BACKGROUND

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to latency reduction techniques and, more specifically, but not exclusively, to transferring of high priority user data and associated signaling procedures and transmitter and receiver designs at base stations and user equipment in a baseline Long Term Evolution (LTE) system.

Generation Five (5G) of cellular communications is expected to support diverse systems such as, for example, mobile phones, smart electricity grids, automobiles, etc. Each of these systems has different requirements of data rate, latency and reliability. Therefore, 5G systems may require flexible parameters. Some solutions may provide a flexible TTI, suitable for transmission of low reliability transmissions with low latency.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention there is provided a downlink transmitter, in particular for a base station or a sidelink device, adapted for communicating with a plurality of downlink receivers, in particular mobile devices, including a downlink transmitter processor configured to transmit transport blocks of a first size over a regular data channel, and to transmit transport blocks of a second size over a fast data channel, wherein the second size is smaller than the first size and in particular wherein the transport blocks of the second size carry priority information. The fast data channel can be a shared channel or a multicast channel. The downlink transmitter processor is further configured to start sending the fast data channel before the regular data channel.

The downlink transmitter processor according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a convolution encoder and/or a convolution rate matcher, configured to process the information of the transport blocks of the second size. Further, the downlink transmitter processor according to some embodiments of the present invention is configured to transmit control information for a plurality of receivers for the regular data channel over a downlink control channel, and to transmit control information for a plurality of receivers for the fast data channel over a fast downlink control channel. The downlink transmitter processor is configured to spread the control information across one symbol of the transmission subframe. The processor is further configured to start sending the fast downlink control channel before the fast data channel.

The downlink transmitter processor according to some embodiments of the present invention is configured to transmit feedback related to uplink data of at least one of the plurality of user equipment over an indicator channel. The downlink transmitter processor is configured to start sending the indicator channel before the fast data channel. The downlink transmitter processor is further configured to transmit control format information for the fast downlink control channel over a format indicator channel, in particular together with the downlink control channel and/or the indicator channel.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention there is provided a downlink receiver, in particular for user equipment (UE), adapted for communicating with a downlink transmitter, including a downlink receiver processor configured to receive information from the fast data channel, the fast downlink control channel, and/or the format indicator channel. The downlink receiver processor is configured to determine the presence/absence of the fast data channel based on information decoded from the format indicator channel.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention there is provided an uplink transmitter, in particular for user equipment (UE), adapted for communicating with a downlink receiver, including an uplink transmitter processor configured to transmit transport blocks of a first size over a regular uplink data channel, and to transmit transport blocks of a second size over a fast uplink data channel, wherein the second size is smaller than the first size and in particular wherein the transport blocks of the second size carry priority information.

The uplink transmitter processor according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a convolution encoder and/or a convolution rate matcher, configured to process the information of the transport blocks of the second size. Further, the uplink transmitter processor according to some embodiments of the present invention is configured to transmit control information for a plurality of receivers for the regular uplink data channel over an uplink control channel, and to transmit control information for a plurality of receivers for the fast uplink data channel over a fast uplink control channel. The uplink transmitter processor is configured to map the control information across one symbol of the transmission subframe.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention there is provided an uplink receiver, in particular for a base station or a sidelink device, adapted for communicating with a plurality of uplink transmitters, including an uplink receiver processor configured to receive transport blocks of a first size over a regular uplink data channel, and to receive transport blocks of a second size over an fast uplink data channel, wherein the second size is smaller than the first size and in particular wherein the transport blocks of the second size carry priority information. The uplink receiver processor is further configured to determine if there is information sent within the fast uplink data channel based on information decoded from the format indicator channel.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and/or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the invention, exemplary methods and/or materials are described below. In case of conflict, the patent specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be necessarily limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the invention are herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of embodiments of the invention. In this regard, the description taken with the drawings makes apparent to those skilled in the art how embodiments of the invention may be practiced. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method carried out by a communication device such as, for example, a base station, according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method carried out by a user equipment device according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a downlink transmission subframe according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an uplink transmission subframe according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a downlink transmitter according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of an uplink transmitter according to some embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a 5G frame structure 900 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In current cellular wireless Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems there are fixed and strict specifications of, for example, Transmit Time Interval (TTI), ack/nack feedback, Round Trip Time (RTT), which may not match the 5G flexibility requirements. Some solutions may provide a flexible TTI. However, these solutions may be suitable for transport blocks that require either low latency or high reliability, but not both. Additionally, these solutions require a full subframe length for a reception acknowledgement feedback (ack/nack), irrespectively of the TTI lengths.

Various embodiments of the present invention may provide solutions for transmission of high priority data with reduced latency, which may be fully compatible with LTE architecture, as well as with 5th generation mobile networks or 5th generation wireless systems (5G) architecture. Some embodiments of the present invention may reduce the end-to-end packet latency for high priority data, by enabling transmission of high priority data in a reduced number of time-domain symbols in the beginning of a transmission subframe.

The reduced latency may be provided, in some embodiments of the present invention, by introduction of designated physical transmission channels, transmitter and receiver architectures and signaling methods. The transmission structures may include, for example, in addition to regular channels, high priority channels for carrying high priority data that usually may include shorter transmission blocks, for example in a first or a few first symbols of a transmission. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the user equipment device does not decode the entire subframe when responding a reception acknowledgment (ack/nack) response but rather decodes symbols of the fast channels and sends the feedback related to the fast channels right away. Therefore, the fast data channels may enable transmission and reception of a fast ack/nack response over the control channels, without waiting for a data acknowledgement message for the entire subframe.

The high priority channels may facilitate faster transmission, reception and decoding of high priority data. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the high priority transmission structures are flexible and may be introduced on demand, for example, based on service quality requirements, by a communication device such as, for example, a base station, and/or by user equipment. Therefore, effective faster transmission of high priority data may be provided substantially without interruption to normal operation, thus facilitating ultra reliable and ultra-low latency communication.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components and/or methods set forth in the following description and/or illustrated in the drawings and/or the Examples. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computer program product. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention. The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.

The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware -based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Reference is now made to Fig. 1 , which is a schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method 150, according to some embodiments of the present invention. Communication method 150 may be carried out by hardware processor(s) of a communication device that includes a downlink transmitter for communicating with one or more user equipment devices. For example, the communication device may be a base station (BS) element of a cellular communications network, such as, for example, eNodeB, eNB or any other suitable device. In some embodiments of the present invention, the communication device may be a user equipment device. As indicated in block 152, the downlink transmitter may receive a request for physical channel transmission. As indicated in block 154, the processor(s) may modulate the requested physical channel transmission into a multi-segment downlink transmission as described in detail herein below, for example in case of service quality requirements that necessitate fast transmission, for example when high priority data have to be transmitted with ultra-low latency. The multi-segment downlink transmission may include, for example, a regular downlink physical channel carrying a regular data transport block, and a fast downlink physical channel carrying a high priority data transport block, wherein the fast downlink physical channel precedes the regular downlink physical channel in the multi-segment downlink transmission.

The modulating the transport block may be carried out by bundling physical channel segment of low latency high priority user data separately from a physical channel segment of regular user data that may include, for example, system information, paging, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, application data, and/or any other suitable data. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the physical channel segment of low-latency high priority user data are decoded separately, by the receiving user equipment device, from the physical channel segments of regular user data.

As indicated in block 156, the downlink transmitter may transmit the multi- segment downlink transmission to a user equipment device, as will be described in more detail herein below with reference to Figs. 3-8. In case of service quality requirements that do not necessitate fast transmission, as indicated in block 158, the downlink transmitter may modulate a regular downlink transmission.

Further reference is now made to Fig. 2, which is a schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method 250 according to some embodiments of the present invention. Communication method 250 may be carried out by a user equipment device that includes a downlink receiver. As indicated in block 252, a downlink receiver of the user equipment device may receive from a communication device a downlink transmission that may include a regular downlink physical channel carrying a regular data transport block, and a fast downlink physical channel carrying a high priority data transport block. As indicated in block 254, the downlink receiver may decode the fast downlink physical channel before decoding the regular downlink control channel. Additionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, as indicated in block 256, an uplink transmitter of the user equipment device may send feedback information to the communication device according to a result of the decoding.

In some embodiments of the present invention, as indicated in block 258, the uplink transmitter may modulate, based on information decoded from the downlink transmission such as, for example, uplink Downlink Control Information (DCI), a multi-segment uplink transmission, wherein the multi-segment uplink transmission comprises a regular uplink physical channel carrying a regular data transport block, and a fast uplink physical channel carrying a high priority data transport block, wherein the fast uplink physical channel precedes the regular uplink physical channel in the multi-segment uplink transmission. As indicated in block 260, the uplink transmitter may transmit the multi-segment uplink transmission to a communication device.

Further reference is made to Fig. 3, which is a schematic illustration of a communication system 300 according to some embodiments of the present invention. Although the invention is not limited in that respect, communication system 300 may be included, for example, in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless system. Communication system 300 may include a communication device 60 such as, for example, in a base station, a sidelink device, and/or in any other suitable communication device. In some embodiments of the present invention, communication device 60 may be a user equipment device. Further, communication system 300 may include one or more user equipment devices 50, for example, mobile communication and/or computer devices. Communication device 60 may include a downlink transmitter 30 and an uplink receiver 31 , and Medium Access Control (MAC) 38. Downlink transmitter 30 and uplink receiver 31 may communicate with a plurality of downlink receivers 90 and uplink transmitters 92, which may be included in corresponding user equipment devices 50. Mobile devices 50 may be located, for example, in one or more cells of a cellular communication network (not shown). Downlink transmitter 30 may include a processor 32. Uplink receiver 31 may include a processor 33.

Processor 32 may receive a request from a user equipment device 50 for a physical channel transmission, and modulate the requested physical channel transmission, for example by using quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation or any other suitable type of modulation. Processor 32 may transmit the resulted physical channel transmission, for example to a downlink receiver 90. The physical channel transmission may include various data transmission, control and/or indication channels, as described in detail herein.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, processor 32 may include in the transmission, for example preceding to regular data channels, fast versions of a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), , a Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH) and/or a Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH), for transmission and processing of high priority data. Additionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, processor 32 may include in the transmission a modified Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH), for transmission and processing of high priority data.

Processor 32 may bundle a high priority data segment separately from a regular data segment so that the high priority data segment precedes the regular data segment, and/or so as to enable decoding of the high priority data segment separately from the regular data segment. Accordingly, in some embodiments of the present invention, the request received from user equipment devices 50 may include, for example, a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI), pre-assigned to the relevant user equipment devices by communication device 60, indicative that the requesting mobile device is adapted for decoding the high priority user data segment separately from the regular user data segment. In some embodiments, processor 32 may modulate the high priority user data and regular user data segments in parallel in two separate transport blocks, scheduled by medium access control (MAC) 38, such as a high priority data transport block 62 and a regular data transport block 61. In some exemplary embodiments, the low latency high priority user data and regular user data segments are modulated in separate physical channels such that the high priority user data may be decoded faster by the receiving equipment device 50.

Processor 32 may modulate the requested downlink physical channel transmission into a multi-segment downlink transmission subframe 400 (as shown, for example, with reference to Fig. 4), wherein a first segment may include low latency high priority data, and/or may be attributed to high priority transport blocks 62, for example, in a plurality of bit symbols. The high priority data transport block may include high priority data and/or data requested by a high priority user.

A second segment may include regular user data, e.g. system information, paging, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, application data and/or any other suitable, less prioritized, data, and/or may be attributed to regular transport blocks 61. Multi-segment transmission subframe 400 may include, for example, a shared channel, a multicast channel, and/or any other suitable kind of transmission channel.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, processor 32 may transmit regular transport blocks 61 over a regular transport channel 41 (shown in Fig. 4) and high priority transport blocks 62 over a fast transport channel 42 (shown in Fig. 4), wherein the high priority transport blocks 62 may be of higher priority than regular transport blocks 61.

The size of blocks 62 may be smaller than the size of blocks 61, and/or may take only a small portion of subframe 400, such as a few symbols, one symbol or a portion of a symbol. Thus, for example, high priority transport blocks 62 may be processed and provide feedback faster. Processor 32 may include a convolution encoder 34 and/or a convolution rate matcher 36, for example, for processing the information of high priority transport blocks 62, which usually includes small amount of data.

Reference is now made to Fig. 4, which is a schematic illustration of a downlink transmission subframe 400 according to embodiments of the present invention. Downlink transmission subframe 400 may include a regular downlink physical channel 41 and a regular control channel 44, such as, for example, a PDSCH/PMCH and a PDCCH. Additionally, downlink transmission subframe 400 may include a fast downlink physical channel 42, e.g. a fast PDSCH, and fast control channel 46, e.g. a fast PDCCH. Fast channels 42 and 46 may be invoked on demand by downlink transmitter 30, for example based on the quality of service. For example, a Medium Access Control (MAC) module 38 of processor 32 may decide when and/or where to generate the fast channels.

As discussed in detail herein, fast downlink channel 42 may be used, for example, exclusively, for transferring of high priority data. Fast downlink channel 42 may include shared channel and/or multicast channel. Fast control channel 46 may be used, for example, exclusively, control information for high priority data and/or users. A search space of fast control channel 46 may provide dynamic resource allocation of fast downlink physical channel 42. Additionally, fast control channel 46 may include uplink control information that may be used to prepare data for a fast uplink physical channel, as described in more detail herein.

Fast control channel 46 may be included in a first symbol 401 of subframe 400 and/or may include, for example, the number of symbols of fast downlink physical channel 42 and/or the location of fast channel 42 in subframe 400.

Additionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, downlink transmission subframe 400 may include a 3 -bit format indicator channel 43 such as, for example, a modified PCFICH, located at first symbol 401, and wherein the most significant bit of channel 43 may indicate the presence or absence of high priority information over fast channel 42. Additionally, downlink transmission subframe 400 includes feedback data of an uplink fast channel (such as, for example, ack/nack feedback) over indicator channel 48, e.g. a fast PHICH, which may be located at first symbol 401 of the subframe.

Returning to Fig. 3, processor 32 may produce DCI information of regular transport channel 41 and of fast transport channel 42, and/or transmit DCI information to receivers 90, for example over a regular control channel 44 and a fast control channel 46, respectively. The DCI information may be included in one symbol of the subframe, rather than across the subframe.

Processor 32 may produce feedback data of an uplink fast channel (such as, for example, ack/nack feedback) and/or transmit the feedback data to receivers 90 over indicator channel 48, e.g. a fast PHICH.

Processor 32 may include in the physical downlink channel transmission an indicator of a presence or an absence of the high priority user data physical channel segment, for example by modulating the indication information in a most significant bit (MSB) of a format indicator channel 43. Accordingly, in embodiments of the present invention, format indicator channel 43 may be modified to contain 3 bits, wherein the MSB is indicative of the presence of high priority user data segment.

After modulating, processor 32 may send transmission of the requested downlink physical channel transmission, for example to a downlink receiver 90.

User equipment device 50 may include a downlink receiver 90, uplink transmitter 92 and MAC 98 described in detail herein. Downlink receiver 90 may include a processor 52, which may receive from base station 30, for example in response to a previous request, a multi-segment physical channel transmission as described in detail herein. Processor 52 may decode and process the high priority data segment and subsequently decode and process the regular data segment. Then, processor 52 may send transmission of an acknowledgement to communication device 60 according to the result of the decoding and processing. Processor 52 may decode and process the multi-segment physical transmission according to the information included, for example, in fast physical transmission channel 42, fast control channel 46 and/or format indicator channel 43. For example, according to information included in format indicator channel 43, processor 52 may determine the existence of high priority data in fast physical transmission channel 42.

In more detail, processor 52 may decode format indicator channel 43, wherein the most significant bit may indicate the presence or absence of high priority data over fast physical transmission channel 42. In case it is indicated that high priority data is present, processor 52 may decode fast control channel 46, for example in order to determine the location of fast physical transmission channel 42 and/or the number of symbols in fast physical transmission channel 42. Based on decoded information from fast control channel 46, processor 52 may decode fast downlink physical channel 42. After decoding of fast physical transmission channel 42, a reception acknowledgment message may be sent back to communication device 60. The reception acknowledgement may be sent right away, even before the regular physical transmission channel 42 is decoded.

Uplink transmitter 92 may communicate with downlink receiver 90 and receive, for example, from processor 52, processed information and/or messaging instructions. Uplink transmitter 92 may include a processor 54, which may produce and/or transmit, for example to uplink receiver 31, a multi-segment uplink transmission 500, for example, as shown in Fig. 5. Multi-segment uplink transmission sub frame 500 may include, for example, uplink transport blocks 63 over a regular physical uplink channel 71, e.g. a PUSCH, and/or high priority transport blocks 64 over a fast physical uplink channel 72, e.g. a fast PUSCH. A Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) 73 may be located at a central symbol of sub frame 500 or at any other suitable location. Generally, the size of high priority blocks 64 may be smaller that the size of blocks 63. In some embodiments of the present invention, processor 54 may include a convolution encoder and/or a convolution rate matcher, for example for processing of small transmission blocks. Additionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, a first symbol 501 of multi-segment uplink transmission sub frame 500 may also include a distributed channel estimation signal 74, such as a distributed comb-based reference signal. Processor 33 may determine the existence of high priority data in fast uplink physical transmission channel 72, for example, according to information included in format indicator channel 43. Additionally, processor 33 may process the data of channels 71 and/or 72 based on, for example, uplink control information included in regular control channel 44 and/or fast control channel 46.

Reference is now made to Fig. 6, which is a schematic illustration of a downlink transmitter 30 according to some embodiments of the present invention. MAC 38 may schedule regular transport blocks for downlink channel 61 and high priority transport blocks for fast downlink channel 62. Regular transport blocks for downlink channel 61 and high priority transport blocks for fast downlink channel 62 may be produced, for example, based on settings made by processor 32, such as, for example, settings of modulation, coding and/or resources allocation. Downlink transmitter 30 may include two parallel transmitter process chains, for example in order to process regular transport blocks 61 and high priority transport blocks 62 in parallel. Accordingly, downlink transmitter 30 may include a regular process chain 100 and a high priority process chain 120. Regular process chain 100 may include a turbo encoder 102, a rate matcher 104, a scrambling module 106, a modulation module 108, a resource mapping module 110 and/or any other suitable module. High priority process chain 120 may include, for example, a convolution encoder 122, a convolution rate matcher 124, a scrambling module 126, a modulation module 128, a fast channel resource mapping module 130, and/or any other suitable module. High priority transport blocks 62 may be located in the first few symbols of the subframe, for example in order to be decoded sooner than regular transport blocks 61. Downlink transmitter 30 may include a modified subframe mapping module 132 that may map fast control channel 44, fast hybrid indicator channel 48, modified physical control format indicator channel 43 and/or any other high-priority channel into a subframe and/or a symbol. For example, modified subframe mapping module 132 may map fast control channel 44, fast hybrid indicator channel 48, modified physical control format indicator channel 43 and/or any other high-priority channel into a symbol rather than across a subframe of the transmission.

Reference is now made to Fig. 7, which is a schematic illustration of an uplink transmitter 92, according to some embodiments of the present invention. MAC 98 may schedule regular transport blocks for uplink channel 71 and high priority transport blocks for fast downlink channel 72. Regular transport blocks for uplink channel 71 and high priority transport blocks for fast downlink channel 72 may be produced, for example based on settings made by processor 54 and/or decoded uplink control information from fast control channel 46 and/or regular control channel 44, such as, for example, settings of modulation, coding and/or resources allocation. Uplink transmitter 92 may include a modified physical layer which may process in two parallel transmitter process chains, for example in order to process regular transport blocks 63 and high priority transport blocks 64 in parallel. Accordingly, uplink transmitter 92 may include a regular process chain 200 and a high priority process chain 220. Regular process chain 200 may include a turbo encoder 202, a rate matcher 204, a scrambling module 206, a modulation module 208, a resource mapping module 210 and/or any other suitable module. High priority process chain 120 may include, for example, a convolution encoder 222, a convolution rate matcher 224, a scrambling module 226, a modulation module 228, a fast resource mapping module 230 and/or any other suitable module. Fast resource mapping module 230 may locate high priority transport blocks 64 in the first few symbols of the subframe, for example in order to be decoded sooner than regular transport blocks 63, and may map high priority control channels into a symbol rather than across a subframe of the transmission. Uplink transmitter 92 may include a modified subframe mapping module 232 that may map (DMRS) 73 into a suitable symbol and distributed channel estimation signal 74 over first symbol 501.

Some embodiments of the present invention are applicable in a 5G communication method. For example, reference is now made to Fig. 8, which is a schematic illustration of an exemplary 5G frame structure 900 according to some embodiments of the present invention. Frame structure 900 may include a fast shared channel 901, a regular downlink shared channel 902 and a regular uplink shared channel 903, wherein fast shared channel 901 is separated from, and preceding, downlink shared channel 902 and an uplink shared channel 903 in each subframe 910, 920. As described in detail herein above, fast shared channel 901 may be received, decoded and/or acknowledged by a receiving device separately and before downlink shared channel 902 and/or uplink shared channel 903.

Some embodiments of the present invention are applicable for LTE vehicle-to- everything communications, which have tight requirements on both the downlink and uplink latencies. For example, the fast high priority channels may be utilized in case a car driver sends a notification to other drivers and/or pedestrians, for example about a road hazard, for example in direct device to device communication. Additionally, some embodiments of the present invention may be applicable for Machine Type Communications (MTC), for cellular Internet of Things (IoT) and for other types of communication that may require low latency and high reliability.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

As used herein the term "about" refers to ± 10 %.

The terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", "including", "having" and their conjugates mean "including but not limited to". This term encompasses the terms "consisting of and "consisting essentially of.

The phrase "consisting essentially of means that the composition or method may include additional ingredients and/or steps, but only if the additional ingredients and/or steps do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed composition or method.

As used herein, the singular form "a", "an" and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, the term "a compound" or "at least one compound" may include a plurality of compounds, including mixtures thereof.

The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance or illustration". Any embodiment described as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments and/or to exclude the incorporation of features from other embodiments.

The word "optionally" is used herein to mean "is provided in some embodiments and not provided in other embodiments". Any particular embodiment of the invention may include a plurality of "optional" features unless such features conflict.

Throughout this application, various embodiments of this invention may be presented in a range format. It should be understood that the description in range format is merely for convenience and brevity and should not be construed as an inflexible limitation on the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the description of a range should be considered to have specifically disclosed all the possible subranges as well as individual numerical values within that range. For example, description of a range such as from 1 to 6 should be considered to have specifically disclosed subranges such as from 1 to 3, from 1 to 4, from 1 to 5, from 2 to 4, from 2 to 6, from 3 to 6 etc., as well as individual numbers within that range, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This applies regardless of the breadth of the range. Whenever a numerical range is indicated herein, it is meant to include any cited numeral (fractional or integral) within the indicated range. The phrases "ranging/ranges between" a first indicate number and a second indicate number and "ranging/ranges from" a first indicate number "to" a second indicate number are used herein interchangeably and are meant to include the first and second indicated numbers and all the fractional and integral numerals therebetween.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the invention. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not to be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperative without those elements.

All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. In addition, citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention. To the extent that section headings are used, they should not be construed as necessarily limiting.