Time-Sensitive Communications

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for channel coordination in an unlicensed spectrum. The method includes: at a first device, receiving information from multiple second devices about carrier sensing to be performed by the multiple second devices; based on the information about carrier sensing and the information about time-sensitive services of the multiple second devices, determining a transmission mode for a target second device among the multiple devices, the transmission mode at least including a sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive service of the target second device and a silent period for the target second device; and sending a first message indicating the transmission mode to the target second device. In this way, the interoperability of TSN network devices and normal network devices can be effectively improved in industrial automation scenarios. By controlling the access / transmission of TSC services in TSC dedicated transmission periods, the TSC services of the target network devices can be protected and the latency requirements can be met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for time-sensitive communications. Background Art

[0002] Time-sensitive communication (TSC) is already widely present in many modern cyber-physical systems, such as automobiles, aircraft or industrial automation systems, which are distributed computer systems. Time-sensitive networking (TSN) enables real-time deterministic communication over Ethernet infrastructure. A typical use case for TSC networks is a closed-loop control system, in which a physical entity and / or its environment is measured by a sensor set, and the sensor set transmits its sensor readings to one or more processors of the closed-loop control system. In a TSC network, the latency of time-critical communications is guaranteed and the cost of network functions is reduced.

[0003] To extend 3GPP technology from wireless cellular networks to industrial automation, the 5th generation New Radio (NR) system has been integrated into TSN as an Ethernet bridge in the Ethernet bridge of TSC. Independent unlicensed spectrum is assumed to be one of the key scenarios supported in NR. In addition, factories are interested in deploying TSC networks by using unlicensed spectrum because unlicensed spectrum is free. Based on the above considerations, TSC needs to be supported in 5G unlicensed spectrum. Summary of the invention

[0004] Generally, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for time-sensitive communications.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the first device to: receive information about carrier sensing to be performed by the plurality of second devices from a plurality of second devices; determine a transmission mode for a target second device among the plurality of devices based on the information about carrier sensing and the information about time-sensitive services of the plurality of second devices, the transmission mode including at least a sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive services of the target second device and a silent period of the target second device; and send a first message indicating the transmission mode to the target second device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the second device to at least: receive a first message including a transmission mode from a first device, the transmission mode being determined by the first device based on information about carrier sensing and information about a time-sensitive service of the second device, and including at least a sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive service of the second device and a silent period of the second device; and send a service on an unlicensed band based on the transmission mode.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a first device, information about carrier sensing to be performed by the plurality of second devices from a plurality of second devices; determining, based on the information about the carrier sensing and the information about time-sensitive services of the plurality of second devices, a transmission mode for a target second device among the plurality of devices, the transmission mode including at least a sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive service of the target second device and a silent period of the target second device; and sending a first message indicating the transmission mode to the target second device.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a second device, a first message including a transmission mode from a first device, the transmission mode being determined by the first device based on information about carrier sensing and information about a time-sensitive service of the second device, and including at least a sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive service of the second device and a silent period of the second device; and sending a service on an unlicensed band based on the transmission mode.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for receiving information from multiple second devices, the information being about carrier sensing to be performed by the multiple second devices; a component for determining a transmission mode of a target second device among the multiple devices based on the information about carrier sensing and information about time-sensitive services of the multiple second devices, the transmission mode comprising at least a sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive services of the target second devices and a silent period for the target second device; and a component for sending a first message indicating the transmission mode to the target second device.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for receiving a first message including a transmission mode from a first device, wherein the transmission mode is determined by the first device based on information about carrier sensing and information about a time-sensitive service of a second device, and includes at least a sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive service of the second device and a silent period of the second device; and a component for sending a service on an unlicensed band based on the transmission mode.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to perform the method according to the third aspect.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to perform the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0013] Other features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The embodiments of the present disclosure are presented in an exemplary sense and their advantages are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a communication system of a wireless communication network integrated into a TSN network;

[0016] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating transmissions of a network device performed on a channel in an unlicensed spectrum;

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing a basic bridging model for integrating a wireless communication system with TSN in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0018] Figure 4 illustrates an example environment in which the present disclosure may be implemented according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 5 shows a signaling diagram illustrating a channel coordination procedure according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an example method of channel coordination according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 7 Another example environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown;

[0022] Figure 8 shows a signaling diagram illustrating a channel coordination procedure according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Fig. 9 A flowchart illustrating an example method of channel coordination according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Fig.10 A schematic diagram illustrating a transmission mode of a network device in an unlicensed spectrum according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Fig.11 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0026] Fig.12 A block diagram illustrating an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration, and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. In addition to the methods described below, the present disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0030] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment may include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an example embodiment, it is claimed that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0031] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used to describe various elements in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the functionality of various elements. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed items.

[0032] The terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It is also to be understood that when used herein, the terms "include", "comprise", "have", "have" and / or "contain" specify the presence of specified features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0033] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0034] (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuitry); and

[0035] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0036] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0037] (ii) any portion of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions) and

[0038] (c) Hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portion(s) of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but which software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0039] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As yet another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry would also cover implementations of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example and if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry would also cover a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0040] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as a fifth generation (5G) system, long term evolution (LTE), advanced LTE (LTE-A), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), high speed packet access (HSPA), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied in various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure can be implemented. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the above-mentioned system.

[0041] As used herein, the terms "network device" and "second device" refer to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a NodeB (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR next generation NodeB (gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low power node (such as a femto node, a micro node), etc., depending on the terminology and technology of the application. A network device is allowed to be defined as part of a gNB, such as, for example, in a CU / DU split, in which case the network device is defined as a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU.

[0042] The term "terminal device" refers to any final device that can perform wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), user station (SS), portable user station, mobile station (MS) or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), game terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop computer installation devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (such as remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (such as robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node (also known as a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0043] Although in various example embodiments, the functionality described herein may be performed in fixed and / or wireless network nodes, in other example embodiments, the functionality may be implemented in a user equipment device (such as a cellular phone or tablet computer or laptop or desktop computer or mobile IoT device or fixed IoT device). Where appropriate, the user equipment device may, for example, be equipped with corresponding capabilities described in conjunction with (multiple) fixed and / or wireless network nodes. The user equipment device may be a user device and / or a control device, such as a chipset or processor, configured to control the user device when installed therein. Examples of such functionality include boot server functions and / or home subscriber servers, which may be implemented in the user equipment device by providing software to the user equipment device, the software being configured to enable the user equipment device to perform from the perspective of these functions / nodes.

[0044] In Rel-16, the 5G NR system can be used as a TSN bridge in the TSN bridge and has been integrated into the IEEE TSN network to perform TSC. The TSC auxiliary information (TSCAI) shown in Table 1 below describes the TSC service characteristics for use in the 5G system, which is provided from the session management function of the core network to the 5G access network (5G-AN), for example, after establishing a QoS flow. The TSCAI parameters are set according to the corresponding parameters obtained from the application function (AF) of the TSN network.

[0045] Table 1: TSC auxiliary information

[0046]

[0047]

[0048] Figure 1 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 of a wireless communication network integrated into a TSN network. In this scenario, a wireless communication network (such as a 5G system) is integrated into the TSN network as a TSN bridge. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 100 includes a TSN centralized network configuration (CNC) 110, network devices 120, and terminal devices 130. TSN bridge 1 includes network device 120-1 and terminal device 130-1, and TSN bridge 2 includes network device 120-2 and terminal device 130-2. Each TSN bridge in the TSN bridge is configured by the TSN CNC 110 to periodically open and close the gate following a specific pattern in the time domain, thereby avoiding conflicts between TSC services generated by different active TSN bridges. The TSN CNC 110 only handles TSC services and is unaware of normal services. Network devices 120-1 and 120-2 are, for example, TSC gNBs that can provide both TSC services and non-TSC services (such as eMBB services). Network device 120-3 is, for example, a normal gNB that only handles normal services and is not under the control of the TSN CNC 110. Therefore, normal services deployed in the same coverage area may interfere with TSC services. As Figure 1 As shown, network device 120-3 may potentially interfere with network devices 120-1 and 120-2. Interference to TSC traffic may also be caused by normal traffic of network devices 120-1 and 120-2 themselves.

[0049] Most of the applications discussed in 3GPP that require TSC, such as process automation, mobile robotics, and motion control, are periodic and deterministic communications with preset transmission times and strict requirements on the timeliness and availability of communication services. Table 2 shows the use cases and requirements considered for TSN performance evaluation. However, for unlicensed spectrum access in most areas, the transmitter needs to perform listen-before-talk (LBT) on medium access to guarantee fairness and coexistence with other devices operating in the same area. In fact, before data transmission, the gNB needs to check if the channel is busy through LBT. If LBT fails, the gNB must fall back and has no chance to transmit, which may cause significant delays. More specifically, the LBT process performed before TSC transmission may be blocked by ongoing transmissions in neighboring cells. Currently, the TSN scheduler does not consider the impact of LBT on unlicensed spectrum.

[0050] Table 2: Use cases and requirements considered for TSN performance evaluation

[0051]

[0052] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating transmissions by a network device performed on a channel in an unlicensed spectrum. Figure 2 The example shown combines Figure 1 As described above, each of the network devices 120-1 to 120-3 may perform a carrier sensing process (eg, an LBT process) before transmitting on a channel. Figure 2 As shown, since network device 120-3 performs LBT process 231 and then sends eMBB transmission 232 on the channel, LBT processes 211 and 221 performed by network devices 120-1 and 120-2 fail. In this case, TSC services 212 and 222 of network devices 220-1 and 120-2 are not allowed to be transmitted on the channel. After eMBB transmission 232 is completed, network device 120-1 successfully performs LBT process 213. eMBB transmission 214 is then sent by network device 120-1, which in turn causes the failure of LBT process 223, and TSC service 224 of network device 120-2 is blocked again. Then, LBT process 215 of network device 120-1 succeeds, and TSC service 216 of network device 120-1 is transmitted on the channel. Therefore, TSC transmissions on channels in unlicensed spectrum may be blocked due to interference from neighboring cells. Therefore, it is difficult to meet the latency requirement of TSC communication due to the carrier sensing process.

[0053] The existing TSN has a powerful scheduler to avoid any conflicts in the wired Ethernet link. The doors of the TSN bridge will be opened / closed in sequence. The TSN CNC can guarantee that the TSC service will not conflict, but the conflict may come from other normal services of the TSCgNB and normal gNB. In addition, the TSC scheduler is not designed to operate in the wireless domain, so the impact of LBT on channel access in the unlicensed spectrum is not considered. In the NR-U TDD system, considering the cross-link (DL to UL or UL to DL) interference mitigation, there are some mechanisms for DL / UL time slot coordination between eNB / gNB. However, even if the entire network can have the same frame structure, the LBT blocking problem still exists due to the DL to DL blocks or UL to UL blocks.

[0054] Therefore, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a coordination method for ensuring QoS of deterministic time-sensitive services (e.g., TSN) in an unlicensed spectrum. In addition, a coordination controller is introduced as a coordination function to enable the creation of a transmission mode for each network device (e.g., eNB or gNB) and to protect the LBT area for time-sensitive services (e.g., URLLC services) in the entire network. Based on the determined transmission mode, each network device can access the channel to perform time-sensitive transmissions (e.g., for TSC services) in a dedicated contention-free area, where no transmissions from other interfering network devices are allowed. This mechanism can improve the successful access rate of the base station when performing LBT on TSC transmissions, thereby meeting the latency requirements of TSC services in unlicensed spectrum. By creating a contention-free area for TSC service access channels, transmission congestion due to LBT failure can be avoided, and the latency requirements of TSC communications can be guaranteed.

[0055] Figure 3A schematic diagram of a basic bridging model for integrating a wireless communication system with TSN in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. The communication system 300 includes TSN end stations 302 and 334, a terminal device 304, the terminal device 304 including a device-side TSN converter 306, a RAN 308, a user plane function (UPF) 312, an access and mobility management function (AMF) 314, a session management function (SMF) 316, a policy control function (PCF) 318, a network-side TSN converter 324 including an application function (AF) 322, a TSN centralized user configuration (TSN CUC) 326, a TSN centralized network configuration (TSN CNC) 328, and a TSN bridge 332. Some enhancements and enablements (e.g., TSC assistance information (TSCAI)) have been studied on the application layer protocol to support certain functionality (e.g., proper routing and delivery of packets, synchronization) in a wireless communication system (e.g., a 5G NR system). Knowledge of TSN traffic patterns is useful for network equipment, such as a gNB (not shown) of RAN 308, to more efficiently schedule periodic, deterministic traffic flows via configuration grants, semi-persistent scheduling, or dynamic grants.

[0056] Figure 4 4 shows an example environment 400 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Figure 4 As shown, the communication environment 400 includes a first device 410 and second devices 420 - 1 to 420 - 3 (collectively referred to as second devices 420 , or also referred to as TSC network devices 420 - 1 and 420 - 2 , and a normal network device 420 - 3 ) deployed in a core network 405 .

[0057] The first device 410 may be a coordination controller deployed at a session management function (SMF) of the core network 405. The coordination controller 410 is configured to coordinate channel resources for performing a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure between RANs, including the second device 420. The SMF may control all second devices 420 in the communication environment 400 and maintain information about time-sensitive services of the second devices 420. In some embodiments, the coordination controller 410 may communicate with the second device 420 via an AMF by using an F1 interface (such as N2, N11, etc.).

[0058] By way of example, the second devices 420-1 and 420-2 can handle both TSC services and normal services, while the second device 420-3 can only operate normal services. As discussed above, interference to the TSC services of the second devices 420-1 and 420-2 may come from adjacent cells managed by the second device 420-3. Additionally or alternatively, interference to the TSC services of each of the second devices 420-1 and 420-2 may also come from their own normal services. The second device 420 can learn its own TSC service information from the first device 410. The second device 420 can serve one or more terminal devices (not shown).

[0059] It is also important to understand that Figure 4 The number of network devices, terminal devices and service cells shown is given for illustrative purposes and does not represent any limitation.

[0060] Depending on the communication technology, network 100 can be a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) network, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network or any other network. The communication discussed in network 100 can meet any suitable standard, including but not limited to new radio access (NR), long term evolution (LTE), LTE evolution, advanced LTE (LTE-A), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), cdma2000 and global system for mobile communications (GSM) etc. In addition, the communication can be performed according to any generation of communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include but are not limited to first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols. The technology described herein can be used for the wireless network and radio technology mentioned above as well as other wireless networks and radio technologies. For clarity, certain aspects of the techniques are described below for LTE, and LTE terminology is used in much of the description below.

[0061] The principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figure 5 and Figure 6 Detailed description. Figure 5 A signaling diagram illustrating a channel coordination process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, the process 500 will refer to Figure 4 The process 500 may involve a first device 410 and a second device 420 .

[0062] As above combined Figure 4As described, in a communication environment 400 in which a wireless communication system (e.g., a 5G NR system) is integrated with a TSN network, a first device 410 may be a coordination controller deployed at an SMF of a core network 405, and configured to coordinate channel resources for performing transmissions on channels in an unlicensed spectrum. The first device 410 may collect information for assisting channel coordination from a second device 420 and / or the SMF. The second devices 420-1 to 420-3 may operate in different RANs, such as RAN 1, RAN 2, and RAN 3 (not shown), respectively, and each of the second devices 420-1 and 420-2 handles TSC services and normal services, and the second device 420-3 handles only normal services.

[0063] The first device receives 505 from the plurality of second devices 420-1 to 420-3 information about carrier sensing to be performed by the corresponding second devices 420. The information about carrier sensing may include TSC access information indicating a type and duration of carrier sensing performed by the second devices 420 on the unlicensed band.

[0064] The first device 410 may obtain time-sensitive service feature information preconfigured at the SMF, including, but not limited to, for example, arrival time, packet delay budget, and service priority of the time-sensitive service from each of the second devices 420. The first device 410 determines 510 a transmission mode of one of the second devices 420-1 to 420-3 based on information about carrier sensing and preconfigured information about time-sensitive services of the plurality of second devices 420. The transmission mode may include at least a sensing period for transmitting the time-sensitive service and a mute period of the corresponding second device 420. The transmission mode may be designed for each of the second devices 420, which will be described in detail below.

[0065] The first device 410 may also obtain network discovery information from all network devices in the communication environment 400. The network discovery information may be reported as a list of interfering cell IDs and corresponding interference levels. The network discovery information may be used to determine a plurality of second devices 420 for which a transmission mode is to be determined, which will be described in detail below. After the transmission mode is determined, the first device 410 sends 515 a first message indicating the transmission mode to each of the second devices 420.

[0066] Figure 6 A flowchart showing an example method of channel coordination according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 600 may be implemented at a network device in a core network, for example, referring to Figure 4 The method 600 may also be implemented at a central network device, such as a CU in a RAN, for example, referring to Figure 7 A first device 710 is described, which will be discussed in detail below.

[0067] In 610, the first device 410 receives information about carrier sensing to be performed by the plurality of second devices 420-1 to 420-3 from the plurality of second devices 420-1 to 420-3. In some embodiments, the information about carrier sensing may indicate the type and duration of carrier sensing to be performed by each of the second devices 420-1 to 420-3 on the unlicensed band. By way of example, the duration of carrier sensing may include the expected LBT duration of the second device 420 handling the TSC service. The LBT duration is estimated by the second device 420 and may depend on channel interference conditions (such as Wi-Fi interference) and the LBT type. The type of carrier sensing may include the LBT type of the second device 420, including but not limited to Cat 4LBE (UE Category 4 load-based device), Cat 2LBE, FBE (frame-based device), etc. In some embodiments, the information about carrier sensing may be provided by the second device 420 via the F1 interface.

[0068] As discussed earlier, not all other network devices in the communication system may interfere with time-sensitive services from one network device, and the level of interference with time-sensitive services varies from one network device to another. In other words, multiple second devices 420 may be part of the network devices in the communication system. In order to determine which network devices may interfere with each other and need to be coordinated as multiple second devices 420, the first device 410 may obtain network discovery information from all network devices controlled by it. In some embodiments, the first device 410 may obtain a second message from each candidate device (not shown) in the candidate devices controlled by the first device 410, such as multiple network devices controlled by the first device 410. The second message may include information about at least one neighboring cell of the corresponding candidate device that interferes with the carrier sensing performed by the candidate device. For example, such information may be network discovery information, and indicates the identification and interference level of at least one neighboring candidate device of the candidate device that manages at least one neighboring cell.

[0069] In the above embodiments, network discovery information can be obtained from a candidate device by measuring a reference signal (e.g., SSB, CRI-RS) of a neighboring cell managed by at least one neighboring candidate device. For example, for a candidate device, if the measured RSRP of its neighboring cell is higher than a predetermined threshold, the neighboring candidate device managing the neighboring cell can be considered as a second device 420 interfering with the candidate device. Any other method for measuring the interference level of a neighboring cell can be used, and the present disclosure is not limited to this aspect.

[0070] In some other embodiments, the network discovery information may be obtained from a terminal device (not shown) served by the candidate device. The terminal device may measure the reference signal (e.g., SSB, CRI-RS) of its neighboring cells. For example, if the measured RSRP of its neighboring cell is higher than a predetermined threshold, the terminal device may report the measurement result to its serving network device, i.e., the candidate device. The candidate device may then determine whether the neighboring candidate device managing the neighboring cell interferes with the candidate device based on the measurement result.

[0071] In some embodiments, the first device 410 may obtain time-sensitive service characteristic information preconfigured at the SMF, including, but not limited to, for example, the arrival time, packet delay budget, and service priority of the time-sensitive service of the second device 420 (e.g., the second devices 420-1 and 420-2). For example, when each QoS flow in the QoS flow has been established by the SMF, such preconfigured information may be provided from the core network 405. In the case where the first device is a CU of the RAN, for example Figure 7 The first device 710 shown in the figure can also obtain the time-sensitive service characteristic information from the SMF of the core network, which will be referred to below. Figures 7 to 9 Detailed description.

[0072] In 620, the first device 410 determines a transmission mode of a second device among the plurality of second devices 420-1 to 420-3 based on the information about carrier sensing and the information about the time sensitive traffic of the plurality of second devices 420. The transmission mode includes at least a sensing period for transmitting the time sensitive traffic and a silent period of the second device 420.

[0073] In some embodiments, the sensing period may be specific to a target second device 420 among the plurality of second devices 420. The target second device 420 may handle time-sensitive traffic. During the period, the target second device 420 has the highest priority among the plurality of second devices 420 for transmitting time-sensitive traffic on the channel. In other words, the sensing period is dedicated to the target second device, and the remaining second devices 420 among the plurality of second devices 420 are not allowed to send any traffic during the period. The sensing period may cover at least the duration of the carrier sensing process, such as the LBT duration of the target second device 420. The location of the sensing period may be determined based on the burst arrival time of the time-sensitive traffic of the target second device 420.

[0074] Additionally or alternatively, based on the interference level of the remaining second devices 420 in the plurality of second devices 420 to the target second device 420, the sensing period may be extended to the transmission duration of the time-sensitive service of the target second device 420. Therefore, the transmission performance of the target second device 420 is further protected. The maximum duration of the sensing period may be determined based on the packet delay budget of the second device 420, because the time-sensitive service must be sent within the allowed delay.

[0075] In some embodiments, the first device 410 may determine the sensing period of the target second device 420 based on information about carrier sensing and information about time-sensitive services. By way of example, the first device 410 may calculate the sensing period of the target second device 420 based on burst arrival time, packet delay budget, service priority, expected LBT duration, LBT type, and selective interference level. For example, for Cat.2LBE or FBE, the LBT duration is deterministic (e.g., 9us, 25us, 34us, etc.). For Cat.4LBE, the LBT duration may be uncertain. In this case, the duration of the sensing period may include the expected LBT duration and may be further extended when the time-sensitive service cannot be transmitted due to LBT failure. The first device 410 may determine the sensing period of each second device 420 in the plurality of second devices 420.

[0076] In some embodiments, the first device 410 may determine at least one sensing period of the remaining second devices 420 in the plurality of second devices 420 as a silent period of the target second device 420. During the silent period, the target second device 420 is not allowed to send any traffic. The silent period may at least cover the duration for which the remaining second devices 420 in the plurality of second devices 420 perform their carrier sensing processes. Additionally or alternatively, the silent period may be extended to include the transmission duration of the remaining second devices 420 in the plurality of second devices 420 to further protect the transmission performance of the second device 420, which may depend on the interference level of the target second device 420 to the remaining second devices 420 in the plurality of second devices 420.

[0077] In some embodiments, the silent period of the target second device 420 may be determined based on information about time-sensitive traffic of the remaining second devices 420 in the plurality of second devices 420. In some other embodiments, the silent period may be determined based on an interference level of the target device 420 to the remaining second devices 420 in the plurality of second devices 420. In some embodiments, the maximum duration of the sensing period may be determined based on a packet delay budget of the target second device 420, because the time-sensitive traffic of the target device 420 must be sent within the allowed delay.

[0078] In some embodiments, the transmission mode may include a shared period. The first device 410 may determine the transmission opportunities outside the sensing period and the silent period as the shared period. During the shared period, multiple second devices 420 may send their non-time-sensitive services on the channel in a contention-based manner.

[0079] In 630, the first device 410 sends a first message transmission indicating the transmission mode to the second device 420. The first message may include information indicating at least the start time and duration of at least the sensing period and the silent period of the second device 420. In some embodiments, the first device 410 may distribute the determined transmission mode (e.g., per gNB) to all second devices 420 in the network via the AMF using the N2 interface.

[0080] According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, by using this transmission mode, the interfering network device will not conflict when accessing the channel of the unlicensed frequency band. Therefore, the resource utilization rate of the unlicensed frequency band can be improved, and the requirements for TSN can be met.

[0081] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the coordination controller may be deployed within the RAN of the communication system. In this case, the architecture of the RAN may be a centralized unit-distributed unit (CU-DU) structure. Figure 7 7 shows another example environment 700 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Figure 7 As shown, the communication environment 700 includes a first device 710 as a coordination controller deployed on a CU and second devices 720-1 to 720-3 (collectively referred to as second devices 720, or also referred to as TSC network devices 720-1 and 720-2, and normal network device 720-3). The second device 720 can act as a DU.

[0082] The first device 710 may be a coordination controller deployed at a network device acting as a CU, and communicates with the second device 720 via an F1 interface. The coordination controller 710 is configured to coordinate channel resources for performing a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure between RANs including the second device 720 based on a transmission mode. In some embodiments, the first device 710 may obtain information about a time-sensitive service of the second device 720 from a third device 730, which may be a management device 730 of the core network 705 and is configured with a session management function.

[0083] In some embodiments, the first device 710 determines a transmission mode of a target second device among multiple devices based on information about carrier sensing and information about time-sensitive services of multiple second devices. In the context of the present disclosure, the transmission mode may include at least a sensing period for transmitting the time-sensitive service of the target second device and a silent period of the target second device. In some other embodiments, the transmission mode determined by the first device 710 may also include a shared period.

[0084] In some embodiments, the first device 710 may determine the sensing period based on the information about the carrier sensing and the information about the time sensitive traffic. During the sensing period, the second device 720 has the highest priority among the plurality of target second devices 720 for transmitting the time sensitive traffic.

[0085] In some embodiments, the first device 720 may determine at least one sensing period of the remaining second devices 720 in the plurality of second devices 720 as a silent period of the target second device 720. In some other embodiments, the first device 710 may determine the silent period of the target second device 720 based on the interference level caused by the target second device 720 to the remaining second devices 720 in the plurality of second devices 720. During the silent period, the target second device 720 is not allowed to send any traffic.

[0086] In order to minimize the waste of channel resources, when time-sensitive services are sent, only a portion of the network devices will be muted, rather than all network devices in the entire communication system. In this case, the first device 710 can determine which network devices can be considered as multiple second devices 720. In some embodiments, the first device 710 can receive a second message from one of the candidate devices controlled by the first device 710. In this case, the candidate device can be a network device. The second message may include information about at least one neighboring cell of the candidate device that interferes with the carrier sensing performed by the candidate device. The first device 710 can determine multiple second devices 720 to be coordinated with the transmission mode from multiple candidate devices based on the information about at least one neighboring cell. For example, the information may indicate the identity and interference level of at least one neighboring candidate device of the candidate device that manages at least one neighboring cell.

[0087] In some embodiments, the first device 710 may determine that the transmission mode includes at least one sensing period, a silent period, and a shared period. The first device 710 may determine the transmission timing outside the sensing period and the silent period as a shared period. During the shared period, the plurality of second devices 720 may send non-time-sensitive services or normal services in a contention-based manner.

[0088] In some embodiments, the first device 710 may send an indication of the transmission mode to the target second device 720. In some embodiments, the first message may include information indicating at least the start time and duration of at least the sensing period and the silent period of the target second device 720. The sensing period of the target second device 720 includes at least the duration of the carrier sensing process of the target second device 720, such as the LBT duration of the target second device 720. In some embodiments, the sensing period of the target second device 720 also includes the transmission duration of the time-sensitive service of the target second device 720. In some embodiments, the silent period of the target second device 720 includes the sensing period and the transmission duration of the remaining second devices 720 in the plurality of second devices 720.

[0089] The second device 720 may be a network device that acts as a DU in a different RAN. Figure 4 In the second device 420 shown, the second devices 720-1 and 720-2 can handle time-sensitive services and normal services, while the second device 720-3 can only handle normal services. As discussed above, interference with the time-sensitive services of the second devices 720-1 and 720-2 may come from adjacent cells managed by the second device 720-3. Additionally or alternatively, interference with the time-sensitive services of each of the second devices 720-1 and 720-2 may also come from their own normal services. The second device 720 can learn its own time-sensitive service information from the third device 730. In some embodiments, the second device can send services on an unlicensed band based on a transmission mode received from the first device 710.

[0090] The third device 730 may be a management device (eg, SMF) of the core network 705 and communicate with the first device 710 and the second device 720 in different RANs. The third device 730 may be configured to maintain information about time-sensitive traffic of the second device 720.

[0091] It is also important to understand that Figure 7 The number of network devices, terminal devices and service cells shown is given for illustrative purposes and does not represent any limitation.

[0092] The principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figure 6 and 8 Detailed description. Figure 8 A signaling diagram illustrating a channel coordination process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, the process 800 will refer to Figure 7 The process 800 may involve a first device 710 , a second device 720 , and a third device 730 .

[0093] As above combined Figure 7 As described, in a communication environment 700 in which a wireless communication system (e.g., a 5G NR system) is integrated with a TSN network, a first device 710 may be a coordination controller deployed at a CU and configured to coordinate channel resources for performing transmissions on channels in an unlicensed spectrum. The first device 710 may collect information for assisting channel coordination from a third device 730 and a second device 720. Figure 4 Similar to the second devices 420-1 to 420-3 shown, the second devices 720-1 to 720-3 can respectively operate in different RANs, such as RAN 1, RAN 2 and RAN 3 (not shown), each of the second devices 720-1 and 720-2 handles time-sensitive services and normal services, and the second device 720-3 only handles non-time-sensitive services.

[0094] The first device 710 obtains 805 information about time-sensitive services of multiple second devices 720 from the third device 730. The information about the time-sensitive services includes at least one of the following: arrival time of the time-sensitive services, packet delay budget, service priority, etc. The first device 710 receives 810 information from the multiple second devices 720 about carrier sensing to be performed by the multiple second devices. The first device 710 determines 815 a transmission mode of a target second device 720 among the multiple second devices 720 based on the information about carrier sensing and the information about the time-sensitive services. The transmission mode includes at least a sensing period for transmitting the time-sensitive services and a silent period of the target second device 720. After the transmission mode is determined, the first device 710 sends 820 a first message indicating the transmission mode to the target second device 720.

[0095] Fig. 9 A flowchart showing an example method of channel coordination according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 900 may be implemented at a network device in a RAN, for example, referring to Figure 4 and Figure 7 The second devices 420 and 720 are described. For discussion purposes only, Fig. 9 The example shown combines Figure 7 It should be understood that this example is for illustrative purposes only and similar improvements and benefits may also be obtained by Figure 4 The communication system 400 is shown as an implementation.

[0096] In 910, the second device 720 receives a first message including a transmission mode from the first device 710. In some embodiments, the transmission mode may include at least a sensing period for transmitting a time-sensitive service of the second device 720 and a silent period of the second device 720. In this case, the transmission mode may be designed for each second device 720.

[0097] The transmission mode may be determined by the first device 710 based on information about carrier sensing and information about time-sensitive traffic of the second device. As discussed above, information about time-sensitive traffic of the second device 720 may be obtained from a third device 730, such as an SMF of the core network 705.

[0098] In 920, the second device 720 sends a service on an unlicensed band based on a transmission mode. In the context of the present disclosure, a sensing period may refer to a duration specific to the second device 720 for sensing a channel and transmitting a time-sensitive service. During this period, only the second device 720 is allowed to send a time-sensitive service on the channel, that is, the second device 720 has the highest priority for transmitting a time-sensitive service among multiple second devices 720. Therefore, the second device 720 can send a time-sensitive service in a non-competitive manner. The sensing period may include at least a listen-before-talk duration of the second device 720. Therefore, the second device 720 is ensured to successfully occupy the channel. In order to protect the performance of time-sensitive communications, in some other embodiments, the sensing period may be extended to cover the transmission duration of the time-sensitive service of the second device 720.

[0099] The silent period of the second device 720 may include at least a sensing period of other network devices that may interfere with the second device 720. Additionally or alternatively, the silent period may be extended to cover the transmission duration of another network device. During the silent period, the second device 720 is not allowed to perform a carrier sensing process and send any traffic on the channel.

[0100] In some embodiments, the transmission pattern may further include a shared period, which may include transmission opportunities outside of the sensing period and the silent period. During the shared period, all second devices 720 may transmit their non-time-sensitive traffic in a contention-based manner.

[0101] Fig.10 A schematic diagram illustrating a transmission mode of a network device in an unlicensed spectrum according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig.10 The example shown combines Figure 7 It should be understood that this example is for illustrative purposes only and similar improvements and benefits may also be obtained by Figure 4 The communication system 400 is shown as an implementation.

[0102] like Fig.10As shown, before the second device 720 performs any sensing carrier process or service transmission, the first device 710 determines the transmission mode of each second device 720 in the second device 720 that may interfere with each other. In the transmission mode, sensing periods 1012 and 1018 are specific to the second device 720-1. During these periods, other second devices (such as second devices 720-2 and 720-3) are not allowed to send any services on the channel, so the corresponding periods 1022 and 1028 and 1032 and 1038 are respectively the silent periods of the second devices 720-2 and 720-3. Similarly, sensing periods 1024 and 1026 are specific to the second device 720-2, while periods 1014 and 1016 and 1034 and 1036 are respectively the silent periods of the second devices 720-1 and 720-3. Since the second device 720-3 is a network device that only handles non-time-sensitive services (i.e., normal services), there is no need to allocate a specific sensing cycle for the second device 720-3. The remaining transmission opportunities can be used for shared cycles. For example, during cycles 1011, 1013, 1015, 1017, and 1019, the second device 720-1 can attempt to access the channel in a contention-based manner. Similarly, cycles 1021, 1023, 1025, 1027, and 1029 are silent cycles for the second device 720-2, and cycles 1031, 1033, 1035, 1037, and 1039 are silent cycles for the second device 720-3.

[0103] Through this channel coordination mechanism, TSC services can be supported in unlicensed bands. For example, in the application of 5G systems, if LBT is successful, any gNB including normal gNB can access the channel to transmit services at shared time resources, and if LBT is successful, any TSC gNB can only access the channel to transmit TSC services in its own TSC dedicated cycle. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a coordination controller as a network function for coordinating the transmission of network devices can be deployed at the RAN or core network by using existing interfaces. Therefore, the interoperability of TSN base stations with normal base stations is effectively improved, and the latency requirements of time-sensitive services can be guaranteed. Moreover, the waste of channel resources in unlicensed bands can be minimized.

[0104] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of executing method 600 (e.g., first device 410 or 710) may include a component for executing the corresponding steps of method 600. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The apparatus may be implemented as a first device in first device 410 and 710, or included therein. In some embodiments, the component may include at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer process code. At least one memory and a computer process code are configured to execute the apparatus together with at least one processor.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for receiving information about carrier sensing to be performed by the multiple second devices from the multiple second devices; a component for determining a transmission mode of a target second device among the multiple devices based on the information about the carrier sensing and the information about time-sensitive services of the multiple second devices, the transmission mode including at least a sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive services of the target second devices and a silent period for the target second device; and a component for sending a first message indicating the transmission mode to the target second device.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the information regarding carrier sensing indicates at least a type and duration of carrier sensing to be performed on the unlicensed frequency band.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the information about the time-sensitive traffic includes at least one of: an arrival time of the time-sensitive traffic, a packet delay budget, and a traffic priority.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the component for determining the transmission mode includes: a component for determining a sensing period based on information about carrier sensing and information about time-sensitive services, during which the target second device has the highest priority among multiple second devices for sending time-sensitive services; and a component for determining at least one sensing period of the remaining second devices among the multiple second devices as a silent period of the target second device, and the target second device is not allowed to send during the silent period.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a component for receiving a second message from one of the candidate devices controlled by the first device, the second message including information about at least one neighboring cell of the candidate device that interferes with carrier sensing performed by the candidate device; and a component for determining a plurality of second devices to be coordinated with the transmission mode from the plurality of candidate devices based on the information about the at least one neighboring cell, the information indicating an identification and an interference level of at least one neighboring candidate device of the candidate device that manages the at least one neighboring cell.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the component for determining the transmission mode includes: a component for determining a sensing period based on information about carrier sensing and information about time-sensitive services, during which the target second device has the highest priority among multiple second devices for sending time-sensitive services; and a component for determining a silent period of the target second device based on an interference level caused by the target second device to the remaining second devices among the multiple second devices, the target second device being not allowed to send during the silent period.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the component for determining the transmission mode also includes: a component for determining a transmission opportunity outside a sensing period and a silent period as a shared period, and multiple second devices send non-time-sensitive services in a contention-based manner during the shared period; and a component for determining that the transmission mode includes at least one sensing period, a silent period and a shared period.

[0112] In some example embodiments, means for sending the first message includes means for sending the first message including information indicating at least a start time and a duration of at least a sensing period and a silent period.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the sensing period of the target second device includes at least a listen-before-talk duration of the target second device.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the sensing period of the target second device further includes a transmission duration of the time-sensitive traffic of the target second device.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the silence period of the target second device includes sensing periods and transmission durations of remaining second devices of the plurality of second devices.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the information about the time sensitive traffic is preconfigured at the first device.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the first device is a management device at a core network and is configured with a session management function, and the plurality of second devices are network devices.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for obtaining information about time sensitive traffic from a management device at the core network, the management device being configured with a session management function.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first device is a central network device and the plurality of second devices are distributed network devices.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the device capable of executing method 900 (e.g., second device 420 and 720) may include a component for executing the corresponding steps of method 900. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. In some embodiments, the component may include at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer process code. At least one memory and the computer process code are configured to cause the execution of the device together with at least one processor. The device may be implemented as second device 720, or included therein.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for receiving a first message including a transmission mode from a first device, the transmission mode being determined by the first device based on information about carrier sensing and information about a time-sensitive service of a second device, and including at least a sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive service of the second device and a silent period of the second device; and a component for sending a service on an unlicensed band based on the transmission mode.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the transmission mode also includes a shared period, and the service includes at least one of the following: time-sensitive service and non-time-sensitive service, and the component for sending the service based on the transmission mode includes at least one of the following: a component for sending time-sensitive service during a sensing period; a component for sending non-time-sensitive service during a shared period; and a component for not sending service during a silent period.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the first device is a management device at a core network and is configured with a session management function, and the second device is a network device.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the first device is a central network device and the second device is a distributed network device.

[0125] Fig.11 1 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1100 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 1100 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 4 and Figure 7 The first device 410, 710, the second device 420, 720 and the third device 730 are shown. As shown, the device 1100 includes one or more processors 1110, one or more memories 1140 coupled to the processor 1110, and one or more transmitters and / or receivers (TX / RX) 1140 coupled to the processor 1110.

[0126] TX / RX 1140 is used for bidirectional communication. TX / RX 1140 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary to communicate with other network elements.

[0127] Processor 1110 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture as non-limiting examples. Device 1100 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0128] The memory 1120 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 1124, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage devices and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1122 and other volatile memories that do not persist over the duration of a power outage.

[0129] Computer program 1130 includes computer executable instructions executed by associated processor 1110. Program 1130 may be stored in ROM 1120. Processor 1110 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 1130 into RAM 1120.

[0130] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented with the help of program 1130, so that the device 1100 can execute the reference Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0131] In some embodiments, the program 1130 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 1100 (such as the memory 1120) or other storage device accessible by the device 1100. The device 1100 may load the program 1130 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 1122 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage device, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Fig.12 An example of a computer readable medium 1200 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The computer readable medium has a program 1130 stored thereon.

[0132] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it is to be understood that the boxes, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers, or other computing devices, or some combination thereof as non-limiting examples.

[0133] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those included in a program module executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to perform the above-referenced Figure 6 and Fig. 9 Methods 600 and 900 described herein. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed. The machine executable instructions of program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0134] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device, so that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code can be executed completely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0135] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform the above-mentioned various processes and operations. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0136] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media would include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0137] Further, although the operation is depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operation to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or all illustrated operations are performed, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although a plurality of specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Some features described in the context of a separate embodiment can also be implemented in a single embodiment in combination. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in a plurality of embodiments individually or according to any suitable subcombination.

[0138] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to: receiving information from a plurality of second devices, the information relating to carrier sensing to be performed by the plurality of second devices; Based on the information about the carrier sensing and the information about the time-sensitive services of the multiple second devices, determine a transmission mode for a target second device among the multiple second devices and determine a transmission opportunity outside a sensing period and a silent period as a shared period, during which the multiple second devices transmit non-time-sensitive services in a contention-based manner, the transmission mode at least including the sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive service of the target second device, the silent period of the target second device, and the shared period; and A first message indicating the transmission mode is sent to the target second device. 2 . The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the information about the carrier sensing indicates at least a type and a duration of the carrier sensing to be performed on an unlicensed frequency band. 3 . The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the information about the time-sensitive service comprises at least one of: an arrival time of the time-sensitive service, a packet delay budget, and a service priority.

4. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first device is configured to determine the transmission mode by: determining the sensing period based on the information about the carrier sensing and the information about the time-sensitive service, during which the target second device has the highest priority for transmitting the time-sensitive service among the plurality of second devices; and At least one sensing period of the remaining second devices among the plurality of second devices is determined as the silent period of the target second device, and the target second device is not allowed to send during the silent period.

5. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further configured to: receiving a second message from one of the candidate devices controlled by the first device, the second message including information about at least one neighboring cell of the candidate device, the at least one neighboring cell interfering with the carrier sensing performed by the candidate device; and The plurality of second devices to be coordinated with the transmission mode are determined from the candidate device based on the information about the at least one neighboring cell, the information indicating an identity and an interference level of at least one neighboring candidate device of the candidate device, the at least one neighboring candidate device managing the at least one neighboring cell.

6. The first device of claim 5, wherein the first device is configured to determine the transmission mode by: determining the sensing period based on the information about the carrier sensing and the information about the time-sensitive service, during which the target second device has the highest priority for transmitting the time-sensitive service among the plurality of second devices; and The silent period of the target second device is determined based on the interference level caused by the target second device to the remaining second devices of the plurality of second devices, and the target second device is not allowed to send during the silent period.

7. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to send the first message by: The first message is sent, the first message including information indicating at least a start time and a duration of at least one of the sensing period and the silent period. 8 . The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensing period of the target second device at least includes a listen-before-talk duration of the target second device. 9 . The first device according to claim 8 , wherein the sensing period of the target second device further includes a transmission duration of the time-sensitive traffic of the target second device.

10. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the silent period of the target second device includes sensing periods and transmission durations of remaining second devices among the plurality of second devices.

11. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the information about time-sensitive services is preconfigured at the first device. 12 . The first device according to claim 11 , wherein the first device is a management device at a core network and is configured with a session management function, and the plurality of second devices are network devices.

13. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: The information about the time-sensitive service is obtained from a management device at a core network, the management device being configured with a session management function.

14. The first device of claim 13, wherein the first device is a central network device and the plurality of second devices are distributed network devices.

15. A second device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to: receiving a first message including a transmission mode from a first device, wherein the transmission mode is determined by the first device based on information about carrier sensing of the second device and information about a time-sensitive service of the second device, and includes at least a sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive service of the second device, a silent period of the second device, and a shared period other than the sensing period and the silent period, during which the second device transmits non-time-sensitive service in a contention-based manner; as well as Traffic is sent on the unlicensed frequency band based on the transmission mode.

16. The second device according to claim 15, wherein the transmission mode further comprises a shared period, and the service comprises at least one of the following: the time-sensitive service and the non-time-sensitive service, and The second device is configured to send the service based on the transmission mode by at least one of the following: sending the time-sensitive traffic during the sensing period; sending the non-time-sensitive traffic during the sharing period; as well as No traffic is sent during the silent period. 17 . The second device according to claim 15 , wherein the first device is a management device at a core network and is configured with a session management function, and the second device is a network device.

18. The second device of claim 15, wherein the first device is a central network device and the second device is a distributed network device.

19. A method comprising: receiving, at a first device, information from a plurality of second devices, the information relating to carrier sensing to be performed by the plurality of second devices; Based on the information about the carrier sensing and the information about the time-sensitive services of the multiple second devices, determine a transmission mode for a target second device among the multiple second devices and determine a transmission opportunity outside a sensing period and a silent period as a shared period, during which the multiple second devices transmit non-time-sensitive services in a contention-based manner, the transmission mode at least includes the sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive services of the target second device and the silent period of the target second device, and the shared period; and A first message indicating the transmission mode is sent to the target second device.

20. A method comprising: At the second device, receiving a first message including a transmission mode from the first device, wherein the transmission mode is determined by the first device based on information about carrier sensing of the second device and information about a time-sensitive service of the second device, and includes at least a sensing period for transmission of the time-sensitive service of the second device, a silent period of the second device, and a shared period other than the sensing period and the silent period, during which the second device transmits non-time-sensitive service in a contention-based manner; as well as Traffic is sent on the unlicensed frequency band based on the transmission mode.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least perform the method according to claim 19.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least perform the method according to claim 20.

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