Reliability enhancement for user equipment with partial repetitions in configured grant

1. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, for operating in a Fifth Generation, 5G, network, the method comprising:

receiving data to be transmitted as an uplink, UL, transmission in Configured Grant, CG, resources, the data to be transmitted K number of times within a CG period for the CG resources;

determining that a number of Transmission Occasions, TOs, remaining within the CG resources and within the CG period for the UE is less than K; and

transmitting the data within the remaining TOs within the CG resources and also transmitting the data within TOs within shared resources, which are separate from the CG resources.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising, upon determining that that the number of TOs remaining within the CG resources and within the CG period for the UE is less than K, transmitting the data within the remaining TOs within the CG resources and also transmitting the data within the TOs within the shared resources such that the transmission is performed at least K number of times.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a CG period for the shared resources is either:

aligned with the CG period for the CG resources; or

offset or delayed in time relative to the CG period for the CG resources.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the TOs within the CG resources and the shared resources are:

contiguous with each other in a time domain; or

are not contiguous with each other in the time domain.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein there is only one TO per time slot per Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, HARQ, process.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein transmitting the data within the TOs within the shared resources comprises transmitting the data in a location that is chosen randomly, deterministically, or semi-deterministically.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein transmitting the data within the TOs within the shared resources such that the transmission is performed at least K number of times comprises performing the transmission L number of times, where L>K.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein a value of L is determined based on a reliability of the shared resources.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmission is repeated L number of times, where L<K; and the transmitting within either the CG resources, the shared resources, or both occurs with an increased transmit power.

10. A method performed by a New Radio, NR, base station, gNB, the method comprising:

monitoring uplink, UL, transmissions by a User Equipment, UE, in Configured Grant, CG, resources, for data to be transmitted K number of times within a CG period for the CG resources;

detecting that the UE is transmitting on CG resources;

determining that a number of Transmission Occasions, TOs, within the CG resources and within the CG period for the UE for transmitting the data will be less than K; and

monitoring a shared resource, which is separate from the CG resources, for Grant-Free, GF, transmissions of the data by the UE.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein a CG period for the shared resources is either:

aligned with the CG period for the CG resources; or

offset or delayed in time relative to the CG period for the CG resources.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the TOs within the CG resources and the shared resources are:

contiguous with each other in a time domain; or

are not contiguous with each other in the time domain.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein there is only one TO per time slot per Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, HARQ, process.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein determining that that the number of TOs within the CG resources and within the CG period for the UE will be less than K further comprises determining that the number of TOs remaining within the CG resources and within the CG period for the UE is less than a threshold T.

15. A wireless device for operating in a Fifth Generation, 5G, network, the wireless device comprising:

power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the wireless device; and

processing circuitry configured to:

receive data to be transmitted as an uplink, UL, transmission in Configured Grant, CG, resources, the data to be transmitted K number of times within a CG period for the CG resources;

determine that a number of Transmission Occasions, TOs, remaining within the CG resources and within the CG period for the UE is less than K; and

transmit the data within the remaining TOs within the CG resources and also transmit the data within TOs within shared resources, which are separate from the CG resources.

16. The wireless device of claim 15 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

repeat the transmission L number of times, where L<K; and

transmit within either the CG resources, the shared resources, or both with increased transmit power.

17. The wireless device of claim 15 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

transmit the data within the TOs within the shared resources whereby the data is transmitted in a location that is chosen randomly, deterministically, or semi-deterministically.

18. A base station operating in a Fifth Generation, 5G, network, the base station comprising:

power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the base station; and

processing circuitry configured to:

monitor uplink, UL, transmissions by a User Equipment, UE, in Configured Grant, CG, resources, for data to be transmitted K number of times within a CG period for the CG resources;

detect that the UE is transmitting on CG resources;

determine that a number of Transmission Occasions, TOs, within the CG resources and within the CG period for the UE for transmitting the data will be less than K; and

monitor a shared resource, which is separate from the CG resources, for Grant-Free, GF, transmissions of the data by the UE.

19. The base station according to claim 18 , the processing circuitry is further configured to:

determine that that the number of TOs within the CG resources and within the CG period for the UE will be less than K; and

determine that the number of TOs remaining within the CG resources and within the CG period for the UE is less than a threshold T.