Configured grant control

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to a first communication device (100) and a second communication device (300) for configured grant control. The first communication device (100) is configured to receive a first control message (510) from the second communication device (300). The first control message (510) indicates a configured grant and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel (530). The control channel (530) comprises a configured grant control information (540). The first communication device (100) thereafter monitors the first search space for the configured grant control information (540) based on the first control message (510) when the configured grant is active. Thereby, power consumption and complexity of monitoring for downlink control information can be reduced. Furthermore, embodiments of the invention also relate to corresponding methods and a computer program.

Description

[0001] CONFIGURED GRANT CONTROL

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments of the invention relate to a first communication device and a second communication device for configured grant control. Furthermore, embodiments of the invention also relate to corresponding methods and a computer program.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Configured scheduling and configured grant (CG) are mechanisms that are used by the network in 3GPP 5G new radio (NR) to schedule physical downlink shared channel / phvsical uplink shared channel (PDSCH / PUSCH) transmissions without having to use downlink control information (DCI) for every transmission. Such methods can reduce latency and consequently support traffic with tight latency requirements. Such principle was already introduced in 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) in the form of semi-persistent scheduling.

[0006] In 5G NR, two types of CG for uplink transmissions are supported, namely CG type 1 and CG type 2. For CG type 1, semistatic parameters are configured in radio resource control (RRC). For activation and deactivation, RRC is also used. For CG type 2, semi-static parameters are configured in RRC and activation / deactivation of the CG is performed via DCI.

[0007] In order to fully leverage the flexibility of CG transmissions, different CGs may be needed, with different time-domain periodicities and transmission parameters. Multiple CGs may be configured in a bandwidth part (BWP) of a serving cell. In 5G NR, the information element (IE) ConfiguredGrantConfig is used to configure grant-free uplink transmission.

[0008] SUMMARY

[0009] An objective of embodiments of the invention is to provide a solution which mitigates or solves the drawbacks and problems of conventional solutions.

[0010] Another objective of embodiments of the invention is to provide a solution to enable reduced downlink control channel decoding and to achieve dynamic adaptation of the link, when CG is used.

[0011] The above and further objectives are solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further embodiments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

[0012] According to a first aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a first communication device configured to: receive a first control message indicating a configured grant and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel, wherein the control channel comprises a configured grant control information; and monitor the first search space for the configured grant control information based on the first control message when the configured grant is active.

[0013] An advantage of the first communication device according to the first aspect is that power consumption and complexity of monitoring for downlink control information can be reduced. Indeed, when the configured grant is active, the first communication device monitors the associated first search space for a control information having a configured grant control information format. The first communication device may be configured to not monitor for other formats, unless commanded otherwise. This will result in reducing blind decoding of the control channel, hence power saving and complexity reduction. Additionally, the parameters and monitoring behavior of the first search space can be adapted to the configured grant parameters, e.g., periodicity. In an implementation form of a first communication device according to the first aspect, the first communication device is configured to: start monitoring the first search space for the configured grant control information upon reception of a second control message indicating an activation of the configured grant.

[0014] An advantage with this implementation form is that complexity and power consumption reduction for control information can be used as the default behavior when a configured grant is active. The second control message for configured grant activation, is used as an indicator for the first search space and monitoring behavior switching, since the first communication device switches to monitoring the first search space for the configured grant control information upon configured grant activation. Consequently, no dedicated signaling for search space switching would be needed here thus reducing overhead.

[0015] In an implementation form of a first communication device according to the first aspect, the first communication device is configured to: stop monitoring the first search space for the configured grant control information upon reception of a second control message indicating a deactivation of the configured grant; or switch to monitoring a second search space for a control information with a format different to a format of the configured grant control information upon reception of a second control message indicating a deactivation of the configured grant.

[0016] An advantage with this implementation form is that monitoring search spaces and decoding of control information can be adapted dynamically, while the lowest control channel decoding load is maintained as the default and fallback behavior, when the configured grant is active. Since the activation / deactivation of the configured grant and monitoring behavior for control information are jointly controlled, signaling over the air interface is reduced.

[0017] In an implementation form of a first communication device according to the first aspect, first control message further indicates an association between the configured grant and the second search space.

[0018] An advantage with this implementation form is that the association between the configured grant and second search space can be changed and optimized in order to support requirements of different traffic patterns. A configured grant can be associated with one or multiple search spaces. The first search space is used as the default search space when the configured grant is active. If other search spaces are associated with the configured grant configuration, then the first communication device may perform search spaces switching, when the configured grant is active, among the associated search spaces. Search space switching when the configured grant is active can be controlled by the configured grant control information or other control information formats.

[0019] In an implementation form of a first communication device according to the first aspect, the second control message is a radio resource control message or a downlink control information message.

[0020] An advantage with this implementation form is that both semi- static and dynamic signaling can be used for transmitting the second control message. Consequently, enhancing flexibility.

[0021] In an implementation form of a first communication device according to the first aspect, the first control message is a radio resource control message.

[0022] An advantage with this implementation form is that the proposed solution can be supported for any type of configured grant. In an implementation form of a first communication device according to the first aspect, the configured grant control information indicates one or more in a group comprising: a modulation and coding scheme, a differential modulation and coding scheme with respect to a configured grant modulation and coding scheme, a time-frequency resource allocation, a waveform switching, a waveform indicator, a transmit power level, a transmit power adjustment level, and a duplexing format; and wherein the first communication device is configured to: perform a subsequent data transmission based on the configured grant control information.

[0023] An advantage with this implementation form is that the configured grant control information can be used in order to adapt the transmissions of the first communication device dynamically. Additionally, the pay load for the downlink control information can be optimized. Since the configured grant control information is transmitted in search spaces that are associated with the configured grant configuration, adaptation can be performed for each transmission. Additionally, the size of the configured grant control information can be optimized and hence improved coverage achieved.

[0024] In an implementation form of a first communication device according to the first aspect, the configured grant control information indicates a trigger for monitoring a control information with a format different to a format of the configured grant control information in the first search space, and wherein the first communication device is configured to: monitor the first search space for the control information with the format different to the format of the configured grant control information based on the configured grant control information.

[0025] An advantage with this implementation form is that the first communication device can still monitor the first search space for other control information formats, when triggered to do so. This means that the power saving gain and link adaptability merits of the configured grant control information can be retained, and at the same time still be able to decode other control information formats. Consequently, the first communication device only consumes power for other control information formats decoding only when there is actually a format, different from the configured grant control information to receive.

[0026] In an implementation form of a first communication device according to the first aspect, the configured grant control information indicates a trigger for monitoring a control information with a format different to a format of the configured grant control information in a second search space, and wherein the first communication device is configured to: monitor the second search space for the control information with the format different to the format of the configured grant control information based on the configured grant control information.

[0027] An advantage with this implementation form is that the first communication device can monitor the second search space for other control information formats, when triggered to do so. configured grant. Additionally, search space switching and monitoring for other control information formats are triggered using the same control message, i.e., configured grant control information. This means that the delay until the reception of the control information with different format can be reduced.

[0028] In an implementation form of a first communication device according to the first aspect, the configured grant control information indicates a second search space for monitoring the control channel, and wherein the first communication device is configured to: switch to monitoring the second search space for the configured grant control information based on the configured grant control information.

[0029] An advantage with this implementation form is that the configured grant control information can be used as a search space switching trigger which further streamlines configured grant control. Indeed, depending on the traffic pattern, occasions for search space monitoring for control information can be made more recurrent or sparser. In a first case, latency gains are achieved, and in the second case, power saving gains are achieved. The configured grant control information can then be used to adapt the link parameters and also to handle control information monitoring adaptation. Since configured grant control information is used for both mentioned functions, signaling over the air interface may be reduced.

[0030] In an implementation form of a first communication device according to the first aspect, the first communication device is a client device and the second communication device is a network access node.

[0031] An advantage with this implementation form is that the proposed solution can be used for configured scheduling in uplink, downlink or sidelink.

[0032] In an implementation form of a first communication device according to the first aspect, the control channel is a physical downlink control channel.

[0033] An advantage with this implementation form is that the proposed solution can be used for current and future generations of wireless networks, wherein the physical downlink control channel plays a fundamental role.

[0034] According to a second aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a second communication device configured to: transmit a first control message to a first communication device, the first control message indicating a configured grant and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel, wherein the control channel comprises a configured grant control information.

[0035] An advantage of the second communication device according to the second aspect is that power consumption and complexity of monitoring for downlink control information for the first communication device can be reduced. Indeed, when the configured grant is active, the first communication device monitors the associated first search space for a control information having a configured grant control information format. The first communication device may be configured to not monitor for other formats, unless commanded otherwise. This will result in reducing blind decoding of the control channel, hence power saving and complexity reduction. Additionally, the parameters and monitoring behavior of the first search space can be adapted to the configured grant parameters, e.g., periodicity.

[0036] In an implementation form of a second communication device according to the second aspect, first control message further indicates an association between the configured grant and a second search space.

[0037] An advantage with this implementation form is that the association between the configured grant and second search space can be changed and optimized in order to support requirements of different traffic patterns. A configured grant can be associated with one or multiple search spaces. The first search space is used as the default search space when the configured grant is active. If other search spaces are associated with the configured grant configuration, then the first communication device may perform search spaces switching, when the configured grant is active, among the associated search spaces. Search space switching when the configured grant is active can be controlled by the configured grant control information or other control information formats.

[0038] In an implementation form of a second communication device according to the second aspect, the first control message is a radio resource control message.

[0039] An advantage with this implementation form is that the proposed solution can be supported for any type of configured grant. In an implementation form of a second communication device according to the second aspect, the configured grant control information indicates one or more a group comprising: a modulation and coding scheme, a differential modulation and coding scheme with respect to a configured grant modulation and coding scheme, a time-frequency resource allocation, a waveform switching, a waveform indicator, a transmit power level, a transmit power adjustment level, and a duplexing format.

[0040] An advantage with this implementation form is that the configured grant control information can be used in order to adapt the transmissions of the first communication device dynamically. Additionally, the payload for the downlink control information can be optimized. Since the configured grant control information is transmitted in search spaces that are associated with the configured grant configuration, adaptation can be performed for each transmission. Additionally, the size of the configured grant control information can be optimized and hence improved coverage achieved.

[0041] In an implementation form of a second communication device according to the second aspect, the configured grant control information indicates a trigger for monitoring a control information with a format different to a format of the configured grant control information in the first search space.

[0042] An advantage with this implementation form is that the first communication device can still monitor the first search space for other control information formats, when triggered to do so. This means that the power saving gain and link adaptability merits of the configured grant control information can be retained, and at the same time still be able to decode other control information formats. Consequently, the first communication device only consumes power for other control information formats decoding only when there is actually a format, different from the configured grant control information to receive.

[0043] In an implementation form of a second communication device according to the second aspect, the configured grant control information indicates a trigger for monitoring a control information with a format different to a format of the configured grant control information in a second search space

[0044] An advantage with this implementation form is that the first communication device can monitor the second search space for other control information formats, when triggered to do so. configured grant. Additionally, search space switching and monitoring for other control information formats are triggered using the same control message, i.e., configured grant control information. This means that the delay until the reception of the control information with different format can be reduced.

[0045] In an implementation form of a second communication device according to the second aspect, the configured grant control information indicates a second search space for monitoring the control channel.

[0046] An advantage with this implementation form is that the configured grant control information can be used as a search space switching trigger which further streamlines configured grant control. Indeed, depending on the traffic pattern, occasions for search space monitoring for control information can be made more recurrent or sparser. In a first case, latency gains are achieved, and in the second case, power saving gains are achieved. The configured grant control information can then be used to adapt the link parameters and also to handle control information monitoring adaptation. Since configured grant control information is used for both mentioned functions, signaling over the air interface may be reduced.

[0047] In an implementation form of a second communication device according to the second aspect, the first communication device is a client device and the second communication device is a network access node.

[0048] An advantage with this implementation form is that the proposed solution can be used for configured scheduling in uplink, downlink or sidelink. In an implementation form of a second communication device according to the second aspect, the control channel is a physical downlink control channel.

[0049] An advantage with this implementation form is that the proposed solution can be used for current and future generations of wireless networks, wherein the physical downlink control channel plays a fundamental role.

[0050] According to a third aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a method for a first communication device, the method comprises: receiving a first control message indicating a configured grant and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel, wherein the control channel comprises a configured grant control information; and monitoring the first search space for the configured grant control information based on the first control message when the configured grant is active.

[0051] The method according to the third aspect can be extended into implementation forms corresponding to the implementation forms of the first communication device according to the first aspect. Hence, an implementation form of the method comprises the feature(s) of the corresponding implementation form of the first communication device.

[0052] The advantages of the methods according to the third aspect are the same as those for the corresponding implementation forms of the first communication device according to the first aspect.

[0053] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a method for a second communication device, the method comprises: transmitting a first control message to a first communication device, the first control message indicating a configured grant and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel, wherein the control channel comprises a configured grant control information.

[0054] The method according to the fourth aspect can be extended into implementation forms corresponding to the implementation forms of the second communication device according to the second aspect. Hence, an implementation form of the method comprises the feature(s) of the corresponding implementation form of the second communication device.

[0055] The advantages of the methods according to the fourth aspect are the same as those for the corresponding implementation forms of the second communication device according to the second aspect.

[0056] Embodiments of the invention also relate to a computer program, characterized in program code, which when run by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to execute any method according to embodiments of the invention. Further, embodiments of the invention also relate to a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium and the mentioned computer program, wherein the computer program is included in the computer readable medium, and may comprises one or more from the group of: read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), flash memory, electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), hard disk drive, etc.

[0057] Further applications and advantages of embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

[0058] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] The appended drawings are intended to clarify and explain different embodiments of the invention, in which:

[0060] - Fig. 1 shows a first communication device according to an embodiment of the invention; - Fig. 2 shows a flow chart of a method for a first communication device according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0061] - Fig. 3 shows a second communication device according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0062] - Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of a method for a second communication device according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0063] - Fig. 5 shows a communication system according to an embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 6 shows a signaling diagram according to further embodiments of the invention.

[0064] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] While CG streamlines the scheduling procedure as the UE does not need to wait for dynamic scheduling / grant DCI before transmission, the UE still needs to frequency monitor for the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). This reduces the potential gain from CG, especially in terms of power saving in the UE.

[0066] During the study and work on UE power savings in NR, PDCCH monitoring and decoding was identified as major contributors in power consumption at the UE side for communication over NR. The complexity of PDCCH processing, its stringent performance requirements, and its primordial role make the PDCCH monitoring and processing one of the most power-hungry. Therefore, different power saving features have been proposed such as PDCCH skipping, dynamic search space set group (SSSG) switching, wake-up signal and low-power receiver, etc.

[0067] Thus, the UE can be indicated to switch to a specific SSSG and stop PDCCH monitoring in any other SSSG in order to perform reduced PDCCH monitoring. When SSSG switching is configured with a search space switch timer, the UE is required to switch to the SSSG with the lowest group index once the timer is expired. Nevertheless, the strain on the UE power consumption that results from PDCCH reception is still problematic and represents a large portion of the power consumption in the baseband processing of the UE. Therefore, it is herein proposed a solution mitigating such and further drawbacks and constraints. Indeed, by leveraging active CG scheduling, PDCCH monitoring and decoding behavior can be adapted, and hence associated power consumption reduced. Additionally, instead of having to configure multiple CGs with different parameters, the solution proposes a framework for dynamic CG link adaptation, especially in terms of transmission parameters and resource utilization adaptation.

[0068] Fig. 1 shows a first communication device 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the first communication device 100 comprises a processor 102, a transceiver 104 and a memory 106. The processor 102 is coupled to the transceiver 104 and the memory 106 by communication means 108 known in the art. The first communication device 100 may be configured for wireless and / or wired communications in a communication system. The wireless communication capability may be provided with an antenna or antenna array 110 coupled to the transceiver 104, while the wired communication capability may be provided with a wired communication interface 112 e.g., coupled to the transceiver 104.

[0069] The processor 102 may be referred to as one or more general-purpose central processing units (CPUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), one or more programmable logic devices, one or more discrete gates, one or more transistor logic devices, one or more discrete hardware components, or one or more chipsets. The memory 106 may be a read-only memory, a random access memory (RAM), or a non-volatile RAM (NVRAM). The transceiver 104 may be a transceiver circuit, a power controller, or an interface providing capability to communicate with other communication modules or communication devices, such as network nodes and network servers. The transceiver 104, memory 106 and / or processor 102 may be implemented in separate chipsets or may be implemented in a common chipset. That the first communication device 100 is configured to perform certain actions can in this disclosure be understood to mean that the first communication device 100 comprises suitable means, such as e.g., the processor 102 and the transceiver 104, configured to perform the actions.

[0070] According to embodiments of the invention the first communication device 100 is configured to: receive a first control message 510 indicating a CG and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel 530, wherein the control channel 530 comprises a CG control information 540: and monitor the first search space for the CG control information 540 based on the first control message 510 when the CG is active.

[0071] Furthermore, in an embodiment of the invention, the first communication device 100 for a communication system 500 comprises a processor configured to: receive a first control message 510 indicating a CG and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel 530, wherein the control channel 530 comprises a CG control information 540: and monitor the first search space for the CG control information 540 based on the first control message 510 when the CG is active.

[0072] Moreover, in yet another embodiment of the invention, the first communication device 100 for a communication system 500 comprises a processor and a memory having computer readable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive a first control message 510 indicating a CG and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel 530, wherein the control channel 530 comprises a CG control information 540: and monitor the first search space for the CG control information based on the first control message 510 when the CG is active.

[0073] Fig. 2 shows a flow chart of a corresponding method 200 which may be executed in a first communication device 100, such as the one shown in Fig . 1. The method 200 comprises receiving 202 a first control message 510 indicating a configured grant and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel 530, wherein the control channel 530 comprises a CG control information 540: and monitoring 204 the first search space for the CG control information 540 based on the first control message 510 when the CG is active.

[0074] Fig. 3 shows a second communication device 300 according to an embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the second communication device 300 comprises a processor 302, a transceiver 304 and a memory 306. The processor 302 is coupled to the transceiver 304 and the memory 306 by communication means 308 known in the art. The second communication device 300 may be configured for wireless and / or wired communications in a communication system. The wireless communication capability may be provided with an antenna or antenna array 310 coupled to the transceiver 304, while the wired communication capability may be provided with a wired communication interface 312 e.g., coupled to the transceiver 304.

[0075] The processor 302 may be referred to as one or more general-purpose CPUs, one or more DSPs, one or more ASICs, one or more FPGAs, one or more programmable logic devices, one or more discrete gates, one or more transistor logic devices, one or more discrete hardware components, one or more chipsets. The memory 306 may be a read-only memory, a RAM, or a NVRAM. The transceiver 304 may be a transceiver circuit, a power controller, or an interface providing capability to communicate with other communication modules or communication devices. The transceiver 304, the memory 306 and / or the processor 302 may be implemented in separate chipsets or may be implemented in a common chipset. That the second communication device 300 is configured to perform certain actions can in this disclosure be understood to mean that the second communication device 300 comprises suitable means, such as e.g., the processor 302 and the transceiver 304, configured to perform the actions. According to embodiments of the invention the second communication device 300 is configured to transmit a first control message 510 to a first communication device 100, the first control message 510 indicating a CG and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel 530, wherein the control channel 530 comprises a CG control information 540.

[0076] Furthermore, in an embodiment of the invention, the second communication device 300 for a communication system 500 comprises a transceiver configured to: transmit a first control message 510 to a first communication device 100, the first control message 510 indicating a CG and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel 530, wherein the control channel 530 comprises a CG control information 540.

[0077] Moreover, in yet another embodiment of the invention, the second communication device 300 for a communication system 500 comprises a processor and a memory having computer readable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: transmit a first control message 510 to a first communication device 100, the first control message 510 indicating a CG and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel 530, wherein the control channel 530 comprises a CG control information 540.

[0078] Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of a corresponding method 400 which may be executed in a second communication device 300, such as the one shown in Fig. 3. The method 400 comprises transmitting 402 a first control message 510 to a first communication device 100, the first control message 510 indicating a CG and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel 530, wherein the control channel 530 comprises a CG control information 540.

[0079] Fig. 5 shows a communication system 500 according to an embodiment of the invention. The communication system 500 in the disclosed embodiment comprises a first communication device 100 and a second communication device 300 configured to communicate and operate in the communication system 500. For simplicity, the shown communication system 500 only comprises one first communication device 100 and one second communication device 300. However, the communication system 500 may comprise any number of first communication devices 100 and any number of second communication devices 300 without deviating from the scope of the invention.

[0080] In embodiments of the invention, the first communication device 100 is a client device while the second communication device 300 is a network access node. This also implies that the control channel 530 may be a PDCCH.

[0081] It is shown in Fig. 5 how the network access node 300 transmits a control channel 530 in the downlink (DL) to the client device 100 after having configured the client device 100 with a first control message (not shown in Fig. 5). Since the client device 100 has received the first control message and hence is configured accordingly, the client device 100 monitors the first search space for the configured grant control information 540.

[0082] Further details related to embodiments of the invention will now be described in a 3GPP context. Thus, 3GPP terminology, definitions, expressions and system architecture will be used. Especially, the first communication device 100 according to the invention may in these embodiments be configured to perform any of the described functions of a 3GPP UE which also is given reference numeral 100. The second communication device 300 according to the invention may in these embodiments corresponding be configured to perform any of the described functions of a 3GPP gNB which also is given reference numeral 300. It may however be noted that embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto.

[0083] Fig. 6 shows a signaling diagram of different aspect of the invention. Previous to steps I - IV in Fig. 6, the UE 100 is configured by the gNB 300 with a RRC configuration including configuration for PDCCH monitoring. This means that the UE 100 is configured with a set of control resource sets, wherein PDCCH monitoring will be performed, and a set of search spaces, defining the behavior for PDCCH monitoring, including the periodicity, the number of candidates, etc.

[0084] In embodiments of the invention, the first control message 510 further indicates an association between the CG and the second search space. This means that the CG may be associated with more than one search space. The first search space may therefore be used as a default search space upon CG activation, for monitoring and reception of the CG control information. Other associated search spaces, including the second search space, may be used to adapt PDCCH monitoring in time and the formats of downlink control information that are considered.

[0085] In step III in Fig. 6, the gNB 300 transmits a second control message 520 to the UE 100. The second control message 520 either indicates an activation of the CG or a deactivation of the CG. In embodiments of the invention, the second control message 520 is a RRC message or a DCI message.

[0086] In step IV in Fig. 6, the UE 100 receives the second control message 520 from the gNB 300. The UE 100 demodulates and decodes the second control message 520 so as to derive the information therein disclosed. Depending on whether the second control message 520 indicates activation of the CG or deactivation of the CG the UE 100 may be configured to proceed according to different processing paths.

[0087] In step IV in Fig. 6, when the second control message 520 indicates an activation of the CG, the UE 100 starts monitoring the first search space for the CG control information 540. Hence, in embodiments of the invention, the UE 100 is triggered to monitoring the first search space for the CG control information 540 upon reception of a second control message 520.

[0088] In step IV in Fig. 6, when the second control message 520 indicates a deactivation of the CG two main cases are envisaged.

[0089] In a first case, the UE 100 stops monitoring the first search space for the CG control information 540 upon reception of a second control message 520 indicating a deactivation of the CG.

[0090] In a second case, the UE 100 switches to monitoring a second search space for a control information with a format different to a format of the CG control information 540 upon reception of a second control message 520 indicating a deactivation of the CG.

[0091] In further embodiments of the invention, it is disclosed how the behavior of the UE 100 in the present context can be controlled depending on the information carried in the CG control information 540. In a first example, the CG control information 540 indicates one or more in a group comprising:

[0092] • A modulation and coding scheme specifying the modulation order and coding rate for the upcoming transmissions in the resources of the CG.

[0093] • A differential modulation and coding scheme with respect to a CG modulation and coding scheme specifying the modulation order and coding rate for the upcoming transmissions in the resources of the CG. Since differential encoding is used, signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0094] • A time-frequency resource allocation adapting the resources of the CG for upcoming transmissions by the UE 100.

[0095] • A waveform switching enabling the UE 100 to select a waveform for the upcoming transmission.

[0096] • A waveform indicator indicating the waveform that the UE 100 needs to use for the upcoming transmission in the CG.

[0097] • A transmit power level used to set the power of the transmitted control and data signals by the UE 100, e.g., physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0098] • A transmit power adjustment level used to adapt the power of the transmitted control and data signals by the UE 100, e.g., PUSCH, PUCCH and SRS.

[0099] • A duplexing format which can be used when flexible duplexing is enabled for the CG resources.

[0100] In step V in Fig. 6, the UE 100 is configured to perform a subsequent data transmission based on the CG control information 540. The transmission of the UE 100, in the upcoming CG resources, will be adapted depending on the configured parameters of the CG and the information indicated in the CG control information, which are relevant for link adaptation. The subsequent data transmission may be performed in the PUSCH or in the PUCCH depending on the type of transmission.

[0101] In step VI in Fig. 6, the gNB 300 transmits a CG control information 540 which indicates a trigger for monitoring a control information with a format different to a format of the CG control information 540 in the first search space.

[0102] In step VII in Fig. 6, the UE 100 is configured to monitor the first search space for the control information with the format different to the format of the CG control information 540 based on the CG control information 540. This means that the default behavior of the UE 100 is to monitor the first search space for a single control information format, i.e., CG control information. Nevertheless, the UE 100 is still able to receive other control information formats when triggered to do so. Consequently, blind decoding and PDCCH decoding power consumption can be reduced.

[0103] In step VIII in Fig. 6, the UE 100 performs a data transmission according to the CG configuration and, if applicable the received control information.

[0104] In step IX in Fig. 6 the gNB 300 transmits a configured grant control information 540 to the UE 100. The configured grant control information 540 indicates a trigger for monitoring a control information with a format different to a format of the CG control information 540 in a second search space.

[0105] In this example, the UE 100 in step X is configured to monitor the second search space for the control information with the format different to the format of the CG control information 540 based on the configured grant control information 540. This approach can be used in order to leverage difference in time domain behavior of search space monitoring, e.g., when an upcoming monitoring instance in the second search space is earlier than the upcoming monitoring instance in the first search space. In another example, the configured grant control information 540 indicates a second search space for monitoring the control channel 530. Thus, the UE 100 in step X switches to monitoring the second search space for control information.

[0106] In yet another example, the UE 100 is configured to switch to monitoring the second search space for the CG control information 540 based on the CG control information 540. In this case, the CG control information is used as a trigger for search space switching for a single or multiple upcoming search space monitoring instances. Thus, the UE 100 in step X switches to monitoring the second search space for control information. The CG control information may indicate switching to perform a single monitoring instance or to maintain monitoring of the second search space for an indicated time interval or number of instances. This can be done in order to change the time domain behavior of monitoring for CG control information 540, e.g., the periodicity and offset.

[0107] A network access node herein may also be denoted as a radio network access node, an access network access node, an access point (AP), or a base station (BS), e.g., a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may be referred to as transmitter, “gNB”, “gNodeB”, “eNB”, “eNodeB”, “NodeB” or “B node”, depending on the standard, technology and terminology used. The radio network access node may be of different classes or types such as e.g., macro eNodeB, home eNodeB or pico base station, based on transmission power and thereby the cell size. The radio network access node may further be a station, which is any device that contains an IEEE 802.11-conformant media access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) interface to the wireless medium (WM). The radio network access node may be configured for communication in 3GPP related long term evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced, fifth generation (5G) wireless systems, such as new radio (NR) and their evolutions, as well as in IEEE related Wi-Fi, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) and their evolutions.

[0108] A client device herein may be denoted as a user device, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, an internet of things (loT) device, a sensor device, a wireless terminal and / or a mobile terminal, and is enabled to communicate wirelessly in a wireless communication system, sometimes also referred to as a cellular radio system. The UEs may further be referred to as mobile telephones, cellular telephones, computer tablets or laptops with wireless capability. The UEs in this context may be, for example, portable, pocket-storable, hand-held, computer-comprised, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices, enabled to communicate voice and / or data, via a radio access network (RAN), with another communication entity, such as another receiver or a server. The UE may further be a station, which is any device that contains an IEEE 802.11-conformant MAC and PHY interface to the WM. The UE may be configured for communication in 3GPP related LTE, LTE-advanced, 5G wireless systems, such as NR, and their evolutions, as well as in IEEE related Wi-Fi, WiMAX and their evolutions.

[0109] Furthermore, any method according to embodiments of the invention may be implemented in a computer program, having code means, which when run by processing means causes the processing means to execute the steps of the method. The computer program is included in a computer readable medium of a computer program product. The computer readable medium may comprise essentially any memory, such as previously mentioned a ROM, a PROM, an EPROM, a flash memory, an EEPROM, or a hard disk drive.

[0110] Moreover, it should be realized that the first communication device 100 and the second communication device 300 comprise the necessary communication capabilities in the form of e.g., functions, means, units, elements, etc., for performing or implementing embodiments of the invention. Examples of other such means, units, elements and functions are: processors, memory, buffers, control logic, encoders, decoders, rate matchers, de-rate matchers, mapping units, multipliers, decision units, selecting units, switches, interleavers, de-interleavers, modulators, demodulators, inputs, outputs, antennas, amplifiers, receiver units, transmitter units, DSPs, TCM encoder, TCM decoder, power supply units, power feeders, communication interfaces, communication protocols, etc. which are suitably arranged together for performing the solution. Therefore, the processors) of the first communication device 100 and the second communication device 300 may comprise, e.g., one or more instances of a CPU, a processing unit, a processing circuit, a processor, an ASIC, a microprocessor, or other processing logic that may interpret and execute instructions. The expression “processor” may thus represent a processing circuitry comprising aplurality of processing circuits, such as e.g., any, some or all of the ones mentioned above. The processing circuitry may further perform data processing functions for inputting, outputting, and processing of data comprising data buffering and device control functions, such as call processing control, user interface control, or the like.

[0111] Finally, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but also relates to and incorporates all embodiments within the scope of the appended independent claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A first communication device (100) configured to: receive a first control message (510) indicating a configured grant and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel (530), wherein the control channel (530) comprises a configured grant control information (540); and monitor the first search space for the configured grant control information (540) based on the first control message (510) when the configured grant is active.

2. The first communication device (100) according to claim 1, configured to: start monitoring the first search space for the configured grant control information (540) upon reception of a second control message (520) indicating an activation of the configured grant.

3. The first communication device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, configured to: stop monitoring the first search space for the configured grant control information (540) upon reception of a second control message (520) indicating a deactivation of the configured grant; or switch to monitoring a second search space for a control information with a format different to a format of the configured grant control information (540) upon reception of a second control message (520) indicating a deactivation of the configured grant.

4. The first communication device (100) according to claim 3, wherein first control message (510) further indicates an association between the configured grant and the second search space.

5. The first communication device (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the second control message (520) is a radio resource control message or a downlink control information message.

6. The first communication device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first control message (510) is a radio resource control message.

7. The first communication device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the configured grant control information (540) indicates one or more in a group comprising: a modulation and coding scheme, a differential modulation and coding scheme with respect to a configured grant modulation and coding scheme, a time-frequency resource allocation, a waveform switching, a waveform indicator, a transmit power level, a transmit power adjustment level, and a duplexing format; and wherein the first communication device (100) is configured to: perform a subsequent data transmission based on the configured grant control information (540).

8. The first communication device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the configured grant control information (540) indicates a trigger for monitoring a control information with a format different to a format of the configured grant control information (540) in the first search space, and wherein the first communication device (100) is configured to: monitor the first search space for the control information with the format different to the format of the configured grant control information (540) based on the configured grant control information (540).

9. The first communication device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the configured grant control information (540) indicates a trigger for monitoring a control information with a format different to a format of the configured grant control information (540) in a second search space, and wherein the first communication device (100) is configured to:monitor the second search space for the control information with the format different to the format of the configured grant control information (540) based on the configured grant control information (540).

10. The first communication device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the configured grant control information (540) indicates a second search space for monitoring the control channel (530), and wherein the first communication device (100) is configured to: switch to monitoring the second search space for the configured grant control information (540) based on the configured grant control information (540).

11. The first communication device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first communication device (100) is a client device and the second communication device (300) is a network access node.

12. The first communication device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control channel (530) is a physical downlink control channel.

13. A second communication device (300) configured to: transmit a first control message (510) to a first communication device (100), the first control message (510) indicating a configured grant and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel (530), wherein the control channel (530) comprises a configured grant control information (540).

14. The second communication device (300) according to claim 13, wherein first control message (510) further indicates an association between the configured grant and a second search space.

15. The second communication device (300) according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the first control message (510) is a radio resource control message.

16. The second communication device (300) according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the configured grant control information (540) indicates one or more a group comprising: a modulation and coding scheme, a differential modulation and coding scheme with respect to a configured grant modulation and coding scheme, a time-frequency resource allocation, a waveform switching, a waveform indicator, a transmit power level, a transmit power adjustment level, and a duplexing format.

17. The second communication device (300) according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the configured grant control information (540) indicates a trigger for monitoring a control information with a format different to a format of the configured grant control information (540) in the first search space.

18. The second communication device (300) according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the configured grant control information (540) indicates a trigger for monitoring a control information with a format different to a format of the configured grant control information (540) in a second search space19. The second communication device (300) according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the configured grant control information (540) indicates a second search space for monitoring the control channel (530).

20. The second communication device (300) according to any one of claims 13 to 19, wherein the first communication device (100) is a client device and the second communication device (300) is a network access node.

21. The second communication device (300) according to any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein the control channel (530) is a physical downlink control channel.

22. A method (200) for a first communication device (100), the method (200) comprising: receiving (202) a first control message (510) indicating a configured grant and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel (530), wherein the control channel (530) comprises a configured grant control information (540); and monitoring (204) the first search space for the configured grant control information (540) based on the first control message (510) when the configured grant is active.

23. A method (400) for a second communication device (300), the method (400) comprising: transmitting (402) a first control message (510) to a first communication device (100), the first control message (510) indicating a configured grant and an associated first search space for monitoring a control channel (530), wherein the control channel (530) comprises a configured grant control information (540).

24. A computer program with a program code for performing a method according to claim 22 or 23 when the computer program runs on a computer.

Images