Patent Description:
Industrial automation, also referred to as factory automation, involves the use of control systems for operating industrial equipment, such as assembly lines, robots, machines, and chemical processing systems. An industrial automation system may include computer-based controllers (also referred to as a programmable logic controller (PLC)), electronic sensors of various types, and electronically controlled actuators of various types, such as motors and other devices. Such sensor and actuator devices may be collectively referred to as "S/A" devices. An industrial automation system may include human machine interface (HMI) devices, such as portable computing devices, tablets, panels, wearable devices, etc., in communication with the controllers, and in communication with other HMI devices. A factory automation management system may oversee and communicate with one or more of the HMI devices and the controller devices.

In an industrial automation system, such devices may be configured to communicate with one another via one or more wired communication channels, and via one or more wireless local-area communication channels, such as, for example, a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi (IEEE <NUM>) network.

Of the various communication paths in an industrial automation system, one of particular relevance is the communication channel between a controller (for example, a programmable logic controller (PLC)) and a sensor or actuator (S/A). Typically, this communication has a round trip transfer (RTT) objective of <NUM> to <NUM> milliseconds (ms), and a stringent bit error ratio (BER), on the order of 10e-<NUM>. A typical communication packet size may be on the order of <NUM>-<NUM> bytes, and the communication range may be on the order of <NUM>-<NUM> meters (m), typically not exceeding <NUM>.

In general, the communication traffic is periodic with substantially fixed-size packets for a given controller and S/A network. A controller may communicate with tens or many tens of S/A devices. To achieve the stringent 10e-<NUM> BER goal, both data transmission and control signalling should be communicated efficiently to conserve bandwidth and maintain very high reliability.

<CIT>, relates to allocation and signaling of radio resources and modulation and coding schemes to a mobile communication device. <CIT>, relates to a system and method for multiple carrier transmission and in particular retransmissions of failed transmissions of data blocks.

Without limiting the scope of the appended claims, some prominent features are described herein.

The invention is as set out in the appended set of claims.

In the figures, like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise indicated. For reference numerals with letter character designations such as "102a" or "102b", the letter character designations may differentiate two like parts or elements present in the same figure. Letter character designations for reference numerals may be omitted when it is intended that a reference numeral encompass all parts having the same reference numeral in all figures.

Accordingly, in one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Non-transitory computer-readable media include computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable storage media can comprise a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of the aforementioned types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.

The following description provides examples. Changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements discussed without departing from the scope of the claims.

Wide-area wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts.

An example of a telecommunication standard is Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). LTE is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using OFDMA on the downlink (DL), SC-FDMA on the uplink (UL), and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE technology. An example of an improvement to LTE technology is referred to as <NUM>, or NR (new radio). The terms <NUM> and NR represent an evolution of LTE technology including, for example, various improvements to the wireless interface, processing improvements, and the enablement of higher bandwidth to provide additional features and connectivity.

The high bandwidth, high connectivity, scalability, and other benefits that <NUM> technology offers may lead to the use of <NUM> technology in various spheres of endeavor or "use cases" beyond mobile broadband communication. For example, <NUM> technology may be employed in so-called "mission-critical" control systems, such as the industrial automation systems mentioned herein. The term "mission-critical" generally refers to the criticality of low latency and high reliability to achieving an objective. For this reason, mission-critical <NUM> services may also be referred to as ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) services. Industrial automation or other mission-critical devices that have access to LTE or <NUM> frequency bands may be referred to as URLLC user equipment (URLLC UE).

It is contemplated that an industrial automation device, such as a computer-based controller, sensor, etc., may have access to LTE frequency bands, <NUM> frequency bands, as well as unlicensed frequency bands that are commonly employed in industrial automation local-area communication. Examples of communication technologies that use unlicensed frequency bands may include, for example, WiFi, Bluetooth, or other short-range wireless communication technology.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a wireless communications system <NUM> in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure. Wireless communications system <NUM> includes a factory <NUM> and one or more base stations <NUM> that are configured to communicate with each other via any of various communication links, with an exemplary communication link <NUM> shown for exemplary purposes only. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication link <NUM> may comprise one or more wired and/or wireless communication links and may include an LTE and/or a <NUM> communication link. The base station <NUM> may also be in communication with one or more user equipment (UE) <NUM> over a communication link <NUM>, with an exemplary UE <NUM> shown for illustrative purposes. Although for purposes of clarity only a single exemplary base station <NUM> and UE <NUM> is shown in <FIG>, such a wireless communications system <NUM> may include any number of base stations <NUM> and UEs <NUM>. In an exemplary embodiment, the base station <NUM> may be in communication with a core network <NUM> over a connection <NUM>. The connection <NUM> may be a wired or a wireless connection, and, in an exemplary embodiment, may comprise a backhaul connection (such as an X2 connection), may comprise an IP network, a connection to an IP network, or may comprise some or all of a core network. For example, the core network <NUM> may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network <NUM> may comprise some or all of an evolved packet core (EPC) that may provide one or more services or functions, such as those described herein. The core network <NUM> may comprise LTE communication capability, and may also comprise <NUM> (also referred to as new radio (NR) communication capability.

Wireless communications system <NUM> may include, for example, an LTE/LTE-A network, a <NUM> (or NR) network, or a heterogeneous network comprising aspects of both LTE and <NUM> technologies or other technologies. In LTE/LTE-A networks, the term evolved Node B (eNB), or in a <NUM> network, the term millimeter wave B (mWB) or gigabit Node B (gNB), may be used generally to describe base stations <NUM>, while the term UE, mobile broadband UE, or evolved mobile broadband (eMBB) UE may be used generally to describe a UE <NUM>. Wireless communications system <NUM> may be a heterogeneous LTE/LTE-A and <NUM> network in which different types of eNBs and/or gNB provide coverage for various geographical regions. For example, each base station <NUM> may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, and/or other types of cell. The term "cell" is a 3GPP term that can be used to describe a base station, a carrier or component carrier associated with a base station, or a coverage area (e.g., sector, etc.) of a carrier or base station, depending on context. In some examples, wireless communications system <NUM> may be, or may include, a millimeter wave communication network.

The term "NR" may be used herein to refer to "new radio," which is a way of referring to a radio interface that may be part of the <NUM> communication methodology. The term "NR" may be used interchangeably with the term "<NUM>" in this disclosure.

Each base station <NUM> (e.g., an eNB or a gNB) may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area. A pico cell may cover a relatively smaller geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A femto cell also may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may provide restricted access by UEs having an association with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs for users in the home, and the like). An eNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell eNB, a pico eNB, a femto eNB or a home eNB.

Although not shown for purposes of clarity, wireless communications system <NUM> may include base stations <NUM> of different types (e.g., macro and/or small cell base stations). There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas for different technologies.

Wireless communications system <NUM> may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, base stations <NUM> may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, base stations <NUM> may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations may not be aligned in time.

The communication networks that may accommodate some of the various disclosed examples may be packet-based networks that operate according to a layered protocol stack. The MAC layer may also use Hybrid ARQ (HARQ) to provide retransmission at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRC connection between a UE <NUM> and the base stations <NUM> supporting radio bearers for the user plane data. At the Physical (PHY) layer, the transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

The UE <NUM> may be dispersed throughout the wireless communications system <NUM>, and each UE <NUM> may be stationary or mobile. A UE <NUM> may also include or be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. A UE <NUM> may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, or the like. A UE <NUM> may be able to communicate with various types of base stations and network equipment including macro eNBs, small cell eNBs, mWBs/gNBs, relay base stations, and the like. Two UEs <NUM> also may be able to communicate directly with each other (i.e., not via any intermediary device such as one of base stations <NUM>) in a manner commonly referred to as device-to-device (D2D) communication. UEs <NUM> in D2D communication with each other may be located either within or outside the coverage area of one of base stations <NUM>.

Communication link <NUM> may carry or represent uplink (UL) transmissions from a UE <NUM> to a base station <NUM>, and/or downlink (DL) transmissions from a base station <NUM> to a UE <NUM>. The downlink transmissions may also be called forward link transmissions while the uplink transmissions may also be called reverse link transmissions. Each communication link <NUM> may include one or more carriers, where each carrier may be a signal made up of multiple sub-carriers (e.g., waveform signals of different frequencies) modulated according to the various radio technologies described above. Each modulated signal may be sent on a different sub-carrier and may carry control information (e.g., reference signals, control channels, etc.), overhead information, user data, etc. The communication link <NUM> may transmit bidirectional communications using FDD (e.g., using paired spectrum resources) or TDD operation (e.g., using unpaired spectrum resources). Frame structures for FDD (e.g., frame structure type <NUM>) and TDD (e.g., frame structure type <NUM>) may be defined.

In some examples, base stations <NUM> and/or UEs <NUM> may include multiple antennas for employing antenna diversity schemes to improve communication quality and reliability between base stations <NUM> and UEs <NUM>. Additionally or alternatively, base stations <NUM> and/or UEs <NUM> may employ multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) techniques that may take advantage of multi-path environments to transmit multiple spatial layers carrying the same or different coded data. UEs <NUM> may relate primarily to mobile broadband service (e.g., eMMB), in which users (not shown) may use UEs <NUM> to communicate with each other or with others, and to access the Internet or other remote broadband resources.

In an exemplary embodiment, the factory <NUM> may comprise a management system <NUM> and one or more human machine interface (HMI) devices, with exemplary HMI devices 124A and 124B shown for illustrative purposes only. In an exemplary embodiment, the management system <NUM> may comprise an industrial computing device providing controller programming and management functionality, software and security management, key performance indicator (KPI) monitoring, and other functions. In an exemplary embodiment, the HMI devices <NUM> may comprise one or more of tablets, panels, wearable devices, and other devices. The factory <NUM> may also comprise one or more controllers <NUM>, with exemplary controllers 108A and 108B shown for illustrative purposes only, and one or more sensors/actuators <NUM>, with exemplary sensors/actuators (S/A devices) 114A, 114B and 114C shown for illustrative purposes only. In an exemplary embodiment, when the controllers <NUM> are communicating with the S/A devices <NUM>, the controllers may function as "base stations" and the one or more S/A devices <NUM> may function as UEs. For example, the functionality described with respect to a base station <NUM> may be performed by a controller <NUM>, and the functionality described with respect to a UE <NUM> may be performed by an S/A device <NUM>. The controllers <NUM> and the S/A devices <NUM> may include, for example, PLC devices, sensors, actuators, measurement devices, or other devices or types of devices used in factory automation and in general, devices that perform machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), or other communication types. As used herein, the term "communicating" may refer to one-way or bi-directional communication between communication devices, such as between a S/A device <NUM> and a controller <NUM>. In an exemplary embodiment, the controllers <NUM> may comprise PLC devices that may issue commands to the S/A devices <NUM>, that may receive inputs from the S/A devices <NUM>, and that may communicate with other controllers <NUM>.

The management system <NUM> may communicate with the HMI devices <NUM> over communication links <NUM>, and may communicate with the controllers <NUM> over communication links <NUM>. The HMI devices <NUM> may also communicate with each other over communication link <NUM> and with controllers <NUM> over communication links <NUM>. The controllers <NUM> may also communicate with each other over communication link <NUM>. The controllers <NUM> may also communicate with the S/A devices <NUM> over communication links <NUM>. The communication links <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> may be wired, wireless, or combinations of wired and wireless communication links that allow the connected devices to communicate and interoperate. The communication links <NUM> generally refer to wireless communication links.

In an exemplary embodiment, the controllers <NUM> and the S/A devices <NUM> may perform what is referred to as ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), or another type or form of communication used in, for example, factory automation, where, for example, the controllers <NUM> and the S/A devices <NUM> may communicate directly with each other in a device-to-device methodology over unlicensed communication spectrum using unlicensed frequency bands or over licensed communication spectrum using licensed frequency bands or using a combination of unlicensed communication spectrum and licensed communication spectrum.

In exemplary embodiments described in this disclosure, controllers <NUM> and/or the S/A devices <NUM> may be URLLC UE devices. For example, a controller 108A may be an industrial automation (also referred to as factory automation) PLC device, the S/A device 114C may comprise an industrial automation sensor (e.g., a motion detector, a position sensor, a camera, a temperature sensor, etc.), and S/A device 114B may comprise an industrial automation actuator (e.g., a motor, a relay, a driver, etc.). Although for purposes of clarity only the three exemplary S/A devices 114A-114C are shown in <FIG>, such a wireless communications system <NUM> may include any number of controllers <NUM> and S/A devices <NUM>. In an exemplary embodiment, the controllers <NUM> and the S/A devices <NUM> may include, contain, or otherwise have access to communication technology that allow communication over a short-range wireless interface using unlicensed communication spectrum over unlicensed frequency bands, such as, for example, WiFi, Bluetooth, or other short-range wireless communication technology using licensed and/or unlicensed communication spectrum. The controllers <NUM> and the S/A devices <NUM> may also include, contain, or otherwise have access to communication technology that allow communication over a WAN-based wireless interface using licensed communication spectrum over licensed frequency bands, such as, for example, LTE, <NUM>, or other WAN-based wired or wireless communication technology.

In an exemplary embodiment, controllers 108A and 108B may be configured to communicate with S/A devices 114A, 114B and 114C via communication links <NUM>. Communication links <NUM> may relate to communications that may occur on one or more unlicensed frequency bands or licensed frequency bands.

In the exemplary embodiments described in this disclosure, in contrast with the frequency bands (e.g., LTE, <NUM>) on which base station <NUM> and UEs <NUM> communicate in the manner described above, some of the frequency bands on which controllers <NUM> and S/A devices <NUM> communicate are not allocated or "licensed" to specific entities by governmental or other authorities. For example, communication links <NUM> may relate to communication on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (IEEE <NUM>), or similar unlicensed frequency bands, as well as communication on licensed frequency bands. Communications on unlicensed frequency bands may be limited to shorter ranges than macro-cell communications on licensed frequency bands. For example, controllers <NUM> and S/A devices <NUM> may be located within a factory <NUM> or other local environment and may lack the range (e.g., transmitter power) to communicate with devices located substantially outside the factory on the unlicensed frequency band.

Controllers <NUM> may have access to not only the one or more unlicensed frequency bands described above but also one or more licensed frequency bands over communication link <NUM>. Communication links <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> relate to communication that may occur between controllers <NUM>, HMI devices <NUM>, and management system <NUM> on one or more licensed frequency bands, which may include the same bands on which UEs <NUM> are configured to communicate in the manner described above.

As mentioned above, communication between the controllers <NUM> and the S/A devices <NUM> may have stringent reliability objectives and as such, it is important to ensure that signaling and data communication between the controllers <NUM> and the S/A devices <NUM> is highly reliable. For example, a typical packet size communicated between a controller <NUM> and an S/A device <NUM> may be on the order of <NUM>-<NUM> bytes, may have a round trip transfer (RTT) time on the order of <NUM> to <NUM> milliseconds (ms), and may have a packet error rate (PER) target on the order of 10e-<NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> illustrating an example of a DL frame structure in LTE. A frame (<NUM>) may be divided into <NUM> equally sized subframes. Each subframe may include two consecutive time slots. A resource grid may be used to represent two time slots, each time slot including a resource block. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements. In LTE, for a normal cyclic prefix, a resource block contains <NUM> consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and <NUM> consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain, for a total of <NUM> resource elements. For an extended cyclic prefix, a resource block contains <NUM> consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and <NUM> consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain, for a total of <NUM> resource elements. In other exemplary communication systems, such as, for example, a <NUM> or a NR communication system, other numbers of subcarriers in the frequency domain and symbols in the time domain, providing other numbers of resource elements are possible. Some of the resource elements, indicated as R <NUM>, <NUM>, include DL reference signals (DL-RS) and/or downlink control information (DCI). The DL-RS include Cell-specific RS (CRS) (also sometimes called common RS) <NUM> and UE-specific RS (UE-RS) <NUM>. UE-RS <NUM> are transmitted on the resource blocks upon which the corresponding physical DL shared channel (PDSCH) is mapped. The number of bits carried by each resource element depends on the modulation scheme. Thus, the more resource blocks that a UE receives and the higher the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate for the UE.

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> illustrating an example of an UL frame structure in LTE. The available resource blocks for the UL may be partitioned into a data section and a control section. The control section may be formed at the two edges of the system bandwidth and may have a configurable size. The resource blocks in the control section may be assigned to UEs for transmission of control information. The data section may include all resource blocks not included in the control section. The UL frame structure results in the data section including contiguous subcarriers, which may allow a single UE to be assigned all of the contiguous subcarriers in the data section.

A UE may be assigned resource blocks 310a, 310b in the control section to transmit control information to an eNB/gNB. The UE may also be assigned resource blocks 320a, 320b in the data section to transmit data to the eNB/gNB. The UE may transmit uplink control information (UCI) in a physical UL control channel (PUCCH) on the assigned resource blocks in the control section. The UE may transmit data or both data and control information in a physical UL shared channel (PUSCH) on the assigned resource blocks in the data section. A UL transmission may span both slots of a subframe and may hop across frequency.

A set of resource blocks may be used to perform initial system access and achieve UL synchronization in a physical random access channel (PRACH) <NUM>. The PRACH <NUM> carries a random sequence and cannot carry any UL data/signaling. Each random access preamble occupies a bandwidth corresponding to six consecutive resource blocks. The starting frequency is specified by the network. That is, the transmission of the random access preamble is restricted to certain time and frequency resources. There is no frequency hopping for the PRACH. The PRACH attempt is carried in a single subframe (<NUM>) or in a sequence of few contiguous subframes and a UE can make a single PRACH attempt per frame (<NUM>).

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> illustrating an example of a radio protocol architecture for the user and control planes in LTE in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The radio protocol architecture for the UE and the eNB is shown with three layers: Layer <NUM>, Layer <NUM>, and Layer <NUM>. Layer <NUM> (L1 layer) is the lowest layer and implements various physical layer signal processing functions. The L1 layer will be referred to herein as the physical layer <NUM>. Layer <NUM> (L2 layer) <NUM> is above the physical layer <NUM> and is responsible for the link between the UE and eNB over the physical layer <NUM>.

In the user plane, the L2 layer <NUM> includes a media access control (MAC) sublayer <NUM>, a radio link control (RLC) sublayer <NUM>, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) <NUM> sublayer, which are terminated at the eNB on the network side. Although not shown, the UE may have several upper layers above the L2 layer <NUM> including a network layer (e.g., IP layer) that may be terminated at a PDN gateway (not shown) on the network side, and an application layer that may be terminated at the other end of the connection (e.g., far end UE, server, etc.).

The PDCP sublayer <NUM> provides multiplexing between different radio bearers and logical channels. The PDCP sublayer <NUM> also provides header compression for upper layer data packets to reduce radio transmission overhead, security by ciphering the data packets, and handover support for UEs between eNBs. The RLC sublayer <NUM> provides segmentation and reassembly of upper layer data packets, retransmission of lost data packets, and reordering of data packets to compensate for out-of-order reception due to hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ). The MAC sublayer <NUM> provides multiplexing between logical and transport channels. The MAC sublayer <NUM> is also responsible for allocating the various radio resources (e.g., resource blocks) in one cell among the UEs. The MAC sublayer <NUM> is also responsible for HARQ operations.

In the control plane, the radio protocol architecture for the UE and eNB is substantially the same for the physical layer <NUM> and the L2 layer <NUM> with the exception that there is no header compression function for the control plane. The control plane also includes a radio resource control (RRC) sublayer <NUM> in Layer <NUM> (L3 layer). The RRC sublayer <NUM> is responsible for obtaining radio resources (e.g., radio bearers) and for configuring the lower layers using RRC signaling between the eNB and the UE. In an exemplary embodiment, a communication between a controller <NUM> and an S/A device <NUM> may occur over the RRC layer <NUM> (or another "higher" level communication or layer, such as, for example only, a non-access stratum (NAS) communication, a radio access network (RAN communication from the core network <NUM>, or another communication), such communication including, for example, a transport block size (TBS) configuration. Such communication may "pre-configure" an S/A device <NUM> (or another UE) with part of the frequency domain resource allocation for future communications, and in an exemplary embodiment, may allow a future downlink control information (DCI) communication to have fewer bits than if the TBS were not pre-configured.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a communications system <NUM>, in accordance with the network architecture of <FIG>. In an exemplary embodiment, it is desirable to maximize the efficiency and the reliability of the control and data communication between a controller <NUM> and an S/A device <NUM>. In an exemplary embodiment, a highly efficient control signal containing frequency resource allocation and assignment information may be provided for one or more of an uplink (UL) and/or a downlink (DL) communication between a controller <NUM> and a large number of S/A devices <NUM>. Although only a single S/A device <NUM> is shown in <FIG> for simplicity of illustration, typically there may be many tens or more of S/A devices <NUM> in communication with each controller <NUM>.

In an exemplary embodiment, the size and configuration of a downlink control information (DCI) communication, carried on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) between the controller <NUM> and the S/A device <NUM> may be optimized to support communication between a large number of UEs (S/A devices <NUM> in this example) and a controller <NUM> with high reliability. As mentioned herein, communication traffic between a controller <NUM> and an S/A device <NUM> in a factory automation environment generally comprises periodic communication using substantially fixed packet sizes. Given the substantially fixed packet size, in an exemplary embodiment, the transmission block size (TBS) for communications between the controller <NUM> (acting like an eNB, a gNB, or another base station in this example) and the S/A device <NUM> (acting like a UE in this example) can be configured through higher layer communications. As used herein, the term "higher layer" refers to communications between a base station and a UE, and/or between a controller and an S/A device using, for example, a radio resource connection (RRC) configuration message, a non-access stratum (NAS) message, a message from the radio access network (RAN) and/or a message from the core network <NUM>. For example, one or more of a radio resource connection (RRC) configuration message, a non-access stratum (NAS) message, a message from the radio access network (RAN) and/or a message from the core network <NUM> may be used to "pre-configure" at least a portion of the frequency-domain resource allocation available for communication between the controller <NUM> and the S/A device <NUM>, as shown using directional arrow <NUM>. Such "pre-configured" frequency domain resources and frequency-domain resource allocation may include, for example, a transport block size (TBS), a fixed-packet length transport block size (TBS), a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and/or the number of layers if a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna scheme is used. As used herein, the "number of layers" refers to layers in the context of MIMO antenna ports and/or antenna elements, where the number of layers may be equal to one (<NUM>) or may exceed one (<NUM>), as known to those having ordinary skill in the art. Such "number of layers" information may be included in, for example, the pre-configured frequency domain resource allocation, or may be included in a DCI communication, such as in a DCI format 0_1 that may be used for scheduling a PUSCH communication or a DCI format 1_1 that may be used for scheduling a PDSCH communication. Thereafter, a modified DCI communication <NUM> can convey the remaining frequency-domain resource allocation information to the S/A device <NUM> using fewer bits than if the TBS was not previously configured. In an exemplary embodiment, the TBS can be previously configured using a higher level communication (e.g., the radio resource connection (RRC) configuration message, a non-access stratum (NAS) message, a message from the radio access network (RAN) and/or a message from the core network <NUM>). In an exemplary embodiment, an S/A device <NUM> (acting like a UE) can receive the modified DCI information, and together with the pre-configured frequency-domain resources (e.g., the pre-configured TBS and if also pre-configured, the number of layers), can then infer the full frequency-domain resource allocation from the prior TBS configuration and the subsequently received modified DCI communication. Such a modified DCI communication may also be referred to as a DCI communication having a compressed resource-allocation indication. In an exemplary embodiment, instead of a TBS, the pre-configuration of the TBS may also include, or be performed by, a function of the TBS, a max TBS, etc. Examples of a function of the TBS may include, a TBS+k configuration (where "k" may be a fixed or variable integer value), a (<NUM>+delta)*TBS configuration (where "delta" may be a fixed or variable integer value), and a maximum (max) TBS value configuration, where max TBS may be the maximum size that a TBS may take in a particular implementation. In an exemplary embodiment, various implementations may allow for variability in the TBS and/or the manner in which the TBS configuration is signaled to an S/A device <NUM> prior to the modified DCI communication. Such examples of pre-configuring the TBS configuration using a transport block size TBS configuration, a fixed-packet size transport block size (TBS) configuration or a function of the TBS as mentioned above are not exhaustive or limited to those mentioned.

For example, if the TBS is pre-configured as described herein, for NR resource allocation in a type <NUM> DCI communication, only the start resource block (RB) location may be specified in the modified DCI communication <NUM>, thereby reducing the size of the modified DCI communication compared to a non-modified DCI communication. In an exemplary embodiment, after receiving the location of the starting RB in the modified DCI communication <NUM> in a communication stream, a UE can then infer the number of RBs using one or more of the pre-configured TBS, the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and, if not pre-configured in, for example, an RRC communication, a precoding information and number of layers (transmitted precoding matrix identifier (TPMI)) field in a DCI format 0_1 or a DCI format 1_1 communication. In this manner, the modified DCI communication <NUM> having the starting resource block location can be sent using fewer communication resources than if the TBS pre-configuration did not occur, and the entire frequency resource allocation information had to be sent in a conventional DCI communication.

In an exemplary embodiment, when the TBS is pre-configured, the number of bits in the modified DCI that indicate the frequency-domain resource assignment of a type <NUM> DCI can be reduced from "ceil(log2(n_RB (n_RB+<NUM>)/<NUM>)) bits (as specified in NR Rel. <NUM> TS38. <NUM>) where n_RB is the total number of RBs", to "ceil(log2(n_RB)) bits. " For example, in an exemplary embodiment for n_RB=<NUM>, the reduction in bits conveying the frequency resource assignment in the modified DCI is reduced from <NUM> bits to <NUM> bits. For a larger number of RBs, the bit reduction would be higher. This methodology applies for both DL (DCI 1_0) and UL (DCI 0_0) resource assignment indication. The bit value should be an integer value. As used herein, the term "ceil" refers to rounding up the bit value to the next integer value. In an exemplary embodiment, a modified DCI may include combined DL and UL resource allocation (RA) indication. In an exemplary embodiment, RBs can correspond to physical resource blocks (PRBs) or virtual resource blocks (VRBs). For example, for frequency diversity, a VRB-to-PRB mapping can be used to provide non-contiguous resource allocation. VRB-to-PRB mapping is known to those having ordinary skill in the art and may be conveyed in a DCI Format 0_1 (for a PUSCH) or a DCI Format 1_1 (for a PDSCH) communication. In an exemplary embodiment, for a transmitter with a different TBS than configured through an RRC communication, a fall back DCI can be utilized. This situation should be infrequent given the traffic profile in a factory automation implementation.

In an exemplary embodiment where transmissions are mainly of fixed packet sizes, e.g., in factory automation, a base station (or a controller) can send a modified DCI with fewer frequency-domain resource allocation bits based on a prior pre-configuration of the TBS through higher layers, e.g., RRC configuration, NAS message, etc., as mentioned above.

In an exemplary embodiment, a UE can infer the full frequency-domain resource assignment based on a combination of the higher-layer TBS pre-configuration and the subsequently received modified DCI having the compressed resource allocation indication.

In an exemplary embodiment, the described TBS configuration and modified DCI communication may be applicable to a DL DCI (e.g., for a PDSCH), an UL DCI (e.g., for a PUSCH), or both DL and UL DCI based on when the traffic profile is amenable to such methodology, as well as when a combined DCI carrying both UL/DL assignments is used.

In an exemplary embodiment, for transmissions using a TBS that may be different from that pre-configured through the above-mentioned higher layer TBS configuration communication, a fall back (or legacy) DCI communication can be utilized to convey the complete resource assignment.

<FIG> is a block diagram of an exemplary device <NUM>, which may be an example of an S/A device 114A, 114B, 114C, or any device <NUM>. Although in the exemplary embodiments described in this disclosure, device <NUM> may be a factory automation sensor or actuator of the types described above, in other embodiments such a URLLC UE device may be of any other type having access to one or more frequency bands. The device <NUM> may include one or more first frequency band antennas <NUM> and one or more second frequency band antennas <NUM>. For example, first frequency band antennas <NUM> may be WiFi antennas, Bluetooth antennas, or antennas for another unlicensed communication spectrum. The second frequency band antennas <NUM> may be LTE antennas, <NUM> antennas, or antennas for another licensed communication spectrum. The device <NUM> may further include WiFi/Bluetooth RF front end circuitry <NUM> coupled to antennas <NUM>, and LTE/<NUM> RF front end circuitry <NUM> coupled to antennas <NUM>. The device <NUM> may also include baseband system <NUM>. The baseband system <NUM> may include a processor system <NUM> and a memory system <NUM>. The baseband system <NUM> may also include a WiFi/Bluetooth modem <NUM> and an LTE/<NUM> modem <NUM>. The processor system <NUM>, memory system <NUM>, WiFiBluetooth modem <NUM>, and LTE/<NUM> modem <NUM> may communicate, directly or indirectly, with each other (e.g., via one or more buses <NUM>). A processing system comprising the processor system <NUM> and the memory system <NUM> may be configured to receive and process a modified DCI communication as described herein.

A portion of the foregoing functionality may be performed under the control of processor system <NUM> through the execution of logic or instructions in the form of software, firmware, etc. In addition, some or all of the communication methods described in this disclosure may be performed under the control of processor system <NUM> through the execution of communication logic <NUM>. In the example shown in <FIG>, memory system <NUM> is configured with, among other things, communication logic <NUM>. In this example, communication logic <NUM> may be in the form of software or firmware. More generally, memory system <NUM> or other memory (not shown) may be configured with software or firmware, which, when executed by processor system <NUM> or other processors (not shown), causes device <NUM> to control various methods, including the methods described in this disclosure. Although not shown for purposes of clarity, memory system <NUM> also may be configured with other software or firmware, which, when executed by processor system <NUM> or other processes, causes device <NUM> or its processing system to control methods relating to factory automation or other conventional methods, such as, for example, obtaining sensor readings from device 114B (<FIG>), processing such sensor readings or other data, etc. Although for purposes of clarity communication logic <NUM> is shown in <FIG> in a conceptual manner as stored in or residing in memory system <NUM> in the manner of software or firmware, it should be understood that communication logic <NUM> may be made accessible to processor system <NUM> in any manner. Also, it should be noted that memory system <NUM> is an example of a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein in non-transitory computer-executable form, instructions (e.g., communication logic <NUM>) which, when executed by processor system <NUM>, may effect the methods of operation described in this disclosure. Some or all of baseband system <NUM> and RF front end circuitry <NUM> and <NUM> may be implemented using one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) adapted to control some or all of the associated methods or functions described herein. The WiFi/Bluetooth RF front end circuitry <NUM> and the LTE/<NUM> RF front end circuitry <NUM> may include one or more transmitters and receivers, or transceivers, and related circuitry configured to transmit and receive communication signals. Alternatively, the methods or functions may be controlled by one or more other processing units (or cores), on one or more integrated circuits. In other examples, other types of integrated circuits may be used (e.g., Structured/Platform ASICs, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), and other Semi-Custom ICs), which may be programmed in any manner known in the art.

<FIG> is a block diagram of an exemplary device <NUM>, which may be an example of a controller <NUM> or a base station <NUM> of <FIG>. The device <NUM> may include one or more first frequency band antennas <NUM> and one or more second frequency band antennas <NUM>. For example, first frequency band antennas <NUM> may be WiFi antennas, Bluetooth antennas, or antennas for another unlicensed communication spectrum. The second frequency band antennas <NUM> may be LTE antennas, <NUM> antennas, or antennas for another licensed communication spectrum. The device <NUM> may further include WiFi/Bluetooth RF front end circuitry <NUM> coupled to antennas <NUM>, and LTE/<NUM> RF front end circuitry <NUM> coupled to antennas <NUM>. The device <NUM> may also include baseband system <NUM>. The baseband system <NUM> may include a processor system <NUM> and a memory system <NUM>. The baseband system <NUM> may also include a WiFi/Bluetooth modem <NUM> and an LTE/<NUM> modem <NUM>. The processor system <NUM>, memory system <NUM>, WiFiBluetooth modem <NUM>, and LTE/<NUM> modem <NUM> may communicate, directly or indirectly, with each other (e.g., via one or more buses <NUM>).

A portion of the foregoing functionality may be performed under the control of processor system <NUM> through the execution of logic or instructions in the form of software, firmware, etc. In addition, some or all of the communication methods described in this disclosure may be performed under the control of processor system <NUM> through the execution of communication logic <NUM>. In the example shown in <FIG>, memory system <NUM> is configured with, among other things, communication logic <NUM>. In this example, communication logic <NUM> may be in the form of software or firmware. More generally, memory system <NUM> or other memory (not shown) may be configured with software or firmware, which, when executed by processor system <NUM> or other processors (not shown), causes device <NUM> to control portions of various methods, including portions of the methods described in this disclosure. Although not shown for purposes of clarity, memory system <NUM> also may be configured with other software or firmware, which, when executed by processor system <NUM> or other processes, causes device <NUM> or its processing system to control methods relating to communication with devices <NUM> and UEs <NUM>. Although for purposes of clarity communication logic <NUM> is shown in <FIG> in a conceptual manner as stored in or residing in memory system <NUM> in the manner of software or firmware, it should be understood that communication logic <NUM> may be made accessible to processor system <NUM> in any manner. Also, it should be noted that memory system <NUM> is an example of a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein in non-transitory computer-executable form, instructions (e.g., communication logic <NUM>) which, when executed by processor system <NUM>, may effect the methods of operation described in this disclosure. Some or all of baseband system <NUM>, WiFi/Bluetooth RF front end circuitry <NUM> and RF front end circuitry <NUM> may be implemented using one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) adapted to control some or all of the associated methods or functions described herein. The WiFi/Bluetooth RF front end circuitry <NUM> and the LTE/<NUM> RF front end circuitry <NUM> may include one or more transmitters and receivers, or transceivers, and related circuitry configured to transmit and receive communication signals. Alternatively, the methods or functions may be controlled by one or more other processing units (or cores), on one or more integrated circuits. In other examples, other types of integrated circuits may be used (e.g., Structured/Platform ASICs, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), and other Semi-Custom ICs), which may be programmed in any manner known in the art.

<FIG> is a call flow diagram <NUM> illustrating a method in accordance with the present invention. Communication is illustrated between and among a controller <NUM>, an S/A <NUM> and, in some exemplary embodiments, a base station <NUM> and a core network <NUM>. The controller <NUM> may be similar to the controllers <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG>, the S/A device <NUM> may be similar to the S/A devices <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG>, the base station <NUM> may be similar to the base station <NUM> described in <FIG> and <FIG> and the core network <NUM> may be similar to the core network <NUM> described in <FIG> and <FIG>. In an exemplary embodiment, a controller <NUM> may function like a base station when communicating with an S/A <NUM>, in which instance the calls and operations shown in <FIG> would occur between the controller <NUM> and the S/A device <NUM>, as shown in solid line. In other exemplary embodiments, a base station <NUM> may also be in communication with a controller <NUM> over a connection <NUM> (which is similar to the connection <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG>), or a controller <NUM> may be integrated with or within a base station <NUM>, in which case <FIG> illustrates a dotted line including the controller <NUM> and the base station <NUM>, and refers to this combined device as a controller/eNB <NUM>. Although referred to as an "eNB", the base station <NUM> and the controller/eNB <NUM> may also be referred to as a "gNB" for a NR network. In an exemplary embodiment, one or more of the controller/eNB <NUM>, the controller <NUM> and/or the base station <NUM> may be in communication with a core network <NUM> over a communication link <NUM>, which is similar to the communication link <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG>. The dotted lines indicating the flow of communication signals between the controller <NUM> and the base station <NUM> signify communication calls that would occur if the function of the controller <NUM> and function of the base station <NUM> were separate, but the elements included in the controller/eNB <NUM>.

In call <NUM>, a communication from the controller <NUM> to the S/A device <NUM> includes information relating to a pre-configuration of a transport block size (TBS) that the S/A device <NUM> uses to obtain pre-existing knowledge of at least some portion of the frequency resource assignment for future communications between the S/A device <NUM> and the controller <NUM>. In an exemplary embodiment, the call <NUM> may comprise one or more of a radio resource connection (RRC) configuration message, a non-access stratum (NAS) message, a message from the radio access network (RAN) and/or a message from the core network <NUM>, may include the TBS portion of the frequency-domain resource assignment (or allocation) and may be used to "pre-configure" at least a portion of the frequency-domain resources available to the S/A device <NUM> for communication between the controller <NUM> and the S/A device <NUM>. In block <NUM>, an S/A device <NUM> may configure its TBS in accordance with the information contained in the message in call <NUM>.

In call <NUM>, the controller <NUM> sends a modified DCI communication to the S/A device <NUM>. The call <NUM> includes a modified DCI conveying an additional portion of frequency domain resource allocation information to the S/A device <NUM> using fewer bits than if the TBS was not pre-configured in call <NUM> and block <NUM>. For example, a modified DCI communication in call <NUM> can convey the additional frequency-domain resource allocation, as shown in block <NUM>, for an uplink (UL) data transmission, a downlink (DL) data transmission or both an UL data transmission and a DL data transmission with fewer bits than would otherwise be used for frequency domain resource assignment where the TBS was not pre-configured and an unmodified DCI communication was used to fully convey the frequency-domain resource allocation to the S/A device <NUM>. The modified DCI communication in call <NUM> includes information related to the location of the beginning resource block (RB) of the frequency-domain resource allocation for the S/A device <NUM>.

In block <NUM>, an S/A device <NUM> (acting like a UE) receives the modified DCI information, and together with the previously received pre-configured TBS including a portion of the frequency-domain resources, infer the full resource allocation from the TBS pre-configuration and the received modified DCI having compressed resource-allocation indication from block <NUM>. In this manner, the S/A device <NUM> can be capable of one or more of UL data transmission, DL data reception, or a combination of UL and DL data communication with the controller <NUM>.

In call <NUM>, an S/A device <NUM> sends an uplink (UL) data transmission to the controller <NUM>.

In call <NUM>, an S/A device <NUM> receives a downlink (DL) data transmission from the controller <NUM>. The downlink (DL) data transmission from the controller <NUM> to the S/A device <NUM> shown in call <NUM> is shown in dotted line because it may be an optional communication.

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> showing a communication frame structure in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. A DL communication frame <NUM> may include ten (<NUM>) subframes <NUM> through <NUM> and an uplink (UL) communication frame <NUM> may include ten (<NUM>) subframes <NUM> through <NUM>.

In an exemplary embodiment, at least some of the subframes <NUM> through <NUM> in the DL communication frame <NUM> may have a control region carrying a DCI communication. In an exemplary embodiment, a DCI communication may be carried in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). For example, the subframe <NUM> includes a control region <NUM> carrying DCI for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) <NUM> in the DL frame <NUM> (in subframe <NUM>) and also carrying DCI for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) <NUM> in the UL communication frame <NUM> (in the subframe <NUM>). In this exemplary embodiment, the DCI in the control region <NUM> is considered a combined DL and UL DCI.

In an exemplary embodiment, a subframe may have a control region that does not carry a DCI communication. For example, control region <NUM> in subframe <NUM> and control region <NUM> in subframe <NUM> carry no DCI.

In an exemplary embodiment, a subframe may have a control region that carries a DCI only for a downlink (PDSCH). For example, control region <NUM> in subframe <NUM>, control region <NUM> in subframe <NUM> and control region <NUM> in subframe <NUM> carry DCI for respective PDSCHs <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>. In this exemplary embodiment, the DCI in the control regions <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> are considered DL DCIs.

In an exemplary embodiment, a subframe may have a control region that carries a DCI only for an uplink (PUSCH) only. For example, control region <NUM> in subframe <NUM>, carries DCI for PUSCH <NUM> only. In this exemplary embodiment, the DCI in the control region <NUM> is considered an UL DCI.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a DCI modified in accordance with the various aspects of the present disclosure may be a DL DCI only, an UL DCI only, and/or a combined DL and UL DCI only.

<FIG> is a drawing showing an exemplary embodiment of a DCI format <NUM> in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In an exemplary embodiment, a DCI format 1_0 is shown in <FIG> for purposes of illustration only in that the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented with other DCI formats, such as, for example, DCI Format 0_0 for a PUSCH. The DCI format <NUM> may comprise a number of fields, with each field having an item, a number of bits, and a reference. For example, in this exemplary embodiment, the field "Identifier for DCI formats" uses one (<NUM>) bit and is always set to <NUM>, meaning that this exemplary DCI format is for a downlink (DL) resource assignment. Other DCI formats pertaining to uplink (UL) communications and combined DCI formats for combined DL and UL communications are also possible.

In an exemplary embodiment, the "Frequency domain resource assignment" field <NUM> may comprise a variable number of bits. In an exemplary embodiment, where the TBS may be pre-configured as described herein, the number of DCI bits can be reduced for the frequency-domain resource assignment of a type <NUM> DCI from "ceil(log2(n_RB (n_RB+<NUM>)/<NUM>))" bits (as specified in NR Rel. <NUM> TS38. <NUM>) where n_RB is the total number of RBs, to "ceil(log2(n_RB))" bits. For example, for n_RB=<NUM>, the reduction is from <NUM> bits in a conventional DCI communication to <NUM> bits in the modified DCI communication described herein.

A "VRB-to-PRB mapping" field <NUM> may comprise one (<NUM>) bit to indicate mapping of physical resource blocks (PRBs) to virtual resource blocks (VRBs). For example, for frequency diversity, a VRB-to-PRB mapping can be used to provide non-contiguous resource allocation.

A "Modulation and Coding Scheme" (MCS) field <NUM> may comprise up to five (<NUM>) bits to indicate the modulation and coding scheme for a particular PDSCH communication. The other fields in the DCI format <NUM> are known to those having ordinary skill in the art and are not described in detail.

<FIG> is a drawing <NUM> showing an exemplary embodiment of a "Frequency domain resource assignment" field in an unmodified DCI format <NUM> and a "Frequency domain resource assignment" field in a modified DCI format <NUM> in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In an exemplary embodiment where the number of resource blocks is <NUM>, the number of bits used to send the frequency domain resource assignment may be reduced from <NUM> bits to <NUM> bits. The modified DCI format <NUM> may be considered to have "compressed resource allocation (RA)" information compared to the DCI format <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> showing a part of a communication subframe in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The diagram <NUM> shows a portion of the communication frame structure of <FIG>. The diagram <NUM> shows a horizontal axis <NUM> showing time increasing to the right, and a vertical axis <NUM> showing frequency increasing upwardly. In an exemplary embodiment, a subframe <NUM> includes a PDCCH control region <NUM> that carries a DCI for a downlink (PDSCH) <NUM>. In an exemplary embodiment, the subframe <NUM> is similar to the subframe <NUM> of <FIG>, the control region <NUM> is similar to the control region <NUM> of <FIG>, and the PDSCH <NUM> is similar to the PDSCH <NUM> of <FIG>.

In an exemplary embodiment, the PDCCH control region <NUM> in the subframe <NUM> carries a modified DCI <NUM> for the PDSCH <NUM>. In this exemplary embodiment, the modified DCI <NUM> in the PDCCH control region <NUM> is considered a DL DCI for a subject UE, which can be referred to as UE1. In an exemplary embodiment, the PDSCH <NUM> comprises a resource assignment <NUM> for the subject UE, UE1. In an exemplary embodiment, at least a portion of the resource assignment <NUM> is identified by, and corresponds to, the modified DCI <NUM>. In an exemplary embodiment, the resource assignment <NUM> comprises a beginning resource block (RB) location <NUM>, and a length, L, <NUM>. The resource assignment <NUM> may comprise a number of resource blocks (RBs) (not individually shown in <FIG>), spanning a range of contiguous and/or non-contiguous frequencies, where each RB comprises a range of frequency subchannels (see, e.g., <FIG>). The beginning resource block (RB) location <NUM> of the resource assignment <NUM> may be the only portion of the resource assignment <NUM> that is identified in the modified DCI <NUM>. In an exemplary embodiment, the beginning resource block (RB) location <NUM> corresponds to a particular frequency at which the resource assignment <NUM> begins. For example, the beginning resource block (RB) location <NUM> can be identified by the six exemplary bits in the "Frequency domain resource assignment" field in the modified DCI format <NUM> (<FIG>) and carried in the exemplary modified DCI <NUM>, and may correspond to a carrier bandwidth part (BWP), which may comprise a contiguous set of physical resource blocks selected from a contiguous subset of the common resource blocks for a given numerology on a given carrier.

In an exemplary embodiment, a conventional DCI would include sufficient information to define both the beginning resource block (RB) location <NUM> and the total length, L, <NUM> (i.e., the number of RBs) in the resource assignment <NUM>. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the modified DCI <NUM> includes information related only to the beginning resource block (RB) location <NUM> of the resource assignment <NUM>, thereby allowing the modified DCI <NUM> to contain fewer bits, as mentioned above, than a DCI that conveys the entire frequency resource assignment <NUM>. In an exemplary embodiment, the total length, L, <NUM> (i.e., the number of RBs) in the resource assignment <NUM> can be inferred by a UE from the pre-configured TBS, as mentioned above. Further, the MCS and the number of layers can also be used by the UE to infer the resource assignment, as mentioned above. For example, if the TBS is <NUM> bytes, the MCS is rate ½, QPSK (quadrature phase-shift keying), and the number of layers is one (<NUM>), then the number of resource blocks (RBs) in the total length, L, <NUM> of the resource assignment <NUM> can be inferred as:.

RB=30x8/<NUM>; so that the length, L, <NUM> is RB=<NUM>, where the <NUM> bytes are multiplied by <NUM> (<NUM> bits/byte).

In this manner, the modified DCI <NUM> carries information relating only the beginning resource block (RB) location <NUM>, so that the total length <NUM>, L, of the resource assignment <NUM> can be inferred by the UE using the TBS pre-configuration information mentioned above and the information relating only the beginning resource block (RB) location <NUM>.

<FIG> is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method <NUM> for communication, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The blocks in the method <NUM> can be performed in or out of the order shown, and in some embodiments, can be performed at least in part in parallel.

In block <NUM>, an S/A device <NUM> may be configured with a TBS by receiving an RRC communication, a NAS message, and/or a RAN message, or another higher layer communication, from a controller <NUM>, a base station <NUM>, or from a core network <NUM>. This configuring of the S/A device <NUM> may be considered a TBS pre-configuration, as described herein.

In block <NUM>, a modified DCI communication is received by a S/A device <NUM> and is used to convey to the S/A device <NUM> frequency-domain resource assignment using fewer bits than if the TBS were not pre-configured in block <NUM>.

In block <NUM>, an S/A device <NUM> (or a UE) may infer the full frequency-domain resource assignment or allocation based on the pre-configured TBS configuration and the modified DCI having the compressed resource allocation.

In block <NUM>, the S/A device <NUM> (or a UE) transmits and/or receives data using the identified resource.

<FIG> is a functional block diagram of an apparatus <NUM> for a communication system in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The apparatus <NUM> comprises means <NUM> for configuring an S/A device by receiving a TBS configuration using an RRC communication, a NAS message, and/or a RAN message, or another communication, from a controller or from a core network.

In certain embodiments, the means <NUM> for configuring an S/A device by receiving a TBS configuration using an RRC communication, a NAS message, and/or a RAN message, or another communication, from a controller or from a core network can be configured to perform one or more of the function described in operation block <NUM> of method <NUM> (<FIG>). In an exemplary embodiment, the means <NUM> for configuring an S/A device by receiving a TBS configuration using an RRC communication, a NAS message, and/or a RAN message, or another communication, from a controller or from a core network may comprise one or more of the antenna <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, the WiFi/Bluetooth RF front end circuitry <NUM>, the LTE/<NUM> RF front end circuitry <NUM>, and the baseband system <NUM> of the S/A device <NUM> receiving an RRC communication, a NAS message, and/or a RAN message, or another communication from a controller <NUM> or from a core network <NUM> and configuring the S/A device <NUM> with the TBS using the RRC connection, the NAS message, and/or the RAN message, or another communication.

The apparatus <NUM> further comprises means <NUM> for receiving and using a modified DCI communication to convey frequency-domain resource assignment using fewer bits than if the TBS were not pre-configured. In certain embodiments, the means <NUM> for receiving and using a modified DCI communication to convey frequency-domain resource assignment using fewer bits than if the TBS were not pre-configured can be configured to perform one or more of the functions described in operation block <NUM> of method <NUM> (<FIG>). In an exemplary embodiment, the means <NUM> for receiving using a modified DCI communication to convey frequency-domain resource assignment using fewer bits than if the TBS were not pre-configured may comprise one or more of the antenna <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, the WiFi/Bluetooth RF front end circuitry <NUM>, the LTE/<NUM> RF front end circuitry <NUM>, and the baseband system <NUM> of the S/A device <NUM> receiving the modified DCI communication with a compressed, or modified, frequency-domain resource allocation information from the controller <NUM>, and using the modified DCI with a compressed, or modified, frequency-domain resource allocation information to convey frequency-domain resource assignment.

The apparatus <NUM> further comprises means <NUM> for inferring the full frequency-domain resource assignment or allocation based on the pre-configured TBS configuration and the modified DCI having the compressed resource allocation. In certain embodiments, the means <NUM> for inferring the full frequency-domain resource assignment or allocation based on the pre-configured TBS configuration and the modified DCI having the compressed resource allocation can be configured to perform one or more of the functions described in operation block <NUM> of method <NUM> (<FIG>). In an exemplary embodiment, the means <NUM> for inferring the full frequency-domain resource assignment or allocation based on the pre-configured TBS configuration and the modified DCI having the compressed resource allocation may comprise one or more of the antenna <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, the WiFi/Bluetooth RF front end circuitry <NUM>, the LTE/<NUM> RF front end circuitry <NUM>, and the baseband system <NUM> of the S/A device <NUM> inferring the full frequency-domain resource assignment or allocation based on the pre-configured TBS configuration and the modified DCI having the compressed resource allocation.

The apparatus <NUM> further comprises means <NUM> for transmitting and/or receiving data using the identified resource. In certain embodiments, the means <NUM> for transmitting and/or receiving data using the identified resource can be configured to perform one or more of the functions described in operation block <NUM> of method <NUM> (<FIG>). In an exemplary embodiment, the means <NUM> for transmitting and/or receiving data using the identified resource may comprise one or more of the antenna <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, the WiFi/Bluetooth RF front end circuitry <NUM>, the LTE/<NUM> RF front end circuitry <NUM>, and the baseband system <NUM> of the S/A device <NUM> transmitting and/or receiving data using the resource identified by the modified DCI.

The detailed description set forth above in connection with the appended drawings describes examples and does not represent the only examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The terms "example" and "exemplary," when used in this description, mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and not "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples.

The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

Other implementations are within the scope of the appended claims. Also, as used herein, including in the claims, "or" as used in a list of items (for example, a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates a disjunctive list such that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

Claim 1:
A method for communication, comprising:
receiving (<NUM>, <NUM>) a transport block size, TBS, configuration (<NUM>) containing at least a portion of a frequency-domain resource allocation;
receiving (<NUM>, <NUM>) a downlink control information, DCI, message (<NUM>) having an additional portion of the frequency-domain resource allocation, the TBS configuration (<NUM>) and the additional portion of the frequency-domain resource allocation having frequency-domain resource allocation information to support data communication wherein a frequency-domain resource assignment field (<NUM>) in the DCI message (<NUM>) comprises bits identifying a beginning resource block, RB, location in a communication stream; and
after identifying the beginning resource block, RB, location, inferring (<NUM>, <NUM>) based on the TBS configuration (<NUM>) a total number of resource blocks to support data communication.