METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR DATA DEMODULATION REFERENCE SIGNAL (DMRS)-ONLY TRANSMISSION ON CONFIGURED GRANT RESOURCES

FIELD:

[0001] Some example embodiments may generally relate to mobile or wireless telecommunication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or fifth generation (5G) radio access technology or new radio (NR) access technology, or other communications systems. For example, certain embodiments may relate to systems and/or methods for transmission on configured grant resources in such communications systems. BACKGROUND:

[0002] Examples of mobile or wireless telecommunication systems may include the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), LTE-Advanced (LTE- A), MulteFire, LTE-A Pro, and/or fifth generation (5G) radio access technology or new radio (NR) access technology. 5G wireless systems refer to the next generation (NG) of radio systems and network architecture. 5G is mostly built on a new radio (NR), but a 5G (or NG) network can also build on E-UTRA radio. It is estimated that NR provides bitrates on the order of 10-20 Gbit/s or higher, and can support at least enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultrareliable low-latency-communication (URLLC) as well as massive machine type communication (mMTC). NR is expected to deliver extreme broadband and ultra-robust, low latency connectivity and massive networking to support the Internet of Things (IoT). With IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication becoming more widespread, there will be a growing need for networks that meet the needs of lower power, low data rate, and long battery life. It is noted that, in 5G, the nodes that can provide radio access functionality to a user equipment (i.e., similar to Node B in UTRAN or eNB in LTE) may be named gNB when built on NR radio and may be named NG- eNB when built on E-UTRA radio.

SUMMARY:

[0003] One embodiment is directed to a method that may include configuring, by a network node, at least one user equipment for data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on unused configured grant resources, and receiving the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)- only transmissions from the at least one user equipment on the unused configured grant resources.

[0004] Another embodiment is directed to a method that may include receiving, by a user equipment, configuration for data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on one or more unused configured grant resources. When there is no data to transmit in a buffer of the user equipment and a current configured grant resource corresponds to one in which the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmission is configured according to the received configuration, the method may include transmitting the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on the unused configured grant resources according to the received configuration.

[0005] Another embodiment is directed to an apparatus that may include at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code. The at least one memory and computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to configure at least one user equipment for data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on unused configured grant resources, and to receive the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions from the at least one user equipment on the unused configured grant resources. [0006] Another embodiment is directed to an apparatus that may include at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code. The at least one memory and computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to receive a configuration for data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on one or more unused configured grant resources, and, when there is no data to transmit in a buffer of the apparatus and a current configured grant resource corresponds to one in which the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmission is configured according to the received configuration, to transmit the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on the unused configured grant resources according to the received configuration.

[0007] Another embodiment is directed to an apparatus that may include means for configuring at least one user equipment for data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on unused configured grant resources, and means for receiving the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions from the at least one user equipment on the unused configured grant resources.

[0008] Another embodiment is directed to an apparatus that may include means for receiving configuration for data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on one or more unused configured grant resources. When there is no data to transmit in a buffer of the user equipment and a current configured grant resource corresponds to one in which the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmission is configured according to the received configuration, the apparatus may include means for transmitting the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on the unused configured grant resources according to the received configuration.

[0009] Another embodiment is directed to an apparatus that may include circuitry to configure at least one user equipment for data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on unused configured grant resources, and circuitry to receive the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions from the at least one user equipment on the unused configured grant resources.

[0010] Another embodiment is directed to an apparatus that may include circuitry to receive configuration for data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on one or more unused configured grant resources. When there is no data to transmit in a buffer of the apparatus and a current configured grant resource corresponds to one in which the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmission is configured according to the received configuration, the apparatus may include circuitry to transmit the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on the unused configured grant resources according to the received configuration.

[0011] Another embodiment is directed to a computer readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least a method that may include configuring at least one user equipment for data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on unused configured grant resources, and receiving the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions from the at least one user equipment on the unused configured grant resources.

[0012] Another embodiment is directed to a computer readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least a method that may include receiving, by a user equipment, configuration for data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on one or more unused configured grant resources. When there is no data to transmit in a buffer of the user equipment and a current configured grant resource corresponds to one in which the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmission is configured according to the received configuration, the method may include transmitting the data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on the unused configured grant resources according to the received configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

[0013] For proper understanding of example embodiments, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0014] Fig. 1 illustrates an example of operation with Configured Grant compared to operation without Configured Grant, according to certain embodiments;

[0015] Fig. 2 illustrates an example of Type 1 and Type 2 Configured Grants, according to certain embodiments;

[0016] Fig. 3 illustrates an example of the way in which the 3GPP Release- 15/Release- 16 specification works for URLFC uplink CG in the case of aperiodic user traffic, according to an example;

[0017] Fig. 4 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to an embodiment;

[0018] Fig. 5 illustrates an example of aperiodic data traffic transmitted by the UE on uplink Configured Grant (CG) resources, according to example embodiments;

[0019] Fig. 6 illustrates an example graph of the CDF of the received SINR, according to an embodiment;

[0020] Fig. 7a illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to one embodiment;

[0021] Fig. 7b illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to an embodiment;

[0022] Fig. 8a illustrates an example block diagram of an apparatus, according to an embodiment; and

[0023] Fig. 8b illustrates an example block diagram of an apparatus, according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION:

[0024] It will be readily understood that the components of certain example embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of some example embodiments of systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for improving uplink 5G NR URLLC performance using data demodulation reference symbol (DMRS)-only transmissions on configured grant resources, is not intended to limit the scope of certain embodiments but is representative of selected example embodiments.

[0025] The features, structures, or characteristics of example embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases “certain embodiments,” “some embodiments,” or other similar language, throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in certain embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in other embodiments,” or other similar language, throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments.

[0026] Additionally, if desired, the different functions or procedures discussed below may be performed in a different order and/or concurrently with each other. Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the described functions or procedures may be optional or may be combined. As such, the following description should be considered as merely illustrative of the principles and teachings of certain example embodiments, and not in limitation thereof. [0027] As will be discussed in more detail below, certain embodiments may relate to optimizing the uplink (UL) 5G NR design for Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC). The 3GPP Release- 15 URLLC design in 5G NR aims to achieve a very high reliability level of, e.g., 99.999% while simultaneously achieving a very low latency of less than, e.g., 1 millisecond delay in the RAN (delay includes queuing delay in the RAN plus any over the air transmission delay due to HARQ retransmissions). The enhancements to URLLC in 3 GPP Release- 16 aim to increase the reliability level even further to, e.g., 99.9999% and possibly reduce latency even more as described to address automation in new vertical domains.

[0028] One of the key enabling features of URLLC in 3 GPP Release- 15 is the notion of Configured Grant (CG), which may also be referred to as grant- free operation, for achieving low transmission latencies in the uplink direction for URLLC, since the phases of sending scheduling request and waiting for scheduling grant are skipped, as illustrated in Fig. 1. More specifically, Fig. 1 illustrates an example of operation with Configured Grant 110 (bottom of Fig. 1) compared to operation without Configured Grant 105 (top of Fig. 1). As illustrated in the example of Fig. 1, the use of Configured Grant allows the phases of scheduling request (SR) by the UE and scheduling grant (UL downlink control information (DCI)) by the gNB to be skipped, and instead the UE can send uplink data on the very next Configured Grant scheduling opportunity. In other words, the UE does not need the dynamic scheduling-grant on physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) from the gNB before starting uplink transmissions.

[0029] There are two types of CG that can be set up, Type 1 CG and Type 2 CG. When either Type 1 or Type 2 CG is configured, the UE can autonomously start the uplink data transmission according to the configured periodicity and radio resources in the CG configuration. Type 1 CG relies on radio resource control (RRC) configured parameters and no PDCCF1 transmission is involved in activating and/or deactivating the CG. On the other hand, Type 2 CG relies on both the RRC configured parameters and an activation and/or deactivation command via the PDCCH, where the CRC being carried on the PDCCH grant is scrambled with the CS-RNTI (configured scheduling RNTI) that the UE was configured via RRC signaling.

[0030] Fig. 2 illustrates an example of Type 1 and Type 2 Configured Grants. As illustrated in the example of Fig. 2, Type 2 Configured Grants include activation and deactivation via special messages on PDCCH, and reliable reception of these messages is ensured via special medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) feedback from the UE. For Type 2 CG to ensure reliable reception of the CG activation and/or deactivation from the gNB to the UE, a MAC CE is defined in which a confirmation is sent from the UE to the gNB when a CG activation and/or deactivation message is received on the PDCCH. This minimizes misunderstanding on the desired configuration by making the system less prone to errors on the PDCCH grant sending the activation and/or deactivation message.

[0031] The uplink CG configuration may include 3 key parameters: periodicity, modulation and coding scheme (MCS) level, and/or number of physical resource blocks (PRBs). Periodicity refers to how often the preconfigured resource is made available to the UE. If the URLLC latency budget is 1ms, then periodicity should be set to less than 1ms to ensure the UE does not wait more than 1ms before it can transmit any new data that arrives in its buffer. A typical value for periodicity may be 0.5ms, to leave extra time for any possible retransmission of the data.

[0032] MCS level is the modulation and coding scheme to be used. The MCS level should be set low enough (i.e., conservatively enough) to ensure the desired reliability is achieved between the first and any retransmissions of the user data. The number of PRBs is the number of PRBs allocated in the frequency domain. This is usually based on the payload size of the data (for example, 32 bytes) that needs to be transmitted for a particular URLLC application. The number of PRBs is usually chosen large enough based on the MCS that was selected so that the entire data payload can be transmitted without segmenting it, as segmentation would incur extra transmission delay. This means the lower the MCS level that is chosen (the more conservative the coding rate), the larger the number of PRBs that should be allocated to avoid segmenting the data payload.

[0033] For URLLC applications, there may be at least two traffic types of interest, periodic deterministic traffic and aperiodic random traffic. The periodic deterministic traffic is generally found in industrial automation scenarios; while the aperiodic random traffic is seen in the transport industry, such as remote driving and intelligent transport systems. The aperiodic random traffic may be more challenging, because it is not known at what time or how frequently data packets might arrive in the UE buffer. However, when the data packets do arrive it should be ensured that the UE can transmit this data with high reliability (99.999% - 99.9999%) in less than 1 millisecond, including time for any hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmissions.

[0034] In addition, with aperiodic traffic, there can be long gaps comprising several hundreds of milliseconds between data bursts. With such long gaps between data bursts, there can be significant variation in the uplink channel quality due to small and large scale fading effects, for example in millimeter wave spectrum where blocking effects can occur due to the movement of the UE relative to objects in the environment. This creates a lot of uncertainty in the received signal quality at the gNB receiver when it receives a data transmission from the UE, and in order to guarantee the ultra- high reliability levels for URLLC traffic it must choose a very conservative (low) MCS level and allocate a large number of PRBs in the CG allocation. For this reason, the 3GPP Release- 15 specification (3GPP, “Physical layer procedures for data”, 3GPP TS 38.214 V15.4.0, section 5.1.3.1, Table 5.1.3.1-3 (2018-12)) introduced a low code rate MCS table that can be configured for URLLC traffic flows, where the lowest spectral efficiency supported is reduced from a value of 0.2344 to 0.0568 (almost a factor of 4). [0035] While such low MCS levels and a correspondingly higher number of PRBs can be used to mitigate the wide variations in signal quality to guarantee the ultra high reliability levels, this comes at the cost of reduced spectrum efficiency as a much larger number of PRBs are used and hence reduces system capacity, in the sense that a smaller number of users is supportable in a given amount of spectrum.

[0036] Given that a relatively large amount of resources in frequency (PRBs) need to be allocated and this is done relatively frequently in time (in terms of the configured grant periodicity - typical value of 0.5ms), this means the uplink configured grant is reserving a relatively large amount of resources to keep them ready in case there is a transmission from a UE with URLLC traffic. When the traffic is especially infrequent (i.e., several hundred milliseconds or more between data bursts on average) and random, one can “overbook” configured grant resources. This means that more than one user can be allocated the same configured grant resources in time and frequency, with the idea that the probability that more than one user would need to actually use these reserved configured grant resources at the same time is very low, and hence there is a very low probability of collision. However, there are many use cases where the required reliability level can be as high as “6 to 8 nines” of reliability (e.g., 99.9999% - 99.999999%), in which case this overbooking of resources is not feasible as the risk of collision would not allow for these ultra-high levels of reliability to be achieved. This case would require the allocation frequent resources in time (i.e., every 0.5ms) with dedicated and sizeable resources in frequency for each URLLC UE, in order to ensure the reliability and latency constraints can be met. Some embodiments described herein may address at least this latter case of dedicated configured grant resources per user. [0037] The increased levels of reliability of 6-nines to 8-nines (e.g., 99.9999% - 99.999999%) required by new industry verticals (e.g., as described in 3GPP, “Study for Communication for Automation in Vertical Domains”, 3 GPP TR 22.804 V16.2.0, Annex F (2018-12)) for URLLC will not allow overbooking of Configured Grant resources - that is, the Configured Grant resources will be orthogonal between UEs. At the same time, to meet the very tight latency constraint of 1 millisecond latency, the periodicity of these configured grant resources should be less than 1ms, e.g., with a typical value being 0.5ms. Achieving the 6-nines to 8-nines of reliability with one or possibly two transmission attempts to stay within the lms latency budget may require the use of very low MCS levels and hence a large number of allocated PRBs to avoid packet segmentation, as packet segmentation would lead to more delay.

[0038] The required (MCS, PRB) combination that is selected will be a function of the how much uncertainty or variability there is in the received signal quality (i.e., signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR)) at the gNB receiver. If the variability of the received SINR is very low, then a higher MCS level and number of PRBs can be fine-tuned, in order to just meet the desired reliability level. On the other hand, if there are wide swings in the received SINR for a particular UE at the gNB receiver, a much lower MCS and correspondingly higher number of PRBs would need to be selected, in order to guarantee the high reliability and latency requirement will be achieved, even though most of the time the required reliability level will be exceeded; The allocation should be conservative enough to be prepared for large fluctuations in the signal level that may occur infrequently.

[0039] This frequent allocation of sizable resources per user may need to be performed even if the traffic itself is relatively infrequent (e.g., as is the case of the aperiodic traffic used in the transport industry uses cases described in 3GPP “Study on physical layer enhancements for NR ultra- reliable and low latency case (URLLC) Release 16”, 3 GPP TR 38.824 V2.0.1, Annex A.2 (2019-03)). This means there is a significant amount of resources which go unused when a particular UE does not have any data to transmit (i.e., between data bursts).

[0040] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method is provided that can make use of the currently unused time-frequency resources allocated as part of each users orthogonal Configured Grant configuration to reduce the variability in the received signal strength (i.e., SINR) for that user; this allows for a higher MCS and correspondingly lower number of PRBs to be allocated. As such, example embodiments may result in increased system capacity. That is, a large number of users can be supported for a given amount of spectrum. In other words, for a given (MCS, PRB) combination, example embodiments can further improve the reliability level over what is achievable in the system today.

[0041] Fig. 3 illustrates an example of the way in which the 3 GPP Release- 15/Release- 16 specification works for URLLC uplink CG in the case of aperiodic user traffic. More specifically, Fig. 3 illustrates an example of aperiodic data traffic transmitted by the UE on uplink CG resources according to 3 GPP Release- 15/Release- 16 specification. CG resources are provided very frequently to meet stringent latency constraints, but many of these resources go unused with the sporadic, aperiodic traffic characteristic of several applications (i.e., transport industry). The channel between the UE and the gNB can vary significantly between data traffic bursts.

[0042] As mentioned above, CG resources are provided frequently in time (i.e., Configured Grant periodicity = 0.5ms) in order to meet the stringent URLLC latency requirement. However, in many applications of interest (i.e., transport industry) the user data traffic is aperiodic and arrives relatively infrequently, with average inter-arrival times between data bursts of several hundred milliseconds. This means there can be a very large percentage of configured grant resources which go unused, particularly in the case where configured grant resources are not overbooked with more than one user as collisions between users would result in unacceptable reliability levels, particularly when targeting the increased reliability levels of 99.9999% - 99.999999%. When data does arrive in the buffer of the UE, it can transmit this data on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) channel on the next available CG resource. Part of the PUSCH transmission includes the Data Demodulation Reference Symbols (DMRS), which is used by the gNB receiver to estimate the channel between the UE and the gNB to coherently demodulate and decode the data carried on the PUSCH.

[0043] Fig. 4 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method that may be carried out by a UE for uplink CG. As illustrated in the example of Fig. 4, for a certain slot (e.g., slot # T), at 405, it is determined whether there is data in the UE buffer to transmit. If it is determined that there is no data in the UE buffer, then nothing is done at 410. If it is determined that there is data in the UE buffer to transmit, then the method may include, at 415, determining if the certain slot (T) corresponds to CG resource. If it is determined that the slot does not correspond to CG resource, then nothing is done at 420. If it is determined that the slot does correspond to CG resource, then the method may include, at 425, transmitting the data on PUSCH CG resources.

[0044] As there can be wide fluctuations in the channel between the UE and the gNB and hence a wide spread in the received SINR at the gNB, the gNB should allocate a very conservative MCS level (and hence a large number of PRBs) to ensure the desired reliability level is achieved. Especially at the extremely high reliability levels as described above, attention should be paid to even the extremely rare worst case channel conditions.

[0045] It may be attempted to make use of PUSCH power control and try and adjust the UE transmit power to obtain a more stable received SINR at the gNB receiver. This is done by estimating the uplink SINR each time the UE transmits data on the PUSCH (typically using the embedded DMRS to estimate SINR). However, because the transmissions by the UE are bursty and infrequent, there are no frequent uplink measurements that can be made to run a fast power control loop based on PUSCH transmissions.

[0046] A very frequent Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmission could be configured, but this will introduce high overhead into the system if it is desired for this to be transmitted very frequently (e.g., every 5ms), which is what would be needed to run a fast power control loop. In addition, the SRS channel is typically not configured for time division duplex (TDD) spectrum, which is typical of millimeter wave spectrum deployments, an important use case for URLLC, e.g., in industrial IoT applications.

[0047] According to certain embodiments, a UE may be configured to transmit the Data Demodulation Reference Symbol (DMRS) only without any data traffic on the unused Configured Grant resources, as depicted in the example of Fig. 5. In other words, the UE is allowed to utilize unused Configured Grant resources just for transmitting DMRS. More specifically, Fig. 5 illustrates an example of aperiodic data traffic transmitted by the UE on uplink Configured Grant (CG) resources, according to example embodiments. In an embodiment, the UE may be configured to transmit DMRS-only transmissions on the unused Configured Grant resources to provide a regular, frequent signal that the gNB receiver can use to implement link adaptation techniques to improve reliability and/or spectral efficiency. It is noted that, while the example of Fig. 5 shows all unused Configured Grant resources containing the DMRS-only transmission, in certain embodiments some subset of the unused Configured Grant transmissions may be specified to be used for DMRS-only transmissions to strike a balance between having a frequent, regular transmission by the UE versus extra UE battery consumption from these extra transmissions.

[0048] As one example, certain embodiments may target the use case of the increased, ultra-high reliability levels for Release- 16 and beyond, above the five-nines (99.999%) reliability target of Release- 15. As mentioned above, the increased reliability targets described for the new verticals in the 3GPP “Study for Communication for Automation in Vertical Domains” (3GPP TR 22.804 V16.2.0 (2018-12)) can be as high as 6-nines to 8-nines of reliability (99.9999% - 99.999999%), in which case trying to perform statistical multiplexing of reserved configured grant resources between more than one user (i.e., trying to use statistical multiplexing techniques to schedule other URLLC Configured Grant users or other eMBB users) is not feasible due to the ultra high reliability requirement. As such, if the uplink Configured Grant resources for a particular user are not used by the traffic of that user, then the resources go unutilized. Certain embodiments described herein can make use of those otherwise unutilized resources to improve the reliability of a given user, or to allow optimization of the (MCS, PRB) allocation for that user to improve overall system capacity.

[0049] According to certain embodiments, by having the DMRS-only transmission provided at a regular, more frequent interval compared to the sporadic data traffic, the gNB receiver may estimate the uplink signal quality between the UE and the gNB on these new DMRS-only transmissions to track variations in the channel (i.e., deep fading events, including sudden blockage events common to mmWave spectrum), and then may implement some type of intelligent link adaptation strategy. As the new DMRS-only transmissions may be used on all cells in the network, if they are aligned in time and frequency then they also can be used to estimate the signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), which is a metric that is useful to predict reliability of the transmission.

[0050] In an embodiment, the link adaptation strategy may include to run a fast uplink power control loop, where the uplink SINR that is estimated is compared to an internal target SINR maintained at the gNB. Transmit power control (TPC) commands may be sent to the UE to adjust its transmit power in order to maintain the desired target SINR, where the target SINR is set in order to achieve the desired quality of service (i.e., in terms of the target reliability level for the prescribed latency target). Such a fast power control mechanism may result in much smaller low SINR excursions as depicted in the example cumulative distribution function (CDF) of received SINR in Fig. 6. In particular, Fig. 6 illustrates an example of how the CDF of the received SINR becomes “steeper” with a much less heavy lower tail when fast closed loop power control is used.

[0051] Another link adaptation technique may include for the gNB to use rate control instead of or in addition to the power control described above, where the gNB decides to adjust the MCS level that has been set for the Configured Grant transmissions to a new value that more appropriately matches the current channel conditions so that when a data burst does arrive it will have a more fine-tuned MCS level in order to achieve the desired quality of service (i.e., reliability level for the prescribed latency target). This method may be more appropriate, for example, when the Type 2 Configured Grant mechanism is being used, as it would be carried out by the gNB issuing a new PDCCH grant with the CRC scrambled by the CS-RNTI as described above.

[0052] It is noted that both of the link adaptation techniques described above (power control and rate control) may become quite useful if the UE’s channel conditions are changing significantly between the actual user data PUSCH transmissions on the Configured Grant resources. Variations in the channel can be due to physical movement of the UE itself or from other objects in the environment moving, both of which lead to small and large scale fading effects, such as blockage events which can be common in mmWave spectrum.

[0053] According to certain embodiments, by having the guarantee of a more stable, frequent DMRS-only transmission by the UE, the gNB can make use of link adaptation techniques such as power control and/or rate control to ensure the desired reliability level is met on the PUSCH data transmissions. For example, when ultra-high reliability levels are desired, this can improve system performance considerably. With power control for example, the gNB can now choose a higher MCS level and hence a smaller number of PRBs given that the uplink SINR is now going to have significantly less variability in it. Being able to use a smaller number of PRBs results in an increase in system capacity, as now a large number of users can be supported in a given amount of spectrum. Alternatively or additionally, for a given MCS level and number of PRBs, the reliability level can be increased with the use of such power control method(s) that keeps the received SINR level more stable.

[0054] Thus, certain embodiments provide the ability for the gNB to configure these new DMRS-only transmissions on the unused CG resources, so that the link adaptation techniques can be used by the gNB.

[0055] According to some embodiments, in order for the gNB to differentiate easily between UE transmissions containing PUSCH data with DMRS versus DMRS-only transmissions, the UE may use a different DMRS sequence initialization value for the DMRS-only transmissions compared to the normal PUSCH transmissions with DMRS. With a different DMRS sequence initialization value the DMRS sequence used for regular PUSCH data transmission and the DMRS sequence used for DMRS-only transmissions will have low cross-correlation by design, and hence it is easy for the gNB to determine which one is being sent by the UE.

[0056] According to certain embodiments, in order to allow for the DMRS-only transmissions on unused uplink Configured Grant resources, the configured grant configuration may be updated. For example, in an embodiment, the ConfiguredGrantConfig information element may be updated to include a dmrsOnlyTransmission field, dmrs-Seqlnitialization- dmrsOnlyTransmission field, and/or periodicity-dmrsOnlyTransmission. The dmrsOnlyTransmission field may be used to enabled the DMRS-only transmission scheme described above. For example, in an embodiment, when the dmrsOnlyTransmission field is present or set to a certain value, then DMRS-only transmissions are enabled. The dmrs-Seqlnitialization- dmrsOnlyTransmission field may specify the value of the DMRS initialization field which should be used by the UE for the DMRS-only transmission. The periodicity-dmrsOnlyTransmission field may specify how frequently to transmit the DMRS-only transmissions. This may be expressed in terms of the configured grant “periodicity” value, which is part of the existing Configured Grant information element. For example, nl may mean transmit on every uplink Configured Grant resource when no PUSCH data is present, n2 may mean transmit on every other Configured Grant resource when on PUSCH data is present, n4 may mean transmit on every 4th Configured Grant resource when no PUSCH data is present, etc.

[0057] Certain embodiments may modify the UE configuration such that even when the higher layers did not deliver a transmit block to transmit on the resources allocated for uplink transmission without a grant, the UE is still allowed to transmit the newly provided DMRS-only transmissions when the new parameter described above, “dmrsOnlyTransmission”, is set to enabled in the Configured Grant information element.

[0058] In an embodiment, the UE may transmit the DMRS-only transmissions on Configured Grant resources when higher layers did not deliver a transmit block to transmit on the resource allocated for uplink transmission without a grant on every “X” Configured Grant resource opportunities, where the value of “X” is determined from the new parameter, “periodicity-dmrsOnlyTransmission”, specified in the Configured Grant information element described above; this parameter refers to the periodicity of the DMRS-only transmissions expressed in terms of the periodicity value of the Configured Grant information element, as described above.

[0059] According to some embodiments, the UE may use the same set of resources as it would to send a normal PUSCH transmission with DMRS on the Configured Grant resources, but may leave blank all the resource elements that would normally carry the PUSCH data bits and instead only transmit the DMRS with a specified DMRS sequence initialization value. Additionally, in one example, the DMRS sequence initialization may be determined as in Subclause 7.3.1.1 of 3 GPP TS 38.212 with the bit value of the DMRS sequence initialization provided by the new parameter dmrs- Seqlnitialization-dmrsOnlyTransmission field, when the UE is performing a DMRS-only transmission. In this way, example embodiments are able to use a different DMRS sequence initialization for the DMRS-only transmission as compared to the DMRS sequence that is used for regular data-bearing PUSCH transmissions.

[0060] Fig. 7a illustrates an example flow diagram of a method of DMRS- only transmissions on configured grant resources, according to one example embodiment. In certain example embodiments, the flow diagram of Fig. 7a may be performed by a network entity or network node in a communication system, such as FTE or 5G NR. For instance, in some example embodiments, the method of Fig. 7a may be performed by a base station and/or gNB.

[0061] As illustrated in the example of Fig. 7a, the method may include, at 700, configuring one or more UE(s) for DMRS-only transmission(s) on unused configured grant resources. In an embodiment, the configuring 700 may include specifying a subset of one or more of the unused configured grant resources to use for the DMRS-only transmission(s). In one embodiment, the configuring 700 may include indicating the configuration using the ConfiguredGrantConfig information element discussed above. For instance, the ConfiguredGrantConfig information element may include one or more of the following parameters: dmrsOnlyTransmission field, dmrs- Seqlnitialization-dmrsOnlyTransmission field, and/or periodicity- dmrsOnlyTransmission. In an embodiment, the method may also include, at 705, receiving the DMRS-only transmission(s) from the UE(s) on the unused configured grant resources. [0062] In certain embodiments, the method may also include, at 710, estimating the uplink signal quality between the UE and the network node (e.g., gNB) on the DMRS-only transmissions, for example, to track variations in the channel (i.e., deep fading events, including sudden blockage events common to mmWave spectrum). According to an embodiment, the estimating 710 may further include estimating the SINR. In some embodiments, the method may include, at 715, predicting a reliability of the transmission(s) using the estimated signal quality and/or estimated SINR. [0063] According to an embodiment, the method may also include, at 720, applying or implementing one or more intelligent link adaptation techniques. In certain embodiments, the link adaptation techniques may include a power control method and/or a rate control method.

[0064] For example, in an embodiment, the link adaptation technique may include running a fast uplink power control loop, where the uplink SINR that is estimated is compared to an internal target SINR maintained at the gNB. The method may then include sending TPC commands to the UE(s) to adjust its transmit power in order to maintain the desired target SINR, where the target SINR is set in order to achieve the desired quality of service (i.e., in terms of the target reliability level for the prescribed latency target).

[0065] In another embodiment, instead of or in addition to the power control method described above, the link adaptation technique may include using rate control where the gNB decides to adjust the MCS level that has been set for the configured grant transmissions to a new value that more appropriately matches the current channel conditions thereby achieving a desired quality of service (i.e., reliability level for the prescribed latency target).

[0066] Fig. 7b illustrates an example flow diagram of a method of a method of DMRS-only transmissions on configured grant resources, according to one example embodiment. In certain example embodiments, the flow diagram of Fig. 7b may be performed by a network entity or network node in a communications system, such as LTE or 5G NR. For instance, in some example embodiments, the method of Fig. 7b may be performed by a UE or mobile station. In certain embodiments, UE performing the method of Fig. 7b may be configured by the network for DMRS-only transmission(s) on unused configured grant resources, as discussed above. For instance, in embodiment, the UE may be configured for DMRS-only transmission(s) on the unused configured grant resources by receiving a Configured Grant Configuration information element that may include one or more of the following parameters: dmrsOnlyTransmission field, dmrs-Seqlnitialization- dmrsOnlyTransmission field, and/or periodicity-dmrsOnlyTransmission. [0067] As illustrated in the example of Fig. 7b, for a certain slot (e.g., slot # T), at 805, it is determined whether there is data in the UE buffer to transmit. If it is determined that there is no data in the UE buffer, then the method may include, at 810, determining if the slot (T) corresponds to CG resource. If it is determined at 810 that the slot does not correspond to CG resource, then nothing is done at 811. If it is determined at 810 that the slot does correspond to CG resource, then the method may include, at 830, determining if the CG resource corresponds to one in which a DMRS-only transmission is configured according to a parameter of a Configured Grant Configuration information element, such as a “periodicity- dmrsOnlyTransmission” parameter. If it is determined at 830 that the CG resource does not correspond to one in which a DMRS-only transmission is configured, then nothing is done at 831. If it is determined at 830 that the CG resource does correspond to one in which a DMRS-only transmission is configured, then the method may include, at 840, transmitting DMRS-only on the unused CG resources using specified DMRS sequence initialization. [0068] If it is determined at 805 that there is data in the UE buffer to transmit, then the method may include, at 815, determining if the slot (T) corresponds to CG resource. If it is determined that the slot does not correspond to CG resource, then nothing is done at 820. If it is determined that the slot does correspond to CG resource, then the method may include, at 825, transmitting the data on PUSCH CG resources.

[0069] According to certain embodiments, the transmitting 840 of the DMRS-only on the unused CG resources may further include transmitting the DMRS-only transmissions using a different DMRS sequence initialization value for the DMRS-only transmission as compared to the normal PUSCH transmissions with DMRS.

[0070] Fig. 8a illustrates an example of an apparatus 10 according to an embodiment. In an embodiment, apparatus 10 maybe a node, host, or server in a communications network or serving such a network. For example, apparatus 10 may be a satellite, base station, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), 5G Node B or access point, next generation Node B (NG-NB or gNB), and/or WLAN access point, associated with a radio access network, such as a LTE network, 5G or NR. In example embodiments, apparatus 10 may be an eNB in LTE or gNB in 5G.

[0071] It should be understood that, in some example embodiments, apparatus 10 may be comprised of an edge cloud server as a distributed computing system where the server and the radio node may be stand-alone apparatuses communicating with each other via a radio path or via a wired connection, or they may be located in a same entity communicating via a wired connection. For instance, in certain example embodiments where apparatus 10 represents a gNB, it may be configured in a central unit (CU) and distributed unit (DU) architecture that divides the gNB functionality. In such an architecture, the CU may be a logical node that includes gNB functions such as transfer of user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and/or session management, etc. The CU may control the operation of DU(s) over a front-haul interface. The DU maybe a logical node that includes a subset of the gNB functions, depending on the functional split option. It should be noted that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that apparatus 10 may include components or features not shown in Fig. 8a.

[0072] As illustrated in the example of Fig. 8a, apparatus 10 may include a processor 12 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. Processor 12 may be any type of general or specific purpose processor. In fact, processor 12 may include one or more of general-purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application- specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as examples. While a single processor 12 is shown in Fig. 8a, multiple processors may be utilized according to other embodiments. For example, it should be understood that, in certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may include two or more processors that may form a multiprocessor system (e.g., in this case processor 12 may represent a multiprocessor) that may support multiprocessing. In certain embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0073] Processor 12 may perform functions associated with the operation of apparatus 10, which may include, for example, precoding of antenna gain/phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming a communication message, formatting of information, and overall control of the apparatus 10, including processes related to management of communication resources.

[0074] Apparatus 10 may further include or be coupled to a memory 14 (internal or external), which may be coupled to processor 12, for storing information and instructions that may be executed by processor 12. Memory 14 may be one or more memories and of any type suitable to the local application environment, and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or nonvolatile data storage technology such as a semiconductor- based memory device, a magnetic memory device and system, an optical memory device and system, fixed memory, and/or removable memory. For example, memory 14 can be comprised of any combination of random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non- transitory machine or computer readable media. The instructions stored in memory 14 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by processor 12, enable the apparatus 10 to perform tasks as described herein.

[0075] In an embodiment, apparatus 10 may further include or be coupled to (internal or external) a drive or port that is configured to accept and read an external computer readable storage medium, such as an optical disc, USB drive, flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by processor 12 and/or apparatus 10.

[0076] In some embodiments, apparatus 10 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 15 for transmitting and receiving signals and/or data to and from apparatus 10. Apparatus 10 may further include or be coupled to a transceiver 18 configured to transmit and receive information. The transceiver 18 may include, for example, a plurality of radio interfaces that may be coupled to the antenna(s) 15. The radio interfaces may correspond to a plurality of radio access technologies including one or more of GSM, NB-IoT, LTE, 5G, WLAN, Bluetooth, BT- LE, NFC, radio frequency identifier (RFID), ultrawideband (UWB), MulteFire, and the like. The radio interface may include components, such as filters, converters (for example, digital-to-analog converters and the like), mappers, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) module, and the like, to generate symbols for a transmission via one or more downlinks and to receive symbols (for example, via an uplink).

[0077] As such, transceiver 18 may be configured to modulate information on to a carrier waveform for transmission by the antenna(s) 15 and demodulate information received via the antenna(s) 15 for further processing by other elements of apparatus 10. In other embodiments, transceiver 18 may be capable of transmitting and receiving signals or data directly. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, apparatus 10 may include an input and/or output device (I/O device).

[0078] In an embodiment, memory 14 may store software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 12. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for apparatus 10. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as an application or program, to provide additional functionality for apparatus 10. The components of apparatus 10 may be implemented in hardware, or as any suitable combination of hardware and software.

[0079] According to some embodiments, processor 12 and memory 14 may be included in or may form a part of processing circuitry or control circuitry. In addition, in some embodiments, transceiver 18 may be included in or may form a part of transceiver circuitry.

[0080] As used herein, the term “circuitry” may refer to hardware-only circuitry implementations (e.g., analog and/or digital circuitry), combinations of hardware circuits and software, combinations of analog and/or digital hardware circuits with software/firmware, any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processors) that work together to case an apparatus (e.g., apparatus 10) to perform various functions, and/or hardware circuit(s) and/or processor(s), or portions thereof, that use software for operation but where the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. As a further example, as used herein, the term “circuitry” may also cover an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors), or portion of a hardware circuit or processor, and its accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry may also cover, for example, a baseband integrated circuit in a server, cellular network node or device, or other computing or network device.

[0081] As introduced above, in certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may be a network node or RAN node, such as a base station, access point, Node B, eNB, gNB, WLAN access point, or the like. According to certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to perform the functions associated with any of the example embodiments described herein, such as the flow or signaling diagrams illustrated in Figs. 7a or 7b. In some embodiments, apparatus 10 may be configured to perform a procedure for configuring DMRS-only transmission(s) on unused configured grant resources, for example. In an embodiment, apparatus 10 may represent a network node, such as a gNB.

[0082] In an embodiment, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to configure one or more UE(s) for DMRS-only transmission(s) on unused configured grant resources. In an embodiment, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to specify a subset of one or more of the unused configured grant resources to use for the DMRS-only transmission(s). In an embodiment, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to receive the DMRS-only transmission(s) from the UE(s) on the unused configured grant resources. [0083] In certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to estimate the uplink signal quality between the UE and the apparatus 10 on the DMRS-only transmissions. According to an embodiment, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to estimate the SINR. In some embodiments, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to predict a reliability of the transmission(s) using the estimated signal quality and/or estimated SINR. [0084] According to an embodiment, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to apply and/or implement an intelligent link adaptation technique. In certain embodiments, the link adaptation techniques may include a power control method and/or a rate control method. For example, in an embodiment, the link adaptation technique may include running a fast uplink power control loop, where the uplink SINR that is estimated is compared to an internal target SINR maintained at the apparatus 10. In one embodiment, apparatus 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to send TPC commands to the UE(s) to adjust their transmit power in order to maintain the desired target SINR, where the target SINR is set in order to achieve the desired quality of service.

[0085] In another embodiment, instead of or in addition to the power control method described above, the link adaptation technique may include using rate control where the apparatus 10 decides to adjust the MCS level that has been set for the configured grant transmissions to a new value that more appropriately matches the current channel conditions thereby achieving a desired quality of service.

[0086] Fig. 8b illustrates an example of an apparatus 20 according to another embodiment. In an embodiment, apparatus 20 may be a node or element in a communications network or associated with such a network, such as a UE, mobile equipment (ME), mobile station, mobile device, stationary device, IoT device, or other device. As described herein, UE may alternatively be referred to as, for example, a mobile station, mobile equipment, mobile unit, mobile device, user device, subscriber station, wireless terminal, tablet, smart phone, IoT device, sensor or NB-IoT device, or the like. As one example, apparatus 20 may be implemented in, for instance, a wireless handheld device, a wireless plug-in accessory, or the like.

[0087] In some example embodiments, apparatus 20 may include one or more processors, one or more computer-readable storage medium (for example, memory, storage, or the like), one or more radio access components (for example, a modem, a transceiver, or the like), and/or a user interface. In some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be configured to operate using one or more radio access technologies, such as GSM, LTE, LTE-A, NR, 5G, WLAN, WiFi, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, NFC, MulteFire, and/or any other radio access technologies. It should be noted that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that apparatus 20 may include components or features not shown in Fig. 8b.

[0088] As illustrated in the example of Fig. 8b, apparatus 20 may include or be coupled to a processor 22 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. Processor 22 may be any type of general or specific purpose processor. In fact, processor 22 may include one or more of general-purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as examples. While a single processor 22 is shown in Fig. 8b, multiple processors may be utilized according to other embodiments. For example, it should be understood that, in certain embodiments, apparatus 20 may include two or more processors that may form a multiprocessor system (e.g., in this case processor 22 may represent a multiprocessor) that may support multiprocessing. In certain embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0089] Processor 22 may perform functions associated with the operation of apparatus 20 including, as some examples, precoding of antenna gain/phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming a communication message, formatting of information, and overall control of the apparatus 20, including processes related to management of communication resources.

[0090] Apparatus 20 may further include or be coupled to a memory 24 (internal or external), which may be coupled to processor 22, for storing information and instructions that may be executed by processor 22. Memory 24 may be one or more memories and of any type suitable to the local application environment, and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or nonvolatile data storage technology such as a semiconductor- based memory device, a magnetic memory device and system, an optical memory device and system, fixed memory, and/or removable memory. For example, memory 24 can be comprised of any combination of random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non- transitory machine or computer readable media. The instructions stored in memory 24 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by processor 22, enable the apparatus 20 to perform tasks as described herein.

[0091] In an embodiment, apparatus 20 may further include or be coupled to (internal or external) a drive or port that is configured to accept and read an external computer readable storage medium, such as an optical disc, USB drive, flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by processor 22 and/or apparatus 20.

[0092] In some embodiments, apparatus 20 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 25 for receiving a downlink signal and for transmitting via an uplink from apparatus 20. Apparatus 20 may further include a transceiver 28 configured to transmit and receive information. The transceiver 28 may also include a radio interface (e.g., a modem) coupled to the antenna 25. The radio interface may correspond to a plurality of radio access technologies including one or more of GSM, LTE, LTE-A, 5G, NR, WLAN, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, BT-LE, NFC, RFID, UWB, and the like. The radio interface may include other components, such as filters, converters (for example, digital-to-analog converters and the like), symbol demappers, signal shaping components, an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) module, and the like, to process symbols, such as OFDMA symbols, carried by a downlink or an uplink. [0093] For instance, transceiver 28 may be configured to modulate information on to a carrier waveform for transmission by the antenna(s) 25 and demodulate information received via the antenna(s) 25 for further processing by other elements of apparatus 20. In other embodiments, transceiver 28 may be capable of transmitting and receiving signals or data directly. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, apparatus 20 may include an input and/or output device (I/O device). In certain embodiments, apparatus 20 may further include a user interface, such as a graphical user interface or touchscreen.

[0094] In an embodiment, memory 24 stores software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 22. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for apparatus 20. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as an application or program, to provide additional functionality for apparatus 20. The components of apparatus 20 may be implemented in hardware, or as any suitable combination of hardware and software. According to an example embodiment, apparatus 20 may optionally be configured to communicate with apparatus 10 via a wireless or wired communications link 70 according to any radio access technology, such as NR.

[0095] According to some embodiments, processor 22 and memory 24 may be included in or may form a part of processing circuitry or control circuitry. In addition, in some embodiments, transceiver 28 may be included in or may form a part of transceiving circuitry.

[0096] As discussed above, according to some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be a UE, mobile device, mobile station, ME, IoT device and/or NB-IoT device, for example. According to certain embodiments, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to perform the functions associated with example embodiments described herein. For example, in some embodiments, apparatus 20 may be configured to perform one or more of the processes depicted in any of the flow charts or signaling diagrams described herein, such as those illustrated in Figs. 7a or 7b. In certain embodiments, apparatus 20 may include or represent a UE and may be configured to perform a procedure for DMR-only transmission on unused CG resources, for instance.

[0097] In certain embodiments, apparatus 20 may be configured by the network for DMRS-only transmission(s) on unused configured grant resources, as discussed above. For instance, in embodiment, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to receive a Configured Grant Configuration information element that may include one or more of the following parameters: dmrsOnlyTransmission field, dmrs- Seqlnitialization-dmrsOnlyTransmission field, and/or periodicity- dmrsOnlyTransmission, as discussed in detail above.

[0098] According to one embodiment, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to determine whether there is data in its buffer to transmit. If it is determined that there is no data in the buffer, then apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to determine if the slot (T) corresponds to CG resource. If it is determined that the slot does not correspond to CG resource, then apparatus 20 does not do anything. If it is determined that the slot does correspond to CG resource, then apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to determine if the CG resource corresponds to one in which a DMRS-only transmission is configured according to a parameter of a Configured Grant Configuration information element, such as a “periodicity-dmrsOnlyTransmission” parameter. If it is determined that the CG resource does not correspond to one in which a DMRS-only transmission is configured, then apparatus 20 does not do anything. If it is determined that the CG resource does correspond to one in which a DMRS-only transmission is configured, then apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to transmit DMRS-only on CG resources using DMRS sequence initialization, for example, as indicated in the Configured Grant Configuration information element. In one embodiment, apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to transmit the DMRS-only transmissions using a different DMRS sequence initialization value for the DMRS-only transmission as compared to the normal PUSCH transmissions with DMRS.

[0099] If it is determined that there is data in the UE buffer to transmit, then apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to determine if the slot (T) corresponds to CG resource. If it is determined that the slot does not correspond to CG resource, then apparatus 20 does not do anything. If it is determined that the slot does correspond to CG resource, then apparatus 20 may be controlled by memory 24 and processor 22 to transmit the data on PUSCH CG resources.

[0100] Therefore, certain example embodiments provide several technological improvements, enhancements, and/or advantages over existing technological processes and constitute an improvement at least to the technological field of wireless network control and management. For example, example embodiments may introduce a frequent DMRS-only transmission by the UE irrespective of the sporadic/infrequent traffic transmission on Configured Grant resources. This enables the use of intelligent link adaptation techniques such as power control and/or rate control at the gNB. By enabling fast link adaptation techniques, the transmission reliability can be improved by being able to track variations in the channel between the UE and the gNB even when there is no traffic data transmission by the UE, which allows for increased reliability and/or improved overall system capacity. As a result, example embodiments may at least improve throughput, latency, and/or processing speed of network nodes and/or UEs. Accordingly, the use of certain example embodiments results in improved functioning of communications networks and their nodes, such as base stations, eNBs, gNBs, and/or UEs or mobile stations. [0101] In some example embodiments, the functionality of any of the methods, processes, signaling diagrams, algorithms or flow charts described herein may be implemented by software and/or computer program code or portions of code stored in memory or other computer readable or tangible media, and executed by a processor.

[0102] In some example embodiments, an apparatus may be included or be associated with at least one software application, module, unit or entity configured as arithmetic operation(s), or as a program or portions of it (including an added or updated software routine), executed by at least one operation processor. Programs, also called program products or computer programs, including software routines, applets and macros, may be stored in any apparatus-readable data storage medium and may include program instructions to perform particular tasks.

[0103] A computer program product may include one or more computer- executable components which, when the program is run, are configured to carry out some example embodiments. The one or more computer-executable components may be at least one software code or portions of code. Modifications and configurations required for implementing functionality of an example embodiment may be performed as routine(s), which may be implemented as added or updated software routine(s). In one example, software routine(s) may be downloaded into the apparatus.

[0104] As an example, software or computer program code or portions of code may be in source code form, object code form, or in some intermediate form, and it may be stored in some sort of carrier, distribution medium, or computer readable medium, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. Such carriers may include a record medium, computer memory, read-only memory, photoelectrical and/or electrical carrier signal, telecommunications signal, and/or software distribution package, for example. Depending on the processing power needed, the computer program may be executed in a single electronic digital computer or it may be distributed amongst a number of computers. The computer readable medium or computer readable storage medium may be a non-transitory medium. [0105] In other example embodiments, the functionality may be performed by hardware or circuitry included in an apparatus (e.g., apparatus 10 or apparatus 20), for example through the use of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other combination of hardware and software. In yet another example embodiment, the functionality may be implemented as a signal, such as a non-tangible means, that can be carried by an electromagnetic signal downloaded from the Internet or other network. [0106] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus, such as a node, device, or a corresponding component, may be configured as circuitry, a computer or a microprocessor, such as single-chip computer element, or as a chipset, which may include at least a memory for providing storage capacity used for arithmetic operation(s) and/or an operation processor for executing the arithmetic operation(s).

[0107] One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the example embodiments as discussed above may be practiced with procedures in a different order, and/or with hardware elements in configurations which are different than those which are disclosed. Therefore, although some embodiments have been described based upon these example embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of example embodiments. In order to determine the metes and bounds of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the appended claims.