Method, mobile device, and access network node

Abstract

Various access network nodes and user devices capable of operating both configuration grants and cell DTX / DRX are disclosed. In some embodiments, a user device (UE) receives a configuration grant (CG) from an access network node that defines multiple uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to send data to an access network node, receives first information indicating the configuration of the access network node that defines an active period in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, and when the access network node is in an active period, the UE sends first uplink data to the access network node at the first of the multiple TOs, and the UE is configured to send a first retransmission of the first uplink data to the access network node at a second TO after the first TO, and the UE determines from the configuration grant and the first information whether the access network node is in an inactive period between the second TOs, and if the access network node is in an active period between the second TOs, the UE delays or stops sending the first retransmission of the first uplink data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication system and a part thereof.

Background Art

[0002] The present disclosure is particularly related, but not limited, to a radio communication system and device operating according to the specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)) or equivalent specifications, or its derivative specifications (including LTE-Advanced, next generation or 5G network, future generations, and thereafter). The present disclosure is particularly related to, but not necessarily limited to, the impact of using such network energy saving (NES) technologies for discontinuous reception (DRX) and discontinuous transmission (DTX) to reduce energy consumption in the network, as well as the configured grant (CG) assigned to user equipment (UE) and buffer status reporting (BSR).

[0003] Recent developments in 3GPP standards include Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), commonly referred to as "4G." The terms "5G" and "new radio" (NR) refer to evolving communication technologies expected to support a variety of applications and services. Various details of 5G networks are described in the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance's "NGMN 5G White Paper" V1.0, which can be found, for example, at https: / / www.ngmn.org / 5g-white-paper.html. 3GPP intends to support 5G through the so-called 3GPP Next Generation (NextGen) Radio Access Network (RAN) and 3GPP Next Generation Core Network.

[0004] Under the 3GPP standard, a NodeB (or eNB in ​​LTE, gNB in ​​5G) is a Radio Access Network (RAN) node (or simply an "access node," "access network node," or "base station") through which communication devices (user equipment, i.e., "UEs") connect to the core network and communicate with other communication devices or remote servers. For simplicity, this application uses the terms RAN node or base station to refer to any such access node. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0088681 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023 / 0020254 [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] "NGMN 5G White Paper" V1.0 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Improved wireless communication networks with enhanced energy efficiency are needed. Reducing the amount of energy required to operate the communication network will favorably reduce the environmental impact of system operation and lower operating costs. Furthermore, in the case of battery-powered devices (such as UEs), reduced power consumption will extend the battery life of the devices.

[0008] One way to achieve a more efficient communication network is to reduce the energy requirements of the system's radio access network portion. The energy consumption of a radio access network includes a dynamic portion associated with data transmission and reception, as well as a static portion associated with the operation of radio access devices that operate even when there is no ongoing data transmission or reception. The static portion may include, for example, the power required to operate a UE in a mode in which it can receive and decode a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmitted by a base station. Energy-saving modes can be configured for one or more devices in a system (such as a UE). For example, a UE can be configured to operate in an energy-saving mode (sometimes called sleep mode) in which the UE performs a reduced number of transmissions or is configured not to attempt to transmit or receive signals during a certain period. Such operation is commonly referred to as DRX / DTX, representing Discontinuous Reception (DRX) and Discontinuous Transmission (DTX).

[0009] Many proposals have been made regarding DTX / DRX operation of UEs, and currently, attention is focused on such intermittent operation of one or more base station cells, called "cell DTX / DRX." In cell DTX / DRX, a cell (RAN node) stops transmitting and receiving for a certain period of time, and the UEs served by the cell should know when the RAN node is active (and therefore can communicate with the UE) and when the RAN node is inactive (and therefore cannot communicate with the UE). However, the introduction of such cell DTX / DRX affects other features of the communication system, particularly the Configuration Grants (CG) assigned to UEs.

[0010] More specifically, when a UE attempts to send data to a base station over an uplink, the UE must be configured with uplink resources that the UE can use to send that uplink data. Typically, the UE sends information to the base station indicating that it has uplink data to send. The base station then dynamically allocates a specific resource that the UE will use to send that data. However, this process can be highly inefficient, especially if it is known in advance that the UE wants to send uplink data regularly (such as when the UE is on a call). To address this, the base station can configure periodic resources that the UE can use for uplink transmissions without the user having to request those resources each time it has data to send. These resources are configured by the base station in a "configuration grant" message. Because a cell is configured only for cell DTX / DRX during periods when the cell is not busy, the base station does not know when it may transition to an inactive period for cell DTX / DRX at the time it establishes configuration grants for different UEs that the base station is servicing, and therefore the base station may be in an inactive period for DTX / DRX at the time a particular UE schedules resources for uplink transmissions.

[0011] Furthermore, to improve the reliability of CG transmissions, base stations can allocate additional redundancy allocations or transmission opportunities (TOs) within a predetermined period, thereby enabling the repeated transmission of uplink data within that period. Base stations and UEs need to know what to do when that period overlaps with the inactivity period of cell DTX / DRX.

[0012] Therefore, there is a need to provide solutions to these scenarios. This disclosure aims to provide apparatus and methods that at least partially address one or more of the above needs and / or problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In one embodiment, a method is provided that is performed by a user device (UE), comprising: receiving a configuration grant (CG) from an access network node defining a plurality of uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to transmit data to an access network node; receiving first information indicating the configuration of the access network node, defining an intermittent reception (DRX), an active period in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE; transmitting first uplink data to the access network node in a first TO of the plurality of TOs when the access network node is in an active period, wherein the UE is configured to transmit a first retransmission of the first uplink data to the access network node in a second TO following the first TO; determining from the configuration grant and the first information whether the access network node is in an inactive period between the second TOs; and if the access network node is in an inactive period between the second TOs, delaying or suspending the transmission of the first retransmission of the first uplink data. Typically, the first piece of information is received from the access network node, but in some cases, the UE can obtain this information from another network node or from another UE. If an access network node is inactive during the second TO, the method may include delaying the transmission of the first retransmission of the first uplink data if the UE has not received an acknowledgment for the reception of the first uplink data. If the access network node is inactive during the second TO, the method may include refraining from sending the first retransmission of the first uplink data if the UE has received an acknowledgment of receipt for the first uplink data. The UE can be configured to send a second retransmission of the first uplink data to the access network node at a third TO, which follows a second TO. If the second TO partially overlaps with an inactive period and partially overlaps with an active period, the method can send the first retransmission at the second TO, and if the access network node is in an inactive period between the third TOs, the method can delay or suspend the transmission of the second retransmission of the first uplink data.

[0014] The method may further include monitoring a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) opportunity following an inactivity period of an access network node in order to obtain a dynamic grant for uplink transmission. If a dynamic grant is obtained for the UE, the method may use the resources allocated by the dynamic grant to send uplink data to the access network node. Uplink data transmitted using a dynamic grant may include retransmissions of the first uplink data. The method may further include sending a retransmission of the first uplink data at a first available TO that overlaps with the active period of the access network node, following a period of inactivity of the access network node.

[0015] This method may further include activating a CG Retransmission Timer (CGRT) and, if the first uplink data transmission is not acknowledged by the access network node before the start of the inactivity period, stopping or extending the CGRT and preventing the autonomous retransmission of the first uplink data at subsequent TOs. If the sum of the CGRT duration and the duration of the access network node's inactivity period is greater than the delay budget for the first uplink data, this method may stop further retransmission of the first uplink data and transmission of the second uplink data at TOs following the end of the inactivity period. This method may also automatically disable CGRT-based retransmission during inactivity periods.

[0016] In some embodiments, the method further includes activating a CGT (CGT) to limit the number of times the first data is transmitted, and stopping or suspending the CGT during periods of inactivity of the access network node. In this case, the method may further include restarting or restoring the CGT at the end of the period of inactivity of the access network node, or automatically disabling CRT-based retransmission during the inactivity period.

[0017] The method may further include receiving second information from an access network node indicating that the UE should retransmit the first uplink data during a TO that overlaps with an inactive period, and, in response to receiving the second information, transmitting the retransmission of the first uplink data during the access network node's inactive period. The second information may include a UE-specific drx-Inactivity Timer.

[0018] The first uplink data can be transmitted over a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the CG configures the UE to transmit multiple repetitions of the PUSCH over consecutive time slots. In this case, the UE may discard or interrupt the repetition-based uplink transmission of the PUSCH during periods of inactivity of the access network node. Alternatively, the UE may reduce the number of PUSCH repetitions for any time slot that completely overlaps with periods of inactivity of the access network node. Alternatively, the UE may reduce the number of PUSCH repetitions for any time slot that completely and partially overlaps with periods of inactivity of the access network node.

[0019] This method may include receiving multiple configuration grants (CGs) from an access network node, each defining multiple periodic uplink transmit opportunities (TOs) for the UE to transmit data over a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), wherein the multiple CGs configure the UE to transmit multiple repetitions of PUSCH to the access network node over consecutive time slots. If any time slot within a period completely overlaps with an inactive period of the access network node, the UE may discard or suspend PUSCH-based uplink transmissions during that period. If a CG period partially overlaps with an inactive period of the access network node, the UE may transmit uplink data in the first available CG TO time slot of the CG period that overlaps with the inactive period of the access network node. If any time slot within a period completely and partially overlaps with an inactive period of the access network node, the UE may discard or suspend PUSCH-based uplink transmissions during that period.

[0020] In some aspects, the UE reduces the repetition count of the PUSCH for any time slots that fully or partially overlap with the inactive period of the access network node. In this case, the UE can transmit uplink data in the first available CG TO time slot of the CG period that fully overlaps with the next active period of the access network node.

[0021] The method can include receiving a buffer status report (BSR) for transmission to the access network node during the inactive period of the access network node, and transmitting a scheduling request (SR) to the access network node to obtain a dynamic grant (DG) of uplink resources for transmitting the BSR. The method can further include receiving the DG from the access network node and transmitting the BSR on the resources permitted by the DG if those resources are before the next available CG TO. Alternatively, the UE can transmit the BSR on the resources permitted by the next available CG TO if the resources permitted by the DG are after the resources permitted by the next available CG TO.

[0022] In some aspects, the method includes determining when the access network node transitions from an inactive period to an active period and transmitting the SR to the access network node in response to such a transition. In other aspects, the method further includes determining when the access network node transitions from an inactive period to an active period and the timing of the next available CG TO in the active period of the next access node, and determining not to transmit the SR to the access network node if the next available CG TO in the active period of the next access node falls within a threshold period regarding the start of the active period of the access network node.

[0023] According to another aspect, a method executed by a user equipment (UE) is provided, which includes receiving, from an access network node, a configured grant (CG) that defines a plurality of uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to transmit data on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), the CG configuring the UE to transmit a plurality of repetitions of the PUSCH to the access network node over consecutive time slots; receiving first information indicating a configuration of the access network node that defines an active period, during which the access network node is assumed to be active and is configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period, during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and is configured not to communicate with the UE; the access network node determining, from the configured grant and the first information, whether it is in the inactive period during any time slot configured for PUSCH transmission; if the first N time slots corresponding to the first N repetitions of the PUSCH overlap with the inactive period, the UE using at least one transmission parameter associated with the (N + 1)-th repetition and / or the UE using at least one transmission parameter associated with the first repetition of the PUSCH, which should have been transmitted in the first time slot, to transmit the first repetition of the PUSCH in the (N + 1)-th time slot.

[0024] In another embodiment, a method is provided which is performed by a user device (UE): configuring a first timer indicating how long the UE is expected to wait after sending uplink data to an access network node before receiving a request from the access network node for the UE to retransmit first uplink data; configuring a second timer which is activated after the first timer and indicates a period during which the UE should be awake and monitor for requests from the access network node to retransmit uplink data; receiving a dynamic grant DG from the access network node for the UE to use to send uplink data to the access network node; and using one or more resources to send to the access network node The process includes transmitting first uplink data; receiving first information indicating the configuration of an access network node, which defines intermittent reception (DRX), active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE; determining whether a first timer and / or a second timer relating to the transmitted first uplink data overlap with the inactive period of the access network node; and, if the first timer has been started, extending the first timer to keep it running until the end of the inactive period of the access network node, and starting the second timer when the access network node enters an active period following the end of the inactive period.

[0025] If the first timer has not been started, this method can skip starting the first timer and start the second timer when the access network node enters an active period following the end of an inactive period.

[0026] In some embodiments, the UE enters a sleep state during the period between transmitting the first uplink data and activating the second timer.

[0027] In another embodiment, a method is provided which is performed by an access network node, the UE sending a configuration grant (CG) to the user equipment (UE) that defines a plurality of uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to send data to the access network node; sending first information indicating the configuration of the access network node, which defines an active period in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE; and when the access network node is in an active period, the first TO of the plurality of TOs sent from the UE Receiving first data corresponding to the uplink data, wherein CG configures resources for the UE to send a first retransmission of the first uplink data to the access network node at a second TO which is after the first TO, and if the second TO is during an inactive period for the access network node and the access network node has not acknowledged receipt of the first uplink data, i) maintain the first data in the uplink buffer associated with the UE, ii) when the access network node returns to an active period, receive second data corresponding to the retransmission of the first uplink data from the UE, and iii) recover the first uplink data using the first and second data.

[0028] If the second TO is in an inactive period of the access network node and the access network node has acknowledged receiving the first uplink data, the method can provide the first uplink data to the upper layer and flush the uplink buffer associated with the UE. If the second TO partially overlaps with the inactive period and partially overlaps with the active period, the method can receive the first retransmission at the second TO.

[0029] This method may further include providing a dynamic grant to the UE for uplink transmission, and receiving uplink data from the UE using the resources allocated by the dynamic grant. The uplink data transmitted using the dynamic grant may include retransmissions of the first uplink data.

[0030] The method may further include receiving a retransmission of the first uplink data at a first available TO that overlaps with the active period of the access network node, following a period of inactivity of the access network node.

[0031] The method may further include sending second information to the UE indicating that the UE should retransmit the first uplink data at a TO that overlaps with an inactivity period, and receiving the retransmission of the first uplink data during the inactivity period of the access network node. The second information may include a UE-specific drx-Inactivity Timer.

[0032] The first uplink data can be received on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the CG configures the UE to transmit multiple repetitions of PUSCH over consecutive time slots. In some embodiments, the method involves sending multiple configuration grants (CGs) to the UE, each defining multiple periodic uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to transmit data on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the multiple CGs configure the UE to transmit multiple repetitions of PUSCH to the access network node over consecutive time slots. In this example, if the CG period partially overlaps with the inactivity period of the access network node, the method can receive uplink data within the first available CG TO time slot of the CG period that overlaps with the inactivity period of the access network node.

[0033] This method may include receiving a scheduling request SR from the UE to obtain a dynamic grant DG for uplink resources to which a buffer status report BSR should be sent, and, if those resources are before the next available CG TO, sending the DG to the UE and receiving a BSR on the resources authorized by the DG. If the resources authorized by the DG are after the resources authorized by the next available CG TO, this method may receive a BSR on the resources authorized by the next available CG TO.

[0034] In another aspect, a method is provided which is performed by an access network node, wherein the UE sends a configuration grant (CG) to the user equipment (UE) that defines multiple uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to transmit data over a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) to the access network node, the CG configuring the UE to transmit multiple repetitions of PUSCH to the access network node over consecutive time slots, and defining intermittent reception (DRX), active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, the access network The access network node includes transmitting a first piece of information indicating the configuration of a node, and receiving the first iteration of PUSCH from the UE in the (N+1)th time slot if the first N time slots corresponding to the first N iterations of PUSCH overlap with an inactive period, wherein the access network node uses at least one transmit parameter associated with the (N+1)th iteration to receive the first iteration of PUSCH in the (N+1)th time slot, and / or the access network node uses at least one transmit parameter associated with the first iteration of PUSCH that should have been transmitted in the first time slot to receive the first iteration of PUSCH in the (N+1)th time slot.

[0035] In another embodiment, a method is provided which is performed by an access network node, comprising: sending first timer data to the user equipment (UE) which configures a first timer in the UE to indicate the time it is expected to wait after the UE has sent uplink data to the access network node and before the UE receives a request from the access network node to retransmit first uplink data; sending second timer data to the UE which configures a second timer to indicate the period during which the UE should be awake to monitor for requests from the access network node to retransmit uplink data; sending a dynamic grant DG to the UE which allocates one or more resources for the UE to use to send uplink data to the access network node; and using one or more resources, the first uplink data sent from the UE The system includes receiving first data corresponding to the uplink data; transmitting third data indicating the configuration of the access network node, defining an active period in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE; and, if a first timer and / or second timer relating to the transmitted first uplink data overlaps with the inactive period of the access network node, i) maintaining the first data in the uplink buffer associated with the UE; ii) receiving second data corresponding to the retransmission of the first uplink data from the UE when the access network node returns to the active period; and iii) recovering the first uplink data using the first and second data.

[0036] This disclosure also provides a corresponding device according to any of the above embodiments.

[0037] In another embodiment, a user device (UE) includes means for receiving a configuration grant (CG) from an access network node that defines multiple uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to transmit data to the access network node, means for receiving first information indicating the configuration of the access network node, which defines an active period in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, and means for receiving multiple TOs when the access network node is in an active period A user device (UE) is provided, comprising: means for transmitting first uplink data to an access network node at a first TO, wherein the UE is configured to transmit a first retransmission of the first uplink data to the access network node at a second TO, which is after the first TO; and means for determining from a configuration grant and first information whether the access network node is in an inactive period between the second TOs, wherein if the access network node is in an inactive period between the second TOs, the UE is configured to delay or suspend the transmission of the first retransmission of the first uplink data.

[0038] In another embodiment, a user device (UE) is a means for receiving a configuration grant (CG) from an access network node that defines a plurality of uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to transmit data on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), wherein the means configures the UE so that the CG transmits a plurality of repetitions of PUSCH to the access network node over consecutive time slots, and the means for receiving first information indicating the configuration of the access network node, which defines an active period in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, and the access network A user device (UE) is provided, comprising means for determining from a configuration grant and first information whether a knode is in an inactive period during any time slot configured for a PUSCH transmission, wherein if the first N time slots corresponding to the first N repetitions of a PUSCH overlap with an inactive period, the UE is configured to transmit the first repetition of a PUSCH in the (N+1) time slot using at least one transmit parameter associated with the (N+1)th repetition, and / or the UE is configured to transmit the first repetition of a PUSCH in the (N+1)th time slot using at least one transmit parameter associated with the first repetition of a PUSCH that would have been transmitted in the first time slot.

[0039] In another embodiment, a user device (UE) comprising: means for configuring a first timer indicating how long the UE is expected to wait after sending uplink data to an access network node before receiving a request from the access network node for the UE to retransmit the first uplink data; means for configuring a second timer indicating a period for which the UE should be woken up to start after the first timer and monitor for requests from the access network node for retransmitting the uplink data; means for receiving a dynamic grant DG from the access network node, which allocates one or more resources for the UE to use to send uplink data to the access network node; and sending the first uplink data to the access network node using one or more resources. A user device (UE) is provided, comprising: means for transmitting; means for receiving first information indicating the configuration of an access network node, defining intermittent reception (DRX); active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE; and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE; and means for determining whether a first timer and / or a second timer relating to transmitted first uplink data overlap with the inactive period of the access network node, wherein if the first timer is started, the UE is configured to extend the first timer until the end of the inactive period of the access network node, and to start the second timer when the access network node enters an active period following the end of the inactive period.

[0040] In another embodiment, means for sending a configuration grant (CG) to an access network node that defines a plurality of uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for a user device (UE) to send data to the access network node; means for sending first information indicating the configuration of the access network node, which defines intermittent reception (DRX), an active period in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE; and first data corresponding to a first uplink data sent from the UE at a first TO among the plurality of TOs when the access network node is in an active period. A means for receiving data, wherein the CG comprises means for configuring resources for a UE to send a first retransmission of the first uplink data to an access network node at a second TO which is after a first TO, and is configured to: i) maintain the first data in an uplink buffer associated with the UE when the second TO is during an inactive period of the access network node and the access network node has not acknowledged receipt of the first uplink data; ii) receive second data corresponding to the retransmission of the first uplink data from the UE when the access network node returns to an active period; and iii) recover the first uplink data using the first and second data.

[0041] In another embodiment, an access network node, means for sending a configuration grant (CG) to a user device (UE) that defines a plurality of uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to transmit data to the access network node on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), wherein the CG comprises means for configuring the UE to transmit a plurality of repetitions of PUSCH to the access network node over consecutive time slots, and means for transmitting first information indicating the configuration of the access network node, which defines intermittent reception (DRX), active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, PU If the first N time slots corresponding to the first N repetitions of SCH overlap with an inactive period, the access network node is configured to receive the first repetition of PUSCH from the UE in the (N+1)th time slot, and is configured to use at least one transmit parameter associated with the (N+1)th repetition in order to receive the first repetition of PUSCH in the (N+1)th time slot, and / or the access network node is configured to use at least one transmit parameter associated with the first repetition of PUSCH that would have been transmitted in the first time slot in order to receive the first repetition of PUSCH in the (N+1)th time slot.

[0042] In another embodiment, an access network node is provided, and the method includes means for transmitting first timer data to a user device (UE), which constitutes a first timer in the UE indicating the time the UE is expected to wait after it has transmitted uplink data to the access network node and before it receives a request from the access network node for the UE to retransmit the first uplink data; means for transmitting second timer data to the UE, which constitutes a second timer in the UE indicating the period during which the UE should be awake to start after the first timer and monitor for requests from the access network node to retransmit the uplink data; means for transmitting a dynamic grant DG to the UE, which allocates one or more resources for the UE to use to transmit uplink data to the access network node; and first data corresponding to the first uplink data transmitted from the UE using one or more resources. An access network node comprising means for receiving data, and means for transmitting third data indicating the configuration of an access network node, which defines an active period in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with a UE, and an inactive period in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with a UE, wherein if a first timer and / or a second timer relating to transmitted first uplink data overlaps with the inactive period of the access network node, the access network node is configured to i) maintain the first data in an uplink buffer associated with the UE, ii) receive second data corresponding to the retransmission of the first uplink data from the UE when the access network node returns to the active period, and iii) recover the first uplink data using the first data and the second data.

[0043] The various functional means defined above, which are part of the UE, can be provided by memory and one or more processors that execute instructions stored in memory. Similarly, the various functional means defined above, which are part of the access network node, can be provided by memory and one or more processors that execute instructions stored in memory.

[0044] The disclosure may also provide a computer program product that includes computer executable instructions for causing a programmable computer to perform any of the methods described above. Computer executable instructions may be provided as signals or on a tangible computer-readable medium.

[0045] Herein, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described as examples with reference to the attached drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0046] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mobile ("cellular" or "wireless") telecommunications system. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows a typical frame structure that can be used in the telecommunications system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a typical resource grid that can be used in the telecommunications system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a DRX cycle or pattern. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of a conventional configuration grant that includes multiple retransmission opportunities. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows three other examples of a conventional configuration grant, including multiple retransmission opportunities. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows a situation where the transmission opportunities defined by the configuration grant overlap with the cell DRX inactivity period. [Figure 8]Figure 8 shows the situation as seen in Figure 7, where the transmission opportunities defined by the configuration grant overlap with the cell DRX inactivity period, and it displays the timing of HARQ retransmission according to a certain proposal. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows the situation as seen in Figure 7, where the transmission opportunities defined by the configuration grant overlap with the cell DRX inactivity period, and the timing of HARQ retransmission according to an alternative proposal. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows a situation where a unified repetition across consecutive slots overlaps with the cell DRX inactivity period. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows another scenario in which a unified repetition across consecutive slots overlaps with the cell DRX inactivity period. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows a situation where multiple configuration grants are permitted for various data communications, and these overlap with the inactivity time of the cell DRX. [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows an example of a configuration grant used for Buffer Status Reporting (BSR), which includes multiple retransmission opportunities that overlap with the cell inactivity period. [Figure 14] Figure 14 shows a further example of a configuration grant, which includes multiple retransmission opportunities that overlap with the cell inactivity period, used for Buffer Status Reporting (BSR). [Figure 15] Figure 15 shows an example of timer overlaps activated in the UE to control the UE's sleep period and cell DRX inactivity period. [Figure 16] Figure 16 shows a proposal to increase the duration of the timer activated by the UE until the end of the cell DRX inactivity period. [Figure 17] Figure 17 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the UE (Unified End User) of the telecommunications system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 18] Figure 18 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the base station of the telecommunications system shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0047] overview Here, an exemplary telecommunications system will be described in general terms, with reference only to Figures 1, 2, and 3, as an example.

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a mobile ("cellular" or "wireless") communication system 1, to which embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0049] In the communication system 1, user equipment (UEs) 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 (such as mobile phones and / or other mobile devices or fixed devices) can communicate with each other via a radio access network (RAN) node 5 operating according to one or more compatible radio access technologies (RATs). In the illustrated embodiment, the RAN node 5 (base station 5) comprises an NR / 5G base station or "gNB" 5 operating one or more associated cells 9. Communication via the base station 5 is typically routed via a core network 7 (which is, for example, a 5G core network or an evolved packet core network (EPC)).

[0050] As those skilled in the art will understand, three UE3s and one base station 5 are shown in Figure 1 for illustrative purposes, but this system would typically include other base stations 5 and UE3s if implemented.

[0051] Each base station 5 controls one or more associated cells 9 directly or indirectly through one or more other nodes (e.g., home base stations, repeaters, remote radio heads, distributed units, etc.). It will be understood that base stations 5 can be configured to support 4G, 5G, 6G, and / or any other 3GPP or non-3GPP communication protocols.

[0052] The UE3s and their serving base stations 5 are connected via appropriate air interfaces (such as the so-called "Uu" interface). Neighboring base stations 5 can be connected to each other via appropriate inter-base station interfaces (such as the so-called "X2" interface, "Xn" interface, etc.).

[0053] The core network 7 includes several logical nodes (or "functions") for communication in the telecommunications system 1. In this embodiment, the core network 7 comprises control plane functions (CPFs) 10 and one or more user plane functions (UPFs) 11. The CPF 10 includes one or more Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMFs) 10-1, one or more Session Management Functions (SMFs) 10-2, and several other functions 10-n.

[0054] Base station 5 is connected to the core network nodes via appropriate interfaces (or "reference points"), such as the N2 reference point between base station 5 and AMF10-1 for control signaling communication, and the N3 reference point between base station 5 and each UPF11 for user data communication. Each UE3 is connected to AMF10-1 via a logical non-access stratum (NAS) connection on the N1 reference point (similar to the S1 reference point in LTE). It will be understood that N1 communication is routed transparently through base station 5.

[0055] One or more UPF11s are connected to an external data network 20 (which is, for example, an IP network such as the Internet) via a reference point N6 for the communication of user data.

[0056] The AMF10-1 performs mobility management-related functions, maintains NAS signaling connections with each UE3, and manages UE registration. The AMF10-1 also manages paging. The SMF10-2 provides session management functions (which form part of the MME function in LTE) and also incorporates several control plane functions (provided by the serving gateway and packet data network gateway in LTE). The SMF10-2 also assigns IP addresses to each UE3.

[0057] The base station 5 of communication system 1 is configured to operate at least one cell 9 on an associated TDD carrier operating in a non-paired spectrum. It will also be understood that base station 5 can operate at least one cell 9 on an associated FDD carrier operating in a paired spectrum.

[0058] Base station 5 is also configured to transmit control information and user data via several downlink (DL) physical channels, and UE3 is configured to receive them. DL physical channels correspond to resource elements (REs) that carry information transmitted from higher layers. Physical channels can include, for example, physical downlink shared channels (PDSCH), physical broadcast channels (PBCH), and physical downlink control channels (PDCCH). PDSCHs carry data that shares the capacity of the PDSCH on a time and frequency basis. PDSCHs can carry various data items, including, for example, user data, UE-specific upper-layer control messages mapped down from higher channels, system information blocks (SIBs), and paging. The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI) to support several functions, including scheduling downlink transmissions on the PDSCH and similarly scheduling uplink data transmissions on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PBCH provides the Master Information Block (MIB) to the UE3. The PBCH also works in conjunction with the PDCCH to handle time and frequency synchronization, which helps with cell acquisition, selection, and re-selection.

[0059] Furthermore, base station 5 transmits physical signals of the DL that do not carry data, such as reference signals (RSs) and synchronization signals (SSs). Reference signals (sometimes known as pilot signals) are signals with a predetermined special waveform that are known to both UE3 and base station 5. Reference signals may include, for example, cell-specific reference signals, UE-specific reference signals (UE-RS), downlink demodulation signals (DMRS), and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS).

[0060] Similarly, UE3 is configured to transmit control information and user data via several uplink (UL) physical channels corresponding to REs that carry information transmitted from higher layers, as well as UL physical signals used in the physical layer that do not carry information transmitted from higher layers, and base station 5 is configured to receive them. The physical channels may include, for example, PUSCH, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and / or physical random-access channel (PRACH). The UL physical signals may include, for example, demodulation reference signals (DMRS) for UL control / data signals, and / or sounding reference signals (SRS) used for UL channel measurement.

[0061] Frame structure Referring to Figure 2, which shows a typical frame structure that can be used in communication system 1, the base station 5 and UE3 of communication system 1 communicate with each other in the time domain using resources organized into frames of length 10 ms in this example. Each frame consists of 10 subframes of equal size, each 1 ms long. Each subframe is divided into one or more slots, each containing 14 (or possibly 12) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of equal length.

[0062] As shown in Figure 2, communication system 1 corresponds to several different numerologies (subcarrier spacing (SCS), slot length, and consequently OFDM symbol length). Specifically, each numerology is identified by the parameter μ, where μ=0 represents 15kHz (corresponding to LTE SCS). Currently, the SCS for other values ​​of μ can actually be derived from μ=0 by scaling up by a power of 2 (i.e., SCS = 15 × 2). μ (kHz). The relationship between the parameter μ and SCS(Δf) is as shown in Table 1. [Table 1]

[0063] Figure 3 shows the resource grid of the subframes seen in Figure 2. As illustrated, the subcarrier spacing and the number of OFDM symbols within a subframe vary depending on the numerology. A single block in Figure 3 corresponds to a single resource element, which is the smallest unit of the resource grid and consists of one subcarrier in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. Resource block 25 is defined only for the frequency domain and is defined as 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain within a single OFDM symbol.

[0064] DTX / DRX UE3 can be configured to operate using a discontinuous reception (DRX) method. In the DRX method, UE3 is configured with a DRX configuration that includes a DRX pattern and periodicity (DRX cycles), and optionally the number of DRX cycles. The DRX pattern defines an "on duration" during which UE3 is configured to receive transmissions, and an "off duration" during which UE3 is configured not to receive transmissions (e.g., transmissions from base station 5). During the off duration, physical layer processing within UE3 can be turned off. Advantageously, the energy consumption of UE3 is reduced during periods when UE3 is not configured to receive transmissions.

[0065] UE3 is typically provided with its DRX configuration by or via base station 5. The DRX configuration provided to UE3 (for example, using an information element (IE) of the DRX configuration included in a transmission from base station 5 to UE3) may include, as described above, instructions for the period during which UE3 should be configured not to receive and decode downlink transmissions (off-duration), and instructions for the period during which UE3 should be configured to receive downlink transmissions (for example, multicast or unicast transmissions from base station 5) (on-duration). The DRX configuration may also include time offsets, which may be useful for controlling the relative timing of different UE3 DRX configurations (for example, to synchronize or offset DRX patterns). The DRX configuration may include instructions for the period during which UE should remain configured to receive signals following the reception of a PDCCH.

[0066] The on-duration is sometimes called the "DRX active time," and the off-duration is sometimes called the "sleep period" or "DRX inactive time." Figure 4 shows an example of a DRX pattern with an on-duration t1 and an off-duration t2 that repeats according to the DRX cycle.

[0067] DRX can be configured per UE3 by the network (e.g., via any appropriate signaling from base station 5). For example, the timing and / or duration of the on-duration in a DRX cycle may differ for different UE3s. During the off-duration, a UE3 can be configured not to monitor the PDCCH, but can initiate uplink transmission based on configured resources (e.g., using PUCCH, random access channel (RACH), scheduling request (SR), or configured grant PUSCH (CG-PUSCH)). During the off-duration, the system can be configured so that no transmission / reception occurs between the UE3 and base station 5 in the corresponding cell. However, base station 5 can be configured to reduce or limit transmission / reception in cells during the off-duration of a DRX cycle. For example, base station 5 can be configured to transmit only a subset of periodic signals or channels, such as common channels / signals that would normally be transmitted within the cell, or UE-specific channels / signals.

[0068] The DRX can be used when UE3 is in RRC idle mode or when UE3 is in RRC connected mode. For example, when UE3 is in RRC idle mode, the DRX can be used to control the monitoring of paging messages transmitted by base station 5. This is advantageous because it prevents UE3 from monitoring every PDCCH transmission opportunity, thereby reducing the energy consumption of UE3. Similarly, when UE3 is in an RRC connected state (called C-DRX), the DRX can be used to reduce the energy consumption of UE3 by configuring periods during which UE3 does not need to monitor PDCCH.

[0069] During a C-DRX cycle, when UE3 is in an RRC connected state, UE3 periodically monitors PDCCH during its on-duration and does not monitor PDCCH outside of its on-duration (i.e., during DRX inactive periods), thus favorably reducing UE3's power consumption. Currently, during C-DRX inactive periods, UE3 can initiate uplink transmissions based on configured resources (e.g., using PUCCH, random access channel (RACH), scheduling request (SR), or configured grant PUSCH (CG-PUSCH)).

[0070] DRX configurations can also include long DRX cycles, where the on-duration time is relatively long (t2 is relatively long as seen in Figure 4), and short DRX cycles, where the on-duration time is relatively short (t2 is relatively short as seen in Figure 4). Long DRX cycles improve the energy efficiency of the system (because the overall proportion of time UE3 is on is smaller), but may increase communication delays because base station 5 cannot communicate with UE3 via downlink transmission when UE3 is in sleep mode (DRX inactive state). If UE3 is configured to use DRX after an inactive period following data transfer, UE3 can be configured to use a short DRX cycle configuration first, and after a further period (which can be defined by the short DRX cycle timer), UE3 can operate using a long DRX cycle configuration. Short and long DRX configurations can be indicated to UE3 (or pre-configured in UE3) using any appropriate signaling from base station 5, for example.

[0071] While DRX is mentioned above in relation to intermittent reception performed by UE3, a similar DTX pattern can be defined to control the intermittent transmission of data by UE3. If a DTX pattern is defined, the UE's DTX pattern will typically overlap with the UE's DRX pattern, so when UE3 is not receiving data, it will not typically transmit data.

[0072] As described above, base station 5 can also operate one or more of its cells in DTX / DRX mode in substantially the same way as the UE's DTX / DRX, stopping base station transmission and reception during periods when base station 5 is inactive or asleep (off duration), and resuming transmission and reception with UE3 during periods when base station 5 is active (on duration). The DTX / DRX configuration of a cell can be defined by several parameters, such as periodicity (DRX cycle), start slot / offset, on duration (t1), off duration (t2), and number of cycles, as shown in Figure 4.

[0073] Setting Grant As described above, when UE3 typically attempts to transmit data to base station 5 via uplink, UE3 must be configured with uplink resources (resource blocks 25) from which UE3 can transmit its uplink data. Typically, UE3 notifies base station 5 that it has uplink data to transmit, and in response, base station 5 allocates a specific time-frequency resource block 25 for UE3 to use to transmit that data. Control data allocating such resources is sent to UE3 in PDCCH. However, this process is inefficient, especially when it is known in advance that UE3 needs to transmit regular uplink data to base station 5 (for example, when UE is on a call). To address this, base station 5 can configure periodic resource blocks 25 that UE3 can use for uplink transmission without having to request those resources each time UE3 has data to transmit. Such periodic resources are configured by base station 5 in a "Configuration Grant" (CG). These resources can be configured with two types of procedural signaling: Type 1 CG and Type 2 CG.

[0074] In the case of Type 1CG, resource allocation is fully configured using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling and does not require Layer 1 signaling on PDCCH. RRC signaling defines parameters such as timeDomainOffset, timeDomainAllocation, and frequencyDomainAllocation parameters within the ConfiguredGrantConfig information element, which provide the information necessary for UE3 to determine the allocated time and frequency resource blocks 25.

[0075] In Type 2CG, resource allocation uses a combination of RRC signaling and Layer 1 signaling on the PDCCH. RRC signaling provides a subset of resource allocation information, while the remaining information is provided by the PDCCH, which also functions as an activation trigger. Subsequent PDCCH transmissions can be used as deactivation triggers. Type 2CG is highly useful for Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) services.

[0076] To improve the reliability of CG transmission, this allocation can be handled by K consecutive redundant allocations or transmission opportunities (TOs) within a predetermined period, allowing multiple transmission blocks (TBs) to be transmitted repeatedly during that period. The repetition is autonomous, and UE3 does not need to wait for a request from base station 5.

[0077] The duration can be established according to the transmission delay budget, and the TO specifies the final Redundancy Version (RV) pattern. There are four types of RVs defined in the NR: RV0, RV1, RV2, and RV3. Data encoded by RV0 and RV3 is self-decodeable. As those skilled in the art will recognize, the RV indicates a puncturing pattern applied to the data after channel coding. Details of this process are not important to this disclosure and will not be described further here.

[0078] Release 15 only allows transmission to be initiated at the first TO. However, Release 16 supports flexible transmission initiation, providing flexibility in the trade-off between reliability and delay. Transmission reliability is guaranteed because transmission always involves K iterations.

[0079] Figure 5 shows multiple transmission opportunities TO27-1 to 27-4. The UE activates an internal CG Retransmission Timer (CGRT) that defines the interval between one TO and the next. In this exemplary configuration, the uplink data is a HARQ transmission, which is transmitted twice, at TO27-2 and 27-3. A second counter-setting grant timer defines when the HARQ buffer is flushed and new HARQ data is transmitted, in this case at TO27-4. The setting grant timer defines the period during which the UE3 waits for a retransmission request from the base station 5 after the transmission of the uplink packet. If the timer expires and no retransmission request is received, the UE3 considers an acknowledgment to have been received. This allows the UE3 to then transmit a new packet using the same HARQ processing. Naturally, the UE3 can have multiple data streams of communication with the base station and can provide separate HARQ processing and CGs to handle each HARQ processing. In Figure 5, the CG configuration is for HARQ processing with HARQ IDx.

[0080] Figure 6 shows another embodiment with various possible repetitions. Specifically, in the upper timing diagram of Figure 6, the duration of the set grant timer is set to 4 slots, in which case two repetitions are sent in the first two slots of that duration. This provides slot aggregation (repetitions across consecutive slots). The middle timing diagram shows a situation with two repetitions of a mini-slot (shown here as two OFDM symbols separated by 12 OFDM symbols), again repeating every 4 slots. The lower plot provides two repetitions of a mini-slot (again corresponding to two OFDM symbols). These two repetitions are consecutive and repeat every 4 slots. In this case, the start position of the duration is not the beginning of the slot, but the first TO within the slot.

[0081] Overlap between CG and Cell DRX As described above, problems may arise when the Time of Operation (TO) overlaps with the period when base station 5 is in an inactive state of the cell DRX / DTX. Such a scenario is shown in Figure 7, where the second and third TOs (TO-2 and TO-3) overlap with the base station's cell DRX inactive period 29, and the first and fourth TOs (TO-1 and TO-4) overlap with the base station's cell DRX active periods 31-1 and 31-2, respectively.

[0082] In this case, the inventors made the following proposal.

[0083] Proposal 1 If the initial uplink transmission at CG TO-1 is acknowledged by base station 5, UE3 will skip retransmissions at CG TO-2 and CG TO-3 before the new transmission (without being instructed). Alternatively, the network (e.g., base station 5) may instruct UE3 to perform such a skip via a piggyback instruction in the acknowledgment (of the transmission at TO-1) to UE3.

[0084] Such an initial transmission refers to the transmission immediately preceding cell DRX inactivity period 29 (in other words, the last CG TO before subsequent cell DRX inactivity periods 29), which is TO-1 in Figure 7.

[0085] UE3 monitors for the first PDCCH opportunity following the cell DRX inactivity period 29 to determine whether base station 5 has provided UE3 with any dynamic grant for uplink transmission.

[0086] If the CG TO partially overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period 29 (i.e., if part of the CG TO also falls within the cell DRX active period 31), the inventors propose that the initial transmission and / or retransmission be permitted by the UE3.

[0087] Referring here to Figure 8, if the initial uplink transmission at CG TO-1 (shown here as the initial HARQ transmission 35-1) is not acknowledged by the network (e.g., base station 5), the network (e.g., base station 5) can schedule a dynamic grant to UE3 for a HARQ retransmission 35-2, skipping the DRX inactive period 29. This means that once the base station enters its active period 31-2, UE3 needs to monitor the PDCCH to obtain the dynamic grant for the HARQ retransmission. As seen in Figure 8, this dynamic grant may occur before CG TO-4 to allow for rapid retransmission.

[0088] Proposal 2 As an alternative to the above, if the initial uplink transmission at CG TO-1 (shown here as the initial HARQ transmission 35-1) is not acknowledged by the network (e.g., base station 5), UE3 may be configured to retransmit the same uplink data (transmission blocks, TB) transmitted at TO-1 to base station 5 at a first follow-up TO, skipping the entire cell DRX inactivity period 29 in Figure 8, which is TO-4. For such retransmission, UE3 uses RV0 or RV3, ensuring that the data is self-decodeable by base station 5 (without requiring another transmission using a different RV). The network (e.g., base station 5) is configured to decode the retransmitted uplink data (TB) with its previous reception for the same TB, based on what base station 5 received when the TB was transmitted by UE3 at TO-1 (assuming that the decoding for that TB was unsuccessful). The network HARQ buffer (for example, the HARQ buffer associated with the IE in base station 5) is not flushed during the cell DRX inactivity period 29, allowing base station 5 to retain previously received data for uplink data. Once base station 5 successfully recovers the uplink data, the uplink data is passed to a higher layer for further processing before flushing the HARQ buffer associated with that UE3, so that base station 5 is ready to receive the next uplink data from UE3.

[0089] Proposal 3 If the initial transmission of the uplink TB is performed on CG TO-1 and the CG Retransmission Timer (CGRT) and Configured Grant Timer (CGT) are set, UE3 will apply the following to HARQ retransmission unless it receives Configured GrantDownlink FeedbackInformation (CG-DFI) from the network acknowledging receipt of the initial transmission before the start of the cell DRX inactivity period 29. The CG Retransmission Timer (CGRT) is stopped, and autonomous CG retransmission is not triggered. Therefore, autonomous CG retransmission by the UE is delayed. The Configured Grant Timer (CGT) is stopped or interrupted during the cell DRX inactivity period 29, and no new data is transmitted on the first available CG TO following the end of the cell DRX inactivity period 29 (i.e., TO-4 shown in Figure 9 is not used for new data transmission). The UE automatically performs a retransmission of the initial transmission of HARQ (which is performed at TO-1) at the first CG TO, following the end of cell DRX inactivity period 29 (i.e., TO-4 in Figure 9). The Configured Grant Timer (CGT) is restarted or recovered at the end of the cell DRX's inactivity period 29, or after the first autonomous retransmission by UE3.

[0090] Regarding the Configured Grant Retransmission Timer (CGRT), it is extended to the length of the original CGRT plus the length of the cell DRX inactivity period 29. However, since this extended retransmission timer may exceed the data transmission delay budget, this extension may make retransmission unnecessary for the UE3 (this depends on the allowable delay of the corresponding data stream). Therefore, if the CGRT plus the cell DRX inactivity period 29 is greater than the data transmission delay budget (stored in the UE3), the UE will not attempt to retransmit the HARQ transmission, but instead stops the CGRT timer, which will be restarted when the next uplink transmission (of new data) occurs.

[0091] Proposal 4 As a simpler alternative, if the initial transmission of the uplink TB is performed on CG TO-1, and the CG Retransmission Timer (CGRT) and Configured Grant Timer (CGT) are configured, UE3 will automatically disable CGRT / CGT timer-based retransmission operation during cell DTX / DRX operation. Therefore, during cell DRX inactivity period 29, the UE will disable all new CG transmissions and abandon all retransmissions.

[0092] Proposal 5 For Network Energy Saving (NES) enabled UEs in Release 18, the CG TO (i.e., TO-2 and TO-3 as seen in Figure 9) can be disabled while the cell DRX and DTX are operating, allowing control from the network (e.g., base station 5) to be received.

[0093] For example, base station 5 may detect the need for UE to retransmit certain data, in which case base station 5 can instruct UE3 to start a UE-specific drx-InactivityTimer that causes UE3 to retransmit some data. Base station 5 may also instruct UE3 using signaling sent to UE3 via L1 / L2 / L3 messages (typically via Downlink Control Information (DCI) sent at L1).

[0094] When UE3 receives a drx-InactivityTimer, it is configured to acquire one or more subsequent CG TOs (i.e., TO-2, or both TO-2 and TO-3 as shown in Figure 9) and perform one or more uplink data retransmissions, even if these CG TOs may overlap with cell DRX inactivity periods. In this case, the invalidation of the CG TOs is delayed. For example, if TO-2 as shown in Figure 9 is used for retransmission, the first invalidated CG TO is TO-3.

[0095] Proposal 6 In low-latency communication, the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) does not span slot boundaries for both Dynamic Grants (DG) and Configured Grants (CG). To avoid sending long PUSCHs, UE3 sends short PUSCHs in several repetitions. As seen in Figure 6, these repetitions may be within adjacent slots, using only a portion of each slot, or (as shown in the lower timing diagram of Figure 6) within adjacent mini-slots of the same slot. Figure 10 shows slot aggregation, which corresponds to repetitions across consecutive slots for Configured Grant (CG) based UL transmissions for UE3. In Figure 10, one slot represents a Configured Grant (CG) transmission opportunity, and there are three slots within one transmission period (i.e., four slots) for this CG. When cell DTX / DRX is introduced for the purpose of saving network energy, it is necessary to consider situations where the follow-up slot for repeated pushes overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period 29. In this view, the follow-up slot means that there is at least one earlier slot that falls within the cell DRX active period 31. To address this scenario, we propose the following alternatives. Alternative 0: The repeated operation of PUSCH ignores the inactive period of cell DRX, which is period 29 (this is what the legacy UE would do). Alternative 1: PUSCH's repetitive UL transmissions are discarded / interrupted during the cell DRX inactive period 29 and restored when the cell resumes its cell DRX active period 31. Alternative 2: The number of PUSCH repetitions is reduced to occupy only the slots that result in overlap with one or more previous slots and the cell DRX inactivity period 29. In the embodiment shown in Figure 10, it is assumed that PUSCH is initially sent in slot 1 and repeated in slots 2 and 3, however, slot 2 partially overlaps with the cell DRX inactivity period 29, and slot 3 completely overlaps with the cell DRX inactivity period 29. According to this alternative, PUSCH is sent in slot 1, and the repetition of PUSCH is based only on slots 1 and 2. Thus, the number of repetition slots is reduced from K=3 to K=2. Alternative 3: The number of PUSCH iterations is reduced, i.e., occupies only one or more slots that do not overlap with the inactive period 29 of cell DRX. In the embodiment shown in Figure 10, the PUSCH iteration is based on slot 1 only. Thus, the number of iteration slots is reduced from K=3 to K=1.

[0096] Proposal 7 The alternative described above addresses the situation where the first PUSCH repetition is transmitted during the active period 31 of the cell DRX. There may be situations where the first PUSCH repetition overlaps with the inactive period 29 of the cell DRX. Such a scenario is shown in Figure 11 for slots 5 and 6. This creates further problems in terms of PUSCH repetitions, because the physical layer parameters of consecutive slots (e.g., slots 2 and 3) (e.g., HARQ RV when different PUSCHs are transmitted, frequency / time resource allocation, and ID selection for HARQ processing) are determined based on the parameter selection of slot 1.

[0097] For example, 3GPP specifies a HARQ RV sequence, typically in the form {0, 2, 3, 1}, used for iterations, where the first RV=0 is used for the first iteration, RV=2 for the second iteration, and so on. If UE3 does not transmit for one or more first iterations / slots 1 through N, the inventors understand that the physical layer parameters used by UE3 in the (N+1)th iteration should be determined without full awareness of them, provided that the physical layer parameters that should have been used for slots 1 through N do not overlap with the cell DRX inactive period 29. The inventors propose the following solution to this problem. Option 1: If the first N iterations (i.e., slots 5 and 6 as seen in Figure 11) are not used by UE3, UE3 uses the transmit parameters associated with the (N+1)th iteration (e.g., frequency resource allocation) for its first transmit (i.e., slot 7 after the cell DRX inactive period). Option 2: If the first N iterations are not used by UE3, the UE uses the transmit parameters associated with the first iteration (e.g., HARQ RV) for the first actual transmit (i.e., the transmit in Slot-7 after the cell DRX inactive period). Different options can be used to determine different transmission parameters. For example, Option 1 can be used for frequency resource allocation, and Option 2 can be used for HARQ RV determination.

[0098] Proposal 8 UE3 can be configured with multiple parallel configuration grants for different data streams. Referring to Figure 12, the inventors have realized that in the case of multiple CG-based pushes, if there is an overlap between the cell DRX inactive period 29 and at least one slot, represented by a CG transmit opportunity (e.g., slots 2 / 3 / 4) or the entire period (e.g., a second period), a procedure is needed to address this situation. To handle the situation where uplink data arrives in the UE's transmit buffer (from the upper layer) for transmission to base station 5 during the cell DRX inactive period (e.g., slot 2 as seen in Figure 12), the inventors propose the following alternative. Alternative 0: Multiple CG-based PUSCH operations ignore the cell DRX inactivity period 29 (which would be handled by the legacy UE). Alternative 1: A push-based UL transmission is discarded / interrupted for the entire duration if the period partially or completely enters a cell DRX inactive period 29 (e.g., the first and second periods), and the UL transmission is restored when the cell enters its cell DRX active period 31. In this case, the uplink data received in the transmit buffer of slot 2 can be transmitted by the first available CG TO among multiple CGs in the first period, so as to fully overlap with the active period of cell DRX, i.e., slot 9 of CG1 in the exemplary scenario shown in Figure 12. Alternative 2: A push-based UL transmission is discarded / interrupted for the entire duration if the period is entirely within the inactive period 29 of the cell DRX (e.g., the second period), and the UL transmission is restored when the cell enters the active period 31 of its cell DRX. In the embodiment shown in Figure 12, the uplink data received in the transmit buffer of the UE in slot 2 only partially overlaps with the inactive period 29 of the cell DRX, and can therefore be transmitted by the first available CG TO among the multiple CGs in the first period, i.e., by slot 3 of CG3 in the exemplary scenario shown in Figure 12.

[0099] BSR report If UE3 has data to send to base station 5 in its transmit buffer, it sends a Buffer Status Report (BSR) to the serving base station indicating the amount of data UE3 must send. The network (e.g., base station 5) then allocates resources in PUSCH to enable UE3 to send data in its transmit buffer. However, if the serving cell is in its cell DRX inactive period, the BSR may be delayed until the cell exits that period.

[0100] UE3 may have available grants, but those grants cannot be used during the cell DRX inactive period. In this scenario, if the serving cell is in the cell DRX inactive period, the current specification requires UE3 to include the BSR in the MAC PDU generated for UL transmission based on available grants, instead of triggering a scheduling request (SR) for dynamic grants (DG), even if available UL grants may not be available for cell DRX. This delays the transmission of the BSR to base station 5. The inventors propose the following solutions to this problem, depending on whether the SR is active during the cell DRX inactive period.

[0101] (As shown in Figure 13,) if the SR is not available during the cell DRX inactive period, the reporting of the BSR is delayed until the cell transitions from its cell DRX inactive period 29 to its active period 31-2. The UE triggers the SR 37 at the start of the cell DRX's active period 31-2 and obtains a dynamic grant from the network (e.g., base station 5) (for sending the BSR report) if the resources used to send the SR 37 are prior to the first available configuration grant resource (in the embodiment shown in TO 27-4 in Figure 13). The UE can then use the dynamic grant (allocated by base station 5 in response to the SR 37) to send the BSR report if the dynamic grant is scheduled prior to the first available configuration grant resource (CG TO 27-4 in the embodiment shown in Figure 13). Otherwise (i.e., the first available configuration grant TO is prior to the SR resource or dynamic grant), the UE can send the BSR report via the first available configuration grant resource. In the embodiment shown in Figure 13, since the SR resource is before the first available CG TO27-4, the UE transmits SR37 to base station 5. However, since the dynamic grant 39 provided by base station 5 is delayed until after CG TO27-4, in this embodiment, the UE3 transmits BSR41 to base station 5 using CG TO27-4.

[0102] (As shown in Figure 14) If an SR is available during a cell DRX inactive period, an SR to request resources for a BSR is triggered following the availability of the BSR. In the embodiment shown in Figure 14, SR37 is used to request a dynamic grant for transmitting the BSR. The network (e.g., base station 5) can schedule a dynamic grant to follow after the end of the cell DRX inactive period 29, and the UE can transmit the BSR using the resources granted by the dynamic grant. However, if the resources allocated by the dynamic grant are excessively delayed, the UE can transmit the BSR on a first available CG resource (in this embodiment, using CG TO 27-4). Similarly, if a first available CG transmission occasion (TO) following the cell DRX inactive period 29 follows closely after the end of the cell DRX inactive period (e.g., within a threshold period from the start of the active period), UE3 can decide not to transmit SR37 for the BSR and instead decide to transmit the BSR on the first available CG TO 27-4.

[0103] Dynamic UL transmission 3GPP defines two timers for UE3 to wake up during the time (but not earlier) that base station 5 can request UE3 to retransmit a previous uplink transmission. The first timer (in symbol count), drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL, defines how long after which UE3 is expected to be allowed to retransmit uplink, and the second timer (in slot count), drx-RetransmissionTimerUL, defines the duration for which UE3 must be awake to receive an uplink retransmission request. This second timer specifies the maximum number of slots UE3 should monitor for PDCCH when an uplink retransmission request is expected. The UE should start timer drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL on the most recent first symbol after sending a PUSCH. If a PUSCH repetition is configured, this timer starts after sending the first PUSCH in the bundle of repetitions. When the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL timer expires, UE3 starts the drx-RetransmissionTimerUL timer with the next symbol and becomes active for the number of slots defined by this second timer. When UE3 detects a DL transmission for the corresponding HARQ processing, the drx-RetransmissionTimerUL is stopped. Figure 15 illustrates the operation of these timers and the possibility of the UE becoming active during cell DRX inactivity periods when base station 5 is not transmitting dynamic grants.

[0104] In particular, in uplink push-based initial transmissions, if there is an overlap between the initiated drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL and / or drx-RetransmissionTimerUL (as seen in Figure 16) and the cell DRX inactive period, and the network (e.g., base station 5) does not decode the initial transmission, the UL dynamic grant expected for push retransmission from the network (e.g., base station 5) to UE3 may be delayed until the cell returns to its cell DRX active period. To address this, we propose that the UE should adjust its PDCCH monitoring accordingly for power saving. More specifically, as shown in Figure 16, the initiated drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL is stopped only at the end of the cell DRX inactive period 29 if this timer overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period 29. Alternatively, if drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL is not started, this timer can be skipped by the UE as long as the cell DRX inactivity period is greater than the length of drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL. In fact, if drx-RetransmissionTimerUL enters cell DRX inactivity period 29, drx-RetransmissionTimerUL can be started at the beginning of cell DRX's active period 31.

[0105] User equipment Figure 17 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of UE3 as seen in Figure 1.

[0106] As shown in the figure, UE3 has a transceiver circuit 310 that can operate to send and receive signals to and from base station 5 via one or more antennas 330 (for example, having one or more antenna elements). UE3 has a controller 370 that controls the operation of UE3. The controller 370 is associated with memory 390 and coupled to the transceiver circuit 310. Although not necessarily required for its operation, UE3 can, of course, have all the usual features of a conventional UE3 (for example, a user interface 350 such as a touchscreen / keypad / microphone / speaker to enable direct user control and interaction with the user), which can be provided, as appropriate, by hardware, software, and firmware, one or any combination thereof. The software can be pre-installed in memory 390 and / or downloaded, for example, via a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (RMD).

[0107] In this embodiment, the controller 370 is configured to control the overall operation of the UE3 by program instructions or software instructions stored in the memory 390. As shown in the figure, these software instructions include, among other things, the operating system 410 and the communication control module 430.

[0108] The communication control module 430 can operate to control communication between the UE3 and one or more serving base stations 5 (and other communication devices connected to the base station 5, such as additional UEs and / or core network nodes). The communication control module 430 is configured to handle uplink communication in general via associated uplink channels (e.g., via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a random access channel (RACH), and / or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)), including both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., SRS). The communication control module 430 is also configured to handle in general the reception of downlink communications via associated downlink channels (e.g., via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)), including both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., CSI-RS). For example, the communication control module 430 is responsible for determining where to monitor downlink control information (such as the locations of CSS / USS, CORESET, and associated PDCCH candidates to be monitored), determining which resources should be used by UE3 for transmitting / receiving UL / DL communications (including interleaved resources and resources subject to frequency hopping), managing frequency hopping on the UE side, determining how slots / symbols should be configured (for example, for UL, DL, or SBFD communications), determining which one or more bandwidth portions are configured for UE3, determining how uplink transmissions should be encoded, and appropriately applying any SBFD-specific communication configurations.The communication control module 430 is configured to control communications in accordance with any of the suggestions and options described to address the overlap between the CG TO and the inactive periods of the cell DTX / DRX. The communication control module 430 includes a cell DRX / DTX configuration 450 provided by the serving base station 5 that identifies the inactive and active periods of the cell DRX / DTX. As those skilled in the art will understand, this information is required for the UE to control its operation in accordance with the above suggestions. The communication control module 430 also includes a CG configuration 460 that defines periodic grants assigned to the UE 3, as well as a DG configuration 470 for any dynamic grants assigned to the UE 3. The communication control module 430 also includes a BSR module 480 used to control buffer state reporting, and a timer 490 used to define the various timings described above.

[0109] base station Figure 18 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of base station 5 for communication system 1 as seen in Figure 1. As shown, base station 5 has transceiver circuits 510 for sending and receiving signals with communication devices (such as UE3) via one or more antennas 530 (such as single or multi-panel antenna arrays / large antennas), and core network interfaces 550 (with, for example, N2, N3, and other reference points / interfaces) for sending and receiving signals with network nodes in core network 7. Although not shown, base station 5 can also be coupled with other base stations via appropriate interfaces (such as the so-called "Xn" interface in NR). Base station 5 has a controller 570 that controls the operation of base station 5. Controller 570 is associated with memory 590. Software can be pre-installed in memory 590 and / or downloaded, for example, via communication system 1 or from a removable data storage device (RMD). In this embodiment, the controller 570 is configured to control the overall operation of the base station 5 by program instructions or software instructions stored in the memory 590.

[0110] As shown in the figure, these software instructions include, among other things, the operating system 610 and the communication control module 630.

[0111] The communication control module 630 can operate to control communication between the base station 5, the UE3, and other network entities connected to the base station 5. The communication control module 630 is configured to generally control the reception and decoding of uplink communications via associated uplink channels (e.g., via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a random-access channel (RACH), and / or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) that include both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., SRS). The communication control module 630 is also configured to generally control the transmission of downlink communications via associated downlink channels (e.g., via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and / or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)) that include both dynamic and quasi-static signaling (e.g., CSI-RS). The communication control module 630 is responsible for managing full-duplex communications (such as SBFD), including the separation of UL and DL communications across different physical antenna elements, where appropriate. For example, the communication control module 630 is responsible for determining where the UE3 should be configured to monitor downlink control information (such as the locations of CSS / USS, CORESET, and associated PDCCH candidates to be monitored), determining resources to be scheduled for UE transmission / reception of UL / DL communications (including interleaved resources and resources subject to frequency hopping), managing frequency hopping on the base station side, appropriately configuring slots / symbols (for example, UL, DL, or SBFD communications), configuring one or more bandwidth portions for the UE3, and providing the relevant configuration signaling to the UE3.

[0112] The communication control module 630 is configured to control communication with UE3 in accordance with any of the above-mentioned suggestions and options for allocating resources to UEs to enable UEs to manage their uplink transmissions while the base station is transitioning between inactive and active periods of the cell DTX / DRX. The communication control module 630 includes a cell DRX / DTX configuration 650 that the base station broadcasts to the UEs it is servicing, which is used by the base station 5 to define the inactive and active periods of the cell DRX / DTX. The communication control module 630 also includes a CG configuration 660 that defines periodic grants allocated by the base station to the UEs it is servicing, as well as a DG configuration 670 for dynamic grants allocated by the base station to the UEs it is servicing. The communication control module 630 also includes a timer 680 used to define the various timings described above.

[0113] Examples of modifications and alternatives As those skilled in the art will understand, several modifications and substitutions can be made to the above embodiments while still benefiting from the present disclosure as embodied therein.

[0114] The above configuration grant process is for New Radio (5G) communication systems, but there are other proposals for 5G implementations in unlicensed frequency bands (commonly called NR-U), and this disclosure can also be applied to these deployment scenarios. NR-U supports three deployment modes: carrier aggregation (using unlicensed spectrum to augment downstream user planes, with control data transmitted only on the licensed spectrum), dual connectivity (supporting both uplink and downlink user plane traffic on the unlicensed spectrum, with control data transmitted only on the licensed spectrum), and standalone (all data transmissions, including control data, are performed within the unlicensed frequency band). One difference between NR-CG and NR-UCG is that in NR-UCG, if the UE does not receive an acknowledgment of receipt of uplink data from the base station within the period defined by the configuration grant timer, it is considered a negation.

[0115] As those skilled in the art will understand, the timing of the slots / TOs shown in the figures, relating to the active and inactive periods of cell DRX, is provided for illustrative purposes only. In practice, the inactive and active periods of cell DRX may span many TO periods. Similarly, in many of the attached drawings, the gap between adjacent CG TOs is shown to be equal to the CG RT length. This is not mandatory, as these may differ in practice.

[0116] For example, to clarify, while terms specific to cellular communication generations (such as 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, and 6G) ​​may be used to refer to certain communication entities, it should be understood that the technical features described for a given entity are not limited to devices of that particular communication generation. These technical features can be implemented in any functionally equivalent communication entity, regardless of the differences in the terminology used to refer to them.

[0117] For the sake of clarity, the above description assumes that the UE and base station have several separate functional components or modules. While such modules may be provided in a particular application, for example, in an application where an existing system is modified to implement the Disclosure, they may also be incorporated into the overall operating system or code in other applications, for example, in a system designed from the outset with the features of the Invention in mind, and therefore may not be identified as separate entities.

[0118] In the embodiments described above, several software modules have been explained. As those skilled in the art will understand, software modules can be provided in compiled or uncompiled form and can be supplied as signals over a computer network or on a recording medium. Furthermore, some or all of the functions performed by this software can be performed using one or more dedicated hardware circuits. However, to update the functions of a base station or UE, it is preferable to use software modules because it is easier to update them.

[0119] Each controller may include any suitable form of processing circuitry, including, but is not limited to, one or more hardware-implemented computer processors, microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), arithmetic logic units (ALUs), input / output (IO) circuits, internal memory / cache (program and / or data), processing registers, communication buses (such as control buses, data buses, and / or address buses), direct memory access (DMA) functions, hardware or software-implemented counters, pointers, and / or timers. Various other modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

[0120] A base station may consist of a "distributed" base station having a central unit (CU) and one or more individual distributed units (DUs).

[0121] In this disclosure, user equipment (or "UE," "mobile station," "mobile device," or "wireless device") is an entity connected to a network via a wireless interface.

[0122] Please note that this disclosure is not limited to dedicated communication devices, but can be applied to any device having communication functions as described in the following paragraphs.

[0123] The terms “User Equipment” or “UE,” “Mobile Station,” “Mobile Device,” and “Radio Device” (as used in 3GPP) are generally intended to be synonymous with each other and include standalone mobile stations such as terminals, cell phones, smartphones, tablets, cellular IoT devices, IoT devices, and machines. The terms “Mobile Station” and “Mobile Device” will also be understood to include devices that remain stationary for extended periods.

[0124] For example, UE can be items of equipment or machinery for production or manufacture (such as boilers, engines, turbines, solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric generators, thermal generators, nuclear generators, batteries, nuclear systems and / or related equipment, heavy electrical machinery, pumps including vacuum pumps, compressors, fans, blowers, hydraulic equipment, pneumatic equipment, metalworking machinery, manipulators, robots and / or their application systems, tools, molds or dies, rolls, conveying equipment, elevators, material handling equipment, textile machinery, sewing machinery, printing and / or related machinery, paper conversion machinery, chemical machinery, mining machinery and / or construction machinery and / or related equipment, machinery and / or equipment for agriculture, forestry and / or fisheries, safety and / or environmental protection equipment, tractors, precision bearings, chains, gears, power transmission equipment, lubrication equipment, valves, pipe fittings and / or application systems for any of the aforementioned equipment or machinery, etc.) and / or items of energy-related machinery.

[0125] For example, UE may be an item of transport equipment (such as transport equipment such as railway cars, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, buses, carts, rickshaws, ships and other vessels, aircraft, rockets, satellites, drones, balloons, etc.). For example, UE may be an item of information and communication equipment (such as information and communication equipment such as electronic computers and related equipment, communication and related equipment, electronic components, etc.).

[0126] For example, UE may be refrigerators, refrigerator applications, trading and / or service industry equipment items, vending machines, automated service machines, office machines or equipment, and household appliances and electronic equipment (such as audio equipment, video equipment, loudspeakers, radios, televisions, microwave ovens, rice cookers, coffee machines, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, electronic fans or related equipment, vacuum cleaners, etc.).

[0127] For example, UE may be an electrical application system or device (such as an X-ray system, particle accelerator, radioisotope equipment, sound wave equipment, electromagnetic application equipment, power application equipment, etc.).

[0128] For example, UE may be electronic lamps, lighting fixtures, measuring instruments, analyzers, testers, or measuring or detection equipment (such as smoke detectors, human alarm sensors, motion sensors, wireless tags, etc.), watches or clocks, laboratory equipment, optical devices, medical equipment and / or systems, weapons, cutlery, hand tools, etc.

[0129] For example, the UE may be a wireless-equipped personal digital assistant or related device (such as a wireless card or module designed to be attached to or inserted into another electronic device, such as a personal computer or electrical measuring instrument).

[0130] UE may be part of a device or system that uses various wired and / or wireless communication technologies to provide the following uses, services, and solutions related to the Internet of Things (IoT).

[0131] Internet of Things (IoT) devices (or "things") can be equipped with appropriate electronics, software, sensors, network connectivity, etc., that enable them to collect and exchange data with each other and with other communication devices. IoT devices can include automated devices that follow software instructions stored in internal memory. IoT devices can operate without requiring human command or interaction with humans. IoT devices can also remain stationary and / or inactive for extended periods. IoT devices can be implemented as part of (generally) stationary equipment. IoT devices can also be incorporated into non-stationary equipment (such as vehicles) or attached to animals or people being monitored / tracked.

[0132] IoT technology can be understood as being implemented on any communication device that can connect to a communication network to send / receive data, regardless of whether such communication devices are controlled by human input or by software instructions stored in memory.

[0133] It will be understood that IoT devices are sometimes called Machine-Type Communication (MTC) devices or Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication devices. It will be understood that a UE can support one or more IoT or MTC applications. Several examples of MTC applications are listed in the table below. This list is not exhaustive and is intended to illustrate several examples of machine-type communication applications. [Table 2]

[0134] Applications, services, and solutions may include Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) services, emergency radio communication systems, Private Branch eXchange (PBX) systems, PHS / digital cordless telecommunications systems, Point of Sale (POS) systems, incoming advertising systems, Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service (MBMS), Vehicle to Everything (V2X) systems, train radio systems, location-related services, disaster / emergency radio communication services, community services, video streaming services, femtocell application services, Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services, billing services, wireless on-demand services, roaming services, activity monitoring services, telecommunications carrier / communication network selection services, function restriction services, Proof of Concept (PoC) services, personal information management services, and ad-hoc network / delay-tolerant networking (DTN) services.

[0135] Furthermore, the UE categories mentioned above are merely examples of applications of the technical concepts and embodiments described in this document. Needless to say, these technical concepts and embodiments are not limited to the UEs described above and can be modified in various ways.

[0136] Various other modifications are obvious to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

[0137] For example, all or part of the exemplary embodiments disclosed above may be described as follows, but are not limited to them. (Note 1) A method performed by a user device (UE), The UE receives a configuration grant (CG) from the access network node, which defines multiple uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to send data to the access network node. Intermittent Reception (DRX) involves receiving first information indicating the configuration of an access network node, which defines active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE. The UE transmits first uplink data to the access network node at the first of several TOs (Timeouts) while the access network node is active, and transmits a first retransmission of the first uplink data to the access network node at a second TO that follows the first TO. Based on the configuration grant and the first information, it is determined whether the access network node is inactive during the second TO, If an access network node is inactive during the second TO, the transmission of the first retransmission of the first uplink data may be delayed or suspended. A method that includes this. (Note 2) The method as described in Appendix 1, wherein if the access network node is inactive during the second TO, the UE delays sending the first retransmission of the first uplink data if it has not received an acknowledgment that it has received the first uplink data. (Note 3) The method as described in Appendix 1, wherein, during the second TO, if the access network node is inactive, the UE stops sending the first retransmission of the first uplink data if it has received an acknowledgment that it has received the first uplink data. (Note 4) The method according to any one of Annexes 1 to 3, wherein the UE is configured to send a second retransmission of the first uplink data to an access network node in a third TO after a second TO, and the method includes delaying or suspending the sending of the first retransmission in the second TO if the second TO partially overlaps with an inactive period and partially overlaps with an active period, and delaying the sending of the second retransmission of the first uplink data if the access network node is in an inactive period between the third TOs. (Note 5) The method according to any one of the appendices 1 to 4, further comprising monitoring a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) opportunity following an inactivity period of an access network node in order to obtain a dynamic grant for uplink transmission. (Note 6) If a dynamic grant is obtained for the UE, the method described in Appendix 5, which uses the resources allocated by the dynamic grant to send uplink data to the access network node. (Note 7) The method according to Appendix 6, wherein uplink data transmitted using dynamic grants includes retransmitting first uplink data. (Note 8) The method according to any one of the appendices 1 to 7, further comprising sending a retransmission of first uplink data at a first available TO that overlaps with the active period of an access network node following a period of inactivity of the access network node. (Note 9) The method according to any one of the appendices 1 to 8, further comprising starting the CG retransmission timer CGRT, stopping or extending the CGRT if the first uplink data transmission is not acknowledged by an access network node before the start of the inactivity period, and autonomously refraining from retransmitting the first uplink data at subsequent TOs. (Note 10) The method as described in Appendix 9, wherein if the combined duration of the CGRT and the inactivity period of the access network node is greater than the delay budget for the first uplink data, further retransmission of the first uplink data is stopped, and the second uplink data is transmitted at the TO following the end of the inactivity period. (Note 11) The method described in Appendix 9, which includes automatically disabling CGRT-based retransmission during periods of inactivity. (Note 12) The method according to any one of the appendices 1 to 11, further comprising activating a CG timer (CGT) to limit the number of repetitions of transmission with the first data, and stopping or suspending the CGT during periods when the access network node is inactive. (Note 13) The method described in Appendix 12, further comprising restarting or restoring the CGT at the end of the inactivity period of the access network node. (Note 14) The method described in Appendix 12, which includes automatically disabling CRT-based retransmission during periods of inactivity. (Note 15) The method according to any one of the appendices 1 to 14, further comprising, if the UE receives second information from an access network node indicating that it should perform a retransmission of first uplink data during a TO that overlaps with an inactive period, the UE sending a retransmission of first uplink data during the inactive period of the access network node in response to receiving the second information. (Note 16) The second piece of information is the method described in Appendix 15, which includes a UE-specific drx-InactivityTimer. (Note 17) The method according to any one of the appendices 1 to 16, wherein the first uplink data is transmitted over a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the CG configures the UE to transmit multiple repetitions of the PUSCH over consecutive time slots. (Note 18) The method described in Appendix 17, wherein the UE discards or interrupts repetitive uplink transmissions of PUSCH during periods of inactivity of the access network node. (Note 19) The method described in Appendix 17, wherein the UE reduces the number of PUSCH repetitions for any time slot that completely overlaps with the inactivity period of the access network node. (Note 20) The method described in Appendix 17, wherein the UE reduces the number of PUSCH repetitions for any time slot that completely or partially overlaps with the inactivity period of the access network node. (Note 21) The method according to any one of the appendices 17 to 20, wherein the UE receives multiple configuration grants (CGs) from an access network node, each defining multiple periodic uplink transmit opportunities (TOs) for transmitting data on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the multiple CGs configure the UE to transmit multiple repetitions of PUSCH to the access network node over consecutive time slots. (Note 22) The method described in Appendix 21, wherein the UE discards or suspends PUSCH-based uplink transmissions during any time slot within a given period that completely overlaps with a period of inactivity of the access network node. (Note 23) If the CG period partially overlaps with the inactivity period of the access network node, the UE transmits uplink data in the first available CG TO time slot of the CG period that overlaps with the inactivity period of the access network node, as described in Appendix 22. (Note 24) The method according to Appendix 21, wherein if any time slot within a given period completely overlaps with any time slot within that period and any time slot within that period partially overlaps with an inactive period of an access network node, the UE discards or suspends push-based uplink transmissions during that period. (Note 25) The method described in Appendix 17, wherein the UE reduces the number of PUSCH repetitions for any time slot that completely or partially overlaps with the inactivity period of the access network node. (Note 26) The method described in Appendix 25, wherein the UE transmits uplink data in the first available CG TO time slot of the CG period, which fully overlaps with the next active period of the access network node. (Note 27) The method according to any one of the appendices 1 to 26, comprising receiving a buffer state report BSR for transmission to an access network node during a period of inactivity of the access network node, and sending a scheduling request SR to the access network node to obtain a dynamic grant DG for the uplink resource on which to transmit the BSR. (Note 28) The method described in Appendix 27, which includes receiving a DG from an access network node and, if those resources are before the next available CG TO, sending a BSR on the resources permitted by the DG. (Note 29) The method described in Appendix 27 or 28, which includes sending a BSR on the resource authorized by the next available CG TO if the resource authorized by the DG is later than the resource authorized by the next available CG TO. (Note 30) The method according to any one of the appendices 27 to 29, further comprising determining when an access network node transitions from an inactive period to an active period, and in response to such transition, sending an SR to the access network node. (Note 31) The method according to any one of the appendices 27 to 30, further comprising determining when an access network node transitions from an inactive period to an active period, and determining the timing of the next available CG TO during the next access node's active period, and deciding not to send an SR to the access network node if the next available CG TO during the next access node's active period falls within the threshold period of the start of the access network node's active period. (Note 32) A method performed by a user device (UE), The UE receives a configuration grant (CG) from an access network node that defines multiple uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for transmitting data over a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the CG configures the UE to send multiple repetitions of PUSCH to the access network node over consecutive time slots. Intermittent Reception (DRX) involves receiving first information indicating the configuration of an access network node, which defines active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE. Based on the configuration grant and the first information, it is determined whether the access network node is in an inactive period during any time slot configured for PUSCH transmission. If the first N time slots corresponding to the first N iterations of PUSCH overlap with an inactive period, the UE may use at least one transmit parameter associated with the (N+1)th iteration to transmit the first iteration of PUSCH in the (N+1)th time slot, and / or the UE may use at least one transmit parameter associated with the first iteration of PUSCH that should have been transmitted in the first time slot to transmit the first iteration of PUSCH in the (N+1)th time slot. Methods that include... (Note 33) A method performed by a user device (UE), Configuring a first timer that indicates the expected time after the UE has sent uplink data to the access network node before receiving a request from the access network node to retransmit the first uplink data, A second timer is configured to start after the first timer, indicating the period during which the UE should be in an awakened state and monitor for requests from access network nodes to retransmit uplink data. The UE receives a dynamic grant DG from the access network node, which allocates one or more resources for the UE to use to send uplink data to the access network node. Using one or more resources, transmit the first uplink data to the access network node, Intermittent Reception (DRX) involves receiving first information that indicates the configuration of an access network node, defining active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE. To determine whether the first timer and / or second timer for the transmitted first uplink data overlap with the inactivity period of the access network node, When the first timer is started, it is extended to run until the end of the access network node's inactive period, and when the access network node enters an active period following the end of its inactive period, the second timer is started. A method that includes this. (Note 34) The method as described in Appendix 33, wherein if the first timer has not started, when the access network node enters an active period following the end of an inactive period, the execution of the first timer is skipped and the second timer is started. (Note 35) The method according to Appendix 33 or 34, wherein the UE sleeps during the period between the transmission of the first uplink data and the activation of the second timer. (Note 36) A method performed by an access network node, Sending a configuration grant (CG) to the user equipment (UE) defines multiple uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to send data to an access network node, Intermittent Reception (DRX) involves transmitting first information indicating the configuration of an access network node, defining active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE. The access network node receives first data corresponding to the first uplink data transmitted from the UE at the first of several TOs while the access network node is active, and the CG configures resources at a second TO, which is after the first TO, for the UE to send a first retransmission of the first uplink data to the access network node. If the second TO is inactive during the access network node's inactive period and the access network node has not acknowledged receiving the first uplink data, then i) the first data is kept in the uplink buffer associated with the UE, ii) when the access network node returns to active, the second data is received corresponding to the retransmission of the first uplink data from the UE, and iii) the first uplink data is recovered using the first and second data. A method that includes this. (Note 37) The method as described in Appendix 36, wherein if the second TO is in an inactive period of the access network node and the access network node acknowledges that it has received the first uplink data, the first uplink data is provided to the upper layer and the uplink buffer associated with the UE is flushed. (Note 38) The method according to Appendix 36 or Appendix 37, wherein, if a portion of the second TO overlaps with the inactive period and a portion overlaps with the active period, the second TO receives the first retransmission. (Note 39) The method according to any one of the appendices 36 to 38, further comprising providing a dynamic grant to the UE for uplink transmission and receiving uplink data from the UE using the resources allocated by the dynamic grant. (Note 40) The method according to Appendix 39, wherein the uplink data transmitted using dynamic grants includes a retransmission of the first uplink data. (Note 41) The method according to any one of the appendices 36 to 40, further comprising receiving a retransmission of first uplink data at a first available TO that overlaps with an active period of the access network node, following a period of inactivity of the access network node. (Note 42) The method according to any one of the appendices 36 to 41, further comprising sending a second piece of information to the UE indicating that the UE should perform a retransmission of the first uplink data in a TO that overlaps with an inactive period, and receiving a retransmission of the first uplink data during an inactive period of the access network node. (Note 43) The second piece of information is the method described in Appendix 42, which includes a UE-specific drx-InactivityTimer. (Note 44) The method according to any one of the appendices 36 to 43, wherein first uplink data is received on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the CG configures the UE to transmit multiple repetitions of the PUSCH over consecutive time slots. (Note 45) The method according to Appendix 44, wherein the UE sends a set of configuration grants (CGs) to the UE, each defining a set of periodic uplink transmit opportunities (TOs) for the UE to transmit data on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), the set of CGs configure the UE to send multiple repetitions of PUSCH to an access network node over consecutive time slots. (Note 46) If the CG period partially overlaps with the inactivity period of the access network node, the method described in Appendix 45, wherein uplink data is received in the first available CG TO time slot of the CG period that overlaps with the inactivity period of the access network node. (Note 47) The method according to any one of Appendix 36 to 46, which includes receiving a scheduling request SR from the UE in order to obtain a dynamic grant DG for an uplink resource that sends a buffer status report BSR. (Note 48) The method described in Appendix 47, which includes sending a DG to the UE and receiving a BSR on the resources permitted by the DG, if those resources are before the next available CG TO. (Note 49) The method described in Appendix 48, which includes receiving a BSR on the resource authorized by the next available CG TO if the resource authorized by the DG is later than the resource authorized by the next available CG TO. (Note 50) A method performed by an access network node, The UE sends a configuration grant (CG) to the user equipment (UE) that defines multiple uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to transmit data to an access network node over a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), wherein the CG configures the UE to transmit multiple repetitions of PUSCH to the access network node over consecutive time slots. Intermittent Reception (DRX) involves transmitting first information indicating the configuration of an access network node, defining active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE. If the first N time slots corresponding to the first N iterations of PUSCH overlap with an inactive period, the first iteration of PUSCH is received from the UE in the (N+1)th time slot, wherein the access network node uses at least one transmit parameter associated with the (N+1)th iteration to receive the first iteration of PUSCH in the (N+1)th time slot, and / or the access network node uses at least one transmit parameter associated with the first iteration of PUSCH that would have been transmitted in the first time slot to receive the first iteration of PUSCH in the (N+1)th time slot. A method that includes this. (Note 51) A method performed by an access network node, After sending uplink data to an access network node, the UE sends first timer data to the user equipment (UE), which constitutes a first timer within the UE indicating the expected waiting time before the UE receives a request from the access network node to retransmit the first uplink data. Sending first timer data to the user equipment (UE) that constitutes a second timer within the UE, which indicates the period during which the UE should be in an awakened state, to start after the first timer and monitor requests from access network nodes to retransmit uplink data. The UE sends a dynamic grant DG to the UE, which allocates one or more resources for the UE to use to send uplink data to the access network node. Using one or more resources, receive first data corresponding to first uplink data sent from the UE, Intermittent Reception (DRX) involves transmitting third data that indicates the configuration of an access network node, defining an active period during which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and an inactive period during which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE. If the first and / or second timers for transmitted first uplink data overlap with the inactivity period of the access network node, i) the first data is maintained in the uplink buffer associated with the UE; ii) when the access network node returns to an active period, the second data is received corresponding to the retransmission of the first uplink data from the UE; and iii) the first uplink data is recovered using the first and second data. A method that includes this. (Note 52) User equipment (UE), A means for receiving a configuration grant (CG) from an access network node that defines multiple uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to send data to the access network node, Intermittent Reception (DRX), means for receiving first information indicating the configuration of an access network node, defining active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Means for transmitting first uplink data to an access network node at a first TO among multiple TOs while the access network node is active, wherein the UE is configured to transmit a first retransmission of the first uplink data to the access network node at a second TO following the first TO. Means for determining, from a configuration grant and first information, whether an access network node is inactive during a second TO, wherein if the access network node is inactive during a second TO, the means are configured to delay or suspend the transmission of the first retransmission relating to the first uplink data. User equipment equipped with the following features. (Note 53) User equipment (UE), Means for receiving a configuration grant (CG) from an access network node that defines multiple uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to transmit data over a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), wherein the means configures the UE so that the CG transmits multiple repetitions of PUSCH to the access network node over consecutive time slots. Intermittent Reception (DRX), means for receiving first information indicating the configuration of an access network node, defining active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Means for determining from a configuration grant and first information whether an access network node is in an inactive period during any time slot configured for a PUSCH transmission, wherein if the first N time slots corresponding to the first N repetitions of a PUSCH overlap with an inactive period, the UE is configured to transmit the first repetition of a PUSCH in the (N+1) time slot using at least one transmit parameter associated with the (N+1)th repetition, and / or the UE is configured to transmit the first repetition of a PUSCH in the (N+1)th time slot using at least one transmit parameter associated with the first repetition of a PUSCH that would have been transmitted in the first time slot, User equipment equipped with the following features. (Note 54) User equipment (UE), A means for configuring a first timer that indicates how long the UE is expected to wait after sending uplink data to an access network node before receiving a request from the access network node to retransmit the first uplink data, A means for configuring a second timer that starts after the first timer and indicates the period during which the UE should be in an awakened state to monitor requests from access network nodes in order to retransmit uplink data, Means for receiving a dynamic grant DG from an access network node, which the UE uses to send uplink data to the access network node, A means for transmitting first uplink data to an access network node using one or more resources, Intermittent Reception (DRX), means for receiving first information indicating the configuration of an access network node, defining active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Means for determining whether a first timer and / or a second timer relating to transmitted first uplink data overlap with an inactive period of an access network node, wherein if the first timer is started, the UE is configured to extend the first timer until the end of the inactive period of the access network node, and to start the second timer when the access network node enters an active period following the end of the inactive period. User equipment equipped with the following features. (Note 55) Access network node, A means for sending a configuration grant (CG) to a user device (UE) that defines multiple uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to send data to an access network node, Intermittent Reception (DRX), means for transmitting first information indicating the configuration of an access network node, defining active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, Means for receiving first data corresponding to first uplink data transmitted from a UE at a first TO among multiple TOs while the access network node is active, wherein the CG constitutes a resource for the UE to transmit a first retransmission of the first uplink data to the access network node at a second TO following the first TO. Means configured to, i) maintain the first data in the uplink buffer associated with the UE if the second TO is inactive during the access network node's inactive period and the access network node has not acknowledged receiving the first uplink data, ii) receive the second data corresponding to the retransmission of the first uplink data from the UE when the access network node returns to active, and iii) recover the first uplink data using the first and second data; An access network node equipped with this feature. (Note 56) Access network node, Means for sending a configuration grant (CG) to a user device (UE) that defines multiple uplink transmission opportunities (TOs) for the UE to transmit data to an access network node on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), wherein the means configures the UE so that the CG transmits multiple repetitions of PUSCH to the access network node over consecutive time slots. Intermittent Reception (DRX) includes means for transmitting first information indicating the configuration of an access network node, defining active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, If the first N time slots corresponding to the first N iterations of PUSCH overlap with an inactive period, the access network node is configured to receive the first iteration of PUSCH from the UE in the (N+1)th time slot, and is configured to use at least one transmit parameter associated with the (N+1)th iteration in order to receive the first iteration of PUSCH in the (N+1)th time slot, and / or the access network node is configured to use at least one transmit parameter associated with the first iteration of PUSCH that would have been transmitted in the first time slot in order to receive the first iteration of PUSCH in the (N+1)th time slot. Access network node. (Note 57) Access network node, Means for sending to a user device (UE) first timer data that constitutes a first timer within the UE, indicating how long the UE is expected to wait between sending uplink data to an access network node and receiving a request from the access network node to retransmit the first uplink data; A means for sending to the UE second timer data, which constitutes a second timer within the UE, indicating the period during which the UE should be in an awakened state, to start after the first timer and monitor requests from access network nodes to retransmit uplink data. Means for sending a dynamic grant DG to the UE, which allocates one or more resources for the UE to use to send uplink data to an access network node, A means for receiving first data corresponding to first uplink data transmitted from the UE using one or more resources, Intermittent Reception (DRX), comprising means for transmitting third data indicating the configuration of an access network node, defining active periods in which the access network node is assumed to be active and configured to communicate with the UE, and inactive periods in which the access network node is assumed to be inactive and configured not to communicate with the UE, If the first and / or second timers relating to the transmitted first uplink data overlap with the inactivity period of the access network node, the access network node is configured to i) maintain the first data in the uplink buffer associated with the UE, ii) receive the second data corresponding to the retransmission of the first uplink data from the UE when the access network node returns to an active period, and iii) recover the first uplink data using the first and second data. Access network node.

[0138] This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from UK Patent Application No. 2304882.0, filed on 31 March 2023, the disclosure thereof being incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [Explanation of symbols]

[0139] 1. Communication System 3. User equipment 5 base station 7 Core Network 9 cells 10 Control Plane Functions 11. User Plane Functions 20 External data network 310 Transceiver Circuit 330 Antenna 350 User Interfaces 370 Controller 390 memory 410 Operating Systems 430 Communication control module 450-cell DTX / DRX configuration 460 CG composition 470 DG configuration 480 BSR module 490 timer 510 Transceiver Circuit 530 Antenna 550 core network interfaces 570 Controller 590 memory 610 Operating Systems 630 Communication control module 650-cell DTX / DRX configuration CG composition of 660 UE 670 UE DG configuration 680 timer

Claims

1. A method performed by a user device (UE), The UE configures at least one configuration grant (CG) that specifies at least one transmission opportunity (TO) for sending data to an access network node without scheduling grants, It is determined that one of the at least one of the aforementioned TOs overlaps with the intermittent reception (DRX) inactivity period of the cell of the access network node, Delaying or suspending data transmission in the cell in at least one portion of the at least one TO that overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period. A method that includes this.

2. If the access network node acknowledges that it has received initial data transmitted in another TO before one of the at least one TOs, which overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period, then the transmission of the data will be delayed or stopped. The method according to claim 1.

3. If the access network node acknowledges that it has received initial data transmitted in another TO before one of the at least one TOs, which overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period, then the access network node receives information in the message indicating the acknowledgment of receipt of the initial data that the transmission of the data should be delayed or stopped. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

4. To obtain a scheduling grant for transmitting the aforementioned data, monitor the first physical downlink control channel opportunity following the cell DRX inactive period. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

5. If one of the at least one TOs is completely covered by the cell DRX inactive period, the transmission of the data is delayed or stopped. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. If the reception of initial data transmitted in another TO prior to one of the at least one TOs, which overlaps with the cell DRX inactivity period, is not acknowledged by the access network node, a scheduling grant for retransmitting the initial data is scheduled following the cell DRX inactivity period. The method according to claim 1.

7. If the access network node does not acknowledge the receipt of initial data transmitted in another TO prior to one of the at least one TOs that overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period, the initial data shall be retransmitted in one of the at least one TOs that follows the cell DRX inactive period. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

8. If no downlink feedback information (CG-DFI) for a configuration grant, corresponding to initial data transmitted in another TO before one of the at least one TOs, which overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period, is received from the access network node, the configuration grant retransmission timer should be stopped or suspended. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

9. If the duration based on the set grant retransmission timer and the cell DRX inactive period is less than or equal to the delay budget value, each TO will delay or stop the autonomous retransmission of the initial data on the cell in at least one or more of the at least one TOs that overlap with the cell DRX inactive period. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

10. If the CG-DFI corresponding to the initial data transmitted in another TO prior to one of the at least one TOs, which overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period, is not received from the access network node, Stopping or interrupting the setting grant timer, In one of the at least one TOs following the cell DRX inactive period, the autonomous retransmission of the initial data in the cell is performed. The method according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising:

11. In one of the at least one TOs following the cell DRX inactive period, no data other than the initial data is transmitted. The method according to claim 10.

12. The setting grant timer is restarted or rebooted upon the expiration of the cell DRX inactive period, or upon the autonomous retransmission of the initial data. The method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising:

13. During the operation of the cell DRX by the access network node, the retransmission operation is disabled using the configured grant transmission timer and the configured grant timer. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

14. If the reception of initial data transmitted in another TO prior to one of the at least one TOs, which overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period, is not acknowledged by the access network node, In order to retransmit the initial data, the access network node receives information to cause the UE to start the drx-inactivitytimer, Receiving the aforementioned information, and then retransmitting the initial data in one of the at least one TOs. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

15. The above configuration is performed by configuring the at least one CG to transmit multiple repetitions of the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) to the access network node over multiple time slots. The determination is made by determining that one of the time slots overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period of the cell of the access network node. The aforementioned delay or suspension is performed by delaying or suspending the transmission of the PUSCH repetition in the cell in at least one or more of the plurality of time slots in which each time slot overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. The aforementioned delay or suspension is performed by delaying or suspending the transmission of the repeated PUSCH in the cell during any of the multiple time slots in which each time slot completely overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period. The method according to claim 15.

17. The aforementioned delay or suspension is performed by delaying or suspending the transmission of the PUSCH repetition in the cell during any of the multiple time slots in which each time slot completely or partially overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period. The method according to claim 15.

18. If the first N time slots corresponding to the first N repetitions of the aforementioned PUSCH overlap with the inactive period of the cell DRX, In the (N+1)th time slot, to transmit the first iteration of PUSCH, use at least one parameter associated with the (N+1) iteration, and / or In the (N+1) time slot, in order to transmit the first repetition of the PUSCH, use at least one parameter associated with the first repetition of the PUSCH that was to be transmitted in the first time slot. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, further comprising:

19. A scheduling grant obtained by a scheduling request, which is transmitted following the aforementioned cell DRX inactivity period, or Following the cell DRX inactive period, one of the at least one CG Use this to send buffer status reports The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, further comprising:

20. Send a buffer status report using the scheduling grant obtained by the scheduling request sent during the aforementioned cell DRX inactive period. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, further comprising:

21. A method performed by an access network node, The user equipment (UE) is configured with at least one configuration grant (CG) that specifies at least one transmission opportunity (TO) for the UE to transmit data to the access network node without scheduling grants, If one of the at least one TOs overlaps with the intermittent receive (DRX) inactivity period of a cell in the access network node, the UE may delay or suspend data transmission in the cell in at least a portion of one or more of the at least one TOs that overlap with the cell DRX inactivity period. Methods that include...

22. User equipment (UE), Means for configuring at least one configuration grant (CG) that designates at least one transmission opportunity (TO) for the UE to send data to an access network node without scheduling grants, Means for determining that one of the at least one of the aforementioned TOs overlaps with the intermittent reception (DRX) inactivity period of the cell of the access network node, Means for delaying or stopping the transmission of data in the cell in at least one or more of the at least one TOs, where each TO overlaps with the cell DRX inactive period. User equipment including...

23. Access network node, Means for configuring a user device (UE) using at least one configuration grant (CG) that designates at least one transmission opportunity (TO) for the UE to transmit data to the access network node without scheduling grants, If one of the at least one TOs overlaps with the intermittent receive (DRX) inactivity period of a cell in the access network node, the UE may delay or suspend data transmission in the cell in at least a portion of one or more of the at least one TOs that overlap with the cell DRX inactivity period. Access network node.

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