Systems, methods, and devices for nr sidelink in unlicensed spectrum

Abstract

The techniques described herein include solutions for enabling NR sidelink (SL) communications by providing a user equipment (UE) with a configured grant (CG) for one-way and / or two-way SL communications using radio resource control (RRC). The techniques can also include solutions for a UE to obtain a channel occupancy time (COT) for SL communications, procedures for sharing the COT with other UEs, and procedures for CG uplink control information (UCI) for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions for NR in unlicensed spectrum (NR-U). The techniques described herein also include solutions for channel state information (CSI) feedback for CG (CG-Sidelink-U) for SL in unlicensed spectrum. SL techniques for transmission power control for SL communications and clear channel assessment (CCA) procedures are also described herein.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication networks, including techniques for enabling New Radio (NR) sidelink (SL) within a wireless communication network. BACKGROUND

[0002] As the number of mobile devices and demand for mobile data traffic continues to increase, changes to systems requirements and architecture are needed in order to better meet the current and expected demand. For example, some wireless communication networks can be developed to implement fifth generation (5G) or New Radio (NR) technology, sixth generation (6G) technology, etc. One aspect of such technology includes addressing how wireless devices (e.g., user equipment (UE)) can establish a sidelink (SL) between each other. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0003] The present disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals designate like structural, functional, and / or procedural elements. The drawings and corresponding description are provided as non-limiting examples of aspects, implementations, etc. of the present disclosure, and the mention of “an” or “one” aspect, implementation, etc. can not necessarily designate the same aspect, implementation, etc., and can mean at least one, one, or more, etc.

[0004] Figure 1 is a diagram of an example network in accordance with one or more implementations described herein.

[0005] Figure 2 is a diagram of an example of a New Radio (NR) sidelink (SL) connection between user equipment (UE) of a wireless telecommunications network.

[0006] Figure 3 is a diagram of an example of a process for enabling NR SL communication in unlicensed spectrum.

[0007] Figure 4 is a diagram of an example of a process for enabling NR SL communication by providing a one-way configured grant (CG) to a user equipment (UE) via radio resource control (RRC) messaging.

[0008] Figure 5 is a diagram of an example of a one-way SL CG of a UE relative to a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) periodicity.

[0009] Figure 6 is a diagram of an example of a process for enabling NR SL by providing a two-way CG to a UE via RRC messaging.

[0010] Figure 7 is a diagram of an example of a two-way SL CG of a UE relative to frequency and time.

[0011] Figure 8 FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a bi-directional SL CG of a UE relative to PUSCH periodicity.

[0012] Figure 9 FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example of sharing SL channel occupancy time (COT) with UE initiated COT.

[0013] Figure 10 FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example of sharing SL COT with base station initiated COT.

[0014] Figure 11 FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example of CG uplink control information (CG-UCI) for CG SL (CG-Sidelink-U) in unlicensed spectrum.

[0015] Figure 12 FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example for providing channel state information (CSI) feedback for CG-Sidelink-U.

[0016] Figure 13 FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example of components of a device, in accordance with one or more implementations described herein.

[0017] Figure 14 FIG. 7 is a diagram of exemplary interfaces of baseband circuitry, in accordance with one or more implementations described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following detailed description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings. Similar reference numerals in different drawings identify similar or like features, elements, operations, etc. Additionally, the disclosure is not limited to the following description as other implementations can be utilized and structural or logical changes can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0019] A mobile communication network can include user equipment (UE) capable of communicating with base stations and other network nodes. The UEs are also capable of communicating directly with each other via using sidelink (SL) communications. As described herein, SL communications can include one or more frequency bands of unlicensed wireless spectrum (e.g., frequency range 1 (FR1) from 450 MHz to 6,000 MHz, frequency range 2 (FR2) from 24250 MHz to 52600 MHz, and possibly up to 71 GHz). SL communications can be beneficial for network environments involving network controlled interactive services (NCIS), requiring high throughput and low latency (e.g., an indoor factory floor including many wireless communication devices), etc.

[0020] The techniques described herein include solutions for enabling SL communications. These techniques can include using radio resource control (RRC) messaging to provide a UE with a configured grant (CG) (e.g., timing, frequency, channel, periodicity, etc.) for one-way and / or two-way SL communications. These techniques can also include solutions for a UE to obtain channel occupancy time (COT) for SL communications, as well as rules for sharing COT with other UEs, and rules for CG uplink control information (UCI) for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions of NR in unlicensed spectrum (NR-U). The techniques described herein can also include solutions for channel state information (CSI) feedback for CG (CG-Sidelink-U) for SL in unlicensed spectrum. SL techniques for transmission power control for SL communications and performing a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure are also described herein. Thus, the techniques described herein can be applied to indoor SL transmissions in unlicensed bands, enabling NR-U techniques and Uu link design (up to 71 GHz) of 3GPP communication standards, providing RRC configuration of UE pairs, CCA procedures, and interference control for SL communications to enable dense usage. Non-limiting examples, implementations, features, aspects, and details of these techniques and solutions are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As used herein, terms such as CG-Sidelink, CG-Sidelink-U, CG SL, and the like can generally refer to a configured grant for participating in SL communications involving unlicensed wireless spectrum.

[0021] Figure 1 is an example network 100 in accordance with one or more implementations described herein. The example network 100 can include UEs 110-1, UE 110-2, and the like (collectively “UEs 110” and individually “UE 110”), a radio access network (RAN) 120, a core network (CN) 130, an application server 140, an external network 150, and a satellite 160-1, satellite 160-2, and the like (collectively “satellites 160” and individually “satellite 160”). As illustrated, the network 100 can include a non-terrestrial network (NTN) that includes one or more satellites 160 (e.g., satellites of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)) in communication with the UEs 110 and the RAN 120.

[0022] The systems and devices of example network 100 can operate in accordance with one or more communication standards, such as 2nd Generation (2G), 3rd Generation (3G), 4th Generation (4G) (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)) and / or 5th Generation (5G) (e.g., New Radio (NR)) communication standards of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the systems and devices of example network 100 can operate in accordance with other communication standards and protocols as discussed herein, including future releases or generations of 3GPP standards (e.g., 6th Generation (6G) standards, 7th Generation (7G) standards, etc.), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards (e.g., Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), etc.), etc.

[0023] As shown, UE 110 can include a smartphone (e.g., a handheld touchscreen mobile computing device capable of connecting to one or more wireless communication networks). Additionally or alternatively, UE 110 can include other types of mobile or non-mobile computing devices capable of wireless communication, such as a personal data assistant (PDA), a pager, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wireless handset, etc. In some implementations, UE 110 can include an Internet of Things (IoT) device (or IoT UE), which can include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications relying on short-lived UE connections. Additionally or alternatively, an IoT UE can utilize one or more technologies, such as machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, or machine type communication (MTC), sensor networks, IoT networks, etc. Depending on the scenario, M2M or MTC data exchange can be machine-initiated exchange of data, and the IoT network can include interconnecting IoT UEs (which can include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connections. In some scenarios, an IoT UE can perform background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate the connections of the IoT network.

[0024] The UE 110 can communicate with and establish a connection with (e.g., be communicatively coupled with) the RAN 120, which can involve one or more wireless channels 114-1 and 114-2, each of which can comprise a physical layer / interface for communication. In some implementations, the UE can be configured with dual connectivity (DC) as multi-RAT or multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), where a UE that supports multiple reception and transmission (Rx / Tx) can use resources provided by different network nodes (e.g., 122-1 and 122-2), which can be connected via a non-ideal backhaul (e.g., where one network node provides NR access and the other network node provides E-UTRA for LTE or NR access for 5G). In such scenarios, one network node can operate as a master node (MN) and the other node as a secondary node (SN). The MN and SN can be connected via a network interface, and at least the MN can be connected to the CN 130. Additionally, at least one of the MN or SN can operate with shared spectrum channel access, and the functionality designated for the UE 110 can be for an integrated access and backhaul mobile terminal (IAB-MT). Similar to the UE 101, the IAB-MT can access the network using one network node or using two different nodes with an enhanced dual connectivity (EN-DC) architecture, a new radio dual connectivity (NR-DC) architecture, etc. In some implementations, a base station (as described herein) can be an example of a network node 122.

[0025] As shown, the UE 110 likewise or alternatively can be connected via a connection interface 118 to an access point (AP) 116, which can include a wireless local area network (WLAN), a WLAN node, a WLAN termination point, etc. The connection 1207 can include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 702.11 protocol, and the AP 116 can comprise a wireless fidelity router or other AP. While the connection 1207 is shown as a local connection, the connection 1207 can be a wide area connection, such as a cellular connection. Figure 1The AP 116 is not explicitly depicted, but the AP 116 can connect to another network (e.g., the Internet) without connecting to the RAN 120 or the CN 130. In some scenarios, the UE 110, the RAN 120, and the AP 116 can be configured to use LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) technology or LTE WLAN radio level (LWIP) technology integrated with IPsec tunnel. LWA can involve the RAN 120 configuring a UE 110 in RRC CONNECTED to utilize radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP can involve the UE 110 utilizing WLAN radio resources (e.g., the connectivity interface 118) via IPsec protocol tunneling to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) packets) communicated via the connectivity interface 118. IPsec tunneling can include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packet.

[0026] The RAN 120 can include one or more RAN nodes 122-1 and 122-2 (collectively referred to as RAN nodes 122 and individually as RAN node 122) that enable the establishment of a channel 114-1 and 114-2 between the UE 110 and the RAN 120. The RAN nodes 122 can include network access points configured to provide radio baseband functions for data and / or voice connectivity for users and networks in accordance with one or more communication techniques described herein (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, WiFi, etc.). Thus, as examples, the RAN nodes can be E-UTRAN Node Bs (e.g., enhanced Node Bs, eNodeBs, eNBs, 4G base stations, etc.), next generation base stations (e.g., 5G base stations, NR base stations, next generation eNBs (gNBs), etc.). The RAN nodes 122 can include road-side units (RSUs), transmission reception points (TRxPs or TRPs), and one or more other types of ground stations (e.g., ground access points). In some scenarios, the RAN nodes 122 can be dedicated physical devices such as macrocell base stations and / or low power (LP) base stations for providing femtocells, picocells, or other like cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth than macrocells. As described below, in some implementations, the satellites 160 can operate as base stations (e.g., RAN nodes 122) relative to the UEs 110. Thus, references herein to base stations, RAN nodes 122, etc. can relate to implementations in which the base stations, RAN nodes 122, etc. are ground-based network nodes, and also to implementations in which the base stations, RAN nodes 122, etc. are non-ground-based network nodes (e.g., satellites 160).

[0027] Some or all of the RAN nodes 122 can be implemented as one or more software entities running on server computers, as part of a virtual network, which can be referred to as a Centralized RAN (CRAN) and / or a Virtual Base Band Unit Pool (vBBUP). In these implementations, the CRAN or vBBUP can enable a RAN function split, such as a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) split, where Radio Resource Control (RRC) and PDCP layers can be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP and other Layer 2 (L2) protocol entities can be operated by individual RAN nodes 122; a Medium Access Control (MAC) / Physical (PHY) split, where RRC, PDCP, Radio Link Control (RLC), and MAC layers can be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP and a PHY layer can be operated by individual RAN nodes 122; or a“lower PHY” split, where RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layers, and an upper part of the PHY layer can be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP and a lower part of the PHY layer can be operated by individual RAN nodes 122. This virtualized framework can allow the free processor cores of the RAN nodes 122 to perform or implement other virtualization applications.

[0028] In some implementations, individual RAN nodes 122 can represent individual gNB Distributed Units (DUs) connected to a gNB Central Unit (CU) via individual Fl interfaces. In such implementations, the gNB-DUs can include one or more remote radio heads or radio frequency (RF) front end modules (RFEMs), and the gNB-CU can be operated by a server (not shown) located in the RAN 120 or by a pool of servers, for example, a group of servers configured to share resources, in a similar manner as the CRAN / vBBUP. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the RAN nodes 122 can be Next Generation e Bs (i.e., gNBs), which can provide Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UEs 110 and can be connected to a 5G Core Network (5GC) 130 via an NG interface.

[0029] Any of the RAN nodes 122 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for a UE 110. In some implementations, any of the RAN nodes 122 can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN 120 including, but not limited to, RNC functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management. The UEs 110 can be configured to communicate with any of the RAN nodes 122 or with other network nodes using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals using a multiple-access scheme such as, but not limited to, OFDMA communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communications) or Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink (SL) communications), although the scope of the subject innovation is not limited in this respect. OFDM signals can comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

[0030] In some implementations, a downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 122 to the UEs 110, while uplink transmissions can utilize a similar approach. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which is used to convey the downlink transmissions. This grid can be formed from a number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and a number of consecutive time slots in the time domain. For OFDM systems, the resource grid can be formed from a number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and a number of consecutive time slots in the time domain. Each resource grid can be referred to as a resource block, where the term "resource" refers to both time and frequency in this context. Each resource grid corresponds to a number of subcarriers in the frequency domain and a number of time slots in the time domain.

[0031] Further, RAN nodes 122 can be configured to wirelessly communicate with UE 110 and / or with each other over a licensed medium (also referred to as a“licensed spectrum” and / or a“licensed band”), an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as an“unlicensed spectrum” and / or an“unlicensed band”), or a combination thereof. The licensed spectrum can include channels that are selected, reserved, regulated, and / or otherwise determined for use by a certain type of wireless activity (e.g., wireless telecommunications network activity), while the unlicensed spectrum can include one or more bands that are not limited for use by a certain type of wireless activity. Whether a particular band corresponds to a licensed or unlicensed medium can depend on one or more factors, such as frequency allocation designations made by public sector organizations (e.g., government agencies, regulatory bodies, etc.), frequency allocation designations made by private sector organizations involved in the development of wireless communication standards and protocols, etc.

[0032] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, UEs 110 and RAN nodes 122 can operate using License Assisted Access (LAA), eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these implementations, UEs 110 and RAN nodes 122 can perform one or more known clear channel assessment or carrier sense operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmitting in the unlicensed spectrum. The medium / carrier sensing operations can be performed according to Listen Before Talk (LBT) protocols.

[0033] The LAA mechanisms can be built on top of the Carrier Aggregation (CA) techniques of the LTE-Advanced system. In CA, each aggregated carrier is referred to as a component carrier (CC). In some cases, individual CCs can have a different bandwidth than other CCs. In a time division duplex (TDD) system, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC can be the same for DL and UL. CA also involves individual serving cells to provide individual CCs. The coverage of the serving cells can differ, for example, because CCs on different frequency bands will experience different pathloss. A primary serving cell or PCell can provide a primary component carrier for both UL and DL and can handle RRC and non-access stratum (NAS)-related activities. Other serving cells are referred to as SCells, and each SCell can provide a single secondary component carrier (SCC) for both UL and DL. The SCCs can be added and removed as required, while changing the PCC can require the UE 110 to undergo a handover. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells can operate in unlicensed spectrum (referred to as “LAA SCells”), and the LAA SCells are assisted by a PCell operating in licensed spectrum. When a UE is configured with more than one LAA SCell, the UE can receive a UL grant on a configured LAA SCell indicating different PUSCH starting positions within the same subframe.

[0034] A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) can carry user data and higher layer signaling to the UEs 110. The PDCCH can carry information about the transport format and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel, among other information. The PDCCH can also carry information about the transport format, resource allocation, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (e.g., assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to the UEs 110-2 within a cell) can be performed at any of the RAN nodes 122 based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs 110. The downlink resource assignment information can be sent on the PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UEs 110.

[0035] A PDCCH uses control channel elements (CCEs) to convey control information, where a plurality of CCEs (e.g., 6, etc.) can be composed of resource element groups (REGs), where a REG is defined as a PRB in an OFDM symbol. For example, prior to being mapped to resource elements, PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruplets, which can then be permuted using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs can be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as REGs. Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. The PDCCH can be transmitted using one or more CCEs, depending on the size of the DCI and the channel condition. There can be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=1, 2, 4, 8, or 16) having different numbers of CCEs.

[0036] Some implementations can use concepts for resource allocation for control channel information that are an extension of the above-described concepts. For example, some implementations can utilize an extended (E)-PDCCH that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. An EPDCCH can be transmitted using one or more ECCEs. Similar to above, each ECCE can correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as EREGs. An ECCE can have other numbers of EREGs in some cases.

[0037] The RAN nodes 122 can be configured to communicate with one another via interface 123. In implementations where the system is an LTE system, the interface 123 can be an X2 interface. The X2 interface can be defined between two or more RAN nodes 122 (e.g., two or more eNBs, or eNBs and gNBs, or gNBs, or a combination thereof) that connect to the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or CN 130, or between two eNBs connecting to a EPC. In some implementations, the X2 interface can include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). The X2-U can provide flow control mechanisms for user data packets transferred over the X2 interface, and can be used to communicate information about the delivery of user data between eNBs or gNBs. For example, the X2-U can provide specific sequence number information for user data transferred from a master eNB (MeNB) to a secondary eNB (SeNB); information about successfully in-sequence delivery of PDCP packet data units (PDUs) to a UE 110 from the SeNB for user data; information of PDCP PDUs that are not delivered to the UE 110; information about a current minimum desired buffer size at the SeNB for transmission of user data to the UE; and the like. The X2-C can provide intra-LTE access mobility functions (e.g., including context transfer from source to target eNB, user plane transport control, and the like), load management functions, and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0038] As illustrated, the RAN 120 can be connected to the CN 130 (e.g., communicatively coupled). The CN 130 can comprise a plurality of network elements 132 configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UEs 110) connecting to the CN 130 via the RAN 120. In some implementations, the CN 130 can include an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G CN, and / or one or more additional or alternate types of CNs. The components of the CN 130 can be implemented in one physical node or separate physical nodes, including components to read and execute instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In some implementations, network function virtualization (NFV) can be employed to virtualize any or all of the above-described network nodes / functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage mediums (described in further detail below). A logical instance of the CN 130 can be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of the CN 130 can be referred to as a network sub-slice. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) architectures and infrastructures can be used to virtualize one or more network functions on physical resources comprising a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches, alternatively executed by specialized hardware. In other words, NFV systems can be used to execute virtual, or reconfigurable, implementations of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0039] As shown, the CN 130, the application server 140, and the external network 150 can be connected to each other via interfaces 134, 136, and 138, which can include IP network interfaces. The application server 140 can comprise one or more server devices or network elements (e.g., virtual network functions (VNFs)) that provide applications that use IP bearer resources with the CM 130 (e.g., a universal mobile telecommunications system packet service (UMTS PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). The application server 140 likewise or alternatively can be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., voice-over-IP (VoIP) sessions, push-to-talk (PTT) sessions, group

[0040] As shown, the example network 100 can include an NTN, which can include one or more satellites 160-1 and 160-2 (collectively, “satellites 160”). The satellites 160 can communicate with the UEs 110 via a service link or wireless interface 162 and / or with the RAN 120 via a feeder link or wireless interface 164 (depicted individually as 164-1 and 164-2). In some implementations, the satellites 160 can operate as passive or transparent network relay nodes with respect to communications between the UEs 110 and the ground network (e.g., the RAN 120). In some implementations, the satellites 160 can operate as active or regenerative network nodes, such that the satellites 160 can operate as base stations for the UEs 110 (e.g., as gNBs of the RAN 120) with respect to communications between the UEs 110 and the RAN 120. In some implementations, the satellites 160 can communicate with each other via direct wireless interfaces (e.g., 166) or indirect wireless interfaces (e.g., via the RAN 120 using interfaces 164-1 and 164-2).

[0041] Alternatively or concurrently, satellite 160 may include a GEO satellite, a LEO satellite, or another type of satellite. Satellite 160 may also or concurrently belong to one or more satellite systems or architectures, such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), etc. In some specific implementations, satellite 160 may operate as a base station (e.g., RAN node 122) relative to UE 110. Therefore, references herein to base station, RAN node 122, etc., may refer to implementations in which the base station, RAN node 122, etc., are terrestrial network nodes, and to implementations in which the base station, RAN node 122, etc., are non-terrestrial network nodes (e.g., satellite 160).

[0042] Figure 2 This is a diagram of an example 200 of an NR SL connection between UEs 110 in a wireless telecommunications network. As shown, example 200 may include a base station 122 and multiple UEs 110. The base station 122 may communicate with the UEs 110 using radio frequencies corresponding to licensed spectrum (e.g., radio frequencies designated or reserved for cellular communication). The UEs 110 may communicate with each other via an SL connection or communication that may use radio frequencies corresponding to unlicensed spectrum (e.g., frequencies used by various or different types of wireless communications, e.g., (e.g., one or more radio frequencies open for use in wireless communication). In some specific implementations, the frequencies used for SL may include a frequency range 1 (FR1) from 450MHz to 6,000MHz, particularly the unlicensed band of 5 / 6GHz, or a frequency range 2 (FR2) from 24250MHz to 52,600MHz, possibly extending to 71000MHz, particularly the unlicensed band of 60GHz. For SL communication purposes, UE 110 may be organized into UE pairs, where one UE 110-1 is linked to another UE 110-2, or into UE groups, where multiple UEs 110-1, 110-2, and 110-N are linked to another UE.

[0043] As described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, base station 122 may use RRC signaling to provide UE 110 with CG information for SL purposes. As described herein, the CG may include information about the resources available to UE 110 for SL communication (e.g., timing information, frequency information, periodicity, specification of whether the license is for one-way or two-way SL communication, and one or more additional or alternative types of information). In some implementations, the CG may configure UE 110 for one-way SL communication (e.g., where each UE 110 receives the CG to operate as a Tx UE relative to an Rx UE). In other implementations, the CG may configure UE 110 for two-way SL communication (e.g., where each UE 110 may use the CG to communicate with other UE 110). As described in more detail below, base station 122 and UE 110 may exchange additional or alternative information with each other, such as COT information, whether SL COT sharing is permitted or implemented, CSI feedback for CG SL (CG-Sidelik-U) in unlicensed spectrum, CCA information, Tx power control information, etc.

[0044] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of procedure 300 for enabling NR SL communication in unlicensed spectrum. Procedure 300 may be implemented by UE 110. In some specific implementations, some or all of procedure 300 may be implemented by, including Figure 1 The process is performed by one or more other systems or devices, including one or more devices in the equipment. Additionally, process 300 may include... Figure 3 The operations shown are fewer, additional, differently ordered, and / or arranged than one or more operations. In some specific implementations, some or all of the operations of process 300 may be performed independently, continuously, or simultaneously with one or more other operations of process 300. Therefore, the techniques described herein are not limited to those described herein. Figure 3 The number, sequence, arrangement, timing, etc. of the operations or processes described herein. In addition, although process 300 may be described primarily from the perspective of a specific device (e.g., UE 110), the techniques described herein also include corresponding operations performed by corresponding devices (e.g., another UE 110, base station 122, etc.).

[0045] The process 300 can include receiving a CG for SL communications (block 310). For example, the UE 110 can receive information describing a wireless resource that the UE 110 can use to communicate with another UE 110 via SL communications. As described herein, the UE 110 can receive the CG via RRC signaling from the base station 122. The RRC signaling can include one or more types of information about the CG, including whether the CG is unidirectional or bidirectional, a grant type (e.g., Type 1 grant, Type 2 grant, etc.), whether a full bandwidth (BW) is allocated, whether a partial BW is allocated, a starting point of the SL resource, periodicity, slot offset, etc.

[0046] The process 300 can also include communicating with another UE 110 via SL based on the CG (block 320). For example, the UE 110 can use the wireless resource of the CG to communicate with another UE 110 via SL. In some implementations, the CG can be for unidirectional SL communications, in which case the UE 110 can operate as a Tx UE or an Rx UE depending on the CG information received from the base station 122. In some implementations, the CG can be for bidirectional SL communications, such that the UE 110 can use the same wireless resource as the other UE 110. In such scenarios, each UE 110 can implement one or more techniques, such as LBT, to ensure that the wireless resource of the CG is available, COT, UCI of CG-Sidelink-U, CSI feedback of CG-Sidelink-U, transmission power control information, etc. These and other aspects of the techniques described herein are discussed in detail below with reference to the following figures.

[0047] Figure 4 is a diagram of an example 400 of a process for enabling NR SL communications by providing a unidirectional CG to a UE 110 via RRC messaging. As shown, the example 400 includes a UE 110-1, a UE 110-2, and a base station 122. In some implementations, some or all of the example 400 can be performed by one or more devices of the devices described in Figure 1 , by one or more other systems or devices. Additionally, the example 400 can include fewer, additional, different ordering and / or arrangement of one or more operations than those shown in Figure 4 . In some implementations, some or all of the operations of the example 400 can be performed independently, consecutively, simultaneously, etc. of one or more of the other operations of the example 400. Thus, the techniques described herein are not limited to the number, order, arrangement, timing, etc. of operations or processes depicted in Figure 4 .

[0048] As shown, base station 122 can transmit CG information (e.g., Type 1 CG Config 1 for one-way Tx) to UE 110-2 (at 410). “Type 1” can refer to a CG (including periodicity) that is provided directly to UE 110-2 via RRC signaling. “Config 1” can refer to characteristics of the CG provided to UE 110-2 (e.g., the CG is for one-way communication, where UE 110-2 is a Tx UE for the CG).

[0049] Similarly, base station 122 can transmit CG information (e.g., Type 1 CG Config 1 for one-way Rx) to UE 110-1 (at 420). “Type 1” can refer to a CG (including periodicity) that is provided directly to UE 110-1 via RRC signaling. “Config 1” can refer to characteristics of the CG provided to UE 110-1 (e.g., the CG is for one-way communication, where UE 110-1 is a Rx UE for the CG).

[0050] Base station 122 can transmit different CG information (e.g., Type 1 CG Config 2 for one-way Tx) to UE 110-1 (at 430). As described above, “Type 1” can refer to a CG (including periodicity) that is provided directly to UE 110-2 via RRC signaling. “Config 2” can refer to characteristics of the CG provided to UE 110-1 (e.g., the CG is different from the CG of Config 1, and is for one-way communication, where UE 110-1 is a Tx UE for the CG of Config 2).

[0051] Similarly, base station 122 can transmit different CG information (e.g., Type 1 CG Config 2 for one-way Rx) to UE 110-2 (at 440). As described above, “Type 1” can refer to a CG (including periodicity) that is provided directly to UE 110-1 via RRC signaling. “Config 2” can refer to characteristics of the CG provided to UE 110-2 (e.g., the CG is different from the CG of Config 1, and is for one-way communication, where UE 110-2 is a Rx UE for the CG of Config 2).

[0052] UEs 110-1 and 110-2 can communicate unidirectionally with each other using CGs of Config 1 and Config 2. As shown in the figure, UE 110-2 can communicate with UE 110-1 using the CG of Config 1, where UE 110-2 operates as a Tx UE and UE 110-1 operates as an Rx UE (at 450). Similarly, UE 110-1 can communicate with UE 110-2 using the CG of Config 2, where UE 110-1 operates as a Tx UE and UE 110-2 operates as an Rx UE (at 460). Therefore, the techniques described herein can include solutions for enabling NRSL communication between UEs 110 based on unidirectional CGs provided to UE 110 via RRC signaling.

[0053] Figure 5 This is a diagram of UE 110 relative to example 400 of the periodic unidirectional SL CG of PUSCH. (See above for reference.) Figure 4 The described techniques can be applied to multiple pairs of UEs 110 and / or UE groups. In such scenarios, for example, base station 122 can use multicast message delivery to provide CG acknowledgments to different UE pairs and / or UE groups. Additionally or alternatively, the CG information provided to each UE, UE pair, and / or UE group may include different frequencies, timings, periodicity, and / or other types of configuration information to align or misalign NR SL communications. For example, as... Figure 5 As shown, although the unidirectional CG-Sidelink resources for different UEs 110 in a UE pair (e.g., UE1 and UE2; UE3 and UE4; etc.) may be continuous relative to each other, the unidirectional CG-Sidelink resources for different UE pairs (e.g., UE pair 1 and UE pair 2) may be periodically offset or misaligned relative to, for example, CG-PUSCH (510 and 520).

[0054] Figure 6 This is a diagram of Example 600 for enabling NR SL by providing bidirectional CG to UE 110 via RRC message transmission. As shown, Example 600 includes UE 110-1, UE 110-2, and base station 122. In some specific implementations, some or all of Example 600 may be comprised of... Figure 1 The device may be executed by one or more other systems or devices, including one or more devices in the device. Additionally, Example 600 may include more than Figure 6 The operations shown are fewer, additional, differently ordered, and / or arranged than one or more operations. In some specific implementations, some or all of the operations of Example 600 may be performed independently, sequentially, or simultaneously with one or more other operations of Example 600. Therefore, the techniques described herein are not limited to...Figure 6 The quantity, sequence, arrangement, timing, etc. of the operations or processes described.

[0055] As shown in the figure, base station 122 can transmit CG information (e.g., Type 1 CGConfig 1 for bidirectional SL communication) to UE 110-2 (at 610). "Type 1" can refer to a CG (including periodicity) directly provided to UE 110-2 via RRC signaling. "Config 1" can refer to the characteristics of a CG used for bidirectional SL communication between a corresponding UE pair (e.g., UE 110-1 and UE 110-2). Similarly, base station 122 can transmit CG information (e.g., Type 1 CG Config1 for bidirectional SL communication) to UE 110-21 (at 620). "Type 1" can refer to a CG (including periodicity) directly provided to UE 110-2 via RRC signaling. "Config 1" can refer to the characteristics of a CG used for bidirectional SL communication between a corresponding UE pair (e.g., UE 110-1 and UE 110-2). The CG for bidirectional SL communication can describe communication resources (e.g., frequency, channel, timing, periodicity, etc.) that can be used by either UE in the UE pair. Therefore, base station 122 may not need to specify Tx UE and Rx UE for CG.

[0056] Upon receiving CG information from base station 122, UE 110-1 and UE 110-2 can establish an SL connection and / or participate in SL communication based on authorization information (at 630). When UE 110-1 or UE 110-2 has no content to transmit, the UE can listen for transmissions from other UEs. When UE 110-1 or UE 110-2 has content to transmit, the UE can execute an LBT procedure (e.g., a Category 4 (CAT-4) LBT rule) to resolve communication contention or conflicts. CAT-4 LBT may involve an LBT procedure with random backoff and a variable-length contention window. In some specific implementations, the LBT procedure is used in scenarios where full bandwidth (BW) is allocated for the CG (e.g., when a UE pair or UE group is not configured to share BW with another UE pair or UE group). Therefore, the techniques described herein may include solutions for enabling NR SL communication between UE 110s based on a bidirectional CG provided to UE 110 via RRC signaling.

[0057] Figure 7 This is a diagram of example 700 of the bidirectional SL CG of UE 110 relative to frequency 710 and time 720. (See diagram below.) Figure 7As shown, a portion of BW can be allocated in a CG such that different UE pairs (e.g., UE pair 1 and UE pair 2) can have SL CGs that include different portions of the same BW. Different SL UEs 110 can be configured to not block transmissions of another SL CG transmission that is frequency division multiplexed (FDM). Thus, when a CG includes only a portion of BW, one or more techniques can be implemented to avoid or minimize signal collisions.

[0058] Figure 8 A diagram of an example 800 of a bidirectional SL CG of a UE 110 relative to a PUSCH periodicity. As shown, a base station 122 can use RRC signaling to configure different starting points for each UE within a CG-Sidelink-U grant. A CG for one UE pair (e.g., bidirectional CG-Sidelink 1 for UE1 and UE2) can be configured with a different starting point (810 and 820) relative to a CG-PUSCH periodicity than a CG for another UE pair (e.g., bidirectional CG-Sidelink 2 for UE3 and UE4). As another example of a technique to avoid or minimize signal collisions, each CG-Sidelink grant (or SL CG) can include two or more values that a UE receiving the grant can alternate or randomly select between to help avoid potential collisions. Examples of such values can include 9us, 18us, 27us, 36us, 45us, or 54us (counting from the starting OFDM symbol of the CG grant) for 5 / 6GHz unlicensed bands, or 5us, 10us, 15us, 20us…] for 60GHz unlicensed bands. In some implementations, each SL CG can have multiple partial BW resources, and a UE 110 can select a partial BW resource from the SL CG when transmitting a SL communication.

[0059] While some techniques as described herein that involve a one-way grant and / or a bidirectional grant can be discussed in terms of a Type 1 configured grant (e.g., Type 1 CG Config 1 for a one-way Tx, Type 1 CG Config 1 for a one-way Rx, Type 1 CG Config 1 for bidirectional SL communication, etc.), such techniques can be applied to Type 2 CGs. For example, in a Type 2 CG scenario, a periodicity can be configured by RRC signaling. Additionally or alternatively, a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) and a slot offset can be associated with a triggering DCI periodicity. Thus, the SL techniques described herein include Type 2 CG scenarios.

[0060] Figure 9is a diagram of example 900 of SL COT sharing with UE-initiated COT. As described herein, UE-initiated COT can include scenarios in which a UE 110 can contend for a COT in a shared radio frequency band for SL communications by performing an LBT procedure (e.g., CAT-4 LBT) in the shared radio frequency band to acquire the COT in the shared radio frequency band (block 910). Additionally or alternatively, the manner in which a UE 110 operates with respect to a COT can depend on whether the UE 110 is communicating in a one-way CG scenario or a two-way CG scenario. For example, in a one-way CG scenario, a UE 110 can perform an LBT procedure (e.g., CAT-4 LBT) to acquire a UE-initiated COT and proceed with SL communications involving the corresponding UE 110 (block 920). In contrast, in a two-way CG scenario, a UE 110 that acquires (e.g., via contention) a COT can be an initial COT owner and thus use the COT as a Tx UE toward an Rx UE via SL (block 930). Additionally or alternatively, as a COT owner, the Tx UE can share the COT with the Rx UE (before, during, or after initial SL communications from the Tx UE to the Rx UE) (block 940). In such scenarios, the Rx UE can become aware of the COT and thus proceed with SL communications. In this way, COT sharing between UEs 110 for SL purposes can depend on whether the UEs 110 are participating in a one-way CG type scenario or a two-way CG type scenario. In some implementations, whether a UE 110 performs an LBT procedure can depend on one or more factors, such as whether a base station 122 has acquired a COT, whether the base station-acquired COT can be shared for SL communications, whether CG-Sidelink-U is within the base station-acquired COT, and / or the like.

[0061] Figure 10 is a diagram of example 1000 of SL COT sharing with base station-initiated COT. As described herein, base station-initiated COT can include scenarios in which a base station 122 can contend for a COT in a shared radio frequency band (e.g., unlicensed frequencies) by performing an LBT procedure (e.g., CAT-4 LBT) in the shared radio frequency band to acquire the COT in the shared radio frequency band, and techniques described herein can involve SL COT sharing of base station-initiated COT (block 1010). For example, in scenarios in which a base station-acquired COT does not allow for SL communications, the base station-acquired COT can be shared only for DL / UL purposes (e.g., for transmissions between a UE 110 and the base station 122) (block 1020).

[0062] In contrast, in scenarios where the base station-acquired COT allows for SL communication, COT sharing can be enabled via RRC signaling from the base station 122 to the UE 110 (block 1030). In such scenarios, the RRC signaling can indicate whether SL transmissions within the base station-acquired COT are enabled or disabled. This can apply to Type 1 CG RRC configuration. Additionally or alternatively, for Type 2 CG RRC configuration, the base station 122 can indicate whether base station-acquired COT sharing is enabled / disabled for SL communication in a trigger downlink control information (DCI) and / or RRC configuration information. In some implementations, the base station 122 likewise or alternatively can dynamically indicate (e.g., within base station-acquired COT signaling, such as DCI 2-0) whether base station-acquired COT sharing is enabled / disabled for SL communication.

[0063] In some implementations, the base station 122 likewise or alternatively can indicate whether base station-acquired COT sharing is enabled / disabled for SL communication specifically for one or more UEs 110 (e.g., in a UE pair, a particular UE in a UE group, a particular type of UE, etc.). In some implementations, upon receiving an indication (e.g., RRC trigger, DCI trigger, etc.) that base station-acquired COT sharing is enabled for SL communication, the UE 110 can proceed to participate in SL communication based on the COT information. In addition to indicating whether base station-acquired COT sharing is enabled / disabled for SL communication, the base station 122 likewise or alternatively can provide grant, configuration, or resource information to enable the UE 110 to use the COT for SL communication. Additionally or alternatively, SL transmissions during the base station-acquired COT can involve an LBT procedure (e.g., Category 2 (CAT-2) LBT) based on how a gap corresponding to the COT compares to a given threshold (e.g., when the gap is greater than or equal to 16 microseconds).

[0064] Figure 11is a diagram of an example 1100 of CG uplink control information (CG-UCI) for a CG sidelink-U (CG-Sidelink-U) in an unlicensed spectrum. As shown, techniques described herein can include information for a CG-Sidelink-U included in CG-UCI (block 1110). For example, the CG-UCI can include a HARQ ID, a new data indicator (NDI), a redundancy version (RV), and / or COT sharing information (block 1120). Additionally or alternatively, the CG-UCI can include an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) transmission (block 1130). In some implementations, the ACK / NACK information can be included in downlink feedback information (DFI) (e.g., DFI for a CG) (block 1140). Additionally or alternatively, the ACK / NACK information can be included in UCI (e.g., UCI for a CG). The UCI for a CG (or CG-UCI) can be similar to UCI transmission for a DL PDSCH (block 1150).

[0065] Figure 12 is a diagram of an example 1200 for providing channel state information (CSI) feedback for a CG-Sidelink-U. CSI (or CSI feedback) can include an indication of how good or bad a particular channel is at a particular time (e.g., based on channel measurements, signal quality, performance metrics, etc.). CSI can include one or more types of information, including a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix index (PMI), a rank indicator (RI), etc. As shown, techniques described herein can include CSI feedback information for a CG-Sidelink-U (block 1210). The CSI feedback for a CG-Sidelink-U can include link feedback for resource requests, modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information, and / or power control information.

[0066] In some implementations, the MCS for a SL can be determined by the network (e.g., base station 122 and / or one or more other network devices). In some implementations, the Tx UE and the Rx UE of a particular SL can each send CQI directly to the base station 122 (block 1220). In other implementations, the Rx UE of a particular SL can send CQI to the Tx UE of the SL (e.g., as CSI feedback), and the Tx UE can forward the CQI of the Rx UE (in combination with CQI from the Tx UE) to the base station 122 as CSI feedback regarding the SL between the Tx UE and the Rx UE (block 1220). In some implementations, such as implementations involving Type 2 CG-Sidelink-U scenarios, CQI can be sent with an activation request. In other implementations, the MCS for a SL can be determined by the Tx UE of the SL. In such implementations, the Rx UE of a particular SL can send CQI feedback to the Tx UE of the SL, and the Tx UE can determine the MCS for the SL (block 1230).

[0067] The techniques described herein can also include solutions for power control (e.g., transmission or signal power) between UEs participating in SL communications. In some implementations, one or more network devices (e.g., base station 122) can manage UE SL transmission power based on an open loop system (e.g., based on SL feedback information from one or more UEs 110 in a UE pair and / or a group of UEs). In some implementations, SL transmission power can be based on a closed loop system (e.g., where one or more UEs 110 in a UE pair or a group of UEs can manage power control based on CSI and / or other feedback information without input from the network). In yet other implementations, SL transmission power can be based on a combination of an open loop system and a closed loop system (e.g., where the network can specify a maximum transmission power level (e.g., a Pc max value) specific to SL, and one or more UEs 110 in a particular UE pair or group of UEs can manage transmission power within the specified maximum transmission power.

[0068] The techniques described herein can also include solutions for clear channel assessment (CCA) procedures. CCA can include determining whether a channel is clear or otherwise open for communication. In some implementations, UEs 110 and / or base station 122 can perform a CCA procedure based on, for example, a ratio of a power control maximum (Pc max) value to a power output (Pout) value. In some implementations, such as one-way CG scenarios, the Pout value can be a Tx effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP). In some implementations, such as two-way CG scenarios, the Pout value can be a maximum Tx EIRP.

[0069] Figure 13is a diagram illustrating an example of a component of a device in accordance with one or more implementations described herein. In some implementations, the device 1300 can include application circuitry 1302, baseband circuitry 1304, RF circuitry 1306, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 1308, one or more antennas 1310, and power management circuitry (PMC) 1312 coupled together as shown in the figure. The components of the illustrated device 1300 can be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some implementations, the device 1300 can include less functionality (for example, a RAN node can not utilize application circuitry 1302, but can include a processor / controller to process IP data received from a CN such as 5GC 130 or an evolved packet core (EPC)). In some implementations, the device 1300 can include additional elements such as, for example, memory / storage, display, camera, sensor (including one or more temperature sensors, such as a single temperature sensor, multiple temperature sensors at different locations in the device 1300, etc.), or input / output (I / O) interface. In other implementations, the components described below can be included in one or more other devices.

[0070] The application circuitry 1302 can include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 1302 can include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processors can include general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors can be coupled with or include memory / storage and can be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 1300. In some implementations, the processors of application circuitry 1302 can process IP data packets received from an EPC.

[0071] The baseband circuitry 1304 can include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 1304 can include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1306 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1306. The baseband circuitry 1304 can interface with the application circuitry 1302 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for control of at least

[0072] In some implementations, the baseband circuitry 1304 can include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 1304F. The audio DSP(s) 1304F can include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and can include other suitable processing elements in other implementations. In some implementations, components of the baseband circuitry can be combined on a single chip or set of chips (e.g., a system on a chip (SoC)) or provided as separate components in the same circuit board or housing.

[0073] In some implementations, the baseband circuitry 1304 can provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, the baseband circuitry 1304 can support communication with an NG-RAN, an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN), or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMANs), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), etc. Implementations of the baseband circuitry 1304 configured to support wireless communication according to more than one radio access technology can be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0074] The RF circuitry 1306 can enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various implementations, the RF circuitry 1306 can include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate the communication with wireless networks. RF circuitry 1306 can include a receive signal path, which can include circuitry to down-convert and amplify the received signal and provide the baseband circuitry 1304 with baseband signals. RF circuitry 1306 can also include a transmit signal path, which can include circuitry to amplify and up-convert the baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 1304 and provide the FEM circuitry 1308 with RF output signals for transmission.

[0075] In some implementations, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1306 can include mixer circuitry 1306A, amplifier circuitry 1306B and filter circuitry 1306C. In some implementations, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1306 can include filter circuitry 1306C and mixer circuitry 1306A. RF circuitry 1306 can also include synthesizer circuitry 1306D for synthesizing frequencies for use by the mixer circuitry 1306A of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some implementations, the mixer circuitry 1306A of the receive signal path can be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 1308 based on the synthesized frequencies provided by synthesizer circuitry 1306D. The amplifier circuitry 1306B can be configured to amplify the down-converted signals, and the filter circuitry 1306C can be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals can be provided to the baseband circuitry 1304 for further processing. In some implementations, the output baseband signals can be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some implementations, mixer circuitry 1306A of the receive signal path can comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the implementations is not limited in this respect.

[0076] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1306A of the transmit signal path can be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on a synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 1306D to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuit 1308. The baseband signals can be provided by the baseband circuitry 1304 and can be filtered by filter circuitry 1306C.

[0077] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1306A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1306A of the transmit signal path can include two or more mixers and can be arranged, respectively, for quadrature downconversion and upconversion. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1306A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1306A of the transmit signal path can include two or more mixers and can be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some implementations, the mixers 1306A and the mixer circuit 1306A of the receive and transmit signal paths, respectively, can be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1306A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1306A of the transmit signal path can be configured for superheterodye operation.

[0078] In some implementations, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals can be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the implementations is not limited in this respect. In some alternative implementations, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals can be digital baseband signals. In these alternative implementations, the RF circuitry 1306 can include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 1304 can include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 1306.

[0079] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio ICs can be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the implementations is not limited in this respect.

[0080] In some implementations, the synthesizer circuit 1306D can be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the implementations is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers can be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1306D can be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer that includes a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0081] The synthesizer circuit 1306D can be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuit 1306A of the RF circuitry 1306 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some implementations, the synthesizer circuit 1306D can be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0082] In some implementations, the frequency input can be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not a requirement. The divider control input can be provided by the baseband circuitry 1304 or application circuitry 1302 as a function of the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) can be determined from a look-up table based on the channel indicated by the application circuitry 1302.

[0083] Synthesizer circuitry 1306D of the RF circuitry 1306 can include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some implementations, the divider can be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator can be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some implementations, the DMD can be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example implementations, the DLL can include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a D-type flip-flop. In these implementations, the delay elements can be configured to divide the VCO period by Nd, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help assure that the total delay through the delay line is a multiple of the VCO period.

[0084] In some implementations, the synthesizer circuitry 1306D can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other implementations, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some implementations, the output frequency can be a LO frequency (fLO). In some implementations, the RF circuitry 1306 can include an IQ / polar converter.

[0085] FEM circuitry 1308 can include a receive signal path, which can include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 1310, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 1306 for further processing. FEM circuitry 1308 can also include a transmit signal path, which can include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 1306 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 1310. In various implementations, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths can be done only in the RF circuitry 1306, only in the FEM circuitry 1308, or in both the RF circuitry 1306 and the FEM circuitry 1308.

[0086] In some implementations, the FEM circuitry 1308 can include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry can include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry can include a LNA to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 1306). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 1308 can include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by the RF circuitry 1306), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 1310).

[0087] In some implementations, the PMC 1312 can manage power provided to the baseband circuitry 1304. In particular, the PMC 1312 can control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMC 1312 can be included when the device 1300 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 1312 can increase the power conversion efficiency when providing desirable implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

[0088] Although Figure 13 The PMC 1312 is shown to be coupled with the baseband circuitry 1304 only. However, in other implementations, the PMC 1312 can be additionally or alternatively coupled with, and perform similar power management operations for, other components such as, but not limited to, the application circuitry 1302, RF circuitry 1306, or FEM circuitry 1308.

[0089] In some implementations, the PMC 1312 can control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the device 1300. For example, if the device 1300 is in an RRC_Connected state, where it is still connected to a RAN node as it expects a traffic shortly, after a period of inactivity, the device 1300 can enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) during which it

[0090] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the device 1300 can transition off to an RRC_Idle state, where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 1300 goes into a very low power state and it enters a DRX mode where it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down. The device 1300 can not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, it can transition back to an RRC_Connected state.

[0091] An additional power saving mode can leave the device unable to use the network for a period of time that exceeds the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to several hours). During this time, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this time incurs a large delay, and the delay is assumed to be acceptable.

[0092] The processors of application circuitry 1302 and baseband circuitry 1304 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, processors of baseband circuitry 1304 can be used to execute Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1 functions individually or in combination, while processors of application circuitry 1304 can utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from these layers and further execute Layer 4 functions (e.g., transport communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As referred to herein, Layer 3 can include a RRC layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 2 can include a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 1 can include a physical (PHY) layer of a UE / RAN node, described in further detail below.

[0093] Figure 14 FIG. 13 is a diagram of exemplary interfaces of baseband circuitry 1304 in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. As discussed above, Figure 13 Baseband circuitry 1304 of FIG. 13 can include processors 1304A-1304E and memory 1304G utilized by the processors. Each of processors 1304A-1304E can include a memory interface 1404A-1404E, respectively, for sending / receiving data to / from memory 1304G.

[0094] Baseband circuitry 1304 can further include one or more interfaces used to communicate with other circuitries / devices, such as a memory interface 1412 (e.g., an interface to send / receive data to / from memory external to baseband circuitry 1304), an application circuitry interface 1413 (e.g., an interface to send / receive data to / from Figure 13 application circuitry 1302), an RF circuitry interface 1416 (e.g., an interface to send / receive data to / from RF circuitry 1306), a wireless hardware connectivity interface 1418 (e.g., an interface to send / receive data to / from Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® / Low Energy components, Wi-Fi® components, and the like), and a power management interface 1420 (e.g., an interface to send / receive power or control signals to / from power management circuitry 1320). Figure 13 ​​​interfaces for sending / receiving data to / from other communication components (e.g., interfaces for sending / receiving data to / from a component and other communication components); and power management interfaces 1420 (e.g., interfaces for sending / receiving power or control signals to / from the PMC 1312).

[0095] Examples herein can include subject matter such as a method, means for performing acts of the method, a machine-readable medium including executable instructions that, when performed by a machine (e.g., a processor with memory, a processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like) cause the machine to perform acts of a method or an apparatus or system for concurrent communication using multiple communication technologies according to embodiments and examples described.

[0096] In a first embodiment, a baseband processor of a user equipment (UE), the baseband processor comprising: one or more processors configured to: receive, from a base station, a configured grant (CG) for a sidelink (SL) communication with another UE, the CG for the SL communication comprising wireless resources for direct communication with the other UE via an unlicensed wireless spectrum; and communicate with the other UE based on the CG for the SL communication.

[0097] In a second embodiment, the CG for the SL communication comprises a one-way grant of wireless resources for transmitting information to the other UE. In a third embodiment, the CG for the SL communication comprises a one-way grant of wireless resources for receiving information from the other UE. In a fourth embodiment, the CG for the SL communication corresponds to a multicast transmission from the base station to a plurality of UEs in a group of UEs. In a fifth embodiment, the CG for the SL communication is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling or a combination of RRC signaling and downlink control information (DCI).

[0098] In a sixth embodiment, the RRC signaling or the DCI comprises periodic information of the wireless resources of the CG for the SL communication. In a seventh embodiment, the CG for the SL communication comprises a two-way grant of wireless resources for transmitting information to the other UE and receiving information from the other UE. In an eighth embodiment, the one or more processors are configured to perform a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure with respect to the wireless resources of the CG for the SL communication prior to communicating with the other UE. In a ninth embodiment, communicating with the other UE comprises providing channel occupancy time (COT) information to the other UE with respect to the wireless resources of the CG for the SL communication. In a tenth embodiment, the COT information comprises a COT initiated by the UE.

[0099] In an eleventh embodiment, the COT information includes a COT initiated by the base station. In a twelfth embodiment, the one or more processors are further configured to receive, from the base station, an indication that SL communications with the other UE can occur during the COT initiated by the base station. In a thirteenth embodiment, communicating with the other UE includes receiving, from the other UE, channel occupancy time (COT) information for the wireless resources of the CG of the SL communications. In a fourteenth embodiment, communicating with the other UE includes transmitting, to the other UE, uplink control information (UCI) based on the CG. In a fifteenth embodiment, the one or more processors are further configured to provide, to the base station, channel state information (CSI) feedback for the wireless resources of the CG of the SL communications. In a sixteenth embodiment, the one or more processors are further configured to receive, from the other UE, channel quality indicator (CQI) information for the wireless resources of the CG of the SL communications; and determine a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for SL communications with the other UE based on the CQI information.

[0100] In a seventeenth embodiment, the one or more processors are further configured to determine a transmission power for communicating with the other UE based on at least one of: transmission power information received from the base station; transmission power information determined by the UE; a CG of the SL communications that includes a one-way CG; or a CG of the SL communications that includes a two-way CG. In an eighteenth embodiment, a method includes any act or combination of acts as substantially described herein in the or in any combination of the drawings. In a nineteenth embodiment, an apparatus is configured to perform any act or combination of acts as substantially described herein in the or in any combination of the drawings. In a twentieth embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions that when executed cause performance of any act or combination of acts as substantially described herein in the or in any combination of the drawings.

[0101] The above description of illustrative examples, implementations, aspects, etc. of the subject disclosure, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed aspects to the precise forms disclosed. While specific examples, implementations, aspects, etc. are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications are possible within the scope of such examples, implementations, aspects, etc. as such modifications would be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art.

[0102] To the extent that the disclosed subject matter has been described with reference to a number of example, implementations, aspects, and the like, it is to be understood that other aspects or implementations can be employed without departing from the scope of the disclosed subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosed subject matter is not to be construed as being limited to any single example, implementation, or aspect, but is intended to be construed as including all examples, implementations, and aspects that fall within the scope of the appended claims, as well as their legal equivalents.

[0103] In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components or structures (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), the terms (including a reference to a "means") used to describe certain aspects, features, or structures herein are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated or otherwise clear from the context, to any component or structure which performs the specified function of that component (e.g., a functionally equivalent structure that

[0104] As used herein, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or." That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. Moreover, to the extent that the terms "includes," "including," "has," "have," "has" "with" or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising." Additionally, to the extent that the discussion has been directed to one or more numbered items (e.g., "a first X," "a second X," etc.), generally, the one or more numbered items can be different or they can be the same, but in some instances, the context can indicate that they are different or that they are the same.

[0105] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorization should be clearly expressed to users.

Claims

1. A baseband processor of a user equipment (UE), the baseband processor comprising: one or more processors configured to: receive, from a base station, a configured grant (CG) for a sidelink (SL) communication with another UE, the CG for the SL communication including wireless resources for direct communication with the other UE via an unlicensed wireless spectrum; initiate, based on the CG for the SL communication, a first channel occupancy time (COT) using a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure during a second COT initiated by the base station, wherein the second COT for the SL communication is not allowed to be shared; and communicate with the other UE during the first COT based on the CG for the SL communication.

2. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the CG for the SL communication includes a one-way grant of wireless resources for transmission of information to the other UE.

3. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the CG for the SL communication includes a one-way grant of wireless resources for reception of information from the other UE.

4. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the CG for the SL communication corresponds to a multicast transmission from the base station to a plurality of UEs in a group of UEs.

5. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the CG for the SL communication is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling or via a combination of RRC signaling and downlink control information (DCI).

6. The baseband processor of claim 5, wherein the RRC signaling or the DCI includes periodic information of the wireless resources of the CG for the SL communication.

7. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the CG for the SL communication includes a two-way grant of wireless resources for transmission of information to the other UE and reception of information from the other UE.

8. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide, to the other UE during the first COT, channel occupancy time (COT) information regarding the wireless resources of the CG for the SL communication, wherein a portion of the first COT after transmission by the UE to the other UE is shared to the other UE.

9. The baseband processor of claim 8, wherein the LBT procedure includes a CAT-LBT procedure.

10. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the communicating with the other UE includes receiving, from the other UE during a third COT initiated by the other UE, channel occupancy time (COT) information regarding the wireless resources of the CG for the SL communication, wherein a portion of the third COT after transmission by the other UE to the UE is shared to the UE.

11. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the communicating with the other UE includes transmission of uplink control information (UCI) to the other UE based on the CG.

12. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: provide channel state information (CSI) feedback regarding the wireless resources of the CG of the SL communication to the base station.

13. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive channel quality indicator (CQI) information regarding the wireless resources of the CG of the SL communication from the other UE; and determine a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for SL communication with the other UE based on the CQI information.

14. The baseband processor of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine a transmission power for communication with the other UE based on at least one of: transmission power information received from the base station; transmission power information determined by the UE; CGs of the SL communication that include one-way CGs; or CGs of the SL communication that include two-way CGs.

15. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a base station, a configured grant (CG) for a sidelink (SL) communication with another UE, the CG for the SL communication including wireless resources for direct communication with the other UE via unlicensed wireless spectrum; initiating, during a second channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by the base station, a first COT based on the CG for the SL communication using a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure, wherein the second COT for the SL communication is not allowed to be shared; and communicating, during the first COT, with the other UE based on the CG for the SL communication.

16. An apparatus of a user equipment (UE), the apparatus configured to: receive, from a base station, a configured grant (CG) for a sidelink (SL) communication with another UE, the CG for the SL communication including wireless resources for direct communication with the other UE via unlicensed wireless spectrum; initiate, during a second channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by the base station, a first COT based on the CG for the SL communication using a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure, wherein the second COT for the SL communication is not allowed to be shared; and communicate, during the first COT, with the other UE based on the CG for the SL communication.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive, from a base station, a configured grant (CG) for a sidelink (SL) communication with another UE, the CG for the SL communication including wireless resources for direct communication with the other UE via unlicensed wireless spectrum; initiate, during a second channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by the base station, a first COT based on the CG for the SL communication using a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure, wherein the second COT for the SL communication is not allowed to be shared; and communicate, during the first COT, with the other UE based on the CG for the SL communication.

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