Systems and methods for unlicensed broadband transmissions

Abstract

For wideband operation in unlicensed spectrum, a network operator can allocate a channel with multiple subbands to a user equipment. Embodiments disclosed herein enable the user equipment to select one of multiple non-contiguous subbands and / or contiguous subband blocks available in the channel and transmit data on the selected non-contiguous available subband and / or contiguous available subband block. The user equipment can select the one of the non-contiguous available subbands and / or contiguous available subband blocks of the channel based on a largest contiguous available subband block, a largest grant size, a best signal quality, a largest estimated throughput, and / or a highest priority level. Furthermore, in the case of transmitting data using contiguous available subbands, the guard bands set between the contiguous available subbands can also be used to transmit data.

Description

[0001] Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 104,021, titled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR UNLICENSED WIDE-BAND TRANSMISSION,” filed October 22, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. BACKGROUND

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication, and more specifically to wide-band transmissions over unlicensed radio frequency bands.

[0004] The use of wireless communication systems is increasing rapidly. Wireless electronic devices or user equipment such as smartphones and tablets are becoming increasingly complex. In addition to supporting telephone calls, many wireless electronic devices now provide access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the global positioning system (GPS), and are capable of operating sophisticated precision applications that utilize these functions.

[0005] Enabling more of the radio frequency spectrum to be used for communications, including unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 gigahertz (GHz) band (e.g., 5150 megahertz (MHz) - 5925 MHz) or 6 GHz band (e.g., 5925 MHz - 7125 MHz)) facilitates transmission and reception of larger amounts of data over communication networks. However, communicating over unlicensed spectrum requires meeting certain criteria. SUMMARY

[0006] A summary of certain implementations disclosed herein is set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of these certain implementations and that neither this summary nor the following detailed description are

[0007] For wideband operation in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 gigahertz (GHz) band (e.g., 5150 megahertz (MHz) - 5925 MHz) or 6 GHz band (e.g., 5925 MHz - 7125 MHz)), a network operator can allocate a channel to a user equipment upon request. The channel can enable single carrier operation and have a large bandwidth (e.g., 40 MHz - 80 MHz) with sub-bands having a bandwidth of 20 MHz. Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) series of standards organizations can permit a user equipment to transmit data when all sub-bands of a channel are available in a first mode (as determined by a listen before talk (LBT) procedure), only a single sub-band of a channel is available in a second mode, or only a single contiguous block of sub-bands of a channel is available in a third mode.

[0008] However, there is no mode of operation for transmitting data on multiple non-contiguous available sub-bands and / or contiguous available block of sub-bands in a channel, and thus, a user equipment can not transmit data in such a scenario. The disclosed embodiments enable the user equipment to select one sub-band from a set of non-contiguous sub-bands available in the channel and / or select one block from a set of non-contiguous contiguous blocks of sub-bands available in the channel and transmit data on the selected one of the non-contiguous available sub-bands and / or the selected one of the contiguous available blocks of sub-bands as if operating in the second mode or the third mode. If the result of the LBT procedure yields a non-contiguous block of available sub-bands and / or non-contiguous available sub-bands, the user equipment can select one of the non-contiguous available sub-bands and / or contiguous available blocks of sub-bands of the channel based on one or more factors including a largest block of contiguous available sub-bands, a largest grant size, a best signal quality, a maximum estimated throughput, and / or a highest priority level. In this way, the user equipment can transmit data in wideband operation on unlicensed spectrum even when there are multiple non-contiguous available sub-bands and / or contiguous available blocks of sub-bands in the allocated channel.

[0009] Further, while a channel with a bandwidth of 20MHz-80MHz and a sub-band bandwidth of 20MHz is used as an example in this disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed techniques can also apply to other channel bandwidths (e.g., greater than 80MHz, 160MHz, 320MHz) and / or other sub-band bandwidths. Additionally, while the 5GHz and 6GHz bands are used as examples of bands in the unlicensed spectrum, it should be understood that the disclosed techniques can also apply to other future bands in the unlicensed spectrum (e.g., the 60GHz band). Further, while the disclosed embodiments are described as having the user equipment select one sub-band from a set of non-contiguous available sub-bands and / or contiguous available sub-band blocks of the allocated channel for transmission, it should be understood that at least some portion of this decision can alternatively or additionally be performed by the network operator and / or base station (e.g., next generation NodeB (gNB) for 5G networks).

[0010] In one embodiment, a method includes requesting a channel allocation from a network operator, receiving a grant for a channel having a plurality of sub-bands, determining availability of the plurality of sub-bands, and determining that the plurality of sub-bands includes a contiguous block of available sub-bands and at least one available sub-band that is non-contiguous with the contiguous block of available sub-bands. The method further includes transmitting data only on the contiguous block of available sub-bands.

[0011] In another embodiment, one or more tangible, non-transitory computer- readable storage media store executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to request a channel allocation from a network operator, receive a grant for a channel having a plurality of sub-bands, determine availability of the plurality of sub-bands, and in response to determining that all of the plurality of sub-bands are available, transmit data on all of the plurality of sub-bands. The instructions further cause the one or more processors to, in response to determining that only one sub-band or only one contiguous block of sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands are available, transmit data on only the one sub-band or only the one contiguous block of sub-bands. The instructions further cause the one or more processors to, in response to determining that a plurality of non-contiguous contiguous blocks of sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands are available, a plurality of non-contiguous sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands are available, or at least one non-contiguous contiguous block of sub-bands and at least one sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands are available, transmit data on only one of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks, only one of the plurality of non-contiguous sub-bands, or only one of the at least one non-contiguous contiguous block of sub-bands and the at least one sub-band.

[0012] In yet another embodiment, an electronic device includes a transmitter to transmit uplink data, a receiver to receive downlink data, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transmitter and the receiver. The one or more processors send, via the transmitter, a request for a channel allocation to a network operator, receive, via the receiver, a grant for a channel having a plurality of subbands, and determine, via the receiver, availability of the plurality of subbands. The one or more processors also determine that the plurality of subbands includes a plurality of blocks of non-contiguous contiguous subbands that are available, a plurality of non-contiguous subbands that are available, or both. The one or more processors also transmit, via the transmitter, the uplink data on only one of the blocks of non-contiguous contiguous subbands that are available or only one of the non-contiguous subbands that are available.

[0013] Various modifications can be made to the above described features relative to various aspects of the present invention. Other features can also be added to these various aspects. These modifications and additional features can exist alone or in any combination. For example, various features discussed below in relation to one or more illustrated embodiments can be incorporated into any of the above described aspects of the present invention, alone or in any combination. The brief summary presented above is intended to familiarize the reader with the aspects and context of the disclosed embodiments and is not intended to limit the claimed subject matter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] Various aspects of the disclosure can be better understood when read in conjunction with the following detailed description and with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device including a transceiver in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a notebook computer representing a first embodiment of an electronic device of Figure 1

[0017] Figure 3 is a front view of a handheld device representing a second embodiment of an electronic device of Figure 1

[0018] Figure 4 is a front view of another handheld device representing a third embodiment of an electronic device of Figure 1

[0019] Figure 5 is a front view of a desktop computer representing a fourth embodiment of an electronic device of Figure 1

[0020] Figure 6 is a front view and a side view of a wearable electronic device representing a fifth embodiment of an electronic device of Figure 1 ​​​​​

[0021] Figure 7 is a diagram of a communication system according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 8 is a diagram of a channel allocated to a user equipment of a communication system of Figure 7 for wideband operation where it is determined that only one subband is available;

[0023] Figure 9 is a diagram of a channel allocated to a user equipment of a communication system of Figure 7 for wideband operation where it is determined that only one subband is available;

[0024] Figure 10 is a diagram of a channel allocated to a user equipment of a communication system of Figure 7 for wideband operation where it is determined that only one contiguous block of subbands is available;

[0025] Figure 11 is a diagram of a channel allocated to a user equipment of a communication system of Figure 7 for wideband operation where it is determined that multiple non-contiguous subbands are available;

[0026] Figure 12 is a diagram of a channel allocated to a user equipment 10 of a communication system of Figure 7 for wideband operation where it is determined that non-contiguous subbands and non-contiguous contiguous blocks of subbands are available;

[0027] Figure 13 is a flowchart of a method for transmitting data for wideband operation according to embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0028] Figure 14 is a flowchart of a method for transmitting data for wideband operation when there are multiple non-contiguous available subbands and / or contiguous blocks of available subbands in a channel according to embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. These described embodiments are examples of the present technology. Additionally, it is contemplated that various embodiments of the present technology can not be described in the present disclosure for reasons of brevity, the underlying principles and specific application of many of the

[0030] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles "a," "an," and "the" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there can be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.

[0031] User equipment can be communicably coupled to a communication network, such as a 4thGeneration (4G) or Long-Term Evolution (LTE) access network and a 5thGeneration (5G) or New Radio (NR) communication network, to communicate with each other. The networks can be deployed by network operators through a variety of technologies, including but not limited to access network base stations, such as eNodeBs (eNBs) for 4G networks and / or next generation NodeBs (gNBs) for 5G networks.

[0032] Each communication network can perform data transmission and reception over an allocated frequency spectrum. The frequency spectrum allocation can vary between countries / regions, but internationally, it has been agreed that certain frequency bands, such as the 5 Gigahertz (GHz) band (e.g., 5150 Megahertz (MHz) - 5925 MHz) or the 6 GHz band (e.g., 5925 MHz - 7125 MHz), can be used by NR communication networks without issuance of a license. Thus, this frequency spectrum and / or frequency bands are commonly referred to as “unlicensed,” or collectively as the NR-Unlicensed spectrum (NR-U spectrum). It should be noted that the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) is currently working to standardize NR operation on unlicensed spectrum. Additionally, 3GPP can add other frequency spectrums or bands to the unlicensed spectrum, such as the 60 GHz band (e.g., 57 GHz - 71 GHz).

[0033] Because the spectrum is unlicensed, multiple user equipments and / or communication networks can contend for the same channel, which can result in data collisions occurring on those channels. Thus, a user equipment can perform a listen before talk (LBT) procedure before transmitting or receiving data on a channel, in which the user equipment senses or "listens" to the channel to determine whether there are ongoing communications that can interfere with its transmission and / or reception. If the user equipment determines that the channel is idle or available, the user equipment can begin transmission and / or reception.

[0034] As more amounts of data are transmitted over communication networks, unlicensed spectrum provides certain opportunities for network operators. For example, large amounts of data of non-critical data can be offloaded to unlicensed spectrum. Additionally, non-public private networks can be deployed on unlicensed spectrum. Further, unlicensed spectrum can be used to implement enterprise and / or factory environments.

[0035] However, user equipment operating in unlicensed spectrum following certain modes enabled by network operators as published by 3GPP can limit or reduce opportunities to transmit data, thereby hindering operational efficiency of the user equipment and communication networks. In particular, for wideband operation (e.g., single carrier operation using a channel with a bandwidth of 20-80 MHz and a bandwidth of 20 MHz for subbands), a user equipment can send its mode capabilities (e.g., a list of modes under which the user equipment can operate) to a network operator, and the network operator can grant the user equipment operation under one or more modes in the list of modes and an allocated channel. For a first mode, the user equipment is permitted to transmit if all subbands of the allocated channel are available (as determined by an LBT procedure). For a second mode, the user equipment is permitted to transmit if only a single subband of the channel is available. For a third mode, the user equipment is permitted to transmit if only a single contiguous block of subbands of the channel is available. However, there is no mode of operation for transmitting data on multiple non-contiguous available subbands and / or contiguous available block of subbands in a channel, and thus, the user equipment can not transmit data in such scenarios.

[0036] Various procedures are disclosed that can enable transmission of data in wideband operation over unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 gigahertz (GHz) band (e.g., 5150 megahertz (MHz) - 5925 MHz) or 6 GHz band (e.g., 5925 MHz - 7125 MHz)) when there are multiple non-contiguous available subbands and / or contiguous available subband blocks in the allocated channel. It should be understood that multiple non-contiguous available subbands and / or contiguous available subband blocks refers to multiple non-contiguous available subbands in the allocated channel, multiple contiguous available subband blocks in the allocated channel, and / or at least one available subband and at least one contiguous available subband block in the allocated channel. The procedures can apply to a variety of electronic devices (e.g., user equipment). In view of the above, a general description of a suitable electronic device that can implement such operation is provided below.

[0037] Turning first to Figure 1 , an electronic device 10 (e.g., user equipment) according to embodiments of the present disclosure can include one or more of a processor 12, a memory 14, a non-volatile storage device 16, a display 18, an input structure 22, an input / output (I / O) interface 24, a network interface 26, a transceiver 28, and a power supply 30, among other things. Figure 1 The various functional blocks shown in the figures can include hardware elements (including circuitry), software elements (including computer code stored on a computer-readable medium), or a combination of both hardware and software elements. Moreover, the combination of elements can be embodied in a tangible, non-transitory machine-readable medium including machine- readable instructions. The instructions can be executed by the processor 12 and can cause the processor 12 to perform operations as described herein. The one or more processors 12 can include one or more baseband processors that manage wireless communication and / or radio functions, and in some embodiments, can be disposed at least partially in the network interface 26, the transceiver 28, and / or one or more modems. It should be noted that Figure 1 is merely one example of a particular embodiment and is intended to illustrate the types of elements that can be present in the electronic device 10.

[0038] By way of example, the electronic device 10 can represent a block diagram of a notebook computer as shown in Figure 2 , a handheld device as shown in Figure 3 , a handheld device as shown in Figure 4 , a desktop computer as shown in Figure 5 , a wearable electronic device as shown in Figure 6 , or similar devices. It should be noted that Figure 1The processor 12 and other related items in the electronic device 10 can be generally referred to herein as "data processing circuitry." Such data processing circuitry can be implemented in whole or in part in software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. Moreover, the data processing circuitry can be a contained single processing module or can be incorporated in whole or in part within any of the other elements within the electronic device 10.

[0039] In Figure 1 In the electronic device 10, the processor 12 can be operably coupled with the memory 14 and the non-volatile storage 16 to execute various algorithms. Such programs or instructions executed by the processor 12 can be stored in any suitable article of manufacture, including one or more tangible computer-readable media, such as the memory 14 and the non-volatile storage 16, that collectively store the instructions or routines. The memory 14 and the non-volatile storage 16 can include any suitable article of manufacture for storing data and executable instructions, such as random access memory, read only memory, re-writable flash memory, hard drives, and optical discs. Additionally, programs (e.g., an operating system) encoded on such computer program products can also include instructions executable by the processor 12 to enable the electronic device 10 to provide various functionality.

[0040] In certain embodiments, the display 18 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD) that can facilitate a user viewing images generated on the electronic device 10. In some embodiments, the display 18 can include a touch screen that can facilitate a user interacting with a user interface of the electronic device 10. Moreover, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the display 18 can include one or more organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, or some combination of LCD panels and OLED panels.

[0041] The processor 12 (e.g., as part of or in the form of a controller) can operate circuitry to input or output data generated by the electronic device 10. For example, the processor 12 can control and / or operate the memory 14, the non-volatile storage 16, the display 18, the input structure 22, the input / output (I / O) interface 24, the network interface 26, the transceiver 28, the power supply 29, etc. to perform operations of and / or facilitate control of the electronic device 10. In particular, the processor 12 can generate control signals for operating the transceiver 28 to transmit data over one or more communication networks.

[0042] The input structure 22 of the electronic device 10 can enable a user to interact with the electronic device 10 (e.g., to press a button to increase or decrease a volume level). As with the network interface 26, the I / O interface 24 can enable the electronic device 10 to interact with various other electronic devices. The network interface 26 may, for example, include one or more interfaces for a personal area network (PAN) such as a Bluetooth® network, a local area network (LAN) or wireless local area network (WLAN) such as an 802.11x network, and / or a wide area network (WAN) such as a 3rd Generation (3G) cellular network, a 4th Generation (4G) cellular network, an LTE cellular network, an LTE- Licensed Assisted Access (LTE-LAA) cellular network, a 5th Generation (5G) cellular network, or a New Radio (NR) cellular network. The network interface 26 may, for example, also include one or more interfaces for a broadband fixed wireless access network (e.g., ), a mobile broadband wireless network (mobile ), an asynchronous digital subscriber line (e.g., ADSL, VDSL), a digital video broadcast network, and its extension DVB-Handheld network , an ultra-wideband (UWB) network, an alternating current (AC) power line, and so on. As discussed above, the network interface 26 can include one or more processors 12 that manage wireless communication and / or radio functions, such as one or more baseband processors.

[0043] In some embodiments, the electronic device 10 communicates using the transceiver 28 over the aforementioned wireless networks (e.g., mobile 4G, 5G, and so on). The transceiver 28 can include circuitry available for both wireless reception and wireless transmission of signals (e.g., data signals, wireless data signals, wireless carrier signals, RF signals), such as transmitters and / or receivers. In fact, in some embodiments, the transceiver 28 can include transmitters and receivers combined into a single unit, or in other embodiments, the transceiver 28 can include transmitters separate from receivers. The transceiver 28 can also be coupled to or include one or more antennas, and via the one or more antennas, the transmitter can transmit and the receiver can receive RF signals to support wireless applications such as, for example, a PAN network (e.g., ), a WLAN network (e.g., 802.11x ), a WAN network (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, NR, and and LTE-LAA cellular networks), networks, mobile networks, ADSL and VDSL networks, and As further shown, the electronic device 10 may include a power supply 30. The power supply 30 may include any suitable power source, such as a rechargeable lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery and / or an alternating current (AC) power converter.

[0044] In some embodiments, the electronic device 10 may take the form of a computer, a portable electronic device, a wearable electronic device, or other type of electronic device. Such computers may be computers that are generally portable (such as laptops, notebook computers, and tablet computers) and / or computers that are generally used in one location (such as desktop computers, workstations, and / or servers). In some embodiments, the electronic device 10 in the form of a computer may be a computer available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. PRO、MACBOOK mini or MAC For example, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2 1 shows an electronic device 10 in the form of a laptop computer 10A. The laptop computer 10A may include a housing or casing 36, a display 18, input structures 22, and ports associated with an I / O interface 24. In one embodiment, the input structures 22 (such as a keyboard and / or touchpad) may enable interaction with the laptop computer 10A, such as launching, controlling, or operating a graphical user interface (GUI) or application running on the laptop computer 10A. For example, the keyboard and / or touchpad may facilitate user interaction with a user interface, GUI, and / or application interface displayed on the display 18.

[0045] Figure 3 A front view of a handheld device 10B is depicted, which represents one embodiment of an electronic device 10. The handheld device 10B may represent, for example, a portable telephone, a media player, a personal data organizer, a handheld gaming platform, or any combination of such devices. By way of example, the handheld device 10B may be a device available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. or Handheld device 10B may include a housing 36 to protect internal components from physical damage and to shield internal components from electromagnetic interference. Housing 36 may surround display 18. I / O interface 24 may be accessible through housing 36 and may include, for example, an I / O port for a hardwired connection for charging and / or content manipulation using a connector and protocol such as the Lightning connector provided by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), or other similar connectors and protocols.

[0046] The input structures 22, in conjunction with the display 18, can enable the user to control the handheld device 10B. For example, the input structures 22 can activate or deactivate the handheld device 10B, navigate the user interface to the home screen, present a user-editable application screen, and / or activate the voice recognition feature of the handheld device 10B. Other input structures 22 can provide volume control or switch between vibration and ring mode. The input structures 22 can also include a microphone for capturing the user's voice for various voice-related features, and a speaker for enabling audio playback. The input structures 22 can also include a headphone input for enabling input from an external speaker and / or headphones.

[0047] Figure 4 A front view of another handheld device 10C is depicted, which represents another embodiment of the electronic device 10. The handheld device 10C may represent, for example, a tablet computer, or one of various portable computing devices. By way of example, the handheld device 10C may be a tablet-sized embodiment of the electronic device 10, specifically, an Apple device available from, for example, Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. Type handheld device.

[0048] See also Figure 5 , the computer 10D can represent Figure 1 The computer 10D may be any computer, such as a desktop computer, a server, or a notebook computer, and / or may be a stand-alone media player or video game console. By way of example, the computer 10D may be an Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. or other similar devices. It should be noted that the computer 10D may also represent a personal computer (PC) from another manufacturer. The housing 36 may protect and enclose the internal components of the computer 10D, such as the display 18. In some embodiments, a user of the computer 10D may interact with the computer 10D using various peripheral input devices such as a keyboard 22A or a mouse 22B (e.g., input structures 22) that may be operatively coupled to the computer 10D.

[0049] Similarly, Figure 6 Depicted Figure 1 Another embodiment of the electronic device 10 is a wearable electronic device 10E. By way of example, the wearable electronic device 10E that may include the wristband 43 may be an APPLE However, in other embodiments, the wearable electronic device 10E may include any wearable electronic device, such as a wearable motion monitoring device (e.g., a pedometer, an accelerometer, a heart rate monitor), or other device from another manufacturer. The display 18 of the wearable electronic device 10E may include a display 18 (e.g., an LCD, an OLED display, an active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display, etc.) and a touch screen version of the input structure 22, which may facilitate user interaction with the user interface of the wearable electronic device 10E. In some embodiments, as described above, each embodiment of the electronic device 10 (e.g., the laptop 10A, the handheld device 10B, the handheld device 10C, the computer 10D, and the wearable electronic device 10E) may include a transceiver 28.

[0050] Taking the foregoing into account, Figure 7 is a diagram of a communication system 50 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication system 50 includes an electronic device or user equipment 10 communicatively coupled to a base station 52. The base station 52 can facilitate providing any suitable communication network, including a 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) communication network. Thus, the base station 52 can comprise a next generation Node B (gNB) for a 5G or NR communication network. The gNB 52 can have one or more components similar to the user equipment 10 and can therefore include control circuitry (such as a processor 12) and / or memory circuitry (such as a memory 14 and / or non-volatile storage 16) that can operate together to cause the gNB 52 to perform corresponding operations.

[0051] The gNB 52, in turn, can be communicably coupled to a network operator or provider 54. The network operator 54 can use the gNB 52 as a physical communication node to deploy a radio network managed by the network operator 54 over one or more cells or areas managed by the gNB 52. In particular, the network operator 54 can use the gNB 52 to deploy a 5G or NR communication network. It should be understood that while the present disclosure uses a 5G / NR communication network as an example, the technology disclosed herein can be applied to any suitable communication network that performs a listen before talk (LBT) procedure before transmitting or receiving data over a sub-band of a licensed channel. LBT refers to the user equipment 10 using the receiver of the transceiver 28 to sense or “listen” for signals received over the sub-band via one or more antennas of the user equipment 10 coupled to or included as part of the transceiver 28 to determine whether there are ongoing communications that can interfere with its transmission and / or reception.

[0052] The NR network operator 54 can perform data transmission and reception over a licensed or unlicensed spectrum. A licensed spectrum is designated by a government or standard body (e.g., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)) to serve an organization that has been granted a license. With such exclusivity, the license holder operates without interference or spectrum crowding. That is, the FCC provides legal protection and enforcement to prevent other operators from transmitting over the same frequency in the same geographic area.

[0053] The NR network operator 54 can also perform data transmission and reception over an unlicensed spectrum to take advantage of additional resources in these frequency bands, including the 5 gigahertz (GHz) band (e.g., 5150 megahertz (MHz) - 5924 MHz) and the 6 GHz band (e.g., 5925 MHz - 7125 MHz). It should be noted that the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is currently working to standardize NR operation over unlicensed spectrum. In addition, 3GPP can add other spectrum or bands to the unlicensed spectrum, such as the 60 GHz band. Unlike the licensed bands, the NR network operator 54 can ensure coexistence with other technologies and systems in the unlicensed spectrum. To this end, the user equipment 10 can perform a listen before talk (LBT) procedure for each channel or portion of a channel before transmitting or receiving data over the channel or portion of the channel. Furthermore, to improve communication performance over the unlicensed spectrum, the NR network operator 54 can enable wideband operation, which enables the allocation of channels with larger bandwidths (e.g., 20 MHz - 80 MHz) and enables the user equipment 10 to perform the LBT procedure over one or more 20 MHz sub-bands of the allocated channel.

[0054] For wideband operation, the user equipment 10 can send its mode capabilities (e.g., a list of modes under which the user equipment can operate) to the NR network operator 54, and the NR network operator 54 can grant the user equipment 10 operation under one or more modes in the list of modes and the allocated channel. Figure 8 is a diagram of a channel 60 allocated by the NR network operator 54 to the user equipment 10 for wideband operation in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the channel 60 has a bandwidth of 80 MHz, although the NR network operator 54 can allocate channels having any suitable bandwidth, such as between 20 MHz - 80 MHz. Moreover, since the NR network operator 54 can allocate channels having even greater bandwidths (e.g., 100 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz) to the user equipment 10, it should be understood that the 80 MHz channel bandwidth discussed herein is merely an example, and any suitable channel bandwidth can be contemplated.

[0055] The channel 60 includes four sub-bands 62, namely “LBT sub-band #0,” “LBT sub-band #1,” “LBT sub-band #2,” and “LBT sub-band #3.” For clarity, only LBT sub-band #0 is labeled with reference numeral 62. Each sub-band 62 has a bandwidth of 20 MHz, although it should be understood that the 20 MHz sub-band bandwidth discussed herein is merely an example, and any suitable sub-band bandwidth can be contemplated. Each sub-band 62 also includes two intra-carrier guard bands 64 that facilitate making one sub-band 62 non-interfering with another.

[0056] For the first transmission or uplink mode of operation, the user equipment 10 is permitted to transmit if all of the sub-bands 62 of the allocated channel 60 are available or free from interference. When requesting the channel 60, the user equipment 10 can send a message to the gNB 52 indicating its mode capabilities (e.g., one or more modes under which it can operate, such as this first transmission mode). In response, the NR network operator 54 can send a response to the user equipment 10 indicating one or more modes under which it can be permitted to operate, as well as an indication of the allocated channel 60. To determine whether each sub-band 62 is available, the user equipment 10 can perform an LBT procedure by sensing or “listening” to the sub-bands 62 and determining whether there are ongoing communications and / or noise (e.g., above a threshold level) that can interfere with its transmission and / or reception. In particular, if the user equipment 10 determines that a signal received on a sub-band 62 via a receiver of the user equipment 10 is below a threshold signal level, the user equipment 10 can determine that the sub-band 62 is free or available.

[0057] In this case, the user equipment 10 can send a message to the gNB 52 that it is at least capable of operating in a first mode (e.g., “Mode 1”) and requests a channel allocation. The gNB 52 can forward the message to the NR network operator 54, and in response, the NR network operator 54 allocates the channel 60 and sends a response to the user equipment 10 (via the gNB 52) that the channel 60 is allocated and that the user equipment 10 can operate in Mode 1.

[0058] The user equipment 10 can then perform an LBT procedure on each of the subbands 62 and, in this example, determine that all of the subbands 62 are available or free for transmission. Accordingly, the user equipment 10 transmits data on all of the subbands 62 according to Mode 1. Since all of the subbands 62 are available, the user equipment 10 can transmit data on the guard bands 66 disposed between the available subbands 62, resulting in better spectral utilization and, thus, greater transmission rates and efficiencies. However, the user equipment 10 will not transmit data on the guard bands 68 at the ends of the channel 60 because those guard bands abut other channels and can interfere with or experience interference from communications on those other channels.

[0059] An additional consideration is the immediate need of the user equipment 10 to transmit data or the amount of data itself. Specifically, even if the NR network operator 54 allocates four subbands 62 to the user equipment 10, the user equipment 10 can schedule data to be transmitted on two of the four subbands 62 (e.g., LBT subbands #0 and #1). Some practices can require the user equipment 10 to perform an LBT procedure on all of the subbands 62 allocated to the user equipment 10, even if the user equipment 10 can schedule data for transmission on only some, but not all, of the subbands 62. Such practices can prohibit the user equipment 10 from transmitting even if any of the subbands 62 are not free, even though those unavailable subbands will not be used by the user equipment 10 for transmission. Accordingly, the user equipment 10 can more efficiently perform an LBT procedure on only the subbands 62 that are needed for transmission of its data (e.g., on LBT subbands #0 and #1). This is especially true in cases where the channel has a greater bandwidth (e.g., 100 MHz, 120 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz) because there can be a higher likelihood of LBT procedure failure (e.g., and thus unavailability for transmission) of the subbands. In this case, the NR network operator 54 can be configured to permit the user equipment 10 to transmit on the available subbands 62 of the allocated channel 60 even if the user equipment 10 determines that one or more other subbands 62 are unavailable.

[0060] Because some of the subbands 62 can not be available after performing the LBT procedure, in some embodiments, the user equipment 10 can perform the LBT procedure on the subbands 62 until the number of subbands 62 required for transmission is reached. That is, assuming the user equipment 10 needs two subbands 62 to proceed with transmission, the user equipment 10 can perform the LBT procedure on each subband until it finds that two subbands 62 are available. Once the number of subbands 62 required for transmission is reached, the user equipment 10 stops performing the LBT procedure and starts transmission on the available subbands 62, even if there are remaining subbands that have not performed the LBT procedure.

[0061] In the case where the user equipment 10 only supports mode 1 or informs the NR network operator 54 that it only supports mode 1 and determines that all of the subbands 62 are available, but does not schedule data on all of the subbands 62, the non-scheduled subbands are perceived as free channels from the perspective of the NR network operator 54, gNB 52, other base stations, other network operators, WiFi devices, and / or networks, and / or any other suitable device or network, and can therefore be occupied by any of these entities. These other entities can determine that data is not scheduled on these subbands by monitoring these subbands for transmitted data.

[0062] It can be noted that, similar to transmissions on licensed bands, the NR network operator 54 considers wideband operation as reception or downlink operation in unlicensed spectrum, as it assumes that all of the subbands pass the LBT procedure. This is because any potential interference on the subbands 62 can come from a variety of sources (e.g., other communication systems, system noise), and the NR network operator 54 can not have enough time to react to user equipment 10 that senses potential interference on the subbands 62, as the user equipment 10 can inform the gNB 52, which can then inform the NR network operator 54, which can ultimately respond with an appropriate grant mode of operation. When the user equipment 10 receives the appropriate grant mode of operation, the potential interference can disappear or decrease (e.g., exceed a threshold level), and / or changing the mode of operation can cut off or interrupt ongoing communication. That is, the user equipment 10 does not have to perform the LBT procedure on the subbands 62 and accommodate the fact that there is ongoing communication and / or noise on the subbands 62 in the case of reception / downlink. Thus, the user equipment 10 can simply receive data on the subbands 62 according to mode 1, regardless of whether the subbands 62 pass the LBT procedure.

[0063] As mentioned, in some cases, the user equipment 10 can perform the LBT procedure on the subbands 62 of the allocated channel 60 and determine that at least some of the subbands are not available. Figure 9is a diagram of a channel 80 assigned by the NR network operator 54 to a user equipment 10 for wideband operation in which only one sub-band 62 is available according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, for a second transmission or uplink mode of operation (e.g., “Mode 2a”), the user equipment 10 is permitted to transmit if only one of the sub-bands 62 of the assigned channel 60 is available or free of interference. When requesting a channel 80, the user equipment 10 can send a message to the gNB 52 indicating its mode capability (e.g., that it can operate under at least Mode 2a). In response, the NR network operator 54 can send a response to the user equipment 10 indicating that it can be permitted to operate under at least Mode 2a, as well as an indication of the assigned channel 80. The user equipment 10 can perform an LBT procedure on each sub-band 62 to determine whether each sub-band 62 is available.

[0064] As shown, the user equipment 10 determines that LBT sub-band #0 is available (as indicated by the unshaded sub-band 82), but LBT sub-bands #1-3 are not available (as indicated by the shaded sub-bands 84). Accordingly, the user equipment 10 transmits data on the available sub-band 82 according to Mode 2a. Since there is no continuously available sub-band, the user equipment 10 does not transmit data on any of the guard bands 64, as the guard bands either abut the unavailable sub-bands 84 or abut other channels (and thus can include communications or noise on those sub-bands 84 or other channels that can interfere with data transmissions, or data transmissions can interfere with communications on those sub-bands 84 or other channels). A “continuous” available sub-band refers to available sub-bands that are immediately adjacent to each other (e.g., share an end), while a “non-continuous” available sub-band refers to sub-bands that are separated by at least one unavailable sub-band. When the available sub-bands are continuous, data can be transmitted on the continuous sub-bands (including the guard bands between the sub-bands), as there can be no interfering communications between the available sub-bands. With respect to reception or downlink operation, as previously described, the user equipment 10 does not have to perform an LBT procedure on the sub-bands 62 and accommodate the presence of ongoing communications and / or noise on the sub-bands 62. Accordingly, whether or not the sub-bands 62 are passed through an LBT procedure, the user equipment 10 can simply receive data on the available sub-band 82 according to Mode 2a.

[0065] In some cases, the user equipment 10 can perform an LBT procedure on the sub-bands 62 of the assigned channel 60 and determine that a single continuous block of sub-bands is available. Figure 10is a diagram of a channel 100 assigned by the NR network operator 54 to a user equipment 10 for wideband operation in which only one contiguous block of subbands 62 is available according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, for a third transmission or uplink mode of operation (e.g., “Mode 2b”), the user equipment 10 is permitted to transmit if only one contiguous block of subbands 62 of the assigned channel 60 is available or free of interference. When requesting a channel 100, the user equipment 10 can send a message to the gNB 52 indicating its mode capability (e.g., that it can operate under at least Mode 2b). In response, the NR network operator 54 can send a response to the user equipment 10 indicating that it can be permitted to operate under at least Mode 2b, as well as an indication of the assigned channel 100. The user equipment 10 can perform an LBT procedure on each subband 62 to determine whether each subband 62 is available. In some embodiments, the second mode (Mode 2a) and the third mode (Mode 2b) can be combined into a single mode (“Mode 2”). Thus, the user equipment 10 can send a message to the gNB 52 indicating that it can operate under at least Mode 2, and the NR network operator 54 can send a response to the user equipment 10 indicating that it can be permitted to operate under at least Mode 2.

[0066] As shown, the user equipment 10 determines that LBT subbands #0 and 1 are unavailable (as indicated by the shaded subbands 84), but contiguous LBT subbands #2 and 3 block are available (as indicated by the unshaded subbands 82). Thus, the user equipment 10 transmits data on the available contiguous subbands 82 block according to Mode 2b. Since a guard band 66 is disposed between the available contiguous subbands 82 block, the user equipment 10 can also transmit data on the guard band 66. However, the user equipment 10 will not transmit data on the guard bands 68, 86 because that guard band either abuts an unavailable subband 84 (e.g., 86) that can include communications or noise that can interfere with data transmission, or other channels (e.g., 68) on which data transmission can interfere with communications on those subbands 84 or other channels. With respect to reception or downlink operation, as previously described, the user equipment 10 does not have to perform an LBT procedure on the subbands 62 and accommodate situations in which there are ongoing communications and / or noise on the subbands 62. Thus, whether or not a subband 62 is available through an LBT procedure, the user equipment 10 can simply receive data on the available contiguous subbands 82 block according to Mode 2b.

[0067] However, there is no mode of operation that enables data transmission on multiple non-contiguous available subbands and / or contiguous available subband blocks in the allocated channel (but there can be a mode of operation for receiving data on multiple non-contiguous available subbands and / or contiguous available subband blocks), and thus, the user equipment 10 does not transmit data on multiple non-contiguous available subbands and / or contiguous available subband blocks in such scenarios. It should be understood that multiple non-contiguous available subbands and / or contiguous available subband blocks refers to multiple non-contiguous available subbands in the allocated channel, multiple contiguous available subband blocks in the allocated channel, and / or at least one available subband and at least one contiguous available subband block in the allocated channel. Such available subband configurations for which there is no applicable mode of operation can be referred to as “punctured transmission” because at least one unavailable subband is disposed between two available subbands.

[0068] Figure 11 is a diagram of a channel 110 allocated by the NR network operator 54 to the user equipment 10 for wideband operation in which multiple non-contiguous subbands 62 are available according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the user equipment 10 determines that non-contiguous LBT subbands #0 and 3 are available (as indicated by unshaded subbands 82), and LBT subbands #1 and 2 are unavailable (as indicated by shaded subbands 84).

[0069] As noted, there is no mode of operation that enables data transmission on multiple non-contiguous available subbands 82 in the channel 110, and thus, the user equipment 10 can not send a message to the gNB 52 to indicate that it can operate in such a mode when requesting the channel 110. However, mode 2a permits the user equipment 10 to transmit in the event that only one of the subbands 62 of the allocated channel 60 is available. The presently disclosed embodiments enable the user equipment 10 to select one of the non-contiguous available subbands 82 in the channel 110 and transmit data on the selected subband 82, thereby satisfying the criteria for operating under mode 2a (e.g., “falling back” to operating under mode 2a). That is, the user equipment 10 selects one of the non-contiguous available subbands 82 to transmit data on and considers all other subbands 82 to be unavailable, regardless of whether they are available. For example, the user equipment 10 can select non-contiguous LBT subband #0 for data transmission without transmitting data on LBT subbands #1-3, thereby considering LBT subbands #1-3 to be unavailable, even though LBT subband #3 is available.

[0070] While the user equipment 10 can arbitrarily select a sub-band 82 on which to transmit data (e.g., by randomly selecting, by selecting an available first sub-band 82), the user equipment 10 can additionally or alternatively select a sub-band 82 based on one or more communication quality factors. For example, the user equipment 10 can determine an amount of data that is authorized or scheduled for transmission for each non-contiguous available sub-band 82 of the channel 110 (e.g., an authorization size), and select the non-contiguous available sub-band 82 having the largest authorization size for transmission under mode 2a. As another example, the user equipment 10 can determine a signal quality for each non-contiguous available sub-band 82 of the channel 110, and select one sub-band from the set of non-contiguous available sub-bands 82 having the best signal quality for transmission under mode 2a. As yet another example, the user equipment 10 can estimate a throughput for each non-contiguous available sub-band 82 of the channel 110, and select one sub-band from the set of non-contiguous available sub-bands 82 having the largest estimated throughput. As another example, the user equipment 10 can determine a priority level for each non-contiguous available sub-band 82 of the channel 110 (e.g., certain sub-bands 82 can be preferred and have a higher priority level than other sub-bands, which can result in better performance compared to other sub-bands 82), and select one sub-band from the set of non-contiguous available sub-bands 82 having the highest priority level for transmission under mode 2a. It will be appreciated that the user equipment 10 can support any combination or all of the above factors, as well as any other suitable factors that affect communication quality.

[0071] Accordingly, the user equipment 10 can select one sub-band from the set of non-contiguous available sub-bands 82, and transmit data on the selected sub-band 82 according to mode 2a. Since mode 2a only allows transmission on a single sub-band 82, the user equipment 10 will not transmit data on any other available sub-bands 82. Moreover, since there are no contiguous available sub-bands, all guard bands 64 either abut non-available sub-bands 84 (e.g., 86) or other channels (e.g., 68) that can include communications or noise that can interfere with data transmission, or data transmission can interfere with communications on those sub-bands 84 or other channels. With respect to reception or downlink operations, as previously described, the user equipment 10 does not have to perform an LBT procedure on the sub-band 62, and accommodate the case where there is ongoing communication and / or noise on the sub-band 62. Accordingly, whether or not the sub-band 62 passes the LBT procedure, the user equipment 10 can simply receive data on the available contiguous sub-band 82 block according to mode 2a.

[0072] Figure 12is a diagram of a channel 120 allocated by the NR network operator 54 to the user equipment 10 for wideband operation in which discontinuous sub-bands 62 and discontinuous contiguous sub-band 62 blocks are determined to be available according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the user equipment 10 determines that discontinuous (with respect to the discontinuous sub-bands 62) contiguous LBT sub-bands #0 and 1 are available (as indicated by unshaded sub-bands 82), that discontinuous (with respect to the discontinuous contiguous sub-band 62 blocks) LBT sub-band #3 is available, and that LBT sub-band #2 is not available (as indicated by shaded sub-band 84).

[0073] As noted, there is no mode of operation that enables data transmission on multiple discontinuous available sub-bands 82 and / or contiguous available sub-band 82 blocks in the channel 120, and thus, when requesting the channel 120, the user equipment 10 can not send a message to the gNB 52 indicating that it can operate in such a mode. However, mode 2b permits the user equipment 10 to transmit in the event that only one contiguous sub-band 62 block of the allocated channel 120 is available. The presently disclosed embodiments enable the user equipment 10 to select a discontinuous available contiguous sub-band 82 block in the channel 120 and transmit data on the selected sub-band 82, thereby satisfying the criteria for operating under mode 2a. It will be appreciated that for channels having a larger bandwidth (e.g., 100 MHz, 120 MHz, 160 MHz, 320 MHz, etc.), there can be multiple discontinuous contiguous available sub-bands 82 blocks, and the user equipment 10 can select a contiguous available sub-band 82 block from among the discontinuous contiguous available sub-bands 82 blocks to transmit data. That is, the user equipment 10 selects one discontinuous available sub-band and / or contiguous available sub-band block from among the multiple discontinuous available sub-bands 82 and / or contiguous available sub-band 82 blocks to transmit data and treats all other sub-bands 82 as unavailable, regardless of whether they are available. For example, the user equipment 10 can select discontinuous contiguous LBT sub-bands #0 and 1 blocks for data transmission without transmitting data on LBT sub-bands #2 and 3, thereby treating LBT sub-bands #2 and 3 as unavailable, even though LBT sub-band #3 is available.

[0074] While the user equipment 10 can arbitrarily select the blocks of non-contiguous contiguous available subbands 82 on which to transmit data (e.g., by randomly selecting, by selecting the first block of non-contiguous contiguous available subbands 82 that is available), the user equipment 10 can additionally or alternatively select the blocks of non-contiguous contiguous available subbands 82 and / or the non-contiguous available subbands 82 based on one or more communication quality factors. For example, the user equipment 10 can determine the size of each block of non-contiguous contiguous available subbands 82 and / or each non-contiguous available subband 82, and select the block of non-contiguous contiguous available subbands 82 and / or the non-contiguous available subband 82 having the largest size (e.g., bandwidth) for transmission under mode 2b. For blocks of non-contiguous contiguous available subbands 82, this can include accumulating the bandwidth for each contiguous available subband 82 in each block, including the bandwidth of the guard bands between contiguous available subbands 82. Generally, this would mean selecting the block of contiguous available subbands 82 having the largest number of subbands 82.

[0075] In some embodiments, if there are multiple blocks of non-contiguous contiguous available subbands 82 and / or non-contiguous available subbands 82 having the largest size, the user equipment 10 can use additional or alternative factors to select the block of contiguous available subbands 82 and / or the subband from the set of non-contiguous available subbands 82 among the multiple blocks of non-contiguous contiguous available subbands 82 and / or non-contiguous available subbands 82 having the largest size for transmitting data. For example, the user equipment 10 can determine the grant size of each block of contiguous available subbands 82 and / or each non-contiguous available subband 82 of the channel 120, and select the block of contiguous available subbands 82 and / or the non-contiguous available subband 82 having the largest grant size for transmission under mode 2b, where the grant size refers to the total payload capacity associated with the bandwidth, duration, modulation scheme, and coding rate of the uplink grant. As another example, the user equipment 10 can determine the signal quality of each block of contiguous available subbands 82 and / or each subband in the set of non-contiguous available subbands 82 of the channel 120, and select the block of contiguous available subbands 82 and / or the subband having the best signal quality from the set of non-contiguous available subbands 82 for transmission under mode 2b. As yet another example, the user equipment 10 can estimate the throughput of each block of contiguous available subbands 82 and / or each subband in the set of non-contiguous available subbands 82 of the channel 120, and select the block of contiguous available subbands 82 and / or the subband having the largest estimated throughput from the set of non-contiguous available subbands 82. As another example, the user equipment 10 can determine the priority level of each block of contiguous available subbands 82 and / or each subband in the set of non-contiguous available subbands 82 of the channel 120, and select the block of contiguous available subbands 82 and / or the subband having the highest priority level from the set of non-contiguous available subbands 82 for transmission under mode 2b. It will be appreciated that the user equipment 10 can support any combination or all of the above factors, as well as any other suitable factors affecting communication quality.

[0076] Accordingly, the user equipment 10 can select a contiguous block of usable subbands 82 and transmit data on the selected contiguous block of usable subbands 82 according to mode 2b. Since mode 2b only allows transmission on a single contiguous block of subbands 82, the user equipment 10 will not transmit data on any other usable subbands 82. Moreover, the guard bands 66 between contiguous usable subbands 82 in the selected contiguous block of usable subbands 82 can also be used to transmit data. However, any guard bands 64 between contiguous usable subbands 82 that are not in the selected contiguous block of usable subbands 82 can not be used to transmit data because such guard bands 64 either abut unusable subbands 84 (e.g., 86) or other channels (e.g., 68) that can include communications or noise that can interfere with data transmission or data transmission can interfere with communications on those subbands 84 or other channels. With respect to reception or downlink operations, as previously described, the user equipment 10 does not have to perform LBT procedures on subbands 62 and accommodate situations where there are ongoing communications and / or noise on subbands 62. Accordingly, whether or not a subband 62 passes an LBT procedure, the user equipment 10 can simply receive data on a contiguous block of usable subbands 82 according to mode 2b.

[0077] Figure 13 is a flowchart of a method 130 for transmitting data for wideband operation in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, the method 130 can transmit data even when there are multiple non-contiguous usable subbands 62 and / or contiguous blocks of usable subbands 62 in a channel. Note that although depicted in a particular order, the blocks of the method 130 can be performed in any suitable order, and at least some blocks can be skipped entirely. As described herein, the method 130 is described as being performed by the user equipment 10. However, it should be understood that any suitable processing and / or control circuitry, such as one or more of the processors 12 (including one or more baseband processors), can perform some or all of the operations of the method 130.

[0078] At block 132, the user equipment 10 requests a channel allocation from a network operator. In particular, the user equipment 10 can send a message to the gNB 52 requesting a channel allocation, which can in turn be sent to the NR network operator 54. For wideband operation, the channel can have a bandwidth of 20MHz-80MHz, and subbands thereof have a bandwidth of 20MHz, although any suitable channel bandwidth (e.g., greater than 80MHz, 160MHz, 320MHz) and any suitable subband bandwidth are also contemplated. The message can also include an indication of the mode capability of the user equipment 10 (e.g., one or more modes in which it is operable).

[0079] At block 134, the user equipment 10 receives a grant for the channel with one or more sub-bands. In particular, the NR network operator 54 can grant the channel and indicate to the user equipment 10 which modes the user equipment 10 can operate in when using the channel. The NR network operator 54 can send a message back to the user equipment 10 via the gNB 52 indicating the grant for the channel and which modes the user equipment 10 can operate in.

[0080] At block 136, the user equipment 10 determines the availability of the one or more sub-bands 62 of the allocated channel. The user equipment 10 can perform an LBT procedure on each sub-band 62 to determine whether the sub-band 62 is available or has interfering communications or noise in the sub-band 62. At block 138, the user equipment 10 determines whether any sub-bands 62 are available. If not, then at block 140, the user equipment 10 does not transmit data because all of the sub-bands 62 have continuous communications or noise present in the sub-bands 62 and such communications or noise can degrade the quality of the data intended to be transmitted.

[0081] If the user equipment 10 determines that a sub-band 62 is available, then at block 142, the user equipment 10 determines whether all of the sub-bands 62 of the channel are available. If so, and if the NR network operator 54 permits the user equipment 10 to operate in a first mode (e.g., Mode 1) in which transmissions by the user equipment 10 are permitted in a case in which all of the sub-bands 62 of the allocated channel are available, then at block 144, the user equipment 10 transmits data on all of the sub-bands 62 of the allocated channel. Figure 8 This scenario is described in which all of the sub-bands 62 of the channel 60 are available.

[0082] If the user equipment 10 determines that all of the sub-bands 62 are not available, then at block 146, the user equipment 10 determines whether only one sub-band 62 is available. If so, and if the NR network operator 54 permits the user equipment 10 to operate in a second mode (e.g., Mode 2a) in which transmissions by the user equipment 10 are permitted in a case in which only one sub-band 62 of the allocated channel is available, then at block 148, the user equipment 10 transmits data on only the available sub-band 62 of the allocated channel. Figure 9 This scenario is described in which only one sub-band 82 of the channel 80 is available.

[0083] If the user equipment 10 determines that not only one contiguous chunk of subbands 62 is available, then at block 150, the user equipment 10 determines whether only one contiguous chunk of subbands 62 is available. If so, and if the NR network operator 54 permits the user equipment 10 to operate in a third mode (e.g., Mode 2b) of transmission by the user equipment 10 that permits transmissions by the user equipment 10 in situations where only one contiguous chunk of subbands 62 of the allocated channel is available, then at block 152, the user equipment 10 transmits data on the one available contiguous chunk of subbands 62 of the allocated channel. Figure 10 Scenarios are described in which only one contiguous chunk of subbands 82 of the channel 100 is available.

[0084] If the user equipment 10 determines that not only one contiguous chunk of subbands 62 is available, then this means that there are multiple non-contiguous available subbands 62 and / or contiguous chunks of subbands 62 available on the channel. In this case, at block 154, the user equipment 10 determines whether there is one largest contiguous chunk of subbands 62 available. If so, then there is at least one contiguous chunk of subbands 62 available on the channel. Figure 12 Such a scenario is described in which there is one largest contiguous chunk of subbands 62 (LBT subbands #0 and 1) available on the channel 120. If the NR network operator 54 permits the user equipment 10 to operate in a third mode (e.g., Mode 2b) of transmission by the user equipment 10 that permits transmissions by the user equipment 10 in situations where only one contiguous chunk of subbands 62 of the allocated channel is available, then at block 156, the user equipment 10 transmits data only on the largest contiguous chunk of subbands 62 available. To satisfy the criteria for Mode 2b, the user equipment 10 does not transmit data on any other subbands of the channel, even if another subband is available.

[0085] If the user equipment 10 determines that there is not one largest contiguous chunk of subbands 62 available, then at block 158, the user equipment 10 determines and selects the largest contiguous chunk of subbands 62 available or the largest subband 62 available based on one or more communication quality factors. In particular, the user equipment 10 can determine and select the largest contiguous chunk of subbands 62 available or the largest subband 62 available that has the largest grant size, the best signal quality, the largest estimated throughput, and / or the highest priority level. Figure 11This scenario is described in which there is no one largest block of contiguous subbands 62 when there are two available subbands 62 (of equal size) on the channel 110. If the contiguous block of available subbands 62 is selected, and the NR network operator 54 permits the user equipment 10 to operate in a third mode (e.g., Mode 2b) in which transmissions by the user equipment 10 are permitted in situations in which only one contiguous block of subbands 62 of the allocated channel is available, then at block 160 the user equipment 10 transmits data on only the selected largest block of contiguous subbands 62. If the subband 62 is selected, and the NR network operator 54 permits the user equipment 10 to operate in a second mode (e.g., Mode 2a) in which transmissions by the user equipment 10 are permitted in situations in which only one subband 62 of the allocated channel is available, then at block 160 the user equipment 10 transmits data on the selected subband 62. To meet the criteria for Mode 2a, the user equipment 10 does not transmit data on any other subband of the channel, even if another subband is available.

[0086] As such, the method 130 can transmit data in a wideband mode of operation even when there are multiple non-contiguous available subbands 62 and / or contiguous blocks of available subbands 62 in the allocated channel. As discussed above, in cases where contiguous available subbands 62 are used to transmit data, the guard bands 64 disposed between the contiguous available subbands 62 can also be used to transmit data.

[0087] More specifically, Figure 14 is a flowchart of a method 170 for transmitting data for wideband operation when there are multiple non-contiguous available subbands 62 and / or contiguous blocks of available subbands 62 in a channel in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that although depicted in a particular order, the blocks of the method 170 can be performed in any suitable order, and at least some blocks can be skipped entirely. As described herein, the method 170 is described as being performed by the user equipment 10. However, it should be appreciated that any suitable processing and / or control circuitry, such as one or more of the processors 12, can perform some or all of the operations of the method 170.

[0088] At block 172, the user equipment 10 receives an indication that the channel includes multiple non-contiguous available subbands 62 and / or contiguous available subband 62 blocks. In particular, the user equipment 10 can indicate to the NR network operator 54 that it is capable of operating in at least mode 2 (e.g., including mode 2a and mode 2b) such that the user equipment 10 can transmit data on a single available subband 62 or a single contiguous available subband 62 block. The NR network operator 54 can grant the channel to the user equipment 10 and permit the user equipment 10 to operate in at least mode 2. The user equipment 10 can perform an LBT procedure on each subband 62 of the granted channel and can determine that the channel includes multiple non-contiguous available subbands 62 and / or contiguous available subband 62 blocks. In this regard, as used herein, multiple non-contiguous available subbands and / or contiguous available subband blocks refers to multiple non-contiguous available subbands in the channel, multiple contiguous available subband blocks in the channel, and / or at least one available subband and at least one contiguous available subband block in the channel.

[0089] At block 174, the user equipment 10 determines whether there are multiple non-contiguous contiguous available subbands 62 blocks on the channel. If so, at block 176, the user equipment 10 determines whether there is a single maximum available contiguous subband 62 block. If so, at block 178, the user equipment 10 transmits data only on the single maximum available contiguous subband 62 block.

[0090] If the user equipment 10 determines that there is not a single maximum available contiguous subband 62 block, at block 180, the user equipment 10 selects a maximum available contiguous subband 62 block based on one or more communication factors. In particular, the user equipment 10 can select the maximum contiguous available subband 62 block having the largest grant size, the best signal quality, the largest estimated throughput, and / or the highest priority level. At block 182, the user equipment 10 transmits data only on the selected maximum contiguous available subband 62 block.

[0091] Returning to block 174, if the user equipment 10 determines that there are not multiple non-contiguous contiguous available subbands 62 blocks on the channel, at block 184, the user equipment 10 determines whether the channel includes a single contiguous available subband 62 block. If so, at block 186, the user equipment 10 transmits data only on the single non-contiguous contiguous available subband 62 block.

[0092] If the user equipment 10 determines that there is not a single non-contiguous contiguous available subband 62 block on the channel, at block 188, the user equipment 10 selects an available subband 62 based on one or more communication factors. In particular, the user equipment 10 can select the available subband 62 having the largest grant size, the best signal quality, the largest estimated throughput, and / or the highest priority level. At block 190, the user equipment 10 transmits data only on the selected available subband 62.

[0093] The foregoing detailed description has shown, by way of example, various embodiments of the application. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternative forms can be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. It will also be understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but are to be afforded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all the appropriate modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

[0094] The technology described and claimed herein was made with U.S. Government support under DE-EE0007428 awarded by the Department of Energy. The U.S. has certain rights in the technology. The technology described and claimed herein was made with U.S. Government support under DE-EE0007428 awarded by the Department of Energy. The U.S. has certain rights in the technology. The technology described and claimed herein was made with U.S. Government support under DE-EE0007428 awarded by the Department of Energy. The U.S. has certain rights in the technology. The technology described and claimed herein was made with U.S. Government support under DE-EE0007428 awarded by the Department of Energy. The U.S. has certain rights in the technology. The technology described and claimed herein was made with U.S. Government support under DE-EE0007428 awarded by the Department of Energy. The U.S. has certain rights in the technology. The technology described and claimed herein was made with U.S. Government support under DE-EE0007428 awarded by the Department of Energy. The U.S. has certain rights in the technology. The technology described and claimed herein was made with U.S. Government support under DE-EE0007428 awarded by the Department of Energy. The U.S. has certain rights in the technology. The technology described and claimed herein was made with U.S. Government support under DE-EE0007428 awarded by the Department of Energy. The U.S. has certain rights in the technology. The technology described and claimed herein was made with U.S. Government support under DE-EE0007428 awarded by the Department of Energy. The U.S. has certain rights in the technology. The technology described and claimed herein was made with U.S. Government support under DE-EE0007428 awarded by the Department of Energy. The U.S. has certain rights in the technology. The technology described and claimed herein was made with U

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: requesting a channel allocation from a network operator; receiving a grant for a channel having a plurality of sub-bands; determining availability of the plurality of sub-bands; determining that the plurality of sub-bands includes a plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous available sub-bands and at least one available sub-band, the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous available sub-bands being non-contiguous with the at least one available sub-band; and transmitting data only on a block of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous available sub-bands based on a size of the block.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel comprises frequencies in an unlicensed spectrum.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel comprises frequencies between 5150 megahertz - 5925 megahertz.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel comprises frequencies between 5925 megahertz - 7125 megahertz.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel comprises a plurality of guard bands disposed between each of the plurality of sub-bands, the block of contiguous available sub-bands comprises a sub-plurality of the plurality of guard bands disposed between each of the block of contiguous available sub-bands, and transmitting the data only on the block of contiguous available sub-bands comprises transmitting at least a portion of the data on the sub-plurality of guard bands.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sub-bands comprises a bandwidth of 20 megahertz, and wherein the channel comprises a bandwidth of 60 megahertz to 320 megahertz.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is transmitted only on a block of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous available sub-bands based on the block being a largest block of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous available sub-bands.

8. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: request a channel allocation from a network operator; receive a grant for a channel having a plurality of sub-bands; determine availability of the plurality of sub-bands; in response to determining that all of the plurality of sub-bands are available, transmit data on all of the plurality of sub-bands; in response to determining that only one sub-band or only one contiguous block of sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands are available, transmit the data on the only one sub-band or the only one contiguous block of sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands; and in response to determining that a plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands are available, a plurality of non-contiguous sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands are available, or at least one non-contiguous block of contiguous sub-bands and at least one sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands are available, transmit the data on only one of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of the plurality of sub-bands, only one of the plurality of non-contiguous sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands, or only one of the at least one non-contiguous block of contiguous sub-bands and the at least one sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands based on a size of only one of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks. ​ 9. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein transmitting the data on all of the plurality of subbands comprises a first mode of operation, transmitting the data on the only one subband or the only one contiguous block of subbands of the plurality of subbands comprises a second mode of operation, and transmitting the data on only one of the only one non-contiguous block of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of subbands, the only one non-contiguous subband of the plurality of non-contiguous subbands, or the at least one non-contiguous block and the at least one subband of contiguous subbands of the plurality of subbands enables operation using the second mode of operation.

10. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to request the channel allocation from the network operator by sending a message to the network operator, wherein the message includes an indication of a capability to operate using at least the second mode of operation.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive an additional grant for operation using at least the second mode of operation.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine that a plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous subbands of the plurality of subbands are available, determine a largest block of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous subbands, and wherein the only one non-contiguous block of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks comprises the largest block of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous subbands.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine that one non-contiguous block of contiguous subbands of the plurality of subbands and the at least one subband are available, and transmit data on the one non-contiguous block of contiguous subbands.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine that a plurality of non-contiguous subbands of the plurality of subbands are available, determine a non-contiguous subband of the plurality of non-contiguous subbands having a largest grant size or a best signal quality, and transmit data on the non-contiguous subband.

15. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine that a plurality of non-contiguous subbands of the plurality of subbands are available, determine a non-contiguous subband of the plurality of non-contiguous subbands having a largest estimated throughput or a highest priority level or any combination thereof, and transmit data on the non-contiguous subband.

16. An electronic device for wireless communication, the electronic device comprising: a transmitter configured to transmit uplink data; a receiver configured to receive downlink data; one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: send, via the transmitter, a request for a channel allocation to a network operator; receive, via the receiver, a grant for a channel having a plurality of subbands; determine, via the receiver, availability of the plurality of subbands; determine that the plurality of subbands includes a plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous subbands, a plurality of non-contiguous subbands that are available, or both; and transmit, via the transmitter, the uplink data on only one of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous subbands based on a size of the one of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous subbands that are available, or transmit, via the transmitter, the uplink data on only one of the plurality of non-contiguous subbands that are available.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine availability of the plurality of subbands by receiving a signal on each of the plurality of subbands and determining that the signal is below a threshold signal level.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the plurality of subbands includes at least the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous subbands that are available, the one or more processors are configured to determine a largest non-contiguous block of contiguous subbands in the plurality of non-contiguous blocks, and the only one of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous subbands includes the largest non-contiguous block of contiguous subbands.

19. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the plurality of subbands includes at least the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous subbands that are available, the one or more processors are configured to determine a plurality of largest contiguous block of subbands in the plurality of non-contiguous blocks, the one or more processors are configured to determine a contiguous block of subbands in the plurality of largest blocks that has a largest grant size, a best signal quality, a largest estimated throughput, a highest priority level, or any combination thereof, and the only one of the plurality of non-contiguous blocks of contiguous subbands includes the contiguous block of subbands.

20. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the plurality of subbands includes the plurality of non-contiguous subbands that are available, the one or more processors are configured to determine a non-contiguous subband in the plurality of non-contiguous subbands that has a largest grant size, a best signal quality, a largest estimated throughput, a highest priority level, or any combination thereof, and transmit the uplink data on the non-contiguous subband.

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