Energy detection threshold adaptation

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to adaptation of energy detection (ED) thresholds in contention-based transmissions. A first device determines at least one received energy level of at least one signal by measuring at least one signal from at least one second device on at least one measurement resource. The first device compares the at least one received energy level with a first threshold level. If the at least one received energy level is lower than the first threshold level, the first device adjusts the ED threshold to be applied when competing for transmission resources with at least one second device based on the at least one received energy level. With this solution, the first device can implement adaptive ED threshold adjustment based on the measurement results.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for adaptation of energy detection (ED) thresholds in contention-based transmissions. Background Art

[0002] Contention-based transmission can overcome certain problems caused by the scheduling request (SR) process, especially those regarding latency and signaling overhead. However, other problems may exist when using contention-based transmission. For example, conflicts may occur when multiple communication devices compete for transmission resources.

[0003] Some methods have been proposed to alleviate the inter-device conflict problem. For example, a device can perform a listen before talk (LBT) process based on energy detection before performing actual transmission on a contention-based transmission resource. If the energy level detected on the transmission resource is higher than the energy detection (ED) threshold, the device can determine that the transmission resource is available (or idle). Otherwise, the device may not perform transmission on the resource because the resource may be occupied by another device. Therefore, the setting of the ED threshold is important for avoiding inter-device conflicts in contention-based transmission. Summary of the invention

[0004] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for adaptation of ED thresholds in contention-based transmission. Embodiments that do not fall within the scope of the claims, if any, should be construed as examples that are useful for understanding the various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the first device to determine at least one received energy level of at least one signal by measuring at least one signal from at least one second device on at least one measurement resource; compare the at least one received energy level with a first threshold level; and if the result of the comparison indicates that the received energy level in the at least one received energy level is lower than the first threshold level, adjust the energy detection threshold to be applied when competing for transmission resources with at least one second device based on the at least one received energy level.

[0006] In a second aspect, a method is provided. The method may be performed by a first device and includes determining at least one received energy level of at least one signal by measuring at least one signal from at least one second device on at least one measurement resource; comparing the at least one received energy level with a first threshold level; and if a result of the comparison indicates that a received energy level in the at least one received energy level is lower than the first threshold level, adjusting an energy detection threshold to be applied when competing for transmission resources with the at least one second device based on the at least one received energy level.

[0007] In a third aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes means for: determining at least one received energy level of at least one signal by measuring at least one signal from at least one second device on at least one measurement resource; comparing the at least one received energy level with a first threshold level; and if a result of the comparison indicates that a received energy level in the at least one received energy level is lower than the first threshold level, adjusting an energy detection threshold to be applied when competing for transmission resources with the at least one second device based on the at least one received energy level.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a computer readable medium is provided, wherein the computer readable medium comprises program instructions, and the program instructions are used to cause an apparatus to at least execute the method according to the second aspect.

[0009] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0011] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0012] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary contention-based transmission by a plurality of devices;

[0013] Figure 3 shows a signaling flow for ED threshold adaptation according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 4 An example of measurement resource allocation for inter-device audibility measurement according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 5 An example of measurement resource allocation for inter-device audibility measurement according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 6 shows examples of ED threshold settings for different devices according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 7 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 8 shows a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0019] Fig. 9 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only to illustrate and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various other ways except for the way described below.

[0022] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0023] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with one embodiment, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described).

[0024] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiment, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0025] The terms used herein are used only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that when used herein, the terms "comprise", "comprising", "having", "having", "including" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the described features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0026] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0027] (a) pure hardware circuit implementation (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuitry only); and

[0028] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0029] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and

[0030] (ii) any portion of a hardware processor with software (including a digital signal processor), software and memory that work together to cause a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions; and

[0031] (c) Hardware circuits and / or processors that require software (e.g., firmware) to run but may be absent when not needed for operation, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor.

[0032] This definition of "circuitry" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" also covers an implementation of a pure hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuitry" also covers (for example and if applicable to a particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0033] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be communication technologies and systems that can embody future types of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above-mentioned systems.

[0034] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a NodeB (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated and access backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node (such as a femto, a pico), a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network equipment (such as satellite network equipment, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite), an aircraft network equipment, etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied.

[0035] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device that can perform wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image acquisition terminal device such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless terminal, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless user premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices running in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0036] As used herein, the terms "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource" or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication (e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device), such as time domain resources, frequency domain resources, spatial domain resources, code domain resources, or any other resource that enables communication. Below, some preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described using frequency domain and time domain resources as examples of transmission resources. Note that the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0037] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. In the communication environment 100, a plurality of communication devices, including a first device 110, one or more second devices 120-1, 120-2, 120-3, may communicate with a third device 130. For purposes of discussion, the second devices 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3 are collectively referred to as second devices 120.

[0038] exist Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , the first device 110 and the second device 120 are shown as terminal devices. Note that the terms "first device" and "second device" are only for convenience of description. Figure 1In the example of FIG. 1 , the third device 130 is shown as a network device serving the terminal device. The service area of ​​the third device 130 may be referred to as a cell 102 .

[0039] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices and their connection modes shown are for illustrative purposes only and do not impose any limitation. Environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more additional devices may be located in cell 102, and one or more additional cells may be deployed in environment 100. Note that, although shown as a network device, the third device 130 may be a device other than a network device. Although shown as a terminal device, the first device 110 and / or the second device 120 may be a device other than a terminal device.

[0040] The communication in the communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any appropriate communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) and fifth generation (5G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. In addition, the communication can use any appropriate wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0041] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 or the second device 120 is a terminal device and the third device 130 is a network device, the link from the third device 130 to the first device 110 or the second device 120 is called a downlink (DL), and the link from the first device 110 or the second device 120 to the third device 130 is called an uplink (UL). In the DL, the third device 130 is a transmission (TX) device (or transmitter), and the first device 110 or the second device 120 is a reception (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the first device 110 or the second device 120 is a TX device (or transmitter), and the third device 130 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0042] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may compete with one or more second devices 120 to communicate with the third device 130 using transmission resources. Such transmission may be referred to as contention-based transmission. Examples of contention-based transmission may include transmission based on a configured grant (CG). For CG-based transmission, a device such as a terminal device may be pre-allocated with resources of the CG (such as physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resources) and other parameters. Transmission using the CG is a useful feature for achieving low latency and a higher channel access probability. However, since the CG resources are pre-allocated, if the corresponding device has no data to transmit when the CG is available, the CG resources will be wasted. Therefore, in order to increase resource utilization and transmission opportunities, the same resources allocated with the CG may be allocated to a group of devices for transmission. Such a CG is called a contention-based CG.

[0043] In contention-based transmissions, devices competing for the same transmission resources may perform a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure, such as clear channel assessment (CCA), before transmitting. In some cases, if the transmission resources are in unlicensed spectrum, such LBT procedures may be performed in accordance with regulatory requirements in certain regions to achieve coexistence fairness with other radio access technologies (RATs, such as unlicensed NR (NR-U), licensed assisted access (LAA), or Wi-Fi). LBT may include energy detection to determine if there are any other active transmissions attempting to occupy the transmission resources.

[0044] Two or more devices in the same group may acquire resources of a channel while competing for the channel during the LBT process and start transmission at the same time, which may cause inter-device collisions, thereby reducing the probability of successful reception at the receiver (e.g., gNB) on the CG resources. To avoid this, in some cases, as a mechanism for avoiding inter-UE collisions, multiple start points with different cyclic prefix (CP) extensions in one symbol before the actual transmission are supported.

[0045] Figure 2An exemplary contention-based transmission by multiple devices is shown, in which multiple starting points are configured. Different starting points may correspond to CP extensions of different lengths. For example, the first device 110 competes with the second devices 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3 for transmission resources 220. Starting points #0 to #3 (expressed as 210 to 213) are configured for the first device 110 and the second devices 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3, respectively. If each device has data or information to be transmitted using the transmission resource 220, the device may transmit the CP extension at the configured starting point. Other devices may detect the received energy level of the CP extension and compare it with an energy detection (ED) threshold (also referred to as a maximum ED threshold). If the device finds that the received energy level is higher than the ED threshold, the device may determine that the transmission resource 220 is occupied (i.e., its LBT fails). In other words, the transmission of the CP extension can help the device occupy the transmission resource, which helps to reduce the probability of conflict because overlapping transmissions can be alleviated.

[0046] The ED threshold applied in each device can significantly affect whether the device can accurately perceive other devices that occupy transmission resources and whose starting points are before the starting point of the current device. In some cases, the ED threshold can be configured by the network device, for example, in a controlled environment (such as a factory hall) or without any other technology (such as Wi-Fi). In some cases, the ED threshold can be determined based on a default maximum ED threshold calculation algorithm. Specifically, the ED threshold applied in the device can be proportional to the maximum output power and operating channel bandwidth of the device. For example, in the 5GHz unlicensed spectrum, the ED threshold can be set to -72dBm.

[0047] To avoid inter-device conflicts for contention-based transmissions, it is beneficial that devices competing for the same transmission resources can "hear" each other. In such a case, a first device is considered to "hear" a second device if a transmission from the first device would cause the LBT process from the second device to fail. In other words, the signal transmitted by the first device is received by the second device at an energy level above the ED threshold applied in the LBT process. However, for various reasons, some devices may not be able to hear each other at received energy levels above the ED threshold (e.g., -72dBm).

[0048] As an example, an obstacle (e.g., a wall) located between two devices may create a weak link, resulting in an unexpectedly low received energy level from one device to another. Other factors such as misaligned beamforming between devices may also result in low received energy levels. As another example, according to conventional fractional power control (FPC) operation, the transmission power of a terminal device is inversely proportional to the path loss between the terminal device and the network device. Therefore, terminal devices close to network devices typically transmit at a lower power than cell edge terminal devices. In such a case, a cell center device (e.g., a first device 110) that transmits its CP extension at low power at the starting point 210 may not be heard by a second device 120-2 located at the edge of the cell 102. Therefore, the two devices may later start their transmissions on the transmission resource 220 at the same time.

[0049] According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution for adaptation of ED thresholds in contention-based transmission is provided. In the solution, specific signal measurements are configured for the purpose of ED threshold adjustment. More specifically, a first device is configured to measure (multiple) signals from one or more second devices on one or more measurement resources to obtain (multiple) received energy levels of (multiple) signals. If the (multiple) received energy levels are found to be lower than a threshold level, the first device adaptively adjusts its ED threshold based on the (multiple) received energy levels. For example, the ED threshold can be updated to a lower threshold so that the probability that the first device hears one or more second devices in contention will be increased.

[0050] Through this solution, the first device can implement ED threshold adaptation according to the measurement results. Therefore, the probability of audibility between devices can be improved, and thus inter-device conflicts based on contention-based transmission can be alleviated or avoided. This solution can also promote efficient time division multiplexing (TDM) between different devices.

[0051] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Reference now Figure 3 , Figure 3 3 shows a signaling flow 300 for ED threshold adaptation according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to Figure 1 The signaling flow 300 is described.

[0053] Signaling flow 300 may involve Figure 1, a first device 110, one or more second devices 120, and a third device 130 in the CG. In this example, the first device 110 competes with the one or more second devices 120 for transmission resources. In some example embodiments, the transmission resources may include resources pre-allocated to the first device 110 and the one or more second devices 120 before the first device 110 and the one or more second devices 120 transmit via the CG. In some example embodiments, the transmission resources may be allocated in an unlicensed spectrum. The transmission resources may be of any type and any size, which is not limited in the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0054] The ED threshold adaptation on the first device 110 side is specifically illustrated in the signaling flow 300 and will be discussed in detail below. However, it is noted that the functionality of the first device 110 described below may be similarly implemented in one or more second devices 120.

[0055] In the signaling flow 300, one or more second devices 120 transmit 305 one or more signals on one or more available resources for signal transmission. The first device 110 measures 310 the one or more signals on the corresponding resources and determines 315 one or more received energy levels of the one or more signals based on the measurements.

[0056] The (multiple) resources used to transmit (multiple) signals for inter-device audibility measurement may be referred to herein as "measurement resources". In some example embodiments, the third device 130 may configure one or more measurement resources for the first device 110 and the one or more second devices 120. Specifically, the third device 130 transmits 302 measurement configuration information to the first device 110 and the one or more second devices 120. The measurement configuration information may at least indicate (multiple) measurement resources. Upon receiving 304 the measurement configuration information, the first device 110 may determine on which (multiple) measurement resource(s) to detect (multiple) signals from the one or more second devices 120. The one or more second devices 120 may also determine where to transmit (multiple) signals after receiving 306 the measurement configuration information from the third device 130.

[0057] The measurement configuration information may be dynamically or semi-statically configured to the first device 110 and / or the one or more second devices 120. In some example embodiments, the configuration of the measurement resource(s) may be pre-specified for the one or more second devices 120 and the first device 110.

[0058] In some example embodiments, the measurement configuration information may also indicate measurement resources on which the first device 110 may transmit a signal to be measured by one or more second devices 120. Figure 3As shown, the first device 110 may also transmit 312 additional signals to one or more second devices 120. The second device 120 may measure 314 the additional signals from the first device 110, and possibly also the signals from one or more other second devices 120. In the following, it is assumed that the first device 110 may be configured to transmit signals in the same manner as the second device(s) 120 for the purpose of inter-device audibility measurement, although it may not be configured to do so in some embodiments.

[0059] In some example embodiments, the (multiple) measurement resources may include one or more resources for transmitting (multiple) reference signals. As used herein, a reference signal (RS) is a signal sequence (also referred to as an "RS sequence") that can be known to both the transmitter and the receiver. When the (multiple) measurement resources are configured, the (multiple) second devices 120 may use the (multiple) measurement resources to transmit (multiple) corresponding RSs. Some example RSs may include a sounding reference signal (SRS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and a channel state information (CSI)-RS. It should be understood that various other RSs and other signals (e.g., a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) signal or a PUSCH signal) other than RS may also be transmitted by the (multiple) second devices 120 using the (multiple) measurement resources and may also be used for the purpose of inter-device audibility measurements.

[0060] In some example embodiments, the third device 130 may configure a measurement resource set for the (multiple) second device 120 and the first device 110 in the measurement configuration information. The (multiple) second device 120 and the first device 110 may be configured in the same group for contention-based transmission on the same transmission resources, for example, in the same group for contention-based transmission using CG. Then, each of the (multiple) second devices 120 and the first device 110 may select a measurement resource for transmitting a signal from the measurement resource set. In some example embodiments, the third device 130 may signal the group identification to the first device 110 and the (multiple) second device 120 so that the devices may know which group the measurement resources are provided to. This is beneficial in the case where the first device 110 or the second device 120 is configured in more than one group for contention-based transmission on different transmission resources.

[0061] In some example embodiments, each of first device 110 and (multiple) second device 120 may be configured with different measurement resources in the measurement resource set. The respective measurement resources to be used by (multiple) second device 120 and first device 110 may be explicitly indicated in the measurement configuration information. Therefore, each of (multiple) second device 120 and first device 110 may directly determine from the measurement configuration information where to transmit its signal (e.g., RS) and where to measure (multiple) signals from other devices.

[0062] In some example embodiments, the measurement resources may be implicitly configured based on a predetermined rule. In an example embodiment, the third device 130 may randomly allocate a set of measurement resources to the (multiple) second devices 120 and the first device 110. Each of the (multiple) second devices 120 and the first device 110 may determine which measurement resource may be used to transmit its signal based on device-specific predetermined parameters. In an example embodiment, the predetermined parameters may include, for example, a specific radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), such as a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), a configuration scheduling radio network temporary identifier (CS-RNTI), or other RNTIs assigned to the first device 110 or the second device 120.

[0063] In an example embodiment, the allocation of measurement resources may be deterministic across the second device (s) 120 and the first device 110. For example, in the case where the second device (s) 120 and the first device 110 are configured with different starting points to compete for transmission resources, the second device 120 or the first device 110 may determine its measurement resources based on its starting point. The first device 110 or the second device 120 may determine the measurement resource on which the signal is to be transmitted as the nth resource in the measurement resource set configured by the third device 130 based on its starting point, where n is a positive integer.

[0064] In some embodiments, the starting point configured for the first device and / or the second device corresponds to the length of the CP extension to be transmitted. In one example, the maximum length of the CP extension is CP max , and the total number of measurement resources configured by the third device 130 is N, where N is a positive integer. If the length of the CP extension corresponding to the starting point configured for one device (the first device 110 or the second device 120) is CP conf , then the nth resource used to transmit the signal can be determined as follows:

[0065]

[0066] in Represents a round-down operation. Based on the above examples, it can be understood that various other methods can also be applied to determine resources from a set of measured resources based on a starting point.

[0067] In some example embodiments, (multiple) second devices 120 and first device 110 may be configured to transmit their signals and perform measurements within a specific measurement opportunity. For example, the third device 130 may configure a continuous measurement resource set within a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by the third device 130. In some example embodiments, the COT duration may be indicated to the first and second devices 110, 120 by the third device 130 with symbol granularity, for example, for up to 10 time slots ahead. In an example where the third device 130 is a network device, such a COT may be referred to as a network device-initiated COT. During the COT, (multiple) second devices 120 and first device 110 may be completely idle for data transmission. Therefore, it is more beneficial to perform measurements during the COT without interrupting the normal transmission of (multiple) second devices 120 and first device 110. In other example embodiments, a continuous measurement resource set may be allocated within other measurement opportunities.

[0068] Figure 4 An example of measurement resource allocation for inter-device audibility measurement according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In this example, the third device 130 configures a measurement resource set within the COT 420 initiated by the third device, including measurement resources in symbols #1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13. The first device 110 and (multiple) second devices 120 (including Figure 1 Each of the second devices 120-1, 120-2, 120-3 in the example of FIG. 4 is allocated different measurement resources and can therefore transmit its signal 414 on the corresponding measurement resources.

[0069] During COT 420, if a device in first device 110 and (multiple) second device 120 does not perform signal transmission, it can measure (multiple) signals transmitted from other devices. For example, first device 110 can transmit its signal (such as SRS) in symbol #1 and can measure the signals transmitted from second devices 120-1, 120-2, 120-3 in symbols #3, 5 and 7. Finally, all devices in first device 110 and (multiple) second device 120 can perform inter-device audibility measurements during COT 420 initiated by the third device. In some example embodiments, if first device 110 and (multiple) second device 120 are configured to transmit SRS in COT 420, the transmission opportunity can be called an SRS burst.

[0070] In some example embodiments, if the measurement resource is within an unlicensed spectrum, the first device 110 and the (multiple) second device 120 may perform a LBT process and / or transmission of a CP extension (if configured) before transmitting a signal on the measurement resource. In such a case, the third device 130 may also configure resources for transmission of LBT and / or CP extension to the first device 110 and the (multiple) second device 120. Still using Figure 4 In some examples, each of the first device 110 and the (multiple) second devices 120 can be configured with resources for performing the LBT process 410 and the transmission of the CP extension 412 prior to the transmission of the signal for measurement. In some examples, the LBT process can be a Type 2A / B LBT, but other channel access types are also possible.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the measurement resources may not be configured to be associated with a specific device. That is, although a set of measurement resources for signal measurement is configured, the first device 110 (and second device(s) 120) may not be sure which device may transmit a signal on the measurement resources. Figure 5 Such an example of measurement resource allocation for inter-device audibility measurement is shown.

[0072] exist Figure 5 In the example of , the third device 130 configures one or more measurement resources for the first device 110 and the (multiple) second devices 120 for inter-device audibility measurement. The measurement resources may be included as part of the contention-based transmission resources 520. In some embodiments, the measurement resources may be configured to be the same as the contention-based transmission resources 520. The first device 110 and the (multiple) second devices 120 are in the same group for contention-based transmission on the transmission resource 520, and each device is configured with a different starting point (from starting point #0 to #3, in Figure 5 Based on such configuration of the measurement resource(s), the first device 110 and the second device(s) 120 may also be configured to measure a signal 530 transmitted using the configured measurement resource (which is part of the transmission resource 520) when no transmission is performed on the transmission resource 520.

[0073] For example, the first device 110 may not have a transmission using the transmission resource 520, the LBT process performed at its starting point may fail, or the starting point of the first device 110 may be a starting point with a higher index, i.e., at a later point in time. In such a case, one of the (multiple) second devices 120 may occupy the transmission resource 520 due to the success of the LBT and may therefore start transmitting the signal 530 on the configured measurement resource. The first device 110 and the (multiple) other second devices 120 that do not perform transmission may measure the signal 530 on the configured measurement resource. In some other cases, if the first device 110 successfully competes for the transmission resource 520, it may transmit the signal 530 on the configured measurement resource included therein instead of performing the measurement.

[0074] In some example embodiments, the measurement resources may be configured in two or more contention-based transmission resources allocated for the first device 110 and at least one second device 120. In such a case, the first device 110 and / or (multiple) second devices 120 may be configured to perform the inter-device audibility measurement as described above in each transmission resource. In some example embodiments, the measurement resources configured in the contention-based transmission resources may include resources for DMRS transmission, such as DMRS multiplexed with PUSCH transmission or referred to as PUSCH DMRS. The device (first device 110 or second device 120) may transmit the DMRS as a signal 530.

[0075] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, since different devices in the first device 110 and the (multiple) second device 120 may occupy the configured measurement resources, a receiver of the signal (such as the first device 110) may not be able to determine which device transmitted the signal. In some example embodiments, after receiving the signal on the configured measurement resources, the first device 110 or the (multiple) second device 120 may also detect the control information transmitted by the device occupying the transmission resource 520 to decode the identification of the device (which may be the first device 110 or the second device 120 depending on the contention result). The control information may be transmitted after the transmission of the measurement signal. As shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the control information 540 may be transmitted after the signal 530 (eg, DMRS) and thus detected by the first device 110 or the second device(s) 120 .

[0076] In some example embodiments, first device 110 or second device 120 may not need to decode the identity of the device transmitting signal 530, for example, if detected signal 530 (e.g., DMRS) is device-specific (e.g., UE-specific) or if first device 110 or second device 120 is not concerned with the specific device transmitting signal 530, but instead assumes that the device is in the same group for contention-based transmissions for transmission resource 520.

[0077] In some example embodiments, the resources used for transmission of control information may include PUCCH resources, which may also be configured by third device 130. In some example embodiments, the device occupying transmission resources 520 may need to transmit data to third device 130. DMRS and control information may be transmitted together with data transmission, but in example embodiments of the present disclosure may be reused by other devices for inter-device audibility measurements.

[0078] Configuration of (multiple) measurement resources and measurement of (multiple) signals have been described above. Although transmissions by the first device 110 on the measurement resources and transmissions by one or more second devices 120 are also described above, it should be understood that in some example embodiments, the first device 110 may not transmit a signal to be measured by the (multiple) second device 120. In such a case, measurement resources may not be configured for the first device 110 for transmitting signals, and the (multiple) second device 120 may not need to perform measurements with respect to the first device 110.

[0079] The transmission of the (multiple) signals on the (multiple) measurement resources is to enable the first device 110 (or the second device 120) to check whether it can "hear" other competing devices in the contention-based transmission based on its currently used ED threshold. The received energy level of the signal can be measured as a reference signal received power (RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and / or any other indicator that can be used to measure the received energy of the signal at the receiver.

[0080] Reference again Figure 3 , Figure 3 It is shown that ED threshold adaptation is performed at the first device 110 side based on its measurement result(s). ED threshold adaptation at each second device 120 may be performed similarly.

[0081] Specifically, the first device 110 compares 320 one or more received energy levels of one or more signals detected from the (multiple) second devices 120 with a threshold level. For ease of description, the threshold may be referred to as a “first threshold level.” The first device 110 determines whether to adjust its ED threshold based on the comparison result.

[0082] In some cases, if any of the one or more received energy levels is below the first threshold level, this means that the first device 110 may not be able to hear the corresponding second device(s) 120 in the contention-based transmission. To avoid potential conflicts with the corresponding second device(s) 120, the first device 110 adjusts 325 the currently applied ED threshold based on the one or more received energy levels. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may identify the received energy level(s) measured from one or more second devices 120 in the same group for contention-based transmission, and use these received energy levels to adjust the ED threshold applied in the contention-based transmission with these second devices 120 in the same group.

[0083] The adjustment of the ED threshold can be performed in various ways. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 can adjust the ED threshold based on a relatively low received energy level in one or more received energy levels. For example, the first device 110 can set the ED threshold to be equal to the lowest received energy level in (multiple) received energy levels. As another example, the first device 110 can set the ED threshold to the lowest received energy level minus an offset. In an example embodiment, the offset can be configured by the third device 130. In another example embodiment, the offset can be determined based on certain factors, such as the duration of the CCA, the LBT bandwidth, and the difference between the transmission power used for data transmission and RS transmission. In some examples, the offset can be set to 1dB, 2dB, 3dB, etc. It should be understood that these are listed only as specific examples without any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure.

[0084] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may be configured with an additional threshold level (referred to as a "second threshold level") for determining adjustment of the ED threshold. For example, if the first device 110 determines that any of the one or more received energy levels is below the first threshold level, it may also compare the one or more received energy levels with a second threshold level that may be set below the first threshold level. The first device 110 may determine whether the current ED threshold needs to be adjusted based on the result of the comparison with the second threshold level. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may select a lowest received energy level and compare the lowest received energy level with the second threshold level.

[0085] In some cases, if the lowest received energy level among (multiple) received energy levels is lower than the second threshold level, the first device 110 may determine that the ED threshold is to be adjusted. In an example embodiment, the first device 110 may set the ED threshold based on the second threshold level. The ED threshold may be set to be equal to the second threshold level or the second threshold level minus an offset. In another example embodiment, the first device 110 may set the ED threshold to a received energy level that is not higher than the first threshold level and not lower than (e.g., higher than) the second threshold level. For example, the first device 110 may select the lowest energy level among the received energy levels that is lower than the first threshold level but not lower than the second threshold level. The first device 110 may set the ED threshold to be equal to the selected received energy level or the selected received energy level minus an offset. The offset may be configured or determined in a manner similar to that described above.

[0086] In some example embodiments, if the lowest received energy level is found not to be below the second threshold level, the first device 110 may set the ED threshold based on the lowest received energy level, as described above.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the first threshold level and / or the second threshold level may be predetermined or configured by the third device 130. As a specific example, the first threshold level and the second threshold level may be set to -72dBm and -92dBm, respectively. However, it should be understood that other threshold levels may also be predetermined or configured. In one example, the first threshold level may be determined based on the ED threshold currently applied in the first device 110. The first threshold level may be set to be equal to or lower than the currently applied ED threshold.

[0088] In some example embodiments, the service priorities of the first device 110 and the one or more second devices 120 may be different. For example, the first device 110 and the one or more second devices 120 may support different services among enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services, ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) services, and other suitable services, which may have different service priorities. For example, the service priority of URLLC may be higher than the service priority of eMBB. In some use cases, devices supporting different services may be configured with overlapping transmission resources to improve resource utilization, even though they may not be allocated the same group for contention-based transmission. An example use case may include eMBB and URLLC multiplexing applications.

[0089] In the case of devices with different service priorities, when adjusting the ED threshold, the first device 110 may take into account the service priority of both the first device 110 and the one or more second devices 120 from which the (multiple) received energy levels are measured. In some example embodiments, it may be desirable that devices with higher service priorities (e.g., URLLC) do not hear other devices with lower service priorities (e.g., eMBB) and are therefore allowed to transmit preferentially, perhaps with higher transmission power than devices with lower service priorities. Therefore, if the first device 110 determines that its service priority is lower than the service priority of all (multiple) second devices 120, its ED threshold may be adjusted to a lower value in the manner discussed above. Otherwise, if the service priority of the first device 110 is higher than the (multiple) second devices 120, the ED threshold may be maintained as high as allowed.

[0090] In some example embodiments, if the first device 110 and the second device(s) 120 are configured with different starting points when they are assigned to the same group for contention-based transmission, then in the measurement phase, the first device 110 may be configured to perform measurement based on the relative positional relationship between the starting point of the first device 110 and the starting point(s) of the second device(s) 120. In an example embodiment, the first device 110 may measure the signal(s) transmitted by one or more second devices 120 whose starting points(s) are before the starting point of the first device 110. This is because the probability of the first device 110 colliding with these second device(s) 120 in contention-based transmission is high. The first device 110 may skip the measurement of one or more second devices whose starting points(s) are later than the starting point of the first device 110.

[0091] Typically, the earlier the starting point of the first device 110 is compared to the one or more second devices 120, the fewer the number of received energy levels measured and considered in the ED threshold adjustment. In such a case, the ED threshold of the first device 110 can be adjusted to a higher value. In other cases, the received energy levels used for the ED threshold adjustment can be accumulated because the starting point of the first device 110 is configured as a later point compared to the one or more second devices 120. As more received energy levels are considered, the ED threshold of the first device 110 can be adjusted to a lower value.

[0092] From the perspective of the group including the first device 110 and the second device(s) 120, the ED threshold adjusted by these devices according to the accumulated received energy level(s) may be variable, more specifically, decreasing from the first starting point to the last starting point, such as Figure 6 In other words, when the location of the starting point is linked to the measurement resource, the first device 110 may only consider the minimum value of the reception energy level of the linked corresponding measurement resource.

[0093] In some example embodiments, after first device 110 adjusts the ED threshold, first device 110 may apply the adjusted ED threshold in one or more subsequent contention-based transmissions to compete for transmission resources with one or more second devices.

[0094] In some example embodiments, after performing the measurement and / or ED threshold adjustment, the first device 110 may transmit feedback information to the third device 130, which is also Figure 3 For example, the first device 110 transmits 335 feedback information to the third device 130. The feedback information may include a measurement result and / or an adjusted ED threshold.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the result of the measurement included in the feedback information may indicate all (multiple) reception energy levels determined for one or more measurement resources configured by the third device 130. In some example embodiments, at least one resource index of at least one measurement resource may be included in the result of the measurement for specifically indicating the measurement result on each configured measurement resource.

[0096] In some example embodiments, instead of transmitting all (multiple) received energy levels, the first device 110 may indicate one or more received energy levels that are above a threshold level (referred to as a third threshold level) or below a threshold level (referred to as a fourth threshold level). The third threshold level or the fourth threshold level may be set to the first threshold level or the second threshold level as described above. The third threshold level and the fourth threshold level may be different from either the first threshold level or the second threshold level. In some example embodiments, the result of the measurement may additionally or alternatively indicate one or more resource indexes of one or more received energy levels that are above the third threshold level or below the fourth threshold level.

[0097] Alternatively or additionally, the result of the measurement may indicate one or more identities of one or more second devices 120 from which the (multiple) signals are measured. The first device 110 may report to the third device all (multiple) second devices 120 or some (multiple) second devices 120 corresponding to (multiple) received energy levels above or below the above threshold level.

[0098] In some example embodiments, if the second device 120 performs similar measurements and / or ED threshold adjustments, it may also transmit 340 feedback information to the third device 130. The feedback information may include similar content as discussed above. Upon receiving 345 the feedback information from the first device 110 and / or the (multiple) second device 120, the third device 130 may determine a (re)configuration of one or more contention attributes of the first device 110 and / or the (multiple) second device 120.

[0099] As feedback information, including measurement results and ED threshold adjustments at the first device 110 and / or the (multiple) second device 120, the third device 130 may be able to determine a more appropriate (re)configuration of these devices in order to avoid inter-device conflicts and / or improve resource utilization. In some example embodiments of (re)configuring contention attributes, if the first device 110 and the (multiple) second device 120 are in the same group for contention-based transmission, the third device 130 may configure or update the (multiple) starting points of one or more of the first device 110 and the (multiple) second device 120. Alternatively or additionally, the third device 130 may determine the grouping configuration of the first device 110 and the (multiple) second device 120 to indicate whether these devices can be configured in the same group or should be separated into different groups.

[0100] If a (re)configuration of one or more contention attributes is determined for the first device 110 and / or the second device(s) 120, the third device 130 transmits 350 the (re)configuration to the corresponding device(s). Upon receiving 355 and / or 360 the (re)configuration, the first device 110 and / or the second device(s) 120 may apply such (re)configuration and perform contention-based transmission accordingly.

[0101] Figure 7 FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example method 700 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 The method 700 is described from the perspective of the first device 110 .

[0102] At block 710, first device 110 determines at least one received energy level (e.g., RSRP) of at least one signal (e.g., SRS, DMRS, PUCCH) by measuring at least one signal from at least one second device 120 on at least one measurement resource. In some example embodiments, first device 110 may be configured to perform the measurement by receiving measurement configuration information from third device 130 (e.g., a network device serving first device 110).

[0103] In some example embodiments, the measurement configuration information may indicate a set of measurement resources from which the first device 110 may determine at least one measurement resource for measuring at least one signal from the at least one second device 120. In some example embodiments, the set of measurement resources is configured within a COT initiated by the third device 130, such that the measurement may be performed in the same measurement opportunity by the first device 110 and possibly by the at least one second device 120. Because the first device 110 may be idle during the COT, normal transmission is not interrupted by the measurement.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine its starting point for contention-based transmission and at least one starting point for contention-based transmission of at least one second device 120, which may all be configured by the third device 130. The first device 110 may then determine which second device 120 should be considered in the measurement based on the relative positional relationship between their starting points. In some examples, if the starting point of one or more second devices 120 is before the starting point of the first device 110, the first device 110 may determine that one or more second devices 120 are to be considered for the purpose of inter-device audibility measurement. Therefore, fewer measurements may need to be performed in some cases. The first device 110 may consider the (multiple) second devices 120 that may cause conflicts with the first device 110 when adapting the ED threshold.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may perform measurements when it is not transmitting. In some cases, the measurement resource set may be included in a transmission resource set for contention-based transmissions by the first device and at least one second device. If the first device 110 does not have a transmission to be performed on one of the transmission resources in the transmission resource set (referred to as a "target transmission resource") due to, for example, a contention failure or no data to be transmitted, it may determine that it may be necessary to perform measurements on the measurement resources included in the target transmission resource. A device other than the first device 110 (e.g., the second device 120) may have successfully occupied the target transmission resource and therefore used the measurement resources included therein to transmit a signal.

[0106] In some example embodiments, at least one second device 120 for which measurements are performed may be in the same group as the first device 110 for contention-based transmission, for example, in the same group for CG-based contention. In such a case, the at least one second device 120 and the first device 110 may be configured with different starting points to perform contention-based transmission, for example, for transmission CP extension. In some example embodiments, the at least one second device 120 and the first device 110 may not be configured in the same group, but their resources overlap and therefore need to compete.

[0107] In some example embodiments, in addition to receiving the measurement of the energy level, the first device 110 may also further determine at least one identification of the at least one second device 120, for example, by detecting control information transmitted by the at least one second device 120.

[0108] In some example embodiments, in addition to measuring the signal(s) from the second device(s) 120, the first device 110 may determine additional measurement resources allocated thereto from the configured set of measurement resources. In an example embodiment, the measurement resources may be determined based on a starting point of a contention-based transmission by the first device. The first device 110 may transmit additional signals on the additional measurement resources, which may be measured by the second device(s) 120 for the purpose of ED threshold adaptation.

[0109] At block 720, the first device 110 compares at least one received energy level to a first threshold level. The first threshold level may be predetermined or configured by the third device 130, or predefined. At block 730, the first device 110 determines whether any of the at least one received energy level is below the first threshold level. If one or more received energy levels are below the first threshold level, then at block 740, the first device 110 adjusts the ED threshold to be applied when competing for transmission resources with at least one second device 120 based on the at least one received energy level. The ED threshold may be a threshold currently applied at the first device 110 for competition with at least one second device 120. In some example embodiments, the ED threshold may be equal to the first threshold level. In some embodiments, the ED threshold may be adjusted based on the lowest received energy level. In some embodiments, if all (multiple) received energy levels are not below the first threshold level, the first device 110 may determine not to adjust the current ED threshold.

[0110] In some example embodiments, upon finding that one or more received energy levels are below a first threshold level, first device 110 may also compare at least one received energy level to a second threshold level, which may be lower than the first threshold level. First device 110 may adjust the ED threshold based on the result of the comparison with the second threshold level.

[0111] In some example embodiments, if the lowest received energy level among the at least one received energy level is lower than the second threshold level, the first device 110 may set the ED threshold based on the second threshold level, for example, setting the ED threshold equal to the second threshold level. Alternatively, the first device 110 may set the ED threshold based on a received energy level that is not higher than the first threshold level and not lower than the second threshold level. For example, the ED threshold may be set equal to the lowest received energy level value among the received energy levels that is not less than the second threshold level.

[0112] In some example embodiments, if the lowest received energy level among all (multiple) received energy levels is not lower than the second threshold level, the first device 110 may set the ED threshold based on the lowest received energy level. For example, the ED threshold may be set to be equal to the lowest received energy level or equal to the lowest received energy level minus an offset.

[0113] It should be understood that the first device 110 may adjust the ED threshold in other ways, and in some example embodiments, the second threshold level may not be used.

[0114] In some example embodiments, in addition to the received energy level(s), first device 110 may also adjust the ED threshold based on the service priority of first device 110 and at least one second device 120. For example, if first device 110 has a lower service priority, first device 110 may continue to adjust the ED threshold as described above. Otherwise, first device 110 may not need to adjust the ED threshold and may be allowed to keep its ED threshold as high as possible due to its high service priority.

[0115] In some example embodiments, after performing the measurement and / or ED threshold adjustment, first device 110 may transmit feedback information to third device 130. The feedback information may indicate one or more of: at least one received energy level determined for at least one measurement resource, at least one resource index of the at least one measurement resource, at least one identification of at least one second device 120 from which at least one signal is measured, an adjusted energy detection threshold, a first received energy level below a third threshold level, a first resource index of the measurement resource at which the first received energy level is determined, a second received energy level exceeding a fourth threshold level, and a second resource index of the measurement resource at which the second received energy level is determined.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 and the second device 120 may include terminal devices, and the third device 130 may include a network device.

[0117] In some example embodiments, a first device (e.g., first device 110) capable of performing any of method 700 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of method 700. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The first device may be implemented as first device 110 or included in first device 110. In some example embodiments, the component may include a processor and a memory.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the first device includes components for: determining at least one received energy level of at least one signal by measuring at least one signal from at least one second device (e.g., implemented as second device 120 or included in second device 120) on at least one measurement resource; comparing the at least one received energy level with a first threshold level; and if a result of the comparison indicates that a received energy level among the at least one received energy level is lower than the first threshold level, adjusting an energy detection threshold to be applied when competing for transmission resources with the at least one second device based on the at least one received energy level.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes a component for: receiving measurement configuration information indicating a measurement resource set from a third apparatus (e.g., implemented as or included in third device 130); and determining at least one measurement resource for measuring at least one signal from the measurement resource set.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the measurement resource set is configured within a channel occupancy time initiated by the third apparatus.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the set of measurement resources is included in a set of transmission resources for contention-based transmission by the first device and the at least one second device. In some example embodiments, the means for determining at least one measurement resource includes means for: determining whether the first device has a transmission to be performed on a target transmission resource in the set of transmission resources; and if it is determined that the first device does not have a transmission to be performed on the target transmission resource, determining a measurement resource included in the target transmission resource for performing measurement.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for: determining, based on a first starting point of contention-based transmission by the first apparatus, additional measurement resources for the first apparatus from the set of measurement resources; and transmitting an additional signal on the additional measurement resources.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the components for determining at least one received energy level include components for: determining a first starting point for contention-based transmission by a first device and at least one second starting point for contention-based transmission by at least one second device; and determining at least one second device from which at least one signal is to be measured based on a relative positional relationship between the first starting point and the at least one second starting point.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the means for adjusting the energy detection threshold includes means for: comparing at least one received energy level with a second threshold level, the second threshold level being lower than the first threshold level; and adjusting the energy detection threshold based on a result of the comparison with the second threshold level.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the component for adjusting the energy detection threshold based on the result of the comparison includes a component for setting the energy detection threshold based on the second threshold level if a lowest received energy level among at least one received energy level is determined to be lower than a second threshold level, or setting the energy detection threshold based on a received energy level that is not higher than the first threshold level and not lower than the second threshold level.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the means for adjusting the energy detection threshold comprises means for adjusting the energy detection threshold further based on a service priority of the first device and the at least one second device.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus and the at least one second apparatus are configured in a same group for contention-based transmission on the transmission resource.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for determining at least one identification of the at least one second apparatus by detecting control information transmitted by the at least one second apparatus.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the first device also includes a component for transmitting feedback information indicating at least one of the following to the third device: at least one received energy level determined for at least one measurement resource, at least one resource index of the at least one measurement resource, at least one identifier of at least one second device from which at least one signal is measured, an adjusted energy detection threshold, a first received energy level below a third threshold level, a first resource index of the measurement resource on which the first received energy level is determined, a second received energy level exceeding a fourth threshold level, and a second resource index of the measurement resource on which the second received energy level is determined.

[0130] Figure 8 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 800 may be used to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120 or the third device 130 is shown. As shown in the figure, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to the processor 810, and one or more communication modules 840 coupled to the processor 810.

[0131] The communication module 840 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 840 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 840 may include at least one antenna.

[0132] Processor 810 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network, and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples only. Device 800 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0133] The memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 824, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that do not persist over the duration of a power outage.

[0134] Computer program 830 includes computer executable instructions executed by associated processor 810. Program 830 may be stored in a memory (e.g., ROM 824). Processor 810 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 830 into RAM 822.

[0135] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of a program 830, so that the device 800 may execute the Figures 2 to 7 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the program 830 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 800 (such as in the memory 820) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 800. The device 800 may load the program 830 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 822 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Fig. 9 An example of a computer readable medium 900 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disk. The program 830 is stored on the computer readable medium.

[0137] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the block diagrams, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0138] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as computer executable instructions included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform the above referenced Figures 2 to 7 Any method described. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data types, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data structures. The functions of program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed in various embodiments. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0139] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that these program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, enable the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0140] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0141] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor system, device or apparatus, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0142] In addition, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a continuous order or to perform all the operations shown to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination, respectively.

[0143] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the first device to: determining at least one received energy level of at least one signal from at least one second device by measuring the at least one signal on at least one measurement resource; comparing the at least one received energy level to a first threshold level; as well as if a result of the comparison indicates that a received energy level of the at least one received energy level is lower than the first threshold level, adjusting an energy detection threshold to be applied when competing for transmission resources with the at least one second device based on the at least one received energy level; determining a first starting point for contention-based transmission by the first device and at least one second starting point for contention-based transmission by the at least one second device; as well as determining, based on a relative positional relationship between the first starting point and the at least one second starting point, the at least one second device from which the at least one signal is to be measured; The first device is further configured to adjust the energy detection threshold in the following manner: adjusting the energy detection threshold further based on a service priority of the first device and the at least one second device; wherein, based on a first starting point of contention-based transmission by the first device, further measurement resources for the first device are determined from the set of measurement resources; and transmitting a further signal on the further measurement resource; The first device also enables: receiving measurement configuration information indicating a measurement resource set from a third device; and determining, from the set of measurement resources, the at least one measurement resource for measuring the at least one signal; wherein the set of measurement resources is included in a set of transmission resources used for contention-based transmission by the first device and the at least one second device, and Enable the first device to determine the at least one measurement resource by: determining whether the first device has a transmission to perform on a target transmission resource in the set of transmission resources; and If it is determined that the first device has no transmission to be performed on the target transmission resource, a measurement resource included in the target transmission resource is determined for performing the measurement. 2 . The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement resource set is configured within a channel occupancy time initiated by the third device.

3. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to adjust the energy detection threshold by: comparing the at least one received energy level to a second threshold level, the second threshold level being lower than the first threshold level; and Based on a result of the comparison with the second threshold level, the energy detection threshold is adjusted.

4. The first device of claim 3, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to adjust the energy detection threshold based on the result of the comparison by: If it is determined that the lowest received energy level among the at least one received energy level is lower than the second threshold level, setting the energy detection threshold based on the second threshold level, or The energy detection threshold is set based on a received energy level that is not higher than the first threshold level and not lower than the second threshold level. 5 . The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first device and the at least one second device are configured in a same group for contention-based transmission on the transmission resource.

6. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to: At least one identification of the at least one second device is determined by detecting control information transmitted by the at least one second device.

7. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, further cause the first device to: Transmitting feedback information indicating at least one of the following to the third device: the at least one received energy level determined for the at least one measurement resource, at least one resource index of the at least one measurement resource, at least one identification of said at least one second device from which said at least one signal is measured, The energy detection threshold after adjustment, a first received energy level below a third threshold level, a first resource index of a measurement resource on which said first received energy level is determined, a second received energy level exceeding a fourth threshold level, and A second resource index of a measurement resource on which the second received energy level is determined.

8. A method for communication, comprising: determining, at the first device, at least one received energy level of at least one signal from at least one second device by measuring the at least one signal on at least one measurement resource; comparing the at least one received energy level to a first threshold level; as well as if a result of the comparison indicates that a received energy level of the at least one received energy level is lower than the first threshold level, adjusting an energy detection threshold to be applied when competing for transmission resources with the at least one second device based on the at least one received energy level; determining a first starting point for contention-based transmission by the first device and at least one second starting point for contention-based transmission by the at least one second device; as well as determining, based on a relative positional relationship between the first starting point and the at least one second starting point, the at least one second device from which the at least one signal is to be measured; Wherein adjusting the energy detection threshold comprises: adjusting the energy detection threshold further based on a service priority of the first device and the at least one second device; wherein, based on a first starting point of contention-based transmission by the first device, further measurement resources for the first device are determined from the set of measurement resources; and transmitting a further signal on the further measurement resource; The method further comprises: receiving measurement configuration information indicating a measurement resource set from a third device; and determining, from the set of measurement resources, the at least one measurement resource for measuring the at least one signal; wherein the set of measurement resources is included in a set of transmission resources used for contention-based transmission by the first device and the at least one second device, and Wherein determining the at least one measurement resource comprises: determining whether the first device has a transmission to perform on a target transmission resource in the set of transmission resources; and If it is determined that the first device has no transmission to be performed on the target transmission resource, a measurement resource included in the target transmission resource is determined for performing the measurement. 9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the measurement resource set is configured within a channel occupancy time initiated by the third device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the energy detection threshold comprises: comparing the at least one received energy level to a second threshold level, the second threshold level being lower than the first threshold level; as well as Based on a result of the comparison with the second threshold level, the energy detection threshold is adjusted.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein adjusting the energy detection threshold based on the result of the comparison comprises: If it is determined that the lowest reception energy level among the at least one reception energy level is lower than the second threshold level, setting the energy detection threshold based on the second threshold level, or The energy detection threshold is set based on a received energy level that is not higher than the first threshold level and not lower than the second threshold level.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first device and the at least one second device are configured in a same group for contention-based transmission on the transmission resource.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: At least one identification of the at least one second device is determined by detecting control information transmitted by the at least one second device.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: Transmitting feedback information indicating at least one of the following to the third device: the at least one received energy level determined for the at least one measurement resource, at least one resource index of the at least one measurement resource, at least one identification of said at least one second device from which said at least one signal is measured, The energy detection threshold after adjustment, a first received energy level below a third threshold level, a first resource index of a measurement resource on which said first received energy level is determined, a second received energy level exceeding a fourth threshold level, and A second resource index of a measurement resource on which the second received energy level is determined.

15. A first apparatus for communication, comprising means for: determining at least one received energy level of at least one signal from at least one second device by measuring the at least one signal on at least one measurement resource; comparing the at least one received energy level to a first threshold level; if a result of the comparison indicates that a received energy level of the at least one received energy level is lower than the first threshold level, adjusting an energy detection threshold to be applied when competing for transmission resources with the at least one second device based on the at least one received energy level; determining a first starting point for contention-based transmission by the first device and at least one second starting point for contention-based transmission by the at least one second device; as well as determining the at least one second device from which the at least one signal is to be measured based on a relative positional relationship between the first starting point and the at least one second starting point; adjusting the energy detection threshold further based on a service priority of the first device and the at least one second device; wherein, based on a first starting point of contention-based transmission by the first apparatus, further measurement resources for the first apparatus are determined from the set of measurement resources; and transmitting a further signal on the further measurement resource; receiving measurement configuration information indicating a measurement resource set from a third device; and determining, from the set of measurement resources, the at least one measurement resource for measuring the at least one signal; wherein the set of measurement resources is included in a set of transmission resources used for contention-based transmission by the first apparatus and the at least one second apparatus, and Wherein determining the at least one measurement resource comprises: determining whether the first device has a transmission to perform on a target transmission resource in the set of transmission resources; and If it is determined that the first device has no transmission to be performed on the target transmission resource, a measurement resource included in the target transmission resource is determined for performing the measurement. 16 . A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are used to cause an apparatus to at least execute the method according to claim 8 .

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