Multi-beam pre-transmission listening for 60GHz NRU

Abstract

A system and method for accessing a wireless medium deployed as NR-U at 60 GHz is disclosed. Directional CCA sensing is performed on a plurality of beam sets in the medium, where each beam is directed to a different direction. It is determined whether at least one beam is busy, and if so, a backoff timer is initialized. The backoff timer is decreased by a predetermined amount based on a determination that all beams of the plurality of beam sets are idle. The backoff timer is repeatedly decreased by the predetermined amount based on a determination that all beams of the plurality of beam sets are idle until the backoff timer equals the predetermined amount. Data is transmitted on at least one beam of the plurality of beam sets based on the backoff timer equaling the predetermined amount.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 062,427, filed August 6, 2020; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 080,664, filed September 18, 2020; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 138,388, filed January 15, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The topics disclosed herein generally relate to wireless communication systems. More specifically, the topics disclosed herein relate to fifth-generation (5G) wireless technologies for new radio interfaces and radio access technologies in unlicensed spectrum (NR-U), deployed in 60 GHz channel access processes using multi-beam transmit-before-sound (LBT) technology. Background Technology

[0004] When deploying 5G NR-U in 60 GHz as part of a single transmit and receive point (TRP) or multi-TRP architecture, there may be many active beams with finer spatial granularity between the TRP and the user equipment (UE). Multiple beams can be used to take advantage of spatial diversity and spatial multiplexing for transmission. Multiple beams can also be used to increase the likelihood of successful channel occupancy if transmitting in an unlicensed band. The channel access procedure in IEEE WiGi and NR-U Release 16 is currently based on omnidirectional LBT. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Exemplary embodiments provide a transceiver that may include a plurality of transmitting and receiving points, a receiver, and a transmitter. The plurality of transmitting and receiving points may be configured to transmit and receive a plurality of beams in a wireless communication medium, each of the plurality of beams being oriented in a direction different from the direction of each of the other beams in the plurality of beams. A receiver may be coupled to the plurality of transmitting and receiving points, and a transmitter may be coupled to the plurality of transmitting and receiving points. The transceiver may be configured to: perform directional clear channel evaluation sensing on at least one of the plurality of beams in the wireless communication medium to determine whether at least one of the plurality of beams is busy; initialize a backoff timer based on determining that at least one beam is busy; decrement the backoff timer by a predetermined amount based on determining that at least one beam is idle; and transmit data on at least one of the plurality of beams based on the backoff timer being equal to the predetermined amount. In one embodiment, the transceiver may further be configured to transmit data on at least one of the plurality of beams based on all beams of the plurality of beams being idle for an additional predetermined duration. In another embodiment, the transceiver may further be configured to transmit data on at least one of the plurality of beams based on determining that all beams of the plurality of beams are idle. In another embodiment, the transceiver may further be configured to initialize a first backoff timer corresponding to each first beam determined to be busy, and the transceiver may further be configured to: decrease the first backoff timer based on determining that the first beam corresponding to the first backoff timer is idle; and transmit data on the first beam based on the first backoff timer corresponding to the first beam being equal to a predetermined amount. In one embodiment, the transceiver may be configured to further transmit data based on the first beam being idle for an additional predetermined duration. In another embodiment, the transceiver may further be configured to: transmit a hold request message based on the first backoff timer being equal to a predetermined amount; determine whether the transmitter has received a hold acknowledgment message; and transmit data on at least one of a plurality of beams based on receiving a hold acknowledgment message. In one embodiment, the transceiver may be configured to further transmit a hold request message based on the first beam being idle for an additional predetermined duration. In another embodiment, the transceiver is further configured to: transmit a hold request message based on the backoff timer being equal to a predetermined amount; determine whether the transmitter has received a hold acknowledgment message; and transmit data on at least one of a plurality of beams based on receiving a hold acknowledgment message. The transceiver can also be configured to transmit a hold request message based on the beam on which it transmits the hold request message being idle for an additional predetermined duration.In one embodiment, at least one beam may include a primary beam, and the other beams of the plurality of beams may include secondary beams. The transceiver may also be configured to: perform directional clear channel assessment sensing on the primary beam; determine if the primary beam is busy; initialize a backoff timer based on the determination that the primary beam is busy; decrease the backoff timer by a predetermined amount based on the determination that the primary beam is idle; determine if the primary beam is idle for a first predetermined duration; determine, using a pre-transmit listen technique, whether at least one secondary beam is idle for a second predetermined duration based on the primary beam being idle for the first predetermined duration; and transmit data on each secondary beam that is idle on the primary beam for the first predetermined duration and on each secondary beam that is idle for the second predetermined duration. In all embodiments, the transceiver may be a transmitting and receiving point or a user equipment.

[0006] An exemplary embodiment provides a wireless communication system that may include: a transmitter configured to transmit a plurality of beams in a wireless communication medium, each of the plurality of beams being oriented in a direction different from the direction of each of the other beams in the plurality of beams. The transmitter may also be configured to: perform directional clear channel evaluation sensing on at least one of the plurality of beams in the wireless communication medium to determine whether at least one of the plurality of beams is busy; initialize a backoff timer based on the determination that at least one beam is busy; decrement the backoff timer by a predetermined amount based on the determination that all beams in the plurality of beams are idle; and transmit data on at least one of the plurality of beams based on the backoff timer being equal to the predetermined amount. In one embodiment, the transmitter may further be configured to transmit data on at least one of the plurality of beams based on all beams of the plurality of beams being idle for an additional predetermined duration. In another embodiment, the transmitter may further be configured to transmit data on at least one of the plurality of beams based on the determination that all beams of the plurality of beams are idle. In yet another embodiment, the transmitter may further be configured to initialize a first backoff timer corresponding to each first beam determined to be busy. In another embodiment, the transmitter is further configured to: decrease the first backoff timer based on determining that the first beam corresponding to the first backoff timer is idle; and transmit data on the first beam based on the first backoff timer corresponding to the first beam being equal to a predetermined amount. The transmitter may be further configured to transmit data based on the first beam being idle for an additional predetermined duration. In one embodiment, the transmitter may also be configured to: transmit a hold request message based on the first backoff timer being equal to a predetermined amount; determine whether the transmitter has received a hold acknowledgment message; and transmit data on at least one of a plurality of beams based on receiving a hold acknowledgment message. The transmitter may be further configured to transmit the hold request message based on the first beam being idle for an additional predetermined duration. In another embodiment, the transmitter may also be configured to: transmit a hold request message based on the backoff timer being equal to a predetermined amount; determine whether the transmitter has received a hold acknowledgment message; and transmit data on at least one of a plurality of beams based on receiving a hold acknowledgment message. The transmitter may also be configured to further transmit the hold request message based on the beam on which the hold request message was transmitted being idle for an additional predetermined duration.In one embodiment, at least one beam may include a primary beam, and the other beams of the plurality of beams may be secondary beams. The transmitter may also be configured to: perform directed clear channel assessment sensing on the primary beam among the plurality of beams; determine if the primary beam is busy; initialize a backoff timer based on the determination that the primary beam is busy; decrease the backoff timer by a predetermined amount based on the determination that the primary beam is idle; determine if the primary beam is idle for a first predetermined duration; determine, using a pre-transmission listen-before technique, whether at least one secondary beam is idle for a second predetermined duration based on the primary beam being idle for the first predetermined duration; and transmit data on the primary beam and on each secondary beam that is idle for the second predetermined duration, based on the primary beam being idle for the first predetermined duration. In all embodiments, the transceiver may be a transmitting and receiving point or a user equipment.

[0007] An example embodiment provides a method for accessing a wireless medium, which may include: at a transmitter, performing directional clear channel evaluation sensing on a plurality of beam sets in the wireless medium, each beam in the plurality of beam sets being oriented in a direction different from the direction of each other beam in the plurality of beam sets; at the transmitter, determining whether at least one beam in the plurality of beam sets is busy; at the transmitter, initializing a backoff timer based on determining that at least one beam is busy; at the transmitter, decreasing the backoff timer by a predetermined amount based on determining that all beams in the plurality of beam sets are idle; and transmitting data by the transmitter on at least one beam in the plurality of beam sets based on the backoff timer being equal to the predetermined amount. In one embodiment, transmission may further be based on all beams in the plurality of beam sets being idle for an additional predetermined duration. In another embodiment, the method may further include: transmitting data by the transmitter on at least one beam in the plurality of beam sets based on determining that all beams in the plurality of beam sets are idle. In yet another embodiment, initializing the backoff timer based on determining that at least one beam is busy may further include initializing a first backoff timer corresponding to each first beam determined to be busy. In another embodiment, the method may further include: reducing the first backoff timer based on determining that the first beam corresponding to the first backoff timer is idle; and transmitting data on the first beam based on the first backoff timer corresponding to the first beam being equal to a predetermined amount. Transmitting data on the first beam may also be based on the first beam being idle for an additional predetermined duration. In another embodiment, transmitting data on at least one beam of a plurality of beam sets based on the first backoff timer corresponding to the first beam being equal to a predetermined amount may further include: the transmitter transmitting a hold request message based on the backoff timer being equal to the predetermined amount; determining whether the transmitter has received a hold acknowledgment message; and the transmitter transmitting data on at least one beam of the plurality of beam sets based on receiving the hold acknowledgment message. Transmitting data on at least one beam may further be based on the first beam being idle for an additional predetermined duration. In another embodiment, transmitting data on at least one beam of a plurality of beam sets based on the backoff timer being equal to a predetermined amount may further include: the transmitter transmitting a hold request message based on the backoff timer being equal to the predetermined amount; determining whether the transmitter has received a hold acknowledgment message; and the transmitter transmitting data on at least one beam of the plurality of beam sets based on receiving the hold acknowledgment message. Transmitting data on at least one beam can be further based on the beam on which a reservation request message is transmitted being idle for an additional predetermined duration.In one embodiment, at least one beam may be a primary beam, and the other beams in the multiple beam sets may be secondary beams. Performing directional clear channel assessment sensing on the multiple beam sets in the wireless medium may include: performing directional clear channel assessment sensing on the primary beam; initializing a backoff timer may include initializing the backoff timer based on determining that the primary beam is busy; reducing the backoff timer may include reducing the backoff timer by a predetermined amount based on determining that the primary beam is idle; and the method may further include: determining whether the primary beam is idle for a first predetermined duration; determining whether at least one secondary beam is idle for a second predetermined duration using a pre-transmission listen technique based on the primary beam being idle for the first predetermined duration; and transmitting data on the primary beam and on each secondary beam that is idle for the second predetermined duration based on the primary beam being idle for the first predetermined duration. In all embodiments, the transceiver may be a transmitting and receiving point or a user equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0008] In the following sections, aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein will be described with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0009] Figure 1 Example embodiments of wireless communication networks based on the subject matter disclosed herein are depicted;

[0010] Figure 2 An example embodiment of a base station based on the subject matter disclosed herein is depicted;

[0011] Figure 3 Example embodiments of user devices based on the subject matter disclosed herein are depicted;

[0012] Figure 4A An example embodiment of the downlink time slot structure is described;

[0013] Figure 4B An example embodiment of the uplink time slot structure for physical uplink shared channel transmission or physical uplink control channel transmission is described;

[0014] Figure 5A A block diagram depicts an example embodiment of a transmitter structure using OFDM according to the subject matter disclosed herein;

[0015] Figure 5B A block diagram depicting an example embodiment of an OFDM receiver structure based on the subject matter disclosed herein;

[0016] Figure 6A and Figure 6B The traditional WiFi channel access processing based on omnidirectional LBT processing is described;

[0017] Figure 7Example conventional WiFi channel access processing is described for five example stations 701-705;

[0018] Figure 8 The traditional 802.11 channel access processing based on omnidirectional LBT processing is described for distributed coordination functions with request transmission and clear transmission.

[0019] Figure 9 Four traditional categories of LBTs for a single channel used in NR-U channel access in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) are described;

[0020] Figure 10A and Figure 10B Traditional omnidirectional LBT processing and directional LBT processing based on the topics disclosed in this paper are described respectively;

[0021] Figure 11 This is a flowchart of a first example embodiment of a method for a channel access procedure using a single backoff timer for a multi-beam LBT for 60 GHz NR-U, based on the subject matter disclosed herein;

[0022] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of a second exemplary embodiment of a method for channel access procedures using multiple backoff timers for a 60 GHz NR-U multi-beam LBT based on the subject matter disclosed herein;

[0023] Figure 13 A third example embodiment of channel access processing for a 60 GHz NR-U multi-beam LBT is described in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein;

[0024] Figure 14 This is a flowchart of an exemplary fourth embodiment of a method for channel access procedures using a single backoff timer for a multi-beam LBT for 60 GHz NR-U, based on the subject matter disclosed herein; and

[0025] Figure 15 This is a flowchart of an example embodiment of a fifth method for a multi-beam LBT channel access procedure using multiple backoff timers for 60 GHz NR-U, based on the subject matter disclosed herein. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Numerous specific details are set forth in the following detailed description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the disclosed aspects may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, processes, components, and circuits have not been described in detail to avoid obscuring the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0027] Throughout this specification, references to "an embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may include in at least one embodiment disclosed herein. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," or "according to an embodiment" (or other phrases with similar meanings) appearing in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, in one or more embodiments, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner. In this regard, as used herein, the term "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" should not be construed as necessarily preferred or superior to other embodiments. Additionally, in one or more embodiments, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner. Furthermore, depending on the context discussed herein, singular terms may include corresponding plural forms, and plural terms may include corresponding singular forms. Similarly, hyphenated terms (e.g., “two-dimensional,” “pre-determined,” “pixel-specific,” etc.) are sometimes used interchangeably with their corresponding non-hyphenated versions (e.g., “two dimensional,” “predetermined,” “pixel specific,” etc.), and uppercase entries (e.g., “CounterClock,” “Row Select,” “PIXOUT,” etc.) are sometimes used interchangeably with their corresponding non-uppercase versions (e.g., “counter clock,” “row select,” “pixout,” etc.). This occasional interchangeability should not be considered inconsistent with each other.

[0028] Furthermore, depending on the context of this discussion, singular terms may include corresponding plural forms, and plural terms may include corresponding singular forms. It should also be noted that the various figures (including component diagrams) shown and discussed herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements may be exaggerated relative to others for clarity. Additionally, reference numerals are repeated in the figures where appropriate to indicate corresponding and / or similar elements.

[0029] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing some exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the claimed subject matter. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms. It will be further understood that when the terms “comprising” and / or “including” are used in this specification, the presence of the stated feature, integer, step, operation, element, and / or component is specified, but the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof is not excluded.

[0030] It should be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being on, "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intermediate elements or layers. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there are no intermediate elements or layers. Similar numbers refer to similar elements throughout. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0031] As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” etc., are used as labels preceding nouns and do not imply any kind of ordering (e.g., spatial, temporal, logical, etc.) unless explicitly defined as such. Furthermore, the same reference numerals may be used in two or more figures to denote parts, components, blocks, circuits, units, or modules having the same or similar functions. However, this usage is merely for simplicity of illustration and convenience of discussion; it does not imply that the construction or architectural details of these components or units are identical in all embodiments, or that these commonly referenced parts / modules are the only way to implement some of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein.

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this subject pertains. It should be further understood that terms such as those defined in common dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein.

[0033] As used herein, the term "module" means any combination of software, firmware, and / or hardware configured to provide the functionality described herein in conjunction with modules. For example, software may be embodied as a software package, code, and / or instruction set or instructions, and the term "hardware" as used in any implementation described herein may include, for example, single or arbitrary combinations of components, hardwired circuitry, programmable circuitry, state machine circuitry, and / or firmware storing instructions executed by programmable circuitry. These modules may be embodied collectively or individually as circuitry forming part of a larger system, such as, but not limited to, integrated circuits (ICs), system-on-a-chip (SoCs), components, etc.

[0034] Figures 1-15 The various embodiments used to illustrate the subject matter disclosed herein are merely examples and should not be construed in any way as limiting the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein. It should be understood that the subject matter disclosed herein can be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

[0035] At least the following documents are incorporated herein by reference, as if fully set forth herein: 3GPP TS 38.211 v15.6.0, “NR; Physical channels and modulation”; 3GPP TS 38.212 v15.6.0, “NR; Multiplexing and Channel coding”; 3GPP TS 38.213 v15.6.0, “NR; Physical Layer Procedures for Control”; 3GPP TS 38.214 v15.6.0, “NR; Physical Layer Procedures for Data”; 3GPP TS 38.321 v15.6.0, “NR; Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol specification”; and 3GPP TS 38.331 v15.6.0, “NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC) Protocol Specification”.

[0036] Figure 1 Figure 5 illustrates various example implementations in wireless communication systems and the use of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technologies. Figures 1-3 The description herein does not imply any physical or architectural limitation on the different implementations. Different embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein can be implemented in any suitably arranged communication system.

[0037] Figure 1 An example embodiment of a wireless communication network 100 according to the subject matter disclosed herein is depicted. Figure 1 The exemplary embodiments of the wireless network depicted herein are for illustrative purposes only. Other embodiments of the wireless network 100 may be used without departing from the principles of the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, the wireless network 100 includes gNB 101 (e.g., a base station BS), gNB 102, and gNB 103. gNB 101 can communicate with gNB 102 and gNB 103. gNB 101 can also communicate with at least one network 130, such as the Internet, a proprietary Internet Protocol (IP) network, or other data network.

[0039] gNB 102 can provide wireless broadband access to network 130 for a first plurality of UEs within its coverage area 120. The first plurality of UEs may include UE 111, which may be located in a small business (SB); UE 112, which may be located in an enterprise I; UE 113, which may be located in a WiFi hotspot (HS); UE 114, which may be located in a first residence I; UE 115, which may be located in a second residence I; and UE 116, which may be a mobile device (M), such as, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a wireless laptop computer, a wireless PDA, etc. gNB 103 can provide wireless broadband access to network 130 for a second plurality of UEs within its coverage area 125. The second plurality of UEs may include UE 115 and UE 116. In some embodiments, one or more of gNBs 101-103 may communicate with each other and with UEs 111-116 using 5G / NR, LTE, LTE-A, WiMAX, WiFi, and / or other wireless communication technologies.

[0040] Depending on the network type, the term "base station" or "BS" can refer to any component (or set of components) configured to provide radio access to a network, such as a transmitting point (TP), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), an enhanced base station (eNodeB or eNB), a 5G / NR base station (gNB), a microcell, a femtocell, a WiFi access point (AP), or other wireless equipment. A base station can provide radio access according to one or more wireless communication protocols, such as 5G / NR 3GPP New Radio Interface / Access (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, etc. For convenience, the terms "BS" and "TRP" are used interchangeably herein to refer to network infrastructure components that provide radio access to remote terminals. Furthermore, depending on the network type, the term "user equipment" or "UE" can refer to any component such as a "mobile station," "user station," "remote terminal," "wireless terminal," "receiving point," or "user equipment." For convenience, the terms “user equipment” and “UE” may be used herein to refer to a remote wireless device that wirelessly accesses the BS, whether the UE is a mobile device (e.g., but not limited to a mobile phone or smartphone) or a device that is generally considered to be stationary (e.g., but not limited to a desktop computer or vending machine).

[0041] The dashed lines depict the approximate extent of coverage areas 120 and 125, and are depicted as roughly circular for illustrative and explanatory purposes only. It should be clearly understood that coverage areas associated with gNBs, such as coverage areas 120 and 125, may have other shapes, including irregular shapes, depending on the configuration of the gNBs and variations in the radio environment associated with natural and man-made obstacles.

[0042] As described in more detail below, one or more of UEs 111-116 may include circuitry, programming, or a combination thereof for designing effective control signaling to improve resource utilization. In some embodiments, one or more of gNBs 101-103 may include circuitry, programming, or a combination thereof for designing effective control signaling to improve resource utilization.

[0043] although Figure 1 An example of a wireless network is depicted, but it is possible to... Figure 1 Various modifications can be made. For example, wireless network 100 may include any number of gNBs and any number of UEs in any suitable arrangement. Furthermore, gNB 101 can communicate directly with any number of UEs and provide these UEs with wireless broadband access to network 130. Similarly, each gNB 102-103 can communicate directly with network 130 and provide UEs with direct wireless broadband access to network 130. Additionally, gNBs 101, 102, and / or 103 can provide access to other or additional external networks, such as, but not limited to, external telephone networks or other types of data networks.

[0044] Figure 2 An example embodiment of gNB 102 based on the subject matter disclosed herein is depicted. Figure 2 The embodiments of gNB 102 depicted are for illustrative purposes only, and Figure 1 gNBs 101 and 103 can have the same or similar configurations. However, gNBs have a wide variety of configurations, and it should be understood that... Figure 2 The scope of the topics disclosed in this article is not limited to any particular implementation of gNB.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown, gNB 102 may include multiple antennas 201a-201n, multiple radio frequency (RF) transceivers 202a-202n, receive (RX) processing circuitry 203, and transmit (TX) processing circuitry 204. gNB 102 may also include a controller / processor 205, a memory 206, and / or a backhaul or network interface 207. TX processing circuitry 204 may include a controller / processor (not shown) that controls TX processing circuitry 204 to perform the transmission-related functions disclosed herein. Optionally, controller / processor 205 may be configured to control TX processing circuitry 204 to perform the transmission-related functions disclosed herein.

[0046] RF transceivers 202a-202n can receive input RF signals from antennas 201a-201n. The received RF signals can be signals transmitted by a UE in network 100. RF transceivers 202a-202n can down-convert the input RF signals to generate IF or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signals can be sent to RX processing circuitry 203, which generates a processed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signals. RX processing circuitry 203 can send the processed baseband signal to controller / processor 255 for further processing.

[0047] The TX processing circuit 204 can receive analog or digital data (e.g., but not limited to, voice data, web data, email, or interactive video game data) from the controller / processor 225. The TX processing circuit 204 can encode, multiplex, and / or digitize the output baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. RF transceivers 202a-202n can receive the output processed baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuit 204 and can up-convert the baseband or IF signal into an RF signal transmitted via antennas 201a-201n. The TX processing circuit 204 can be configured to transmit one or more beams via antennas 201a-201n.

[0048] The controller / processor 205 may include one or more processors or other processing devices that control the overall operation of the gNB 102. For example, based on known principles, the controller / processor 205 may control the RF transceivers 202a-202n, the RX processing circuit 203, and the TX processing circuit 204 to receive forward channel signals and transmit reverse channel signals. The controller / processor 205 may also support additional functions, such as more advanced wireless communication functions. For example, the controller / processor 205 may support beamforming or directional routing operations, wherein the output signals from multiple antennas 201a-201n and the input signals to multiple antennas 201a-201n may be weighted differently to effectively guide the output signal in a desired direction. The controller / processor 205 may support any of a wide variety of other functions in the gNB 102.

[0049] The controller / processor 205 may also be able to execute programs and other processes residing in the memory 206, such as an operating system (OS). The controller / processor 205 may move data into or out of the memory 206 as needed for processing, and the memory 206 may be coupled to the controller / processor 205. A portion of the memory 206 may include random access memory (RAM), and another portion of the memory 206 may include flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM).

[0050] The controller / processor 205 may also be coupled to the backhaul or network interface 207. The backhaul or network interface 207 allows the gNB 102 to communicate with other devices or systems via a backhaul connection or network. Interface 207 can support communication via any suitable wired or wireless connection. For example, when the gNB 102 is implemented as part of a cellular communication system (such as a gNB supporting 5G / NR, LTE, or LTE-a), interface 207 can allow the gNB 102 to communicate with other gNBs via a wired or wireless backhaul connection. When the gNB 102 is implemented as an access point, interface 207 can allow the gNB 102 to communicate via a wired or wireless local area network or via a wired or wireless connection to a larger network (such as the Internet). Interface 207 may include any suitable structure that supports communication via wired or wireless connections (such as Ethernet or RF transceivers).

[0051] although Figure 2 An example of gNB 102 is depicted, but it is possible to... Figure 2 Various changes can be made. For example, gNB 102 can include... Figure 2 Each component can be any number shown. As a specific example, an access point may include multiple interfaces 207, and the controller / processor 205 may support routing functionality to route data between different network addresses. As another specific example, although shown as a single instance including TX processing circuitry 204 and a single instance including RX processing circuitry 203, the gNB 102 may include multiple instances of each (e.g., one per RF transceiver). Furthermore, Figure 2 The various components can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added as needed.

[0052] Figure 3 An example embodiment of UE 116 based on the subject matter disclosed herein is depicted. Figure 3 The embodiment of UE 116 depicted is for illustrative purposes only, and Figure 1 UEs 111-115 can have the same or similar configurations. However, UEs can have a wide variety of configurations, and Figure 3 The UE is not restricted to any specific implementation of the UE.

[0053] like Figure 3As shown, UE 116 may include one or more antennas 301, an RF transceiver 302, a TX processing circuit 303, a microphone 304, and an RX processing circuit 305. UE 116 may also include a speaker 360, a processor 307, an input / output (I / O) interface (IF) 308, a touchscreen 309 (or other input device), a display 310, and a memory 311. The memory 311 may include an OS 312 and one or more applications 313. The TX processing circuit 303 may include a controller / processor (not shown) configured to control the TX processing circuit 303 to perform the transmission-related functions disclosed herein. Optionally, the processor 307 may be configured to control the TX processing circuit 303 to perform the transmission-related functions disclosed herein.

[0054] RF transceiver 310 can receive input RF signals transmitted by the gNB of network 100 from antenna 305. RF transceiver 310 can down-convert the input RF signals to generate intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signals can be sent to RX processing circuitry 325, which generates processed baseband signals by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signals. RX processing circuitry 325 can send the processed baseband signals to speaker 330 (e.g., for voice data) or processor 340 for further processing (e.g., for web browsing data).

[0055] The TX processing circuit 303 can receive analog or digital voice data from the microphone 304, or other output baseband data (such as web data, email, or interactive video game data) from the processor 307. The TX processing circuit 303 can encode, multiplex, and / or digitize the output baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. The RF transceiver 302 can receive the processed output baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuit 303 and up-convert the baseband or IF signal into an RF signal transmitted via one or more antennas 301. The TX processing circuit 303 can be configured to transmit one or more beams from one or more antennas 301.

[0056] Processor 307 may include one or more processors or other processing devices and may execute OS 312 stored in memory 311 to control the overall operation of UE 116. For example, according to known principles, processor 307 may control RF transceiver 302, TX processing circuit 303 and RX processing circuit 305 to receive forward channel signals and transmit reverse channel signals. In some embodiments, processor 307 may be at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0057] Processor 370 may also be able to execute other processes and programs residing in memory 311, such as processes for beam management. Processor 307 may move data into or out of memory 311 as needed during execution. In some embodiments, processor 307 may be configured to execute application 313 based on OS 361 or in response to signals received from the gNB or from the operator. Processor 307 may also be coupled to I / O interface 308, which may provide UE 116 with the ability to connect to other devices such as, but not limited to, laptop computers and handheld computers. I / O interface 308 is the communication path between these accessories and processor 307.

[0058] The processor 307 may also be coupled to the touchscreen 309 and the display 310. The operator of the UE 116 can use the touchscreen 309 to input data into the UE 116. The display 310 may be a liquid crystal display, a light-emitting diode display, or other display capable of displaying text and / or at least limited graphics (such as from a website).

[0059] The memory 311 may be coupled to the processor 307. A portion of the memory 311 may include RAM, and another portion of the memory 311 may include flash memory or other ROM.

[0060] although Figure 3 An example embodiment of UE 116 is depicted, but other embodiments are possible. Figure 3 Make various changes. For example, you can combine, further subdivide, or omit. Figure 3 The processor 340 can be divided into various components, and additional components can be added as needed. As a specific example, the processor 340 can be divided into multiple processors, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). Furthermore, although... Figure 3 The UE 116 is depicted as a mobile phone or smartphone, but the UE can be configured to operate as other types of mobile or fixed devices.

[0061] To meet the increasing demand for wireless data services since the deployment of 4G communication systems, efforts have been made to develop improved 5G or pre-5G communication systems. Therefore, 5G or pre-5G communication systems are also referred to as "super 4G networks" or "post-LTE systems." 5G communication systems are thought to be implemented in higher frequency (mmWave) bands (such as 28 GHz or 60 GHz bands, or typically above 6 GHz) to achieve higher data rates, or in lower frequency bands (such as below 6 GHz) to achieve strong coverage and mobility support. To reduce radio wave propagation loss and increase transmission distance, beamforming, massive MIMO, full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, and massive MIMO technologies are used in 5G / NR communication systems. In addition, in 5G / NR communication systems, improvements and developments to the system network are underway based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (RAN), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, mobile networks, cooperative communication, coordinated multipoint (CoMP), and receiver interference cancellation.

[0062] The communication system may include: downlink (DL), which refers to the transmission from a base station or one or more transmitting points to the UE; and uplink (UL), which refers to the transmission from the UE to a base station or one or more receiving points.

[0063] A cell unit used for DL ​​or UL signaling can be called a time slot and can include one or more symbols. Symbols can also be used as additional time units. A frequency (or bandwidth (BW)) unit can be called a resource block (RB). An RB can include multiple subcarriers (SCs). For example, a time slot can have a duration of 0.5 milliseconds or 1 millisecond and include 14 symbols, and an RB can include 12 SCs spaced at intervals of 30 kHz or 15 kHz. A unit of one RB in frequency and one symbol in time can be called a physical RB (PRB).

[0064] DL signals can include data signals that transmit information content, control signals that transmit DL control information (DCI), and reference signals (RS), which can also be referred to as pilot signals. The gNB transmits data information or DCI through the corresponding Physical DL Shared Channel (PDSCH) or Physical DL Control Channel (PDCCH). The PDSCH or PDCCH can be transmitted using a variable number of time slot symbols, each including one time slot symbol. For simplicity, the DCI format used to schedule the UE's PDSCH reception can be referred to as the DL-DCI format, and the DCI format used to schedule the UE's PUSCH transmission can be referred to as the UL-DCI format.

[0065] The gNB can transmit one or more types of RS, including Channel State Information RS (CSI-RS) and Demodulated RS (DM-RS). CSI-RS is primarily used by the UE to perform measurements and provide Channel State Information (CSI) to the gNB. For channel measurements, the Non-Zero Power CSI-RS (NZP CSI-RS) resource can be used. For Interference Measurement Reporting (IMR), the CSI Interference Measurement (CSI-IM) resource can be used. CSI processing can include both NZP CSI-RS and CSI-IM resources.

[0066] The UE can determine CSI-RS transmission parameters via DL control signaling or upper-layer signaling, such as Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, from the gNB. The transmission instance of CSI-RS can be indicated by DL control signaling or configured by upper-layer signaling. DM-RS can typically be transmitted only within the BW of the corresponding PDCCH or PDSCH, and the UE can use DM-RS to demodulate data or control information.

[0067] Figure 4A An example embodiment of a DL time slot structure 400 according to the subject matter disclosed herein is depicted. Figure 4A The example embodiment of the DL time slot structure 400 depicted in Figure 4 is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 4 does not limit the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein to any particular implementation. It should be noted that in the DL time slot structure 400 described below, DCI information is not required as... Figure 4A The location shown is fixed, and it can be properly located elsewhere.

[0068] like Figure 4A As shown, DL time slot 401 may include A gNB symbol 402, in which the gNB can transmit, for example, data information, DCI, or DM-RS. The DL system BW can include... Each RB may include 1 RB. One SC. UE can be assigned M PDSCH RB, total SC 403 is used for PDSCH transmission BW. PDCCH for DCI transmission can be transmitted via Control Channel Elements (CCEs) that are essentially distributed across the DL system BW. The gNB can use the first time slot symbol 404 to transmit PDCCH. The second time slot symbol 405 can be used by the gNB to transmit either PDCCH or PDSCH. The remaining time slot symbols 406 can be used by the gNB to transmit PDSCH and CSI-RS. In some time slots, the gNB can also transmit synchronization signals and channels for transmitting system information, such as synchronization signals and main broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) blocks.

[0069] UL signals can also include data signals transmitting information content, control signals transmitting UL control information (UCI), DM-RS associated with data or UCI demodulation, probe RS (SRS) enabling the gNB to perform UL channel measurements, and random access (RA) preamble enabling the UE to perform random access. The UE can transmit data information or UCI through the corresponding Physical UL Shared Channel (PUSCH) or Physical UL Control Channel (PUCCH). The PUSCH or PUCCH can be transmitted with a variable number of symbols in a time slot comprising one symbol. When the UE transmits both data information and UCI simultaneously, the UE can multiplex both within the PUSCH.

[0070] UCI may include: Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) information indicating whether a data transfer block (TB) or code block group (CBG) in the PDSCH is correctly or incorrectly detected; a scheduling request (SR) informing the UE whether the UE has data in the buffer; and a CSI report enabling the gNB to select appropriate parameters for PDSCH or PDCCH transmissions to the UE.

[0071] The CSI report from the UE may include: a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) that informs the gNB of the maximum modulation and coding scheme (MCS) used for the UE to detect TBs with a predetermined block error rate (BLER), such as 10% BLER; a Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI) that informs the gNB how signals from multiple transmitter antennas are combined according to the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission principle; a CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI) that indicates the CSI-RS resources associated with the CSI report; and a Rank Indicator (RI) that indicates the transmission rank of the PDSCH.

[0072] UL-RS can include DM-RS and SRS. DM-RS can typically be transmitted only within the BW of the corresponding PUSCH or PUCCH transmission. The gNB can use DM-RS to demodulate information in the corresponding PUSCH or PUCCH. SRS can be transmitted by the UE to provide ULCSI to the gNB, and for TDD systems, SRS transmission can also provide PMI for DL ​​transmissions. In addition, to establish synchronization or initial upper-layer connection with the gNB, the UE can transmit the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH).

[0073] Figure 4B An example embodiment of a UL timeslot structure 410 for PUSCH or PUCCH transmission is depicted in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein. Figure 4B The embodiment of the UL time slot structure 410 depicted is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 4BThe scope of the topics disclosed herein is not limited to any particular implementation. It should be noted that in the UL time slot structure 410 described below, UCI information is not required as... Figure 4B The location shown is fixed, and it can be properly located elsewhere.

[0074] like Figure 4B As shown, time slot 411 may include Symbol 412, in which the UE transmits, for example, data information, UCI, or DM-RS. The UL system BW may include N RBs. Each RB may include SCs. The UE can be allocated MpUXCH RBs, for a total of SC 413 is used for PUSCH transmission BW (“X” = “S”) or for PUSCH transmission BW (“X” = “C”). For example, the last one or more symbols of a time slot can be used to multiplex SRS transmission 414 or short PUCCH transmission from one or more UEs.

[0075] Figure 5A A block diagram depicts an example embodiment of a transmitter structure 501 using OFDM according to the subject matter disclosed herein. Figure 5A The embodiment of transmitter structure 501 depicted is for illustrative purposes only, and actual implementations may have the same or similar configurations. Figure 5A The scope of the topics disclosed in this article is not limited to any particular implementation.

[0076] like Figure 5A As shown, information bits such as DCI bits or data information bits 502 can be encoded by encoder module 503, rate matching module 504 performs rate matching on the allocated time / frequency resources, and modulation is performed by modulator module 505. Subsequently, modulation-coded symbols and DM-RS or CSI-RS module 506 can be mapped to SC by SC mapping module 507 controlled by transmission bandwidth module 508. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) can be performed by filter module 509. Cyclic prefix (CP) can be added to the output of filter module 509. The resulting signal can be filtered by common interface unit (CIU) filtering module 510 and transmitted by RF module 511 as transmit signal 512.

[0077] Figure 5B A block diagram depicts an example embodiment of an OFDM receiver structure 531 according to the subject matter disclosed herein. Figure 5B The embodiments of receiver structure 531 depicted are for illustrative purposes only, and actual implementations may have the same or similar configurations. Figure 5B This article does not limit the scope of the topics disclosed herein to any particular implementation. Figure 5BAs shown, the received signal 532 can be filtered by filter module 533. CP removal module 534 can remove the cyclic prefix. Filter module 535 can apply Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). SC demapping module 536 can demapping the SC selected by BW selector module 537. The received symbols can be demodulated by channel estimator and demodulator module 538. Rate dematching module 539 can restore rate matching, and decoder module 540 can decode the resulting bits to provide data information bits 541. DL transmission and UL transmission can be based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms, including variants using DFT-preceding, known as DFT-spread-OFDM.

[0078] As previously mentioned, the goal of the 3GPP Rel-17 SID on RedCap NR equipment is to support the same set of use cases in FR2 as in FR1. Beam refinement is likely a key feature of FR2 operation in NR. An important issue involves enabling beam refinement procedures for RedCap UEs in the RRC_INACTIVE state (also referred to herein as the RRC inactive state or inactive mode). Therefore, the subject matter disclosed herein provides a set of beam refinement procedures to enable RedCap in inactive mode transmissions in FR2.

[0079] Figure 6A and Figure 6B A conventional WiFi channel access process 600 based on omnidirectional LBT processing is described. A station preparing to transmit begins sensing the medium using carrier sensing based on Clear Channel Assessment (CCA). As used herein, the term "medium" can refer to, for example, one or more electromagnetic frequency ranges that may be adjacent or not. Additionally, as used herein, "medium" can also refer to a shared electromagnetic spectrum that can be shared between different network operators, whether that spectrum is licensed or unlicensed. If the medium is idle for the duration of the inter-frame space (IFS) (depending on the service type), the station can begin transmitting. Figure 6BThis describes the different associated durations of the inter-frame space provided by the IEEE 802.11n standard. A reduced IFS (RIFS) with correspondingly reduced overhead is provided only when a short IRS (SIFS) is not desired to achieve higher throughput. Conversely, the IEEE-802.11ad standard does not provide RIFs. The 801.11n RIFS has a duration of 2 μs, the shortest of all IFSs. SIFS is used for acknowledgment (ACK) messages, clear transmission (CTS) messages, and polling responses (3 μs for 802.11ad). The Point Coordination Function (PCF) IFS (PIFS) is used for time-bound services using PCF. The Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) IFS (DIFS) is used for normal asynchronous data services (5 μs for 802.11ad). The Arbitration IFS (AIFS) (not shown) is used for prioritizing access classes and varies according to QoS. An Extended IFS (EIFS) (not shown) is used after an Error Frame Check Sequence (FCS).

[0080] like Figure 6A As shown in 601, if the medium is determined to be busy via CCA processing, then in 602, the station waits for an idle IFS (DIFS) plus the duration of the additional random backoff time in 603 (which may include multiple time slots) to avoid collisions.

[0081] Figure 7 An exemplary conventional WiFi channel access process 700, such as five stations 701-705, is depicted. Figure 7 Moving to the right in the middle of the time, downward arrow 706 indicates the packet used for transmission at the station's Media Access Control (MAC) layer. For example... Figure 7 As shown, packet 706a first arrives at the MAC layer of station 703 in time, and after LBT processing, it is transmitted in the transmit block at 707 because the medium is idle. The three packets 706b, 706c, and 706d for transmission arrive at stations 701, 705, and 702, respectively. Using LBT processing, station 702, after the DIFS and backoff time periods, ... e Access to the medium is then obtained at point 708, and data packets are sent. The total backoff time for stations 701 and 705 includes the remaining backoff time bo. r The backoff timer is resumed after another idle IFS. Another packet, 706e, for transmission arrives at station 704. (As...) Figure 7 As shown, stations 704 and 705 both send their respective packets at 709, but the two packets collide at 710. After the next idle IFS, station 701 gains access to the medium and sends data packets.

[0082] Figure 8 This describes conventional 802.11 channel access processing for DCF with omnidirectional LBT-based Request to Send (RTS) and Clear to Send (CTS) operations. Figure 8 In this process, the transmitting station sends unicast packets to the receiving station. Transmitting station 801 may send an RTS message with reservation parameters after waiting for the DIFS period. The RTS message indicates the amount of medium time required for the data packets to be transmitted by the transmitting station. If the receiving station is ready to receive, it sends a CTS message after the SIFS period. The transmitting station transmits data after the SIFS period, and the receiving station sends an acknowledgment via an ACK message. Other stations store the medium reservations (Network Allocation Vector (NAV), i.e., virtual sensing) distributed using RTS and CTS messages.

[0083] Figure 9 Four traditional categories of LBTs for a single channel used for NR-U channel access in the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) are described. Category 1 LBT (CAT 1 LBT) is used for immediate transmission after a short 16μs handover interval. Category 2 LBT (CAT 2 LBT) is suitable for LBTs without random backoff time periods, where the CCA period is deterministic (e.g., fixed at 25μs). Category 3 LBT (CAT 3 LBT) is used for LBTs with random backoff time periods with a fixed-size contention window, where the extended CCA period is based on a random time period within the fixed contention window. Category 4 LBT (CAT 4 LBT) is used for LBTs with random backoff using a variable-size contention window, where the extended CCA period is based on a random time period within the contention window, the size of which can vary based on channel dynamics.

[0084] For NR-U multichannel LBT, there are two types of LBT: Type A and Type B. Type B LBT is a WiFi-like technology where the gNB randomly selects a primary carrier for the CAT 4 LBT, and the gNB performs a CAT 2 25μs LBT on other carriers just before transmission occurs on the primary carrier. If, just before transmission, the primary carrier passes through the CAT 4 LBT while other carriers pass through the CAT 2 LBT, simultaneous transmission may occur. Therefore, Type B LBT has no sequential order.

[0085] For Type A LBT, the gNB performs CAT 4LBT on each expected carrier, with certain fairness constraints on the backoff countdown. Although CAT 4LBT cannot guarantee simultaneous transmission, independent CAT 4LBT is more aggressive than Type B LBT in terms of channel occupancy. This is because CAT 4LBT includes a "channel contention" nature, which CAT 2LBT does not. For example, in a busy channel, Type B LBT may fall back to a single carrier, but Type A LBT can acquire the channel sequentially, which is why the backoff countdown in Type ALBT includes constraints.

[0086] In contrast to the conventional omnidirectional LBT processing used in IEEE WiGi and NR-U version 16, the subject matter disclosed herein provides a channel access procedure for (directional) multi-beam LBT for NR-U at 60 GHz. Figure 10A and Figure 10B Traditional omnidirectional LBT processing and directional LBT processing based on the topics disclosed in this paper are described respectively. Figure 10A In the conventional channel access LBT portion 1001, TPR performs omnidirectional LBT processing 1002 before accessing the medium 1003 used for transmission. Conversely, in Figure 10B In the LBT portion 1011 of channel access according to the subject matter disclosed herein, the TPR performs independent directional LBT processing 1012 in each direction before accessing the medium 1013 for transmission. Operation from 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz is highly directional, therefore the antenna configuration for transmission and reception is beamformed according to the target direction. Thus, for directional transmission and reception in the 60 GHz unlicensed band, this enables potential transmitters to perform LBT in the same direction as their intended transmission beam direction, referred to herein as directional LBT. At the same energy detection (ED) threshold as omnidirectional LBT, this can lead to better channel access probability and correspondingly better spatial reuse.

[0087] As used herein, multi-beam Type I transmission employs multiple layers and multiple data streams between the transmitter Tx and the receiver Rx. Similarly, as used herein, multi-beam Type II transmission is a single-layer transmission using multiple beams between the transmitter Tx and the receiver Rx.

[0088] Figure 11 This is a flowchart of a first example embodiment of a method 1100 for a multi-beam LBT channel access process using a single backoff timer for 60 GHz NR-U, based on the subject matter disclosed herein. The example environment of method 1100 involves multiple beams between a single TRP and the UE, similar to that described herein. Figure 1The environment described herein. For example, the transmitter in this example environment can be embodied as a base station (or gNB) or a UE, as described in this article. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown. Furthermore, at least in this article... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The TX processing chain described herein can be configured to execute a first embodiment of a channel access procedure for a multi-beam LBT according to the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0089] In 1101, the transmitter, depending on its capabilities, performs directional sensing CCA sequentially or simultaneously within a time slot on a predetermined or randomly selected set of beams (or directions). The medium in a particular direction can be sensed by comparing the detected energy level in that direction with a predetermined threshold for that direction. If the detected energy level is greater than the threshold, the medium is busy; otherwise, the medium is idle.

[0090] At 1102, it is determined whether at least one beam (or direction) is busy. If no beam is sensed as busy (i.e., all beams are idle), the flow continues to 1108. At 1102, if at least one beam is sensed as busy, the flow continues to 1103, where the transmitter starts a single backoff timer that has been initialized with a value randomly selected between 0 and CW (Content Window). The value of CW can be specific to each direction or beam.

[0091] The flow continues to 1104, where the transmitter continues directional sensing of a predetermined (or randomly selected) set of beams by performing Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) in each time slot. At 1105, it is determined whether all beams are sensed as idle. If not, the flow returns to 1104, and the backoff timer remains at its current value. If all beams are determined to be idle at 1105, the flow continues to 1106, where the backoff timer decrements by a predetermined amount. At 1107, it is determined whether the backoff timer equals 0. If it does not equal 0, the flow returns to 1104.

[0092] When the backoff timer reaches zero at 1107, the flow continues to 1108, whereby the transmitter can begin multi-beam transmission and / or reception in spatial division multiplexing (SDM) mode in either the directional beamset or the directional beamset using multi-beam Type I transmission for the duration of the Maximum Channel Occupied Time (MCOT). Optionally, when the backoff timer reaches zero at 1107, the flow continues to 1109, where it is determined whether the directional beamset has been sensed as idle for another fixed duration (exceeding the backoff timer's duration). If so, the flow continues to 1108, whereby the transmitter can begin multi-beam transmission and / or reception in SDM mode in either the directional beamset or the directional beamset using multi-beam Type I transmission for the duration of the Maximum Channel Occupied Time (MCOT). If not, the flow returns to 1103, whereby the backoff timer is restarted. Multi-beam transmission is not permitted until the backoff timer (and optional timer) reaches zero, but single-beam transmission can be used according to the traditional channel access procedure in Release 16NR-U (3GPP Release 16NR-U Channel Access Procedure). During MCOT, if there is a transmission gap greater than a predetermined threshold between two consecutive transmissions, the transmitter / receiver may optionally perform CCA sensing in all directions of one or more time slots before starting the next transmission. If at least one direction is sensed as busy, the transmission cannot be started, and the same CCA will be repeated in future COTs.

[0093] Contention adjustment for simultaneous multi-beam transmission, including PDSCH and PUSCH, can be provided as follows: If a new HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) feedback from simultaneous multi-beam transmission is available relative to the previous CW update, feedback can be used for the latest COT upon receiving the new feedback. HARQ feedback can include any implicit method for HARQ feedback determination. If the HARQ feedback is an ACK message, the contention window CW can be set to CW for each beam / TCI (Transmission Configuration Indicator) state. min If the HARQ feedback is a NACK message, then the contention window CW for each beam / TCI state can be set to min(CW×2+1,CW). max If there is no feedback within the window (defined below), the gNB or UE retransmits the transport block. The contention window CW for each beam / TCI state can then be set to min(CW×2+1, CW...). max If no feedback is received, the window begins at the end of the reference duration and has a duration of max(X ms, the duration of the transmission burst from the start of the reference duration + 1ms). Otherwise, if new HARQ feedback is unavailable, the CW can remain unchanged.

[0094] The reference duration corresponding to a channel occupancy initiated by a gNB transmitting PDSCH (or more) can be defined as the duration from the start of the channel occupancy until the end of the first time slot or until the end of the gNB's first transmission burst, whichever is earlier. In the first time slot, at least one unicast PDSCH is transmitted on all resources allocated for PDSCH for each beam / TCI state. The gNB's first transmission burst includes unicast PDSCH (or more) transmitted on all resources allocated for PDSCH for each beam / TCI state. If the channel occupancy includes unicast PDSCH but not any unicast PDSCH transmitted on all resources allocated for PDSCH for each beam / TCI state, then the duration of the gNB's first transmission burst within the channel occupancy containing unicast PDSCH (or more) can be a CWS-adjusted reference duration.

[0095] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of a second example embodiment of method 1200 for a multi-beam LBT channel access process using multiple backoff timers for 60 GHz NR-U, based on the subject matter disclosed herein. The example environment of method 1200 involves multiple beams between a single TRP and the UE, similar to that described herein. Figure 1 The environment described herein. For example, the transmitter in this example environment can be embodied as a base station (or gNB) or a UE, as described in this article. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown. Furthermore, at least in this article... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The TX processing chain described herein can be configured to perform a second embodiment of the channel access procedure for a multi-beam LBT according to the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0096] In 1201, the transmitter, whether in the TRP or the UE, depending on its capability, performs directional sensing CCA sequentially or simultaneously within a set of time slots for a predetermined or randomly selected set of beams (or directions). The medium in a particular direction can be sensed by comparing the detected energy level in that direction with a predetermined threshold for that direction. If the detected energy level is greater than the threshold, the medium is busy; otherwise, the medium is idle.

[0097] At 1202, it is determined whether at least one beam (or direction) is busy. If at least one beam is sensed as busy, the flow continues to 1203, where the transmitter starts a backoff timer corresponding to each beam sensed as busy. Each backoff timer can be initialized with a randomly selected value between 0 and CW (Content Window). The value of CW can be specific to each direction or beam.

[0098] At 1204, the transmitter continues to perform directional sensing for each beam determined to be busy by performing Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) in each time slot. At 1205, it is determined whether each beam is sensed as idle. If not, the flow returns to 1204, and the backoff timer for that beam remains at its current value. If a beam is determined to be idle at 1205, the flow for that beam continues to 1206, where the backoff timer for that beam is decremented by a predetermined amount. At 1207, it is determined whether the backoff timer is equal to 0. If it is not equal to 0, the flow returns to 1204.

[0099] When the backoff timer reaches zero at 1207, the flow continues to 1208, whereby the transmitter can begin multi-beam transmission and / or reception in SDM mode using multi-beam Type I transmission through the sensed idle beam for the duration of the Maximum Channel Occupied Time (MCOT). Optionally, when the backoff timer reaches zero at 1207, the flow continues to 1209, where it is determined whether the beam has been sensed as idle within a fixed duration. If so, the flow continues to 1208, whereby the transmitter can begin transmission or reception in SDM mode using multi-beam Type I transmission through the sensed idle beam for the duration of the MCOT. If not, the flow returns to 1203, where the backoff timer for that beam is restarted. It should be noted that multi-beam transmission is not permitted until each backoff timer (and optional timer) reaches zero, but single-beam transmission can be performed on the beam whose backoff timer has reached zero using the legacy channel access procedures in version 16NR-U.

[0100] At 1202, if a beam is determined to be idle, the flow continues to 1208, where the transmitter uses multi-beam Type I transmission to simultaneously begin transmission on multiple beams during the duration of MCOT. For a half-duplex transmitter, the backoff timer corresponding to a beam sensed as busy remains fixed until transmission for a beam sensed as idle is completed. After transmission for a beam sensed as idle is completed, the backoff timer for each busy beam sensed is decremented by one when medium idle is sensed for that particular beam. For a full-duplex transmitter, the backoff timer for each busy beam sensed is decremented whenever medium idle is sensed for that particular beam.

[0101] Optionally, during MCOT, if the transmission gap between two consecutive transmissions is greater than a threshold, the transmitter / receiver performs CCA sensing on a predetermined set of directions determined before acquiring MCOT for one or more time slots before starting the next transmission. If only a subset of directions is detected to be idle, transmission begins after performing CCA sensing on a subset of beams. When the respective backoff timers corresponding to the beams reach zero and the set of directional beams has been sensed to be idle for a fixed duration, the transmitter can simultaneously begin multi-beam transmission using these specific beams via beam Type I transmission.

[0102] Contention adjustment for simultaneous multi-beam transmissions, including PDSCH and PUSCH, can be performed as follows. If a new HARQ feedback from a previous simultaneous multi-beam transmission of a given TCI state set is available relative to a previous CW update for that TCI state set, then the feedback received for the latest COT of that TCI state set with the new feedback can be used. If the HARQ feedback is an ACK message, then the contention window CW can be set to CW for each beam / TCI state in the set. min If the HARQ feedback is a NACK message, or if there is no feedback within the window (defined below), the gNB or UE retransmits the transport block, and the contention window CW for each beam / TCI state in this set can be set to min(CW×2+1,CW...). max The window begins at the end of the reference duration and can have a duration max(X ms, duration of the transmission burst starting from the reference duration + 1ms). Otherwise, if new HARQ feedback is not available for this TCI state set, the contention window CW can remain the same for each beam / TCI state in that set. Note that HARQ feedback can include any implicit method for HARQ feedback determination.

[0103] In this embodiment, the reference duration corresponding to the channel occupancy initiated by the gNB transmitting PDSCH (or more) can be defined as the duration from the start of the channel occupancy until the end of the first time slot or until the end of the gNB's first transmission burst, whichever is earlier. In the first time slot, at least one unicast PDSCH is transmitted on all resources allocated for PDSCH of each beam / TCI state in the set of TCI states performing simultaneous multi-beam transmission. The gNB's first transmission burst includes unicast PDSCH (or more) transmitted on all resources allocated for PDSCH of each beam / TCI state in the set of TCI states performing simultaneous multi-beam transmission. If the channel occupancy includes unicast PDSCH but does not include any unicast PDSCH transmitted on all resources allocated for PDSCH of each beam / TCI state in the set of TCI states performing simultaneous multi-beam transmission, then the duration of the gNB's first transmission burst within the channel occupancy containing unicast PDSCH (or more) can be a reference duration for CWS adjustment of the set of TCI states performing simultaneous multi-beam transmission.

[0104] Figure 13 The environment of a third example embodiment of a channel access procedure 1300 for a 60 GHz NR-U multi-beam LBT according to the subject matter disclosed herein is described. Figure 13 Example environments can include multiple active beam pairs between multiple TRPs and UEs, similar to those described in this paper. Figure 1 The environment described herein. For example, the transmitter in this example environment can be embodied as a base station (or gNB) or a UE, as described in this article. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown. Furthermore, at least in this article... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The TX processing chain described herein can be configured to perform a third embodiment of the channel access procedure for a multi-beam LBT according to the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0105] Figure 13The diagram depicts a first TPR 1301, a second TPR 1302, a UE 1303, a first beam 1304, and a second beam 1305. After beam management, the UE 1303 can simultaneously receive data from the first beam 1304 of TPR 1301 and the second beam 1305 of TPR 1302, but can only transmit to either TPR 1301 or TPR 1302 via one beam. For this example environment, it is assumed that there is a non-ideal backhaul between TPR 1301 and TPR 1302. Therefore, the UE 1303 receives two separate transmissions from TPR1 and TPR2, which have different Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) Downlink Control Information (DCI) and different Physical Data Sharing Channel (PDSCH).

[0106] As the first option for downlink channel access, one of the TRPs 1301 and 1302 performs directional sensing CCA on only one beam, called the primary beam, using a backoff timer. The primary beam can be predetermined or determined to be dynamically selected, for example, the beam that completes LBT first. The backoff timer can be randomly selected between intervals (0, CW), where CW can be specific to the primary beam. After directional sensing CCA utilizing the backoff timer has been successful in the primary beam, other TRPs (some of which are not shown) can perform directional sensing CCA simultaneously or sequentially on beams other than the primary beam in one or more time slots, depending on transmitter capabilities. The TRP can be allowed to transmit DL data bursts (or multiple bursts) on beams sensed as idle.

[0107] As a second option for downlink channel access, each TRP 1301, 1302 performs directional sensing CCA using a backoff timer in one of its directions / beams. The backoff timer can be randomly selected between intervals (0, CW), where CW can be specific to that beam. TRPs 1301, 1302 can be allowed to transmit DL data bursts (or multiple bursts) on beams that have already performed directional sensing CCA using the backoff timer, and have a potential self-delay (including idle sensing for a single interval) to align transmissions on multiple beams. Specifically, when a TRP stops transmitting on any beam, other TRPs can resume decreasing the backoff timer for other beams after waiting for a fixed duration or after an idle sensing slot has been detected following reinitialization of the backoff timer.

[0108] For uplink channel access, UE 1303 can perform independent direction-sensing CCA using a backoff timer on the UL beam / direction set. UE 1303 always transmits on the first available beam. For example, the UE can hop between beams depending on which beam becomes available first. The transmitter performs direction-sensing CCA using the backoff timer only on one beam, also known as the primary beam. The primary beam can be pre-selected and can be determined dynamically, such as the beam that completes the LBT process first. The backoff timer can be initialized with a value randomly selected between intervals (0, CW), where CW is specific to the primary beam.

[0109] After a successful directional sensing CCA using a backoff timer in the main beam, the transmitter can perform directional sensing CCA on other beams simultaneously or sequentially in one or more time slots, depending on its capabilities. If medium busy is sensed after a CCA on one of the non-main beams, the transmitter can immediately continue CCA in the next time slot without any backoff, unlike the main beam CCA mechanism. This allows the transmitter to send DL data bursts (or multiple bursts) on idle beams.

[0110] Optionally, when the backoff timer completes, the transmitter (TRP or EU) can determine whether the medium is idle for an additional predetermined period of time before transmission begins. If the medium is sensed to be busy during the additional predetermined period of time, the process restarts by re-initializing the backoff timer.

[0111] The fourth exemplary embodiment disclosed herein is an extension of the first embodiment, using RTS / CTS and a single backoff timer, and involves multiple active beam pairs between the TRP and the UE. The example environment of the fourth exemplary embodiment may be similar to that described herein. Figure 1 The environment described herein. For example, the transmitter in this example environment can be embodied as a base station (or gNB) or a UE, as described in this article. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown. Furthermore, at least in this article... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The TX processing chain described herein can be configured to perform a fourth embodiment of the channel access procedure for a multi-beam LBT according to the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0112] After the beam management process, the UE can simultaneously send data to and receive data from multiple TRPs using the corresponding beams. The backhaul between TRPs is assumed to be non-ideal, and the UE receives individual transmissions from TRPs with different PDCCH DCIs and different PDSCHs.

[0113] For the downlink, one version of the fourth embodiment specifies that the TRP can use a backoff timer to perform directional sensing CCA on only one beam, called the primary beam. The primary beam can be determined based on pre-selection or as a dynamic selection, where the primary beam is determined to be the beam that completes LBT processing first. The backoff timer can be initialized using a value randomly selected from the interval (0, CW), where CW can be specific to the primary beam. After a successful directional sensing CCA using the backoff timer on the primary beam, other TRPs can, depending on transmitter capabilities, simultaneously or sequentially perform directional sensing CCA on other beams in one or more time slots. The TRP can be allowed to transmit downlink data bursts (or multiple bursts) on beams that are sensed as idle.

[0114] Another version of the fourth embodiment specifies that, for the downlink, each TRP can perform directional sensing CCA using a backoff timer for one direction / beam. The backoff timer can be initialized using a value randomly selected from the interval (0, CW), where CW can be specific to that beam. The TRP can transmit downlink data bursts (or multiple bursts) on the beams that have already performed directional sensing CCA using the backoff timer, and has a potential self-delay (including idle sensing for a single interval) to align transmissions on multiple beams. In particular, when a TRP stops transmitting on any beam, for other beams, the other TRPs can resume decreasing the backoff timer when an idle sensing slot is detected after waiting for a fixed duration or after reinitializing the backoff timer.

[0115] For the uplink, the UE can be considered as a transmitter and can operate in the same way as the TRP in the downlink, as described above in the fourth embodiment.

[0116] Figure 14 This is a flowchart of an exemplary fourth embodiment of a method 1400 for a multi-beam LBT channel access procedure using a single backoff timer for 60 GHz NR-U, based on the subject matter disclosed herein. At 1401, the transmitter, whether at the TRP or the UE, performs directional sensing CCA sequentially or simultaneously within a time slot on a predetermined or randomly selected set of beams (or directions), depending on the transmitter's capabilities. The medium in a particular direction can be sensed by comparing the detected energy level in that direction with a predetermined threshold for that particular direction. If the detected energy level is greater than the threshold, the medium is busy; otherwise, the medium is idle.

[0117] At 1402, it is determined whether at least one beam (or direction) is busy. If no beam is sensed as busy (all beams are idle), the flow continues to 1408. If at 1402, at least one beam is sensed as busy, the flow continues to 1403, where the transmitter starts a single backoff timer that has been initialized with a value randomly selected between 0 and CW. The value of CW can be specific to each of the multiple beams.

[0118] The flow continues to 1404, where the transmitter continues directional sensing of a predetermined (or randomly selected) set of beams by performing CCA sensing in each time slot. At 1405, it is determined whether all beams are sensed as idle. If not, the flow returns to 1404, and the backoff timer remains at its current value. If all beams are determined to be idle at 1405, the flow continues to 1406, where the backoff timer decrements by a predetermined amount. At 1407, it is determined whether the backoff timer equals 0. If it does not equal 0, the flow returns to 1404.

[0119] When the backoff timer reaches zero at 1407, and the set of directional beams is detected to be idle for a fixed duration other than the backoff timer's duration, the process continues to 1408, where the transmitter sends a hold request (RR) message via a single beam or simultaneously via the set of beams using multi-beam Type II transmission. The RR message may include the transmitter's identifier, the receiver's identifier, and the identifier of the beam for which the receiver performs CCA (e.g., the beam's TCI status or QCL relationship information). After receiving the RR message, the receiver performs CCA sensing on the set of beams. If at least one beam is detected as busy via CCA, the receiver does nothing. Otherwise, the receiver sends a hold acknowledgment (RA) message to the transmitter via multi-beam Type II transmission via one beam or the set of multiple beams. The RA message may include the transmitter's identifier and the receiver's identifier.

[0120] The process continues to step 1409, where it is determined whether the transmitter has received the RA message from the receiver. If the transmitter does not receive the RA message after a predetermined period, the transmitter starts a single backoff timer, which is initialized using a value randomly selected between 0 and the contention window CW. In one embodiment, when a specific RA message is not received for a predetermined period different from the backoff timer, the contention window for each TCI state or beam can be doubled to its maximum size. When a specific RA message is received for the predetermined period, the contention window for each TCI state or beam can be reset to its minimum size.

[0121] If at 1409, the transmitter receives an RA message from the receiver, the flow continues to 1410, whereby the transmitter can simultaneously initiate multi-beam transmission on multiple beams in an SDM manner during the duration of MCOT using multi-beam Type I transmission. If, during MCOT, there is a transmission gap greater than a predetermined threshold between two consecutive transmissions, the transmitter can optionally perform CCA sensing in all directions of one or more time slots before starting the next transmission.

[0122] In one embodiment, when the backoff timer reaches zero at 1407, the flow optionally continues to 1411, where it is determined whether beam idleness has been sensed for a fixed duration outside the backoff timer. If yes, the flow continues to 1408, where the transmitter uses multi-beam Type II transmission to send a hold request (RR) message via a single beam or simultaneously via a set of beams. If not, the flow returns to 1403, where the backoff timer for that beam is restarted.

[0123] The fifth exemplary embodiment disclosed herein is an extension of the second embodiment, using RTS / CTS and multiple backoff timers, and involving multiple active beam pairs between the TRP and the UE. The example environment of the fifth exemplary embodiment may be similar to that described herein. Figure 1 The environment described herein. For example, the transmitter in this example environment can be embodied as a base station (or gNB) or a UE, as described in this article. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown. Furthermore, at least in this article... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The TX processing chain described herein can be configured to perform a fifth embodiment of the channel access procedure for a multi-beam LBT according to the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0124] Figure 15 This is a flowchart of an example embodiment of a fifth method 1500 for a multi-beam LBT channel access process using multiple backoff timers for 60 GHz NR-U, based on the subject matter disclosed herein. In 1501, the transmitter, whether at the TRP or the UE, performs directional sensing CCA sequentially or simultaneously within a time slot on a predetermined or randomly selected set of beams (or directions), depending on the transmitter's capabilities. The medium in a particular direction can be sensed by comparing the detected energy level in that particular direction with a predetermined threshold for that particular direction. If the detected energy level is greater than the threshold, the medium is busy; otherwise, the medium is idle.

[0125] At 1502, it is determined whether at least one beam is busy. If no beam is sensed as busy (all beams are idle), the flow continues to 1508. If at least one beam is sensed as busy at 1502, the flow continues to 1503, where the transmitter starts a timer corresponding to each beam sensed as busy. Each corresponding backoff timer can be initialized with a randomly selected value between 0 and CW. The value of CW can be specific to each beam.

[0126] At 1504, the transmitter continues directional sensing for each beam determined to be busy by performing CCA in each time slot. At 1505, it is determined whether each beam is sensed as idle. If not, the flow returns to 1504, and the backoff timer for that beam remains at its current value. If a beam is determined to be idle at 1505, the flow for that beam continues to 1506, where the backoff timer corresponding to that beam is decremented by a predetermined amount. At 1507, it is determined whether the backoff timer is equal to 0. If it is not equal to 0, the flow returns to 1504.

[0127] When the backoff timer reaches zero at 1507, and the set of directional beams has been sensed as idle for a fixed duration different from the backoff timer, the flow continues to 1508, and the transmitter sends an RR message to the receiver via that specific beam. If multiple beams are detected as idle, the transmitter can send an RR message via one of the idle beams. Alternatively, if multiple beams are sensed as idle, the transmitter can use multi-beam Type II transmission to send RR messages on the set of idle beams. The RR message may include the transmitter's identifier, the identifier of the beam for which the receiver performs CCA (e.g., the beam's TCI status or QCL relationship information), and the receiver's identifier.

[0128] When transmitting an RR message via a single beam, the receiver, upon receiving the RR message, performs CCA directional sensing on that beam and, if the beam is idle, transmits an RA message to the transmitter. Optionally, when transmitting an RR message via one of multiple idle beams, the receiver transmits the RA message via one of the idle beams. Optionally, when the receiver has sensed multiple beams as idle, the receiver can use multi-beam Type II transmission to transmit RA messages on a set of idle beams. The RA message may include the transmitter's identifier, the receiver's identifier, the identifier of the clear beam (e.g., the beam's TCI status or QCL relationship information), and a set of proposed CW sizes for the next CCA from another set of beams from the same transmitter, through which the receiver cannot send back an RA message after an unsuccessful CCA. Optionally, instead of the proposed CW sizes, the RA message may also include a measured medium busy ratio (MBR), defined as the percentage of time the medium is sensed as busy within a given time window.

[0129] If the receiver senses that the beam transmitting RR is busy, the receiver does nothing.

[0130] The process continues to 1509, where it is determined whether the transmitter has received the RA message from the receiver. If the transmitter has not received the RA message after a predetermined period, the flow continues to 1510, where the transmitter starts a single backoff timer, which can be initialized using a value randomly selected between 0 and the window CW. The CW size can be directly suggested by the receiver based on local measurements of a specific beam, which is transmitted back to the transmitter via another beam sensed as having a clear CCA by the receiver. Alternatively, the CW size can be indirectly inferred from the receiver's local measurements, for example, the MBR on the specific beam contained in the RA message on another beam sensed as having a clear CCA by the receiver.

[0131] Starting at 1510, the flow continues to 1511, where it is determined whether a single backoff timer is equal to 0. If not, the flow returns to 1511; if so, the flow continues to 1502.

[0132] If at 1509, the transmitter receives an RA message from the receiver, the flow continues to 1512, where for a subset of the beams, it is sensed as idle and complete RR / RA messages are exchanged. The transmitter can then use Type II transmissions during the duration of the Maximum Channel Occupied Time (MCOT) to begin transmitting and / or receiving on multiple beams in SDM mode.

[0133] In one embodiment, when the backoff timer reaches zero at 1507, the flow optionally continues to 1512, where it is determined whether beam idleness has been sensed for a fixed duration outside the backoff timer. If yes, the flow continues to 1508, where the transmitter uses multi-beam Type II transmission to send a hold request (RR) message via a single beam or simultaneously via a set of beams. If not, the flow returns to 1503, where the backoff timer for that beam is restarted.

[0134] For a half-duplex transmitter, the backoff timer corresponding to a sensed busy beam remains fixed until the transmission of a sensed idle beam is complete. After the transmission of a sensed idle beam is complete, the backoff timer for each sensed busy beam is decremented by one when medium idle is sensed for that particular beam. For a full-duplex transmitter, the backoff timer for each sensed busy beam is decremented whenever medium idle is sensed for that particular beam.

[0135] The pseudocode below provides an example of TPR performing directional sensing CCA on the first and second beams for a duration of s.

[0136]

[0137]

[0138] For UL channel access, the UE behaves similarly to the TRP in DL channel access, acquiring COT and sending SR to the TRP. For DL ​​channel access, the TRP performs directional sensing CCA on the first and second candidate beams for a duration of s.

[0139]

[0140]

[0141] Embodiments of the subject matter and operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuits, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations thereof. Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more computer program instruction modules, encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by a data processing device or for controlling the operation of a data processing device. Optionally or additionally, program instructions can be encoded on artificially generated propagation signals (e.g., machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signals) generated to encode information for transmission to a suitable receiver device for execution by the data processing apparatus. The computer storage medium can be or is included in a computer-readable storage device, a computer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memory array or device, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, although the computer storage medium is not a propagation signal, it can be a source or destination of computer program instructions encoded in artificially generated propagation signals. The computer storage medium can also be or be included in one or more separate physical components or media (e.g., multiple CDs, disks, or other storage devices). In addition, the operations described in this specification can be implemented as operations performed by a data processing apparatus on data stored on one or more computer-readable storage devices or received from other sources.

[0142] Although this specification contains numerous specific implementation details, these details should not be construed as limiting any invention or the scope of claims, but rather as descriptions of features specific to a particular embodiment of a particular invention. Specific features described herein in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination. Furthermore, although features may be described above as functioning in a particular combination, and even initially claimed so, in certain circumstances, one or more features from the claimed combination may be removed, and the claimed combination may be used for sub-combinations or variations thereof.

[0143] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in a sequential order, or to perform all shown operations to achieve the desired result. In certain situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Furthermore, the separation of various system modules and components in the above embodiments should not be construed as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

[0144] Therefore, specific embodiments of the subject matter have been described herein. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims may be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific or sequential order shown to achieve the desired result. In some implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0145] As those skilled in the art will recognize, the innovative concepts described herein can be modified and altered in a wide range of applications. Therefore, the scope of the claimed subject matter should not be limited to any specific exemplary teachings discussed above, but is defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A transceiver, comprising: Multiple transmitting and receiving points are configured to transmit and receive multiple beams in a wireless communication medium, each of the multiple beams being oriented in a direction different from that of each of the other beams in the multiple beams; The receiver is coupled to multiple transmitting and receiving points; as well as The transmitter is coupled to multiple transmitting and receiving points. The transceiver is configured to: Perform a first directional idle channel assessment (CCA) sensing on at least one of a plurality of beams in the wireless communication medium. Determine if at least one of the first beams in a plurality of beams is busy; The backoff timer is initialized based on determining that at least one first beam is busy, wherein the backoff timer includes at least one first backoff timer corresponding to each of the plurality of beams that is determined to be busy, or the backoff timer includes a second backoff timer corresponding to all of the plurality of beams. For at least one first backoff timer, based on determining that at least one second beam among the plurality of beams is idle, the first backoff timer corresponding to at least one second beam among the plurality of beams is reduced by a first predetermined amount; or for the second backoff timer, based on determining that all beams among the plurality of beams are idle, the second backoff timer is reduced by a first predetermined amount. Data is transmitted on at least one idle beam among a plurality of beams, based on the first or second backoff timer being equal to a second predetermined amount, wherein the second predetermined amount is zero. During the current channel occupancy time (COT), if the transmission gap between two consecutive transmissions of the transceiver is greater than a predetermined threshold, a second directional CCA sensing is performed on at least one third beam among a plurality of beams in the wireless communication medium. as well as Based on determining that at least one third beam is busy, during future COT periods, third directional CCA sensing is performed on at least one fourth beam among multiple beams in the wireless communication medium.

2. The transceiver according to claim 1, wherein, The transceiver is also configured to transmit data on at least one idle beam of the multiple beams, based on all beams of the multiple beams being idle for an additional predetermined duration.

3. The transceiver according to claim 1, wherein, The transceiver is also configured to initialize a first specific beam backoff timer corresponding to each fifth beam that is determined to be busy.

4. The transceiver according to claim 3, wherein, The transceiver is also configured as follows: The first specific beam backoff timer is reduced based on determining that the fifth beam is idle corresponding to the first specific beam backoff timer; as well as Data is transmitted on the idle fifth beam based on the first specific beam backoff timer corresponding to the idle fifth beam being equal to the second predetermined amount.

5. The transceiver according to claim 4, wherein, The transceiver is also configured as follows: Based on the first specific beam backoff timer being equal to the second predetermined amount, a reservation request message is sent; Determine whether the sender has received the reserved acknowledgment message; and Data is transmitted on at least one idle beam among multiple beams based on the receipt of a reservation acknowledgment message.

6. The transceiver according to claim 1, wherein, The transceiver is also configured as follows: Send a hold request message based on the first or second backoff timer equaling the second predetermined amount; Determine whether the sender has received the reserved acknowledgment message; and Data is transmitted on at least one idle beam among multiple beams based on the receipt of a reservation acknowledgment message.

7. A wireless communication system, comprising: The transmitter is configured to transmit multiple beams in a wireless communication medium, each of the multiple beams being oriented in a direction different from that of each of the other beams in the multiple beams, and the transmitter is further configured to: Perform a first directional idle channel assessment (CCA) sensing on at least one of a plurality of beams in the wireless communication medium. Determine if at least one of the first beams in a plurality of beams is busy; The backoff timer is initialized based on determining that at least one first beam is busy, wherein the backoff timer includes at least one first backoff timer corresponding to each of the plurality of beams that is determined to be busy, or the backoff timer includes a second backoff timer corresponding to all of the plurality of beams. For at least one first backoff timer, based on determining that at least one second beam among a plurality of beams is idle, the first backoff timer corresponding to at least one second beam is reduced by a first predetermined amount; or for a second backoff timer, based on determining that all beams among a plurality of beams are idle, the second backoff timer is reduced by a first predetermined amount. Data is transmitted on at least one idle beam among a plurality of beams, based on the first or second backoff timer being equal to a second predetermined amount, wherein the second predetermined amount is zero. During the current channel occupancy time (COT), if the transmission gap between two consecutive transmissions of the transmitter is greater than a predetermined threshold, a second directional CCA sensing is performed on at least one third beam among a plurality of beams in the wireless communication medium. as well as Based on determining that at least one third beam is busy, during future COT periods, third directional CCA sensing is performed on at least one fourth beam among multiple beams in the wireless communication medium.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 7, wherein, The transmitter is also configured to transmit data on at least one idle beam among the multiple beams, based on the fact that all beams in the multiple beams are idle for an additional predetermined duration.

9. The wireless communication system according to claim 7, wherein, The transmitter is also configured to initialize a first specific beam backoff timer corresponding to each fifth beam that is determined to be busy.

10. The wireless communication system according to claim 9, wherein, The transmitter is also configured as follows: The first specific beam backoff timer is reduced based on determining that the fifth beam is idle corresponding to the first specific beam backoff timer; as well as Data is transmitted on the idle fifth beam based on the first specific beam backoff timer corresponding to the idle fifth beam being equal to the second predetermined amount.

11. The wireless communication system according to claim 10, wherein, The transmitter is also configured as follows: Based on the first specific beam backoff timer being equal to the second predetermined amount, a reservation request message is sent; Determine whether the sender has received the reserved acknowledgment message; and Data is transmitted on at least one idle beam among multiple beams based on the receipt of a reservation acknowledgment message.

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 7, wherein, The transmitter is also configured as follows: Send a hold request message based on the first or second backoff timer equaling the second predetermined amount; Determine whether the sender has received the reserved acknowledgment message; and Data is transmitted on at least one idle beam among multiple beams based on the receipt of a reservation acknowledgment message.

13. A method for accessing a wireless medium, the method comprising: At the transmitter, directional idle channel assessment (CCA) sensing is performed on multiple beam sets in the wireless medium, each beam in the multiple beam sets being oriented in a direction different from that of each other beam in the multiple beam sets; At the transmitter, it is determined whether at least one first beam in a plurality of beam sets is busy; At the transmitter, a backoff timer is initialized based on determining that at least one first beam is busy, wherein the backoff timer includes at least one first backoff timer corresponding to each of the plurality of beams that is determined to be busy, or the backoff timer includes a second backoff timer corresponding to all of the plurality of beams. At the transmitter, for at least one first backoff timer, based on determining that at least one second beam among a plurality of beams is idle, the first backoff timer corresponding to at least one second beam is reduced by a first predetermined amount; or for the second backoff timer, based on determining that all beams of the plurality of beam sets are idle, the second backoff timer is reduced by a first predetermined amount. Based on the first or second backoff timer being equal to a second predetermined amount, where the second predetermined amount is zero, data is transmitted by the transmitter on at least one idle beam of a plurality of beam sets; During the current Channel Occupancy Time (COT), if the transmission gap between two consecutive transmissions at the transmitter is greater than a predetermined threshold, at the transmitter, a second directional CCA sensing is performed on at least one third beam in a plurality of beam sets in the wireless medium. as well as Based on determining that at least one third beam is busy, during a future COT period, at the transmitter, a third directional CCA sensing is performed on at least one fourth beam from a plurality of beam sets in the wireless medium.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, Further transmission is based on all beams in multiple beam sets being idle for an additional predetermined duration.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein, Also includes: Initialize the first specific beam backoff timer corresponding to each fifth beam that is determined to be busy.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: The first specific beam backoff timer is reduced based on determining that the fifth beam is idle corresponding to the first specific beam backoff timer; as well as Data is transmitted on the idle fifth beam based on the first specific beam backoff timer corresponding to the idle fifth beam being equal to the second predetermined amount.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein, Transmitting data on at least one idle beam of a plurality of beam sets based on a first or second backoff timer equal to a second predetermined amount also includes: Based on the first or second backoff timer being equal to the second predetermined amount, the sender sends a hold request message; Determine whether the sender has received the reserved acknowledgment message; and Based on the receipt of the reservation acknowledgment message, the transmitter transmits data on at least one idle beam of a plurality of beam sets.

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