Infrastructure equipment, wireless telecommunications system and method
An infrastructure equipment that transmits signals representing data via a wireless access interface to a communications device and receives signals representing data via the wireless access interface from the communications device in accordance with a time divided structure in which the wireless access interface is divided into a plurality of repeating time units. The infrastructure equipment provides, in each of a first plurality of the time units, one of a plurality of control channels each configured to schedule one of a plurality of data channels, and provides, in each of a second plurality of time units of the signal transmitted to the communications device, one of the plurality of data channels, the plurality of data channels being formed of one or more bundles of data channels, wherein the infrastructure equipment transmits a bundle status indicator in one or more of the plurality of control channels.
1. An infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless telecommunications system, the infrastructure equipment comprising:
circuitry configured to
transmit and receive signals via a wireless access interface in accordance with a time divided structure in which the wireless access interface is divided into a plurality of repeating time units,
provide, in each of a plurality of the time units, one of a plurality of control channels each configured to schedule one of a plurality of data channels, and
transmit a bundle status indicator in one or more of the plurality of control channels,
wherein the bundle status indicator includes a switch indicator indicating to the communications device that a time unit after a data channel scheduled by the control channel is configured for uplink communication to the infrastructure equipment.
2. The infrastructure equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the bundle status indicator transmitted in a control channel comprises an end of bundle indicator indicating that a data channel scheduled by the control channel is the last data channel of one of the one or more bundles of data channels.
3. The infrastructure equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the bundle status indicator transmitted in a control channel comprises a start of bundle indicator indicating that a data channel scheduled by the control channel is the first data channel of one of the one or more bundles of data channels.
4. The infrastructure equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the switch indicator indicates a delay of one or more time units after the data channel before the communications device should begin uplink communication to the infrastructure equipment.
5. The infrastructure equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the bundle status indicator transmitted in a control channel comprises a middle of bundle indicator indicating that a data channel scheduled by the control channel is neither the first or last data channel of one of the one or more bundles of data channels.
6. The infrastructure equipment according to claim 1 , wherein one of the control channels comprises an indication of a time unit in which the communications device should transmit an acknowledgement of one of the bundles of data channels to the infrastructure equipment.
7. The infrastructure equipment according to claim 1 , wherein an order of the one or more bundles of data channels indicates to the communications device that the communications device should transmit an acknowledgement of each of the one or more bundles of data channels during a next available time unit for uplink transmission to the infrastructure equipment in the order of the one or more bundles of data channels.
8. A wireless telecommunications system comprising an infrastructure equipment and a communications device, the infrastructure equipment comprising;
circuitry configured to
transmit and receive signals via a wireless access interface in accordance with a time divided structure in which the wireless access interface is divided into a plurality of repeating time units,
provide, in each of a plurality of the time units, one of a plurality of control channels each configured to schedule one of a plurality of data channels, and
transmit a bundle status indicator in one or more of the plurality of control channels,
wherein the bundle status indicator includes a switch indicator indicating to the communications device that a time unit after a data channel scheduled by the control channel is configured for uplink communication to the infrastructure equipment.
9. The wireless telecommunications system of claim 8 , wherein the communications device is configured
to detect that a number of time units in which no data has been received from the infrastructure equipment exceeds a predetermined threshold, and
to begin, in a predetermined time unit, uplink transmission to the infrastructure equipment.
10. The wireless telecommunications system of claim 8 , wherein the communications device is configured to transmit an acknowledgement of each of the one or more bundles of data channels in a communications resource of the wireless access interface which is a function of the number of data channels in the bundle.
11. The wireless telecommunications system of claim 8 , wherein the bundle status indicator transmitted in a control channel comprises an end of bundle indicator indicating that a data channel scheduled by the control channel is the last data channel of one of the one or more bundles of data channels.
12. A method of controlling communications in a wireless telecommunications system comprising an infrastructure equipment, the method comprising
providing, in each of a plurality of time units of a signal transmitted to a communications device, one of a plurality of control channels each configured to schedule one of a plurality of data channels; and
transmitting a bundle status indicator in one or more of the plurality of control channels,
wherein the bundle status indicator includes a switch indicator indicating to the communications device that a time unit after a data channel scheduled by the control channel is configured for uplink communication to the infrastructure equipment.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the bundle status indicator transmitted in a control channel comprises an end of bundle indicator indicating that a data channel scheduled by the control channel is the last data channel of one of the one or more bundles of data channels.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the bundle status indicator transmitted in a control channel comprises a start of bundle indicator indicating that a data channel scheduled by the control channel is the first data channel of one of the one or more bundles of data channels.
15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the switch indicator indicates a delay of one or more time units after the data channel before the communications device should begin uplink communication to the infrastructure equipment.
16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the bundle status indicator transmitted in a control channel comprises a middle of bundle indicator indicating that a data channel scheduled by the control channel is neither the first or last data channel of one of the one or more bundles of data channels.
17. The method of claim 12 , wherein one of the control channels comprises an indication of a time unit in which the communications device should transmit an acknowledgement of one of the bundles of data channels to the infrastructure equipment.
18. The method of claim 12 , wherein an order of the one or more bundles of data channels indicates to the communications device that the communications device should transmit an acknowledgement of each of the one or more bundles of data channels during a next available time unit for uplink transmission to the infrastructure equipment in the order of the one or more bundles of data channels.