Channel contention based on latency in wireless communications

Abstract

This disclosure describes methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications in which a transmitting device using a shared radio frequency spectrum can perform a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure for at least a minimum defer time and, after successfully completing the LBT procedure, can occupy the spectrum for a duration of a channel occupancy time (COT). The transmitting device can interrupt transmission for a gap period during the COT and resume transmission after the gap period without performing another LBT procedure. The minimum defer time can be based on a periodicity of channel reservation signals transmitted by one or more other devices using the shared radio frequency spectrum. In some cases, the transmitting device can schedule one or more receiving devices with resources for transmission during the COT, and the receiving devices can perform LBT that is not adjacent to associated transmissions.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 980,988, filed February 24, 2020, entitled “Dwell Time Based Channel Contention in Wireless Communications”, and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 182,508, filed February 23, 2021, entitled “Dwell Time Based Channel Contention in Wireless Communications”, each of which has been assigned to the assignee of this patent application. Technical Field

[0003] The following content generally pertains to wireless communication, and more specifically, to channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, and broadcasting. These systems may be able to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A), or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth-generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as New Radio (NR). These systems may employ technologies such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), or Discrete Fourier Transform Extended Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each of which simultaneously supports communication from multiple communication devices, also known as User Equipment (UE).

[0005] In some cases, wireless communication systems may use shared radio spectrum, where the transmitting device performs a contention-based channel access procedure, such as a listen-before-speak (LBT) procedure (e.g., Open Channel Assessment (CCA)), to confirm that the intended radio spectrum band (e.g., a selected wireless channel within the shared radio spectrum) is not currently being used by another transmitter before transmitting. Furthermore, in some cases, the shared radio spectrum may be in a relatively high frequency band (e.g., millimeter-wave (mmW) band), where signals from the transmitting device may experience relatively rapid signal attenuation. This could result in a potential interfering device not detecting sufficient energy during the LBT procedure to prevent it from initiating transmission. When an interfering device is close to a receiving device that is receiving communication from the transmitting device, the transmission from the potential interfering device may interfere with the communication from the transmitting device. Therefore, techniques to effectively reduce such potential interfering device transmissions are needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] A wireless communication method is described. The method may include obtaining channel access to the wireless channel based on a first Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) procedure indicating that the wireless channel in a shared radio spectrum is not being used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for a maximum channel occupancy time (COT) duration; in response to obtaining the channel access, transmitting a first communication to one or more receiving devices via the wireless channel during the maximum COT duration; causing a transmission interruption via the wireless channel for at least the duration of a transmission gap after the first communication; and transmitting a second communication to the one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration after the transmission gap and in the absence of a second LBT procedure.

[0007] An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to: obtain channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for a maximum COT duration; in response to obtaining the channel access, transmit a first communication via the wireless channel to one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration; after the first communication, cause a transmission interruption via the wireless channel for at least the duration of a transmission gap; and after the transmission gap and in the absence of a second LBT procedure, transmit a second communication to the one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration.

[0008] Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include components that perform the following operations: obtaining channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not being used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for a maximum COT duration; in response to obtaining the channel access, transmitting a first communication via the wireless channel to one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration; causing a transmission interruption via the wireless channel for at least the duration of a transmission gap after the first communication; and transmitting a second communication to the one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration after the transmission gap and in the absence of a second LBT procedure.

[0009] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: obtaining channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for a maximum COT duration; in response to obtaining the channel access, transmitting a first communication via the wireless channel to one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration; causing a transmission interruption via the wireless channel for at least the duration of a transmission gap after the first communication; and transmitting a second communication to the one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration after the transmission gap and in the absence of a second LBT procedure.

[0010] A method for wireless communication at a first wireless device is described. The method may include obtaining channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not being used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access during a COT duration; scheduling at least a second wireless device to transmit during a first portion of the COT duration based on a second LBT procedure associated with the COT duration; and receiving one or more transmissions from the second wireless device during the COT duration.

[0011] An apparatus for wireless communication at a first wireless device is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to: obtain channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not being used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access during a COT duration; schedule at least a second wireless device to transmit during a first portion of the COT duration based on a second LBT procedure associated with the COT duration; and receive one or more transmissions from the second wireless device during the COT duration.

[0012] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a first wireless device is described. The apparatus may include components that perform the following operations: obtaining channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not being used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access during a COT duration; scheduling at least a second wireless device to transmit during a first portion of the COT duration based on a second LBT procedure associated with the COT duration; and receiving one or more transmissions from the second wireless device during the COT duration.

[0013] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for performing wireless communication at a first wireless device is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: obtain channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access during a COT duration; schedule at least a second wireless device to transmit during a first portion of the COT duration based on a second LBT procedure associated with the COT duration; and receive one or more transmissions from the second wireless device during the COT duration.

[0014] A method for wireless communication at a second wireless device is described. The method may include: receiving scheduling information from a first wireless device that has already obtained channel access to a wireless channel in a shared radio spectrum, the scheduling information indicating that a first portion of a COT duration will be used for communication by the second wireless device via the wireless channel; performing a LBT procedure based on the scheduling information to determine at least a minimum delay time to determine that the wireless channel is not being used by one or more other transmitters; and transmitting communication in response to performing the LBT procedure.

[0015] An apparatus for wireless communication at a second wireless device is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the following operations: receive scheduling information from a first wireless device that has already obtained channel access to a wireless channel in a shared radio spectrum, the scheduling information indicating that a first portion of the COT duration will be used for communication by the second wireless device via the wireless channel; perform an LBT procedure based on the scheduling information to determine at least a minimum delay time to determine that the wireless channel is not being used by one or more other transmitters; and transmit communication in response to executing the LBT procedure.

[0016] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a second wireless device is described. The apparatus may include components that perform the following operations: receiving scheduling information from a first wireless device that has already obtained channel access to a wireless channel in a shared radio spectrum, the scheduling information indicating that a first portion of the COT duration will be used for communication by the second wireless device via the wireless channel; performing an LBT procedure based on the scheduling information to determine at least a minimum delay time to determine that the wireless channel is not being used by one or more other transmitters; and transmitting communication in response to performing the LBT procedure.

[0017] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for performing wireless communication at a second wireless device is described. The instructions may include instructions executable by a processor to: receive scheduling information from a first wireless device that has already obtained channel access to a wireless channel in a shared radio spectrum, the scheduling information indicating that a first portion of the COT duration will be used for communication by the second wireless device via the wireless channel; execute an LBT procedure based on the scheduling information at least a minimum delay time to determine that the wireless channel is not being used by one or more other transmitters; and transmit communication in response to executing the LBT procedure. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication is shown according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2 An example is shown as a part of a wireless communication system supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication, according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3 Examples of time resources and device transmission supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication are shown according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 4Examples of time resources and device transmission supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication are shown according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 5 Examples of time resources and device transmission supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication are shown according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 6 Examples of time resources and transmission bundles supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication are shown according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0024] Figure 7 and Figure 8 A block diagram of an apparatus supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication is shown according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 9 A block diagram of a communication manager supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication is shown, according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 10 A diagram illustrating a system including a device supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication, according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0027] Figure 11 and Figure 12 A block diagram of an apparatus supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication is shown according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 13 A block diagram of a communication manager supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication is shown, according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0029] Figure 14 A diagram illustrating a system according to aspects of this disclosure, including a user equipment (UE) supporting channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication.

[0030] Figure 15 A diagram illustrating a system according to aspects of this disclosure, including a base station supporting channel contention based on delay time in wireless communication.

[0031] Figure 16 and Figure 17 A block diagram of an apparatus supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication is shown according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 18 A block diagram of a communication manager supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication is shown, according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0033] Figure 19A diagram illustrating a system including a device supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication, according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0034] Figures 20 to 24 A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0035] In some deployments, wireless communication systems may operate in the millimeter-wave (mmW) frequency range (e.g., 24 GHz, 26 GHz, 28 GHz, 39 GHz, 52.6 GHz, 71 GHz, etc.). Wireless communication at these frequencies may be associated with increased signal attenuation (e.g., path loss, penetration loss, blocking loss), which can be affected by various factors such as diffraction, propagation environment, blocking density, material properties, etc. Therefore, signal processing techniques such as beamforming can be used to coherently combine energy and overcome path loss at these frequencies. Due to the increased path, penetration, and blocking losses in millimeter-wave communication systems, transmissions between wireless devices (e.g., from base stations and / or user equipment (UEs)) may be beamformed. Furthermore, receiving devices can use beamforming techniques to configure antennas and / or antenna arrays and / or antenna array modules to receive transmissions in a directional manner.

[0036] Furthermore, in some cases, wireless communication systems may use shared radio spectrum, where, for example, a transmitting device at a base station performs a contention-based channel access procedure, such as a listen-before-speak (LBT) procedure (e.g., Open Channel Assessment (CCA)), to confirm that the radio spectrum band is currently unused before transmitting. When millimeter-wave (mmW) bands used for beamforming communication are used in a shared radio spectrum, potential interfering nodes may fail to detect transmissions from the base station because, for example, the energy received at the potential interfering node is below the LBT threshold due to signal attenuation, the potential interfering node fails to detect energy from the base station due to beamforming, or a combination thereof. If an interfering node is near a UE receiving downlink communication from the base station, the transmissions of the potential interfering node may interfere with downlink communication from the base station.

[0037] The various techniques discussed in this paper provide channel contention and transmission techniques in which a UE (or any other receiving device) can periodically transmit reserved signals during the reception time of downlink communication. These reserved signals can effectively reduce potential interference transmissions from interfering nodes. In some cases, each device using the shared radio spectrum can perform an LBT procedure corresponding to at least the minimum delay time of the reserved signal period (e.g., the minimum contention window of the CCA procedure can be set to the period of the configured reserved signal). In some cases, interfering nodes can be notified that they are using reserved signals and adjust their LBT procedures accordingly, so that transmitting nodes near the base station or UE can detect the reserved signals and avoid transmitting using the shared radio spectrum.

[0038] In some cases, transmitting devices such as base stations in a shared radio spectrum band can perform a Level Bypass (LBT) procedure on the radio channel for at least the minimum downtime and, after successfully completing the LBT procedure, can occupy the radio channel for at most the maximum Channel Occupied Time (COT) duration. In some cases, the transmitting device can interrupt transmission for a gap period during the maximum COT and resume transmission after the gap period without performing another LBT procedure. In some cases, a threshold gap period can be defined, and the transmitting device can perform a simplified LBT procedure if the gap period reaches or exceeds the threshold gap period. In some cases, the minimum downtime is based on the period of a reserved signal that can be transmitted by one or more devices using the shared radio spectrum during active communication. In some cases, sensing beams can be used to perform the LBT procedure, and beamforming parameters of one or more transmit beams can be determined based on the sensing beams.

[0039] Additionally or alternatively, the transmitting device may schedule one or more receiving devices with resources for transmission during COT. In this case, the transmitting device may perform a LBT procedure and obtain a radio channel for COT, and may send scheduling information indicating the relevant resources within COT to one or more receiving devices. The receiving devices may receive the scheduling information and perform the LBT procedure with minimum delay before or immediately before the scheduled resource. In some cases, the scheduling information may indicate when one or more receiving devices will perform the LBT procedure, or may indicate a window within which the receiving devices will perform the LBT procedure. In some cases, the minimum delay is based on the period of a channel reservation signal that can be transmitted by one or more devices using the shared radio spectrum during active communication. In some cases, a sensing beam can be used to perform the LBT procedure, and the beamforming parameters of one or more transmitting beams can be determined based on the sensing beam.

[0040] These techniques can provide one or more advantages in systems utilizing shared radio spectrum. For example, by allowing transmitting devices to transmit after one of multiple transmission gaps without executing a new LBT procedure, resource utilization efficiency in the system can be improved by reducing the overhead associated with LBT procedures. Radio resource efficiency can be further improved by scheduling devices to transmit during COT and executing the associated LBT procedure before the scheduled transmission, thereby allowing multiple devices to perform contention-based channel access simultaneously. Furthermore, by transmitting reserved signals at a period corresponding to the minimum delay time of the LBT procedure, potential interference at the receiving device due to potential interfering devices sensing the reserved signals can be reduced. In addition, the selection of beamforming parameters based on the beam used for sensing during the LBT procedure can reduce the possibility that transmitting devices may interfere with undetected receiving devices that may be using the shared radio spectrum.

[0041] The aspects of this disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communication systems. Wireless resources and processing flows for downlink communication and silent signal transmission are then discussed. The aspects of this disclosure are further illustrated and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts relating to channel contention based on delay time in wireless communication.

[0042] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting time-delay-based channel contention in wireless communication is shown according to aspects of this disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an Advanced LTE (LTE-A) network, an Upgraded LTE-A (LTE-A Pro) network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communication, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communication, low-latency communication, communication with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

[0043] Base stations 105 can be distributed throughout a geographic area to form a wireless communication system 100 and can be devices of different forms or with different functions. Base stations 105 and UE 115 can communicate wirelessly via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 can provide a coverage area 110, on which UE 115 and base station 105 can establish one or more communication links 125. Coverage area 110 can be an example of a geographic area where base station 105 and UE 115 can support signal communication according to one or more radio access technologies.

[0044] UE 115 can be distributed throughout the entire coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 can be stationary or mobile or both at different times. UE 115 can be devices of different forms or with different functions. Figure 1 Examples of UE 115 are shown below. The UE 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UE 115s, base station 105, or network devices (e.g., core network nodes, relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network devices), such as... Figure 1 As shown.

[0045] Base station 105 may communicate with core network 130, communicate with each other, or both. For example, base station 105 may interface with core network 130 via one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or other interfaces). Base station 105 may communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via core network 130) or both via backhaul links 120 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or other interfaces). In some examples, backhaul link 120 may be or include one or more radio links.

[0046] One or more base stations 105 described herein may include, or may be referred to by those skilled in the art as, a base station transceiver, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a node B, an eNodeB (eNB), a next-generation node B or a gigabit node B (any of which may be referred to as a gNB), a home node B, a home eNodeB, or other suitable terms.

[0047] UE 115 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, handheld device, or subscriber device, or some other suitable term, wherein "device" may also be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, etc. UE 115 may also include or be referred to as a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, laptop computer, or personal computer. In some examples, UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, Internet of Things (IoT) device, Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, etc., which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances or vehicles, meters, etc.

[0048] The UE 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 that sometimes act as repeaters, base station 105, and network devices including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, etc. Figure 1 As shown.

[0049] UE 115 and base station 105 can wirelessly communicate with each other on one or more carriers via one or more communication links 125. The term "carrier" can refer to a set of radio spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting communication link 125. For example, a carrier for communication link 125 may include a portion of the radio spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth portion (BWP)) operating according to one or more physical layer channels of a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling coordinating carrier operation, user data, or other signaling. Wireless communication system 100 can support communication with UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. UE 115 can be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation can be used with frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) component carriers.

[0050] In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling to coordinate the operation of other carriers. A carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (EARFCN)) and can be located based on the Channel Raster BEI for UE 115 discovery. A carrier may operate in standalone mode or in non-standalone mode, where in standalone mode, the UE 115 can use a carrier for initial acquisition and connection, and in non-standalone mode, a different carrier (e.g., the same or different radio access technologies) is used for fixed connections.

[0051] A carrier can be associated with a specific bandwidth of the radio spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth can be referred to as the carrier or the "system bandwidth" of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth can be one of several bandwidths determined for a carrier of a specific radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 MHz). Devices of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., base station 105, UE 115, or both) can have a hardware configuration that supports communication over a specific carrier bandwidth, or can be configured to support communication over a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105 or UE 115 that supports simultaneous communication via carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 can be configured to operate on a portion (e.g., subband, BWP) or all of the carrier bandwidth.

[0052] The signal waveform transmitted on a carrier can consist of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform extended OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing MCM, a resource element can consist of one symbol period (e.g., the duration of a modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Therefore, the more resource elements the UE 115 receives and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate of the UE 115. Wireless communication resources can refer to a combination of radio spectrum resources, temporal resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and the use of multiple spatial layers can further improve the data rate or data integrity of communication with the UE 115.

[0053] The time interval of base station 105 or UE 115 can be expressed as a multiple of the basic time unit, for example, it can be referred to as T. s =1 / (Δf) max ·N f The sampling period is in seconds, where Δf max This can represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and N f This can represent the maximum supported Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) size. Communication resources can be organized into time intervals based on radio frames, each with a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame can be identified by a System Frame Number (SFN) (e.g., from 0 to 1023).

[0054] Each frame may include multiple consecutively numbered subframes or time slots, and each subframe or time slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into multiple time slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of time slots, and the number of time slots may depend on the subcarrier spacing. Each time slot may include multiple symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix appended to each symbol period). In some wireless communication systems 100, a time slot may be further divided into multiple hourly time slots comprising one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may contain one or more (e.g., N) f Sampling period. The duration of the symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or the operating frequency band.

[0055] A subframe, time slot, mini-slot, or symbol can be the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., in the time domain) and can be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the duration of the TTI (e.g., the number of symbol periods in the TTI) can be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 can be dynamically selected (e.g., in a burst of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)).

[0056] Physical channels can be multiplexed on a carrier using various techniques. Physical control channels and physical data channels can be multiplexed on a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. The control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET)) of a physical control channel can be defined by multiple symbol periods and can extend across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESETs) can be configured for a group of UEs 115. For example, one or more UEs 115 can monitor or search for control regions to obtain control information based on one or more search space sets, and each search space set can include one or more control channel candidates arranged in a cascaded manner at one or more aggregation levels. The aggregation level of control channel candidates can refer to the number of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with coded information in a control information format with a given payload size. The search space set can include a common search space set configured for sending control information to multiple UEs 115 and a UE-specific search space set for sending control information to a specific UE 115.

[0057] Each base station 105 can provide communication coverage through one or more cells, such as macro cells, small cells, hotspots, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof. The term "cell" can refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with base station 105 (e.g., via a carrier) and can be associated with an identifier used to distinguish neighboring cells (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID), etc.). In some examples, a cell can also refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion of geographic coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) on which the logical communication entity operates. Depending on various factors such as the capabilities of base station 105, the range of such cells can be from smaller areas (e.g., structures, subsets of structures) to larger areas. For example, a cell can be or include buildings, subsets of buildings, or external space between or overlapping geographic coverage areas 110. In some examples, a carrier can support multiple cells and can be configured with different cell types based on different protocol types (e.g., MTC, Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)) that can provide access for different types of devices.

[0058] In some examples, base station 105 may be mobile and thus provide communication coverage for mobile geographic coverage areas 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. In other examples, overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. Wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network, in which different types of base stations 105 use the same or different radio access technologies to provide coverage for various geographic coverage areas 110.

[0059] Some UE 115s, such as MTC or IoT devices, can be low-cost or low-complexity devices and can provide automated communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC can refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with each other or with base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC can include communication from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application that utilizes the information or presents it to people interacting with the application. Some UE 115s can be designed to collect information or automate the behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based service charging.

[0060] Some UE 115s can be configured to operate in a power-saving mode, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports unidirectional communication by sending or receiving but not simultaneous sending and receiving). In some examples, half-duplex communication can be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power-saving techniques for UE 115 include entering a power-saving deep sleep mode when not engaged in active communication, operating on limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communication), or a combination of these techniques. For example, some UE 115s can be configured to operate using a narrowband protocol type associated with a defined portion or range (e.g., a set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs) within a carrier, within a carrier's guard band, or outside a carrier.

[0061] Wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable communication or low-latency communication, or various combinations thereof. For example, wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) or mission-critical communication. UE 115 can be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or mission-critical functions (e.g., mission-critical functions). Ultra-reliable communication may include private or group communication and may be supported by one or more mission-critical services, such as Mission-Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT), Mission-Critical Video (MCVideo), or Mission-Critical Data (MCData). Support for mission-critical functions may include service prioritization, and mission-critical services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms “ultra-reliable,” “low-latency,” “mission-critical,” and “ultra-reliable low-latency” are used interchangeably herein.

[0062] In some examples, UE 115 can also communicate directly with other UE 115 via device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., using peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocols). One or more UE 115s utilizing D2D communication can be within the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105. Other UE 115s in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105 or unable to receive transmissions from base station 105. In some examples, the group of UE 115s communicating via D2D communication can utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE 115 transmits to every other UE 115 in the group. In some examples, base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication is performed between UE 115s without involving base station 105.

[0063] In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel between vehicles (e.g., UE 115), such as a sidechain communication channel. In some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or some combination thereof. Vehicles may transmit information related to traffic conditions, signal control, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information related to the V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure such as roadside units, or communicate with the network using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication via one or more network nodes (e.g., base station 105), or both.

[0064] Core network 130 can provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. Core network 130 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management function (AMF)) managing access and mobility, and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or user plane function (UPF)) routing or interconnecting packets to external networks. The control plane entity can manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management, for UE 115 served by base station 105 associated with core network 130. User IP packets can be transmitted through the user plane entity, which can provide IP address allocation and other functions. The user plane entity can connect to network operator IP service 150. Operator IP service 150 may include access to the Internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or packet-switched streaming services.

[0065] Some network devices, such as base station 105, may include sub-components, such as access network entity 140, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entity 140 may communicate with UE 115 through one or more other access network transmitting entities 145, which may be referred to as a radio headend, smart radio headend, or transmit / receive point (TRP). Each access network transmitting entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio headends and ANCs) or combined into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

[0066] Wireless communication system 100 can operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz. The region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is generally referred to as the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelength range varies from approximately 1 decimeter to 1 meter. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, but these waves may penetrate structures sufficiently to allow a macrocell to serve UE 115 located indoors. Compared to transmissions using smaller frequencies and longer waves in the High Frequency (HF) or Very High Frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz, UHF wave transmissions may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., below 100 km).

[0067] The wireless communication system 100 can also operate in the Very High Frequency (SHF) region using a frequency band from 3 GHz to 30 GHz (also known as the centimeter band), or in the Extreme High Frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz), also known as the millimeter wave band. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 can support millimeter wave (mmW) communication between the UE 115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas of the corresponding devices can be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some examples, this can facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the device. However, compared to SHF or UHF transmission, the propagation of EHF transmission may be affected by greater atmospheric attenuation and a shorter range. The techniques disclosed herein can be used for transmission using one or more different frequency regions, and the specification of frequency bands used across these frequency regions may vary depending on the country or regulatory body.

[0068] Wireless communication system 100 may use licensed and unlicensed radio spectrum bands. For example, wireless communication system 100 may employ Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), LTE Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in unlicensed bands such as the 5 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. When operating in unlicensed radio spectrum bands, devices such as base station 105 and UE 115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operation in unlicensed bands may be based on carrier aggregation configurations combined with component carriers operating in licensed bands (e.g., LAA). Operation in unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmission, uplink transmission, P2P transmission, or D2D transmission, etc. In some examples, shared wireless spectrum bands may include licensed radio spectrum bands, unlicensed radio spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed radio spectrum bands.

[0069] Base station 105 or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas that can be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or beamforming. The antennas of base station 105 or UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels that can support MIMO operation or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may coexist on an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. In some examples, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with base station 105 may be located in different geographical locations. Base station 105 may include an antenna array with multiple rows and columns of antenna ports that base station 105 can use to support beamforming for communication with UE 115. Similarly, UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that can support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Alternatively or additionally, antenna panels may support wire-free frequency beamforming for signals transmitted via antenna ports.

[0070] Base station 105 or UE 115 can use MIMO communication to utilize multipath signal propagation and improve spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. Such techniques can be referred to as spatial multiplexing. For example, multiple signals can be transmitted by a transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, a receiving device can receive multiple signals via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals can be referred to as a separate spatial stream and can carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). Different spatial layers can be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0071] Beamforming, also known as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique used at transmitting or receiving devices (e.g., base station 105, UE 115) to form or guide antenna beams (e.g., transmit beams, receive beams) along a spatial path between the transmitting and receiving devices. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals transmitted via antenna elements of an antenna array, such that some signals propagating in a specific direction relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference, while other signals experience destructive interference. Adjustments to the signals transmitted via the antenna elements can include applying amplitude shifts, phase shifts, or both to the transmitting or receiving device carrying signals via the antenna elements associated with that device. The adjustments associated with each antenna element can be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a specific direction (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting or receiving device, or relative to some other orientation).

[0072] Base station 105 or UE 115 may use beam scanning technology as part of beamforming operations. For example, base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to perform beamforming operations for directional communication with UE 115. Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted multiple times by base station 105 in different directions. For example, base station 105 may transmit signals according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different transmission directions. Transmissions in different beam directions can be used to identify (e.g., by a transmitting device such as base station 105, or by a receiving device such as UE 115) the beam direction for subsequent transmissions or receptions by base station 105.

[0073] Some signals, such as data signals associated with a specific receiving device, may be transmitted by base station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., the direction associated with a receiving device such as UE 115). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmission along a single beam direction may be determined based on signals transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, UE 115 may receive one or more signals transmitted by base station 105 in different directions and may report to base station 105 an indication of the signal with the highest signal quality received by UE 115 or an indication of a signal with otherwise acceptable signal quality.

[0074] In some examples, transmission by a device (e.g., base station 105 or UE 115) may be performed using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from base station 105 to UE 115). UE 115 may report feedback indicating precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and this feedback may correspond to a configured number of beams spanning the system bandwidth or one or more subbands. Base station 105 may transmit reference signals that can be precoded or unprecoded (e.g., cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)). UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., multi-panel type codebook, linear combination type codebook, port selection type codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by base station 105 in one or more directions, UE 115 may employ similar techniques to transmit signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., to identify beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by UE 115) or to transmit signals in a single direction (e.g., to transmit data to a receiving device).

[0075] When receiving various signals from base station 105, such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals, the receiving device (e.g., UE 115) can attempt multiple reception configurations (e.g., directional listening). For example, the receiving device can attempt multiple reception directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing the received signals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving according to different sets of reception beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array (e.g., different sets of directional listening weights), or by processing the received signals according to different sets of reception beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array, any of which can be referred to as "listening" depending on the different reception configurations or reception directions. In some examples, the receiving device can use a single reception configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving data signals). The single reception configuration can be aligned in the beam direction determined based on listening according to different reception configuration directions (e.g., based on listening according to multiple beam directions to determine the beam direction with the highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or other acceptable signal quality).

[0076] In some cases, as discussed herein, beamforming communication may use millimeter-wave frequencies in a shared radio spectrum band. This could result in a potential interfering node 155 near a receiving device (e.g., UE 115) failing to detect signals from a transmitter (e.g., base station 105) communicating with the receiving device (e.g., due to signal attenuation, being outside the beam used by the transmitter and receiving device, etc.). In some cases, to prevent signals from such interfering nodes 155, techniques as discussed herein can be used to provide silent signal transmission from UE 115 (or any other device) and to minimize the latency of the LBT procedure for devices using a shared radio spectrum band. This silent signal can effectively reduce potential interference transmissions from interfering nodes 155.

[0077] In some cases, transmitting devices using a shared radio spectrum band (e.g., base station 105, UE 115, and potential interfering node 155) can perform an LBT procedure on the radio channel for at least the minimum pause time, and, after successfully completing the LBT procedure, can occupy the radio channel for a duration up to the maximum COT. In some cases, the transmitting device can interrupt transmission for a gap period during the maximum COT and resume transmission after the gap period without performing another LBT procedure. In some cases, a threshold gap period can be defined, and if the gap period reaches or exceeds the threshold gap period, the transmitting device can perform a simplified LBT procedure (e.g., an LBT with a fixed contention window corresponding to the minimum pause time). In some cases, the minimum pause time is based on the period of the channel reservation signal. In some cases, a sensing beam can be used to perform the LBT procedure, and the beamforming parameters of one or more transmitting beams can be determined based on the sensing beam.

[0078] Additionally or alternatively, the transmitting device may schedule one or more receiving devices with resources for transmission during COT. In this case, the transmitting device may perform a LBT procedure and obtain a radio channel for COT, and may send scheduling information indicating the relevant resources within COT to one or more receiving devices. The receiving devices may receive the scheduling information and perform the LBT procedure with minimum delay before or immediately before the scheduled resource. In some cases, the scheduling information may indicate when one or more receiving devices will perform the LBT procedure, or may indicate a window within which the receiving devices will perform the LBT procedure. In some cases, the minimum delay is based on the period of a channel reservation signal that can be transmitted by one or more devices using the shared radio spectrum during active communication. In some cases, a sensing beam can be used to perform the LBT procedure, and the beamforming parameters of one or more transmitting beams can be determined based on the sensing beam.

[0079] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system 200 supporting time-delay-based channel contention in wireless communication is shown according to aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, wireless communication system 200 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100. For example, wireless communication system 200 may include UE 115-a and base station 105-a serving a cell for UE 115-a, as well as interfering node 220. UE 115-a and base station 105-a may be examples of UE 115 and base station 105 operating on a shared radio spectrum band, respectively, as shown in reference. Figure 1 As described. Furthermore, interference node 220 can be... Figure 1An example of base station 105 (e.g., base station 105 of another operator), or it could be any other type of transmitter using a shared radio spectrum that overlaps with the radio spectrum bands of UE 115-a and base station 105-a.

[0080] Base station 105-a can transmit downlink communication 210 to UE 115-a using downlink beam 205, and UE 115-a can transmit uplink communication 215 to base station 105-a using uplink beam 235. When initiating the transmission of downlink communication 210, base station 105-a can execute a contention-based channel access procedure, such as an LBT procedure, to confirm that the shared wireless spectrum band is not being used by another transmitter. Interfering node 220 can be an example of a neighboring node as used herein, which can also communicate using the shared radio spectrum and can use interfering node beam 225 to transmit a potential interfering signal 230. If interfering node 220 executes an LBT procedure before transmitting the potential interfering signal 230 and detects sufficient energy from downlink communication 210 to confirm that the medium is occupied, interfering node 220 can stop the transmission and execute a subsequent LBT procedure based on the contention window determined by the LBT at interfering node 220 (e.g., using a backoff counter adjusted in the event of LBT failure). In this case, UE 115-a can use beamforming parameters such as those corresponding to the UE receive beam (e.g., the beam that coexists with the transmit beam 205 in quasi-coexistence (QCL)) to receive and decode downlink communication 210.

[0081] In other cases, the interfering node 220 can execute the LBT procedure and determine that the shared radio spectrum band is available for transmission, and can use the interfering node beam 225 to initiate the transmission of the potential interfering signal 230. This technique provides fair access to the shared radio spectrum band when neither base station 105-a nor UE 115-a is transmitting. However, in some cases, the interfering node 220 can execute the LBT procedure and not detect, for example, downlink communication 210 from base station 105-a. For example, the signal strength of downlink communication 210 may have attenuated, causing the interfering node 220 to fail to detect sufficient energy, thus causing the LBT to fail. In other cases, due to the directionality of downlink communication 210 from base station 105-a to UE 115-a, the interfering node 220 may be outside the beam path of downlink communication 210, causing the interfering node 220 to fail to detect sufficient energy, thus causing the LBT to fail. In this scenario, if the interfering node 220 begins transmitting a potential interference signal 230, it could result in UE 115-a receiving interference sufficient to cause downlink communication 210 decoding failure. Such interference could occur, for example, when the interfering node 220 is near UE 115-a, or when UE 115-a is located within or near the beam path between the interfering node 220 and a receiver associated with the interfering node 220.

[0082] To help prevent such potential interference signals 230 from interfering with downlink communication 210, according to the various techniques discussed herein, UE 115-a can send a reserved signal for a period of time that can be used to reduce the likelihood of LBT procedures passing through interfering node 220, as will be referred to Figure 3 A more detailed discussion follows. In some cases, based on the periodicity of the reserved signal, base station 105-a and interfering node 220 can configure an LBT procedure to enhance the detection of reserved signal transmissions from UE 115-a or from one or more other devices using the shared radio spectrum. In some cases, the LBT procedure can be configured as an extended idle channel assessment (eCCA), where a minimum contention window or delay time is set for sensing the radio channel, allowing the LBT procedure to detect at least one periodically transmitted reserved signal. Therefore, in this case, UE 115-a, as the receiving device for downlink communication 210, provides detection assistance that can enhance the channel sensing mechanism.

[0083] Furthermore, in certain circumstances, during a successful LBT procedure, base station 105-a can retain the radio channel for the maximum COT duration, regardless of one or more gaps in transmission on the radio channel, as referenced. Figure 4This will be discussed in more detail. Such techniques may be beneficial in millimeter-wave communications, where beamforming transmission and reception initially result in relatively few collisions, thus performing multiple LBT procedures could unnecessarily increase channel sensing overhead and lead to inefficient media usage. Additionally or alternatively, base station 105-a may schedule UE 115-a (and optionally one or more other UEs) to transmit uplink communication 215 during COT, and UE 115-a may perform associated LBT at times not adjacent to uplink communication 215, as will be referred to... Figure 5 This will be discussed in more detail. In some cases, when base station 105-a performs the LBT procedure, the sensing beam can be used, and the downlink beam 205 can be determined based on the sensing beam, as will be discussed in reference to... Figure 6 To be discussed in more detail.

[0084] Figure 3 An example of time resources and device transmission 300 supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication is shown according to aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the time resources and device transmission 300 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100 or 200. In this example, the first base station 105-b, the second base station 105-c, and the UE 115-b may be examples of base station 105 and UE 115, respectively, as referenced. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As described, communication can be conducted using shared radio spectrum.

[0085] In this example, the first base station 105-b (or any other type of first transmitting device) can perform channel sensing, such as a first LBT sensing 305-a associated with an LBT procedure, to confirm that the shared radio spectrum is available for transmission. Following a successful first LBT sensing 305-a, base station 105-b can transmit downlink transmission 310, after which the first base station 105-b can perform a second LBT sensing 305-b. According to the various techniques discussed herein, the first LBT sensing 305-a can be part of an extended unobstructed channel assessment (eCCA) procedure with a minimum pause time 315 and a maximum pause time 320. As discussed herein, the minimum pause time 315 can correspond to the period of a reserved signal 340 that can be transmitted by the UE 105-b (or other receiving device). Furthermore, after successfully completing the LBT procedure, the first base station 105-b can occupy the radio channel for a maximum COT duration 325. In some cases, the first base station 105-b can be configured with a minimum dwell time of 315, a maximum dwell time of 320, a maximum COT duration of 325, or a combination thereof.

[0086] In some cases, the first base station 105-a may transmit one or more of the configurations or combinations thereof of minimum delay time 315, maximum delay time 320, maximum COT duration 325, and channel reservation signal 340 to one or more other base stations 105, including the second base station 105-c, one or more servicing UEs 115, or combinations thereof. In some cases, the second base station 105-c may transmit the configurations or combinations thereof of minimum delay time 315, maximum delay time 320, maximum COT duration 325, and channel reservation signal 340 to UE 115-b (e.g., via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, via broadcast information in a Media Access Control (MAC) control element such as MIB, SIB, or RMSI, or any combination thereof). In some cases, these parameters may be provided by the network (e.g., the core network communicating with base station 105, and base station 105 may configure the servicing UEs 115). Additionally or alternatively, one or more such parameters may be predetermined or pre-specified at a device using a shared radio spectrum band.

[0087] exist Figure 3 In the example shown, the second base station 105-a can utilize LBT sensing 330 to perform LBT procedures. In this example, due to signal attenuation or beamwidth of downlink transmission 310, the second base station 105-c may not sense downlink transmission 310 and can initiate its own downlink transmission 335. After initiating downlink transmission 335, UE 115-b can transmit a periodic reservation signal 340. Figure 3 In the example shown, the first base station 105-b can sense a reserved signal 340 during the second LBT sensing 305-b and determine that another transmitter is using the wireless channel and is not transmitting downlink communication, as shown in 345. Therefore, for the first part of the downlink transmission 335, the UE 115-b may be subject to a certain amount of interference from the first base station 105-b, which will decrease at the end of the maximum COT duration 325. Thus, this technique allows for efficient spectrum use while providing protection for the receiving UE 115-b against continuous interference from the first base station 105-b.

[0088] In some cases, before initiating downlink transmission 335, the second base station 105-c may configure UE 115-b to transmit a reserved signal 340 (also referred to as a blocking signal or a silent signal). In some cases, the configuration may be provided in response to UE 115-b or the second base station 105-c determining the presence of a potential interfering node. In some cases, the reserved signal configuration may indicate the format and resources of the reserved signal 340. For example, the second base station 105-c may provide resources for transmitting the reserved signal 340 (e.g., start time slot, start symbol, transmission period, end symbol, etc.). In some cases, the configuration information for the reserved signal 340 may be provided in RRC signaling, in the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE), in the Dynamic Downlink Control Information (DCI) that provides resource allocation for downlink transmission 335, or any combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the reserved signal configuration may provide the format of the reserved signal 340, such as transmission bandwidth, scrambling identifier, etc.

[0089] In some cases, UE 115-b can transmit the reserved signal 340 using an uplink beam corresponding to the downlink beam used to receive downlink transmission 335. In some cases, the reserved signal 340 can be transmitted on a beam that best blocks downlink transmission 310, which can help compensate for the power imbalance between UE 115-b and the first base station 105-b. The reserved signal configuration may also include power control information. Therefore, in this case, UE 115-b, as the receiving device for downlink transmission 335, provides detection assistance that can enhance the channel sensing mechanism.

[0090] Figure 4 An example of time resources and device transmission 400 supporting channel contention based on delay time in wireless communication is shown according to aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the time resources and device transmission 400 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100 or 200. In this example, base station 105-d may be a reference Figures 1 to 3 The example of base station 105 described can communicate using a shared radio spectrum.

[0091] In this example, base station 105-c (or any other type of transmitting device using shared radio spectrum) can perform channel sensing, such as LBT sensing 405 associated with an LBT procedure, to confirm that the shared radio spectrum is available for transmission. Depending on the various techniques discussed herein, LBT sensing 405 can be part of an eCCA procedure with a minimum pause time 415 and a maximum pause time 420. As discussed herein, the minimum pause time 415 can correspond to the period of a reserved signal that can be transmitted by a receiving device using shared radio spectrum. Furthermore, after successfully completing the LBT procedure, base station 105-d can occupy the radio channel for a maximum COT duration 425. In some cases, base station 105-d can be configured with a minimum pause time 415, a maximum pause time 420, a maximum COT duration 425, or a combination thereof (e.g., in broadcast signaling or in dedicated signaling sent to one or more receivers).

[0092] As discussed herein, in some cases, base station 105-d can acquire the radio channel up to the maximum COT duration 325. In this case, after successful LBT sensing 405, base station 105-d can transmit a first downlink transmission 410-a, and can interrupt transmission after the first downlink transmission 410-a, and can transmit a second downlink transmission 410-b after the transmission gap following the first downlink transmission 410-a. In some cases, base station 105-d can transmit the second downlink transmission 410-b without an LBT procedure based on transmission within the maximum COT duration 425. Therefore, in this case, base station 105-d (or any other transmitter that wins the radio channel contention after an LBT procedure with a minimum pause time 415) may perform discontinuous transmissions on the radio channel during the maximum COT duration 425.

[0093] In some cases, base station 105-d can transmit at any time during the maximum COT duration 425, with or without a gap, where the gap can be any duration within the maximum COT duration 425. In this sense, these techniques provide a modified frame-based LBT procedure where medium sensing is not necessarily performed at fixed frame boundaries. In other cases, a transmission gap threshold 430 can be configured (e.g., a gap threshold of Z μsec, which can be configured by base station 105-d, another node, or an entity in the core network). In such cases, if the transmission gap is less than the transmission gap threshold 430, such as the gap between the first downlink transmission 410-a and the second downlink transmission 410-b, base station 105-d can transmit within the maximum COT duration 425 without performing a separate LBT for the second downlink transmission 410-b.

[0094] When the transmission gap meets or exceeds the transmission gap threshold 430, for example, between the second downlink transmission 410-b and the third downlink transmission 410-c, base station 105-d can perform a second LBT sensing 435, which has a duration of minimum pause time 415. In some cases, the second LBT sensing 435 can be a modified or abbreviated LBT, wherein the contention window is set to the minimum pause time 415 based on the LBT performed within the maximum COT duration 425. Additionally, the LBT procedure performed at base station 105-d can be executed using a sensing beam, and the downlink transmission 410 can use a downlink transmission beam based on the sensing beam, as referenced... Figure 6 This will be discussed in more detail. Such techniques could be beneficial in millimeter-wave communications, where beamforming transmission and reception initially result in relatively fewer collisions, and the channel sensing of the LBT procedure can be configured to provide effective sensing without consuming significant resource overhead. Thus, such techniques enable efficient use of shared radio spectrum bands.

[0095] Figure 5 An example of time resources and device transmission 500 supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication is shown according to aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the time resources and device transmission 500 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100 or 200. In this example, base station 105-e, first UE 115-c, and second UE 115-d may be examples of base station 105 and UE 115, respectively, as referenced. Figures 1 to 4 As described, communication can be conducted using shared radio spectrum.

[0096] In this example, base station 105-e (or any other type of transmitting device) can perform channel sensing, such as a first LBT sensing 505-a associated with an LBT procedure, to confirm that the shared radio spectrum is available for transmission. Following a successful first LBT procedure, base station 105-e can transmit downlink transmission 510. Depending on the various techniques discussed herein, the first LBT sensing 505-a can be part of an eCCA procedure with a minimum pause time 515 and a maximum pause time 520. As discussed herein, the minimum pause time 515 can correspond to the period of a reserved signal that can be transmitted by UE 115 (or other receiving device). Furthermore, after successfully completing the LBT procedure, the first base station 105-e can occupy the radio channel for a maximum COT duration 525, after which base station 105-e can perform a second LBT sensing 505-b. In some cases, base station 105-e can be configured with a minimum pause time 515, a maximum pause time 520, a maximum COT duration 525, or a combination thereof (e.g., via broadcast signaling, dedicated signaling to each UE 115, or a combination thereof).

[0097] In this example, base station 105-e can schedule each UE 115 to perform uplink transmission within the maximum COT duration 525. In this example, base station 105-e can schedule a first UE 115-c to perform a first uplink transmission 535, and can schedule a second UE 115-d to perform a second uplink transmission 545. In some cases, when scheduling UE 115 within the maximum COT duration 525, UE 115 can perform an LBT procedure based on uplink communication within the maximum COT duration 525. In some cases, each UE 115 can perform an LBT procedure with a minimum pause time 515 immediately before its corresponding scheduled uplink transmission. In other cases, each UE 115 can perform an LBT procedure with a minimum pause time 515 at any time before its corresponding uplink transmission, but not necessarily immediately before the transmission. Therefore, in this example, the first UE 115-c can be scheduled for the first uplink transmission 535 and can perform LBT sensing 530 at any time before the first uplink transmission 535 within the maximum COT duration 525. Similarly, the second UE 115-d can be scheduled for the second uplink transmission 545 and can perform LBT sensing 540 at any time before the second uplink transmission 545 within the maximum COT duration 525. In other cases, each UE 115 can perform the LBT procedure with a minimum delay time 515 at a location configured by the base station 105-e (e.g., provided along with the scheduling information for the uplink transmission). Such scheduling can allocate the base station 105-e to coordinate the LBT duration across all its UEs 115. Furthermore, in some cases, each UE 115 can execute LBT procedures at any point within a window configured by base station 105-e with a minimum pause time 515 (e.g., providing scheduling information to UE 115 and allowing base station 105-e to coordinate LBT timing and also providing flexibility for UE 115). Such LBT techniques can allow base station 105-a to schedule uplink transmissions more flexibly because gaps in uplink resources among different UEs 115 can be reduced or eliminated, which can provide efficient use of radio resources.

[0098] Figure 6 Examples of time resources and transmit beam 600 supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication are shown according to aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the time resources and transmit beam 600 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100. In this example, base station 105-f may be a reference Figures 1 to 5 The example of base station 105 described herein can communicate using shared radio spectrum. It should be noted that... Figures 3 to 6 Examples can be used in any combination of ways.

[0099] In this example, base station 105-f (or any other type of transmitting device) can perform channel sensing, such as LBT sensing 605 associated with an LBT procedure, to confirm that the shared radio spectrum is available for transmission. Following a successful LBT procedure, base station 105-f can transmit downlink transmission 610. Depending on the various techniques discussed herein, LBT sensing 605 can be part of an eCCA procedure with a minimum pause time 615 and a maximum pause time 620. As discussed herein, the minimum pause time 615 can correspond to the period of a reserved signal that can be transmitted by UE 115 (or other receiving device). Furthermore, after successfully completing the LBT procedure, the first base station 105-f can occupy the radio channel for a maximum COT duration 625, after which base station 105-f can perform a second LBT sensing 605. In some cases, base station 105-f can be configured with a minimum pause time 615, a maximum pause time 620, a maximum COT duration 625, or a combination thereof (e.g., via broadcast signaling, dedicated signaling to each UE 115, or a combination thereof).

[0100] In this example, LBT sensing 605 can be performed using sensing beam 630. Furthermore, different downlink transmissions 610 can be sent to different UEs 115 using different transmit beams. In this example, a first downlink transmission 610-a can use a first downlink transmission beam 635 associated with a first UE 115, a second downlink transmission 610-b can use a second downlink transmission beam 640 associated with a second UE 115, and a third downlink transmission 610-c can use a third downlink transmission beam 645 associated with a third UE 115.

[0101] In some cases, downlink transmit beams 635-645 can be selected from a set of allowed beams compatible with sensing beam 630. For example, a set of available transmit beams may be used for communication by base station 105-f, and a subset of the transmit beams may be associated with sensing beam 630, with downlink transmit beams 635-645 selected from the subset of transmit beams. In some cases, the subset of transmit beams can be determined using the codebook of the sensing beam and the associated downlink transmit beam. In some cases, base station 105-f may use any available beam at any time during the maximum COT duration 625, transmitting with power adjustments determined as a function of the antenna gain of sensing beam 630 and the transmit beams. In other cases, base station 105-f may use any available beam for transmission at any time during the maximum COT duration 625, and the energy detection threshold of sensing beam 630 may be adjusted as a function of the antenna gain of sensing beam 630 and transmit beams 635-645. Such technology allows for effective LBT detection and the corresponding transmit power associated with the sensing beam 630 of base station 105-f.

[0102] Figure 7 A block diagram 700 illustrates a device 705 supporting channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure. Device 705 may be an example of an aspect of UE 115 as described herein. Device 705 may include a receiver 710, a communication manager 715, and a transmitter 720. Device 705 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0103] Receiver 710 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication). The information can be transmitted to other components of device 705. Receiver 710 can be a reference. Figure 10 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1020 described. The receiver 710 can use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0104] Communication manager 715 can receive scheduling information from a first wireless device that has already obtained channel access to a wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum. The scheduling information indicates that a first portion of the COT duration will be used for communication by a second wireless device via the wireless channel, transmitting communication in response to the execution of an LBT procedure, and performing an LBT procedure based on the scheduling information for at least a minimum delay time to determine that the wireless channel is not being used by one or more other transmitters. Communication manager 715 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1010 described herein.

[0105] The communication manager 715 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, code executed by a processor (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functionality of the communication manager 715 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0106] The communication manager 715 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the communication manager 715 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the communication manager 715 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, input / output (I / O) components, transceivers, network servers, other computing devices, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0107] Transmitter 720 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 705. In some examples, transmitter 720 can be co-located with receiver 710 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 720 can be a reference... Figure 10 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1020 described. The transmitter 720 can use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0108] Figure 8 A block diagram 800 illustrates a device 805 supporting channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure. Device 805 may be an example of aspects of device 705 or UE 115 as described herein. Device 805 may include a receiver 810, a communication manager 815, and a transmitter 830. Device 805 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0109] Receiver 810 can receive information, such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication). The information can be transmitted to other components of device 805. Receiver 810 can be a reference. Figure 10 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1020 described. The receiver 810 can use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0110] Communication manager 815 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 715 described herein. Communication manager 815 may include scheduling manager 820 and LBT manager 825. Communication manager 815 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1010 described herein.

[0111] The dispatch manager 820 can receive dispatch information from a first wireless device that has already obtained channel access to a wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum, the dispatch information indicating that a first portion of the COT duration will be used for communication by a second wireless device via the wireless channel, and transmits communication in response to executing the LBT procedure.

[0112] The LBT Manager 825 can execute an LBT procedure based on scheduling information to determine that the wireless channel is not being used by one or more other transmitters.

[0113] The scheduler 820 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the scheduler 820 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof.

[0114] The scheduler 820 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the scheduler 820 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the scheduler 820 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0115] The LBT manager 825 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the LBT manager 825 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0116] The LBT manager 825 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the LBT manager 825 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the LBT manager 825 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0117] Transmitter 830 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 805. In some examples, transmitter 830 can be co-located with receiver 810 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 830 can be a reference... Figure 10 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1020 are described. The transmitter 830 can use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0118] Figure 9 A block diagram 900 illustrates a communication manager 905 supporting channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure. Communication manager 905 may be an example of aspects of communication manager 715, communication manager 815, or communication manager 1010 described herein. Communication manager 905 may include a scheduling manager 910, an LBT manager 915, and an LBT coordination manager 920. Each of these modules may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0119] The dispatch manager 910 can receive dispatch information from a first wireless device that has already obtained channel access to a wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum. This dispatch information indicates that a first portion of the COT duration will be used for communication by a second wireless device via the wireless channel. In some examples, the dispatch manager 910 can send communication in response to executing an LBT procedure.

[0120] The LBT Manager 915 can execute an LBT procedure based on scheduling information to determine that the wireless channel is not being used by one or more other transmitters.

[0121] The LBT Coordination Manager 920 can coordinate LBT parameters with one or more other nodes, such as through the scheduling of LBT procedures, or the exchange of reserved signal periods, minimum delay time, maximum delay time, COT duration, or any combination thereof. In some cases, the LBT procedure is executed at any time after receiving scheduling information and before the first part of the COT duration. In some cases, the scheduling information instructs a second wireless device to execute the LBT procedure during an identified LBT period before the first part of the COT duration. In some cases, the LBT period is a time window before the first part of the COT duration, and the LBT procedure can be executed at any time within the time window.

[0122] The scheduler 910 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the scheduler 910 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0123] The scheduler 910 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the scheduler 910 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the scheduler 910 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0124] The LBT manager 915 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the LBT manager 915 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0125] The LBT manager 915 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the LBT manager 915 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the LBT manager 915 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0126] The LBT Coordination Manager 920 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the LBT Coordination Manager 920 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0127] The LBT Coordination Manager 920 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the LBT Coordination Manager 920 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the LBT Coordination Manager 920 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0128] Figure 10 A diagram illustrating a system 1000 including a device 1005 supporting channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication, according to aspects of this disclosure. Device 1005 may be an example of a component of device 705, device 805, or UE 115 as described herein, or a component including device 705, device 805, or UE 115 as described herein. Device 1005 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 1010, an I / O controller 1015, a transceiver 1020, an antenna 1025, a memory 1030, and a processor 1040. These components may communicate electronically via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1045).

[0129] The communication manager 1010 can receive scheduling information from a first wireless device that has already obtained channel access to a wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum. The scheduling information indicates that a first portion of the COT duration will be used for communication by a second wireless device via the wireless channel, to send communication in response to the execution of an LBT procedure, and to execute an LBT procedure based on the scheduling information for at least a minimum delay time to determine that the wireless channel is not being used by one or more other transmitters.

[0130] As described herein, the communications manager 1015 can be implemented to achieve one or more potential advantages. One implementation may allow device 1005 to improve the efficiency of communications using shared radio spectrum by coordinating LBT procedures for one or more transmitting devices during the COT duration, thus allowing for enhanced system throughput and reduced latency in certain communications. Furthermore, the implementation may allow device 1005 to have the advantage of additional flexibility in scheduling communications during the COT duration to provide efficient resource utilization, etc.

[0131] I / O controller 1015 can manage the input and output signals of device 1005. I / O controller 1015 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into device 1005. In some cases, I / O controller 1015 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, I / O controller 1015 can utilize, for example... The operating system or other known operating system. In other cases, the I / O controller 1015 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 1015 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 1005 through the I / O controller 1015 or through hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 1015.

[0132] Transceiver 1020 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, transceiver 1020 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1020 may also include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna.

[0133] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 1025. However, in other cases, the device may have more than one antenna 1025, which is capable of transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0134] Memory 1030 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). Memory 1030 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1035 including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 1030 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS) among other components, which controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0135] Processor 1040 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1040 may be configured to use a memory controller to operate a memory array. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1040. Processor 1040 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 1030) to cause device 1005 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication).

[0136] Code 1035 may include instructions for implementing aspects of this disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 1035 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, code 1035 may not be directly executable by processor 1040, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0137] Figure 11 A block diagram 1100 illustrates an apparatus 1105 supporting time-delay-based channel contention in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure. Apparatus 1105 may be an example of an aspect of a UE 115 or base station 105 as described herein. Apparatus 1105 may include a receiver 1110, a communication manager 1115, and a transmitter 1120. Apparatus 1105 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0138] Receiver 1110 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication). The information can be transmitted to other components of device 1105. Receiver 1110 can be a reference... Figure 14 and Figure 15 Examples of aspects of the described transceiver 1420 or 1520. Receiver 1110 can use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0139] Communication manager 1115 may: obtain channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for a maximum COT duration; in response to obtaining channel access, transmit a first communication to one or more receiving devices via the wireless channel during the maximum COT duration; transmit a second communication to the one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration after the transmission gap and in the absence of a second LBT procedure; and interrupt transmission via the wireless channel for at least the duration of the transmission gap after the first communication. Communication manager 1115 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1410 or 1510 described herein.

[0140] The communication manager 1115 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the communication manager 1115 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0141] The communication manager 1115 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the communication manager 1115 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the communication manager 1115 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including but not limited to I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0142] Transmitter 1120 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 1105. In some examples, transmitter 1120 can be co-located with receiver 1110 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 1120 can be a reference... Figure 14 and Figure 15 Examples of aspects of the described transceiver 1420 or 1520. Transmitter 1120 can use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0143] Figure 12A block diagram 1200 illustrates an apparatus 1205 supporting channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure. Apparatus 1205 may be an example of aspects of apparatus 1105, UE 115, or base station 105 as described herein. Apparatus 1205 may include a receiver 1210, a communication manager 1215, and a transmitter 1235. Apparatus 1205 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0144] Receiver 1210 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication). The information can be transmitted to other components of device 1205. Receiver 1210 can be a reference... Figure 14 and Figure 15 Examples of aspects of the described transceiver 1420 or 1520. Receiver 1210 may use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0145] Communication manager 1215 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1115 described herein. Communication manager 1215 may include LBT manager 1220, scheduling manager 1225, and COT manager 1230. Communication manager 1215 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1410 or 1510 described herein.

[0146] LBT manager 1220 can obtain channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for the maximum COT duration.

[0147] The dispatch manager 1225 can, in response to gaining channel access, transmit a first communication to one or more receiving devices via a wireless channel during the maximum COT duration, and, after a transmission gap and without a second LBT procedure, transmit a second communication to one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration.

[0148] The COT Manager 1230 can interrupt transmissions via the wireless channel after the first communication for at least the duration of the transmission gap.

[0149] The LBT manager 1220 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the LBT manager 1220 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0150] The LBT manager 1220 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the LBT manager 1220 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the LBT manager 1220 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, other computing devices, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0151] The scheduler 1225 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the scheduler 1225 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0152] The scheduler 1225 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the scheduler 1225 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the scheduler 1225 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0153] The COT manager 1230 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the COT manager 1230 or its sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0154] The COT manager 1230 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the COT manager 1230 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the COT manager 1230 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including but not limited to I / O components, transceivers, network servers, other computing devices, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0155] Transmitter 1235 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 1205. In some examples, transmitter 1235 can be co-located with receiver 1210 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 1235 can be a reference... Figure 14 and Figure 15 Examples of aspects of the described transceiver 1420 or 1520. Transmitter 1235 can use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0156] Figure 13 A block diagram 1300 is shown of a communication manager 1305 supporting pause-time-based channel contention in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure. Communication manager 1305 may be an example of aspects of communication manager 1115, communication manager 1215, or communication manager 1410 described herein. Communication manager 1305 may include LBT manager 1310, scheduling manager 1315, COT manager 1320, pause-time manager 1325, and beam manager 1330. Each of these modules may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0157] LBT manager 1310 can obtain channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not being used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for the maximum COT duration. In some examples, LBT manager 1310 can execute a second LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel is not being used by one or more other transmitters.

[0158] The scheduler 1315 may, in response to gaining channel access, transmit a first communication via a wireless channel to one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration. In some examples, the scheduler 1315 may transmit a second communication to one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration after a transmission gap and in the absence of a second LBT procedure. In some examples, the scheduler 1315 may interrupt transmissions via the wireless channel for at least the duration of a second transmission gap after the second communication. In some examples, the scheduler 1315 may transmit a third communication to one or more receiving devices.

[0159] The COT manager 1320 can interrupt transmission via the wireless channel for at least the duration of the transmission gap after the first communication. In some examples, the COT manager 1320 can determine that the transmission gap is less than a threshold transmission gap duration, and wherein a second communication is transmitted in the absence of a second LBT procedure in response to the transmission gap being less than the threshold transmission gap duration. In some examples, the COT manager 1320 can determine that the second transmission gap meets or exceeds the threshold transmission gap duration. In some cases, the second communication is initiated at any time during the maximum COT duration without executing a second LBT procedure.

[0160] The pause time manager 1325 can manage the channel sensing duration of the LBT procedure based on a configured pause time. In some cases, the second LBT procedure monitors one or more other transmitters for at least the minimum pause time. In some cases, the minimum pause time corresponds to a period of periodic reserved signal transmission by a device using the wireless channel. In some cases, the first LBT procedure monitors one or more other transmitters for at least the minimum pause time.

[0161] The beam manager 1330 can configure one or more beam parameters for one or more sensing or transmitting beams. In some cases, the first LBT program monitors one or more other transmitters on the first sensing beam, and wherein one or more transmitting beams selected based on the first sensing beam are used to transmit first and second communications. In some cases, the one or more transmitting beams include a subset of available transmitting beams associated with the first sensing beam. In some cases, the one or more transmitting beams include any available transmitting beams with transmit power adjustment, which is a function of the antenna gain of the first sensing beam. In some cases, the one or more transmitting beams include any available transmitting beams with transmit power adjustment, which is a function of an energy detection threshold of the first sensing beam.

[0162] The LBT manager 1310 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the LBT manager 1310 or its sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0163] The LBT manager 1310 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the LBT manager 1310 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the LBT manager 1310 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0164] The scheduler 1315 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the scheduler 1315 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0165] The scheduler 1315 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the scheduler 1315 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the scheduler 1315 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0166] The COT manager 1320 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the COT manager 1320 or its sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0167] The COT manager 1320 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the COT manager 1320 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the COT manager 1320 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, other computing devices, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0168] The pause time manager 1325 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the pause time manager 1325 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0169] The pause time manager 1325 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the pause time manager 1325 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the pause time manager 1325 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0170] Beam manager 1330 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of beam manager 1330 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0171] Beam manager 1330 or its sub-components may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, beam manager 1330 or its sub-components may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, beam manager 1330 or its sub-components may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including but not limited to I / O components, transceivers, network servers, other computing devices, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0172] Figure 14 A diagram illustrating a system 1400 including a device 1405 supporting channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication, according to aspects of this disclosure. Device 1405 may be an example of a component of device 1105, device 1205, or UE 115 as described herein, or may include components of device 1105, device 1205, or UE 115 as described herein. Device 1405 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 1410, transceiver 1420, antenna 1425, memory 1430, processor 1440, and I / O controller 1415. These components may communicate electronically via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1445).

[0173] The communication manager 1410 may: obtain channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for a maximum COT duration; in response to obtaining channel access, transmit a first communication to one or more receiving devices via the wireless channel during the maximum COT duration; after the transmission gap and in the absence of a second LBT procedure, transmit a second communication to the one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration; and interrupt transmission via the wireless channel for at least the duration of the transmission gap after the first communication.

[0174] As described herein, the communications manager 1410 can be implemented to achieve one or more potential advantages. One implementation enables the device 1405 to enhance communication efficiency by using shared radio spectrum during the COT duration without LBT procedures, thereby allowing for increased system throughput and reduced latency in certain communications. Furthermore, the implementation may allow the device 1405 additional flexibility in scheduling communications during the COT duration to provide efficient resource utilization, among other advantages.

[0175] Transceiver 1420 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, transceiver 1420 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1420 may also include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna.

[0176] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 1425. However, in other cases, the device may have more than one antenna 1425, which is capable of transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0177] Memory 1430 may include RAM, ROM, or a combination thereof. Memory 1430 may store computer-readable code 1435 including instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 1440), cause the device to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 1430 may contain a BIOS, among other components, that controls basic hardware or software operation, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0178] Processor 1440 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1440 may be configured to use a memory controller to operate a memory array. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1440. Processor 1440 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 1430) to cause device 1405 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication).

[0179] I / O controller 1415 can manage the input and output signals of device 1405. I / O controller 1415 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into device 1405. In some cases, I / O controller 1415 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, I / O controller 1415 can utilize, for example... The operating system or other known operating system. In other cases, the I / O controller 1415 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 1415 may be implemented as part of the processor. In some cases, the user may interact with the device 1405 through the I / O controller 1415 or through hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 1415.

[0180] Code 1435 may include instructions for implementing aspects of this disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 1435 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, code 1435 may not be directly executable by processor 1440, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0181] Figure 15 A diagram illustrating a system 1500 including a device 1505 supporting channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication, according to aspects of this disclosure. Device 1505 may be an example of a component of device 1105, device 1205, or base station 105 as described herein, or may include device 1105, device 1205, or base station 105 as described herein. Device 1505 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 1510, a network communication manager 1515, a transceiver 1520, an antenna 1525, a memory 1530, a processor 1540, and an inter-station communication manager 1555. These components may communicate electronically via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1545).

[0182] The communication manager 1510 may: obtain channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for a maximum COT duration; in response to obtaining channel access, transmit a first communication to one or more receiving devices via the wireless channel during the maximum COT duration; after the transmission gap and in the absence of a second LBT procedure, transmit a second communication to the one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration; and interrupt transmission via the wireless channel for at least the duration of the transmission gap after the first communication.

[0183] As described herein, the communications manager 1510 can be implemented to achieve one or more potential advantages. One implementation may allow device 1505 to enhance communication efficiency by using shared radio spectrum during the COT duration without LBT procedures, thereby enabling increased system throughput and reduced latency for certain communications. Furthermore, the implementation may allow device 1505 additional flexibility in scheduling communications during the COT duration to provide efficient resource utilization, among other advantages.

[0184] The network communication manager 1550 can manage (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links) communication with the core network. For example, the network communication manager 1550 can manage data communication transmissions of client devices such as one or more UE 115s.

[0185] Transceiver 1520 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, transceiver 1520 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1520 may also include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna.

[0186] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 1525. However, in other cases, the device may have more than one antenna 1525, which is capable of transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0187] Memory 1530 may include RAM, ROM, or a combination thereof. Memory 1530 may store computer-readable code 1535 including instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 1540), cause the device to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 1530 may contain a BIOS, among other components, that controls basic hardware or software operation, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0188] Processor 1540 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1540 may be configured to use a memory controller to operate a memory array. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1540. Processor 1540 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 1530) to cause device 1505 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication).

[0189] Inter-site communication manager 1555 can manage communication with other base stations 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communication of UE 115 cooperating with other base stations 105. For example, inter-site communication manager 1555 may coordinate the scheduling of transmissions to UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, inter-site communication manager 1555 may provide an X2 interface within LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology to facilitate communication between base stations 105.

[0190] Code 1535 may include instructions for implementing aspects of this disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 1535 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, code 1535 may not be directly executable by processor 1540, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0191] Figure 16 A block diagram 1600 illustrates an apparatus 1605 supporting time-delay-based channel contention in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure. Apparatus 1605 may be an example of an aspect of base station 105 as described herein. Apparatus 1605 may include a receiver 1610, a communication manager 1615, and a transmitter 1620. Apparatus 1605 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0192] Receiver 1610 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication). The information can be transmitted to other components of device 1605. Receiver 1610 can be a reference. Figure 19 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1920 are described. The receiver 1610 can use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0193] The communication manager 1615 may obtain channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access during the COT duration; schedule at least a second wireless device to transmit during a first portion of the COT duration based on a second LBT procedure associated with the COT duration; and receive one or more transmissions from the second wireless device during the COT duration. The communication manager 1615 may be an example of an aspect of the communication manager 1910 described herein.

[0194] The communication manager 1615 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the communication manager 1615 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0195] The communication manager 1615 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the communication manager 1615 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the communication manager 1615 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0196] Transmitter 1620 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 1605. In some examples, transmitter 1620 can be co-located with receiver 1610 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 1620 can be a reference... Figure 19 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1920 are described. The transmitter 1620 can use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0197] Figure 17 A block diagram 1700 illustrates a device 1705 supporting channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure. Device 1705 may be an example of aspects of device 1605 as described herein or base station 105. Device 1705 may include receiver 1710, communication manager 1715, and transmitter 1730. Device 1705 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0198] Receiver 1710 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication). The information can be transmitted to other components of device 1705. Receiver 1710 can be a reference. Figure 19 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1920 are described. The receiver 1710 can use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0199] Communication manager 1715 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1615 described herein. Communication manager 1715 may include LBT manager 1720 and scheduling manager 1725. Communication manager 1715 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1910 described herein.

[0200] LBT Manager 1720 can obtain channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access during the COT duration.

[0201] The scheduler 1725 can schedule at least the second wireless device to transmit during the first part of the COT duration based on a second LBT procedure associated with the COT duration, and receive one or more transmissions from the second wireless device during the COT duration.

[0202] The LBT manager 1720 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the LBT manager 1720 or its sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0203] The LBT manager 1720 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the LBT manager 1720 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the LBT manager 1720 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0204] The scheduler 1725 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the scheduler 1725 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0205] The scheduler 1725 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the scheduler 1725 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the scheduler 1725 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0206] Transmitter 1730 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 1705. In some examples, transmitter 1730 can be co-located with receiver 1710 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 1730 can be a reference... Figure 19 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1920 are described. The transmitter 1730 can use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0207] Figure 18 A block diagram 1800 is shown of a communication manager 1805 supporting pause-time-based channel contention in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure. Communication manager 1805 may be an example of aspects of communication manager 1615, communication manager 1715, or communication manager 1910 described herein. Communication manager 1805 may include LBT manager 1810, scheduling manager 1815, pause-time manager 1820, LBT coordination manager 1825, and beam manager 1830. Each of these modules may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0208] LBT manager 1810 can obtain channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not being used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access during the COT duration. In some cases, a second LBT procedure is executed at any time before the first portion of the COT duration.

[0209] The scheduler 1815 can schedule at least a second wireless device to transmit during a first portion of the COT duration based on a second LBT procedure associated with the COT duration. In some examples, the scheduler 1815 can receive one or more transmissions from the second wireless device during the COT duration.

[0210] The pause time manager 1820 can configure the pause time associated with the LBT procedure. In some cases, the second LBT procedure performs at least a minimum pause time before the first portion of the COT duration. In some cases, the second LBT procedure monitors one or more other transmitters for at least a minimum pause time. In some cases, the minimum pause time corresponds to a period of periodic reserved signal transmission by a device using the wireless channel.

[0211] The LBT Coordination Manager 1825 can schedule a second wireless device to execute a second LBT procedure during an LBT period preceding the first part of the COT duration. In some cases, the LBT period is a time window preceding the first part of the COT duration.

[0212] The beam manager 1830 can configure one or more beamforming parameters for one or more transmit or receive beams. In some cases, the first LBT procedure monitors one or more other transmitters on the first sensing beam, and the first wireless device transmits using one or more transmit beams selected based on the first sensing beam during the COT duration. In some cases, the one or more transmit beams include a subset of available transmit beams associated with the first sensing beam. In some cases, the one or more transmit beams include any available transmit beams with transmit power adjustment, which is a function of the antenna gain of the first sensing beam. In some cases, the one or more transmit beams include any available transmit beams with transmit power adjustment, which is a function of an energy detection threshold of the first sensing beam.

[0213] The LBT manager 1810 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the LBT manager 1810 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0214] The LBT manager 1810 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the LBT manager 1810 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the LBT manager 1810 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, other computing devices, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0215] The scheduler 1815 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the scheduler 1815 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0216] The scheduler 1815 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the scheduler 1815 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the scheduler 1815 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0217] The pause time manager 1820 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the pause time manager 1820 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0218] The pause time manager 1820 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the pause time manager 1820 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the pause time manager 1820 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0219] The LBT Coordination Manager 1825 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the LBT Coordination Manager 1825 or its sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof.

[0220] The LBT Coordination Manager 1825 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components in different physical locations. In some examples, the LBT Coordination Manager 1825 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, the LBT Coordination Manager 1825 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including, but not limited to, I / O components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0221] The beam manager 1830 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the beam manager 1830 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0222] Beam manager 1830 or its sub-components may be physically located in various locations, including distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, beam manager 1830 or its sub-components may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, beam manager 1830 or its sub-components may be combined with one or more other hardware components according to various aspects of this disclosure, including but not limited to I / O components, transceivers, network servers, other computing devices, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0223] Figure 19 A diagram illustrating a system 1900 including a device 1905 supporting channel contention based on time delay in wireless communication, according to aspects of this disclosure. Device 1905 may be an example of a component of device 1605, device 1705, or base station 105 as described herein, or a component including device 1605, device 1705, or base station 105 as described herein. Device 1905 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 1910, a network communication manager 1915, a transceiver 1920, an antenna 1925, a memory 1930, a processor 1940, and an inter-station communication manager 1945. These components may communicate electronically via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1955).

[0224] The communication manager 1910 can obtain channel access to the wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access during the COT duration; schedule at least a second wireless device to transmit during a first portion of the COT duration based on a second LBT procedure associated with the COT duration; and receive one or more transmissions from the second wireless device during the COT duration.

[0225] The Network Communication Manager 1915 can manage (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links) communication with the core network. For example, the Network Communication Manager 1915 can manage data communication transmissions of client devices such as one or more UE 115s.

[0226] Transceiver 1920 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, transceiver 1920 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1920 may also include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna.

[0227] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 1925. However, in other cases, the device may have more than one antenna 1925, which is capable of transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0228] Memory 1930 may include RAM, ROM, or a combination thereof. Memory 1930 may store computer-readable code 1935 including instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 1940), cause the device to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 1930 may contain a BIOS, among other components, that controls basic hardware or software operation, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0229] Processor 1940 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1940 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1940. Processor 1940 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 1930) to cause device 1905 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication).

[0230] Inter-site communication manager 1945 can manage communication with other base stations 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communication with UE 115 cooperating with other base stations 105. For example, inter-site communication manager 1945 may coordinate the scheduling of transmissions to UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, inter-site communication manager 1945 may provide an X2 interface within LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology to facilitate communication between base stations 105.

[0231] Code 1935 may include instructions for implementing aspects of this disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 1935 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, code 1935 may not be directly executable by processor 1940, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0232] Figure 20 A flowchart illustrating a method 2000 for supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 2000 can be implemented by a UE 115 or base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. For example, operation of method 2000 can be performed by a communication manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described. In some examples, the UE or base station may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE or base station to perform the following functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE or base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0233] In 2005, a UE or base station can obtain channel access to a radio channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the radio channel in the shared radio spectrum is not being used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for a maximum COT duration. Operation of 2005 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 2005 can be performed by an LBT manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0234] In 2010, a UE or base station may, in response to gaining channel access, transmit first communication to one or more receiving devices via a radio channel during the maximum COT duration. Operations in 2010 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations in 2010 may be performed by a scheduling manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0235] In 2015, the UE or base station can interrupt transmission via the radio channel for at least the duration of the transmission gap after the first communication. Operations in 2015 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the 2015 operation can be performed by the COT manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0236] In 2020, a UE or base station may send a second communication to one or more receiving devices after a transmission gap and in the absence of a second LBT procedure during the maximum COT duration. The operation of 2020 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 2020 can be performed by a scheduling manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0237] Figure 21 A flowchart illustrating a method 2100 for supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 2100 can be implemented by a UE 115 or base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. For example, operation of method 2100 can be performed by a communication manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described. In some examples, the UE or base station may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE or base station to perform the following functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE or base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0238] In 2105, a UE or base station can obtain channel access to a radio channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that the radio channel in the shared radio spectrum is not being used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for a maximum COT duration. Operation of 2105 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 2105 can be performed by an LBT manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0239] In 2110, the UE or base station may, in response to obtaining channel access, transmit first communication to one or more receiving devices via a radio channel during the maximum COT duration. Operation 2110 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 2110 may be performed by a scheduling manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0240] In 2115, the UE or base station may interrupt transmission via the radio channel for at least the duration of the transmission gap after the first communication. Operation 2115 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation 2115 can be performed by the COT manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0241] In 2120, the UE or base station can determine that the transmission gap is less than a threshold transmission gap duration, and wherein a second communication is transmitted in the absence of a second LBT procedure in response to the transmission gap being less than the threshold transmission gap duration. Operation 2120 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation 2120 can be performed by the COT manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0242] In 2125, the UE or base station may send a second communication to one or more receiving devices after a transmission gap and in the absence of a second LBT procedure, during the maximum COT duration. Operation 2125 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation 2125 can be performed by a scheduling manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0243] In 2130, the UE or base station may interrupt transmission via the wireless channel for at least the duration of the second transmission gap after the second communication. Operation 2130 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation 2130 can be performed by a scheduling manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0244] In 2135, the UE or base station can determine that the second transmission gap meets or exceeds a threshold transmission gap duration. Operation 2135 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation 2135 can be performed by the COT manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0245] In step 2140, the UE or base station can execute a second LBT procedure indicating that the radio channel is not being used by one or more other transmitters. The operation of step 2140 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of step 2140 can be performed by the LBT manager, as described in reference [reference needed]. Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0246] In 2145, a UE or base station can send third-party communications to one or more receiving devices. Operations of 2145 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 2145 can be performed by a scheduling manager, as referred to... Figures 11 to 15 As described.

[0247] Figure 22A flowchart illustrating a method 2200 for supporting channel contention based on delay time in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 2200 can be implemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 2200 can be performed by a communication manager, as referred to... Figures 16 to 19 As described. In some examples, the base station can execute a set of instructions to control the base station's functional elements to perform the following functions. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0248] In 2205, a base station can obtain channel access to a wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that a wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not being used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for the duration of COT. Operation of 2205 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 2205 can be performed by an LBT manager, as referred to... Figures 16 to 19 As described.

[0249] In 2210, the base station can schedule at least a second radio device to transmit during the first portion of the COT duration based on a second LBT procedure associated with the COT duration. Operation 2210 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 2210 can be performed by a scheduling manager, as referred to... Figures 16 to 19 As described.

[0250] In 2215, the base station can receive one or more transmissions from a second wireless device during the COT duration. Operations of 2215 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 2215 can be performed by a scheduling manager, as referred to... Figures 16 to 19 As described.

[0251] Figure 23 A flowchart illustrating a method 2300 for supporting channel contention based on pause time in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 2300 can be implemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 2300 can be performed by a communication manager, as referred to... Figures 16 to 19 As described. In some examples, the base station can execute a set of instructions to control the base station's functional elements to perform the following functions. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0252] In 2305, a base station can obtain channel access to a wireless channel based on a first LBT procedure indicating that a wireless channel in the shared radio spectrum is not being used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides channel access for the duration of COT. Operation of 2305 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 2305 can be performed by an LBT manager, as referred to... Figures 16 to 19 As described.

[0253] In 2310, the base station can schedule at least a second radio device to transmit during the first portion of the COT duration based on a second LBT procedure associated with the COT duration. Operations of 2310 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 2310 can be performed by a scheduling manager, as referred to... Figures 16 to 19 As described.

[0254] In 2315, the base station can schedule a second radio device to execute a second LBT procedure during the LBT period preceding the first part of the COT duration. The operation of 2315 can be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 2315 can be performed by the LBT coordination manager, as referred to... Figures 16 to 19 As described.

[0255] In 2320, the base station can receive one or more transmissions from a second wireless device during the COT duration. Operations of 2320 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of 2320 operations can be performed by a scheduling manager, as referred to... Figures 16 to 19 As described.

[0256] Figure 24 A flowchart illustrating a method 2400 for supporting channel contention based on delay time in wireless communication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 2400 can be implemented by a UE 115 or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 2400 can be performed by a communication manager, as referred to... Figures 7 to 10 As described. In some examples, the UE can execute a set of instructions to control the UE's functional elements to perform the following functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the following functions.

[0257] In 2405, the UE can receive scheduling information from a first radio device that has already obtained channel access to a radio channel in the shared radio spectrum. This scheduling information indicates that a first portion of the COT duration will be used for communication by a second radio device via the radio channel. Operation 2405 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 2405 can be performed by a scheduling manager, as referred to... Figures 7 to 10 As described.

[0258] In 2410, the UE can perform an LBT procedure based on scheduling information to determine that the radio channel is not being used by one or more other transmitters, at least with a minimum pause time. The operation of 2410 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 2410 can be performed by the LBT manager, as referred to... Figures 7 to 10 As described.

[0259] In 2415, the UE can send communications in response to executing an LBT procedure. Operations of 2415 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of 2415 operations can be performed by the dispatch manager, as referred to... Figures 7 to 10 As described.

[0260] It should be noted that the methods described in this paper describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps can be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more methods can be combined.

[0261] The following provides an overview of aspects of this disclosure:

[0262] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication, comprising: obtaining channel access to a wireless channel based at least in part on a first LBT procedure indicating that a wireless channel in a shared radio spectrum is not used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides the channel access for a maximum COT duration; in response to obtaining the channel access, transmitting a first communication to one or more receiving devices via the wireless channel during the maximum COT duration; causing a transmission interruption via the wireless channel for at least a transmission gap duration after the first communication; and transmitting a second communication to the one or more receiving devices during the maximum COT duration after the transmission gap and in the absence of a second LBT procedure.

[0263] Aspect 2: According to the method of aspect 1, wherein the second communication is initiated at any time during the maximum COT duration without executing the second LBT procedure.

[0264] Aspect 3: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 2 further includes determining that the transmission gap is less than a threshold transmission gap duration, and wherein the second communication is transmitted in the absence of the second LBT procedure in response to the transmission gap being less than the threshold transmission gap duration.

[0265] Aspect 4: The method according to aspect 3, wherein the transmission gap is a first transmission gap, and wherein the method further comprises: causing a transmission interruption via the wireless channel for at least the duration of a second transmission gap after the second communication; determining that the second transmission gap satisfies or exceeds a threshold transmission gap duration; executing a second LBT procedure indicating that the wireless channel is not used by one or more other transmitters; and sending a third communication to the one or more receiving devices.

[0266] Aspect 5: According to the method of aspect 4, wherein the second LBT procedure monitors the one or more other transmitters for at least a minimum delay time.

[0267] Aspect 6: According to the method of aspect 5, wherein the minimum delay time corresponds to the periodic reserved signal transmission time of the device using the wireless channel.

[0268] Aspect 7: The method according to aspect 6, wherein the first LBT procedure monitors the one or more other transmitters for at least the minimum delay time.

[0269] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein the first LBT procedure monitors the one or more other transmitters on a first sensing beam and transmits the first communication and the second communication using one or more transmission beams selected at least in part based on the first sensing beam.

[0270] Aspect 9: According to the method of aspect 8, wherein the one or more transmit beams include a subset of available transmit beams associated with the first sensing beam.

[0271] Aspect 10: The method according to any one of aspects 8 to 9, wherein the one or more transmit beams include any available transmit beam with transmit power adjustment, the transmit power adjustment being a function of the antenna gain of the first sensing beam.

[0272] Aspect 11: The method according to any one of aspects 8 to 10, wherein the one or more transmit beams include any available transmit beam with transmit power adjustment, the transmit power adjustment being a function of the energy detection threshold of the first sensing beam.

[0273] Aspect 12: A method for wireless communication at a first wireless device, comprising: obtaining channel access to the wireless channel based at least in part on a first LBT procedure indicating that a wireless channel in a shared radio spectrum is not used by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first LBT procedure provides the channel access during a COT duration; scheduling at least a second wireless device to transmit during a first portion of the COT duration based on a second LBT procedure associated with the COT duration; and receiving one or more transmissions from the second wireless device during the COT duration.

[0274] Aspect 13: According to the method of aspect 12, wherein the second LBT procedure performs at least a minimum pause time before the first portion of the COT duration.

[0275] Aspect 14: According to the method of aspect 12, wherein the second LBT program is executed at any time prior to the first portion of the COT duration.

[0276] Aspect 15: The method according to any one of aspects 12 to 14, wherein the scheduling further comprises: scheduling the second wireless device to execute the second LBT procedure during an LBT period prior to the first portion of the COT duration.

[0277] Aspect 16: According to the method of aspect 15, wherein the LBT period is a time window preceding the first portion of the COT duration.

[0278] Aspect 17: The method according to aspect 16, wherein the second LBT procedure monitors the one or more other transmitters for at least a minimum pause time.

[0279] Aspect 18: According to the method of aspect 17, wherein the minimum delay time corresponds to the periodic reserved signal transmission time of the device using the wireless channel.

[0280] Aspect 19: The method according to any one of aspects 12 to 18, wherein the first LBT procedure monitors the one or more other transmitters on the first sensing beam, and the first wireless device transmits during the COT duration using one or more transmission beams selected at least in part based on the first sensing beam.

[0281] Aspect 20: According to the method of aspect 19, wherein the one or more transmit beams include a subset of available transmit beams associated with the first sensing beam.

[0282] Aspect 21: The method according to any one of aspects 19 to 20, wherein the one or more transmit beams include any available transmit beam with transmit power adjustment, the transmit power adjustment being a function of the antenna gain of the first sensing beam.

[0283] Aspect 22: The method according to any one of aspects 19 to 21, wherein the one or more transmit beams include any available transmit beam with transmit power adjustment, the transmit power adjustment being a function of the energy detection threshold of the first sensing beam.

[0284] Aspect 23: A method for wireless communication at a second wireless device, comprising: receiving scheduling information from a first wireless device that has already obtained channel access to a wireless channel in a shared radio spectrum, the scheduling information indicating that a first portion of a COT duration will be used for communication by the second wireless device via the wireless channel; performing an LBT procedure at least in part based on the scheduling information to determine that the wireless channel is not being used by one or more other transmitters; and transmitting the communication in response to performing the LBT procedure.

[0285] Aspect 24: According to the method of aspect 23, wherein the LBT program is executed at any time after receiving the scheduling information and before the first portion of the COT duration.

[0286] Aspect 25: According to the method of aspect 23, wherein the scheduling information instructs the second wireless device to execute the LBT procedure during an identified LBT period prior to the first portion of the COT duration.

[0287] Aspect 26: According to the method of aspect 25, wherein the LBT period is a time window preceding the first portion of the COT duration, and the LBT procedure can be performed at any time during the time window.

[0288] Aspect 27: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of aspects 1 to 11.

[0289] Aspect 28: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one component for performing the method described in any one of aspects 1 to 11.

[0290] Aspect 29: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, said code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the methods described in any one of aspects 1 to 11.

[0291] Aspect 30: An apparatus for wireless communication at a first wireless device, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of aspects 12 to 22.

[0292] Aspect 31: An apparatus for wireless communication at a first wireless device, comprising at least one component for performing the method described in any one of aspects 12 to 22.

[0293] Aspect 32: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a first wireless device, the code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the methods described in any one of aspects 12 to 22.

[0294] Aspect 33: An apparatus for wireless communication at a second wireless device, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of aspects 23 to 26.

[0295] Aspect 34: An apparatus for wireless communication at a second wireless device, comprising at least one component for performing the method described in any one of aspects 23 to 26.

[0296] Aspect 35: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a second wireless device, the code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the methods described in any one of aspects 23 to 26.

[0297] While various aspects of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems may be described for illustrative purposes, and the terms LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR may be used in most of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the techniques described may be applicable to a variety of other wireless communication systems, such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0298] The information and signals described herein can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout this specification can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0299] The various illustrative blocks and components described herein can be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any 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, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0300] The functions described herein can be implemented using hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, these functions can be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and embodiments are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwired, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions can also be physically located in different locations, including distributed across various locations such that some functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0301] Computer-readable media include non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, including any media that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media can be any available medium accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, optical disc (CD) ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store intended program code components in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Furthermore, any connection is appropriately referred to as computer-readable media. For example, the definition of computer-readable media includes coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave. The disks and optical discs used in this application include CDs, laser discs, optical discs, digital multifunction discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0302] As used herein, the word "or" in a series of objects (e.g., a series of objects beginning with phrases such as "at least one" or "one or more") indicates an inclusive enumeration; for example, at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be construed as a reference to a set of closing conditions. For example, an example step described as "based on condition A" could be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, the phrase "based on" as used herein should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "at least partially based on".

[0303] In the accompanying drawings, similar parts or features may have the same reference numerals. Furthermore, various components of the same type can be distinguished by adding a dash after the reference numeral and a second label to differentiate similar components. If only a first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description applies to any similar component having the same first reference numeral, regardless of a second or other subsequent reference numeral.

[0304] The description herein, illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrates exemplary configurations and does not represent all examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and not "preferred" or "superior to other examples." This detailed description includes specific details used to provide an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0305] The purpose of this disclosure is to enable those skilled in the art to implement or use it. Various modifications to this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be given the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus comprising: a processor; a memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: obtain channel access to a wireless channel in a shared radio frequency spectrum based at least in part on a first listen-before-talk procedure indicating that the wireless channel is unused by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first listen-before-talk procedure provides the channel access for a maximum channel occupancy duration, wherein the first listen-before-talk procedure monitors for the one or more other transmitters for at least a minimum defer time, wherein a device using the wireless channel periodically transmits a reservation signal, and wherein the minimum defer time corresponds to a period of transmitting the reservation signal; in response to obtaining the channel access, transmit a first communication to one or more receiving devices via the wireless channel during the maximum channel occupancy duration; cause a discontinuity in transmissions via the wireless channel for a duration of at least a transmission gap following the first communication; and transmit a second communication to the one or more receiving devices during the maximum channel occupancy duration following the transmission gap and in an absence of a second listen-before-talk procedure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second communication is transmitted at any time during the maximum channel occupancy duration without performing the second listen-before-talk procedure.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: determine that the transmission gap is less than a threshold transmission gap duration, and wherein the second communication is transmitted in the absence of the second listen-before-talk procedure in response to the transmission gap being less than the threshold transmission gap duration.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmission gap is a first transmission gap, and the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: cause a discontinuity in transmissions via the wireless channel for a duration of at least a second transmission gap following the second communication; determine that the second transmission gap meets or exceeds the threshold transmission gap duration; perform the second listen-before-talk procedure indicating that the wireless channel is unused by the one or more other transmitters; and transmit a third communication to the one or more receiving devices.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second listen-before-talk procedure monitors for the one or more other transmitters for at least the minimum defer time.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first listen-before-talk procedure monitors the one or more other transmitters on a first sensing beam, and wherein the first communication and the second communication are transmitted using one or more transmit beams selected based at least in part on the first sensing beam.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the one or more transmit beams comprise a subset of available transmit beams associated with the first sensing beam. ​ ​ 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the one or more transmit beams comprise any available transmit beams with a transmit power adjustment that is a function of an antenna gain of the first sensing beam.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the one or more transmit beams comprise any available transmit beams with a transmit power adjustment that is a function of an energy detection threshold of the first sensing beam.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an antenna or a display or a user interface, or a combination thereof.

11. A method of wireless communication, comprising: obtaining channel access to a wireless channel in a shared radio frequency spectrum based at least in part on a first listen-before-talk procedure indicating that the wireless channel is unused by one or more other transmitters, wherein the first listen-before-talk procedure provides the channel access for a maximum channel occupancy duration, wherein the first listen-before-talk procedure monitors for the one or more other transmitters for at least a minimum defer time, wherein a device using the wireless channel periodically transmits a reservation signal, and wherein the minimum defer time corresponds to a period of transmitting the reservation signal; responsive to obtaining the channel access, transmitting a first communication to one or more receiving devices via the wireless channel during the maximum channel occupancy duration; causing a discontinuity in transmission via the wireless channel for at least a duration of a transmission gap following the first communication; and transmitting a second communication to the one or more receiving devices during the maximum channel occupancy duration following the transmission gap and in an absence of a second listen-before-talk procedure.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second communication is transmitted at any time during the maximum channel occupancy duration without performing the second listen-before-talk procedure.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining that the transmission gap is less than a threshold transmission gap duration, and wherein the second communication is transmitted in the absence of the second listen-before-talk procedure responsive to the transmission gap being less than the threshold transmission gap duration.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmission gap is a first transmission gap, and the method further comprises: causing a discontinuity in transmission via the wireless channel for at least a duration of a second transmission gap following the second communication; determining that the second transmission gap meets or exceeds the threshold transmission gap duration; performing the second listen-before-talk procedure indicating that the wireless channel is unused by the one or more other transmitters; and transmitting a third communication to the one or more receiving devices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second listen-before-talk procedure monitors for the one or more other transmitters for at least the minimum defer time. ​ ​ 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the first listen-before-talk procedure monitors for the one or more other transmitters on a first sensing beam, and wherein the first communication and the second communication are transmitted using one or more transmit beams selected based at least in part on the first sensing beam.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more transmit beams comprise a subset of available transmit beams associated with the first sensing beam.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more transmit beams comprise any available transmit beam with a transmit power adjustment that is a function of an antenna gain of the first sensing beam.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more transmit beams comprise any available transmit beam with a transmit power adjustment that is a function of an energy detection threshold of the first sensing beam.

20. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 11 to 19.

21. A computer readable medium having program code stored thereon, wherein the program code is executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform the method of any one of claims 11 to 19.

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