Frame-based Equipment (FBE) architecture for New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U)

Abstract

A wireless communication system and method related to frame-based equipment (FBE) communication in a wireless communication network is provided. A user equipment (UE) receives system information from a base station (BS), the system information including a frame-based equipment (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods. Each frame period in the plurality of frame periods includes a gap period, wherein a start or end of the gap period of a first frame period in the plurality of frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame. The UE communicates with the BS based on the FBE configuration.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Indian Provisional Patent Application No. 201941045474 filed on November 8, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to frame-based equipment (FBE) communications in wireless communication networks. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems may be able to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include multiple base stations (BSs), each of which simultaneously supports communication for multiple communication devices, which may be referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0005] In order to meet the growing demand for extended mobile broadband connections, wireless communication technology is evolving from long-term evolution (LTE) technology to next-generation new radio (NR) technology, which may be referred to as the fifth generation (5G). For example, NR is designed to provide lower latency, higher bandwidth or higher throughput, and higher reliability than LTE. NR is designed to operate over a wide range of frequency bands, for example, from low-frequency bands below about 1 gigahertz (GHz) and medium-frequency bands from about 1 GHz to about 6 GHz, to high-frequency bands (such as mmWave bands). NR is also designed to operate on different spectrum types from licensed spectrum to unlicensed and shared spectrum. Spectrum sharing enables operators to aggregate spectrum in a timely manner to dynamically support high-bandwidth services. Spectrum sharing can extend the advantages of NR technology to operating entities that may not have access to licensed spectrum.

[0006] One way to avoid conflicts when communicating in a shared spectrum or unlicensed spectrum is to use a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure to ensure that the shared channel is clear before sending a signal in the shared channel. The operation or deployment of NR in unlicensed spectrum is called NR-U. In NR-U, the BS can schedule the UE to perform UL transmission in the unlicensed frequency band. The UE can perform the LBT procedure before the scheduled time. When the LBT succeeds, the UE can switch to sending UL data according to the schedule. When the LBT fails, the UE can avoid sending.

[0007] There are two types of LBT procedures (LBT based on frame-based equipment (FBE) and LBT based on load-based equipment (LBE)). In FBE-based LBT, channel sensing is performed at a predetermined time. For example, if the channel is busy, the transmitting node may back off within a predetermined time period and sense the channel again after the period. In LBE-based LBT, channel sensing is performed at any time, and if the channel is found to be busy, a random back off is used. Summary of the invention

[0008] Some aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below to provide a basic understanding of the technology discussed. This summary is not a broad overview of all envisioned features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to describe the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects disclosed herein in an overview form as a preface to a more detailed description presented later.

[0009] For example, in one aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method includes: receiving system information by a user equipment (UE) from a base station (BS), the system information including a frame-based equipment (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each of the plurality of frame periods including a gap period, wherein a start or end of the gap period of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame; and communicating by the UE with the BS based on the FBE configuration.

[0010] In additional aspects of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method includes: sending system information by a base station (BS), the system information including a frame-based equipment (FBE) configuration indicating multiple frame periods, each of the multiple frame periods including a gap period, wherein a start or end of the gap period of a first frame period in the multiple frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame; and communicating by the BS with a UE based on the FBE configuration.

[0011] In additional aspects of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) includes a transceiver configured to receive system information from a base station (BS), the system information including a frame-based equipment (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each of the plurality of frame periods including a gap period, wherein a start or an end of the gap period of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame; and communicate with the BS based on the FBE configuration.

[0012] In additional aspects of the present disclosure, a base station (BS) includes a transceiver configured to send system information including a frame-based equipment (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each of the plurality of frame periods including a gap period, wherein a start or an end of the gap period of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame; and to communicate with a UE based on the FBE configuration.

[0013] In additional aspects of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) includes: a component for receiving system information from a base station (BS), the system information including a frame-based equipment (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each of the plurality of frame periods including a gap period, wherein a start or an end of the gap period of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame; and a component for communicating with the BS based on the FBE configuration.

[0014] In additional aspects of the present disclosure, a base station (BS) includes: a component for sending system information, the system information including a frame-based equipment (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each of the plurality of frame periods including a gap period, wherein a start or end of the gap period of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame; and a component for communicating with a UE based on the FBE configuration.

[0015] After reading the following description of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other aspects, features and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Although the features of the present invention can be discussed relative to certain embodiments and accompanying drawings below, all embodiments of the present invention may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more embodiments may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used according to the various embodiments of the present invention discussed herein. In a similar manner, although exemplary embodiments may be discussed below as device, system or method embodiments, it should be understood that such exemplary embodiments may be implemented in various devices, systems and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0017] Figure 2 A radio frame structure in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0018] Figure 3A An example of a wireless communication network supporting medium sharing across multiple network operating entities in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0019] Figure 3B A frame-based equipment (FBE) communication scheme according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a user equipment (UE) according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary base station (BS) according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Fig. 6A is a signaling diagram of a FBE communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 6B is a timing diagram illustrating a FBE structure signaling scheme according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 6C An exemplary FBE structure message is shown in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Fig. 7A is a timing diagram illustrating a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration scheme according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 7B is a timing diagram illustrating a PRACH configuration scheme according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 7C is a timing diagram illustrating a PRACH configuration scheme according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Fig.7D is a timing diagram illustrating a PRACH configuration scheme according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 8 is a timing diagram illustrating a FBE configuration scheme according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0030] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0031] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of various configurations, and is not intended to represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0033] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems, also referred to as wireless communication networks. In various aspects, the technology and apparatus can be used for wireless communication networks, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, global mobile communication systems (GSM) networks, 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks and other communication networks. As used herein, the terms "network" and "system" can be used interchangeably.

[0034] OFDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Specifically, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a version of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS, and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP), while cdma2000 is described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). These different radio technologies and standards are known or under development. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between a group of telecommunications associations that aims to define a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specification. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project that aims to improve the UMTS mobile phone standard. 3GPP may define specifications for next generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. The present disclosure relates to the evolution of wireless technologies from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR, etc., where wireless spectrum access is shared between networks using a set of new and different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces.

[0035] Specifically, 5G networks envision different deployments, different spectrums, and different services and devices that can be implemented using a unified air interface based on OFDM. To achieve these goals, in addition to developing new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also being considered. 5G NR will be able to scale to provide coverage (1) to networks with ultra-high density (e.g., about 1M nodes / km 2 ), ultra-low complexity (e.g., about 10s of bits / second), ultra-low energy consumption (e.g., about 10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage to reach challenging locations; (2) mission-critical control including strong security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or confidential information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., about 99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., about 1ms), and users with extensive mobility or lack of mobility; and (3) enhanced mobile broadband including very high capacity (e.g., about 10Tbps / km 2 ), extremely high data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+Mbps user experience rates), and deep perception with advanced discovery and optimization.

[0036] 5G NR can be implemented to use an optimized OFDM-based waveform with scalable parameter sets and transmission time intervals (TTI); with a general, flexible framework to effectively multiplex services and features using dynamic, low-latency time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) designs; and with advanced wireless technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel coding and decoding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of the parameter set in 5G NR and the extension of the subcarrier spacing can effectively solve the problem of operating different services in different spectrums and different deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments of less than 3GHz FDD / TDD implementations, a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz can appear on bandwidths (BW) such as 5, 10, 20MHz. For other various outdoor and small cell coverage deployments of TDD greater than 3GHz, a subcarrier spacing of 30kHz can appear on 80 / 100MHz BW. For various other indoor broadband implementations, using TDD for the unlicensed portion of the band above 5 GHz, a subcarrier spacing of 60 kHz may occur over 160 MHz BW. Finally, for various deployments using mmWave components to transmit with TDD at 28 GHz, a subcarrier spacing of 120 kHz may occur over 500 MHz BW.

[0037] 5G NR's scalable parameter set facilitates scalable TTI to meet various latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long TTIs and short TTIs allows transmissions to start on symbol boundaries. 5G NR also envisions an independent integrated subframe design with uplink / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgment in the same subframe. Independent integrated subframes support communications in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum, and adaptive uplink / downlink can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between UL and downlink to meet current business needs.

[0038] Various other aspects and features of the present disclosure are further described below. Obviously, the teachings of this article can be embodied in various forms, and any specific structure, function or both disclosed herein are only representative and non-restrictive. Based on the teachings of this article, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that one aspect disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects stated herein can be used to implement a device or a method can be practiced. In addition, other structures, functionalities or structures and functionality that supplement or replace one or more aspects set forth herein can be used to implement such a device or such a method can be practiced. For example, a method can be implemented as a part of a system, device, device, and / or implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable medium to be executed on a processor or computer. In addition, one aspect can include at least one element of a claim.

[0039] The present application describes a mechanism for signaling an FBE structure for communicating on a shared radio frequency band. For example, a BS may send a system information signal (such as a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) signal or a residual system information (RMSI) signal) to indicate an FBE configuration for communicating on a shared radio frequency band. The FBE configuration may indicate a plurality of frame periods shared by a plurality of wireless communication devices. Each frame period includes a gap period at the beginning of the frame period. The frame period may be referred to as a fixed frame period (FFP). The gap period may be used for contention. For example, the BS may perform LBT during the contention period. Upon successful LBT, the BS may use a non-gap portion of the frame period for UL and / or DL ​​communications with a user equipment (UE).

[0040] In some aspects, the system information signal may indicate an FBE contention mode or a load-based equipment (LBE) contention mode. The FBE configuration may indicate the duration of the frame period, the duration of the gap period, and the frame boundary alignment between the frame period and the radio frame. In some cases, the FBE configuration may indicate the duration of the gap period in symbols or time slots. In some cases, the FBE configuration may not signal the duration of the gap period. Alternatively, the duration of the gap period may be calculated based on the duration of the frame period and the minimum duration of the gap period relative to the frame period. In some cases, in addition to the minimum duration, the FBE configuration may also indicate the number of symbols or time slots used for the gap period.

[0041] In some aspects, the system information signal may indicate a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration. In some cases, the PRACH configuration may indicate that the UE may send a PRACH signal during a frame period acquired by the BS. In some cases, the PRACH configuration may indicate that the UE may send a PRACH signal during any gap period based on a successful contention. In some cases, the PRACH configuration may indicate that the UE may autonomously send a PRACH signal during any time period based on a reference channel occupancy duration parameter (e.g., specified by an authority). In some cases, the PRACH configuration may indicate that the UE may contend for a frame period for sending a PRACH signal, and may share the acquired frame period with the BS.

[0042] Figure 1 A wireless communication network 100 is shown according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The network 100 may be a 5G network. The network 100 includes a plurality of base stations (BSs) 105 (labeled 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, and 105f, respectively) and other network entities. The BS 105 may be a station that communicates with the UE 115 and may also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (gNB), an access point, etc. Each BS 105 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to such a particular coverage area of ​​the BS 105 and / or a BS subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0043] BS 105 may provide communication coverage for macro cells or small cells (such as pico cells or femto cells) and / or other types of cells. Macro cells typically cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access to UEs that have subscribed to services from a network provider. Small cells (such as pico cells) will typically cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access to UEs that have subscribed to services from a network provider. Small cells (such as femto cells) will also typically cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, may also provide unrestricted access to UEs associated with the femto cells (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs of home users, etc.). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell BS, a pico BS, a femto BS, or a home BS. In Figure 1 In the example shown in , BS 105d and 105e may be conventional macro BSs, while BS 105a to 105c may be macro BSs enabled with one of three-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD), or massive MIMO. BS 105a to 105c may utilize their higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to utilize 3D beamforming in both elevation and azimuth beamforming to increase coverage and capacity. BS 105f may be a small cell BS, which may be a home node or a portable access point. BS 105 may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0044] The network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the BSs may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the BSs may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may not be aligned in time.

[0045] UE 115 is dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 115 can be fixed or mobile. UE 115 may also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, etc. UE 115 may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, etc. On the one hand, UE 115 may be a device including a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). On the other hand, UE may be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, UE 115 that does not include a UICC may also be referred to as an IoT device or an Internet of Everything (IoE) device. UE 115a to 115d are examples of mobile smart phone type devices that access the network 100. UE 115 may also be a machine that is specifically configured for connecting communications, including machine type communications (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. UE 115e to 115h are examples of various machines configured for communications of accessing the network 100. UEs 115i to 115k are examples of vehicles equipped with wireless communication devices configured for communication to access the network 100. UE 115 may be able to communicate with any type of BS, whether macro BS, small cell, etc. Figure 1 , the lightning line (e.g., communication link) indicates wireless transmission between UE 115 and serving BS 105 (which is a BS designated to serve UE 115 on downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL)), desired transmission between BS 105, backhaul transmission between BSs, or sidelink transmission between UE 115.

[0046] In operation, BSs 105a to 105c may serve UEs 115a and 115b using 3D beamforming and coordinated spatial techniques such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi-connectivity. Macro BS 105d may perform backhaul communications with BSs 105a to 105c and a small cell, BS 105f. Macro BS 105d may also transmit multicast services that are subscribed to and received by UEs 115c and 115d. Such multicast services may include mobile television or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber Alerts or Gray Alerts.

[0047] The BS 105 may also communicate with a core network. The core network may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of the BSs 105 (e.g., which may be examples of gNBs or access node controllers (ANCs)) may interface with the core network via a backhaul link (e.g., NG-C, NG-U, etc.) and may perform radio configuration and scheduling to communicate with the UE 115. In various examples, the BSs 105 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the core network) via a backhaul link (e.g., X1, X2, etc.), which may be a wired or wireless communication link.

[0048] The network 100 may also support mission-critical communications for mission-critical devices, such as UE 115e, which may be a drone, using ultra-reliable and redundant links. The redundant communication links with UE 115e may include links from macro BSs 105d and 105e and links from small cell BS 105f. Other machine-type devices, such as UE 115f (e.g., a thermometer), UE 115g (e.g., a smart meter), and UE 115h (e.g., a wearable device), may communicate directly with a BS, such as small cell BS 105f and macro BS 105e, through the network 100, or in a multi-step configuration by communicating with another user device that relays its information to the network, such as UE 115f that communicates temperature measurement information to a smart meter, which then reports to the network through small cell BS 105f. 115g) communicates with the BS. The network 100 may also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low-latency TDD / FDD communications, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), cellular-V2X (C-V2X) communications between UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and other UEs 115 and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications between UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and BS 105.

[0049] In some embodiments, the network 100 communicates using an OFDM-based waveform. An OFDM-based system can divide the system BW into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as subcarriers, multi-bands, frequency bands, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In some cases, the subcarrier spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system BW. The system BW can also be divided into subbands. In other cases, the subcarrier spacing and / or the duration of the TTI can be scalable.

[0050] In some aspects, BS 105 may allocate or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks (RBs)) for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions in network 100. DL refers to the transmission direction from BS 105 to UE 115, while UL refers to the transmission direction from UE 115 to BS 105. Communication may be in the form of radio frames. A radio frame may be divided into a plurality of subframes or time slots, such as about 10 subframes. Each time slot may be further divided into micro-time slots. In FDD mode, simultaneous UL and DL transmissions may occur in different frequency bands. For example, each subframe includes a UL subframe in a UL frequency band and a DL subframe in a DL frequency band. In TDD mode, UL and DL transmissions occur in different time periods using the same frequency band. For example, a subset of subframes (e.g., DL subframes) in a radio frame may be used for DL ​​transmissions, while another subset of subframes (e.g., UL subframes) in a radio frame may be used for UL transmissions.

[0051] DL subframes and UL subframes can be further divided into several areas. For example, each DL or UL subframe can have a predefined area for the transmission of reference signals, control information and data. Reference signals are predetermined signals that facilitate communication between BS 105 and UE 115. For example, reference signals can have a specific pilot pattern or structure, wherein pilot multi-bands can span operating BW or frequency bands, and each pilot multi-band is located at a predefined time and predefined frequency. For example, BS 105 can send a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) and / or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) to enable UE 115 to estimate the DL channel. Similarly, UE 115 can send a sounding reference signal (SRS) to enable BS 105 to estimate the UL channel. Control information may include resource allocation and protocol control. Data may include protocol data and / or operating data. In some aspects, BS 105 and UE 115 can communicate using independent subframes. Independent subframes may include a portion for DL ​​communication and a portion for UL communication. Independent subframes may be downlink centric or uplink centric. DL centric subframes may include a longer DL communication duration than UL communication. UL centric subframes may include a longer UL communication duration than UL communication.

[0052] In some aspects, the network 100 may be an NR network deployed on a licensed spectrum. The BS 105 may send synchronization signals (e.g., including a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) in the network 100 to facilitate synchronization. The BS 105 may broadcast system information associated with the network 100 (e.g., including a master information block (MIB), remaining system information (RMSI), and other system information (OSI)) to facilitate initial network access. In some cases, the BS 105 may broadcast the PSS, SSS, and / or MIB in the form of a synchronization signal block (SSB) over a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and may broadcast the RMSI and / or OSI over a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0053] In some aspects, a UE 115 attempting to access the network 100 may perform an initial cell search by detecting a PSS from the BS 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of periodic timing and may indicate a physical layer identification value. The UE 115 may then receive the SSS. The SSS may enable radio frame synchronization and may provide a cell identification value that may be combined with a physical layer identification value to identify a cell. The PSS and SSS may be located at the center portion of a carrier or at any suitable frequency within a carrier.

[0054] After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE 115 may receive the MIB. The MIB may include system information for initial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and / or OSI. After decoding the MIB, the UE 115 may receive the RMSI and / or OSI. The RMSI and / or OSI may include radio resource control (RRC) information related to random access channel (RACH) procedures, paging, control resource sets (CORESET) for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring, physical UL control channel (PUCCH), physical UL shared channel (PUSCH), power control, and SRS.

[0055] After obtaining the MIB, RMSI and / or OSI, the UE 115 may perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with the BS 105. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a four-step random access procedure. In some examples, the UE 115 may send a random access preamble and the BS 105 may respond with a random access response. The random access response (RAR) may include a detected random access preamble identifier (ID) corresponding to the random access preamble, timing advance (TA) information, UL authorization, a temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) and / or a fallback indicator. Upon receiving the random access response, the UE 115 may send a connection request to the BS 105 and the BS 105 may respond with a connection response. The connection response may indicate contention resolution. In some examples, the random access preamble, RAR, connection request and connection response may be referred to as message 1 (MSG1), message 2 (MSG2), message 3 (MSG3) and message 4 (MSG4), respectively. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a two-step random access procedure, where the UE 115 may send a random access preamble and a connection request in a single transmission, and the BS 105 may respond by sending a random access response and a connection response in a single transmission.

[0056] After establishing the connection, the UE 115 and the BS 105 may enter a normal operation phase, in which operational data may be exchanged. For example, the BS 105 may schedule the UE 115 for UL and / or DL ​​communications. The BS 105 may send an UL and / or DL ​​scheduling grant to the UE 115 via the PDCCH. The scheduling grant may be sent in the form of DL control information (DCI). The BS 105 may send a DL communication signal (e.g., carrying data) to the UE 115 via the PDSCH according to the DL scheduling grant. The UE 115 may send an UL communication signal to the BS 105 via the PUSCH and / or PUCCH according to the UL scheduling grant.

[0057] In some aspects, BS 105 may communicate with UE 115 using hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) technology to improve communication reliability, for example, to provide ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) services. BS 105 may schedule UE 115 for PDSCH communication by sending DL grants in PDCCH. BS 105 may send DL data packets to UE 115 according to the scheduling in PDSCH. DL data packets may be sent in the form of transport blocks (TBs). If UE 115 successfully receives the DL data packet, UE 115 may send a HARQ confirmation (ACK) to BS 105. Conversely, if UE 115 fails to successfully receive the DL transmission, UE 115 may send a HARQ negative confirmation (NACK) to BS 105. Upon receiving a HARQ NACK from UE 115, BS 105 may retransmit the DL data packet to UE 115. The retransmission may include a coded version of the same DL data as the initial transmission. Alternatively, the retransmission may include a coded version of the DL data that is different from the initial transmission. The UE 115 may apply soft combining to combine the coded data received from the initial transmission and the retransmission for decoding. The BS 105 and the UE 115 may also apply HARQ to UL communications using a mechanism substantially similar to DL HARQ.

[0058] In some aspects, the network 100 may operate on a system BW or a component carrier (CC) BW. The network 100 may divide the system BW into multiple BWPs (e.g., parts). The BS 105 may dynamically allocate the UE 115 to operate on a certain BWP (e.g., a certain part of the system BW). The allocated BWP may be referred to as an active BWP. The UE 115 may monitor the active BWP for signaling information from the BS 105. The BS 105 may schedule the UE 115 for UL or DL ​​communications in the active BWP. In some aspects, the BS 105 may allocate a pair of BWPs within a CC to the UE 115 for UL and DL communications. For example, the BWP pair may include one BWP for UL communications and one BWP for DL ​​communications.

[0059] In some aspects, the network 100 may operate on a shared channel, which may include a shared frequency band or an unlicensed frequency band. For example, the network 100 may be an NR unlicensed (NR-U) network. The BS 105 and the UE 115 may be operated by multiple network operation entities. In order to avoid conflicts, the BS 105 and the UE 115 may use a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure to monitor transmission opportunities (TXOPs) in the shared channel. For example, a transmitting node (e.g., BS 105 or UE 115) may perform LBT before transmitting in a channel. When LBT passes, the transmitting node may continue to transmit. When LBT fails, the transmitting node may avoid transmitting in the channel. In one example, LBT may be based on energy detection. For example, when the signal energy measured from the channel is below a threshold, LBT results in passing. On the contrary, when the signal energy measured from the channel exceeds a threshold, the LBT result is a failure. In another example, LBT may be based on signal detection. For example, when a channel reservation signal (e.g., a predetermined preamble signal) is not detected in the channel, the LBT result is passed. In some aspects, the network 100 may utilize an FBE-based contention scheme to share a radio channel between multiple BSs 105 and / or UEs 115 of different network operating entities and / or different radio access technologies (RATs). As explained above, in FBE-based LBT, channel sensing is performed at predetermined moments (rather than random backoffs as in LBE-based LBT). Therefore, FBE-based channel access may have lower implementation complexity than LBE-based channel access. In addition, FBE-based channel access may be suitable for use in synchronous systems or isolated deployments.

[0060] Figure 2 2 is a timing diagram illustrating a radio frame structure 200 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In a network such as network 100, a BS such as BS 105 and a UE such as UE 115 may employ radio frame structure 200 for communication. Specifically, the BS may communicate with the UE using time-frequency resources configured as shown in radio frame structure 200. Figure 2 , the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary units, and the y-axis represents frequency in some arbitrary units. Transmission frame structure 200 includes radio frame 201. The duration of radio frame 201 can vary according to various aspects. In one example, radio frame 201 can have a duration of about ten milliseconds. Radio frame 201 includes M time slots 202, where M can be any suitable positive integer. In one example, M can be about 10.

[0061] Each time slot 202 includes a plurality of subcarriers 204 in frequency and a plurality of symbols 206 in time. The number of subcarriers 204 and / or the number of symbols 206 in the time slot 202 may vary according to various aspects (e.g., based on channel bandwidth, subcarrier spacing (SCS), and / or CP mode). One subcarrier 204 in frequency and one symbol 206 in time form one resource element (RE) 212 for transmission. A resource block (RB) 210 is formed by a plurality of consecutive subcarriers 204 in frequency and a plurality of consecutive symbols 206 in time.

[0062] In one example, a BS (e.g., Figure 1 BS 105 in the example may schedule UEs (eg, Figure 1 1) for UL and / or DL ​​communications with a UE 115 in the UE 115. Each time slot 202 can be divided into K mini-time slots 208 in time. Each mini-time slot 208 can include one or more symbols 206. The mini-time slots 208 in the time slot 202 can have a variable length. For example, when the time slot 202 includes N symbols 206, the mini-time slot 208 can have a length between one symbol 206 and (N-1) symbols 206. In some aspects, the mini-time slot 208 can have a length of about two symbols 206, about four symbols 206, or about seven symbols 206. In some examples, the BS can schedule UEs with a frequency granularity of a resource block (RB) 210 (e.g., including about 12 subcarriers 204).

[0063] Figure 3A and 3B Collectively, FBE-based communications over a radio frequency channel used for communications (eg, in a shared radio frequency band or an unlicensed band) are shown. Figure 3A An example of a wireless communication network 300 supporting medium sharing between multiple network operation entities according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown. Network 300 may correspond to a portion of network 100. Although for the purpose of simplifying the discussion, Figure 3A Two BSs 305 (shown as BS 305a and BS 305b) and two UEs 315 (shown as UE 315a and UE 315b) are shown, but it will be appreciated that aspects of the disclosure may be extended to more UEs 315 and / or BSs 305. BSs 305 and UEs 315 may be similar to BSs 105 and UEs 115, respectively. Figure 3B 350 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As shown in the scheme 350, the BS 305 and the UE 315 can communicate with each other. Figure 3B In , the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary units, and the y-axis represents frequency in some arbitrary units.

[0064] refer to Figure 3A In network 300, BS 305a serves UE 315a in a serving cell or coverage area 340a, while BS 305b serves UE 315b in a serving cell or coverage area 340b. BS 305a and BS 305b may be in the same frequency channel (e.g., Figure 3B 302) and UE 315a and UE 315b communicate with each other in a frequency band 302 of NR. In some cases, BS 305a and BS 305b may be operated by different network operation entities. In some other cases, BS 305a and BS 305b may be operated by different network operation entities. In some cases, BS 305a and BS 305b may respectively communicate with UE 315a and UE 315b using the same RAT (e.g., NR-based technology or WiFi-based technology). In some other cases, BS 305a and BS 305b may respectively communicate with UE 315a and UE 315b using different RATs. For example, BS 305a and UE 315a may communicate using NR-based technology, while BS 305b and UE 315b may communicate using WiFi-based technology. In general, BS 305a and BS 305b may be operated by the same network operating entity or different network operating entities and may utilize the same RAT or different RATs to communicate in network 300. BS 305a, BS 305b, UE 315a, and UE 315b may share access to a channel using an FBE-based contention mode as shown in FBE communication scheme 350.

[0065] refer to Figure 3B , the scheme 350 divides the frequency band 302 into a plurality of frame periods 352 (shown as 352 (n-1) ,352 (n) and 352 (n+1)). Each frame period 352 includes a contention or gap period 354 and a transmission period 356. The frame period 352 may have a resource structure as shown in the radio frame structure 200. In some cases, each frame period 352 may include one or more time slots similar to the time slot 202. In some cases, each frame period 352 may include one or more symbols similar to the symbol 206. The start time and duration of the frame period 352 and the gap period 354 are predetermined. In addition, each frame period 352 may have the same duration. Similarly, each gap period 354 may have the same duration. Therefore, the frame period 352 may also be referred to as FFP. In some other cases, the frame period 352 may be referred to as the channel occupancy time (COT). In some aspects, according to some regulations, the gap period 354 may have a minimum duration of 5 percent (5%) of the total time frame period 352.

[0066] A node (e.g., BS 305a or BS 305b) that is interested in communicating using a frame period 352 may determine, for example, by performing LBT, whether another node may have reserved the same frame period 352, thereby contending for the channel during a corresponding gap period 354. If LBT is successful, the node may send an indication of the reservation for the frame period 352 so that other nodes may avoid using the same frame period 352. LBT may be based on energy detection or signal detection. The reservation indication may be a predetermined sequence or waveform or any suitable signal. If LBT is unsuccessful, the node may fall back until the start of the next gap period 354, where the node may attempt another contention during the gap period 354.

[0067] Although Figure 3B The gap period 354 is shown located at the beginning of the frame period 352, but in some cases the gap period 354 may be located at the end of the frame period 352, where the gap period may be used for contention for the next frame period.

[0068] exist Figure 3B In the example shown in FIG. 3 , BS 305a and BS 305b may contend for frame period 352 during corresponding gap period 354. (n-1) ,352 (n) and 352 (n+1) BS 305a may win for frame period 352 (n-1) and 352 (n+1) contention, and BS305b may win the contention for frame period 352 (n)After winning the contention, BS 305a or BS 305b may schedule DL communication 360 and / or UL communication 370 with UE 315a or UE 315b, respectively, within the corresponding non-gap duration or transmission period 356. DL communication 360 may include DL control information (e.g., PDCCH control information) and / or DL ​​data (e.g., PDSCH data). UL communication 370 may include UL control information (e.g., PUCCH control information), PRACH signals, random access messages, periodic sounding reference signals (p-SRS), and / or UL data (e.g., PUSCH data). For example, BS 305a may send a UE 315a or UE 315b for a non-gap duration or transmission period 356. (n-1) DL scheduling grant (e.g., PDCCH scheduling DCI) or UL scheduling grant (e.g., PDCCH scheduling DCI) during DL communication 360 or UL communication 370 with UE 315a. UE 315a can monitor the scheduling grant from BS 305a and send UL communication 370 to BS 305a or receive DL communication 360 from BS 305a according to the grant.

[0069] In some aspects, the UE 315a may perform Category 2 (CAT2) LBT before sending the UL communication 370. CAT2 LBT may refer to a single LBT without random backoff. CAT2 LBT without random backoff may allow the UE 315a to have a greater chance of gaining access to the channel.

[0070] In some aspects, BS 305a may send a PDCCH signal (shown as 360a1) at the beginning of transmission period 356 to signal to UE 315a that BS 305a has won contention for frame period 352(n-1). In some cases, the PDCCH signal may include a group common PDCCH (GC-PDCCH) DCI that signals to the group of UEs served by BS 305a that BS 305a has won contention for frame period 352(n-1). (n-1) contention, so the UE can monitor the PDCCH from BS 305a. In some cases, the GC-PDCCH may include a slot format indicator (SFI) indicating the slots allocated to the frame period 352. (n-1) BS 350a wins the transmission direction of the symbol in the transmission period 356. (n-1) The indication of access may generally be referred to as a COT indication.

[0071] In addition, once BS 305a or BS 305b wins the contention for frame period 352, frame period 352 is used exclusively by BS 305a or BS 305b that won the contention. Therefore, BS 305a or BS 305b may be left with an idle period (shown as a blank box) without transmission in frame period 352. In this example, when operating in FBE mode, another node may not occupy the channel during the idle period because contention may only occur during gap period 354.

[0072] In some aspects, the BS 305a may configure the UE 315a with a configured grant or configured resources for a configured UL transmission. The configured grant or resources may be periodic. When the configured resources or grant are in the frame period 352 (n-1) During the transmission period 356 of the frame period 352, the UE 315a may (n-1) When the COT indication from BS 305a is detected, UE 315a may monitor the COT indication from BS 305a during frame period 352. (n-1) Use the configured authorization resource to send.

[0073] As discussed above, when operating in FBE communication mode, the frame period 352 and the gap period 354 are predetermined and known before communicating in FBE mode. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a technique for signaling a FBE structure for FBE communication on a shared radio frequency band in broadcast system information. The present disclosure also provides a technique for enabling a UE (e.g., UE 115 and / or 315) to access a network (e.g., network 100 and / or 300) (e.g., in a random access procedure when the network is operating in FBE mode). Signaling the FBE structure may allow the network to have flexibility and / or control in determining the duration of the FBE frame period 352 (FFP) and / or the duration of the gap period 354. Signaling the FBE structure via broadcast system information may allow any node or UE within the reach of the BS to know the FBE structure and may therefore initiate access or transmission (e.g., PRACH signal) to the BS based on the frame period 352 and / or the gap period 354.

[0074] Figure 4 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary UE 400 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. UE 400 may be the Figure 1As shown, UE 400 may include a processor 402, a memory 404, a FBE-based communication module 408, a transceiver 410 including a modem subsystem 412 and a radio frequency (RF) unit 414, and one or more antennas 416. These elements may communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example, via one or more buses.

[0075] The processor 402 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 402 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0076] Memory 404 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of processor 402), random access memory (RAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory devices, hard drives, other forms of volatile and nonvolatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In one aspect, memory 404 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Memory 404 may store or have recorded thereon instructions 406. Instructions 406 may include instructions that, when executed by processor 402, cause processor 402 to perform operations in conjunction with aspects of the present disclosure (e.g., Figure 2 , FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B , FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C , 7A to 7D , Figure 8 and Fig.10 Instructions 406 may also be referred to as program code. Program code may be used to enable a wireless communication device to perform these operations, for example, by causing one or more processors (such as processor 402) to control or command the wireless communication device to do so. The terms "instructions" and "code" should be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statements. For example, the terms "instructions" and "code" may refer to one or more programs, routines, subroutines, functions, programs, etc. "Instructions" and "code" may include a single computer-readable statement or a plurality of computer-readable statements.

[0077] The FBE-based communication module 408 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the FBE-based communication module 408 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instruction 406 stored in the memory 404 and executed by the processor 402. In some cases, the FBE-based communication module 408 may be integrated within the modem subsystem 412. For example, the FBE-based communication module 408 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the modem subsystem 412.

[0078] The FBE-based communication module 408 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 2 , FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B , FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C , 7A to 7D , Figure 8 and Fig.10 The FBE-based communication module 408 is configured to receive a system information signal indicating an FBE configuration from a BS (e.g., BS 105 and / or 305), and to communicate UL communications (e.g., PUCCH and / or PUSCH) and / or DL ​​communications (e.g., PDCCH and / or PDSCH) with the BS based on the FBE configuration.

[0079] In some aspects, the system information signal may indicate an FBE contention mode or a load-based device (LBE) contention mode. The FBE configuration may indicate a duration of a frame period, a duration of a gap period, and / or frame boundary alignment between a frame period and a radio frame. In some cases, the FBE configuration may indicate a duration of a gap period in units of symbols or time slots. In some cases, when the FBE configuration does not include a duration for a gap period, the FBE-based communication module 408 is configured to calculate the duration of the gap period based on the duration of the frame period and a minimum duration of the gap period relative to the frame period. In some cases, in addition to the minimum duration, the FBE configuration may also indicate the number of symbols or time slots used for the gap period.

[0080] In some aspects, the FBE configuration may indicate the duration of the frame period. The duration of the gap period may be omitted from the FBE configuration. For example, the gap period may be some factor of the frame period and thus may be calculated based on the signaled frame period. Additionally, frame boundary alignment may be omitted from the FBE configuration. For example, the frame alignment between the radio frame and the frame period may be predetermined (e.g., specified by the wireless communication protocol).

[0081] In some aspects, the system information signal may also indicate a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration, and the FBE-based communication module 408 may also be configured to send a PRACH signal based on the PRACH configuration to initiate a random access procedure with the BS. In some cases, the PRACH configuration may indicate that the UE may send a PRACH signal during a frame period acquired by the BS. In some cases, the PRACH configuration may indicate that the UE may send a PRACH signal during any gap period based on a successful contention. In some cases, the PRACH configuration may indicate that the UE may autonomously send a PRACH signal during any time period based on a reference channel occupancy duration parameter (e.g., specified by an authority). In some cases, the PRACH configuration may indicate that the UE may contend for a frame period for sending a PRACH signal, and may share the acquired frame period with the BS. The mechanisms for FBE communication are described in more detail herein.

[0082] As shown, the transceiver 410 may include a modem subsystem 412 and an RF unit 414. The transceiver 410 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices such as the BS 105. The modem subsystem 412 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data from the memory 404 and / or the FBE-based communication module 408 according to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) (e.g., a low-density parity check (LDPC) coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 414 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data (e.g., PUCCH control information, PRACH signals, PUSCH data) from the modem subsystem 412 (on outbound transmissions) or from another source (such as the UE 115 or the BS 105). The RF unit 414 may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as integrated together in transceiver 410, modem subsystem 412 and RF unit 414 may be separate devices that are coupled together at UE 115 to enable UE 115 to communicate with other devices.

[0083] The RF unit 414 may provide modulated and / or processed data, such as a data packet (or, more generally, a data message that may include one or more data packets and other information), to the antenna 416 for transmission to one or more other devices. The antenna 416 may further receive data messages sent from other devices. The antenna 416 may provide received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 410. The transceiver 410 may provide the demodulated and decoded data (e.g., SSB, RMSI, MIB, SIB, FBE configuration, PRACH configuration, PDCCH, PDSCH) to the FBE-based communication module 408 for processing. The antenna 416 may include multiple antennas with similar or different designs to maintain multiple transmission links. The RF unit 414 may configure the antenna 416.

[0084] In one example, the transceiver 410 is configured to: receive system information from the BS, the system information including an FBE configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each frame period including a gap period for contention at the beginning of the frame period; and communicate with the BS based on the FBE configuration (e.g., by coordinating with the FBE-based communication module 408).

[0085] In one aspect, the UE 400 may include multiple transceivers 410 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the UE 400 may include a single transceiver 410 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the transceiver 410 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

[0086] Figure 5 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary BS 500 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. UE 500 may be BS 105 in network 100, as described above in Figure 1 As shown, BS 500 may include a processor 502, a memory 504, a FBE-based communication module 508, a transceiver 510 including a modem subsystem 512 and an RF unit 514, and one or more antennas 516. These elements may communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example, via one or more buses.

[0087] The processor 502 may have various characteristics as a particular type of processor. For example, these may include a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 502 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0088] The memory 504 may include a cache memory (e.g., a cache memory of the processor 502), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, a solid-state memory device, one or more hard disk drives, a memristor-based array, other forms of volatile and nonvolatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some aspects, the memory 504 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory 504 may store instructions 506. The instructions 506 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 502, cause the processor 502 to perform the operations described herein (e.g., Figure 2 , 3A 3B, 6A to 6C, 7A to 7D, 8 and 9). Instructions 506 may also be referred to as code, which may be broadly interpreted as including the above-mentioned Figure 4 Any type of computer-readable statement in question.

[0089] The FBE-based communication module 508 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the FBE-based communication module 508 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instruction 506 stored in the memory 504 and executed by the processor 502. In some cases, the FBE-based communication module 508 may be integrated within the modem subsystem 512. For example, the FBE-based communication module 508 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the modem subsystem 512.

[0090] The FBE-based communication module 508 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 2 , 3A 3B, 6A to 6C, 7A to 7D, aspects of 8 and 9. The FBE-based communication module 508 is configured to send a system information signal indicating an FBE configuration to a UE (e.g., UE 115, 315, and / or 400), and to communicate UL communications (e.g., PUCCH and / or PUSCH) and / or DL ​​communications (e.g., PDCCH and / or PDSCH) with the UE based on the FBE configuration.

[0091] In some aspects, the system information signal may indicate an FBE contention mode or an LBE contention mode. The FBE configuration may indicate a duration of a frame period, a duration of a gap period, and frame boundary alignment between a frame period and a radio frame. In some cases, the FBE configuration may indicate a duration of a gap period in units of symbols or time slots. In some cases, the FBE-based communication module 408 is configured to calculate a duration of a gap period based on a duration of a frame period and a minimum duration of a gap period relative to a frame period. In some cases, in addition to the minimum duration, the FBE configuration may also indicate a number of symbols or time slots used for a gap period.

[0092] In some aspects, the system information signal may also indicate a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration, and the FBE-based communication module 508 may also be configured to receive a PRACH signal from the UE based on the PRACH configuration. In some cases, the PRACH configuration may indicate that the UE may send a PRACH signal during a frame period acquired by the BS 500. In some cases, the PRACH configuration may indicate that the UE may send a PRACH signal during any gap period based on a successful contention. In some cases, the PRACH configuration may indicate that the UE may autonomously send a PRACH signal during any time period based on a reference channel occupancy duration parameter (e.g., specified by an authority). In some cases, the PRACH configuration may indicate that the UE may contend for a frame period for sending a PRACH signal, and may share the acquired frame period with the BS. The mechanisms for FBE communication are described in more detail herein.

[0093] As shown, the transceiver 510 may include a modem subsystem 512 and an RF unit 514. The transceiver 510 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices such as UE 115 and / or 300 and / or another core network element. The modem subsystem 512 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data according to an MCS (e.g., an LDPC coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 514 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data (e.g., SSB, RMSI, MIB, SIB, FBE configuration, PRACH configuration, PDCCH, PDSCH) from the modem subsystem 512 (on outbound transmissions) or from another source (such as UE 115, UE 315, and / or UE 400). The RF unit 514 may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as integrated together in transceiver 510, modem subsystem 512 and / or RF unit 514 may be separate devices that are coupled together at BS 105 to enable BS 105 to communicate with other devices.

[0094] The RF unit 514 may provide modulated and / or processed data, such as data packets (or, more generally, data messages that may include one or more data packets and other information), to the antenna 516 for transmission to one or more other devices. According to some aspects of the present disclosure, this may include, for example, sending information to complete attachment to a network and communication with a resident UE 115 or 215. The antenna 516 may further receive data messages sent from other devices and provide received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 510. The transceiver 510 may provide the demodulated and decoded data (e.g., PUCCH control information, PRACH signals, PUSCH data) to the FBE-based communication module 508 for processing. The antenna 516 may include multiple antennas of similar or different designs to maintain multiple transmission links.

[0095] In one example, the transceiver 510 is configured to: send system information to the UE, the system information including an FBE configuration indicating multiple frame periods, each frame period including a gap period for contention at the beginning of the frame period; and communicate with the UE based on the FBE configuration (e.g., by coordinating with the FBE-based communication module 508).

[0096] In one aspect, the BS 500 may include multiple transceivers 510 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the BS 500 may include a single transceiver 510 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the transceiver 510 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

[0097] about Figures 7A to 7D Discussed Figures 6A to 6C , to illustrate FBE structure signaling and initial access to a network operating in FBE-based communication mode. Figure 6B and 7A In 7D, the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary units.

[0098] Fig. 6A 6 is a signaling diagram of a FBE communication method 600 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The method 600 may be employed by a network such as the network 100 and / or 200. Specifically, the method 600 may be implemented between a BS 605 and a UE 615 communicating on the network. The BS 605 may be similar to the BS 105 and / or 205. The UE may be similar to the UE 115 and / or 215. The steps of the method 600 may be performed by computing devices (e.g., processors, processing circuits, and / or other suitable components) of the BS 605 and the UE 615. As shown, the method 600 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but aspects of the method 600 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order. Figure 6B 640 is a timing diagram illustrating a FBE structure signaling scheme 640 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Scheme 640 is described using a frame structure similar to scheme 350 and for simplicity may be described using the same Figure 2 The same reference numerals are used in the drawings. Figure 6C An example system information message 630 is shown in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0099] refer to Fig. 6A At step 620, BS 605 sends system information to facilitate FBE communication in the network. For example, BS 605 may utilize components such as processor 502, FBE-based communication module 508, and transceiver 510 to send system information. The system information may include information associated with the FBE frame structure, such as Figure 6B The FBE frame structure 642 is shown in FIG. BS 605 may signal system information using scheme 640 discussed below.

[0100] refer to Figure 6B, scheme 640 includes a plurality of radio frames 606 (shown as 606 and 606k). Radio frame 606 may be similar to radio frame 201. In some cases, radio frame 606 may correspond to an LTE radio frame or an NR radio frame. Each radio frame 606 may have a duration of approximately 10 milliseconds (ms) and may be associated with a sequence number starting from 0 to N-1, where N may be any suitable integer. In scheme 640, radio frame 606 may be divided into a plurality of frame periods 352. In Figure 6B In the example shown in , BS 605 may contend for frame period 352a. Upon winning the contention, BS 605 transmits SSB 650 during frame period 352a. SSB 650 may include PSS, SSS, PBCH signals (including MIB 652). MIB 652 may include scheduling information associated with RMSI 660. The scheduling information may indicate the time and frequency resources configured for RMSI 660 transmission. BS 605 may periodically transmit SSB 650 and RMSI 660 to enable a UE (e.g., UE 615) to synchronize to the network and / or obtain initial access to the network.

[0101] BS 605 may contend for a frame period 352b in which to schedule RMSI 660. Upon winning the contention, BS 605 transmits RMSI 660 during frame period 352b. RMSI 660 may include SIB 662, which includes information associated with FBE frame structure 642. For example, SIB 662 may include Figure 6C In some other cases, the MIB 652 may include Figure 6C In some cases, it may be desirable to include the FBE frame structure 642 in the SIB 662 because the MIB 652 may be restricted to carrying a certain number of parameters.

[0102] refer to Figure 6C , the system information message 630 includes a contention mode field 632, a frame period field 634, a frame alignment field 636, and a gap period field 638. The contention mode field 632 may indicate whether the contention mode is an LBE-based contention mode or an FBE-based contention mode. For example, the contention mode field 632 may have a length of 1 bit, where a bit value of 0 may indicate an FBE-based contention mode, and a bit value of 1 may indicate an LBE-based contention mode. Alternatively, a bit value of 1 may indicate an FBE-based contention mode, and a bit value of 0 may indicate an LBE-based contention mode.

[0103] The frame period field 634 indicates the duration of the frame period 352. In some aspects, each frame period 352 may have the same duration. In some aspects, the duration of the frame period 352 may be a factor of a reference duration. The reference duration may be twice the duration of a radio frame. For example, for a 10 ms radio frame, the frame period 352 may have a duration of approximately 1 ms, 2 ms, 2.5 ms, 4 ms, 5 ms, 10 ms, or 20 ms. In other words, the FBE structure may have multiple frame periods 352, and the first frame period 352 of the multiple frame periods 352 may be aligned with the boundary of the radio frame. In an example where the frame period 352 has a duration of 4 ms and the reference duration is twice the duration of the radio frame, one frame period out of every five consecutive frame periods 352 may be aligned with the radio frame. In one example, the frame period field 634 may have a length of about 3 bits, where a value of 0 may indicate a duration of 1 ms, a value of 1 may indicate a duration of 2 ms, a value of 2 may indicate a duration of 2.5 ms, a value of 3 may indicate a duration of 4 ms, a value of 4 may indicate a duration of 5 ms, a value of 5 may indicate a duration of 10 ms, and a value of 6 may indicate a duration of 20 ms. When the radio frame 606 has a duration of 10 ms, each radio frame 606 may be aligned with the start of the frame period 352 for a frame period 352 duration of 1 ms, 2 ms, 2.5 ms, 4 ms, 5 ms, or 10 ms. For a frame period 352 duration of 20 ms, every other radio frame 606 may be aligned with the start of the frame period 352. In some other cases, the reference duration may be about 40 ms, 50 ms, 60 ms, 80 ms, 100 ms, or any suitable integer multiple of the radio frame duration.

[0104] The frame alignment field 636 indicates the alignment between the radio frame 606 and the frame period 352. The frame alignment field 636 may indicate whether the radio frame 606 with the sequence number 0 may be aligned with the start or end of the gap period 354 within the frame period 352. In one aspect, the frame alignment field 636 may indicate whether the radio frame 606 with the sequence number 0 may be aligned with the start or end of the gap period 354 within the first frame period 352 of the plurality of frame periods 352. Figure 6B In the example shown in , the radio frame 606k may have a sequence number of 0 and may be aligned with the start of the gap period 354. In some aspects, it may be optional to include the frame alignment field 636 in the system information message 630. For example, the frame alignment between the radio frame 606 and the frame period 352 may be predetermined (e.g., specified by a wireless communication protocol).

[0105] The gap period field 638 indicates the duration of the gap period 354. In some aspects, the gap period field 638 may indicate the duration of the gap period 354 in units of symbols (e.g., symbol 206). As discussed above, the gap period 354 may be configured to meet a certain regulation of a minimum of 5% of the total frame period. Thus, the gap period 354 may include a minimum integer number of symbols greater than a minimum portion (e.g., 5%) of the frame period 352. For example, the duration of the gap period 354 may be calculated as follows:

[0106]

[0107] Where N 符号 represents the number of symbols in the gap period 354, T 帧周期 represents the duration of the frame period 352, and T 符号 Represents the duration of a symbol. In some aspects, the minimum gap duration or factor 5% may be configurable by the network. For example, the factor may be 4%, 6%, or 7% or greater. As an example, for a frame period 352 having a duration of approximately 4 ms and an SCS of approximately 30 kHz, the gap period 354 may include approximately 6 symbols. In some other cases, as specified by the wireless communication protocol, the gap period 354 may occupy a minimum percentage of the frame period 352. In some cases, the number of symbols in the gap period 354 may vary depending on the time position of the gap period 354 within the radio frame 606. For example, in a certain configuration, the symbol time may be longer every 0.5 ms.

[0108] In some aspects, the gap period field 638 may indicate the duration of the gap period 354 in units of time slots (e.g., time slots 202). For example, the duration of the gap period 354 may be calculated as follows:

[0109]

[0110] Where N 时隙 represents the number of time slots in the gap period 354, T 帧周期 represents the duration of the frame period 352, and T 时隙 Indicates the duration of the time slot.

[0111] In some aspects, the gap period field 638 may be omitted from the system information message 630. In other words, the BS 605 may not signal the duration for the gap period 354. Alternatively, the duration of the gap period 354 may be determined based on the duration of the frame period 352. As discussed, the gap period 354 may have a duration that is at least a factor (e.g., approximately 5%) of the duration of the frame period 352. Thus, the UE 615 may calculate the duration of the gap period 354 using equations (1) or (2) discussed above without requiring the BS 605 to indicate the gap period field 638. Omitting the gap period 638 from the system information message 630 may reduce the amount of information signaled. Additionally, the end or start of the gap period 354 may be signaled every X frames (e.g., as described below with respect to Figure 8 Aligning with the radio frame boundary (starting at the radio frame sequence number 0 discussed) may allow the UE 615 to determine the location of the gap period and the location of the frame period 352 .

[0112] In some aspects, the gap period field 638 may indicate the number of symbols in the gap period 354 in addition to the minimum gap duration (e.g., 5% of the frame period 352). For example, if the minimum gap duration is 6 symbols, then for a gap period 354 that is 7 symbols long, the gap period field 638 may indicate a value of 1. Alternatively, the gap period field 638 may indicate the number of slots in the gap period 354 in addition to the minimum gap duration (e.g., 5% of the frame period 352).

[0113] In some aspects, instead of including the system information message 630 in the RMSI 660, the BS 605 may instead send the system information message 630 in the MIB 652. In general, the BS 605 may include the system information message 630 in any broadcast system information block.

[0114] In some aspects, the MIB 652 and / or SIB 662 may also include a PRACH configuration. The PRACH configuration may indicate a random access resource (e.g., such as a PRACH MAC address) used by the UE 615 to transmit a PRACH signal for initial network access. Figure 2 The time and frequency location of the random access resource may also be referred to as a random access opportunity. BS 605 may use the following 7A to 7D PRACH resources are configured according to the various configurations described in more detail in .

[0115] Back to Fig. 6A, at step 622, the UE 615 may monitor system information from the BS 605. For example, the UE 615 may utilize components such as the processor 402, the FBE-based communication module 408, and the transceiver 410 to monitor the PSS and / or SSS from the BS 605, synchronize to the PSS and / or SSS, receive the PBCH signal, decode the MIB 652 to obtain the resource location and / or PRACH configuration of the RMSI 660, receive the RMSI 660 based on the monitoring of the RMSI resource location, and decode the SIB 662 to obtain information associated with the FBE frame structure 642.

[0116] At step 624, after obtaining information related to the FBE frame structure 642 and the PRACH configuration, the UE 615 may perform a random access procedure with the BS 605. For example, the UE 615 may send a PRACH preamble (e.g., MSG1) to the BS 605 to initiate network access. The BS 605 may respond with MSG2. Upon receiving MSG2, the UE 615 may send MSG3, and the BS may respond with MSG4, as described above with respect to FIG. Figure 1 For example, UE 615 may utilize components such as processor 402, FBE-based communication module 408, and transceiver 410 to communicate MSG1, MSG2, MSG2, and MSG4 with BS 605. Alternatively, UE 615 may use a 2-step RACH procedure. In any case, the UE may initiate a random access procedure by sending a physical preamble signal in a random access resource.

[0117] Subsequently, BS 605 may configure the UE with a PDCCH search space (e.g., a UE-specific search space or a GC-PDCCH search space) in which UE 615 may monitor DL ​​control information from BS 605. As discussed above, after BS 605 successfully acquires frame period 352c, BS 605 may send GC-PDCCH signal 360a1 (e.g., type 3 PDCCH) at the beginning of frame period 352c. In some other cases, BS 605 may send SSB (e.g., SSB 650) and / or RMSI (e.g., type 0 PDCCH) in frame period 352c. BS 605 may schedule UE 615 to perform UL and / or DL ​​communications in frame period 352c. Therefore, upon detecting GC-PDCCH signal 360a1, UE 615 may monitor scheduling grants from BS 605 during frame period 352c.

[0118] Fig. 7A 710 is a timing diagram illustrating a PRACH configuration scheme 710 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C discussed, and for simplicity, the same Figure 2 and FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C . BS 605 may indicate a PRACH configuration as shown in scheme 710. Scheme 710 configures UE 615 to send a PRACH signal within a frame period 352 acquired by serving BS 605. In other words, the random access resource is located within a non-gap duration within the frame period 352 acquired by serving BS 605. For example, BS 605 successfully acquires frame period 352a. When the configured random access resource is located within the frame period 352a acquired by BS 605, UE 615 may use the configured random access resource to send a PRACH signal 712 (e.g., a preamble sequence) during a transmission period 356 of the frame period 352a acquired by BS 605. The UE may optionally perform LBT 702 during the non-gap duration of the frame period 352a acquired by BS 605, and send a PRACH signal 712 after passing LBT 702. LBT 702 may be a single LBT without random backoff. Performing LBT 702 by UE 615 may avoid the hidden node problem. For example, when BS 605 performs LBT in gap period 354, nodes near UE 615 may not be detected by BS 605, but may be affected by transmissions from UE 615. BS 605 may fail to acquire frame period 352b, and thus UE 615 may not send PRACH signal 712 in frame period 352b.

[0119] In order to enable the UE 615 to send the PRACH signal 712 within the frame period 352 acquired by the serving BS 605, the BS 605 may include GC-PDCCH search space information (e.g., time-frequency resource information) in the RMSI 660 (e.g., in the SIB 662), and send the GC-PDCCH signal 360a1 in the non-gap duration of the frame period 352 acquired by the BS 605. The UE 615 may determine that the frame period 352 is acquired by the BS 605 based on the detection of the GC-PDCCH signal 360a1. In the context of NR, the UE 615 may monitor the type 3 PDCCH. Alternatively, the UE 615 may determine whether the BS 605 has acquired a certain frame period 352 based on the detection of the SSB of the BS 605 in the frame period 352. In the context of NR, the UE 615 may monitor the type 0 PDCCH.

[0120] Figure 7B 7 is a timing diagram illustrating a PRACH configuration scheme 720 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C discussed, and for simplicity, the same Figure 2 and FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C . BS 605 may indicate a PRACH configuration as shown in scheme 720. Scheme 720 configures UE 615 to send a PRACH signal during any gap period 354 based on successful contention (e.g., through LBT). In other words, the random access resources are located within the gap period 354. For example, UE 615 may perform LBT 704 before sending a PRACH signal 722 (e.g., PRACH signal 712) in the gap period 354. In some cases, LBT 704 may include a random backoff and a variable contention window size (e.g., similar to Category 4 LBT). Configuring random access resources in the gap period 354 may be desirable because UE 615 may send a PRACH signal 722 in any gap period 354 (e.g., after a successful LBT) without waiting for the BS to successfully acquire the frame period 352, and thus network access latency may be reduced.

[0121] Figure 7C 730 is a timing diagram illustrating a PRACH configuration scheme 730 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C discussed, and for simplicity, the same Figure 2 and FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C . BS 605 may indicate a PRACH configuration as shown in scheme 730. Scheme 730 may configure UE 615 to transmit a PRACH signal during any time period based on, for example, a reference channel occupancy duration parameter that may be specified by an authority. For example, scheme 730 configures UE 615 to autonomously transmit a PRACH signal during any time period if the transmission duration is less than a certain percentage (e.g., approximately 5%). In other words, UE 615 may transmit for a duration corresponding to 5% of a certain duration (which is an example of a reference channel occupancy duration parameter), provided that UE 615 remains silent (e.g., no transmission) for the remaining 95% of the duration. For example, BS 605 may fail to acquire frame period 352b, but UE 615 may still transmit PRACH signal 732 during frame period 352b. The UE 615 may optionally perform an LBT similar to the LBT 704 before sending the PRACH signal 732, and send the PRACH signal 732 based on the successful LBT 704. Allowing the UE 615 to autonomously send the PRACH signal 732 in any time period (e.g., gap or non-gap period) may also provide the UE 615 with more opportunities to send the PRACH signal, and thus may further reduce network access delays.

[0122] Fig.7Dis a timing diagram illustrating a PRACH configuration scheme 740 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Scheme 740 is about FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C discussed, and for simplicity, the same Figure 2 and FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C 740. The BS 605 may indicate a PRACH configuration as shown in scheme 740. In scheme 740, the UE 615 may contend for the frame period 352e during the corresponding gap period 354, for example, by performing LBT 706. The LBT 706 may include a random backoff and a variable contention window size. If the UE 615 wins the contention, the UE 615 may send a PRACH signal 742 during a transmission period 356 of the frame period 352e acquired by the UE 615. In addition, the UE 615 may share the frame period 352e acquired by the UE 615 with the BS 605. As shown, the BS 605 sends a DL communication 360 during a portion of the transmission period 356 of the frame period 352e acquired by the UE 615. Since the PRACH signal 742 may occupy a small portion of the frame period 352e (such as Fig.7D As shown), the frame period 352e acquired by UE 615 shared with BS 605 can keep the spectrum unused during the remaining time (after PRACH signal 742), and thus the spectrum utilization efficiency can be improved.

[0123] Figure 8 800. The scheme 800 may be employed by a network such as the networks 100 and / or 200. In the scheme 800, the frame period 806 may exclude the gap period 804. Instead, each frame period 806 is followed by a gap period 804 in which contention is performed. For example, a BS (e.g., BS 105, 305, and / or 605) may contend for the frame period 806 in a corresponding contention period 804 preceding the frame period 806. After a successful contention, the BS may use the above reference to Figure 2 , FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B , FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C and 7A to 7D Any suitable mechanism discussed above may be used to communicate with the UE during frame period 806.

[0124] In some cases, the total duration of the gap period 804 and the frame period 806 may not be an integer factor of a multiple of the radio frame 802. For example, the radio frame 802 may have a duration of approximately 10 ms, the frame period 806 may have a duration of approximately 10 ms, and the gap period 804 may have a duration of approximately 0.5 ms. As shown, the radio frame 802k (e.g., having a sequence number of 0) may be aligned with the start of the frame period 806. Since the total duration of the gap period 804 and the frame period 806 is 10.5 ms, which is not a factor of 20 ms, the radio frame 802 may be aligned with the start of the frame period 806 at every 21 radio frames 802. In general, the frame period 806 boundary and the radio frame 802 boundary may be aligned once every X radio frames, where X is the least common multiple (LCM) of the radio frame duration and the total frame and gap duration. In some cases, it may be desirable to set X to a value of 2 so that the frame period 806 can be aligned with a radio frame every 20 ms for ease of scheduling (e.g., to match the transmission period or period of SSB, which defaults to 20 ms in 5G), while selecting a duration for the frame period 806 (which may be 1 ms, 2 ms, 2.5 ms, 4 ms, 5 ms, or 10 ms, as described above with respect to Figure 6C discussion).

[0125] In some aspects, the frame alignment may be predetermined (e.g., specified by a wireless communication protocol). For example, the wireless communication protocol may specify that the frame alignment may start at a radio frame 802 having a sequence number of 0. Alternatively, the BS may signal the radio frame offset in a frame alignment field (e.g., a frame alignment field 636) of an FBE structure message (e.g., a system information message 630). The radio frame offset may correspond to the sequence number of the radio frame 802 that is aligned with the start of the frame period 806. For example, the frame alignment field may have a value of 5 to signal that the radio frame 802 having a sequence number of 5 is aligned with the start of the frame period 806. In other words, referring to the example in which the radio frame 802 may be aligned with the start of the frame period 806 at every 21 radio frames 802, the next alignment may occur at the radio frame 806 having a sequence number of 26.

[0126] Fig. 9900 is a flow chart of a communication method 900 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The steps of the method 900 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other suitable components) of an apparatus or other suitable means for performing the steps. For example, a BS (such as BS 105, 305, 500, and / or 605) may utilize one or more components (such as a processor 502, a memory 504, a FBE-based communication module 508, a transceiver 510, and one or more antennas 516) to perform the steps of the method 900. The method 900 may be implemented in the same manner as described above with respect to Fig. 6A The method 600 described and / or the above respectively Figure 6B , Fig. 7A , Figure 7B , Figure 7C , Fig.7D 8 and / or the similar mechanisms in the schemes 640, 710, 720, 730, 740 and / or 800 described in 8. As shown, method 900 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but aspects of method 900 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0127] At block 910, the BS transmits system information including an FBE configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods (e.g., frame period 352), wherein each of the plurality of frame periods includes a gap period (e.g., gap period 354). For example, the BS may utilize components such as the processor 502, the memory 504, the FBE-based communication module 508, the transceiver 510, and the one or more antennas 516 to transmit the system information including an FBE configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods.

[0128] At block 920, the BS communicates communications with a UE (e.g., UE 115, 315, 400, and / or 615) based on the FBE configuration. For example, the BS may utilize components such as the processor 502, the memory 504, the FBE-based communication module 508, the transceiver 510, and the one or more antennas 516 to communicate with the UE based on the FBE configuration.

[0129] In some aspects, the system information discussed with reference to block 910 is sent in a PBCH signal. In some aspects, the system information discussed with reference to block 910 is sent in an RMSI signal. In some cases, it may be desirable to send system information including FBE configuration in an RMSI signal rather than in a MIB (or PBCH signal) because the MIB may be limited to carrying a certain number of parameters.

[0130] In some aspects, the system information discussed with reference to block 910 may be similar to Figure 6Cmessage 630. In some cases, the system information discussed with reference to block 910 indicates an FBE mode or an LBE mode. In some cases, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 910 indicates a duration of each frame period. In some cases, the duration is an integer factor of a radio frame duration. In some cases, the duration is an integer factor of twice the radio frame duration. In some cases, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 910 indicates that the start of a radio frame is aligned with the start or end of a gap period of a first frame period in a plurality of frame periods. In some cases, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 910 indicates the duration of the gap period in symbols. In some cases, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 910 indicates the duration of the gap period in slots. In some cases, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 910 indicates at least one of the number of symbols or the number of slots in a gap period in addition to a reference duration of the gap period.

[0131] In some aspects, the BS further determines at least one of the number of symbols or the number of time slots for the gap period based on at least one of the duration of a first frame period in the plurality of frame periods or a gap duration parameter (e.g., a factor of the first frame period). For example, the BS may utilize components such as the processor 502, the memory 504, the FBE-based communication module 508, the transceiver 510, and the one or more antennas 516 to determine at least one of the number of symbols or the number of time slots for the gap period, for example, based on equations (1) and / or (2) shown above.

[0132] In some aspects, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 910 includes a PRACH configuration for sending a PRACH signal. The BS also sends an indication to the UE during a first frame period in a plurality of frame periods based on successful contention in a corresponding gap period. At block 920, the BS also receives a PRACH signal from the UE during the first frame period. In some cases, the indication includes at least one of a GC-PDCCH signal, an SSB signal, or a type 0 PDCCH signal. The SSB signal is a broadcast signal and can be monitored by all UEs. The type 0 PDCCH signal can be monitored by a UE that has successfully decoded the SSB signal. The GC-PDCCH signal can be monitored by a group of UEs configured with a GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration. The UE can know that the BS has successfully acquired the frame period via various signaling. In some cases, the system information discussed with reference to block 910 includes a GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration.

[0133] In some aspects, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 910 includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a PRACH signal during any gap period within a plurality of frame periods based on successful contention, e.g., as shown in scheme 720. In some aspects, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 910 includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a PRACH signal during any period within a plurality of frame periods based on a reference channel occupancy duration parameter, e.g., as shown in scheme 730. In some aspects, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 910 includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a PRACH signal during a first frame period acquired by the UE among the plurality of frame periods, e.g., as shown in scheme 740. In some aspects, at block 920, the BS further receives the PRACH signal from the UE during the first frame period acquired by the UE, and transmits a DL communication to the UE during the first frame period acquired by the UE.

[0134] Fig.10 1 is a flow chart of a communication method 1000 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The steps of method 1000 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, a processing circuit, and / or other suitable components) of an apparatus or other suitable means for performing the steps. For example, a UE (such as UE 115, 315, 400, and / or 615) may utilize one or more components (such as processor 402, memory 404, FBE-based communication module 408, transceiver 410, and one or more antennas 416) to perform the steps of method 1000. Method 1000 may be implemented in the same manner as described above with respect to Fig. 6A The method 600 described and / or the above respectively Figure 6B , Fig. 7A , Figure 7B , Figure 7C , Fig.7D and / or Figure 8 Similar mechanisms in the described schemes 640, 710, 720, 730, 740 and / or 800. As shown, method 1000 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but aspects of method 1000 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0135] At block 1010, the UE receives system information from a BS (e.g., BS 105, 305, 500, and / or 605), the system information including an FBE configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods (e.g., frame period 352), wherein each frame period of the plurality of frame periods includes a gap period (e.g., gap period 354). For example, the UE may receive the system information using components such as the processor 402, the memory 404, the FBE-based communication module 408, the transceiver 410, and the one or more antennas 416, the system information including an FBE configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods.

[0136] At block 1020, the UE communicates with the BS based on the FBE configuration. For example, the UE may utilize components such as the processor 402, memory 404, FBE-based communication module 408, transceiver 410, and one or more antennas 416 to communicate with the BS based on the FBE configuration.

[0137] In some aspects, the system information discussed with reference to block 1010 is sent in a PBCH signal. In some aspects, the system information discussed with reference to block 1010 is sent in a RMSI signal.

[0138] In some aspects, the system information discussed with reference to block 1010 may be similar to Figure 6C message 630 of reference box 1010. In some cases, the system information discussed with reference to box 1010 indicates an FBE mode or an LBE mode. In some cases, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to box 1010 indicates a duration of each frame period. In some cases, the duration is an integer factor of a radio frame duration. In some cases, the duration is an integer factor of twice the radio frame duration. In some cases, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to box 1010 indicates that the start of a radio frame is aligned with the start or end of a gap period of a first frame period in a plurality of frame periods. In some cases, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to box 1010 indicates the duration of the gap period in symbols. In some cases, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to box 1010 indicates the duration of the gap period in slots. In some cases, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to box 1010 indicates at least one of the number of symbols or the number of slots in a gap period in addition to a reference duration of the gap period.

[0139] In some aspects, the UE further determines at least one of the number of symbols or the number of time slots for the gap period based on at least one of the duration of the first frame period in the plurality of frame periods or a gap duration parameter (e.g., a factor of the first frame period). For example, the UE may utilize components such as the processor 402, the memory 404, the FBE-based communication module 408, the transceiver 410, and the one or more antennas 416 to determine at least one of the number of symbols or the number of time slots for the gap period, for example, based on equations (1) and / or (2) shown above.

[0140] In some aspects, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 1010 includes a PRACH configuration for sending a PRACH signal. The UE also receives an indication from the BS during a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention in a corresponding gap period. At block 1020, the UE also sends a PRACH signal to the UE during the first frame period. In some cases, the indication includes at least one of a GC-PDCCH signal, an SSB signal, or a type 0 PDCCH signal. In some cases, the system information discussed with reference to block 1010 includes a GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration.

[0141] In some aspects, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 1010 includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a PRACH signal during any gap period within a plurality of frame periods based on successful contention, e.g., as shown in scheme 720. In some aspects, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 1010 includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a PRACH signal during any period within a plurality of frame periods based on a reference channel occupancy duration parameter, e.g., as shown in scheme 730. In some aspects, the FBE configuration discussed with reference to block 1010 includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a PRACH signal during a first frame period acquired by the UE among the plurality of frame periods, e.g., as shown in scheme 740. In some aspects, at block 1020, the UE also transmits a PRACH signal to the BS during the first frame period acquired by the UE, and receives DL communications from the BS during the first frame period acquired by the UE.

[0142] Further aspects of the present disclosure include a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes code for causing a base station (BS) to send system information, the system information including a frame-based equipment (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each of the plurality of frame periods including a gap period at the beginning of the frame period. The non-transitory computer-readable medium also includes code for causing the BS to communicate communications with a UE based on the FBE configuration.

[0143] The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include one or more of the following features. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable medium includes a code for causing the BS to send the system information configured to send a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) signal including the FBE configuration to the UE. The code for causing the BS to send the system information is configured to send a residual system information (RMSI) signal including the FBE configuration to the UE. The system information indicates an FBE mode or a load-based device (LBE) mode. The FBE configuration indicates the duration of each frame period. The duration is an integer factor of the radio frame duration. The duration is an integer factor of twice the radio frame duration. The FBE configuration indicates that the start of the radio frame is aligned with the start or end of the gap period of the first frame period in the multiple frame periods. The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in units of symbols. The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in units of time slots. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include code for causing the BS to determine at least one of the number of symbols or the number of time slots used for the gap period based on at least one of the duration of the first frame period in the multiple frame periods or the gap duration parameter. The FBE configuration indicates at least one of the number of symbols or the number of time slots in the gap period in addition to the reference duration of the gap period. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal; the program code also includes a code for causing the BS to send an indication to the UE during a first frame period of the multiple frame periods based on successful contention in the corresponding gap period; and the code for causing the BS to convey the communication is configured to receive the PRACH signal from the UE during the first frame period. The code for causing the BS to send the indication is configured to send at least one of a group common physical downlink control channel (GC-PDCCH) signal, an SSB signal, or a type 0 PDCCH signal to the UE during the first frame period. The system information includes a GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any gap period within the multiple frame periods based on successful contention. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any period within the plurality of frame periods based on a reference channel occupancy duration parameter. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during a first frame period acquired by the UE among the plurality of frame periods. The code for causing the BS to communicate the communication is configured to receive the PRACH signal from the UE during the first frame period acquired by the UE; and to transmit a downlink (DL) communication to the UE during the first frame period acquired by the UE.

[0144] A further aspect of the present disclosure includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes: code for causing a user equipment (UE) to receive system information from a base station (BS), the system information including a frame-based equipment (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each of the plurality of frame periods including a gap period at the beginning of the frame period; and code for causing the UE to communicate with the BS based on the FBE configuration.

[0145] The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include one or more of the following features. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable medium includes a code for causing the UE to receive the system information configured to receive a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) signal including the FBE configuration from the BS. The code for causing the UE to receive the system information is configured to receive a residual system information (RMSI) signal including the FBE configuration from the BS. The system information indicates an FBE mode or a load-based device (LBE) mode. The FBE configuration indicates the duration of each frame period. The duration is an integer factor of the radio frame duration. The duration is an integer factor of twice the radio frame duration. The FBE configuration indicates that the start of the radio frame is aligned with the start or end of the gap period of the first frame period in the multiple frame periods. The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in units of symbols. The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in units of time slots. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include code for causing the UE to determine at least one of the number of symbols or the number of time slots for the gap period based on at least one of the duration of the first frame period in the multiple frame periods or the gap duration parameter. The FBE configuration indicates at least one of the number of symbols or the number of time slots in the gap period in addition to the reference duration of the gap period. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal; the program code also includes a code for causing the UE to receive an indication from the BS during a first frame period in the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention in the corresponding gap period; and the code for causing the UE to convey the communication is configured to send the PRACH signal to the BS during the first frame period. The code for causing the UE to receive the indication is configured to receive at least one of a group common physical downlink control channel (GC-PDCCH) signal, an SSB signal, or a type 0 PDCCH signal from the BS during the first frame period. The system information includes a GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration, and wherein the code for causing the UE to receive the indication is configured to receive the GC-PDCCH signal from the BS based on the GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any gap period in the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any period within the plurality of frame periods based on a reference channel occupancy duration parameter. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during a first frame period acquired by the UE in the plurality of frame periods.The code for causing the UE to convey the communication is configured to send the PRACH signal to the BS during a first frame period acquired by the UE; and receive a downlink (DL) communication from the BS during the first frame period acquired by the UE.

[0146] A further aspect of the present disclosure includes a base station (BS). The base station includes means for sending system information, the system information including a frame-based equipment (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each of the plurality of frame periods including a gap period at the beginning of the frame period. The base station also includes means for communicating communications with a UE based on the FBE configuration.

[0147] The BS may also include one or more of the following features. For example, the BS includes a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) signal including the FBE configuration to be sent to the UE by a component for sending the system information. The component for sending the system information is configured to send a residual system information (RMSI) signal including the FBE configuration to the UE. The system information indicates an FBE mode or a load-based device (LBE) mode. The FBE configuration indicates a duration of each frame period. The duration is an integer factor of a radio frame duration. The duration is an integer factor of twice the radio frame duration. The FBE configuration indicates that the start of a radio frame is aligned with the start or end of a gap period of a first frame period in the plurality of frame periods. The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in units of symbols. The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in units of time slots. The BS may include a component for determining at least one of the number of symbols or the number of time slots used for the gap period based on at least one of the duration of the first frame period in the plurality of frame periods or a gap duration parameter. The FBE configuration indicates at least one of the number of symbols or the number of time slots in the gap period in addition to the reference duration of the gap period. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal; the BS also includes a component for sending an indication to the UE during a first frame period of the multiple frame periods based on successful contention in the corresponding gap period; and the component for conveying the communication is configured to receive the PRACH signal from the UE during the first frame period. The component for sending the indication is configured to send at least one of a group common physical downlink control channel (GC-PDCCH) signal, an SSB signal, or a type 0 PDCCH signal to the UE during the first frame period. The system information includes a GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any gap period within the multiple frame periods based on successful contention. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any period within the multiple frame periods based on a reference channel occupancy duration parameter. The FBE configuration includes a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration for sending a PRACH signal during a first frame period acquired by the UE in the plurality of frame periods. The means for achieving the communication is configured to receive the PRACH signal from the UE during the first frame period acquired by the UE; and to send a downlink (DL) communication to the UE during the first frame period acquired by the UE.

[0148] A further aspect of the present disclosure includes a user equipment (UE). The user equipment includes means for receiving system information from a base station (BS), the system information including a frame-based equipment (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each of the plurality of frame periods including a gap period at the beginning of the frame period; and means for communicating communications with the BS based on the FBE configuration.

[0149] The UE may also include one or more of the following features. For example, the UE includes a component for receiving the system information configured to receive a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) signal including the FBE configuration from the BS. The component for receiving the system information is configured to receive a residual system information (RMSI) signal including the FBE configuration from the BS. The system information indicates an FBE mode or a load-based device (LBE) mode. The FBE configuration indicates a duration of each frame period. The duration is an integer factor of a radio frame duration. The duration is an integer factor of twice the radio frame duration. The FBE configuration indicates that the start of the radio frame is aligned with the start or end of a gap period of a first frame period in the multiple frame periods. The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in symbols. The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in time slots. The UE may include a component for determining at least one of the number of symbols or the number of time slots used for the gap period based on at least one of the duration of the first frame period in the multiple frame periods or a gap duration parameter. The FBE configuration indicates at least one of the number of symbols or the number of time slots in the gap period in addition to the reference duration of the gap period. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for receiving a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal; the UE also includes a component for receiving an indication from the BS during a first frame period in the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention in the corresponding gap period; and the component for conveying the communication is configured to send the PRACH signal to the BS during the first frame period. The component for receiving the indication is configured to receive at least one of a group common physical downlink control channel (GC-PDCCH) signal, an SSB signal, or a type 0 PDCCH signal from the BS during the first frame period. The system information includes a GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration, and wherein the component for receiving the indication is configured to receive the GC-PDCCH signal from the BS based on the GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any gap period in the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any period within the plurality of frame periods based on a reference channel occupancy duration parameter. The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during a first frame period acquired by the UE among the plurality of frame periods. The means for conveying the communication is configured to send the PRACH signal to the BS during the first frame period acquired by the UE; and to receive a downlink (DL) communication from the BS during the first frame period acquired by the UE.

[0150] Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0151] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but optionally, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0152] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the function can be stored on a computer-readable medium or sent via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the above functions can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or any combination of these executed by a processor. The features of the implementation functions can also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed so that the various parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations. Moreover, as used herein (included in the claims), as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with a phrase such as "at least one of ... " or "one or more of ... "), the "or" used indicates an inclusive list, so that, for example, at least one of A, B, or C represents A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

[0153] As some skilled in the art will now appreciate, and depending on the particular application at hand, many modifications, substitutions and changes may be made to the materials, devices, configurations and methods of use of the apparatus of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In view of this, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the scope of the specific aspects shown and described herein, as they are only some examples thereof, but rather should be fully commensurate with the scope of the appended claims and their functional equivalents.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, include: receiving, by a user equipment UE, from a base station BS, system information comprising a frame-based device FBE configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each frame period of the plurality of frame periods comprising a gap period, wherein a start or an end of the gap period of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame, wherein the FBE configuration indicates a duration of each frame period; and Communications are communicated by the UE with the BS based on the FBE configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1, in, The system information indicates the FBE mode or the load-based equipment LBE mode.

3. The method according to claim 1, in, The duration of each frame period is an integer factor of twice the radio frame duration.

4. The method according to claim 1, in, The duration of each frame period is a factor of 20 milliseconds.

5. The method according to claim 1, in, The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in symbols.

6. The method according to claim 1, in, The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in units of time slots.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: include: At least one of a number of symbols or a number of time slots for the gap period is determined by the UE based on a duration of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods.

8. The method according to claim 1, in, The FBE configuration indicates at least one of a number of symbols or a number of slots in the gap period in addition to a reference duration of the gap period.

9. The method according to claim 1, in: The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel PRACH signal; The method further comprises: receiving, by the UE, an indication from the BS during a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention in a corresponding gap period; and The communication includes: The PRACH signal is sent by the UE to the BS during the first frame period.

10. The method according to claim 9, in, Receiving the indication includes: At least one of a group common physical downlink control channel GC-PDCCH signal, an SSB signal, or a type 0 PDCCH signal is received by the UE from the BS during the first frame period.

11. The method according to claim 10, in, The system information includes a GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration, and wherein the receiving the indication includes: The GC-PDCCH signal is received by the UE from the BS based on the GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration.

12. The method according to claim 1, in, The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any gap period within the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention.

13. The method according to claim 1, in, The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any period within the plurality of frame periods based on a reference channel occupation duration parameter.

14. The method according to claim 1, in, The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during a first frame period acquired by the UE among the plurality of frame periods.

15. The method according to claim 14, in, The communication includes: sending, by the UE, the PRACH signal to the BS during the first frame period acquired by the UE; and Downlink (DL) communications are received by the UE from the BS during the first frame period acquired by the UE.

16. A wireless communication method, include: sending, by a base station BS, system information comprising a frame based device FBE configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each frame period of the plurality of frame periods comprising a gap period, wherein a start or an end of the gap period of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame, wherein the FBE configuration indicates a duration of each frame period; and Communications are communicated by the BS to a UE based on the FBE configuration.

17. The method according to claim 16, in, The system information indicates the FBE mode or the load-based equipment LBE mode.

18. The method according to claim 16, in, The duration of each frame period is an integer factor of twice the radio frame duration.

19. The method according to claim 16, in, The duration of each frame period is a factor of 20 milliseconds.

20. The method according to claim 16, in, The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in symbols.

21. The method according to claim 16, in, The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in units of time slots.

22. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: include: At least one of a number of symbols or a number of time slots for the gap period is determined by the BS based on a duration of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods.

23. The method according to claim 16, in, The FBE configuration indicates at least one of a number of symbols or a number of slots in the gap period in addition to a reference duration of the gap period.

24. The method according to claim 16, in: The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel PRACH signal; The method further comprises: sending, by the BS, an indication to the UE during a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention in a corresponding gap period; and The communication includes: The PRACH signal is received by the BS from the UE during the first frame period.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein sending the indication include: At least one of a group common physical downlink control channel GC-PDCCH signal, an SSB signal, or a type 0 PDCCH signal is sent by the BS to the UE during the first frame period.

26. The method according to claim 25, in, The system information includes GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration.

27. The method according to claim 16, in, The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any gap period within the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein the FBE configuration comprises a PRACH configuration for transmitting a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) signal during any period within the plurality of frame periods based on a reference channel occupation duration parameter.

29. The method according to claim 16, in, The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during a first frame period acquired by the UE among the plurality of frame periods.

30. The method according to claim 29, in, The communication includes: receiving, by the BS, the PRACH signal from the UE during the first frame period acquired by the UE; and Downlink (DL) communications are sent by the BS to the UE during the first frame period acquired by the UE.

31. A user equipment UE, include: A transceiver, the transceiver being configured to: receiving system information from a base station BS, the system information comprising a frame based device (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each frame period of the plurality of frame periods comprising a gap period, wherein a start or an end of the gap period of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame, wherein the FBE configuration indicates a duration of each frame period; and and Communications are communicated with the BS based on the FBE configuration.

32. The UE according to claim 31, in, The system information indicates the FBE mode or the load-based equipment LBE mode.

33. The UE according to claim 31, in, The duration of each frame period is an integer factor of twice the radio frame duration.

34. The UE according to claim 31, in, The duration of each frame period is a factor of 20 milliseconds.

35. The UE according to claim 31, in, The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in symbols.

36. The UE according to claim 31, in, The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in units of time slots.

37. The UE according to claim 31, further comprising: include: A processor is configured to determine at least one of a number of symbols or a number of time slots for the gap period based on a duration of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods.

38. The UE according to claim 31, in, The FBE configuration indicates at least one of a number of symbols or a number of slots in the gap period in addition to a reference duration of the gap period.

39. The UE according to claim 31, in: The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel PRACH signal; The transceiver is further configured to: receiving an indication from the BS during a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention in a corresponding gap period; and The transceiver configured to communicate the communication is further configured to: The PRACH signal is transmitted to the BS during the first frame period.

40. The UE according to claim 39, in, The transceiver configured to receive the indication is configured to: At least one of a group common physical downlink control channel GC-PDCCH signal, an SSB signal, or a type 0 PDCCH signal is received from the BS during the first frame period.

41. The UE according to claim 40, in, The system information includes a GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration, and wherein the transceiver configured to receive the indication is configured to: The GC-PDCCH signal is received from the BS based on the GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration.

42. The UE according to claim 41, in, The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any gap period within the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention.

43. The UE according to claim 41, in, The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any period within the plurality of frame periods based on a reference channel occupation duration parameter.

44. The UE according to claim 41, in, The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during a first frame period acquired by the UE among the plurality of frame periods.

45. The UE according to claim 44, in, The transceiver configured to communicate the communication is configured to: transmitting the PRACH signal to the BS during the first frame period acquired by the UE; and Downlink (DL) communications are received from the BS during the first frame period acquired by the UE.

46. ​​A base station BS, include: A transceiver, the transceiver being configured to: transmitting system information, the system information comprising a frame-based device (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each frame period of the plurality of frame periods comprising a gap period, wherein a start or an end of the gap period of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame, wherein the FBE configuration indicates a duration of each frame period; and Communications are communicated with the UE based on the FBE configuration.

47. The BS according to claim 46, in, The system information indicates the FBE mode or the load-based equipment LBE mode.

48. The BS according to claim 46, in, The duration of each frame period is an integer factor of twice the radio frame duration.

49. The BS according to claim 46, in, The duration of each frame period is a factor of 20 milliseconds.

50. The BS according to claim 46, in, The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in symbols.

51. The BS according to claim 46, in, The FBE configuration indicates the duration of the gap period in units of time slots.

52. The BS according to claim 46, further comprising: include: A processor is configured to determine at least one of a number of symbols or a number of time slots for the gap period based on a duration of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods.

53. The BS according to claim 46, in, The FBE configuration indicates at least one of a number of symbols or a number of slots in the gap period in addition to a reference duration of the gap period.

54. The BS according to claim 46, in: The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for sending a physical random access channel PRACH signal; The transceiver is further configured to: sending an indication to the UE during a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention in a corresponding gap period; as well as The transceiver configured to communicate the communication is configured to: The PRACH signal is received from the UE during the first frame period.

55. The BS according to claim 54, in, The transceiver configured to send the indication is configured to: During the first frame period, at least one of a group common physical downlink control channel GC-PDCCH signal, an SSB signal, or a type 0 PDCCH signal is sent to the UE.

56. The BS according to claim 54, in, The system information includes GC-PDCCH monitoring configuration.

57. The BS according to claim 46, in, The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any gap period within the plurality of frame periods based on successful contention.

58. The BS according to claim 46, in, The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during any period within the plurality of frame periods based on a reference channel occupation duration parameter.

59. The BS according to claim 46, in, The FBE configuration includes a PRACH configuration for transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal during a first frame period acquired by the UE among the plurality of frame periods.

60. The BS of claim 59, wherein the transceiver configured to communicate the communication is configured to: receiving the PRACH signal from the UE during the first frame period acquired by the UE; and Downlink (DL) communications are sent to the UE during the first frame period acquired by the UE.

61. A user equipment UE, include: means for receiving system information from a base station BS, the system information comprising a frame based device FBE configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each frame period of the plurality of frame periods comprising a gap period, wherein a start or an end of the gap period of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame, wherein the FBE configuration indicates a duration of each frame period; and Means for communicating communications with the BS based on the FBE configuration.

62. A base station BS, include: means for transmitting system information, the system information comprising a frame-based device (FBE) configuration indicating a plurality of frame periods, each frame period of the plurality of frame periods comprising a gap period, wherein a start or an end of the gap period of a first frame period of the plurality of frame periods is aligned with a start of a radio frame, wherein the FBE configuration indicates a duration of each frame period; and Means for communicating communications with a UE based on the FBE configuration.

63. A computer readable medium having program code recorded thereon, in, The program code can be executed by one or more processors of a user equipment UE, so that the processors execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

64. A computer readable medium having program code recorded thereon, in, The program code can be executed by one or more processors of a base station BS, so that the processors perform the method according to any one of claims 16 to 30.

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