Method, communication device and infrastructure device

Abstract

A method of operating a communication device configured to transmit a signal to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface is provided. The method comprises granting, according to a configuration, a CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communication resource of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the wireless communication network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource of the wireless access interface; transmitting the uplink control information to a wireless communication network, the uplink control information indicates which of a first opportunity of a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communication resource and one or more supplementary opportunities of the plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communication resource associated with the first opportunity is a communication device in a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communication resource for uplink the activation opportunity of the line link data transmission to the wireless communication network; and transmitting uplink data to the wireless communication network in the activation opportunity. Here, the first opportunity and one or more supplemental opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to communication devices, infrastructure equipment, and methods for more efficiently operating communication devices in a wireless communication network.

[0002] This application claims Paris Convention priority from European patent application No. EP 23155401.5 filed on February 7, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] The "background" description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. Within the content described in this background section, the work of the current designated inventors and aspects of the description that may not constitute prior art at the time of filing are not explicitly or implicitly admitted to be prior art to the present invention.

[0004] Previous generations of mobile telecommunication systems, such as those based on the UMTS and Long Term Evolution (LTE) architectures defined by 3GPP, are capable of supporting a wider range of services than the simple voice and messaging services provided by previous generations of mobile telecommunication systems. For example, utilizing the improved radio interface and enhanced data rates provided by LTE systems, users are able to enjoy high data rate applications, such as mobile video streaming and mobile video conferencing, which were previously available only via fixed-line data connections. Consequently, there is a strong demand for the deployment of such networks, and the coverage areas of these networks (i.e., the geographic locations where the networks can be accessed) are expected to continue to increase rapidly.

[0005] Current and future wireless communication networks are expected to routinely and efficiently support communications with an increasingly broad range of devices, associated with a wider range of data traffic characteristics and types, compared to the range that existing systems are optimized to support. For example, it is expected that future wireless communication networks will be expected to efficiently support communications with devices including reduced complexity devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, high-resolution video displays, virtual reality headsets, extended reality (XR), and the like. Some of these different types of devices may be deployed in very large numbers, such as low-complexity devices used to support the "Internet of Things", and may generally be associated with the transmission of relatively small amounts of data with relatively high latency tolerance. Other types of devices, such as those supporting high-definition video streaming, may be associated with the transmission of relatively large amounts of data with relatively low latency tolerance. Other types of devices, such as those used for autonomous vehicle communications and for other critical applications, may be characterized by transmitting data over the network with low latency and high reliability. Individual device types may also be associated with different traffic characteristics / characteristics depending on the application being run. For example, different factors may need to be considered to effectively support data exchange with a smartphone when it is running a video streaming application (high downlink data) compared to when the smartphone is running an internet browsing application (sporadic uplink and downlink data) or is used for voice communications by emergency responders in an emergency situation (data is subject to strict reliability and latency requirements).

[0006] In view of this, it is expected that current wireless communication networks (e.g., which may be referred to as 5G or New Radio (NR) systems / new Radio Access Technology (RAT) systems), or indeed future 6G wireless communications and future iterations / versions of existing systems, will be able to effectively support connectivity for a wide range of devices associated with different applications and different characterized data traffic characteristics and requirements.

[0007] One example of a new service is called an Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) service, which, as the name suggests, requires that data units or packets be transmitted with high reliability and low communication latency. Another example of a new service is Extended Reality (XR), which can be provided by various user devices such as wearable devices. XR combines the real world and the virtual environment, combining aspects such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR), and therefore requires high quality and minimal interaction latency. Therefore, services such as URLLC and XR represent challenging examples for LTE type communication systems and 5G / NR communication systems, as well as future generation communication systems.

[0008] 5G NR has continued to evolve and the current work plan includes 5G-NR-Advanced, where several further enhancements are expected, particularly in supporting new use cases / scenarios with higher requirements. The need to support these new use cases and scenarios presents new challenges for efficiently handling communications in wireless communication systems that need to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present disclosure may help solve or alleviate at least some of the above-mentioned problems.

[0010] At least some embodiments of the present technology may provide a method for operating a communication device configured to transmit a signal to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface. The method includes operating according to a configuration authorization CG operation mode, the CG operation mode including determining multiple periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the wireless communication network during at least one of the multiple periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface; transmitting uplink control information to the wireless communication network, the uplink control information indicating which of the first opportunity among the multiple periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the multiple periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources are activation opportunities for the communication device to transmit uplink data to the wireless communication network among the multiple periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources; and transmitting uplink data to the wireless communication network during the activation opportunity. Here, the first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources.

[0011] At least some other embodiments of the present technology may provide a method for operating a communication device configured to transmit a signal to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface. The method includes operating according to a configuration authorization CG operation mode, the CG operation mode including determining a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the wireless communication network in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface; determining that the communication device has uplink data to be transmitted to the wireless communication network; determining that the communication device cannot transmit uplink data or uplink control information to the wireless communication network in a first opportunity in the plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources; and transmitting uplink data to the wireless communication network in at least one supplementary opportunity in one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity in the plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources. Here, the first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of a plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources.

[0012] In addition to methods for operating communication devices, embodiments of the present technology relate to methods for operating infrastructure equipment, communication devices and infrastructure equipment, circuit systems for communication devices and infrastructure equipment, wireless communication systems, computer programs, and computer-readable storage media that can allow communication devices operating in a wireless communication network to use wireless resources more efficiently and effectively.

[0013] Various aspects and features of the present disclosure are defined in the following claims.

[0014] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary rather than restrictive of the present technology. The described embodiments and other advantages will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] A more complete appreciation of the present disclosure and many of its attendant advantages will be readily obtained as the present disclosure becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

[0016] Figure 1 schematically represents some aspects of an LTE-type wireless telecommunications system that may be configured to operate in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 2 schematically represents some aspects of an NR-type wireless telecommunications system that may be configured to operate in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram of exemplary infrastructure equipment and communication devices that may be configured to operate in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 4 Adapted from [7], and shows the traffic model for extended reality (XR);

[0020] Figure 5 shows how separate spatial layer resources can be allocated to different UEs;

[0021] Figure 6 It shows how to allocate separate frequency domain resources to different UEs;

[0022] Figure 7 shows how separate time domain resources can be allocated to different UEs;

[0023] Figure 8 shows an example of separate control and data resources within pre-allocated dedicated resources for a UE to perform UE-based scheduling techniques;

[0024] Figure 9 An example of a periodic CG-PUSCH configuration including a single CG-PUSCH transmission opportunity is shown;

[0025] Figure 10 An example of a periodic CG-PUSCH configuration including multiple CG-PUSCH transmission opportunities is shown;

[0026] Figure 11 shows a partially schematic, partially message flow diagram representation of a first wireless communication system including a communication device and infrastructure equipment in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology;

[0027] Figure 12 An example is shown in which a data packet arrives at the UE's transmission buffer too late to be transmitted in the primary CG-PUSCH opportunity according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0028] Figure 13 shows an example where UCI may be appended to the end of a CG-PUSCH opportunity according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0029] Figure 14 An example showing how UCI according to an embodiment of the present technology can be used to indicate used and unused CG-PUSCH opportunities in one periodic CG-PUSCH opportunity;

[0030] Figure 15 A flowchart illustrating a first exemplary communication process in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0031] Figure 16 shows a partially schematic, partially message flow diagram representation of a second wireless communication system including a communication device and infrastructure equipment in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology;

[0032] Figure 17 a flowchart showing a second exemplary communication process in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present technology; and

[0033] Figure 18 A flowchart showing a third exemplary communication process in the communication system according to an embodiment of the present technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Advanced Long Term Evolution (4G) radio access technology

[0035] Figure 1A schematic diagram is provided showing some basic functionality of a mobile telecommunication network / system 6 that typically operates according to LTE principles, but which may also support other radio access technologies and may be adapted to implement embodiments of the present disclosure as described herein. Figure 1 Specific aspects of the various elements and their corresponding modes of operation are well known and defined in the relevant standards managed by the 3GPP (RTM) body and are also described in a number of books on the subject, for example, Holma H. ​​and Toskala A [1]. It will be appreciated that operational aspects of the telecommunications network discussed herein that are not specifically described (e.g. with respect to specific communication protocols and physical channels used for communication between the different elements) may be implemented in accordance with any known techniques, for example in accordance with the relevant standards and known proposed modifications and additions to the relevant standards.

[0036] The network 6 comprises a plurality of base stations 1 connected to a core network 2. Each base station provides a coverage area 3 (ie a cell) within which data can be sent to and received from a communication device 4. Although each base station 1 is Figure 1 Although shown as a single entity in the figures, those skilled in the art will understand that some functions of a base station may be performed by different interconnected elements, such as an antenna (or antennae), a remote radio head, an amplifier, etc. In general, one or more base stations may form a wireless access network.

[0037] Data is transmitted from the base stations 1 to the communication devices 4 within their respective coverage areas 3 via wireless downlinks (DL). Data is transmitted from the communication devices 4 to the base stations 1 via wireless uplinks (UL). The core network 2 routes data to and from the communication devices 4 via the respective base stations 1 and provides functions such as authentication, mobility management, charging, etc. The terminal devices may also be referred to as mobile stations, user equipment (UE), user terminals, mobile radios, communication devices, etc. The services provided by the core network 2 may include connections to the internet or to external telephone services. The core network 2 may also track the location of the communication devices 4 so that it can effectively contact (i.e., page) the communication devices 4 for transmitting downlink data to the communication devices 4.

[0038] A base station, as an example of network infrastructure equipment, may also be referred to as a transceiver station, nodeB, e-nodeB, eNB, g-nodeB, gNB, etc. In this regard, different generations of wireless telecommunication systems are often associated with different terms for elements that provide substantially equivalent functionality. However, specific embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented in wireless telecommunication systems of different generations, and for simplicity, specific terms may be used regardless of the underlying network architecture. That is, the use of specific terms associated with particular exemplary implementations is not intended to indicate that these implementations are limited to the specific generation of networks to which the specific terms may be most associated.

[0039] New wireless access technology (5G)

[0040] exist Figure 2 An exemplary configuration of a wireless communication network is shown in FIG, which uses some of the terms proposed for and used in NR and 5G. Figure 2 In the figure, a plurality of transmission reception points (TRPs) 10 are connected to distributed control units (DUs) 41, 42 via a connection interface as represented by line 16. Each TRP 10 is arranged to transmit and receive signals within a radio frequency bandwidth that can be used for the wireless communication network via a wireless access interface. Therefore, within the range of performing wireless communication via the wireless access interface, each TRP 10 forms a cell of the wireless communication network as represented by circle 12. In this way, a wireless communication device 14 within the wireless communication range provided by the cell 12 can transmit signals to and receive signals from the TRP 10 via the wireless access interface. Each distributed unit 41, 42 is connected to a central unit (CU) 40 (which can be referred to as a control node) via an interface 46. The central unit 40 is then connected to the core network 20, which can contain all other functions required to transmit data for sending data to and receiving data from the wireless communication devices, and the core network 20 can be connected to other networks 30.

[0041] Figure 2 The elements of the radio access network shown in FIG. 1 may be implemented in a manner similar to that described with respect to FIG. Figure 1 It should be understood that the corresponding elements of the LTE network described in the examples operate in the same manner. Figure 2 The operational aspects of the telecommunications network represented in and operational aspects of other networks discussed herein according to embodiments of the present disclosure that are not specifically described (e.g., regarding specific communication protocols and physical channels used for communication between different elements) can be implemented according to any known technology, for example, according to currently used methods for implementing such operational aspects of wireless telecommunications systems, for example, according to relevant standards.

[0042] Figure 2The TRP 10 of the new RAT network may partially have functionality corresponding to a base station or eNodeB of an LTE network. Similarly, the communication device 14 may have functionality corresponding to a UE device 4 known for operating with an LTE network. Therefore, it will be understood that operational aspects of the new RAT network (e.g., regarding the specific communication protocols and physical channels used for communication between different elements) may differ from operational aspects known from LTE or other known mobile telecommunications standards. However, it will also be understood that each of the core network components, base stations, and communication devices of the new RAT network will function similarly to the core network components, base stations, and communication devices of an LTE wireless communication network, respectively.

[0043] In terms of extensive top-level functionality, connected to Figure 2 The core network 20 of the new RAT telecommunication system represented in FIG can be broadly considered to be related to Figure 1 The core network 2 shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to the core network 2 shown in FIG. 1 , and the corresponding central unit 40 and its associated distributed unit / TRP 10 can be broadly considered to provide Figure 1 The term network infrastructure equipment / access node may be used to encompass both these elements of a wireless telecommunications system and more conventional base station-type elements. Depending on the application at hand, responsibility for scheduling transmissions over the wireless interface between the various distributed units and the communication devices may lie with the control node / central unit and / or the distributed units / TRPs. Figure 2 1. A communication device 14 is shown within the coverage area of ​​a first communication cell 12. The communication device 14 can therefore exchange signaling with the first central unit 40 in the first communication cell 12 via one of the distributed units / TRPs 10 associated with the first communication cell 12.

[0044] It should also be understood that Figure 2 It merely represents one example of a proposed architecture for a new RAT based telecommunication system, wherein the method according to the principles described herein may be employed, and the functionalities disclosed herein may also be applied to wireless telecommunication systems having different architectures.

[0045] Therefore, according to various architectures, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2The exemplary architecture shown in FIGURE 1 may be used to implement specific embodiments of the present disclosure as discussed herein in a wireless telecommunications system / network. It should therefore be understood that the specific wireless telecommunications architecture in any given implementation is not of primary significance to the principles described herein. In this regard, specific embodiments of the present disclosure may generally be described in the context of communications between network infrastructure equipment / access nodes and communication devices, wherein the specific characteristics of the network infrastructure equipment / access nodes and communication devices will depend on the network infrastructure used for the current implementation. For example, in some cases, the network infrastructure equipment / access nodes may include base stations, such as, for example, Figure 1 The LTE type base station 1 shown is adapted to provide functionality according to the principles described herein, and in other examples, network infrastructure equipment may include Figure 2 A control unit / control node 40 and / or TRP 10 of the kind shown in FIG. 1 is adapted to provide functionality according to the principles described herein.

[0046] Depend on Figure 3 Provided Figure 2 A more detailed diagram of some of the components of the network shown in . Figure 3 As a simplified representation, Figure 2 The illustrated TRP 10 includes a wireless transmitter 30, a wireless receiver 32, and a controller or control processor 34 operable to control the transmitter 30 and the wireless receiver 32 to transmit wireless signals to and receive wireless signals from one or more UEs 14 within a cell 12 formed by the TRP 10. Figure 3 As shown, the exemplary UE 14 is shown to include corresponding transmitters 49, receivers 48 and a controller 44, which is configured to control the transmitter 49 and receiver 48 to transmit signals representing uplink data to the wireless communication network via the wireless access interface formed by the TRP 10 in accordance with conventional operations and to receive downlink data as signals transmitted by the transmitter 30 and received by the receiver 48.

[0047] The transmitters 30, 49 and receivers 32, 48 (as well as other transmitters, receivers, and transceivers described in connection with examples and embodiments of the present disclosure) may include radio frequency filters and amplifiers as well as signal processing components and devices to transmit and receive wireless signals, for example, in accordance with the 5G / NR standard. The controllers 34, 44 (as well as other controllers described in connection with examples and embodiments of the present disclosure) may be, for example, a microprocessor, a CPU, or a dedicated chipset configured to execute instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a non-volatile memory. The processing steps described herein may be performed by, for example, a microprocessor in conjunction with a random access memory, operating in accordance with instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. For ease of presentation, the transmitters, receivers, and controllers are shown in FIG. Figure 3 Schematically shown as separate elements in the diagram. However, it will be appreciated that the functionality of these elements may 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 / circuitry / chips / chip sets. As will be appreciated, infrastructure equipment / TRPs / base stations and UEs / communication devices will typically include various other elements associated with their operational functionality.

[0048] like Figure 3 As shown, the TRP 10 also includes a network interface 50 that is connected to the DU 42 via the physical interface 16. Thus, the network interface 50 provides a communication link for data and signaling traffic from the TRP 10 to the core network 20 via the DU 42 and the CU 40.

[0049] The interface 46 between the DU 42 and the CU 40 is referred to as the F1 interface, which can be a physical or logical interface. The F1 interface 46 between the CU and the DU can operate in accordance with the 3GPP TS 38.470 and 3GPP TS 38.473 specifications and can be formed by optical fiber or other wired or wireless high-bandwidth connections. In one example, the connection 16 from the TRP 10 to the DU 42 is via optical fiber. The connection between the TRP 10 and the core network 20 can generally be referred to as a backhaul, which includes the interface 16 from the network interface 50 of the TRP 10 to the DU 42 and the F1 interface 46 from the DU 42 to the CU 40. eURLLC, NR-U and Extended Reality

[0050] Systems incorporating NR technology are expected to support different services (or service types) that may have 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 of up to 20 Gb / s. The requirement for ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) services is that a 32-byte packet must be transmitted within 1 ms from the radio protocol layer 2 / 3 SDU entry point to the radio protocol layer 2 / 3 SDU exit point of the radio interface with a reliability of 1-10. -5 (99.999%) or higher (99.9999%) [2]. Massive machine type communication (mMTC) is another example of a service that can be supported by NR-based communication networks. In addition, the system can be 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 accuracy positioning.

[0051] Enhanced URLLC (eURLLC) [3][4] specifies features that require high reliability and low latency, such as factory automation, transportation industry, power distribution, etc. It should be understood that the uplink control information (UCI) for URLLC and eMBB will have different requirements. Another such service that incorporates NR technology is 5G NR in unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) [5], which enables devices to utilize shared and unlicensed spectrum bandwidth. As specified by [5], features such as listen-before-talk (LBT) can be incorporated into the NR frame structure for NR-U operation in unlicensed bands.

[0052] Extended reality (XR) and cloud gaming refer to different types of augmented, virtual, and mixed environments where human-machine and human-to-human communication is performed with the assistance of handheld and wearable end-user devices (UEs). XR and cloud gaming are two recently developed applications that are considered essential for NR 18 and above (also known as advanced 5G) [6].

[0053] XR traffic is primarily video, especially in the downlink, with a typical frame rate of 60 Hz [7]. This results in data transmission in NR having a non-integer period, i.e., the period is not an integer multiple of a subframe, and in this example, the period is 16.67 ms. Due to varying frame coding delays and network transmission times, packets arriving at the gNB experience random jitter. The non-integer and jittery nature of XR traffic is referred to as quasi-periodic traffic. In addition to jitter, the packet size also varies within a range; i.e., the packet size within each period is random. Figure 4 The jitter and random packet size of UL traffic are shown in [7], which is based on the similar figure ( Figure 5 .1.1-1).

[0054] Figure 4 A single-stream traffic model for XR is shown. A first packet k 51 is transmitted, representing an Internet Protocol (IP) packet belonging to video frame k. At a later point in time—averaged at the inverse of the frame generation rate (i.e., 1 / fps) as indicated by arrow 55—a second packet k+1 52 is transmitted, representing an IP packet belonging to video frame k+1. The variable packet size, which follows a probability distribution, is shown by arrow 53, while the variable jitter, which also follows a probability distribution, is shown by arrow 54.

[0055] In traditional 5G systems, the configuration grant PUSCH (CG-PUSCH) and semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) are used to support traffic with known periodicity and packet size (for example, voice). In traditional systems, CG-PUSCH and SPS assume that the transport block size (TBS) of PUSCH and PDSCH for traffic in each period is the same. However, in XR traffic, the payload of quasi-periodic traffic may not be the same, but vary within a range.

[0056] Future 6G wireless communications

[0057] As described above, several generations of mobile communications have been standardized globally to date, with each generation taking approximately ten years from the introduction of the previous generation to the introduction of the next generation. For example, several generations of mobile communications have evolved from Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) (2G) to Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) (3G), from WCDMA (3G) to LTE (4G), and most recently from LTE (4G) to NR (5G).

[0058] The latest generation of mobile communications is 5G, as referenced above Figure 2 and Figure 3 As discussed in the exemplary configurations of the IEEE 802.11a, a number of additional features have been incorporated in different releases to provide new services and capabilities. Such services include eMBB, IIoT, and URLLC as discussed above, but also include services such as: two-step random access (RACH), unlicensed NR (NR-U), cross-link interference (CLI) handling for time division duplex (TDD), positioning, small data transfer (SDT), multicast and broadcast service (MBS), reduced capability UEs, vehicular communications (V2X), integrated access backhaul (IAB), UE power saving, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), NR operation up to 71 GHz, IoT over NTN, non-public networks (NPN), and radio access network (RAN) slicing.

[0059] However, as in every decade, a new generation (e.g., 6G) is expected to be developed and deployed in the near future (around 2030) and will be expected to provide new services and capabilities that the current 5G cannot provide.

[0060] One area of ​​research in future mobile communication networks is uplink (UL) scheduling enhancements, which are expected to be necessary due to the increasing number of services requiring low-latency communication and high reliability, as well as high-throughput UL data transmission from terminals, such as the Tactile Internet, audio-visual live production, and Extended Reality (XR). Essentially, it is proposed that a mobile terminal should be able to schedule unrestricted UL resources immediately after data arrives in its buffer for transmission, taking into account link adaptation parameters, so that transmission success is essentially guaranteed.

[0061] A typical use case (e.g., for broadcast TV production) is a camera transmitting a video stream using the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) / Internet Protocol (IP) stack. In Layer 2 (L2) of this stack, Radio Link Control - Unacknowledged Mode (RLC-UM) is configured for UDP. Therefore, dedicated (and potentially regular) resources can be configured by the network using techniques such as periodic UL grants or configuration grants. Such techniques are already developed and available.

[0062] As an example scenario, there may be a video algorithm that requires the camera not to transmit any uplink video frames if the field of view does not change. But once the field of view changes, the video codec will have data in the L2 buffer that can be used for transmission. If relying on traditional techniques, the camera / UE must request UL resources before transmitting on the uplink. This involves additional signaling and latency because the UE needs to request scheduling, which is detrimental to live production. In this case, the UE waits for an UL timeslot to send a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) with a Scheduling Request (SR). The UE then waits for the network to schedule resources for the UE to transmit a limited amount of data, because the network does not know how much data is in the UE's buffer. The UE is then able to transmit this limited amount of data in a scheduled PUSCH that includes a Buffer Status Report (BSR) and, based on the transmitted BSR information, wait for scheduled resources to transmit a larger amount of data (i.e., corresponding to the data it has in its buffer).

[0063] Further aspects of UL scheduling may be found in co-pending European patent application published under number EP 3837895 [8], the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0064] Some technical solutions to the above problems are presented in co-pending international patent application number PCT / EP 2022 / 075108 [9], the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This technical solution involves the utilization of configuration grant (CG) resources. The concept of UE-based scheduling as defined in [9] includes a separate control part / resource (for UCI) and a separate data part / resource. The control part can be embedded in the data part within the CG-PUSCH, or it can be carried separately on the PUCCH while the data part is transmitted on the PUSCH.

[0065] Traditional scheduling methods in NR (5G)

[0066] In cellular wireless communications, the channel between a mobile terminal and a base station typically experiences rapid and significant variations, which impact the quality of the received signal. Among small-scale variations, the channel experiences frequency-selective fading, which results in rapid and random variations in channel attenuation. Among large-scale variations, shadow fading and range-dependent path loss are present, which impact the average received signal strength. Furthermore, there is interference caused by transmissions from nearby cells and terminals, which distorts the signal at the receiver.

[0067] In fact, the core of mitigating and exploiting the changes in channel conditions is the scheduling mechanism that implements link adaptation algorithms, such as adaptive modulation and coding scheme (A-MCS), dynamic power control and channel-dependent scheduling.

[0068] In NR, the downlink and uplink multi-user scheduler is located at the base station (gNB), where, in principle, the scheduler allocates resources to the user with the best channel conditions in the UL and DL at a given instance, while also considering fairness among users. There are two types of scheduling mechanisms, and these are called dynamic scheduling (or dynamic grant) and semi-persistent scheduling (or configured grant).

[0069] In dynamic multi-user scheduling for downlink transmissions, based on the instantaneous channel conditions, which are fed back to the gNB at regular intervals by the terminal using a channel quality indicator (CQI) derived from a downlink reference signal (RS), the scheduler at the gNB, after receiving the CQI, decides the optimal modulation and coding scheme (MCS), the best available frequency resources (physical resource blocks (PRBs)), and the appropriate power for downlink data transmission of some users in a given subframe / timeslot. These downlink scheduling decisions, known as scheduling assignments, are carried in downlink control information (DCI), which is transmitted in the downlink to the scheduled users.

[0070] Similarly, for dynamic multi-user scheduling for uplink transmissions, based on the instantaneous channel conditions, where the UE sends the SRS to the gNB at regular intervals, the scheduler at the gNB decides the optimal modulation and coding scheme and optimal frequency resources (PRBs) for uplink data transmission for some users in a given subframe / timeslot, after deriving the CQI based on the last received SRS. The uplink scheduling decision, also known as the scheduling assignment, is carried in the downlink control information (DCI), which is transmitted in the downlink to the scheduled users.

[0071] However, with semi-persistent scheduling (SPS), resources are pre-configured in a semi-static manner (e.g., via radio resource control (RRC) signaling) with a period that aligns with the data arrival rate for a particular service. There is an SPS for the downlink (referred to as DL SPS) and an SPS for the uplink, which is referred to as a configuration grant (CG).

[0072] CG resources are primarily intended to deliver multiple traffic classes from terminals in a timely manner, where such traffic classes have small data rates and a certain periodicity, as specified by URLLC / IIoT in NR 16 / 17. Some examples of different traffic classes include industrial automation (factory of the future), energy and power distribution and intelligent transportation systems, and voice.

[0073] Problems with traditional scheduling methods

[0074] As mentioned above, CG resources are mainly targeted at traffic with low data rates and a certain periodicity, as specified in URLLC / IIoT in NR 16 / 17 versions. However, for traffic with high data rates and requiring low latency, larger resources will be required. In this case, the UE can be pre-configured with dedicated larger resources for such uplink data transmission. These resources can be allocated by one of the following methods (or by a combination of these methods):

[0075] ● Spatial domain allocation : In this method, the gNB pre-allocates specific spatial layers for the UE, where different UEs are assigned to different spatial layers in a bandwidth part (BWP), similar to Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO). This means that the UE has pre-allocated resources in the spatial domain for both control and data. Therefore, when the UE has data to transmit, the UE uses the resources in the spatial layer reserved for it. The spatial domain resources can be configured for the full set or a subset of the BWP resources. Figure 5 As shown in the example in , the first UE may be allocated the first spatial layer 61a, the second UE may be allocated the second spatial layer 62a, the third UE may be allocated the third spatial layer 63a, and the fourth UE may be allocated the fourth spatial layer 64a;

[0076] ● Frequency domain allocation : Similar to spatial domain resources, dedicated frequency domain resources can be pre-allocated to UEs, where different UEs are allocated different frequency resources within the system bandwidth or BWP. Therefore, when data arrives at the UE's buffer, the UE uses the frequency resources allocated to it. Figure 6 As shown in the example in , the first UE may be allocated a first set of frequency resources 61b (i.e., frequency range f0-f1), the second UE may be allocated a second set of frequency resources 62b (i.e., frequency range f1-f2), the third UE may be allocated a third set of frequency resources 63b (i.e., frequency range f2-f3), and the fourth UE may be allocated a fourth set of frequency resources 64b (i.e., frequency range f3-f4); and

[0077] ● Time Domain Allocation : Similar to spatial resources and frequency domain resources, dedicated time domain resources can be pre-allocated to UEs, where different UEs are allocated different time resources (e.g., different sub-time slots or time slots) in a component carrier or BWP. Figure 7 As shown in the example, the first UE can be allocated a first time resource set 61c (i.e., time range t0-t1), the second UE2 can be allocated a second time resource set 62c (i.e., time range t1-t2), the third UE can be allocated a third time resource set 63c (i.e., time range t2-t3), and the fourth UE can be allocated a fourth time resource set 64c (i.e., time range t3-t4).

[0078] The problem with using pre-configured dedicated resources for uplink data transmission is that resources are always reserved in advance, regardless of whether the UE actually has data to transmit. Even if the UE is able to release these pre-configured resources after completing its UL data transmission, the problem is that the signaling and commands for reallocating / reactivating resources will come from the network, which may cause some unbearable delays for various services such as heavy-duty uplink URLLC, and will also involve signaling from the UE to request resources via a scheduling request (SR) or initiating a RACH procedure, or will involve configuring resources for idle periods.

[0079] Another issue with pre-configured resources is that the UE may not have full control over link adaptation parameters, such as frequency domain scheduling to select the best frequency resources (PRBs) in the BWP, modulation and coding scheme (MCS), etc. Since the UE must wait for the network to determine and signal these link adaptation parameters to the UE after sending its measurements and / or SRS to the network, this results in delays and means that the most appropriate parameters may not be selected, as channel conditions may change between the time the UE performs measurements and / or transmits SRS and the time the UE receives the link adaptation parameters from the gNB.

[0080] Another issue with preconfigured resources is that whenever a UE has data to transmit, it may be forced to use all resources, as the gNB and UE must synchronize on the allocated resources. This may mean that the UE must add padding bits to fill the remaining resources. This is clearly not ideal, as it unnecessarily increases the UE's power consumption and can also cause interference to other UEs in the same cell or neighboring cells.

[0081] Therefore, future mobile communication networks (such as advanced 5G and 6G) ​​will require some enhancements to UL scheduling. A set of requirements for such enhanced UL scheduling can be envisioned, as listed below:

[0082] ■ Immediate transmission of UL data to reduce latency, such as for applications that require heavy UL data with low latency;

[0083] ■Select appropriate link adaptation parameters, such as optimal frequency resources (PRBs), MCS, power, etc.;

[0084] ■ Flexible resource allocation schemes, such as frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA) and / or time domain resource allocation (TDRA);

[0085] ■ An efficient way to dynamically identify UEs and their resource allocations at the gNB receiver; and

[0086] ■ Improve the spectral efficiency of a cell so that when a UE is not using its allocated resources, another UE can in principle be allocated such resources.

[0087] As mentioned above, the technical solution provided in [9] involves supporting UE-based scheduling, wherein the UE is pre-allocated CG resources for UL control and data transmission, wherein the resources include UE-specific control resources and associated data resources. Figure 8In the example of UE-based scheduling shown, the UE controls its own scheduling decisions (or allocations) for UL data transmission, which are restricted to pre-configured CG resources. UE-specific control resources are always available for the UE to schedule UL data on a specific BWP. It should be noted here that based on the current NR specification, different data from up to 12 UEs (with different demodulation reference symbols (DMRS)) can be multiplexed onto the same resources in the spatial domain (i.e., MU-MIMO).

[0088] As described in [9] and by Figure 8 In the UE-based scheduling technique shown in the example, the PUCCH must be transmitted and placed before the data channel (PUSCH) so that the scheduling information and control signaling are decoded by the gNB before the PUSCH is received in order to reduce the delay of decoding and buffering of the data channel. Figure 8 , which shows an example of separate control resources 81 and data resources 82 within dedicated resources pre-allocated for a UE. If the gNB decodes PUCCH 83 received within control resources 81 but does not decode PUSCH 84 received within data resources 82, the gNB sends a negative acknowledgement (NACK) to the UE. Otherwise, the gNB transmits a positive acknowledgement (ACK) to the UE. In some cases, a separate PUCCH may not be required, and scheduling information can be transmitted along with the PUSCH, such as in the form of UCI in the CG-PUSCH.

[0089] Therefore, [9] addresses the above-mentioned requirements for enhanced UL scheduling, such as immediate UL data transmission, appropriate link adaptation, flexible resource allocation schemes, efficient ways to identify UEs, and improved spectral efficiency of the cell.

[0090] Figure 9 An example of a CG configuration based on [9] is shown in , where a periodic single CG opportunity is configured, where the period is eight time slots (or 8 ms, assuming the period of each time slot is 1 ms). In this example, it has been assumed that the data is carried by the CG-PUSCH within a single CG opportunity of each configuration / set, where each CG-PUSCH has a TBS of 1 Mbit. If there is any remaining data (i.e., the data in the UE's transmission buffer is larger than the 1 Mbit TBS), such remaining data may be transmitted at the next opportunity. In this case, uplink control information (UCI) may also be transmitted within the PUSCH data to indicate whether the subsequent CG opportunity is used / not used. In Figure 9In the example above, at time slot n, the UE begins transmitting new data on the CG-PUSCH and, since it does not transmit all the data in that CG-PUSCH, also transmits UCI. Here, this UCI indicates in time slot n+8 that there is still data to be transmitted at the next opportunity, where the UE transmits additional data, along with further UCI signaling that the UE still has additional data to transmit. Subsequently, at time slot n+16, the UE again transmits data and UCI on the CG-PUSCH, where this time the UCI indicates that the UE has no more data to transmit at the next opportunity / time slot n+24.

[0091] Although Figure 9 The arrangement shown allows the UE to have some control over the scheduling and transmission of uplink data, but as Figure 9 As shown in the example of , configuring only a single CG-PUSCH opportunity in the CG period has problems, as summarized below:

[0092] ● In a single CG occasion, the period is usually always consistent with the arrival period of new data. Therefore, if all the data for an application such as XR is not transmitted within that single occasion, it will have to be delayed until the next occasion, in which additional new data should be transmitted. Therefore, this may cause some delay because data will accumulate in the UE's buffer over time. One technical solution to this problem may be to over-configure the period of the CG occasions (i.e., reduce the number of time slots between each CG occasion) so that some of the CG occasions are used when necessary and some are not used. Although this will likely fully solve the problem of delay and data accumulation in the UE's buffer, those skilled in the art will understand that XR data - as mentioned above with reference to Figure 4 explained - have different and variable characteristics. For example, XR data may require a large amount of data transmission in a short period of time, followed by a silent period until new data arrives from the application layer. This means that, especially during the silent period or when not much data arrives in the UE's buffer, a large amount of over-provisioned resources will not be used and will therefore lead to inefficient use of such resources that could have been allocated to other UEs to transmit uplink data; and

[0093] There may be application-layer jitter at the UE, where the generation of new data and its arrival in the UE's transmit buffer may be slightly offset in time and therefore not delivered at the expected timing. For example, for XR applications, jitter may cause the expected timing to fluctuate in the range of +4ms to -4ms. Therefore, if the period (i.e., the gap between CG-PUSCH opportunities) is long, the data may stay in the UE's transmit buffer longer than the XR delay budget. As a result, the data will be discarded at the end.

[0094] It has been achieved in

[10] that for XR, multiple CG-PUSCH transmission opportunities should be specified in a single CG-PUSCH configuration period, and a dynamic indication of unused CG-PUSCH opportunities can be provided to the network within the UCI transmitted by the UE. This means that whenever new data arrives in the UE's buffer / is generated by the UE, there are many dense / compact opportunities that can be used to transmit XR data within the specified period, so that the latency for the transmission of the PDU set is minimized. The compact opportunities here include a main opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the main opportunity. As Figure 10 As shown in the example of , the period of the main opportunity can still be eight time slots (or 8ms, assuming that the period of each time slot is 1ms), but in the total period, many compact opportunities can be used for data transmission of applications such as XR, where such opportunities may be concentrated in the leading time slot of the period. The UCI then indicates which compact opportunities are used for XR data transmission.

[0095] However, although such a technical solution as shown in

[10] can solve the problem of providing sufficient CG resources to transmit data (e.g., XR data) without accumulating such data in the UE's buffer, this is still not enough to solve the problem of jitter, where XR data, etc. can arrive at the UE's buffer after the start of the main opportunity in the CG set, while the indication of the used main / supplementary CG-PUSCH resources is not always valid. Therefore, the technical problem to be solved is how to effectively indicate which CG opportunities are used (or not used) within a single CG configuration period, and how to optimize the number of bits to do so. The embodiments of the present technology define a technical solution to this problem.

[0096] Display indication of used / unused CG timing in XR

[0097] Figure 11 A partially schematic, partially message flow diagram representation of a first wireless communication system including a communication device 111 and an infrastructure device 112 is shown in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present technology. The communication device 111 is configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from a wireless communication network, for example, to and from the infrastructure device 112. Specifically, the communication device 111 may be configured to transmit data to and / or receive data from the wireless communication network (for example, to / from the infrastructure device 112) via a wireless interface provided by the wireless communication network (for example, a Uu interface between the communication device 111 and a radio access network (RAN) including the infrastructure device 112). For example, such data transmitted by the communication device 111 may include data for applications such as XR. The communication device 111 may be configured to transmit signals to Figure 11Various other infrastructure devices or communication devices not shown in the examples and / or from Figure 11 The infrastructure device 112 may also be configured to transmit the signal to various other infrastructure devices or communication devices not shown in the example. Figure 11 Various other communication devices or RAN or core network nodes and / or from Figure 11 The signals are received by various other communication devices or RAN or core network nodes (not shown in the examples). Communication device 111 and infrastructure device 112 include transceivers (or transceiver circuitry) 111.1, 112.1 and controllers (or controller circuitry) 111.2, 112.2, respectively. Each of controllers 111.2, 112.2 can be, for example, a microprocessor, a CPU, or a dedicated chipset.

[0098] like Figure 11 As shown in the example of FIG, the transceiver circuitry 111.1 and the controller circuitry 111.2 of the communication device 111 are configured in combination to operate 113 according to a configuration grant (CG) mode of operation, wherein the CG mode of operation may include the communication device 111 being configured to determine 114 a plurality of periodic opportunities (e.g., CG-PUSCH opportunities) of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface (e.g., via an activation indication or other such command received from the wireless communication network (e.g., from the infrastructure equipment 112)), and being configured to (optionally) transmit 115 a signal to the wireless communication network (e.g., CG-PUSCH opportunities) in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface. , to the infrastructure device 112); transmitting 116 uplink control information to the wireless communication network (e.g., to the infrastructure device 112), the uplink control information indicating which of a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources and one or more supplementary opportunities among the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources, associated with the first opportunity, are active opportunities among the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources, during which the communication device 111 is to transmit uplink data to the wireless communication network (e.g., to the infrastructure device 112); and transmitting 117 uplink data to the wireless communication network (e.g., to the infrastructure device 112) at the active opportunity. Here, the first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources.

[0099] As above reference Figure 11The first uplink resource opportunity of the examples (and elsewhere in the specification and claims) can be understood as a primary opportunity or primary CG-PUSCH, and the supplementary uplink resource opportunity is a supplementary CG-PUSCH of the primary CG-PUSCH. Therefore, a single set of multiple periodic opportunities involves one primary CG-PUSCH and its associated supplementary CG-PUSCH.

[0100] In essence, this embodiment of the present technology proposes that the UCI is able to indicate whether a primary CG opportunity is activated and, in addition, whether one or more of the supplementary CG opportunities are independently activated. Here, the status (with respect to activation) of a supplementary CG opportunity is independent of the status of the primary CG opportunity with which it is associated; a primary CG opportunity may not include data transmitted by the UE, while one or more of its supplementary CG opportunities may include such data. It is thereby recognized that due to jitter, i.e., the quasi-periodic nature of traffic for applications such as XR, for example, data packets may arrive too late to be included in the primary CG-PUSCH.

[0101] Figure 12 An example is shown in FIG, where a CG-PUSCH set is configured with a primary CG-PUSCH (labeled “0”) and three supplementary CG-PUSCHs labeled “1”, “2”, and “3”. Here, it is assumed that the CG-PUSCH has a TBS of 1 Mbit. An XR packet arrives at time t1 and takes T proc to process the packet into two 1Mbit TBs. When the PUSCH TB is processed at time t5, it is too late to be transmitted to the primary CG-PUSCH that starts at time t4. In the traditional 16 version NR-U, CG-UCI is attached to the CG-PUSCH, and if the CG-PUSCH is not transmitted, the CG-UCI is not transmitted either. Therefore, if this traditional method is applied in this article, the UE will transmit a virtual CG-PUSCH so that it can also transmit the CG-UCI. Therefore, it is beneficial that by using the primary CG opportunity to carry UCI to the gNB to indicate that the primary CG opportunity is not used, the UE does not waste resources. Figure 12 In the example, 2Mbits XR packets are transmitted in supplementary CG-PUSCH 2 and 3, and therefore the transmission of UCI indicating that the primary CG-PUSCH and supplementary CG-PUSCH 1 are not used will enable these resources to be released for use by other UEs.

[0102] In some arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, UCI is transmitted in the CG-PUSCH even though there is no data in the CG-PUSCH. In other words, uplink control information may be transmitted by the communication device in a first opportunity (or one of the supplementary opportunities) and indicate that the first (or supplementary) opportunity only carries uplink control information (and therefore it is not one of the active opportunities (i.e., it does not contain any uplink data)) and that at least one of the supplementary opportunities is in the active opportunity. This arrangement recognizes that the processing time required to generate UCI (i.e., T UCI ) is shorter than the processing time required to generate PUSCH, that is, T UCI <T Proc . Thus, the UE can append UCI to an empty CG-PUSCH (or on PUCCH) while still processing PUSCH. Here, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that activation occasions are those that carry uplink data, and thus occasions that are not activation occasions can still carry UCI (although they do not carry uplink data). This should not be confused with those occasions / CG-PUSCH that are activated for use of the communication device, which of course apply to all first and supplementary occasions / CG-PUSCH of a particular set.

[0103] use Figure 12 In the example shown in Figure 2, the UE may not be able to process the PUSCH of primary CG-PUSCH 0 in a timely manner. However, it is able to process the UCI and transmit it in primary CG-PUSCH 0 without any data, thereby notifying the gNB that primary CG-PUSCH 0 and supplementary CG-PUSCH 1 are not activated, and supplementary CG-PUSCH 2 and 3 are activated. This will mean that the gNB will be provided with the following knowledge: no data is expected in the primary CG-PUSCH or in supplementary CG-PUSCH 1, and therefore no monitoring or blind decoding for such data will be required. Here, since the UE has no data to transmit in the primary CG-PUSCH, primary CG-PUSCH 0 can occupy only a few OFDM symbols containing UCI and leave the rest of the OFDM symbols empty.

[0104] In some arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, UCI may be located at the beginning of the CG-PUSCH (i.e., the first few OFDM symbols). In other words, uplink control information may be transmitted by the communications device at the beginning of the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities. This means that the gNB can decode the UCI to determine whether any data is also carried within the CG-PUSCH carrying the UCI, without first blindly decoding any such data (which is not actually transmitted) before receiving the UCI.

[0105] In some arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, UCI is located at the end of the CG-PUSCH. In other words, uplink control information can be transmitted by the communication device at the end of the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities. By positioning UCI at the end of the CG-PUSCH, the UE is allowed additional time to process the UCI and transmit the UCI in the CG-PUSCH opportunity.

[0106] exist Figure 13 An example is shown in Figure 1, where an XR packet arrives at the UE's transmit buffer at time t2 and, after processing the corresponding PUSCH at time t7, is too late to be transmitted in either primary CG-PUSCH 0 or supplementary CG-PUSCH 1. In this example, the UE also cannot process UCI before the start of primary CG-PUSCH 0, but according to this arrangement, UCI is appended to the end of primary CG-PUSCH 0, enabling the UE to transmit UCI within the primary CG-PUSCH 0 opportunity. This thus informs the gNB which supplementary CG-PUSCHs are activated before the gNB attempts to blindly decode data or UCI received in CG-PUSCH 1 (which is not activated). In this example, only supplementary CG-PUSCHs 2 and 3 are activated.

[0107] In some arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, the UE includes a bit pattern in the UCI that indicates whether the first / primary opportunity and / or the subsequent supplementary opportunity are used in a single CG configuration period. In other words, the uplink control information may include multiple bits that indicate which of the first opportunity and the supplementary opportunity are in the activation opportunity. Here, the meaning of the bit pattern in the UCI may depend on the opportunity number / index of the CG-PUSCH carrying the UCI. In other words, the activation opportunity indicated by the multiple bits may depend on in which of the first opportunity and the supplementary opportunity the communication device transmits the uplink control information.

[0108] First, given this arrangement, it is proposed to introduce a numbering / indexing scheme for compact opportunities in a period / set, which includes a first / primary opportunity and supplementary opportunities associated with the first / primary opportunity. For example, a compact opportunity may contain four or eight (or any suitable number of) opportunities, depending on the expected data size (e.g., XR data size) in the PDU set. Figure 14 An example of using four opportunities numbered 0, 1, 2, and 3 in a single CG configuration cycle is shown. Secondly, it should be noted that the main purpose of transmitting UCI to the gNB is to inform the gNB whether future resources will be used, so that the gNB can avoid wasting resources by allocating these resources to other UEs and thereby maximize cell capacity.

[0109] In some such arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, the UE may include such a bit pattern in the UCI transmitted in the first / primary opportunity, which indicates whether the first / primary opportunity and subsequent supplementary opportunities are used in a single CG configuration cycle, and wherein the bit pattern in the UCI has a specific meaning to the UE and the GNB based on the UCI being transmitted in the first / primary opportunity. The UCI indicates whether there is data available for transmission in the primary opportunity because, in some cases as described above, there is some jitter from the application layer codec that may delay the XR data, making it impossible to transmit in the primary opportunity, but it can be transmitted in the supplementary opportunity.

[0110] For example, Figure 14 As shown, for UCI transmitted on the primary opportunity with index 0, there are four compact opportunities including the primary opportunity and three supplementary opportunities, which can be represented by 2 bits in the UCI as follows:

[0111] 00 = No data available on the first / primary opportunity with index 0, but data available on at least the supplementary opportunities with indexes 1 and 2: If no data is available on the primary opportunity when encoding and transmitting UCI, and the UE knows that there is data to be processed, but it is too late to carry such data on this CG-PUSCH opportunity, then the UE may include the bit pattern "00" in the UCI. The main purpose of this is to inform the gNB to keep the resources reserved for the UE and therefore monitor the UCI on at least the subsequent supplementary opportunities with indexes 1 and 2. This assumes that the UCI is encoded and transmitted in isolation (i.e., without any data transmitted along with the UCI);

[0112] 01 = Data available on the primary occasion and the supplementary occasion indexed 1: The UE may include the bit pattern “01” in the UCI if data is available for transmission on the primary occasion and there is additional data to be processed that may occupy another occasion;

[0113] 10 = Data available on primary occasion and supplementary occasions indexed 1 and 2: The UE may include a bit pattern of "10" in the UCI if data is available for transmission on the primary occasion and there is extra data to be processed that may occupy two additional occasions; and

[0114] ●11 = Data is available at all allocated occasions (i.e., at the primary occasion and all supplementary occasions indexed 1, 2, and 3): If data is available for transmission on the primary occasion and there is additional data to be processed that can occupy all three subsequent occasions, the UE may include the bit pattern “11” in the UCI.

[0115] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above examples do not limit this arrangement of embodiments of the present technology to only specific bit patterns (and meanings), and that other bit patterns with other meanings may be used; for example, "11" may be substituted for "00" to indicate that the primary CG-PUSCH is not used, but that supplementary CG-PUSCHs 1 and 2 may be used. It should also be noted that this arrangement (and indeed any arrangement of embodiments of the present technology described herein) is not limited to just the primary CG-PUSCH and three supplementary PUSCHs, but may be extended to other numbers of supplementary CG-PUSCHs. Likewise, the number of multiple bits in the bit pattern is certainly not limited to just two. However, most of the examples described herein involve a primary opportunity and three supplementary CG-PUSCH opportunities (and involve two bits in the bit pattern), but this is purely for ease of understanding and comparison, and not because the invention is intended to be limited in any way.

[0116] In other such arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, the UE may include a bit pattern in UCI transmitted within one of the supplementary CG opportunities that indicates whether the current and subsequent supplementary opportunities are used in a single CG configuration period, and wherein the bit pattern in the UCI has a specific meaning to the UE and the gNB based on the UCI being transmitted within the current supplementary opportunity. The UCI uses the bit pattern to indicate whether any data is available at the current opportunity and subsequent supplementary opportunities (if any). For example, for UCI transmitted at supplementary opportunity index 1:

[0117] 00 = No data is available at this opportunity, but available at other supplementary opportunities with indices 2 and 3: If no data is available at opportunity with index 1 when encoding and transmitting UCI, and the UE knows that there is processed data, but it is too late to carry the data at this CG-PUSCH opportunity, then the UE may include the bit pattern "00" in the UCI. This assumes that UCI is encoded and transmitted separately;

[0118] 01 = Data available at this opportunity and at the supplementary opportunity with index 2: If data is available for transmission at the opportunity with index 1 and there is additional data to be processed that may occupy one or more opportunities, the UE may include the bit pattern “01” in the UCI;

[0119] 10 = Data is available at this opportunity and at supplementary opportunities indexed 2 and 3: If data is available for transmission on the opportunity indexed 1 and there is extra data to be processed that may occupy two further opportunities, the UE may include the bit pattern "10" in the UCI; and

[0120] • 11 = Data is available at this opportunity and it is the last opportunity for data transmission: If data is available for transmission on the opportunity indexed 1 and there is no remaining data for transmission, the UE may include the bit pattern "11" in the UCI.

[0121] For the example of transmitting UCI at the supplementary opportunity index 2:

[0122] 00 = No data available at this opportunity, but available at another (i.e., final) supplementary opportunity with index 3: If no data is available at opportunity index 2 when encoding and transmitting UCI, and the UE knows that there is processed data, but it is too late to carry it at this CG-PUSCH opportunity, then the UE may include the bit pattern "00" in the UCI. This assumes that UCI is encoded and transmitted separately;

[0123] • 01 = Data available at this opportunity and supplementary opportunity indexed 3: If data is available for transmission on opportunity indexed 2 and there is additional data being processed that may occupy one or more opportunities, the UE may include the bit pattern “01” in the UCI.

[0124] • 10 = No data available at this occasion: If no data is available at the occasion indexed 2 when encoding and transmitting UCI, the UE may include the bit pattern "10" in the UCI.

[0125] It is assumed here that UCI is encoded and transmitted separately; and

[0126] • 11 = Data is available at this opportunity and it is the last opportunity for data transmission: If data is available for transmission on the opportunity with index 2 and there is no remaining data for transmission, the UE may include the bit pattern "11" in the UCI.

[0127] For the example of transmitting UCI at the supplementary opportunity index 3:

[0128] • 00 = No data available at this occasion: If no data is available at the occasion indexed 3 when encoding and transmitting UCI, the UE may include the bit pattern “00” in the UCI.

[0129] It is assumed here that UCI is encoded and transmitted separately;

[0130] 01 = Reserved (because there are only two options here; transmit data on the final supplementary opportunity with index 3, or do not transmit - in this case, the UE can transmit only a single bit, i.e., 0 or 1, instead of a 2-bit indicator, for better efficiency);

[0131] 10 = Reserved; and

[0132] • 11 = Data is available at this opportunity and it is the last opportunity for data transmission: If data is available for transmission on opportunity index 3 and there is no remaining data for transmission, the UE may include the bit pattern "11" in the UCI.

[0133] Figure 14 Can be used to illustrate how these (exemplary) bit patterns can be applied. Figure 14 As shown in the specific example of , on the primary opportunity in the first cycle at slot n, the UE has data available for transmission (approximately 4 Mbits) and estimates that this data will occupy all four opportunities indexed 0, 1, 2, and 3 at slots n, n+1, n+2, and n+3, respectively. Therefore, the UE includes the bit pattern "11" indicating that data is available on the primary opportunity and all supplementary opportunities indexed 1, 2, and 3. In the next cycle starting at slot n+8, the UE does not have data ready to transmit on the primary opportunity, but it knows that there is data to be processed, so the UE may include the bit pattern "00" in the UCI, meaning that data will be available soon and the gNB should maintain the resources reserved in the supplementary opportunities indexed 1 and 2 at slots n+9 and n+10, respectively.

[0134] Similarly, in the next cycle starting at slot n+16, the UE does not have data ready to transmit on the primary opportunity, but it knows that there is pending data and that it will take more time. The UE can include the bit pattern "00" in the UCI, which means that data will be available soon and the gNB should keep the resources reserved in the supplementary opportunities with indices 1 and 2 on slots n+17 and n+18, respectively. However, it may then happen that data is not actually ready for transmission in the supplementary opportunity with index 1 in slot n+17, and the UE can therefore separately encode and transmit additional UCI that depends on the supplementary opportunity with index 1. Therefore, here the UE includes the bit pattern "00" in the UCI, which means that data will be available soon and the gNB should keep the resources reserved in the supplementary opportunities with indices 2 and 3 on slots n+18 and n+19. Then, in the next cycle starting at slot n+24, the UE has data available for transmission (approximately 2 Mbits) on the primary opportunity and estimates that the data will occupy two opportunities indexed 0 and 1 on slots n+24 and n+25, respectively. Therefore, the UE includes a bit pattern "10" indicating that data is available on the primary opportunity and the supplementary opportunity indexed 1.

[0135] In some arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, in contrast to the two-bit bit pattern described above, a bitmap whose size is equal to the total number of supplementary CG-PUSCHs and primary CG-PUSCHs is used to indicate (one-to-one) which CG-PUSCHs are activated. In other words, the number of multiple bits may be equal to the number of opportunities for uplink communication resources of a single set, and wherein each of the multiple bits indicates whether a different opportunity in the first opportunity and the supplementary opportunity is in an activation opportunity. For example, in the case where the CG-PUSCH configuration has a primary CG-PUSCH and three supplementary CG-PUSCHs, a four-bit bitmap may be used such that "1" indicates activation and "0" indicates deactivation, i.e., an indication such as "1011" means that the primary CG-PUSCH and the second and third supplementary CG-PUSCHs are activated, while the first supplementary CG-PUSCH is not activated.

[0136] In some arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, a bitmap whose size is equal to the number of supplementary CG-PUSCHs is used to indicate (one-to-one correspondence) which supplementary CG-PUSCHs are activated. Here, the primary CG-PUSCH is not included in the bitmap because, according to conventional procedures, the gNB will always monitor whether the primary CG-PUSCH is activated, and thus indicating its activation status would constitute a waste of resources. In other words, the number of multiple bits can be equal to the number of supplementary opportunities for uplink communication resources, and each bit in the multiple bits indicates whether a different one of the supplementary opportunities is an active opportunity.

[0137] In some arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, if the UE has indicated in a previous opportunity that there will be data / UCI transmission in the supplementary opportunity, the UE can transmit UCI in the supplementary opportunity. In other words, the communication device can be configured to transmit the second uplink control information to the wireless communication network (e.g., to the infrastructure equipment) in at least one supplementary opportunity of the one or more supplementary opportunities in the activation opportunity. Here, if, for example, the primary CG-PUSCH only indicates the current CG-PUSCH for transmitting the second UCI, the second uplink control information can indicate which subsequent supplementary CG-PUSCHs are activated because, for example, the UE later determines that it needs more resources to transmit the uplink data in its transmission buffer.

[0138] In some arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, the UE appends a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) checksum derived from the UCI bits / data to the UCI report (e.g., an 8-bit CRC), so that the gNB can verify whether the UCI was transmitted. In other words, the uplink control information can be transmitted by the communication device in a first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities, wherein the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities for transmitting the uplink control information includes a plurality of indication bits (which indicate the uplink control information itself) and a plurality of check bits indicating the presence of the uplink control information (and thus ensuring that the gNB does not need to perform blind decoding, while these check bits also enable the gNB to verify whether the indication bits are correct).

[0139] In some arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, the used and unused subsequent supplementary opportunities may be signaled implicitly via UCI. For example, even if the UCI does not include an explicit indication that such supplementary CG-PUSCH is activated, the presence of other data transmission parameters (such as MCS, resource allocation, etc.) for a particular supplementary CG-PUSCH in the UCI will indicate to the gNB that data is being scheduled for transmission in that supplementary CG-PUSCH. In other words, the uplink control information may indicate an activation opportunity based on the uplink control information including an indication and / or value of one or more transmission parameters associated with each activation opportunity.

[0140] Figure 15 A flowchart showing a first exemplary communication process in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present technology. Figure 15 The illustrated process is a method of operating a communication device configured to transmit data to (and / or receive data from) a wireless communication network (eg, to infrastructure equipment) via a wireless access interface (eg, provided by infrastructure equipment).

[0141] The method begins in step S11. The method includes, in step S12, operating according to a configuration grant (CG) operating mode. In step S13, the process involves transmitting uplink control information to a wireless communication network (e.g., to an infrastructure device), the uplink control information indicating which of a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communication resource and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communication resource are activation opportunities among a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communication resource, wherein the communication device is used to transmit uplink data to the wireless communication network (e.g., to an infrastructure device). In step S14, the method includes transmitting uplink data to the wireless communication network (e.g., to an infrastructure device) in the activation opportunity. Here, the first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communication resource. The process ends in step S15.

[0142] Implicitly indicated CG timing used / not used in XR

[0143] Figure 16 A partially schematic, partially message flow diagram representation of a second wireless communication system including a communication device 161 and an infrastructure device 162 is shown in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present technology. The communication device 161 is configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from a wireless communication network, for example, to and from the infrastructure device 162. Specifically, the communication device 161 may be configured to transmit data to and / or receive data from the wireless communication network (for example, to / from the infrastructure device 162) via a wireless interface provided by the wireless communication network (for example, a Uu interface between the communication device 161 and a radio access network (RAN) including the infrastructure device 162). For example, such data transmitted by the communication device 161 may include data for applications such as XR. The communication device 161 may be configured to transmit signals to Figure 16 Various other infrastructure devices or communication devices not shown in the examples and / or from Figure 16 The infrastructure device 162 may also be configured to transmit the signal to various other infrastructure devices or communication devices not shown in the example. Figure 16 Various other communication devices or RAN or core network nodes and / or from Figure 16The signals are received by various other communication devices or RAN or core network nodes (not shown in the examples). Communication device 161 and infrastructure device 162 include transceivers (or transceiver circuitry) 161.1, 162.1 and controllers (or controller circuitry) 161.2, 162.2, respectively. Each of controllers 161.2, 162.2 can be, for example, a microprocessor, a CPU, or a dedicated chipset.

[0144] like Figure 16 As shown in the example of FIG. 1 , the transceiver circuitry 161 . 1 and the controller circuitry 161 . 2 of the communication device 161 are configured in combination to operate 163 in accordance with a configuration grant (CG) mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising the communication device 161 being configured to determine 164 a plurality of periodic opportunities (e.g., CG-PUSCH opportunities) for uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface (e.g., via an activation indication or other such command received from the wireless communication network (e.g., from the infrastructure equipment 162)), and being configured to (optionally) transmit 165 a signal to the wireless communication device 161 during at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface. The method further comprises: determining 166 that the communication device 161 has uplink data to transmit to the wireless communication network (e.g., to the infrastructure device 162); determining 167 that the communication device 161 cannot transmit uplink data or uplink control information to the wireless communication network (e.g., to the infrastructure device 162) in a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources; and transmitting 168 uplink data to the wireless communication network (e.g., to the infrastructure device 162) in at least one supplementary opportunity among one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources. Here, the first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources.

[0145] Essentially, these embodiments of the present technology propose that unused primary CG opportunities and / or supplementary CG opportunities are implicitly indicated by the UE to the gNB. The implicit indication is that there is no transmission, and if the gNB does not detect any CG-PUSCH transmission when monitoring transmissions in a particular CG opportunity, it assumes that the CG opportunity is not used and therefore proceeds to the next supplementary CG opportunity where the same operation is performed again. Figure 12In the example shown in Figure 2, the gNB fails to detect any transmission in the primary CG-PUSCH 0, and instead of abandoning the entire CG-PUSCH opportunity as would be the case in the legacy procedure (which includes the supplementary CG-PUSCH), the gNB attempts to decode the supplementary CG-PUSCH 1. If this fails again, the gNB attempts to decode the supplementary CG-PUSCH 2, where a data transmission is indeed detected.

[0146] In some arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, the supplementary CG-PUSCH carries UCI to explicitly indicate whether the subsequent CG-PUSCH is activated. In other words, the communication device can be configured to transmit uplink control information to the wireless communication network (e.g., to the infrastructure equipment / gNB) in one of the one or more supplementary opportunities, and the uplink control information instructs the communication device to transmit uplink data to the wireless communication network in at least one supplementary opportunity (i.e., including the CG-PUSCH opportunity carrying UCI and / or the subsequent CG-PUSCH). About Figure 15 The exemplary system shown in FIG, uses Figure 12 In the example shown in FIG, and assuming the implicit indication as described above, UCI is transmitted in CG-PUSCH 2, which indicates that CG-PUSCH 2 and CG-PUSCH 3 are activated. That is, a combination of implicit and explicit indications is used. It is recognized that the UE may not have sufficient time to process the UCI to notify the gNB of the activation status of the CG-PUSCH, and for this case, the gNB can use the implicit indication, i.e., the absence of any CG-PUSCH including UCI, to determine that the CG-PUSCH is not used and continue decoding the next (supplementary) CG-PUSCH. If the UE can process the UCI in time for transmission in the primary or supplementary CG-PUSCH, this will save the gNB from blind decoding unused CG-PUSCHs until it detects the transmission of data or reaches the end of the CG opportunity set. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the UCI transmitted here can take any format, such as any of the formats described above (e.g., transmitted at the beginning or end of the CG-PUSCH and can include a bit pattern, bitmap and / or CRC checksum).

[0147] In some arrangements of embodiments of the present technology, if the UE is implemented or configured to transmit only explicit indications (and this is the indication the gNB expects to receive), the absence of any data or UCI in the primary CG-PUSCH will implicitly indicate to the gNB that the entire opportunity, i.e., the primary CG-PUSCH and all its associated supplementary CG-PUSCHs, is not activated. In other words, the infrastructure device / gNB may be configured to transmit an indication to the communications device that the communications device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration-authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communications device, a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of a wireless access interface, transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device during at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface, and monitoring for receipt of uplink data and / or uplink control information during a first opportunity of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources, wherein the absence of uplink data and / or uplink control information during the first opportunity indicates that the infrastructure device did not receive uplink data from the communications device during any of one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity in the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources. The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources.

[0148] Figure 17 A flowchart showing a second exemplary communication process in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present technology. Figure 15 The illustrated process is a method of operating a communication device configured to transmit data to (and / or receive data from) a wireless communication network (eg, to infrastructure equipment) via a wireless access interface (eg, provided by infrastructure equipment).

[0149] The method starts at step S21. The method includes, in step S22, operating according to a configuration authorization (CG) operating mode. In step S23, the process involves determining that the communication device has uplink data to be transmitted to the wireless communication network (e.g., to infrastructure equipment). In step S24, the method includes determining that the communication device cannot transmit uplink data or uplink control information to the wireless communication network (e.g., to infrastructure equipment) in the first opportunity of multiple periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource. Then, in step S25, the method includes transmitting uplink data to the wireless communication network (e.g., to infrastructure equipment) in at least one supplementary opportunity of one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity in the multiple periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource. Here, the first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource. The process ends at step S26.

[0150] Figure 18 A flowchart illustrating a third exemplary communication process in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present technology. Figure 18 The illustrated process specifies further operation of a communications device operating in accordance with a Configuration Grant (CG) mode of operation, such as in Figure 15 Step S12 of the method shown or Figure 17 The CG operation mode indicated in step S22 of the method shown.

[0151] The method begins at step S31. The method includes, at step S32, determining a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface (e.g., by receiving an activation (or other) indication or command defining the plurality of periodic opportunities from the wireless communication network (e.g., from infrastructure equipment of the wireless communication network). At step S33, the method includes optionally transmitting a signal to the wireless communication network during at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface. The process ends at step S34.

[0152] Those skilled in the art should understand that Figure 15 、 Figure 17 and Figure 18 The method shown can be adjusted according to the implementation of the present technology. For example, other intermediate steps can be included in this method, or the steps can be performed in any logical order. Figure 11 and Figure 16 Shown (and about Figures 12 to 14 Embodiments of the present technology are described with reference to an exemplary communication system (further discussed in the examples of FIG), but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that they may be equally applicable to other systems described herein.

[0153] It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that such infrastructure equipment and / or communication equipment as defined herein may be further defined according to the various arrangements and implementations discussed in the preceding paragraphs. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that such infrastructure equipment and communication equipment as defined and described herein may form part of a communication system other than the communication system defined by the present disclosure.

[0154] The following numbered paragraphs provide additional exemplary aspects and features of the present technology:

[0155] Paragraph 1. A method of operating a communication device, the communication device being configured to transmit a signal to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface, the method comprising:

[0156] operating in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the wireless communication network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface,

[0157] transmitting uplink control information to the wireless communication network, the uplink control information indicating which of a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource are activation opportunities among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource for the communication device to transmit uplink data to the wireless communication network, and

[0158] transmitting uplink data to the wireless communication network during an activation opportunity,

[0159] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0160] Paragraph 2. The method according to paragraph 1, wherein the uplink control information is transmitted by the communication device in a first opportunity, and indicates that the first opportunity carries only the uplink control information and at least one of the supplementary opportunities is in an active opportunity.

[0161] Paragraph 3. The method of paragraph 1 or paragraph 2, wherein the uplink control information is transmitted by the communication device at the beginning of the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities.

[0162] Paragraph 4. The method of any one of Paragraphs 1 to 3, wherein the uplink control information is transmitted by the communication device at the end of the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities.

[0163] Paragraph 5. The method of any one of Paragraphs 1 to 4, wherein the uplink control information includes a plurality of bits indicating which of the first opportunity and the supplementary opportunity are in the activation opportunity.

[0164] Paragraph 6. The method of Paragraph 5, wherein the activation timing indicated by the plurality of bits depends on in which of the first timing and / or the supplementary timing the uplink control information is transmitted by the communication device.

[0165] Paragraph 7. A method according to paragraph 5 or paragraph 6, wherein the number of multiple bits is equal to the number of opportunities of the uplink communication resources of a single set, and wherein each bit of the multiple bits indicates whether a different opportunity in the first opportunity and the supplementary opportunity is in the activation opportunity.

[0166] Paragraph 8. A method according to any one of paragraphs 5 to 7, wherein the number of the plurality of bits is equal to the number of supplementary opportunities for uplink communication resources, and wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates whether a different one of the supplementary opportunities is in an active opportunity.

[0167] Paragraph 9. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 8, comprising:

[0168] In at least one supplementary occasion among the one or more supplementary occasions in the active occasion, second uplink control information is transmitted to the wireless communication network.

[0169] Paragraph 10. A method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 9, wherein uplink control information is transmitted by a communication device in a first opportunity or a supplementary opportunity in a supplementary opportunity, wherein the first opportunity or the supplementary opportunity in which the uplink control information is transmitted includes multiple indication bits indicating the presence of the uplink control information and multiple check bits.

[0170] Paragraph 11. A method according to any of paragraphs 1 to 10, wherein the uplink control information indicates the activation opportunity based on the uplink control information including an indication and / or value of one or more transmission parameters associated with each of the activation opportunities.

[0171] Paragraph 12. A communication device comprising:

[0172] transceiver circuitry configured to transmit signals to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface, and

[0173] The controller circuitry is configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to:

[0174] operating in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising the communications device being configured to determine a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface, and being configured to transmit a signal to the wireless communications network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface,

[0175] transmitting uplink control information to the wireless communication network, the uplink control information indicating which of a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource are activation opportunities among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource for the communication device to transmit uplink data to the wireless communication network, and

[0176] transmitting uplink data to the wireless communication network during an activation opportunity,

[0177] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0178] Paragraph 13. A circuit system for a communication device, comprising:

[0179] transceiver circuitry configured to transmit signals to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface, and

[0180] The controller circuitry is configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to:

[0181] operating in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising the communications device being configured to determine a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface, and being configured to transmit a signal to the wireless communications network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface,

[0182] transmitting uplink control information to the wireless communication network, the uplink control information indicating which of a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource are activation opportunities among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource for the communication device to transmit uplink data to the wireless communication network, and

[0183] transmitting uplink data to the wireless communication network during an activation opportunity,

[0184] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0185] Paragraph 14. A method of operating infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment being configured to receive signals from a communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, the method comprising:

[0186] transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface,

[0187] receiving uplink control information from the communication device, the uplink control information indicating which of a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource are activation opportunities for the infrastructure device to receive uplink data from the communication device among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, and

[0188] receiving uplink data from the communication device in an active opportunity,

[0189] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0190] Paragraph 15. The method of paragraph 14, wherein the uplink control information is received by the infrastructure device in a first opportunity and indicates that the first opportunity carries only the uplink control information and at least one of the supplementary opportunities is in an active opportunity.

[0191] Paragraph 16. The method of paragraph 14 or paragraph 15, wherein the uplink control information is received by the infrastructure device at a beginning of the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities.

[0192] Paragraph 17. The method of any of Paragraphs 14 to 16, wherein the uplink control information is received by the infrastructure device at the end of the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities.

[0193] Paragraph 18. The method of any one of paragraphs 14 to 17, wherein the uplink control information includes a plurality of bits indicating which of the first opportunity and the supplementary opportunity are in the activation opportunity.

[0194] Paragraph 19. The method of Paragraph 18, wherein the activation timing indicated by the plurality of bits depends on in which of the first timing and the supplementary timing the uplink control information is received by the infrastructure device.

[0195] Paragraph 20. A method according to paragraph 18 or paragraph 19, wherein the number of multiple bits is equal to the number of opportunities of the uplink communication resources of a single set, and wherein each bit of the multiple bits indicates whether a different opportunity in the first opportunity and the supplementary opportunity is in the activation opportunity.

[0196] Paragraph 21. The method of any one of paragraphs 18 to 20, wherein the number of the plurality of bits is equal to the number of supplementary opportunities for uplink communication resources, and wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates whether a different one of the supplementary opportunities is in an active opportunity.

[0197] Paragraph 22. The method according to any one of paragraphs 14 to 21, comprising:

[0198] Second uplink control information is received from the communication device in at least one supplementary occasion of the one or more supplementary occasions in the active occasion.

[0199] Paragraph 23. A method according to any one of paragraphs 14 to 22, wherein the uplink control information is received by the infrastructure device in a first opportunity or a supplementary opportunity, wherein the first opportunity or the supplementary opportunity in which the uplink control information is received includes multiple indication bits indicating the presence of the uplink control information and multiple check bits.

[0200] Paragraph 24. A method according to any of paragraphs 14 to 23, wherein the uplink control information indicates the activation opportunity based on the uplink control information including an indication and / or value of one or more transmission parameters associated with each activation time in the activation opportunity.

[0201] Paragraph 25. An infrastructure device forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure device comprising:

[0202] transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from the communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, and

[0203] The controller circuitry is configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to:

[0204] transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface,

[0205] receiving uplink control information from the communication device, the uplink control information indicating which of a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource are activation opportunities for the infrastructure device to receive uplink data from the communication device among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, and

[0206] receiving uplink data from the communication device in an active opportunity,

[0207] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0208] Paragraph 26. Circuitry for infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment comprising:

[0209] transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from the communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, and

[0210] The controller circuitry is configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to:

[0211] transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface,

[0212] receiving uplink control information from the communication device, the uplink control information indicating which of a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource are activation opportunities for the infrastructure device to receive uplink data from the communication device among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, and

[0213] receiving uplink data from the communication device in an active opportunity,

[0214] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0215] Paragraph 27. A wireless communication system comprising a communication device according to paragraph 12 and an infrastructure device according to paragraph 25.

[0216] Paragraph 28. A method of operating a communication device, the communication device being configured to transmit a signal to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface, the method comprising:

[0217] operating in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the wireless communication network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface,

[0218] determining that the communication device has uplink data to transmit to the wireless communication network,

[0219] determining that the communications device is unable to transmit uplink data or uplink control information to the wireless communications network in a first opportunity of a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communications resource, and

[0220] transmitting uplink data to the wireless communication network in at least one supplemental opportunity of one or more supplemental opportunities associated with the first opportunity in a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource,

[0221] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0222] Paragraph 29. The method according to Paragraph 28, comprising:

[0223] Uplink control information is transmitted to the wireless communication network in one of the one or more supplementary opportunities, the uplink control information indicating that the communication device is to transmit uplink data to the wireless communication network in the at least one supplementary opportunity.

[0224] Paragraph 30. A communication device comprising:

[0225] transceiver circuitry configured to transmit signals to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface, and

[0226] The controller circuitry is configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to:

[0227] operating in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising the communications device being configured to determine a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface, and being configured to transmit a signal to the wireless communications network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface,

[0228] determining that the communication device has uplink data to transmit to the wireless communication network,

[0229] determining that the communications device is unable to transmit uplink data or uplink control information to the wireless communications network in a first opportunity of a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communications resource, and

[0230] transmitting uplink data to the wireless communication network in at least one of the one or more supplemental opportunities associated with the first opportunity in a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource,

[0231] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0232] Paragraph 31. A circuit system for a communication device, comprising:

[0233] transceiver circuitry configured to transmit signals to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface, and

[0234] The controller circuitry is configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to:

[0235] operating in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising the communications device being configured to determine a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface, and being configured to transmit a signal to the wireless communications network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface,

[0236] determining that the communication device has uplink data to transmit to the wireless communication network,

[0237] determining that the communications device is unable to transmit uplink data or uplink control information to the wireless communications network in a first opportunity of a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communications resource, and

[0238] transmitting uplink data to the wireless communication network in at least one supplemental opportunity of one or more supplemental opportunities associated with the first opportunity in a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource,

[0239] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0240] Paragraph 32. A method of operating infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment being configured to receive signals from a communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, the method comprising:

[0241] transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface,

[0242] monitoring receipt of uplink data in a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communication resource,

[0243] If no uplink data is received in the first opportunity, monitoring for reception of uplink data in one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, and

[0244] receiving uplink data from the communication device in at least one of the monitored supplemental opportunities,

[0245] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0246] Paragraph 33. The method according to Paragraph 32, comprising:

[0247] In one of the one or more supplementary opportunities, uplink control information is received from the communication device, the uplink control information instructing the communication device to transmit uplink data to the infrastructure device in the at least one supplementary opportunity.

[0248] Paragraph 34. An infrastructure device forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure device comprising:

[0249] transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from the communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, and

[0250] The controller circuitry is configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to:

[0251] transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface,

[0252] monitoring receipt of uplink data in a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communication resource,

[0253] If no uplink data is received in the first opportunity, monitoring for reception of uplink data in one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, and

[0254] receiving uplink data from the communication device in at least one of the monitored supplemental opportunities,

[0255] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0256] Paragraph 35. Circuitry for infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment comprising:

[0257] transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from the communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, and

[0258] The controller circuitry is configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to:

[0259] transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface,

[0260] monitoring receipt of uplink data in a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of an uplink communication resource,

[0261] If no uplink data is received in the first opportunity, monitoring for reception of uplink data in one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, and

[0262] receiving uplink data from the communication device in at least one of the monitored supplemental opportunities,

[0263] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0264] Paragraph 36. A wireless communication system comprising a communication device according to paragraph 30 and an infrastructure device according to paragraph 34.

[0265] Paragraph 37. A method of operating infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment being configured to receive signals from a communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, the method comprising:

[0266] transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface,

[0267] monitoring receipt of uplink data and / or uplink control information in a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, wherein an absence of the uplink data and / or uplink control information in the first opportunity indicates that the infrastructure device has not received uplink data from the communication device in any one of one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource,

[0268] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0269] Paragraph 38. An infrastructure device forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure device comprising:

[0270] transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from the communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, and

[0271] The controller circuitry is configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to:

[0272] transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface,

[0273] monitoring receipt of uplink data and / or uplink control information in a first opportunity of the plurality of periodic opportunities, wherein the absence of uplink data and / or uplink control information in the first opportunity indicates that the infrastructure device has not received uplink data from the communication device in any of one or more supplemental opportunities of the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource associated with the first opportunity,

[0274] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0275] Paragraph 39. Circuitry for infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment comprising:

[0276] transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from the communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, and

[0277] The controller circuitry is configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to:

[0278] transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of the uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface,

[0279] monitoring receipt of uplink data and / or uplink control information in a first opportunity among a plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, wherein an absence of the uplink data and / or uplink control information in the first opportunity indicates that the infrastructure device has not received uplink data from the communication device in any one of one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource,

[0280] The first opportunity and one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of multiple periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

[0281] Paragraph 40. A computer program comprising instructions which, when loaded onto a computer, cause the computer to perform a method according to any one of Paragraphs 1 to 11, Paragraphs 14 to 24, Paragraph 28, Paragraph 29, Paragraph 32, Paragraph 33, and Paragraph 37.

[0282] Paragraph 41. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program according to Paragraph 40.

[0283] It will be appreciated that for clarity, the above description has described embodiments with reference to different functional units, circuit systems, and / or processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional units, circuit systems, and / or processors may be used without departing from the embodiments.

[0284] The described embodiments may include any suitable form of hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof. The described embodiments may optionally be implemented at least in part as computer software running on one or more data processors and / or digital signal processors. The elements and constituent elements of any embodiment may be implemented physically, functionally and logically in any suitable manner. In practice, the functions may be implemented in a single unit, in multiple units or as part of other functional units. Thus, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in a single unit, or may be physically and functionally distributed between different units, circuit systems and / or processors.

[0285] Although the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. Additionally, although features may appear to be described in conjunction with specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various features of the described embodiments may be combined in any manner suitable for implementing the technology.

[0286] References

[0287] [1]Holma H.and Toskala A,“LTE for UMTS OFDMA and SC-FDMA based radioaccess”,John Wiley and Sons,2009。

[0288] [2]TR 38.913,“Study on Scenarios and Requirements for Next GenerationAccess Technologies(Release 14)”,third Generation Partnership Project,v14.3.0。

[0289] [3]RP-190726,“Physical layer enhancements for NR ultra-reliable andlow latency communication(URLLC)”,Huawei,HiSilicon,RAN#83。

[0290] [4]RP-201310,“Revised WID:Enhanced Industrial Internet of Things(IoT)and ultra-reliable and low latency communication(URLLC)support for NR,”Nokia,Nokia Shanghai Bell,RAN#88e。

[0291] [5]RP-191575,“NR-based Access to Unlicensed Spectrum,”Qualcomm,RAN#84。

[0292] [6]RP-220285,“Revised SID:Study on XR Enhancements for NR”,Nokia,RAN#95e。

[0293] [7]TR 38.838,“Study on XR(Extended Reality)Evaluations for NR(Release17)”,v17.0.0。

[0294] [8]European patent application with publication number EP3837895。

[0295] [9]International patent application number PCT / EP2022 / 075108。

[0296]

[10] RP-223502,“New WID on XR Enhancements for NR”,Nokia,Qualcomm,RAN#98-e。

Claims

1. A method of operating a communication device, the communication device being configured to transmit a signal to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface, the method comprising: operating according to a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining a plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources of a wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the wireless communication network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, transmitting uplink control information to the wireless communication network, the uplink control information indicating which of the first opportunity of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources are activation opportunities of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources for the communication device to transmit uplink data to the wireless communication network, and transmitting the uplink data to the wireless communication network during the activation opportunity, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The uplink control information is transmitted by the communication device in the first opportunity, and indicates that the first opportunity only carries the uplink control information and at least one of the supplementary opportunities is in the activation opportunity.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The uplink control information is transmitted by the communication device at the beginning of the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The uplink control information is transmitted by the communication device at the end of the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The uplink control information includes a plurality of bits, and the plurality of bits indicate which of the first opportunity and the supplementary opportunity are in the activation opportunity.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The activation timing indicated by the plurality of bits depends on in which of the first timing and / or the supplementary timing the communication device transmits the uplink control information.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The number of the plurality of bits is equal to the number of opportunities of the single set of uplink communication resources, and wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates whether a different one of the first opportunity and the supplementary opportunity is in the activation opportunity.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein The number of the plurality of bits is equal to the number of supplementary opportunities of the uplink communication resource, and wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates whether a different opportunity of the supplementary opportunities is in the activation opportunity.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising: In at least one supplementary occasion among the one or more supplementary occasions in the activation occasion, second uplink control information is transmitted to the wireless communication network.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein The uplink control information is transmitted by the communication device in the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities, wherein the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities for transmitting the uplink control information includes multiple indication bits indicating the presence of the uplink control information and multiple check bits.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein The uplink control information indicates the activation occasions based on the uplink control information including indications and / or values ​​of one or more transmission parameters associated with each of the activation occasions.

12. A communication device comprising: transceiver circuitry configured to transmit signals to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface, and controller circuitry configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to: operating according to a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising the communications device being configured to determine a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of a wireless access interface, and being configured to transmit a signal to the wireless communications network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface, transmitting uplink control information to the wireless communication network, the uplink control information indicating which of the first opportunity of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources are activation opportunities of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources for the communication device to transmit uplink data to the wireless communication network, and transmitting the uplink data to the wireless communication network during the activation opportunity, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

13. Circuit systems for communication equipment, comprising: transceiver circuitry configured to transmit signals to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface, and controller circuitry configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to: operating according to a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising the communications device being configured to determine a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of a wireless access interface, and being configured to transmit a signal to the wireless communications network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface, transmitting uplink control information to the wireless communication network, the uplink control information indicating which of the first opportunity of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources are activation opportunities of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources for the communication device to transmit uplink data to the wireless communication network, and transmitting the uplink data to the wireless communication network during the activation opportunity, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

14. A method of operating infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment being configured to receive signals from a communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, the method comprising: transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of a wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, receiving uplink control information from the communication device, the uplink control information indicating which of the first of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources are activation opportunities of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources for the infrastructure device to receive uplink data from the communication device, and receiving the uplink data from the communication device in the activation opportunity, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The uplink control information is received by the infrastructure device in the first opportunity and indicates that the first opportunity carries only the uplink control information and at least one of the supplementary opportunities is in the activation opportunity.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein The uplink control information is received by the infrastructure device at a beginning of the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The uplink control information is received by the infrastructure device at the end of the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities 18. The method according to claim 14, wherein The uplink control information includes a plurality of bits, and the plurality of bits indicate which of the first opportunity and the supplementary opportunity are in the activation opportunity.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein The activation timing indicated by the plurality of bits depends on in which of the first timing and the supplementary timing the uplink control information is received by the infrastructure device.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein The number of the plurality of bits is equal to the number of opportunities of the single set of uplink communication resources, and wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates whether a different one of the first opportunity and the supplementary opportunity is in the activation opportunity.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein The number of the plurality of bits is equal to the number of supplementary opportunities of the uplink communication resource, and wherein each bit of the plurality of bits indicates whether a different opportunity of the supplementary opportunities is in the activation opportunity.

22. The method of claim 14, comprising: Second uplink control information is received from the communication device in at least one supplementary occasion of the one or more supplementary occasions in the activation occasion.

23. The method according to claim 14, wherein The uplink control information is received by the infrastructure device in the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities, wherein the first opportunity or one of the supplementary opportunities for receiving the uplink control information includes multiple indication bits indicating the presence of the uplink control information and multiple check bits.

24. The method according to claim 14, wherein The uplink control information indicates the activation occasions based on the uplink control information including indications and / or values ​​of one or more transmission parameters associated with each of the activation occasions.

25. Infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment comprising: transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from a communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, and controller circuitry configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to: transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of a wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, receiving uplink control information from the communication device, the uplink control information indicating which of the first of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources are activation opportunities of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources for the infrastructure device to receive uplink data from the communication device, and receiving the uplink data from the communication device in the activation opportunity, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

26. Circuitry for infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment comprising: transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from a communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, and controller circuitry configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to: transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of a wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, receiving uplink control information from the communication device, the uplink control information indicating which of the first of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources are activation opportunities of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources for the infrastructure device to receive uplink data from the communication device, and receiving the uplink data from the communication device in the activation opportunity, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

27. A wireless communication system comprising the communication device according to claim 12 and the infrastructure equipment according to claim 25.

28. A method of operating a communication device, the communication device being configured to transmit a signal to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface, the method comprising: operating according to a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining a plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources of a wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the wireless communication network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, determining that the communication device has uplink data to transmit to the wireless communication network, determining that the communication device cannot transmit the uplink data or uplink control information to the wireless communication network in a first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources, and transmitting the uplink data to the wireless communication network in at least one supplementary occasion of one or more supplementary occasions associated with the first occasion among the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

29. The method according to claim 28, comprising: Uplink control information is transmitted to the wireless communication network in a supplementary opportunity of the one or more supplementary opportunities, the uplink control information indicating that the communication device is to transmit the uplink data to the wireless communication network in the at least one supplementary opportunity.

30. A communication device comprising: transceiver circuitry configured to transmit signals to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface, and controller circuitry configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to: operating according to a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising the communications device being configured to determine a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of a wireless access interface, and being configured to transmit a signal to the wireless communications network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface, determining that the communication device has uplink data to transmit to the wireless communication network, determining that the communication device cannot transmit the uplink data or uplink control information to the wireless communication network in a first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources, and transmitting the uplink data to the wireless communication network in at least one supplementary occasion of one or more supplementary occasions associated with the first occasion among the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

31. Circuit systems for communication equipment, comprising: transceiver circuitry configured to transmit signals to a wireless communication network via a wireless interface, and controller circuitry configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to: operating according to a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising the communications device being configured to determine a plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of a wireless access interface, and being configured to transmit a signal to the wireless communications network in at least one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface, determining that the communication device has uplink data to transmit to the wireless communication network, determining that the communication device cannot transmit the uplink data or uplink control information to the wireless communication network in a first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources, and transmitting the uplink data to the wireless communication network in at least one supplementary occasion of one or more supplementary occasions associated with the first occasion among the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

32. A method of operating infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment being configured to receive signals from a communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, the method comprising: transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of a wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, monitoring receipt of uplink data in a first opportunity of the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, If no uplink data is received in the first opportunity, monitoring for reception of uplink data in one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, and receiving uplink data from the communication device in at least one of the monitored supplemental opportunities, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

33. The method of claim 32, comprising: In one supplementary opportunity of the one or more supplementary opportunities, uplink control information is received from the communication device, the uplink control information instructing the communication device to transmit the uplink data to the infrastructure device in the at least one supplementary opportunity.

34. Infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment comprising: transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from a communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, and controller circuitry configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to: transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of a wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, monitoring receipt of uplink data in a first opportunity of the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, If no uplink data is received in the first opportunity, monitoring for reception of uplink data in one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, and receiving uplink data from the communication device in at least one of the monitored supplemental opportunities, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

35. Circuitry for infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment comprising: transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from a communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, and controller circuitry configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to: transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of a wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, monitoring receipt of uplink data in a first opportunity of the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, If no uplink data is received in the first opportunity, monitoring for reception of uplink data in one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity among the plurality of periodic opportunities of the uplink communication resource, and receiving uplink data from the communication device in at least one of the monitored supplemental opportunities, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

36. A wireless communication system comprising the communication device according to claim 30 and the infrastructure equipment according to claim 34.

37. A method of operating infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment being configured to receive signals from a communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, the method comprising: transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of a wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, monitoring receipt of uplink data and / or uplink control information in a first one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources, wherein the absence of uplink data and / or uplink control information in the first one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources indicates that the infrastructure device has not received uplink data from the communication device in any one of one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

38. Infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment comprising: transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from a communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, and controller circuitry configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to: transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of a wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, monitoring receipt of uplink data and / or uplink control information in a first one of the plurality of periodic occasions, wherein the absence of uplink data and / or uplink control information in the first one of the plurality of periodic occasions indicates that the infrastructure device has not received uplink data from the communication device in any one of one or more supplementary occasions of the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources associated with the first one of the plurality of periodic occasions, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

39. Circuitry for infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communication network, the infrastructure equipment comprising: transceiver circuitry configured to receive signals from a communication device via a wireless interface provided by the infrastructure equipment, and controller circuitry configured, in combination with the transceiver circuitry, to: transmitting an indication to the communication device that the communication device is configured to operate in accordance with a configuration authorized CG mode of operation, the CG mode of operation comprising determining, at the communication device, a plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of a wireless access interface, and transmitting a signal to the infrastructure device in at least one of the plurality of periodic occasions of uplink communication resources of the wireless access interface, monitoring receipt of uplink data and / or uplink control information in a first one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources, wherein the absence of uplink data and / or uplink control information in the first one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources indicates that the infrastructure device has not received uplink data from the communication device in any one of one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first one of the plurality of periodic opportunities for uplink communication resources, The first opportunity and the one or more supplementary opportunities associated with the first opportunity together form a single set of the plurality of periodic opportunities of uplink communication resources.

40. A computer program comprising instructions which, when loaded onto a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1, 14, 28, 32 and 37.

41. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 40.

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