Infrastructure equipment, communications devices and methods for compensating for frequency drift of an oscillator of a communications device

1. A communication device, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, from an infrastructure equipment of a mobile communications network, downlink signals on a downlink via a wireless access interface of the mobile communications network;

a transmitter configured to transmit, to the infrastructure equipment, uplink signals on an uplink via the wireless access interface; and

a control circuit configured to:

control the receiver to receive the downlink signals;

control the transmitter to transmit the uplink signals;

delay a reception period for a predetermined frequency adjustment period after a transmission period in which a duration of the transmitter transmitting the uplink signals exceeds a predetermined threshold, wherein the reception period corresponds to a reception of the downlink signals from the infrastructure equipment and

in response to a determination that the downlink signals have not been received from the infrastructure equipment for longer than the predetermined frequency adjustment period, synchronize an output frequency of the transmitter to a carrier frequency of the infrastructure equipment based on a synchronization signal received from the infrastructure equipment.

2. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to

determine whether the duration of the transmission period exceeds the predetermined threshold, and

delay the reception period when the control circuit determines that the duration of the transmission period exceeds the predetermined threshold.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the infrastructure equipment is configured to determine whether the duration of the transmission period exceeds the predetermined threshold.

4. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein when the control circuit delays the reception, the control circuit inserts transmission gaps into the uplink signals transmitted by the transmitter.

5. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein when the control circuit delays the reception, the control circuit delays the reception period by a length of time that is dependent on a capability of the communication device.

6. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein when the control circuit is configured to delay the reception period, the control circuit delays the reception period a length of time that is assigned in system information block (SIB) signaling.

7. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein when the control circuit is configured to delay the reception period, the control circuit is configured to control the transmitter to transmit a synchronization signal to the infrastructure equipment.

8. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein when the control circuit is configured to delay the reception period, the control circuit is configured to control the receiver to receive, after the reception period is delayed, an acknowledgement signal from the infrastructure equipment.

9. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein when the control circuit is configured to delay the reception period, the control circuit is configured to

synchronize the output frequency of the transmitter to the carrier frequency of the infrastructure equipment during the predetermined frequency adjustment period, and

after conclusion of the predetermined frequency adjustment period, decode the downlink signals received by the receiver from the infrastructure equipment during the reception period.

10. A communication device, comprising:

processing circuitry configured to

transmit, to an infrastructure equipment of a mobile communications network, uplink signals on an uplink via a wireless access interface of the mobile communications network;

receive, from the infrastructure equipment, downlink signals on a downlink via the wireless access interface;

delay a reception period for a predetermined frequency adjustment period after a transmission period in which a duration of transmitting the uplink signals exceeds a predetermined threshold, wherein the reception period corresponds to a reception of the downlink signals from the infrastructure equipment and

in response to a determination that the downlink signals have not been received from the infrastructure equipment for longer than the predetermined frequency adjustment period, synchronize an output frequency of the transmitter to a carrier frequency of the infrastructure equipment based on a synchronization signal received from the infrastructure equipment.

11. The communication device according to claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

determine whether the duration of the transmission period exceeds the predetermined threshold, and

delay the reception period when the processing circuitry determines that the duration of the transmission period exceeds the predetermined threshold.

12. The communication device according to claim 10 , wherein the infrastructure equipment is configured to determine whether the duration of the transmission period exceeds the predetermined threshold.

13. The communication device according to claim 10 , wherein when the processing circuitry delays the reception period, the processing circuitry inserts transmission gaps into the uplink signals transmitted to the infrastructure equipment.

14. The communication device according to claim 10 , wherein when the processing circuitry delays the reception period, the processing circuitry is configured to delays the reception period by a length of time that is dependent on a capability of the communication device.

15. The communication device according to claim 10 , wherein when the processing circuitry delays the reception period, the processing circuitry delays the reception period by a length of time that is assigned in system information block (SIB) signaling.

16. The communication device according to claim 10 , wherein when the processing circuitry delays the reception period, the processing circuitry is configured to transmit a synchronization signal to the infrastructure equipment.

17. The communication device according to claim 10 , wherein when the processing circuitry delays the reception period, the processing circuitry is configured to

synchronize the output frequency of the transmitter to the carrier frequency of the infrastructure equipment during the predetermined frequency adjustment period, and

after conclusion of the predetermined frequency adjustment period, decode the downlink signals received from the infrastructure equipment during the reception period.

18. A communication method, comprising:

transmitting, by processing circuitry of a communication device to an infrastructure equipment of a mobile communications network, uplink signals on an uplink via a wireless access interface of the mobile communications network;

receiving, from the infrastructure equipment, downlink signals on a downlink via the wireless access interface;

delaying, by the processing circuitry, a reception period for a predetermined frequency adjustment period after a transmission period in which a duration of transmitting the uplink signals exceeds a predetermined threshold, wherein the reception period corresponds to a reception of the downlink signals from the infrastructure equipment and

in response to a determination that the downlink signals have not been received from the infrastructure equipment for longer than the predetermined frequency adjustment period, synchronizing an output frequency of the transmitter to a carrier frequency of the infrastructure equipment based on a synchronization signal received from the infrastructure equipment.