommunications (or simply communications) networks discussed herein that are not specifically described (e.g., the specific communication protocols and physical channels used for communication between different components) can be implemented according to any known technology (e.g., modifications and additions to relevant standards and known proposals for relevant standards).

[0024] Network 100 includes multiple base stations 101 connected to core network 102. Each base station provides a coverage area 103 (e.g., a cell) within which data can be transmitted to and from communication device 104. Data is transmitted from base station 101 to terminal device 104 within the corresponding coverage area 103 of each base station 101 via radio downlink (UL). Data is transmitted from terminal device 104 to base station 101 via radio uplink (UL). Core network 102 routes data to and from terminal device 104 via the respective base station 101 and provides functions such as authentication, mobility management, and billing. Terminal device may also be referred to as mobile station, user equipment (UE), user terminal, mobile radio, communication device, etc. Base stations, as examples of network infrastructure equipment / network access nodes, may also be referred to as transceiver stations / node B / e-node B / eNB / g-node B / gNB, etc. In this regard, for components providing broadly comparable functionality, different terms are often associated with different generations of wireless telecommunication systems. However, certain embodiments of this disclosure can be equivalently implemented in different generations of wireless telecommunication systems, and for simplicity, specific terms may be used regardless of the underlying network architecture. That is, the use of specific terms associated with specific example implementations is not intended to imply that these implementations are limited to the specific generation of network most relevant to that specific term.

[0025] New wireless access technology (5G)

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the network architecture of a new RAT wireless communication network / system 200 based on previously proposed methods, which can also be adapted to provide functionality according to embodiments of this disclosure described herein. Figure 2The new RAT network 200 presented includes a first communication cell 201 and a second communication cell 202. Each communication cell 201, 202 includes control nodes (centralized units) 221, 222 that communicate with the core network component 210 via corresponding wired or wireless links 251, 252. Each control node 221, 222 also communicates with multiple distributed units (radio access nodes / remote transmit and receive points (TRPs)) 211, 212 within its corresponding cell. These communications can also be made via corresponding wired or wireless links. Distributed units (DUs) 211, 212 are responsible for providing radio access interfaces for communication devices connected to the network. Each distributed unit 211, 212 has a coverage area (radio access coverage area) 241, 242, wherein the sum of the coverage areas of the distributed units, under the control of the control nodes, collectively defines the coverage range of the corresponding communication unit 201, 202. Each distributed unit 211, 212 includes transceiver circuitry for transmitting and receiving wireless signals and processor circuitry configured to control the respective distributed unit 211, 212.

[0027] In terms of the broadest sense of top-level functions, Figure 2 The core network component 210 of the new RAT communication network shown can be broadly considered to be related to... Figure 1 Corresponding to the core network 102 shown, and the corresponding control nodes 221, 222 and their associated distributed units / TRPs 211, 212 can be broadly considered to provide corresponding... Figure 1 The function of base station 101. The term network infrastructure equipment / access node can be used for these elements that include wireless communication systems and more conventional base station type elements. Depending on the application at hand, the responsibility for scheduling transmissions on the radio interface between the respective distributed unit and communication device may lie with the control node / centralized unit and / or distributed unit / TRP.

[0028] exist Figure 2 In this context, a communication device or UE 260 is represented within the coverage area of ​​the first communication unit 201. The communication device 260 can therefore exchange signaling with the first control node 221 in the first communication unit via one of the distributed units 211 associated with the first communication unit 201. In some cases, communication for a given communication device is routed through only one of the distributed units; however, it is understood that in some other implementations (e.g., in soft handover scenarios and other scenarios), communication associated with a given communication device can be routed through more than one distributed unit.

[0029] exist Figure 2In the example, for simplicity, two communication units 201, 202 and one communication device 260 are shown, but it is of course understood that in practice, the system may include a large number of communication cells serving a large number of communication devices (each communication cell is supported by a corresponding control node and multiple distributed units).

[0030] Furthermore, it should be understood that Figure 2 This is merely an example of a proposed architecture for a new RAT communication system, in which methods based on the principles described herein can be employed, and the functionality disclosed herein can also be applied to wireless communication systems with different architectures.

[0031] Therefore, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure discussed herein can be adapted to various different architectures (e.g., Figure 1 and 2 The example architecture shown is implemented in a wireless telecommunications system / network. Therefore, it should be understood that the specific wireless communication architecture in any given implementation is not essential to the principles described herein. In this regard, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be generally described in the context of communication between network infrastructure devices / access nodes and communication devices, where the specific properties of the network infrastructure devices / access nodes and communication devices will depend on the network infrastructure used in the current implementation. For example, in some cases, the network infrastructure device / access node may include a base station, e.g., Figure 1 The illustrated LTE-type base station 101 is suitable for providing functionality according to the principles described herein, and in other examples, network infrastructure equipment / access nodes may include... Figure 2 The control elements / control nodes 221, 222 and / or TRPs 211, 212 of the type shown are adapted to provide functionality in accordance with the principles described herein.

[0032] Figure 3 A more detailed description of UE 270 and exemplary network infrastructure device 272 is given below, which can be considered as a combination of gNB 101 or control node 221 and TRP 211. Figure 3 As shown, UE 270 is depicted transmitting uplink data to infrastructure device 272 via resources of the radio access interface, typically as indicated by arrow 274. UE 270 can be similarly configured to receive downlink data transmitted by infrastructure device 272 via resources of the radio access interface (not shown). Figure 1 and Figure 2Infrastructure device 272 is connected to core network 276 via interface 278 to controller 280 of infrastructure device 272. Infrastructure device 272 includes receiver 282 and transmitter 286 connected to antenna 284. Accordingly, UE 270 includes controller 290 and transmitter 296, controller 290 being connected to receiver 292 which receives signals from antenna 294, and transmitter 296 also being connected to antenna 294.

[0033] Controller 280 is configured to control infrastructure device 272 and may include processor circuitry, which in turn may include various sub-units / sub-circuits for providing the functionality further explained herein. These sub-units may be implemented as separate hardware elements or appropriately configured processor circuitry. Therefore, controller 280 may include circuitry appropriately configured / programmed to provide the desired functionality to devices in a wireless telecommunications system using conventional programming / configuration techniques. According to a conventional arrangement, transmitter 286 and receiver 282 may include signal processors and RF filters, amplifiers, and circuitry. For ease of illustration, transmitter 286, receiver 282, and controller 280 are... Figure 3 The components are schematically shown as independent elements. However, it should be understood that the functionality of these components can be provided in a variety of different ways, for example, using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers or one or more appropriately configured application-specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chipsets. It should be understood that infrastructure equipment 272 will typically include a variety of other components associated with its operational functions.

[0034] Accordingly, the controller 290 of UE270 is configured to control the transmitter 296 and receiver 292, and may include processor circuitry, which may in turn include various sub-units / sub-circuits for providing the functions further explained herein. These sub-units may be implemented as separate hardware elements or appropriately configured processor circuitry. Therefore, the controller 290 may include circuitry appropriately configured / programmed to provide the desired functions for devices in a wireless telecommunications system using conventional programming / configuration techniques. Similarly, according to a conventional arrangement, the transmitter 296 and receiver 292 may include signal processors and RF filters, amplifiers, and circuitry. For ease of illustration, the transmitter 296, receiver 292, and controller 290 are... Figure 3These are schematically shown as independent components. However, it should be understood that the functionality of these components can be provided in various different ways, for example, using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers or one or more appropriately configured application-specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chipsets. It should be understood that the communication device 270 will typically include various other components (e.g., power supply, user interface, etc.) associated with its operational functions, but for simplicity, these are not shown in the diagram. Figure 3 Not shown in the image.

[0035] Controllers 280 and 290 can be configured to execute instructions stored on a computer-readable medium such as non-volatile memory. The processing steps described herein can be executed, for example, by a microprocessor in conjunction with random access memory, operating according to the instructions stored on the computer-readable medium.

[0036] 5G, URLLC and Industrial IoT

[0037] Systems employing NR technology are expected to support different services (or service types) that may be characterized by different requirements for latency, data rate, and / or reliability. For example, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services are characterized by the requirement to support high capacity up to 20 Gb / s. Ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLC) services require 1-10 times latency for a single transmission of a 32-byte data packet with a user plane latency of 1 ms [3]. -5 (99.999%) or higher reliability. In some cases, 1-10 [units of measurement missing] may be required. -6 (99.9999%) or higher reliability. Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) is another example of a service that can be supported by NR-based communication networks. Furthermore, the system is expected to support further enhancements related to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to support services with new requirements for high availability, high reliability, low latency, and, in some cases, high-precision positioning.

[0038] Industrial automation (i.e., the factory of the future), energy power distribution, and smart transportation systems are examples of new use cases for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). In one example of industrial automation, the system may involve different distributed components working together. These components may include multiple sensors, virtual hardware controllers, and autonomous robots that are able to initiate actions or react to critical events occurring within the factory and communicate via a local area network (LAN). The LAN can handle time-sensitive messages with strict deadlines and can therefore be called a Time-Sensitive Network (TSN). Some parts of this TSN network can be interconnected via a 5G wireless system (5GS). It can be expected that the UE / device in the TSN network will handle a mixture of the following different communication flows [4]:

[0039] • Multiple periodic streams with different periods and priorities, such as multiple streams from different applications;

[0040] • Non-periodic critical priority business processes arising from critical events (such as alerts requiring notification of critical event occurrences, security checks); and

[0041] • Business types that require best efforts, such as eMBB business, internet business, or any other business that supports factory operations.

[0042] Details of possible use cases and scenarios can be found in [4], and Table I, which describes these use cases in detail, is reproduced on the next page.

[0043] Therefore, it is expected that UEs / devices in the network can handle a mix of different services, such as those associated with different applications and potentially different quality of service requirements (e.g., maximum latency, reliability, packet size, throughput, etc.). In order to allow communication devices to transmit data associated with multiple communication categories in a timely manner, multiple configuration authorizations / semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) authorizations can be requested to provide greater flexibility while avoiding excessive dynamic downlink control signaling. It has been suggested [5] that, at least for different service / service types and / or for enhancing reliability and reducing latency, multiple active configuration authorizations can be supported simultaneously for allocating resources in a given bandwidth portion (BWP) of the serving cell.

[0044] Table I: Considerations for Use and Demand in TSN Demand Assessment

[0045]

[0046] Therefore, regarding the quality of service requirements for data, it is necessary to ensure that communication devices can be properly configured to use resources associated with one or more configuration authorizations to transmit data in an appropriate manner.

[0047] MAC control element

[0048] Communication devices 104 and 260 can use uplink communication resources to transmit data using Media Access Control (MAC) control elements (CEs). In response to determining that uplink communication resources are scheduled or will be scheduled for the communication devices, and that data is available for uplink transmission, each MAC CE is constructed using the MAC protocol. Once a MAC CE is constructed, it can be passed from the MAC protocol layer to the PHY protocol entity for transmission over the radio access interface to infrastructure equipment.

[0049] Bandwidth Component (BWP)

[0050] Communication devices and infrastructure equipment, such as Figure 1 The communication device 104 and infrastructure equipment 101 or Figure 2 The communication device 260 and infrastructure devices (TRPs) 211, 212 are configured to communicate via a wireless access interface. The wireless access interface may include one or more carriers, each providing communication resources for transmitting and receiving signals within a carrier frequency range, depending on the configuration of the wireless access interface. The one or more carriers may be configured within the system bandwidth provided for the wireless communication network in which the infrastructure devices 101, 211, 212 constitute a part. Each carrier may be divided into an uplink portion and a downlink portion in a frequency division duplex scheme and may include one or more bandwidth portions (BWPs). Therefore, a carrier may be configured with multiple different BWPs for the communication device to transmit or receive signals. The nature of the wireless access interface may differ in the different BWPs. For example, in the case where the wireless access interface is based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, different BWPs may have different subcarrier spacing, symbol periods, and / or cyclic prefix lengths. BWPs may have different bandwidths.

[0051] By properly configuring BWPs, infrastructure equipment can provide BWPs suitable for different types of services. For example, a BWP better suited for eMBB can have greater bandwidth to support high data rates. A BWP suitable for URLLC services can use higher subcarrier spacing and shorter slot durations to allow for lower latency transmission. The parameters of the radio access interface suitable for a BWP can be collectively referred to as the BWP numbers. Examples of these parameters are subcarrier spacing, symbol and slot durations, and cyclic prefix length.

[0052] A BWP may include communication resources for uplink or downlink communication. For a communication device, the uplink (UL) BWP and downlink (DL) BWP can be configured independently, and the UL BWP and DL BWP can be associated (e.g., paired). In some examples, the uplink and downlink communication resources are time-separated, in which case Time Division Duplex (TDD) can be used. In the case of TDD, the BWP pair (UL BWP and DL BWP with the same bwp-id) may have the same center frequency. In some examples, the uplink and downlink communication resources are frequency-separated, in which case Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) can be used. When using FDD, the UL BWP and DL BWP may include two non-contiguous frequency ranges, one including communication resources for uplink communication and the other including communication resources for downlink communication. In the remainder of this disclosure, the term "bandwidth portion" (BWP) is used to refer to a pair of associated uplink and downlink bandwidth portions, and therefore may include communication resources for both uplink and downlink transmissions. The terms “uplink bandwidth portion” and “downlink bandwidth portion” will be used when appropriate to refer to the bandwidth portions that include only uplink communication resources and downlink communication resources, respectively.

[0053] An active BWP is a BWP that can be used to transmit or receive data from communication devices 104 and 260. If a BWP is currently active for communication devices 104 and 260, infrastructure devices 101, 211, and 212 can schedule transmissions to or be scheduled by communication devices 104 and 260 only on the BWP. On a deactivated BWP, communication devices 104 and 260 may not monitor the PDCCH and may not transmit on the PUCCH, PRACH, and UL-SCH. Typically, for a given communication device, at any given time, at most one BWP providing uplink communication resources and at most one BWP providing downlink communication resources can be active.

[0054] Given the various parameters that can be applied to a BWP, a single activated BWP may not be suitable for transmitting data associated with different services if those services have different requirements (e.g., latency requirements) or characteristics (e.g., bandwidth / data rate). Before activation, a BWP can be configured for use by communication devices 104, 260. That is, communication devices 104, 260 can determine the characteristics of the BWP, for example, by means of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling transmitted by infrastructure device 101.

[0055] A BWP can be designated as the initial downlink BWP, which provides a set of control resources for scheduling downlink transmissions of system information and a corresponding initial uplink BWP for uplink transmissions (e.g., for initiating PRACH transmissions for initial access). A BWP can be designated as the primary BWP, which is always active and can be used to transmit control information to or by communication devices 104 and 260. Since the primary BWP is always active, it can be used for data transmission; therefore, one or more further (auxiliary) BWPs may only need to be activated if the primary BWP is unsuitable for ongoing or new services, or is insufficient, for example, due to congestion or lack of bandwidth. Alternatively or additionally, a BWP can be designated as the default BWP. If no BWP is explicitly configured as the default BWP, the BWP designated as the initial BWP can be the default BWP.

[0056] A default BWP can be defined as the BWP that the UE falls back to after the inactivity timer associated with a BWP other than the default BWP expires. For example, when a non-default BWP is deactivated due to the expiration of its associated inactivity timer, and no other non-default BWP is activated, the default BWP can be activated in response. The default BWP can have an activation or deactivation priority different from that of other non-default BWPs. The default BWP can be activated with priority and / or deactivated with the lowest priority. For example, the default BWP can remain active unless and until another BWP is activated, thus exceeding the maximum number of active BWPs. The default BWP can be further prioritized for transmitting indications that different BWPs will be activated or deactivated.

[0057] Based on authorized and unauthorized resources

[0058] In conventional uplink transmission, when data arrives at the Media Access Control (MAC) buffer of a communication device from a higher protocol layer, if the communication device has not scheduled uplink transmissions / resources, it may transmit a Schedule Request (SR) to the network in response. The communication device may also transmit a Buffer Status Report (BSR) indicating the amount of data in the MAC layer buffer. In response to receiving an SR or BSR, the network (e.g., infrastructure device 101) may send an uplink grant carried by Downlink Control Information (DCI) to the communication device 104. The DCI may be transmitted on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0059] Uplink granting may include an instruction to allocate (or in other words, schedule) uplink communication resources for a communication device to transmit its uplink data. Uplink communication resources can be on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). This type of resource allocation (where resources are allocated on a temporary, one-off basis) can be called grant-based resource allocation or “dynamic granting” (DG). Grant-based resource allocation is suitable for data arriving in variable quantities and / or for non-periodic services, even if traffic arrivals follow a predictable flow pattern. DG can be signaled at the MAC layer.

[0060] On the other hand, unlicensed resources are a set of periodically repeating uplink communication resources that are semi-statically configured by the network for use by communication devices for uplink transmission. Such resources can also be called "configuration grants" (CGs). Unlicensed resource allocation (also known as "semi-persistent scheduling" (SPS)) is particularly suitable for services that generate periodic communication, where the amount generated is roughly constant over time. CGs can be signaled at the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer. Since no SR or uplink grant needs to be transmitted for each uplink data transmission, unlicensed resources can improve the efficiency of communication resource utilization.

[0061] Therefore, resource allocation can be provided based on the quality of service requirements associated with a specific service. When a single communication device generates data for transmission, this data includes data associated with different quality of service requirements, for example, because it is associated with different services. The communication device can receive multiple resource allocations. These multiple resource allocations can include zero or more dynamic licenses, and zero or more configured licenses. The communication device can therefore have multiple active licenses. The communication resources allocated by these licenses can overlap in some cases, such as in the time domain, frequency domain, or both.

[0062] Multiple configuration licenses

[0063] As mentioned above, UEs in networks such as TSNs should handle a mix of different communications. This means that there should be available resources for UEs to transmit multiple communication categories in a timely manner. Therefore, multiple CGs / SPSs should be designed to provide greater flexibility and reduce resource waste caused by dynamic downlink control signaling simplification. There are already protocols in 3GPP RANI that can simultaneously support multiple active CGs in a given bandwidth portion (BWP) of the serving cell, at least for different service / service types and / or for enhancing reliability and reducing latency.[5]

[0064] There are currently two types of configuration authorization: Type 1 and Type 2. For Type 1 (CG Type 1), all transmission parameters, such as resource block allocation (i.e., the number of RBs), MCS table, MCS index, and periodicity, are configured via RRC signaling, and resources are always reserved so that the UE can transmit data whenever it has it. For Type 2 (CG Type 2), some parameters, such as the MCS table and periodicity, are configured via RRC signaling, but Downlink Control Information (DCI) also provides additional parameters, such as the MCS index and resource block allocation (i.e., the number of RBs). Furthermore, when data needs to be transmitted, the DCI received from the gNB dynamically activates the resources for Type 2 CG and deactivates them when they are no longer needed.

[0065] In Rel-15, either CG type 1 or CG type 2 is supported within a given bandwidth portion (BWP), but not both simultaneously. Furthermore, only a single instance of each type is supported; therefore, multiple CGs are not supported in Rel-15.

[0066] In Rel-16, it was agreed to support multiple active configuration authorizations for a UE within a given bandwidth portion (BWP) of the serving cell. This means that multiple CGs (up to 12) of type 1 or type 2 are supported in the BWP. For CG type 2, activation and deactivation of multiple CGs are accomplished via DCI signaling from the GNB. However, for CG type 1, there is no activation and deactivation of multiple CGs. This is problematic because always reserving resources is inefficient, even if there is no data transmission from the UE for a period of time, or when such radio resources are no longer needed due to changes in UE conditions. This means that the gNB cannot schedule them for other UEs on the same UL resources.

[0067] For CG Type 1, the main challenge is improving resource efficiency at the gNB so that CG resources are activated when there is transmission and deactivated when there is no transmission from the UE. Some use cases for enhancing CG Type 1 using various resources are as follows:

[0068] a) A UE can have multiple services with different communication characteristics (e.g., periodic reliability and priority). Therefore, each set of CG resources can be allocated to different services. When the UE has no data available for transmission from a given service, the corresponding set of CG resources must be released;

[0069] (b) A UE can have multiple sets of CG resources for a single service (i.e., a logical channel) designed to mitigate radio channel fluctuations, with each set of CG resources having a different MCS level. Therefore, once channel conditions have stabilized for a period of time, any unused set of CG resources must be released.

[0070] c) The UE may have multiple sets of CG resources for a single service (i.e., a logical channel) that begin at different times (e.g., offset from each other), designed to mitigate communication arrival delays (i.e., jitter). Therefore, when the communication arrival delay is small / insignificant over a period of time (e.g., less than X OFDM symbols or X μs), some of the multiple sets of CG resources are released. However, when the communication arrival delay is significant (e.g., greater than X OFDM symbols or X μs), the UE may keep some or all of the multiple sets of CG resources active; and

[0071] d) A UE may have multiple sets of CG resources that begin repeating at different times (e.g., offset from each other) for a single service (i.e., a logical channel), designed to mitigate radio channel fluctuations and service arrival delays. Therefore, when some of the multiple sets of CG resources have not been used for a period of time, they must be released.

[0072] In Rel-15, the signaling mechanism for activating or releasing CG resources falls into one of the following categories:

[0073] • RRC signaling is used to allocate or release CG resources, applicable to DL and UL resources, and currently used for both CG types 1 and 2; and

[0074] • DCI is used to activate or deactivate resources that have been assigned by RRC signaling. It is applicable to both DL and UL resources and is currently used for CG type 2 and DL SPS.

[0075] Enhanced UL configuration authorization for IIoT / URLLC in 5G systems

[0076] Figure 4 A partial schematic and partial message flow diagram representation of a wireless communication network including a communication device 401 and infrastructure device 402 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The communication device (401) is configured to transmit data to the infrastructure device 402 in a cell of the wireless communication network. The communication device 401 and the infrastructure device 402 each include transceivers (or transceiver circuits) 401.1, 402.1 and controllers (or controller circuits) 401.2, 402.2. For example, each of the controllers 401.2, 402.2 may be a microprocessor, CPU, or dedicated chipset, etc.

[0077] The transceiver circuit 401.1 and controller circuit 401.2 of the communication device 401 are combined and configured to receive from the infrastructure device 402 an indication of 404 multiple configuration grants, each of which allocates a set of communication resources for data transmission by the communication device 401 within one of multiple bandwidth portions of a frequency range defining the system bandwidth of the cell, to: determine 406 that one or more of the multiple configuration grants should be activated and / or determine that one or more of the multiple configuration grants should be deactivated; and transmit one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal to the infrastructure device 402, transmitting an activation signal to the infrastructure device 402 if the communication device 401 determines that one or more configuration grants should be activated, and transmitting a deactivation signal to the infrastructure device 402 if the communication device 401 determines that one or more configuration grants should be deactivated, wherein the activation signal indicates that the communication resource set of each of the one or more configuration grants that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device 401, and the deactivation signal indicates that the communication resource set of each of the one or more configuration grants that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices.

[0078] Both the communication device 401 and the infrastructure device 402 can initiate an activation / deactivation process. When the infrastructure device 402 initiates an activation / deactivation process (this occurs in...), Figure 4 (Not shown, but illustrating the process initiated by communication device 401), the controller circuit 402.2 and transceiver circuit 402.1 of infrastructure device 402 are combined and configured to transmit instructions for multiple configuration grants to communication device 401, each of the configuration grants allocating a set of communication resources for transmission by communication device 401 to infrastructure device 402 within one of multiple bandwidth portions of a frequency range defining the system bandwidth of the cell, to: determine that one or more of the multiple configuration grants should be activated and / or determine that one or more of the multiple configuration grants should be deactivated; and transmit to communication device 401... The infrastructure device 402 transmits one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal to the communication device 401 if it determines that one or more configuration grants should be activated, and transmits a deactivation signal to the communication device 401 if it determines that one or more configuration grants should be deactivated. The activation signal indicates that the communication resource set of each of the one or more configuration grants that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device 401, and the deactivation signal indicates that the communication resource set of each of the one or more configuration grants that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices.

[0079] In some embodiments, one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal may be carried by the communication device in the media access control, MAC, control element and CE of the infrastructure device when the communication device initiates the activation / deactivation process, or may be carried by the infrastructure device in the MACCE of the communication device when the infrastructure device initiates the activation / deactivation process.

[0080] For CG Type 1, there are stringent latency requirements associated with IIoT applications; therefore, the method specifically used to activate CG Type 1 should allow this activation to be completed as quickly as possible (those skilled in the art should understand that embodiments of this technology are equally applicable to CG Type 2 or any other conceivable configuration licensing type, just as they are applicable to CG Type 1). Since embodiments of this technology provide multiple Type 1 CGs for different communication files on the same BWP, it is virtually impossible to deactivate all CGs simultaneously. The activation / deactivation criteria for each use case are:

[0081] • Communication flow detection can be performed in the gNB or UE, and RRC or MAC CE layer signaling or timers can be used to signal the activation and / or deactivation of each CG resource of type 1, depending on communication conditions, as detailed below. For UE-based methods, for example, based on the amount of data in the buffer or packet delay budget requirements, the base station can use signaling to activate and / or deactivate different CGs according to standards. As mentioned above, both the UE and gNB can initiate the activation / deactivation process. However, when the UE initiates the activation / deactivation process, it is faster for UL transmission;

[0082] Both the UE and gNB can determine the UE's radio conditions (e.g., based on the CQI level reported by the UE to the gNB). If the UE's radio conditions have improved compared to the previous CSI report (e.g., CQI), then fewer CG resources can be used. The UE can perform its own measurements, and the gNB can determine activation and / or deactivation based on RRM and CSI measurements, and the gNB can perform activation and / or deactivation. If the UE is initiating activation / deactivation, a threshold can be indicated to the UE;

[0083] The UE can be configured to activate / deactivate different CG resources based on jitter tolerance. For example, if the jitter of a received packet exceeds a certain limit, all configured CG resources can be used. When the jitter tolerance is at an intermediate level, fewer than the configured number of CG resources can be used. For UL communication, the jitter tolerance is detected at the gNB or application layer and fed back to the base station, which can trigger the activation / deactivation of CG resources. For UE-based methods, the UE can be signaled with, for example, a standard indicating different jitter tolerance levels for different CG configurations.

[0084] Signaling details

[0085] Within a given timeframe, some CGs will have high activity levels, while others will have low activity levels or no activity. In fact, there may not be a CG that is always busy transmitting, but it is possible to identify the CG configured to have the shortest cycle time. The CG with the shortest cycle time can provide the lowest latency in transmitting activation and deactivation messages to the gNB. In embodiments of this technology, this CG is referred to as the "leading CG (LCG)," and the remaining CGs are simply "associated CGs (ACG)."

[0086] When a UE has two or more configuration grants on the same BWP, one of the CGs is designated as the leading CG (LCG). The LCG must have the shortest period to provide the lowest latency. The communication device or infrastructure equipment (depending on which is initiating the activation / deactivation process) determines that one of the multiple configuration grants is the leading configuration grant, and the other grants among the multiple configuration grants that are associated with the leading configuration grant are those with the shortest period among the multiple configuration grants.

[0087] An LCG is a CG that carries MAC CE activation and deactivation messages from other associated CGs, along with its own data, to the gNB. In other words, one or both of the activation and deactivation signals are transmitted within a set of communication resources authorized by the preamble configuration. The gNB can account for additional load when allocating resources for an LCG.

[0088] like Figure 5 As shown, three configuration grants, CG0, CGI, and CG2, are configured for the UE on the BWP of the serving cell, with periods of 1ms, 2ms, and 4ms, respectively. It is assumed that the subcarrier spacing is 15kHz and that there is a normal cyclic prefix (CP). In this case, CG0 should be designated as the preamble CG (LCG) because it has the shortest period, and the remaining CGI and CG2 are simply associated CGs (ACG).

[0089] In an embodiment of this technology, when multiple CGs with the same short period exist at the UE, the CG with the lowest index is automatically promoted to LCG. In other words, if two or more of the multiple configuration grants have the same period, the communication device or infrastructure device determines that the one with the lowest unique identifier among the multiple configuration grants is the preamble configuration grant.

[0090] In an embodiment of this technology, when multiple configuration grants with the same short period exist, the gNB indicates to the UE which CG will act as the LCG. In other words, if two or more of the multiple configuration grants have the same period, the infrastructure device determines which of these grants is the preamble configuration grant, and the communication device receives from the infrastructure device an indication of which of the multiple configuration grants is the preamble configuration grant. Alternatively, the gNB may indicate to the UE which CG can be the LCG, regardless of periodicity. In other words, the communication device is configured to receive an indication from the infrastructure device indicating that one of the multiple configuration grants is the preamble configuration grant, and that the other configuration grants relative to the preamble configuration grant are associated configuration grants.

[0091] In embodiments of this technology, any CG can carry or transmit activation and deactivation messages to the gNB (or to the UE if the gNB initiates an activation / deactivation process), rather than applying the concepts of LCG and ACG. In other words, the communication device or infrastructure equipment can transmit one or both of the activation and deactivation signals within a set of communication resources in any of a plurality of configuration licenses.

[0092] When deactivating a CG, the deactivation message may contain the index / ID of the CG to be deactivated. Similarly, when activating a CG, the activation message may contain the index / ID of the CG to be activated. In other words, the activation signal includes a unique identifier for each of one or more configuration licenses that should be activated, and the deactivation signal includes a unique identifier for each of one or more configuration licenses that should be deactivated. Alternatively, a bitmap may be used to activate or deactivate one or more CGs, where each bit indicates the activation / deactivation status of a specific CG index, e.g., "1" for activation and "0" for deactivation. In other words, each activation and deactivation signal includes a bitmap consisting of multiple bits, each bit associated with one of multiple configuration licenses, and the value of each bit in the multiple bits indicating whether the associated configuration license should be activated or deactivated.

[0093] In this disclosure, deactivation and activation information can be transmitted from either the UE or the gNB to the other. However, transmitting deactivation and activation information from the UE to the gNB optimizes latency and subsequently enables rapid transmission of IIoT data. A timer (e.g., a ConfiguredGrantTimer) can be used to receive acknowledgments at the UE, meaning that if the gNB does not provide a negative acknowledgment (NACK) within the time period specified by the timer (i.e., the same as traditional CG type 1 in Rel-15), the UE will assume that the message has been successfully transmitted to the gNB. The UE can then begin using the activated CG resources immediately after the timer expires. If the gNB does provide a NACK, this may simply be by sending a retransmission grant / DCI containing the same HARQ procedure as in the previously transmitted UL CG, in which case the UE will retransmit the same message. In other words, the communication device is configured to start a timer when transmitting one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal, so as to determine, upon the expiration of the timer, whether a negative acknowledgment has been received from the infrastructure device, the negative acknowledgment indicating that the infrastructure device has not successfully received one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal, and if a negative acknowledgment has been received, to retransmit one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal, or, if no negative acknowledgment has been received, to transmit data within a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the activation signal and / or to stop transmitting data within a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the deactivation signal.

[0094] Furthermore, the gNB can also provide only positive acknowledgments (ACKs) by sending an authorization / DCI message containing an acknowledgment message confirming the successful “activation / deactivation” of a CG resource. Here, the communication device is configured to start a timer when transmitting one or both of the activation and deactivation signals, to determine, upon timeout, whether an acknowledgment has been received from the infrastructure device indicating that the infrastructure device has successfully received one or both of the activation and deactivation signals, and if no acknowledgment is received, to retransmit one or both of the activation and deactivation signals, or, if an acknowledgment is received, to transmit data within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the activation signal and / or to stop transmitting data within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the deactivation signal.

[0095] In the above discussion, and in known techniques, it is assumed that a logical channel is mapped to a configuration license resource. However, to improve the availability of a given logical channel's CG resource, especially when the CG is temporarily deactivated, such as... Figure 6As shown, a logical channel can be associated with one or more active CG resources. In this case, one of the active CG resources associated with the logical channel should be the preamble CG (LCG), because the LCG will not be deactivated unless its existence is deconfigured via RRC signaling. Therefore, the resource for the LCG can be used whenever other associated CG resources are deactivated and data suddenly becomes available for transmission. Multiple CGs associated with the same logical channel can be defined as a group. However, as... Figure 6 As shown, the leading CG (LCG) can belong to one or more groups, where CGI and CG0 are in one group, and CG2 and CG0 are in another group. Therefore, CG0 is an LCG and belongs to two groups, responsible for the activation and deactivation of both groups. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 6 This is just one example, and there can be many more logical channels and CG groups, and an LCG can belong to all of these many more groups. Here, the communication device can be configured to receive from the infrastructure device an indication of the association between each of one or more logical channels and two or more groups in the configuration authorization, wherein the preamble configuration authorization forms part of the configuration authorization group associated with each of the logical channels.

[0096] In an embodiment of this technology, each CG has an associated inactivity timer, and the CG is automatically deactivated when the CG resource has been inactive for an extended period. The inactivity timer is started / restarted whenever a transmission for a given CG resource occurs in the uplink. In other words, each of the configuration grants is associated with an inactivity timer, which is restarted each time data is transmitted by a communication device within a set of communication resources of the configuration grant associated with the inactivity timer. Determining that one or more of the multiple configuration grants should be deactivated includes determining that the inactivity timer associated with each of the one or more configuration grants that should be deactivated has expired. The gNB will also apply similar timers to match the UE when CG resources are released. When resources are released, the gNB can dynamically allocate these resources to other UEs, thereby improving resource efficiency within the cell. In other words, the infrastructure equipment is configured to transmit an allocation message to at least one other communication device after transmitting a deactivation signal, the allocation message indicating that at least one other communication device is able to transmit data within a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration grants indicated in the deactivation signal. When the UE has data to transmit, it will use the MAC CE to send an activation message to the gNB and immediately begin using the activated CG resources.

[0097] Another way for a UE to indicate the activation of one or more CG resources is by sending a Scheduling Request (SR) or Buffer Status Report (BSR) to the gNB. In the current NR, each SR configuration corresponds to one or more logical channels, and each logical channel can be mapped to zero or one SR configuration, which is configured by RRC signaling. Therefore, when data is available on a logical channel, the UE transmits the corresponding SR (carried on the PUCCH) to notify the gNB. Furthermore, a BSR (carried on the MAC CE) can be used to report data available for a specific logical channel. Therefore, in embodiments of this technology, when the UE sends an SR / BSR, it is understood that the UE has activated CG resources (i.e., one or more CGs) associated with the logical channels mapped in the SR / BSR at the gNB. In other words, the activation signal is one of a Scheduling Request and a Buffer Status Report, which indicates that the communication device needs more communication resources in which data is transmitted, wherein one of the Scheduling Request and the Buffer Status Report is associated with one or more logical channels, and the one or more logical channels are associated with one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated. Therefore, the UE can start using the activated CG resources immediately after the acknowledgment timer (ConfiguredGrantTimer) expires or once the UE receives explicit acknowledgment, thereby avoiding delays and improving efficiency.

[0098] In embodiments of this technology, an RRC signaling mechanism can be utilized, which includes the configuration of two or more CG resources, such as three CGs, and also includes standards for enabling / activating or deactivating each of these CGs. For example, if the UE is in poor radio conditions, all three CGs are used. If the UE's radio conditions are improved by factors (e.g., based on CQI level or RSRP), only two CGs are used. For example:

[0099] CG Configuration #0

[0100] • Use CG#0 standards (e.g., jitter tolerance level, communication inactivity duration, CQI level).

[0101] CG Configuration 1

[0102] • Use CG#1 standards (e.g., jitter tolerance level, business inactivity duration, CQI level).

[0103] CG Configuration 2

[0104] • Use CG#2 standards (e.g., jitter tolerance level, business inactivity duration, CQI level).

[0105] In other words, determining whether one or more of a plurality of configuration authorizations should be activated depends on one or more specified communication conditions. One or more specified communication conditions may include:

[0106] • The relative quality of signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources for each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated is higher than a threshold.

[0107] • The reference signal received power of the reference signal received within a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated is higher than a threshold.

[0108] • The jitter tolerance level of signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources for each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated exceeds a threshold; and

[0109] • Each activated configuration authorization is used when the average amount of data transmitted by the communication device exceeds a threshold.

[0110] Similarly, determining whether one or more of a plurality of configuration authorizations should be deactivated depends on one or more specified communication conditions. One or more specified communication conditions may include:

[0111] • The relative quality of signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources of each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated is below a threshold.

[0112] • The reference signal received power of the reference signal received within a set of communication resources of each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated is below a threshold.

[0113] • The jitter tolerance level of the signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources in each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated is below a threshold; and

[0114] • The duration for which no data is transmitted by the communication device within a set of communication resources in one or more of the configuration licenses that should be activated exceeds a threshold.

[0115] Those skilled in the art will understand that this arrangement of embodiments of the present technology can be applied to any number of CGs, and any combination of any values ​​of parameters and thresholds.

[0116] Parameters associated with different CG standards should typically be set to different values. For example, if the radio condition is greater than threshold -1, CG0 is used. If the radio condition is greater than threshold -2 but less than threshold -1, both CG0 and CGI are used. If the radio condition is less than threshold -2, all three CG resources are used repeatedly. The thresholds, and indeed the parameters themselves, can be communicated to the UE via RRC signaling. In other words, the infrastructure device indicates one or more specified conditions and the corresponding thresholds for each of the specified conditions to the communication device. The advantage of this approach is that traditional Type 1 is configured by RRC, without requiring any explicit signaling at lower layers. The UE and gNB are matched based on monitoring which resources are activated and deactivated according to the criteria for enabling the activation and deactivation of each CG resource.

[0117] In another arrangement of this technical embodiment, similar to LTE and Rel-15 NR, DCI signaling from the gNB indicates the activation and / or deactivation of UL CG resources for CG Type 2. In other words, one or both of the activation and deactivation signals are carried in the downlink control information transmitted from the infrastructure equipment to the communication device.

[0118] Those skilled in the art will understand that some of the signaling methods described herein can also be applied to DL SPS activation and deactivation.

[0119] Flowchart representation

[0120] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating the communication process in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present technology is shown. Figure 7 The process shown is a method of transmitting data from a communication device to infrastructure equipment in a cell of a wireless communication network.

[0121] The method begins at step S701. The method includes: in step S702, receiving from an infrastructure device an indication of a plurality of configuration grants, each of which allocates a set of communication resources for data transmission by a communication device within one of a plurality of bandwidth portions of a frequency range defining the system bandwidth of a cell. In step S703, the method includes: determining that one or more of the plurality of configuration grants should be activated and / or determining that one or more of the plurality of configuration grants should be deactivated. In step S704, the process includes: transmitting one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal to the infrastructure device, transmitting an activation signal to the infrastructure device if the communication device determines that one or more configuration grants should be activated, and transmitting a deactivation signal to the infrastructure device if the communication device determines that one or more configuration grants should be deactivated. The activation signal indicates that a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration grants that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device, and the deactivation signal indicates that a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration grants that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices. The process ends at step S704.

[0122] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 7 The method shown can be adapted to embodiments of the present technology. For example, the method may include other intermediate steps, or these steps may be performed in any logical order.

[0123] Although the embodiments of this technology are mainly through Figure 4 The example system shown is used to describe the concept, but those skilled in the art will clearly understand that it can be equivalently applied to other systems, such as those in which infrastructure equipment / gNB rather than communication devices / UEs initiate the activation / deactivation process. Those skilled in the art will also understand that while embodiments of this technology are primarily described with respect to Type 1 configuration authorization, they are equally applicable to Type 2 configuration authorization, and any other conceivable type of configuration authorization.

[0124] Those skilled in the art will further understand that such infrastructure equipment and / or communication devices as defined herein can be further defined according to the various setups and embodiments discussed in the preceding paragraphs. Those skilled in the art will further understand that such infrastructure equipment and communication devices as defined and described herein can form part of communication systems other than those defined in this disclosure.

[0125] The following numbered paragraphs provide further illustrative aspects and features of this technology:

[0126] Paragraph 1. A method for transmitting data from a communication device to infrastructure equipment in a cell of a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

[0127] The system receives instructions from infrastructure equipment regarding multiple configuration grants, each of which allocates a set of communication resources. These resources are used by the communication device to transmit data within one of multiple bandwidth portions of a frequency range defined within the system bandwidth of the cell.

[0128] Determine if one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be activated and / or determine if one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be deactivated, and

[0129] The communication device transmits one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal to the infrastructure equipment. If the communication device determines that one or more configuration authorizations should be activated, it transmits an activation signal to the infrastructure equipment; if the communication device determines that one or more configuration authorizations should be deactivated, it transmits a deactivation signal to the infrastructure equipment.

[0130] In this configuration, the activation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device, and the deactivation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices.

[0131] Paragraph 2. According to the method described in paragraph 1, one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal are carried in the media access control, MAC, control element, CE transmitted from the communication device to the infrastructure device.

[0132] Paragraph 3. The method described in paragraph 1 or paragraph 2, including...

[0133] One of the multiple configuration licenses is identified as the leading configuration license, and the other licenses among the multiple configuration licenses that are related to the leading configuration license are associated configuration licenses, with the leading configuration license having the shortest period among the multiple configuration licenses.

[0134] Paragraph 4. According to the method described in paragraph 3, if two or more of the multiple configuration authorizations have the same period, then the one with the lowest unique identifier among the two or more configuration authorizations is determined to be the leading configuration authorization.

[0135] Paragraph 5. The method according to paragraph 3 or paragraph 4, wherein if two or more of the multiple configuration authorizations have the same period, an indication is received from the infrastructure device of which of the two or more configuration authorizations is the leading configuration authorization.

[0136] Paragraph 6. The method according to any one of paragraphs 3 to 5, wherein one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal are transmitted within a set of communication resources authorized by the preamble configuration.

[0137] Paragraph 7. The method according to any one of paragraphs 3 to 6, wherein the communication device is capable of transmitting one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal within a set of communication resources in any of a plurality of configuration licenses.

[0138] Paragraph 8. The method according to any one of paragraphs 3 to 7, comprising:

[0139] Receive from infrastructure equipment an indication of the association between each of one or more logical channels and a group of two or more configuration authorizations, wherein a leading configuration authorization forms part of a configuration authorization group associated with each of the logical channels.

[0140] Paragraph 9. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 8, comprising:

[0141] The information received from the infrastructure device indicates that one of the multiple configuration authorizations is a leading configuration authorization and that the other configuration authorizations relative to the leading configuration authorization are related configuration authorizations.

[0142] Paragraph 10. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 9, wherein the activation signal includes a unique identifier of each of one or more configuration licenses that should be activated, and the deactivation signal includes a unique identifier of each of one or more configuration licenses that should be deactivated.

[0143] Paragraph 11. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 10, wherein each of the activation signal and the deactivation signal comprises a bitmap formed of a plurality of bits, each bit being associated with one of a plurality of configuration authorizations, the value of each bit in the plurality of bits indicating whether the associated configuration authorization should be activated or deactivated.

[0144] Paragraph 12. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 11, comprising:

[0145] The timer is started when one or both of the activation and deactivation signals are transmitted.

[0146] When the timer expires, it is determined whether a negative acknowledgment has been received from the infrastructure device, the negative acknowledgment indicating that the infrastructure device has not successfully received one or both of the activation and deactivation signals, and

[0147] If a negative acknowledgment has been received, then retransmit one or both of the activation and deactivation signals, or

[0148] If no negative acknowledgment is received, data is transmitted within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the activation signal, and / or data transmission is stopped within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the deactivation signal.

[0149] Paragraph 13. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 12, comprising:

[0150] A timer is started when one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal are transmitted.

[0151] When the timer expires, it is determined whether an acknowledgment has been received from the infrastructure device, the acknowledgment indicating that the infrastructure device has successfully received one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal.

[0152] If no confirmation has been received, resend one or both of the activation and deactivation signals, or

[0153] If an acknowledgment has been received, the data is transmitted within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the activation signal, and / or the transmission of data is stopped within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the deactivation signal.

[0154] Paragraph 14. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 13, wherein each of the configuration authorizations is associated with an inactive timer, the inactive timer being restarted by the communication device during each transmission of data within a set of communication resources of the configuration authorization associated with the inactive timer, and determining that one or more of the plurality of configuration authorizations should be deactivated includes determining that the inactive timer associated with each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated has expired.

[0155] Paragraph 15. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 14, wherein the activation signal is one of a scheduling request and a buffer status report indicating that the communication device needs more communication resources in which data is transmitted, wherein one of the scheduling request and the buffer status report is associated with one or more logical channels, the one or more logical channels being associated with one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated.

[0156] Paragraph 16. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 15, wherein determining that one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be activated depends on one or more specified communication conditions.

[0157] Paragraph 17. The method according to paragraph 16, wherein the one or more specified communication conditions include:

[0158] The relative quality of signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated is higher than a threshold.

[0159] The reference signal received power of the reference signal received within a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated is higher than a threshold.

[0160] The jitter tolerance level of the transmitted or received signal within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated is higher than a threshold; and

[0161] Each activated configuration authorization is used when the average amount of data transmitted by the communication device exceeds a threshold.

[0162] Paragraph 18. The method according to paragraph 16 or paragraph 17, wherein the infrastructure equipment instructs the communication device on one or more specified conditions and a threshold for each of the one or more specified conditions.

[0163] Paragraph 19. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 18, wherein determining one or more of a plurality of configuration authorizations that should be deactivated depends on one or more specified communication conditions.

[0164] Paragraph 20. According to the method described in paragraph 19, one or more specified communication conditions include:

[0165] The relative quality of signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources of each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated is below a threshold.

[0166] The reference signal received power of the reference signal received within a set of communication resources of each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated is below a threshold.

[0167] The jitter tolerance level of the signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources of each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated is below a threshold; and

[0168] The duration for which no data is transmitted by the communication device within a set of communication resources in one or more configuration licenses that should be deactivated exceeds a threshold.

[0169] Paragraph 21. The method according to paragraph 19 or paragraph 20, wherein the infrastructure equipment indicates to the communication device one or more specified conditions and a threshold for each of the one or more specified conditions.

[0170] Paragraph 22. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 21, comprising:

[0171] In response to transmitting an activation signal and / or a deactivation signal, an acknowledgment signal is received from the infrastructure equipment, and in response to receiving the acknowledgment signal,

[0172] Transmit data within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the activation signal, and / or stop transmitting data within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the deactivation signal.

[0173] Paragraph 23. A communication device configured to transmit data to infrastructure equipment in a cell of a wireless communication network, the communication device comprising:

[0174] The transceiver circuitry is configured to transmit and receive signals via a wireless access interface provided by a wireless communication network.

[0175] The controller circuit is configured to control the transceiver circuit in order to:

[0176] The system receives instructions from infrastructure equipment regarding multiple configuration grants, each of which allocates a set of communication resources for data transmission by the communication device within one of multiple bandwidth portions of a frequency range defining the system bandwidth of the cell.

[0177] Determine if one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be activated and / or determine if one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be deactivated, and

[0178] The communication device transmits one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal to the infrastructure equipment. If the communication device determines that one or more configuration authorizations should be activated, it transmits an activation signal to the infrastructure equipment; if the communication device determines that one or more configuration authorizations should be deactivated, it transmits a deactivation signal to the infrastructure equipment.

[0179] In this configuration, the activation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device, and the deactivation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices.

[0180] Paragraph 24. A circuit for a communication device configured to transmit data to infrastructure equipment in a cell of a wireless communication network, the communication device comprising:

[0181] The transceiver circuitry is configured to transmit and receive signals via a wireless access interface provided by a wireless communication network.

[0182] The controller circuit is configured to control the transceiver circuit in order to:

[0183] The system receives instructions from infrastructure equipment regarding multiple configuration grants, each of which allocates a set of communication resources for data transmission by the communication device within one of multiple bandwidth portions of a frequency range defining the system bandwidth of the cell.

[0184] Determine if one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be activated and / or determine if one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be deactivated, and

[0185] The communication device transmits one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal to the infrastructure equipment. If the communication device determines that one or more configuration authorizations should be activated, it transmits an activation signal to the infrastructure equipment; if the communication device determines that one or more configuration authorizations should be deactivated, it transmits a deactivation signal to the infrastructure equipment.

[0186] In this configuration, the activation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device, and the deactivation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices.

[0187] Paragraph 25. A method of operating infrastructure equipment for a wireless communication network, said infrastructure equipment providing cells, the method comprising:

[0188] Instructions for multiple configuration grants are transmitted to the communication device, each of which allocates a set of communication resources for the communication device to transmit data to infrastructure equipment within one of multiple bandwidth portions of a frequency range defined by the system bandwidth of the cell.

[0189] Determine if one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be activated and / or determine if one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be deactivated, and

[0190] The system transmits one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal to the communication device. If the infrastructure device determines that one or more configuration authorizations should be activated, it transmits an activation signal to the communication device; if the infrastructure device determines that one or more configuration authorizations should be deactivated, it transmits a deactivation signal to the communication device.

[0191] In this configuration, the activation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device, and the deactivation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices.

[0192] Paragraph 26. The method according to paragraph 25, wherein one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal are carried in the media access control, MAC, control element, CE transmitted from the infrastructure equipment to the communication device.

[0193] Paragraph 27. The method according to paragraph 25 or paragraph 26, wherein one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal are carried in downlink control information transmitted from the infrastructure equipment to the communication device.

[0194] Paragraph 28. The method according to any one of paragraphs 25 to 27, comprising:

[0195] One of the multiple configuration licenses is identified as the leading configuration license, and the other licenses among the multiple configuration licenses that are related to the leading configuration license are associated configuration licenses, with the leading configuration license having the shortest period among the multiple configuration licenses.

[0196] Paragraph 29. According to the method described in paragraph 28, wherein if two or more of the multiple configuration authorizations have the same period, the one with the lowest unique identifier among the multiple configuration authorizations is determined to be the leading configuration authorization.

[0197] Paragraph 30. The method according to paragraph 28 or paragraph 29, wherein if two or more of the multiple configuration authorizations have the same period, an indication of which of the multiple configuration authorizations is the leading configuration authorization is transmitted to the communication device.

[0198] Paragraph 31. The method according to any one of paragraphs 28 to 30, comprising:

[0199] The communication device transmits an indication of the association between each of one or more logical channels and two or more groups including configuration authorizations, wherein the preamble configuration authorization forms part of the configuration authorization group associated with each of the logical channels.

[0200] Paragraph 32. The method according to any one of paragraphs 25 to 31, comprising:

[0201] The communication device is transmitted an indication that one of the multiple configuration authorizations is a preamble configuration authorization and that the others of the multiple configuration authorizations relative to the preamble configuration authorization are associated configuration authorizations.

[0202] Paragraph 33. The method according to any one of paragraphs 25 to 32, wherein the activation signal includes a unique identifier of each of one or more configuration licenses that should be activated, and the deactivation signal includes a unique identifier of each of one or more configuration licenses that should be deactivated.

[0203] Paragraph 34. The method according to any one of paragraphs 25 to 33, wherein each of the activation signal and the deactivation signal comprises a bitmap formed of a plurality of bits, each bit being associated with one of a plurality of configuration licenses, the value of each bit in the plurality of bits indicating whether the associated configuration license should be activated or deactivated.

[0204] Paragraph 35. The method according to any one of paragraphs 25 to 34, wherein each of the configuration authorizations is associated with an inactive timer, the inactive timer being restarted by the communication device during each transmission of data within a set of communication resources of the configuration authorization associated with the inactive timer, and determining that one or more of the plurality of configuration authorizations should be deactivated includes determining that the inactive timer associated with each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated has expired.

[0205] Paragraph 36. The method according to any one of paragraphs 25 to 35, comprising:

[0206] After transmitting the deactivation signal, an allocation message is transmitted to at least one other communication device, the allocation message instructing at least one other communication device to transmit data within a set of communication resources of each of one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the deactivation signal.

[0207] Paragraph 37. The method according to any one of paragraphs 25 to 36, wherein determining one or more of a plurality of configuration authorizations that should be activated depends on one or more specified communication conditions.

[0208] Paragraph 38. According to the method described in paragraph 37, one or more specified communication conditions include:

[0209] The relative quality of signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated is higher than a threshold.

[0210] The reference signal received power of the reference signal received within a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated is higher than a threshold.

[0211] The jitter tolerance level of the signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated exceeds a threshold; and

[0212] Each activated configuration authorization is used when the average amount of data transmitted by the communication device exceeds a threshold.

[0213] Paragraph 39. The methods described in paragraph 37 or paragraph 38, including

[0214] Instruct the communication device to one or more specified conditions and a threshold for each of the one or more specified conditions.

[0215] Paragraph 40. The method according to any one of paragraphs 25 to 39, wherein determining one or more of a plurality of configuration authorizations that should be deactivated depends on one or more specified communication conditions.

[0216] Paragraph 41. According to the method described in paragraph 40, one or more specified communication conditions include:

[0217] The relative quality of signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources of each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated is below a threshold.

[0218] The reference signal received power of the reference signal received within a set of communication resources of each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated is below a threshold.

[0219] The jitter tolerance level of the signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources of each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated is below a threshold; and

[0220] The duration for which no data is transmitted by the communication device within a set of communication resources in one or more configuration licenses that should be deactivated exceeds a threshold.

[0221] Paragraph 42. The method described in paragraph 40 or paragraph 41, including

[0222] Instruct the communication device to one or more specified conditions and a threshold for each of the one or more specified conditions.

[0223] Paragraph 43. An infrastructure device for a wireless communication network, the infrastructure device providing a cell, the infrastructure device comprising:

[0224] The transceiver circuitry is configured to transmit and receive signals via a wireless access interface provided by a wireless communication network.

[0225] The controller circuit is configured to control the transceiver circuit in order to:

[0226] Instructions for multiple configuration grants are transmitted to the communication device, each of which allocates a set of communication resources. These resources are used by the communication device to transmit data to infrastructure equipment within one of multiple bandwidth portions of a frequency range defined by the system bandwidth of the cell.

[0227] Determine if one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be activated and / or determine if one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be deactivated, and

[0228] The system transmits one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal to the communication device. If the infrastructure device determines that one or more configuration authorizations should be activated, it transmits an activation signal to the communication device; if the infrastructure device determines that one or more configuration authorizations should be deactivated, it transmits a deactivation signal to the communication device.

[0229] In this configuration, the activation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device, and the deactivation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices.

[0230] Paragraph 44. Circuits for infrastructure equipment used in wireless communication networks, the infrastructure equipment providing cells, the infrastructure equipment including:

[0231] The transceiver circuitry is configured to transmit and receive signals via a wireless access interface provided by a wireless communication network.

[0232] The controller circuit is configured to control the transceiver circuit in order to:

[0233] Instructions for multiple configuration grants are transmitted to the communication device, each of which allocates a set of communication resources. These resources are used by the communication device to transmit data to infrastructure equipment within one of multiple bandwidth portions of a frequency range defined by the system bandwidth of the cell.

[0234] Determine if one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be activated and / or determine if one or more of a plurality of configuration licenses should be deactivated, and

[0235] The system transmits one or both of an activation signal and a deactivation signal to the communication device. If the infrastructure device determines that one or more configuration authorizations should be activated, it transmits an activation signal to the communication device; if the infrastructure device determines that one or more configuration authorizations should be deactivated, it transmits a deactivation signal to the communication device.

[0236] In this configuration, the activation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device, and the deactivation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices.

[0237] Since embodiments of this disclosure have been described as being implemented at least in part by a data processing device controlled by software, it should be understood that non-transitory machine-readable media (e.g., optical discs, magnetic disks, semiconductor memories, etc.) carrying such software are also considered to represent embodiments of this disclosure.

[0238] It should be understood that, for clarity, the above description has referenced various functional units, circuits, and / or processors in the embodiments. However, it will be apparent that any suitable functional distribution among the various functional units, circuits, and / or processors may be used without departing from the embodiments.

[0239] The described embodiments can be implemented in any suitable form, including hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. The described embodiments can optionally be implemented, at least in part, as computer software running on one or more data processors and / or digital signal processors. Elements and components of any embodiment can be implemented physically, functionally, and logically in any suitable manner. In practice, the function can be implemented in a single unit, multiple units, or as part of other functional units. Thus, the disclosed embodiments can be implemented in a single unit or can be physically and functionally distributed among different units, circuits, and / or processors.

[0240] Although this disclosure has been described in conjunction with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. Furthermore, while a feature may appear to be described in conjunction with a particular embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various features of the described embodiments can be combined in any manner suitable for implementing the technology.

[0241] References

[0242] [1]RP-182090, "Revised SID: Study on NR Industrial Internet of Things (IoT)," 3GPP RAN#81.

[0243] [2]Holma H. ​​and Toskala A, "LTE for UMTS OFDMA and SC-FDMA based radioaccess", John Wiley and Sons, 2009.

[0244] [3]3GPP TS 38.321, "Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol specification (Rel-15)", vl5.3.0

[0245] [4]TR 38.825, "Study on NR Industrial Internet of Things (IoT)", 3GPPRel-16.

[0246] [5]R2-1818991,“FS on multiple active configured grantconfigurations”,RAN2#104。

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data from a communication device to infrastructure equipment in a cell of a wireless communication network, the method comprising: Instructions for multiple configuration grants are received from the infrastructure equipment, each of which allocates a set of communication resources for the communication device to transmit the data within one of multiple bandwidth portions of a frequency range defining the system bandwidth of the cell, wherein one or more of the configuration grants are Type 1 configuration grants. Determine whether one or more of the Type 1 configuration authorizations should be activated and / or determine whether one or more of the Type 1 configuration authorizations should be deactivated, wherein determining whether one or more of the Type 1 configuration authorizations should be deactivated depends on one or more specified communication conditions, and The communication device transmits activation and deactivation signals to the infrastructure equipment. If the communication device determines that one or more Type 1 configuration licenses should be activated, it transmits an activation signal to the infrastructure equipment; if the communication device determines that one or more Type 1 configuration licenses should be deactivated, it transmits a deactivation signal to the infrastructure equipment. The activation and deactivation signals are carried in a media access control element transmitted from the communication device to the infrastructure equipment. Wherein, the activation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more Type 1 configuration authorizations that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device, and the deactivation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more Type 1 configuration authorizations that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising: One of the plurality of configuration authorizations is determined to be a leading configuration authorization, and the other authorizations among the plurality of configuration authorizations relative to the leading configuration authorization are associated configuration authorizations, wherein the leading configuration authorization has the shortest period among the plurality of configuration authorizations.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, If two or more of the plurality of configuration authorizations have the same period, then the configuration authorization with the lowest unique identifier among the two or more of the plurality of configuration authorizations is determined to be the leading configuration authorization.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, If two or more of the plurality of configuration authorizations have the same period, an indication is received from the infrastructure device as to which of the plurality of configuration authorizations is the leading configuration authorization.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein, One or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal are transmitted within a set of communication resources authorized by the preamble configuration.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The communication device is capable of transmitting one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal within a set of communication resources in any of the plurality of configuration authorizations.

7. The method according to claim 2, comprising: The infrastructure device receives an indication of the association between each of one or more logical channels and a set of two or more configuration authorizations, wherein... The preamble configuration authorization forms part of a configuration authorization group associated with each of the logical channels.

8. The method according to claim 1, comprising: The receipt of one of the plurality of configuration authorizations from the infrastructure device is a preamble configuration authorization and an indication that the other configuration authorizations among the plurality of configuration authorizations relative to the preamble configuration authorization are associated configuration authorizations.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The activation signal includes a unique identifier for each of one or more Type 1 configuration licenses that should be activated, and the deactivation signal includes a unique identifier for each of one or more Type 1 configuration licenses that should be deactivated.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the activation and deactivation signals includes a bitmap formed by a plurality of bits, each bit being associated with one of the plurality of configuration authorizations, the value of each bit indicating whether the associated configuration authorization should be activated or deactivated.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising: A timer is started when one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal are transmitted. When the timer expires, it is determined whether a negative acknowledgment has been received from the infrastructure device, the negative acknowledgment indicating that the infrastructure device has not successfully received one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal. If the negative acknowledgment has been received, then retransmit one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal, or If no negative acknowledgment is received, the data is transmitted within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the activation signal, and / or the transmission of the data is stopped within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the deactivation signal.

12. The method according to claim 1, comprising: A timer is started when one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal are transmitted. When the timer expires, it is determined whether an acknowledgment has been received from the infrastructure device, the acknowledgment indicating that the infrastructure device has successfully received one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal. If the confirmation has not yet been received, then resend one or both of the activation signal and the deactivation signal, or If the confirmation has been received, the data is transmitted within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the activation signal, and / or the transmission of the data is stopped within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the deactivation signal.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the configuration authorizations is associated with an inactive timer, which is restarted by the communication device each time data is transmitted within the set of communication resources of the configuration authorization associated with the inactive timer, and determining that one or more of the plurality of configuration authorizations should be deactivated includes determining that the inactive timer associated with each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated has expired.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The activation signal is one of a scheduling request and a buffer status report indicating that the communication device needs more communication resources in which it transmits data, wherein one of the scheduling request and the buffer status report is associated with one or more logical channels, which are associated with one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Determining whether one or more of the plurality of configuration authorizations should be activated depends on one or more specified second communication conditions.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The one or more specified second communication conditions include: The relative quality of signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated is higher than a threshold. The reference signal received power of the reference signal received within a set of communication resources of each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated is higher than a threshold. The jitter tolerance level of the signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations that should be activated exceeds a threshold; and Each activated configuration authorization is used when the average amount of data transmitted by the communication device exceeds a threshold.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The infrastructure equipment instructs the communication device of one or more specified second communication conditions and a threshold for each of the one or more specified second communication conditions.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more specified communication conditions include: The relative quality of signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources of each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated is below a threshold. The reference signal received power of the reference signal received within a set of communication resources of each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated is below a threshold. The jitter tolerance level of the signals transmitted or received within a set of communication resources of each of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated is below a threshold; and The duration during which the communication device has not transmitted data exceeds a threshold within a set of communication resources of one or more configuration authorizations that should be deactivated.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The infrastructure equipment indicates to the communication device the one or more specified communication conditions and a threshold for each of the one or more specified communication conditions.

20. The method of claim 1, comprising: In response to transmitting the activation signal and / or the deactivation signal, an acknowledgment signal is received from the infrastructure device, and in response to receiving the acknowledgment signal, Transmit data within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the activation signal, and / or stop transmitting data within a set of communication resources for each of the one or more configuration authorizations indicated in the deactivation signal.

21. A communication apparatus configured to transmit data to infrastructure equipment in a cell of a wireless communication network, the communication apparatus comprising: The transceiver circuitry is configured to transmit and receive signals via a wireless access interface provided by the wireless communication network. The controller circuit is configured to control the transceiver circuit to: Instructions for multiple configuration grants are received from the infrastructure equipment, each of which allocates a set of communication resources for the communication device to transmit the data within one of multiple bandwidth portions of a frequency range defining the system bandwidth of the cell, wherein one or more configuration grants are type 1 configuration grants. Determine whether one or more of the Type 1 configuration authorizations should be activated and / or determine whether one or more of the Type 1 configuration authorizations should be deactivated, wherein determining whether one or more of the Type 1 configuration authorizations should be deactivated depends on one or more specified communication conditions, and The communication device transmits activation and deactivation signals to the infrastructure equipment. If the communication device determines that one or more Type 1 configuration licenses should be activated, it transmits an activation signal to the infrastructure equipment; if the communication device determines that one or more Type 1 configuration licenses should be deactivated, it transmits a deactivation signal to the infrastructure equipment. The activation and deactivation signals are carried in a media access control element transmitted from the communication device to the infrastructure equipment. Wherein, the activation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more Type 1 configuration authorizations that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device, and the deactivation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more Type 1 configuration authorizations that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices.

22. A circuit for a communication device configured to transmit data to infrastructure equipment in a cell of a wireless communication network, the circuit for the communication device comprising: The transceiver circuitry is configured to transmit and receive signals via a wireless access interface provided by the wireless communication network. The controller circuit is configured to control the transceiver circuit to: Instructions for multiple configuration grants are received from the infrastructure equipment, each of which allocates a set of communication resources for the communication device to transmit the data within one of multiple bandwidth portions of a frequency range defining the system bandwidth of the cell, wherein one or more of the configuration grants are Type 1 configuration grants. Determine whether one or more of the Type 1 configuration authorizations should be activated and / or determine whether one or more of the Type 1 configuration authorizations should be deactivated, wherein determining whether one or more of the Type 1 configuration authorizations should be deactivated depends on one or more specified communication conditions, and The communication device transmits activation and deactivation signals to the infrastructure equipment. If the communication device determines that one or more Type 1 configuration licenses should be activated, it transmits an activation signal to the infrastructure equipment; if the communication device determines that one or more Type 1 configuration licenses should be deactivated, it transmits a deactivation signal to the infrastructure equipment. The activation and deactivation signals are carried in a media access control element transmitted from the communication device to the infrastructure equipment. Wherein, the activation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more Type 1 configuration authorizations that should be activated should be reserved for use by the communication device, and the deactivation signal indicates that a set of communication resources of each of the one or more Type 1 configuration authorizations that should be deactivated should be released for use by other communication devices.

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