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US-12627452-B2 - Communications devices, network infrastructure equipment, wireless communications networks and methods

US12627452B2US 12627452 B2US12627452 B2US 12627452B2US-12627452-B2

Abstract

A method of receiving data at a communications device from a wireless communications network is provided. The method comprises receiving downlink control information indicating an allocation of downlink communications resources of a wireless access interface provided by the wireless communications network for receiving downlink data, the downlink control information also providing an indication of a relative priority associated with the received downlink data, and receiving the downlink data from the allocated downlink communications resources.

Inventors

  • Shin Horng Wong
  • Naoki Kusashima

Assignees

  • Sony Group Corporation

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20210722
Priority Date
20200727

Claims (18)

  1. 1 . A method of receiving data at a communications device from a wireless communications network, the method comprising receiving, by the communications device, downlink control information indicating an allocation of downlink communications resources of a wireless access interface provided by the wireless communications network for receiving downlink data, the downlink control information also providing an indication of a relative priority associated with the received downlink data, receiving the downlink data from the allocated downlink communications resources, determining, by the communications device, whether the downlink data was successfully received, generating an automatic repeat request acknowledgement or negative acknowledgement, HARQ-ACK, in accordance with whether or not the downlink data was successfully received, determining that uplink communications resources for transmitting the HARQ-ACK are not available, using transmission rules to identify next available uplink communications resources presenting an opportunity for transmitting the HARQ-ACK, and using the indication of the relative priority associated with the received downlink data to determine whether the communications device can transmit the HARQ-ACK in the next available uplink communications resources as the resource opportunity to transmit the HARQ-ACK.
  2. 2 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining that uplink communications resources for transmitting the HARQ-ACK are not available comprises identifying from the downlink control information whether uplink communications resources have been allocated for the communications device to transmit the HARQ-ACK with respect to the transmission of the downlink data, and determining that the uplink communications resources have not been allocated for transmitting the HARQ-ACK if the downlink control information indicates that there has not been an allocation of uplink communications resources with respect to the transmission of the downlink data.
  3. 3 . A method of claim 1 , wherein the downlink communications resources and the uplink communications resources of the wireless access interface are accessed using a contentious access procedure, and the downlink control information provides an indication of the uplink communications resources for transmitting the HARQ-ACK, and the determining that the uplink communications resources for transmitting the HARQ-ACK are not available comprises determining that the contentious access procedure for accessing the allocated uplink communications resources indicated by the downlink control information has failed or are not allowed according to the contentious access procedure.
  4. 4 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the using the transmission rules to identify next available uplink communications resources presenting an opportunity for transmitting the HARQ-ACK comprises identifying uplink communications resources which have been assigned for an uplink transmission, determining that a relative priority of the uplink communications resources assigned for the uplink transmission is equal to or lower than the relative priority associated with the received downlink data, identifying the uplink communications resources assigned for the uplink transmission as the next available resource opportunity for transmitting the HARQ-ACK.
  5. 5 . A method according to claim 4 , wherein the uplink communications resources which have been assigned for the uplink transmission are uplink communications resources which were allocated by another downlink control information transmission for transmitting a HARQ-ACK for another downlink data transmission, the uplink communications resources forming part of a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and the downlink data transmission using downlink communications resources forming part of a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).
  6. 6 . A method according to claim 4 , wherein the uplink communications resources which have been assigned for the uplink transmission are uplink communications resources which have been allocated by another downlink control information transmission for transmitting an uplink data transmission as part of a dynamic grant, the uplink communications resources forming part of a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).
  7. 7 . A method according to claim 4 , wherein the uplink communications resources which have been assigned for the uplink transmission are uplink communications resources which have been pre-configured for uplink data transmission as part of a configured grant, the uplink communications resources forming part of a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).
  8. 8 . A method according to claim 4 , wherein the uplink communications resources which have been assigned for the uplink transmission are uplink communications resources which have been allocated by another downlink control information transmission, the another downlink control information allocating resources for another downlink transmission containing no data or containing dummy data as part of a dynamic grant, the uplink communications resources forming part of a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).
  9. 9 . A method according to claim 4 , wherein the uplink communications resources which have been assigned for the uplink transmission are uplink communications resources which have been allocated by another downlink control information transmission for transmitting a HARQ-ACK in response to the another downlink control information without allocating any downlink resources for another downlink transmission, the uplink communications resources forming part of a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).
  10. 10 . A method according to claim 4 , wherein the identifying uplink communications resources which have been assigned for an uplink transmission comprises identifying first and second uplink communications resources which have been assigned for a first and second uplink transmission respectively and the determining that the relative priority of the uplink communications resources assigned for the uplink transmission is equal to or lower than the relative priority of the HARQ-ACK comprises determining that a relative priority of the first uplink communications resources assigned for the first uplink transmission is higher than a relative priority of the second uplink communications resources assigned for the second uplink transmission, and the identifying the uplink communications resources assigned for the uplink transmission as the next available resource opportunity for transmitting the HARQ-ACK comprises identifying the first uplink communications resources assigned for the first uplink transmission as the next available resource opportunity for transmitting the HARQ-ACK and the using the indication of the relative priority associated with the received downlink data to determine whether the communications device can transmit the HARQ-ACK in the next available uplink communications resources as the resource opportunity to transmit the HARQ-ACK comprises determining that the communications device can transmit the HARQ-ACK in the first uplink communications resources if the relative priority associated with the received downlink data is at least as high as the relative priority of the second uplink communications resources.
  11. 11 . A method according to claim 10 , comprising determining that the first uplink communications resources assigned for the uplink transmission start at an earlier point in time than the second uplink communications resources assigned for the second uplink transmission.
  12. 12 . A method according to claim 10 , comprising determining that the second uplink communications resources assigned for the second uplink transmission start at an earlier point in time than the first uplink communications resources assigned for the first uplink transmission.
  13. 13 . A method according to claim 10 , comprising determining that the first uplink communications resources assigned for the first uplink transmission start at a same point in time than the second uplink communications resources assigned for the second uplink transmission.
  14. 14 . A method according to claim 4 , wherein the identifying uplink communications resources which have been assigned for an uplink transmission comprises identifying first and second uplink communications resources which have been assigned for a first and second uplink transmission respectively, determining that the first uplink communications resources assigned for the first uplink transmission start at an earlier point in time than the second uplink communications resources assigned for the second uplink transmission, and identifying the first uplink communications resources assigned for the first uplink transmission as the next available resource opportunity for transmitting the HARQ-ACK.
  15. 15 . A method of transmitting data to one or more communications devices by an infrastructure equipment forming part of a radio access network of a wireless communications network, the method comprising transmitting, to one or more communications devices, downlink control information indicating an allocation of downlink communications resources of the wireless access interface provided by the wireless communications network for receiving downlink data, the downlink control information also providing an indication of a relative priority associated with the received downlink data, transmitting, to the one or more communications devices, the downlink data from the allocated downlink communications resources determining that an automatic repeat request acknowledgement or negative acknowledgement, HARQ-ACK, in accordance with whether or not the downlink data was successfully received at the one or more of the communications devices, was not received at the infrastructure equipment providing, to the one or more communications devices, next available uplink communications resources presenting an opportunity for transmitting the HARQ-ACK in response to the determining that the HARQ-ACK was not received at the infrastructure equipment.
  16. 16 . A method according to claim 15 , wherein the uplink communications resources provided to the one or more communications from which the HARQ-ACK was not received have a relative priority at least as high as the priority associated with the received downlink data.
  17. 17 . A method according to claim 15 , wherein the providing, to the one or more communications from which the HARQ-ACK was not received, uplink communications resources for transmitting the HARQ-ACK to the infrastructure equipment comprises providing, to the one or more communications from which the HARQ-ACK was not received, the uplink communications resources for transmitting the HARQ-ACK to the infrastructure equipment within a pre-defined time period from the determining that the HARQ-ACK was not received at the infrastructure equipment.
  18. 18 . An infrastructure equipment forming part of a radio access network of a wireless communications network, the infrastructure equipment comprising transceiver circuitry configured to transmit signals to one or more communications devices and to receive signals from the one or more communications devices via a wireless access interface provided by the wireless communications network; and controller circuitry configured to control the transceiver circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to transmit, to one or more communications devices, downlink control information indicating an allocation of downlink communications resources of the wireless access interface provided by the wireless communications network for receiving downlink data, the downlink control information also providing an indication of a relative priority associated with the received downlink data, transmit, to the one or more communications devices, the downlink data from the allocated downlink communications resources determine that an automatic repeat request acknowledgement or negative acknowledgement, HARQ-ACK, in accordance with whether or not the downlink data was successfully received at the one or more of the communications devices, was not received at the infrastructure equipment provide, to the one or more communications devices, next available uplink communications resources presenting an opportunity for transmitting the HARQ-ACK in response to the determining that the HARQ-ACK was not received at the infrastructure equipment.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is based on PCT filing PCT/EP2021/070615, filed Jul. 22, 2021, which claims the Paris Convention priority of European patent application number EP20187993.9, filed Jul. 27, 2020, the content of each is incorporated in entirety by reference. BACKGROUND Field The present disclosure relates to communications devices, network infrastructure equipment, wireless communications networks and methods. Embodiments can provide improvements in or relating wireless communications system operating to communicate data using automatic repeat request protocols such as hybrid automatic repeat request protocols (HARQ). Description of Related Art The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention. Latest generation mobile telecommunication systems are able to support a wider range of services than simple voice and messaging services offered by earlier generations of mobile telecommunication systems. For example, with the improved radio interface and enhanced data rates provided by LTE systems, a user is able to enjoy high data rate applications such as mobile video streaming and mobile video conferencing that would previously only have been available via a fixed line data connection. The demand to deploy such networks is therefore strong and the coverage area of these networks, i.e. geographic locations where access to the networks is possible, is expected to continue to increase rapidly. Future wireless communications networks will be expected efficiently to support communications with an ever-increasing range of devices and data traffic profiles than existing systems are optimised to support. For example it is expected future wireless communications networks will be expected to efficiently support communications with devices including reduced complexity devices, machine type communication devices, high resolution video displays, virtual reality headsets and so on. Some of these different types of devices may be deployed in very large numbers, for example low complexity devices for supporting the “The Internet of Things”, and may typically be associated with the transmissions of relatively small amounts of data with relatively high latency tolerance. In view of a desire to support new types of devices with a variety of applications there is expected to be a desire for future wireless communications networks to support connectivity more efficiently for a wide range of devices associated with different applications and different characteristic data traffic profiles and requirements. For example future wireless communications networks and systems such as those being developed by the 3rd Generation Project Partnership (3GPP), which may be referred to as 5G or new radio (NR) systems/new radio access technology (RAT) systems, as well as future iterations/releases of existing systems aim to introduce new developments and techniques to support new applications. Example use cases currently being considered for next and latest generation wireless communication systems include so-called Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC)/enhanced Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications (eURLLC). See, for example, the 3GPP documents RP-160671, “New SID Proposal: Study on New Radio Access Technology,” NTT DOCOMO, RAN #71 [1]; RP-172834, “Work Item on New Radio (NR) Access Technology,” NTT DOCOMO, RAN #78 [2]; RP-182089, “New SID on Physical Layer Enhancements for NR Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communication (URLLC),” Huawei, HiSilicon, Nokia, Nokia Shanghai Bell, RAN #81 [3]; and RP-190654, “Physical layer enhancements for NR ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC),” Huawei, HiSilicon, RAN #89, Shenzhen, China, 18 to 21 Mar. 2019 [4]. URLLC services are low latency and high reliability services (e.g. to support applications such as factory automation, transport industry, electrical power distribution etc.). URLLC services might, for example, aim to transmit data through a radio network with a target 32-byte packet transit time (i.e. time from ingress of a layer 2 packet to its egress from the network) of 1 ms (i.e. so that each packet needs to be scheduled and transmitted across the physical layer in a time that is shorter than 1 ms) with 99.999% reliability within the 1 ms target packet transit time [5], and there are recent proposals for this to be increased to 99.9999% with a latency between 0.5 ms and 1 ms. The 3GPP project has recently completed a Release-16 Work Item on eURLLC [6] to specify features that require high reliability and low latency such as factory automation, transport industry, el