Radio access network resource grant allocation and related aspects
Various ways for a network node in a radio access network to allocate a grant, “CG” of dedicated and/or shared radio resources to a wireless communications device are disclosed which disperse repetitive transmissions within a configured grant period. One disclosed example aspect includes a method performed by a network node in a radio access network, the network node being configured to grant radio resources to a plurality of wireless communications devices, the method including: obtaining signalling information indicating at least one configuration of radio resources for a plurality of time-domain repetitive transmissions in at least one configured grant period, wherein each configured grant period is configured to provide at least one time-gap of a longer duration than another time-gap between the repetitive transmissions in that configured grant period; and sending the signalling information to at least one of the plurality of wireless communication devices.
1 . A method performed by a wireless communications device for sending repetitive transmissions in a radio access network, the method comprising:
receiving signalling indicating at least one configuration of radio resources for a plurality of time-domain repetitive transmissions in at least one configured grant period, wherein each configured grant period is configured to provide at least one time-gap of a longer duration than another time-gap between the repetitive transmissions in that configured grant period; and
using, for at least one transport block, the signalled at least one configuration of radio resources for repetitively transmitting the at least one transport block in the at least one configured grant period, wherein the signalling indicates at least one configuration of radio resources for a plurality of repetition sets comprising the time-domain repetitive transmissions in at least one configured grant period.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the other time-gap between the repetitive transmissions comprises an intra-repetition set time gap with a duration dx between repetitive transmissions of a repetition set.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one time-gap comprises an inter-repetition set time gap of duration (dz) which follows at least the first repetition set of the at least one configured grant period.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the using comprises:
initiating, in a configured grant period of the at least one configured grant period, the repetitive transmissions of the at least one transport block using the at least one configuration of radio resources; and
suspending following transmitting the repetitive transmissions of the repetition set, subsequent transmissions for up to a duration (dz) of the intra-repetition set gap configured to follow that repetition set.
5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the signalled configured duration (dz) of each inter-repetition set time gap following a repetition set varies within each of the at least one configured grant period.
6 . The method of claim 3 , wherein, another intra-repetition set time gap of duration (dy) is configured between adjacent repetitions of at least one other repetition set in the at least one configured grant period, and wherein the duration dy of the intra-repetition set time gap, is different from the duration dx of a previous intra-repetition set time gap.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the received signalling further configures one or more or all of the following configuration parameters for the radio resources for each of the at least one configured grant period:
a number of transport blocks or feedback processes which can be suspended in that configured grant period;
a maximum number of inter-repetition set time gaps (dz) during which the repetitive transmissions of each transport block or feedback process in that configured grant period are suspended;
a maximum number of repetitions (K) in a repetition set; and
a redundancy version (RV) sequence for each repetition set in that configured grant period.
8 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the signalled configuration of radio resources is signalled to at least one other wireless communications device which with the wireless communications device form a group of wireless communications devices, wherein the signalling indicates dedicated radio resources for at least one repetition set for use by each wireless communications device of the group and shared radio resources for at least one other repetition set for shared use by the wireless communication devices of the group.
9 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
detecting, by the wireless communications device, feedback received during an inter-repetition set time gap in one of the at least one configured grant period; and
based on the detected feedback, resuming or skipping one or more remaining repetition sets using the allocated resources for that configured grant period in accordance with a feedback policy.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein, the feedback policy determines one or more characteristics of one or more subsequent repetition sets in at least that configured grant period depending on the detected feedback meeting one or more feedback conditions.
11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the feedback policy includes a feedback condition which must be met by feedback received by the wireless communications device if the wireless communications devices is to resume repetitive transmissions in another repetition set of that configured grant period or of a different configured grant period.
12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the feedback policy determines at least one of:
an intra-repetition set time gap of duration (dy) between adjacent repetitive transmissions of a repetition set in the same or a different configured grant period of which follows the received feedback, where the duration (dy) of the intra-repetition set time gap is different from a previous duration dx of the intra-repetition set time gap; and
a subsequent inter-repetition set time gap duration (dz2) between adjacent sets of repetitive transmissions in the same or a different configured grant period which follows the received feedback, where the duration dz2 is different from a previous duration dz of the inter-repetition set time gap.
13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein different feedback policies are configured for different repetition sets in at least one configured grant period.
14 . A method performed by a network node in a radio access network, the network node being configured to grant radio resources to a plurality of wireless communications devices, the method comprising:
obtaining signalling information indicating at least one configuration of radio resources for a plurality of time-domain repetitive transmissions in at least one configured grant period, wherein each configured grant period is configured to provide at least one time-gap of a longer duration than another time-gap between the repetitive transmissions in that configured grant period; and
sending the signalling information to at least one of the plurality of wireless communication devices, wherein the signalling information indicates at least one configuration of radio resources for a plurality of repetition sets comprising the time-domain repetitive transmissions in at least one configured grant period.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the other time-gap between the repetitive transmissions comprises an intra-repetition set time gap with a duration dx between repetitive transmissions of a repetition set.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one time-gap comprises an inter-repetition set time gap of duration dz which follows at least the first repetition set of the at least one configured grant period.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the signalling includes a feedback policy for any feedback which is received by the at least one wireless communications device in an inter-repetition set time gap dz.
18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the signalling includes at least one configuration of radio resources comprising a intra-repetition set time gap with a different duration dy between repetitive transmissions in at least one other repetition set in the configured grant period.
19 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the signalling further includes one or more of the following grant configuration parameters:
a number of transport blocks or feedback processes for which repetitive transmissions can be suspended in a configured grant period;
a maximum number of time gaps, each with duration dz, during which repetitive transmissions of each transport block or feedback process are suspended in a configured grant period;
a maximum number of repetitive transmissions (K) for a configured grant period; and
a redundancy version (RV) sequence for each repetition set in a configured grant period.
20 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the signalling comprises at least one of the following:
system information signalling;
dedicated radio resource control (RRC) signalling;
media access control (MAC) control element (CE) signalling; and
downlink control information (DCI) signalling.