Methods, devices, and computer program products for wireless communication

Abstract

Methods, devices, and computer program products for wireless communication are provided. A method includes switching, by a wireless communication node, from a first uplink listen-before-talk (LBT) scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and a network device, or in response to a first downlink signal or a second downlink signal transmitted from the network device including LBT scheme switching information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communications. Specifically, this disclosure pertains to methods, apparatus, and computer program products for wireless communications. More specifically, this disclosure relates to 5G wireless communications. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of 5G New Radio (NR) networks, new user data applications will experience explosive growth. This rapid increase in user data will lead to a dramatic increase in demand for broadband spectrum. To alleviate this demand, equipment manufacturers and operators worldwide are turning their attention to abundant, free, and unlicensed spectrum.

[0003] In low-frequency unlicensed NR bands (e.g., 5 GHz), user equipment (UE) and / or base station (B) are forced to... ase Station, BS performs a Listen Before Talk (LBT) operation before transmission. The only permitted LBT scheme in the low-frequency unlicensed band is the omnidirectional LBT scheme. Furthermore, due to the relatively long wavelength, the signal transmission direction is also omnidirectional.

[0004] At the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) plenary meeting RAN#86, a new research project (S tudyItem, The SI (Signaling Induction Beamforming) scheme was approved to support research on NR from 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz. For high-frequency bandwidth transmission, massive antenna elements are needed for beamforming to combat high propagation loss. In this case, using an omnidirectional LBT scheme may be unnecessary and may not match directional transmission in high-frequency communications, which is why directional LBT schemes were introduced. However, in some cases, omnidirectional LBT schemes are also used for high-frequency transmission, making it possible that NR systems may still require omnidirectional LBT schemes. Furthermore, LBT-free (NoLBT) schemes (which do not eavesdrop before the call / transmission) were also widely discussed at the 3GPP RAN1 meeting because interference after beamforming may be limited by directional transmission. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure relates to methods, apparatus, and computer program products for wireless communication that allow wireless communication nodes or network devices to operatively change their LBT schemes as needed, enabling more flexible configuration.

[0006] One aspect of the disclosure relates to a wireless communication method. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method includes switching, by a wireless communication node, from a first uplink Listen Before Talk, LBT, scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and a network device, or in response to a first downlink signal or a second downlink signal including LBT scheme switching information transmitted from the network device.

[0007] Another aspect of the disclosure relates to a wireless communication method. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method includes transmitting, by a network device, a first downlink signal or a second downlink signal including Listen Before Talk, LBT, scheme switching information to a wireless communication node to cause the wireless communication node to switch from a first uplink LBT scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme. The first downlink signal is transmitted in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and the network device, and the second downlink signal is transmitted in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level within a service range corresponding to the network device.

[0008] Another aspect of the disclosure relates to a wireless communication method. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method includes switching, by a network device, from a first downlink Listen Before Talk, LBT, scheme to a second downlink LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of a downlink channel between the network device and a wireless communication node, or in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level within a service range corresponding to the network device.

[0009] Another aspect of the disclosure relates to a wireless communication node. In one embodiment, the wireless communication node includes a communication unit and a processor. The processor is configured to switch from a first uplink Listen Before Talk, LBT, scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and a network device, or in response to a first downlink signal or a second downlink signal including LBT scheme switching information transmitted from the network device.

[0010] Another aspect of the disclosure relates to a network device. In one embodiment, the network device includes a communication unit and a processor. The processor is configured to transmit, by the communication unit, a first downlink signal or a second downlink signal including Listen Before Talk, LBT, scheme switching information to cause a wireless communication node to switch from a first uplink LBT scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme.

[0011] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a network device. In one embodiment, the network device comprises a communication unit and a processor. The processor is configured to switch from a first downlink listen-before-talk, LBT, scheme to a second downlink LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of a downlink channel between the network device and a wireless communication node, or in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level within a service range corresponding to the network device.

[0012] Various embodiments can preferably implement the following features.

[0013] Preferably, the congestion level of the uplink channel is determined in accordance with whether the network device successfully detects one or more uplink transmissions.

[0014] Preferably, the congestion level of the uplink channel corresponds to at least one of: a number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node, a NACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel, a no-feedback time corresponding to the uplink channel, a number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node, a retransmission probability corresponding to the uplink channel, a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node, or an ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel.

[0015] Preferably, the congestion level is determined in accordance with a radio quality.

[0016] Preferably, the radio quality corresponds to a signal strength.

[0017] Preferably, the radio quality corresponds to a signal-to-noise ratio or a reference signal received power.

[0018] Preferably, the first uplink LBT scheme and the second uplink LBT scheme are two of: a no-LBT scheme, an omni-LBT scheme, or a directional-LBT scheme.

[0019] Preferably, the wireless communication node switches from the no-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme or the directional-LBT scheme, or from the directional-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme in response to the signal-to-noise ratio or the reference signal received power being greater than or equal to a first threshold, and at least one of:

[0020] the number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node being greater than or equal to a second threshold,

[0021] the NACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel being greater than or equal to a third threshold,

[0022] the no-feedback time corresponding to the uplink channel being greater than or equal to a fourth threshold,

[0023] the number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node being greater than or equal to a fifth threshold,

[0024] a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node is greater than or equal to a thirteenth threshold, or

[0025] a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node is less than a seventh threshold, or

[0026] an ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel is less than an eighth threshold.

[0027] Preferably, the wireless communication node switches from the omni-directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme or the directional LBT scheme, or from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme, in response to at least one of the following conditions:

[0028] a number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node is less than a ninth threshold,

[0029] an NACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel is less than a tenth threshold,

[0030] a number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node is less than an eleventh threshold,

[0031] a retransmission probability corresponding to the uplink channel is less than a twelfth threshold,

[0032] a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node is greater than or equal to a thirteenth threshold, or

[0033] an ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel is greater than or equal to a fourteenth threshold.

[0034] Preferably, the first downlink signal is a user equipment specific downlink control information signal, or a medium access control control element, MAC CE.

[0035] Preferably, the second downlink signal is a common downlink control information signal, a broadcast system information message, or a radio resource control message.

[0036] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises the wireless communication node sending feedback information corresponding to the congestion level of the downlink channel to the network device, to cause the network device to switch from the first downlink LBT scheme to the second downlink LBT scheme according to the feedback information.

[0037] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises the network device sending feedback information corresponding to the congestion level of the uplink channel to the wireless communication node, to cause the wireless communication node to operatively switch from the first uplink LBT scheme to the second uplink LBT scheme according to the feedback information.

[0038] Preferably, the network device transmits the first downlink signal including a piece of first type of LBT scheme switching information to switch the wireless communication node from the first uplink LBT scheme to the second uplink LBT scheme in response to the signal-to-noise ratio or the reference signal received power being greater than or equal to a first threshold, and at least one of the following conditions:

[0039] a number of uplink transmission detection failures being greater than or equal to a second threshold,

[0040] an uplink transmission detection failure probability being greater than or equal to a third threshold,

[0041] a number of uplink transmission detection successes being less than a fourth threshold, or

[0042] an uplink transmission detection success probability being less than a fifth threshold.

[0043] Preferably, the network device transmits the first downlink signal including a piece of first type of LBT scheme switching information in response to the first uplink LBT scheme of the wireless communication node being a no-LBT scheme or a directional LBT scheme.

[0044] Preferably, the network device transmits the first downlink signal including a piece of second type of LBT scheme switching information to switch the wireless communication node from the first uplink LBT scheme to the second uplink LBT scheme in response to at least one of the following conditions:

[0045] a number of uplink transmission detection failures being less than a sixth threshold,

[0046] an uplink transmission detection failure probability being less than a seventh threshold,

[0047] a number of uplink transmission detection successes being greater than or equal to an eighth threshold, or

[0048] an uplink transmission detection success probability being greater than or equal to a ninth threshold.

[0049] Preferably, the network device transmits the first downlink signal including a piece of second type of LBT scheme switching information in response to the first uplink LBT scheme of the wireless communication node being a directional LBT scheme or an omni-directional LBT scheme.

[0050] Preferably, the one or more triggering events include at least one of the following: whether there is another wireless system within a service range, a number of nodes accessing the network device, or a total probability of decoding errors of the network device.

[0051] Preferably, the network device transmits the second downlink signal comprising a piece of first type of LBT scheme switching information to switch the wireless communication node from the first uplink LBT scheme to the second uplink LBT scheme in response to at least one of the following conditions:

[0052] another wireless system is present within the service range,

[0053] a number of nodes accessing the network device is greater than or equal to a tenth threshold, or

[0054] a total probability of decoding error of the network device is greater than or equal to an eleventh threshold.

[0055] Preferably, the network device transmits the second downlink signal comprising a piece of second type of LBT scheme switching information to switch the wireless communication node from the first uplink LBT scheme to the second uplink LBT scheme in response to at least one of the following conditions:

[0056] another wireless system is not present within the service range,

[0057] a number of nodes accessing the network device is less than a twelfth threshold, or

[0058] a total probability of decoding error of the network device is less than a thirteenth threshold.

[0059] Preferably, the network device transmits the second downlink signal comprising a piece of second type of LBT scheme switching information in response to the first uplink LBT scheme of the wireless communication node being a directional LBT scheme or an omni-directional LBT scheme.

[0060] Preferably, the congestion level of the downlink channel is determined according to whether the wireless communication node successfully detects one or more downlink transmissions.

[0061] Preferably, the congestion level of the downlink channel corresponds to at least one of: a number of NACK signals corresponding to the downlink channel, a NACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel, a no-feedback time corresponding to the downlink channel, a number of retransmissions corresponding to the downlink channel, a retransmission probability corresponding to the downlink channel, a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node, or an ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel.

[0062] Preferably, the first downlink LBT scheme and the second downlink LBT scheme are two of: no-LBT scheme, omni-directional LBT scheme, or directional LBT scheme.

[0063] Preferably, the network device switches from the no-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme or the directional-LBT scheme, or from the directional-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme, in response to a signal-to-noise ratio or a reference signal received power being greater than or equal to a first threshold, and at least one of:

[0064] a number of NACK signals corresponding to the downlink channel being greater than or equal to a second threshold,

[0065] a NACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel being greater than or equal to a third threshold,

[0066] a feedback-less time corresponding to the downlink channel being greater than or equal to a fourth threshold,

[0067] a number of retransmissions corresponding to the downlink channel being greater than or equal to a fifth threshold,

[0068] a retransmission probability corresponding to the downlink channel being greater than or equal to a sixth threshold,

[0069] a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node being less than a seventh threshold, or

[0070] an ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel being less than an eighth threshold.

[0071] Preferably, the wireless communication node switches from the omni-LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme or the directional-LBT scheme, or from the directional-LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme, in response to at least one of:

[0072] a number of NACK signals corresponding to the downlink channel being less than a ninth threshold,

[0073] a NACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel being less than a tenth threshold,

[0074] a number of retransmissions corresponding to the downlink channel being less than an eleventh threshold,

[0075] a retransmission probability corresponding to the downlink channel being less than a twelfth threshold,

[0076] a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node being greater than or equal to a thirteenth threshold, or

[0077] an ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel being greater than or equal to a fourteenth threshold.

[0078] Preferably, the network device switches from the no-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme or the directional-LBT scheme, or from the directional-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme, in response to at least one of:

[0079] another wireless system being present within a service range,

[0080] a number of nodes of the access network device is greater than or equal to a fifteenth threshold, or

[0081] a total probability of decoding error of the network device is greater than or equal to a sixteenth threshold.

[0082] Preferably, the network device switches from the omni-directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme or the directional LBT scheme, or from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme, in response to at least one of the following conditions:

[0083] there is no other wireless system within a service range,

[0084] a number of nodes of the access network device is less than a seventeenth threshold, or

[0085] a total probability of decoding error of the network device is less than an eighteenth threshold.

[0086] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises that the network device sends feedback information corresponding to a congestion level of the uplink channel to the wireless communication node, so that the wireless communication node is operable to switch from a first uplink LBT scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme according to the feedback information.

[0087] The present disclosure also relates to a computer program product comprising a computer readable program medium code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the wireless communication method in any of the above methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0088] Figure 1 a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0089] Figure 2 another wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0090] Figure 3 another wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0091] Figure 4 a schematic diagram of a wireless communication node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0092] Figure 5 a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0093] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are intended to provide features that will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In accordance with various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, apparatus and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example only, and that various modifications might be made by those of ordinary skill in the art to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0094] Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. Additionally, the particular order and / or hierarchy of steps in methods disclosed herein are merely examples. Based upon design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed methods or processes can be re-arranged without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the methods and techniques disclosed herein can be performed in a variety of orders and / or hierarchies without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0095] The above and other aspects and embodiments are described in more detail in the drawings, specific embodiments and claims.

[0096] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method corresponding to a multi-LBT scheme. Different LBT schemes have different impacts on the congestion level of the corresponding channel. For example, if a no-LBT scheme is configured, the congestion level of the corresponding channel will be the worst because transmissions are allowed without listening. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, different LBT schemes can be employed according to the congestion level of the corresponding channel.

[0097] Figure 1 A wireless communication method 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method 100 can be performed using a wireless communication node. In the following paragraphs, a wireless communication node such as a UE will be used in the descriptive examples, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Details of the wireless communication node can be determined by referring to the following paragraphs related to Figure 4

[0098] In one embodiment, the wireless communication method 100 includes an operation 110.

[0099] In operation 110, the wireless communication node switches from a first uplink LBT scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and a network device, or in response to a first downlink signal or a second downlink signal including listen-before-talk (LBT) scheme switching information transmitted from the network device.

[0100] ​By this method, the wireless communication node can operatively change its LBT scheme, so that the configuration of the wireless communication node can be more flexible. In addition, by some embodiments of the method, when there are multiple wireless communication nodes within the service range (e.g., cell) of the network device (e.g., base station), the above-mentioned method allows multiple LBT schemes to coexist. In addition, by some embodiments of the method, congestion within the service range due to improper LBT scheme configuration can be avoided.

[0101] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the method 100 further includes that the wireless communication node receives feedback information corresponding to the congestion level of the uplink channel from the network device, so that the wireless communication node is operatively switched from the first uplink LBT scheme to the second uplink LBT scheme according to the feedback information. In one embodiment, the feedback information includes hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information, but is not limited thereto.

[0102] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the network device sends the first downlink signal in response to the congestion level of the uplink channel between the wireless communication node and the network device. In one embodiment, the first downlink signal is a device-specific signal. That is, only the wireless communication node within the service range of the network device can receive the first downlink signal.

[0103] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the network device sends the second downlink signal in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to the congestion level within the service range (e.g., cell) corresponding to the network device. In one embodiment, the first downlink signal is a common signal. That is, all wireless communication nodes within the service range corresponding to the network device can receive the second downlink signal.

[0104] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first uplink LBT scheme and the second uplink LBT scheme are two of the no-LBT scheme, the omni-directional LBT scheme, or the directional LBT scheme, but are not limited thereto.

[0105] The details of the method 100 will be described in the following embodiments 1 to 12 (especially embodiments 1 to 3 and 7 to 9).

[0106] Figure 2 A wireless communication method 200 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method 200 can be performed using a network device. In the following paragraphs, a network device (such as a BS) will be used in the descriptive examples, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The details of the network device can be determined by referring to the following paragraphs related to Figure 5 the network device.

[0107] In an embodiment, the wireless communication method 200 comprises operation 210.

[0108] In operation 210, the network device sends, to the wireless communication node, a first downlink signal or a second downlink signal comprising LBT scheme switching information, to cause the wireless communication node to switch from a first uplink LBT scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme. In one embodiment, the first downlink signal is sent in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and the network device. In one embodiment, the second downlink signal is sent in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level within a service range corresponding to the network device.

[0109] By this method, the network device can cause the wireless communication node to operatively change its LBT scheme, so that the configuration of the wireless communication node is more flexible. In addition, by some embodiments of this method, the above-mentioned method allows various LBT schemes to coexist when there are multiple wireless communication nodes within the service range of the network device. In addition, by some embodiments of this method, congestion within the service range due to inappropriate LBT scheme configuration can be avoided.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first downlink signal and the second downlink signal in method 200 can have the same characteristics as the first downlink signal and the second downlink signal in method 100, but are not limited thereto.

[0111] Details of method 200 will be described in embodiments 1 to 12 below (in particular, embodiments 1 to 3 and 7 to 9).

[0112] Figure 3 A wireless communication method 300 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method 300 can be performed using a network device. In the following paragraphs, a network device (such as a BS) will be used in descriptive examples, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Details of the network device can be determined by referring to the following paragraphs related to Figure 5 Details of the network device.

[0113] In one embodiment, the wireless communication method 300 comprises operation 310.

[0114] In operation 310, the network device switches from a first downlink LBT scheme to a second downlink LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of a downlink channel between the network device and the wireless communication node, or in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level within a service range corresponding to the network device.

[0115] By this method, the network device can change its LBT scheme, so that the configuration of the LBT scheme of the network device is more flexible. In addition, through some embodiments of the method, congestion within the service range caused by improper LBT scheme configuration can be avoided.

[0116] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the method 300 further includes that the network device receives feedback information corresponding to the congestion level of the downlink channel from the wireless communication node, so that the network device switches from the first downlink LBT scheme to the second downlink LBT according to the feedback information. In one embodiment, the feedback information includes HARQ-ACK information, but is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the feedback information corresponds to whether one or more downlink transmissions are successfully detected / decoded.

[0117] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first downlink LBT scheme and the second downlink LBT scheme are two of the no-LBT scheme, the omni-LBT scheme or the directional-LBT scheme, but are not limited thereto.

[0118] The details of the method 300 will be described in the following embodiments 1 to 12 (especially embodiments 4 to 6 and 10 to 12).

[0119] In the following paragraphs, embodiments 1 to 12 are described to provide details of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments.

[0120] For ease of reading, the types of LBT scheme switching of embodiments 1 to 12 are indicated in the following table.

[0121]

[0122] Embodiment 1

[0123] In embodiment 1, the wireless communication node switches from the no-LBT scheme to the directional-LBT scheme. In some embodiments, there are three LBT switching methods.

[0124] Embodiment 1-Method 1

[0125] In one embodiment, in response to the congestion level of the uplink channel between the wireless communication node and the network device, the wireless communication node switches from the no-LBT scheme to the directional-LBT scheme. In this embodiment, the wireless communication node determines the congestion level of the uplink channel according to the transmission quality corresponding to the uplink channel, such as whether the network device successfully detects (or decodes) one or more uplink transmissions.

[0126] In one embodiment, the wireless communication node measures the transmission quality according to feedback information from the network device. In one embodiment, the feedback information can comprise HARQ-ACK information. In one embodiment, the feedback information corresponds to whether one or more uplink transmissions are successfully detected / decoded.

[0127] In one embodiment, the wireless communication node determines the congestion level corresponding to at least one of: a number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node, a NACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel, a no-feedback time corresponding to the uplink channel, a number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node, a retransmission probability corresponding to the uplink channel, a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node, and / or an ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel.

[0128] In one embodiment, the number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node can be a number of NACK signals corresponding to the uplink channel received by the wireless communication node within a configured time or within an infinite time period. In one embodiment, the number of NACK signals described herein can be a number of NACK signals in one HARQ process or a cumulative number of NACK signals in multiple HARQ processes.

[0129] In one embodiment, the NACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel can be determined according to a number of NACK signals and ACK signals corresponding to the uplink channel received by the wireless communication node within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from the configured time described above) or within an infinite time period. In one embodiment, the NACK probability can be calculated by dividing the number of NACK signals by a sum of the number of NACK signals and the number of ACK signals.

[0130] In one embodiment, the no-feedback time corresponding to the uplink channel can be a time in which the wireless communication node does not receive feedback information from the network device after transmitting through the uplink channel. By using the no-feedback time to determine the congestion level, it can be avoided that the wireless communication node cannot receive NACK signals / messages due to any accidental reasons (e.g., downlink LBT failure).

[0131] In one embodiment, the number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node can be a number of retransmissions corresponding to the uplink channel performed by the wireless communication node within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from any of the configured times described above) or within an infinite time period. In one embodiment, the number of retransmissions described herein can be a number of retransmissions in one HARQ process or a cumulative number of retransmissions in multiple HARQ processes.

[0132] In one embodiment, the retransmission probability corresponding to the uplink channel can be determined from the number of retransmissions or new transmissions performed by the wireless communication node corresponding to the uplink channel within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from any of the configured times described above) or an infinite time period. In some embodiments, the new transmissions performed by the wireless communication node correspond to feedback from the network device indicating that a previous uplink transmission was successfully decoded, while the retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node correspond to another feedback from the network device indicating that a previous uplink transmission was not successfully decoded. In one embodiment, the retransmission probability can be calculated by dividing the number of retransmissions by the sum of the number of retransmissions and the number of new transmissions.

[0133] In one embodiment, the number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node can be the number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node corresponding to the uplink channel within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from any of the configured times described above) or an infinite time period. In one embodiment, the number of ACK signals described herein can be the number of ACK signals in one HARQ process or the cumulative number of ACK signals in multiple HARQ processes.

[0134] In one embodiment, the ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel can be determined from the number of NACK signals and the number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node corresponding to the uplink channel within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from any of the configured times described above) or an infinite time period. In one embodiment, the ACK probability can be calculated by dividing the number of NACK signals by the sum of the number of NACK signals and the number of ACK signals.

[0135] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node determines the congestion level of the uplink channel corresponding to a radio quality. In one embodiment, the radio quality corresponds to the uplink channel. In one embodiment, the radio quality corresponds to a signal strength. In one embodiment, the radio quality corresponds to a Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) or a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP).

[0136] In one embodiment, the wireless communication node determines the congestion level from both the radio quality and the transmission quality. For example, in response to the transmission quality being weaker than a certain standard (e.g., the network device is unable to successfully detect many uplink transmissions) and the radio quality being greater than another certain standard, the wireless communication node can determine that the congestion level is relatively high. In this way, the wireless communication node can be prevented from falsely determining that the congestion level is relatively high due to poor radio quality.

[0137] In one embodiment, the wireless communication node determines that the congestion level is relatively high and switches from the no-LBT scheme to the directional LBT scheme in response to the SNR or RSRP described above being greater than or equal to a threshold s1_1, and at least one of the following conditions:

[0138] the number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node being greater than or equal to a threshold n_1,

[0139] the NACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel being greater than or equal to a threshold p_1,

[0140] the feedback-less time corresponding to the uplink channel being greater than or equal to a threshold tf_1,

[0141] the number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node being greater than or equal to a threshold m_1;

[0142] the retransmission probability corresponding to the uplink channel being greater than or equal to a threshold q_1,

[0143] the number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node being less than a threshold x_1, or

[0144] the ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel being less than a threshold y_1.

[0145] In one embodiment, one or more of the thresholds s1_1, n_1, p_1, tf_1, m_1, q_1, x_1, y_1 can be pre-determined or configured by another device. For example, these thresholds can be configured using a broadcast SI message, RRC message, or another feasible message from a network device.

[0146] From the perspective of a network device, in one embodiment, the network device sends feedback information to the wireless communication node to allow the wireless communication node to determine the congestion level of the uplink channel in response to the feedback information, and is operable to switch from the no-LBT scheme to the directional LBT scheme. In one embodiment, the feedback information can include HARQ-ACK information. In one embodiment, the feedback information corresponds to whether one or more uplink transmissions are successfully detected / decoded.

[0147] Embodiment 1 - Method 2

[0148] In one embodiment, the wireless communication node switches from the no-LBT scheme to the directional LBT scheme in response to a first downlink signal transmitted from the network device that includes the LBT scheme switching information. In this embodiment, the first downlink signal is a device specific signal. That is, only the wireless communication nodes within a service range of the network device can receive the first downlink signal. For example, the first downlink signal is a user equipment specific Downlink Control Information (UE specific DCI) signal, or a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE).

[0149] From the perspective of the network device, in one embodiment, the network device transmits the first downlink signal that includes the LBT scheme switching information to the wireless communication node to cause the wireless communication node to switch from the no-LBT scheme to the directional LBT scheme.

[0150] In one embodiment, the first downlink signal is transmitted in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and the network device. In this embodiment, the network device determines the congestion level of the uplink channel according to a transmission quality corresponding to the uplink channel, such as whether the network device successfully detects (or decodes) one or more uplink transmissions.

[0151] In one embodiment, the network device determines the congestion level corresponds to at least one of: a number of uplink transmission detection failures, a probability of uplink transmission detection failures, a number of uplink transmission detection successes, and / or a probability of uplink transmission detection successes.

[0152] In one embodiment, the number of uplink transmission detection failures can be a number of uplink transmission detection failures performed by the network device corresponding to the uplink channel within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from any of the above-mentioned configured times) or within an infinite time period.

[0153] In one embodiment, the probability of uplink transmission detection failures can be determined according to a number of uplink transmission detection failures performed by the network device corresponding to the uplink channel within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from any of the above-mentioned configured times) or within an infinite time period, and a total number of uplink transmissions received by the network device corresponding to the uplink channel within the configured time or the infinite time period. In one embodiment, the probability of uplink transmission detection failures can be calculated by dividing the number of uplink transmission detection failures by the total number of uplink transmissions.

[0154] In one embodiment, the number of uplink transmission detection successes can be a number of uplink transmission detection successes by the network device corresponding to the uplink channel performed within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from any of the above-described configured times) or within an infinite time period.

[0155] In one embodiment, the uplink transmission detection success probability can be determined from a number of uplink transmission detection successes by the network device corresponding to the uplink channel performed within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from any of the above-described configured times) or within an infinite time period, and a total number of uplink transmissions received by the network device corresponding to the uplink channel within the configured time or the infinite time period. In one embodiment, the uplink transmission detection success probability can be computed by dividing the number of uplink transmission detection successes by the total number of uplink transmissions.

[0156] In some embodiments, the network device determines the congestion level of the uplink channel corresponding to the radio quality. In one embodiment, the radio quality corresponds to the uplink channel. In one embodiment, the radio quality corresponds to a signal strength. In one embodiment, the radio quality corresponds to a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or a reference signal received power (RSRP).

[0157] In one embodiment, the network device determines the congestion level from the radio quality and the transmission quality. For example, in response to the transmission quality being weaker than a particular criterion (e.g., the wireless communication node fails to successfully detect many uplink transmissions) and the radio quality being greater than another particular criterion, the network device can determine that the congestion level is relatively high. In this way, the network device can avoid falsely determining that the congestion level is relatively high due to poor radio quality.

[0158] In one embodiment, in response to the above-described SNR or RSRP being greater than or equal to a threshold s2_1, and at least one of the following conditions, the network device determines that the congestion level is high and transmits a first downlink signal including a piece of LBT scheme switching information of a first type to cause the wireless communication node to switch from no LBT scheme to directional LBT scheme:

[0159] the number of uplink transmission detection failures is greater than or equal to a threshold a_1,

[0160] the uplink transmission detection failure probability is greater than or equal to a threshold b_1,

[0161] the number of uplink transmission detection successes is less than a threshold e_1, or

[0162] the uplink transmission detection success probability is less than a threshold f_1.

[0163] In one embodiment, one or more of the thresholds s2_1, a_1, b_1, e_1, d_1 can be predetermined or configured by another device. In one embodiment, the threshold s2_1 can be equal to or different from the threshold s1_1 described above.

[0164] In one embodiment, the first downlink signal including the first type of LBT scheme switching information is used to cause the wireless communication node to switch from an LBT scheme corresponding to a relatively higher congestion level to an LBT scheme corresponding to a relatively lower congestion level, such as from no LBT scheme to directional LBT scheme or omni-directional LBT scheme, or from directional LBT scheme to omni-directional LBT scheme.

[0165] In one embodiment, the network device sends the first downlink signal including the first type of LBT scheme switching information in response to the wireless communication node being in no LBT scheme or directional LBT scheme. That is, if the wireless communication node is in omni-directional LBT scheme, the network device can decide not to send the first downlink signal including the first type of LBT scheme switching information to the wireless communication node because it can not make any change.

[0166] Embodiment 1 - Method 3

[0167] In one embodiment, the wireless communication node switches from no LBT scheme to directional LBT scheme in response to the second downlink signal including the LBT scheme switching information sent from the network device. In this embodiment, the second downlink signal is a common signal. That is, all wireless communication nodes within the corresponding service range of the network device can receive the second downlink signal. For example, the second downlink signal is a common downlink control information (DCI) signal, a broadcast system information (SI) message, or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0168] From the perspective of the network device, in one embodiment, the network device sends the second downlink signal including the LBT scheme switching information to the wireless communication node to cause the wireless communication node to switch from no LBT scheme to directional LBT scheme.

[0169] In one embodiment, the second downlink signal is transmitted in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level (e.g., a total congestion level) within a service range corresponding to the network device. In one embodiment, the one or more trigger events include at least one of: whether there is another wireless system (e.g., a WiFi system) in the service range, a number of nodes accessing the network device, and / or a total probability of decoding errors (or detection errors) by the network device.

[0170] In one embodiment, the total probability of decoding errors can be determined based on a number of decoding errors and a total number of transmissions within a configuration time (which can be the same as or different from any of the above-mentioned configuration times) or an infinite time period. In one embodiment, the total probability of decoding errors can be calculated by dividing the number of decoding errors by the total number of transmissions.

[0171] In one embodiment, the network device determines that the total congestion level within the service range is relatively high in response to at least one of the following conditions, and transmits the second downlink signal including a piece of LBT scheme switching information of a first type to cause the wireless communication node to switch from a LBT scheme corresponding to a relatively high congestion level to a LBT scheme corresponding to a relatively low congestion level, such as from a LBT scheme without LBT to a directional LBT scheme or an omni-directional LBT scheme, or from a directional LBT scheme to an omni-directional LBT scheme:

[0172] there is another wireless system in the service range,

[0173] the number of nodes accessing the network device is greater than or equal to a threshold value c_1, or

[0174] a total probability of decoding errors by the network device is greater than or equal to a threshold value d_1.

[0175] In one embodiment, the second downlink signal including a piece of LBT scheme switching information of the first type is used to cause the wireless communication node to switch from a LBT scheme corresponding to a relatively high congestion level to a LBT scheme corresponding to a relatively low congestion level, such as from a LBT scheme without LBT to a directional LBT scheme or an omni-directional LBT scheme, or from a directional LBT scheme to an omni-directional LBT scheme.

[0176] In one embodiment, the network device transmits the second downlink signal including a piece of LBT scheme switching information of the first type in response to the wireless communication node being in a LBT scheme without LBT or a directional LBT scheme. That is, if the wireless communication node is in an omni-directional LBT scheme, the network device can decide not to transmit the second downlink signal including a piece of LBT scheme switching information of the first type to the wireless communication node because it can not make any change.

[0177] Embodiment 2

[0178] In embodiment 2, the wireless communication node switches from the no-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme. In some embodiments, there are three LBT switching methods.

[0179] Embodiment 2 - Method 1

[0180] In embodiments of this method, the wireless communication node switches from the no-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and the network device. In this embodiment, the wireless communication node determines the congestion level of the uplink channel according to a transmission quality corresponding to the uplink channel, such as whether the network device successfully detected (or decoded) one or more uplink transmissions.

[0181] From the perspective of the network device, in embodiments of this method, the network device sends feedback information to the wireless communication node to allow the wireless communication node to determine the congestion level of the uplink channel in response to the feedback information, and operable to switch from the no-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme.

[0182] It should be noted that many aspects of Method 1 in embodiment 2 are similar to Method 1 in embodiment 1 described above, and can be determined by referring to the above paragraphs. Similar descriptions will not be repeated here.

[0183] It should also be noted that in some embodiments of Method 1 in embodiment 2, the threshold values s1_2, n_2, p_2, tf_2, m_2, q_2, x_2, y_2 are used in a similar manner to the threshold values s1_1, n_1, p_1, tf_1, m_1, q_1, x_1, y_1 as described above, respectively. In some embodiments, the values of the threshold values s1_2, n_2, p_2, tf_2, m_2, q_2, x_2, y_2 are equal to, different from, or partially different from the values of the threshold values s1_1, n_1, p_1, tf_1, m_1, q_1, x_1, y_1, respectively.

[0184] Embodiment 2 - Method 2

[0185] In embodiments of this method, the wireless communication node switches from the no-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme in response to a first downlink signal sent from the network device including LBT scheme switching information.

[0186] From the network device's perspective, in embodiments of the method, the network device sends a first downlink signal including LBT scheme switching information to the wireless communication node to cause the wireless communication node to switch from no LBT scheme to omni-directional LBT scheme. In one embodiment, the first downlink signal is sent in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and the network device. In this embodiment, the network device determines the congestion level of the uplink channel according to a transmission quality corresponding to the uplink channel, such as whether the network device successfully detected (or decoded) one or more uplink transmissions.

[0187] It should be noted that many aspects of Method 2 in Embodiment 2 are similar to Method 2 in Embodiment 1 described above, and can be determined by reference to the above paragraphs. Similar descriptions will not be repeated here.

[0188] It should also be noted that in some embodiments of Method 2 in Embodiment 2, the threshold values s2_2, a_2, b_2, e_2, f_2 are used in a manner similar to the threshold values s2_1, a_1, b_1, e_1, f_1 described above, respectively. In some embodiments, the values of the threshold values s2_2, a_2, b_2, e_2, f_2 are equal to, different from, or partially different from the values of the threshold values s2_1, a_1, b_1, e_1, f_1, respectively.

[0189] Embodiment 2 - Method 3

[0190] In embodiments of the method, the wireless communication node switches from no LBT scheme to omni-directional LBT scheme in response to a second downlink signal including LBT scheme switching information sent from the network device.

[0191] From the network device's perspective, in embodiments of the method, the network device sends a second downlink signal including LBT scheme switching information to the wireless communication node to cause the wireless communication node to switch from no LBT scheme to omni-directional LBT scheme. In one embodiment, the second downlink signal is sent in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level (e.g., a total congestion level) within a service range corresponding to the network device.

[0192] It should be noted that many aspects of Method 3 in Embodiment 2 are similar to Method 3 in Embodiment 1 described above, and can be determined by reference to the above paragraphs. Similar descriptions will not be repeated here.

[0193] It should also be noted that in some embodiments of Method 3 in Embodiment 2, thresholds c_2, d_2 are used in a manner similar to thresholds c_1, d_1 described above, respectively. In some embodiments, the values of thresholds c_2, d_2 are equal to, different from, or partially different from the values of thresholds c_1, d_1, respectively.

[0194] Embodiment 3

[0195] In Embodiment 3, a wireless communication node switches from a directional LBT scheme to an omni-directional LBT scheme. In some embodiments, there are three LBT switching methods.

[0196] Embodiment 3 - Method 1

[0197] In embodiments of this method, a wireless communication node switches from a directional LBT scheme to an omni-directional LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and a network device. In this embodiment, the wireless communication node determines the congestion level of the uplink channel according to a transmission quality corresponding to the uplink channel, such as whether one or more uplink transmissions are successfully detected (or decoded) by the network device.

[0198] From the perspective of the network device, in embodiments of this method, the network device sends feedback information to the wireless communication node to allow the wireless communication node to determine the congestion level of the uplink channel in response to the feedback information, and operatively switch from the directional LBT scheme to the omni-directional LBT scheme.

[0199] It should be noted that many aspects of Method 1 in Embodiment 3 are similar to Method 1 in Embodiment 1 described above, and can be determined by reference to the above paragraphs. Similar descriptions will not be repeated here.

[0200] It should also be noted that in some embodiments of Method 1 in Embodiment 3, thresholds s1_3, n_3, p_3, tf_3, m_3, q_3, x_3, y_3 are used in a manner similar to thresholds s1_1, n_1, p_1, tf_1, m_1, q_1, x_1, y_1 as described above, respectively. In some embodiments, the values of thresholds s1_3, n_3, p_3, tf_3, m_3, q_3, x_3, y_3 are equal to, different from, or partially different from the values of thresholds s1_1, n_1, p_1, tf_1, m_1, q_1, x_1, y_1, respectively.

[0201] Embodiment 3 - Method 2

[0202] In embodiments of this method, a wireless communication node switches from a directional LBT scheme to an omni-directional LBT scheme in response to a first downlink signal sent from a network device including LBT scheme switching information.

[0203] From the perspective of the network device, in embodiments of the method, the network device transmits, to the wireless communication node, a first downlink signal including LBT scheme switching information to cause the wireless communication node to switch from the directional LBT scheme to the omni-directional LBT scheme. In one embodiment, the first downlink signal is transmitted in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and the network device. In this embodiment, the network device determines the congestion level of the uplink channel according to a transmission quality corresponding to the uplink channel, such as whether the network device successfully detects (or decodes) one or more uplink transmissions.

[0204] It should be noted that many aspects of Method 2 in Embodiment 3 are similar to Method 2 in Embodiment 1 described above, and can be determined by referring to the above paragraphs. Similar descriptions will not be repeated here.

[0205] It should also be noted that in some embodiments of Method 2 in Embodiment 3, the threshold values s2_3, a_3, b_3, e_3, f_3 are used in a similar manner to the threshold values s2_1, a_1, b_1, e_1, f_1 described above, respectively. In some embodiments, the values of the threshold values s2_3, a_3, b_3, e_3, f_3 are equal to, different from, or partially different from the values of the threshold values s2_1, a_1, b_1, e_1, f_1, respectively.

[0206] Embodiment 3 - Method 3

[0207] In embodiments of the method, the wireless communication node switches from the directional LBT scheme to the omni-directional LBT scheme in response to a second downlink signal including LBT scheme switching information transmitted from the network device.

[0208] From the perspective of the network device, in embodiments of the method, the network device transmits, to the wireless communication node, a second downlink signal including LBT scheme switching information to cause the wireless communication node to switch from the directional LBT scheme to the omni-directional LBT scheme. In one embodiment, the second downlink signal is transmitted in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level within a service range corresponding to the network device (e.g., a total congestion level within the service range).

[0209] It should be noted that many aspects of Method 3 in Embodiment 3 are similar to Method 3 in Embodiment 1 described above, and can be determined by referring to the above paragraphs. Similar descriptions will not be repeated here.

[0210] It should also be noted that in some embodiments of Method 3 in Embodiment 3, the thresholds c_3, d_3 are used in a similar manner to the thresholds c_1, d_1 described above, respectively. In some embodiments, the values of the thresholds c_3, d_3 are equal to, different from, or partially different from the values of the thresholds c_1, d_1, respectively.

[0211] Embodiment 4

[0212] In Embodiment 4, the network device switches from the no-LBT scheme to the directional-LBT scheme. In some embodiments, there are two LBT switching methods.

[0213] Embodiment 4 - Method 1

[0214] In one embodiment, the network device switches from the no-LBT scheme to the directional-LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of a downlink between the network device and the wireless communication node. In this embodiment, the network device determines the congestion level of the downlink channel according to a transmission quality corresponding to the downlink channel, such as whether one or more downlink transmissions are successfully detected (or decoded) by the wireless communication node.

[0215] In one embodiment, the network device measures the transmission quality according to feedback information from the wireless communication node. In one embodiment, the feedback information can include HARQ-ACK information. In one embodiment, the feedback information corresponds to whether one or more downlink transmissions are successfully detected / decoded.

[0216] In one embodiment, the network device determines the congestion level corresponds to at least one of: a number of NACK signals received by the network device, a NACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel, a no-feedback time corresponding to the downlink channel, a number of retransmissions performed by the network device, a retransmission probability corresponding to the downlink channel, a number of ACK signals received by the network device, and / or an ACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel.

[0217] In one embodiment, the number of NACK signals received by the network device can be a number of NACK signals corresponding to the downlink channel received by the network device within a configured time or an infinite time period. In one embodiment, the number of NACK signals described herein can be a number of NACK signals in one HARQ process or a cumulative number of NACK signals in multiple HARQ processes.

[0218] In one embodiment, the NACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel can be determined according to the number of NACK signals and ACK signals corresponding to the downlink channel received by the wireless communication node within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from the configured time described above) or an infinite time period. In one embodiment, the NACK probability can be calculated by dividing the number of NACK signals by the sum of the number of NACK signals and the number of ACK signals.

[0219] In one embodiment, the no-feedback time corresponding to the downlink channel can be the time that the network device does not receive feedback information from the wireless communication node after transmission through the downlink channel. By using the no-feedback time to determine the congestion level, it can be avoided that the network device cannot receive the NACK signal / message due to any accidental reasons (e.g., downlink LBT failure).

[0220] In one embodiment, the number of retransmissions performed by the network device can be the number of retransmissions corresponding to the downlink channel performed by the network device within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from the configured time described above) or an infinite time period. In one embodiment, the number of retransmissions described herein can be the number of retransmissions in one HARQ process or the cumulative number of retransmissions in multiple HARQ processes.

[0221] In one embodiment, the retransmission probability corresponding to the downlink channel can be determined according to the number of retransmissions or new transmissions corresponding to the downlink channel performed by the wireless communication node within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from any of the configured times described above) or an infinite time period. In some embodiments, the new transmission performed by the wireless communication node corresponds to feedback from the network device indicating that a previous downlink transmission was successfully decoded, while the retransmission performed by the wireless communication node corresponds to another feedback from the network device indicating that the previous downlink transmission was not successfully decoded. In one embodiment, the retransmission probability can be calculated by dividing the number of retransmissions by the sum of the number of retransmissions and the number of new transmissions.

[0222] In one embodiment, the number of ACK signals received by the network device can be the number of ACK signals corresponding to the downlink channel received by the network device within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from any of the configured times described above) or an infinite time period. In one embodiment, the number of ACK signals described herein can be the number of ACK signals in one HARQ process or the cumulative number of ACK signals in multiple HARQ processes.

[0223] In one embodiment, the ACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel can be determined from the number of NACK signals and ACK signals corresponding to the downlink channel received by the wireless communication node within a configured time (which can be the same as or different from any of the above-mentioned configured times) or within an infinite time period. In one embodiment, the ACK probability can be calculated by dividing the number of NACK signals by the sum of the number of NACK signals and the number of ACK signals.

[0224] In some embodiments, the network device determines the congestion level of the downlink channel corresponding to the radio quality. In one embodiment, the radio quality corresponds to the downlink channel. In one embodiment, the radio quality corresponds to signal strength. In one embodiment, the radio quality corresponds to Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) or Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP).

[0225] In one embodiment, the network device determines the congestion level from the radio quality and the transmission quality. For example, in response to the transmission quality being weaker than a certain standard (e.g., the wireless communication node fails to successfully detect many uplink transmissions) and the radio quality being greater than another certain standard, the network device can determine that the congestion level is relatively high. In this way, the network device can be prevented from erroneously determining that the congestion level is relatively high due to poor radio quality.

[0226] In one embodiment, in response to the above-described SNR or RSRP being greater than or equal to a threshold s1_4, and at least one of the following conditions, the network device determines that the congestion level is relatively high and switches from the no-LBT scheme to the directional LBT scheme:

[0227] the number of NACK signals received by the network device is greater than or equal to a threshold n_4,

[0228] the NACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a threshold p_4,

[0229] the feedback-less time corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a threshold tf_4,

[0230] the number of retransmissions performed by the network device is greater than or equal to a threshold m_4;

[0231] the retransmission probability corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a threshold q_4,

[0232] the number of ACK signals received by the network device is less than a threshold x_4, or

[0233] the ACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel is less than a threshold y_4.

[0234] In one embodiment, one or more of the thresholds s1_4, n_4, p_4, tf_4, m_4, q_4, x_4, y_4 can be predetermined or configured by another device.

[0235] From the perspective of the wireless communication node, in one embodiment, the wireless communication node sends feedback information to the network device to allow the wireless communication node to determine the congestion level of the downlink channel in response to the feedback information, and operatively switch from the no-LBT scheme to the directional-LBT scheme. In one embodiment, the feedback information can comprise HARQ-ACK information. In one embodiment, the feedback information corresponds to whether one or more downlink transmissions are successfully detected / decoded.

[0236] Embodiment 4 - Method 2

[0237] In one embodiment, the network device switches from the no-LBT scheme to the directional-LBT scheme in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level (e.g., a total congestion level) within a service range corresponding to the network device.

[0238] In one embodiment, the one or more trigger events comprise at least one of: whether there is another wireless system (e.g., a WiFi system) in the service range, a number of nodes accessing the network device, and / or a total probability of decoding errors (or detection errors) by the network device.

[0239] Details of the total probability of decoding errors can be determined with reference to the above paragraphs, which will not be repeated herein.

[0240] In one embodiment, the network device determines that the total congestion level within the service range is relatively high and switches from the no-LBT scheme to the directional-LBT scheme in response to at least one of the following conditions:

[0241] there is another wireless system in the service range,

[0242] the number of nodes accessing the network device is greater than or equal to a threshold c_4, or

[0243] the total probability of decoding errors by the network device is greater than or equal to a threshold d_4.

[0244] Embodiments 5 and 6

[0245] In embodiment 5, the network device switches from the no-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme. In some embodiments, similar to embodiment 4, there are two LBT switching methods.

[0246] In embodiment 6, the network device switches from the directional-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme. In some embodiments, similar to embodiment 4, there are two LBT switching methods.

[0247] It should be noted that many aspects of Example 5 and Example 6 are similar to Example 4 described above, and can be determined by reference to the above paragraphs. Similar descriptions will not be repeated herein.

[0248] Further, in some embodiments, the thresholds s1_5, n_5, p_5, tf_5, m_5, q_5, x_5, y_5, c_5, d_5 in Example 5 are used in a manner similar to the thresholds s1_4, n_4, p_4, tf_4, m_4, q_4, x_4, y_4, c_4, d_4 in Example 4, respectively. In some embodiments, the values of the thresholds s1_5, n_5, p_5, tf_5, m_5, q_5, x_5, y_5, c_5, d_5 are equal to, different from, or partially different from the values of the thresholds s1_4, n_4, p_4, tf_4, m_4, q_4, x_4, y_4, c_4, d_4, respectively.

[0249] Similarly, in some embodiments, the thresholds s1_6, n_6, p_6, tf_6, m_6, q_6, x_6, y_6, c_6, d_6 in Example 6 are used in a manner similar to the thresholds s1_4, n_4, p_4, tf_4, m_4, q_4, x_4, y_4, c_4, d_4 in Example 4, respectively. In some embodiments, the values of the thresholds s1_6, n_6, p_6, tf_6, m_6, q_6, x_6, y_6, c_6, d_6 in Example 6 are equal to, different from, or partially different from the values of the thresholds s1_4, n_4, p_4, tf_4, m_4, q_4, x_4, y_4, c_4, d_4, respectively.

[0250] Example 7

[0251] In Example 7, the wireless communication node switches from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme. In some embodiments, there are three LBT switching methods.

[0252] Example 7 - Method 1

[0253] In one embodiment, the wireless communication node switches from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and the network device. In this embodiment, the wireless communication node determines the congestion level of the uplink channel according to a transmission quality corresponding to the uplink channel, such as whether the network device successfully detected (or decoded) one or more uplink transmissions.

[0254] In one embodiment, the wireless communication node measures the transmission quality according to feedback information from the network device. In one embodiment, the feedback information can comprise HARQ-ACK information. In one embodiment, the feedback information corresponds to whether one or more uplink transmissions are successfully detected / decoded.

[0255] In one embodiment, the wireless communication node determines the congestion level corresponds to at least one of: a number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node, a NACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel, a number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node, a retransmission probability corresponding to the uplink channel, a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node, and / or an ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel.

[0256] The number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node, the NACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel, the number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node, the retransmission probability corresponding to the uplink channel, the number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node, and the ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel can be determined with reference to the above paragraphs, which will not be repeated herein.

[0257] In one embodiment, the wireless communication node determines the congestion level is relatively low and switches from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme in response to at least one of the following conditions:

[0258] the number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node is less than a threshold n_7,

[0259] the NACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel is less than a threshold p_7,

[0260] the number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node is less than a threshold m_7;

[0261] the retransmission probability corresponding to the uplink channel is less than a threshold q_7,

[0262] the number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node is greater than or equal to a threshold x_7, or

[0263] the ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel is greater than or equal to a threshold y_7.

[0264] In one embodiment, one or more of the thresholds n_7, p_7, m_7, q_7, x_7, y_7 can be pre-determined or configured by another device. For example, these thresholds can be configured using a broadcast SI message, an RRC message, or another feasible message from the network device.

[0265] From the perspective of the network device, in one embodiment, the network device sends feedback information to the wireless communication node to allow the wireless communication node to determine the congestion level of the uplink channel in response to the feedback information, and operatively switch from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme. In one embodiment, the feedback information can comprise HARQ-ACK information. In one embodiment, the feedback information corresponds to whether one or more uplink transmissions are successfully detected / decoded.

[0266] Embodiment 7 - Method 2

[0267] In one embodiment, the wireless communication node switches from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme in response to a first downlink signal sent from the network device comprising LBT scheme switching information. In this embodiment, the first downlink signal is a device specific signal. That is, only the wireless communication nodes within the service range of the network device corresponding to the network device can receive the first downlink signal. For example, the first downlink signal is a user equipment specific downlink control information (UE specific DCI) signal, or a medium access control control element (MAC CE).

[0268] From the perspective of the network device, in one embodiment, the network device sends a first downlink signal comprising LBT scheme switching information to the wireless communication node to cause the wireless communication node to switch from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme.

[0269] In one embodiment, the first downlink signal is sent in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and the network device. In this embodiment, the network device determines the congestion level of the uplink channel according to a transmission quality corresponding to the uplink channel, such as whether the network device successfully detects (or decodes) one or more uplink transmissions.

[0270] In one embodiment, the network device determines the congestion level corresponds to at least one of: a number of uplink transmission detection failures, a probability of uplink transmission detection failure, a number of uplink transmission detection successes, and / or a probability of uplink transmission detection success.

[0271] Details of the number of uplink transmission detection failures, the probability of uplink transmission detection failure, the number of uplink transmission detection successes, and the probability of uplink transmission detection success can be determined with reference to the above paragraphs, which will not be repeated herein.

[0272] In one embodiment, the network device determines that the congestion level is relatively low in response to at least one of the following conditions, and transmits the first downlink signal including a piece of second-type LBT scheme switching information to cause the wireless communication node to switch from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme:

[0273] the number of uplink transmission detection failures is less than a threshold a_7, or

[0274] the uplink transmission detection failure probability is less than a threshold b_7,

[0275] the number of uplink transmission detection successes is greater than or equal to a threshold e_7, or

[0276] the uplink transmission detection success probability is greater than or equal to a threshold f_7.

[0277] In one embodiment, one or more of the thresholds a_7, b_7, e_7, f_7 can be pre-determined or configured by another device.

[0278] In one embodiment, the first downlink signal including the piece of second-type LBT scheme switching information is used to cause the wireless communication node to switch from the LBT scheme corresponding to the relatively low congestion level to the LBT scheme corresponding to the relatively high congestion level, such as from the omni-directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme or the directional LBT scheme, or from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme.

[0279] In one embodiment, the network device transmits the first downlink signal including a piece of second-type LBT scheme switching information in response to the wireless communication node being in the omni-directional LBT scheme or the directional LBT scheme. That is, if the wireless communication node is in the no-LBT scheme, the network device can decide not to transmit the first downlink signal including a piece of second-type LBT scheme switching information to the wireless communication node, as it can not make any change.

[0280] Embodiment 7 - Method 3

[0281] In one embodiment, in response to the second downlink signal including the LBT scheme switching information sent from the network device, the wireless communication node switches from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme. In this embodiment, the second downlink signal is a common signal. That is, all the wireless communication nodes within the service range corresponding to the network device can receive the second downlink signal. For example, the second downlink signal is a common downlink control information (DCI) signal, a broadcast system information (SI) message, or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0282] From the perspective of the network device, in one embodiment, the network device sends the second downlink signal including the LBT scheme switching information to the wireless communication node, so as to make the wireless communication node switch from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme.

[0283] In one embodiment, the second downlink signal is sent in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to the congestion level (e.g., the total congestion level within the service range) within the service range corresponding to the network device. In one embodiment, the one or more trigger events include at least one of the following: whether there is another wireless system (e.g., a WiFi system) in the service range, the number of nodes accessing the network device, and / or the total probability of decoding error (or detection error) of the network device.

[0284] The details of the total probability of decoding error can be determined with reference to the above paragraphs, which will not be repeated here.

[0285] In one embodiment, in response to at least one of the following conditions, the network device determines that the total congestion level within the service range is relatively low, and sends the second downlink signal including a piece of LBT scheme switching information of the second type, so as to make the wireless communication node switch from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme:

[0286] There is no other wireless system in the service range,

[0287] The number of nodes accessing the network device is less than a threshold c_7, or

[0288] The total probability of decoding error of the network device is less than a threshold d_7.

[0289] In one embodiment, the second downlink signal including the second type of LBT scheme switching information is used to cause the wireless communication node to switch from an LBT scheme corresponding to a relatively lower congestion level to an LBT scheme corresponding to a relatively higher congestion level, such as from an omni-directional LBT scheme to a no-LBT scheme or a directional LBT scheme, or from a directional LBT scheme to a no-LBT scheme.

[0290] In one embodiment, the network device sends the second downlink signal including the second type of LBT scheme switching information in response to the wireless communication node being in the no-LBT scheme or the directional LBT scheme. That is, if the wireless communication node is in the omni-directional LBT scheme, the network device can decide not to send the second downlink signal including the second type of LBT scheme switching information to the wireless communication node because it can not make any change.

[0291] Embodiments 8 and 9

[0292] In embodiment 8, the network device switches from the omni-directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme. In some embodiments, similar to embodiment 7, there are three LBT switching methods.

[0293] In embodiment 9, the network device switches from the omni-directional LBT scheme to the directional LBT scheme. In some embodiments, similar to embodiment 7, there are three LBT switching methods.

[0294] It should be noted that many aspects of embodiment 8 and embodiment 9 are similar to embodiment 7 described above, and can be determined by referring to the above paragraphs. Similar descriptions will not be repeated here.

[0295] Further, in some embodiments, the thresholds n_8, p_8, m_8, q_8, x_8, y_8, a_8, b_8, c_8, d_8, e_8, f_8 in embodiment 8 are used in a similar manner to the thresholds n_7, p_7, m_7, q_7, x_7, y_7, a_7, b_7, c_7, d_7, e_7, f_7 in embodiment 7, respectively. In some embodiments, the values of the thresholds n_8, p_8, m_8, q_8, x_8, y_8, a_8, b_8, c_8, d_8, e_8, f_8 are equal to, different from, or partially different from the values of the thresholds n_7, p_7, m_7, q_7, x_7, y_7, a_7, b_7, c_7, d_7, e_7, f_7, respectively.

[0296] Similarly, in some embodiments, the thresholds n_9, p_9, m_9, q_9, x_9, y_9, a_9, b_9, c_9, d_9, e_9, f_9 in Embodiment 9 are used in a manner similar to the thresholds n_7, p_7, m_7, q_7, x_7, y_7, a_7, b_7, c_7, d_7, e_7, f_7 in Embodiment 7, respectively. In some embodiments, the values of the thresholds n_9, p_9, m_9, q_9, x_9, y_9, a_9, b_9, c_9, d_9, e_9, f_9 are equal to, different from, or partially different from the values of the thresholds n_7, p_7, m_7, q_7, x_7, y_7, a_7, b_7, c_7, d_7, e_7, f_7, respectively.

[0297] Embodiment 10

[0298] In Embodiment 10, the network device switches from the no-LBT scheme to the directional-LBT scheme. In some embodiments, there are two LBT switching methods.

[0299] Embodiment 10 - Method 1

[0300] In one embodiment, the network device switches from the directional-LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of a downlink between the network device and the wireless communication node. In this embodiment, the network device determines the congestion level of the downlink channel according to a transmission quality corresponding to the downlink channel, such as whether the wireless communication node successfully detects (or decodes) one or more downlink transmissions.

[0301] In one embodiment, the network device measures the transmission quality according to feedback information from the wireless communication node. In one embodiment, the feedback information can include HARQ-ACK information. In one embodiment, the feedback information corresponds to whether one or more downlink transmissions are successfully detected / decoded.

[0302] In one embodiment, the network device determines the congestion level corresponding to at least one of: a number of NACK signals received by the network device, a NACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel, a number of retransmissions performed by the network device, a retransmission probability corresponding to the downlink channel, a number of ACK signals received by the network device, and / or an ACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel.

[0303] The details of the number of NACK signals received by the network device, the NACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel, the number of retransmissions performed by the network device, the retransmission probability corresponding to the downlink channel, the number of ACK signals received by the network device, and / or the ACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel can be determined with reference to the above paragraphs, which will not be repeated herein.

[0304] In one embodiment, the network device determines that the congestion level is relatively low and switches from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme in response to at least one of the following conditions:

[0305] a number of NACK signals received by the network device is less than a threshold n_10,

[0306] a NACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel is less than a threshold p_10,

[0307] a number of retransmissions performed by the network device is less than a threshold m_10,

[0308] a retransmission probability corresponding to the downlink channel is less than a threshold q_10,

[0309] a number of ACK signals received by the network device is greater than or equal to a threshold x_10, or

[0310] an ACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a threshold y_10.

[0311] In one embodiment, one or more of the thresholds n_10, p_10, m_10, q_10, x_10, y_10 can be predetermined or configured by another device.

[0312] From the perspective of the wireless communication node, in one embodiment, the wireless communication node sends feedback information to the network device to allow the wireless communication node to determine the congestion level of the downlink channel in response to the feedback information and operatively switch from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme. In one embodiment, the feedback information can include HARQ-ACK information. In one embodiment, the feedback information corresponds to whether one or more downlink transmissions are successfully detected / decoded.

[0313] Embodiment 10 - Method 2

[0314] In one embodiment, the network device switches from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level (e.g., a total congestion level within a service range) within the service range corresponding to the network device.

[0315] In one embodiment, the one or more trigger events include at least one of the following: whether there is another wireless system (e.g., a WiFi system) in the service range, a number of nodes accessing the network device, and / or a total probability of decoding errors (or detection errors) by the network device.

[0316] Details of the total probability of decoding errors can be determined with reference to the above paragraphs, which will not be repeated herein.

[0317] In one embodiment, the network device determines that the total congestion level within the service range is relatively low and switches from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme in response to at least one of the following conditions:

[0318] There is no other wireless system within the service range,

[0319] The number of nodes accessing the network device is less than a threshold c_10, or

[0320] The total probability of decoding error by the network device is less than a threshold d_10.

[0321] Embodiments 11 and 12

[0322] In embodiment 11, the network device switches from the omni-directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme. In some embodiments, similar to embodiment 10, there are two LBT switching methods.

[0323] In embodiment 12, the network device switches from the omni-directional LBT scheme to the directional LBT scheme. In some embodiments, similar to embodiment 10, there are two LBT switching methods.

[0324] It should be noted that many aspects of embodiments 11 and 12 are similar to embodiment 10 described above, and can be determined by referring to the above paragraphs. Similar descriptions will not be repeated here.

[0325] Further, in some embodiments, the thresholds n_11, p_11, m_11, q_11, x_11, y_11, c_11, d_11 in embodiment 11 are used in a similar manner to the thresholds n_10, p_10, m_10, q_10, x_10, y_10, c_10, d_10 in embodiment 10, respectively. In some embodiments, the values of the thresholds n_11, p_11, m_11, q_11, x_11, y_11, c_11, d_11 are equal to, different from, or partially different from the values of the thresholds n_10, p_10, m_10, q_10, x_10, y_10, c_10, d_10, respectively.

[0326] Similarly, in some embodiments, the thresholds n_12, p_12, m_12, q_12, x_12, y_12, c_12, d_12 in Example 12 are used in a manner similar to the thresholds n_10, p_10, m_10, q_10, x_10, y_10, c_10, d_10 in Example 10, respectively. In some embodiments, the values of the thresholds n_12, p_12, m_12, q_12, x_12, y_12, c_12, d_12 in Example 12 are equal to, different from, or partially different from the values of the thresholds n_10, p_10, m_10, q_10, x_10, y_10, c_10, d_10, respectively.

[0327] Figure 4 A diagram illustrating a wireless communication node 40 (e.g., a wireless terminal) according to embodiments of the disclosure. The wireless communication node 40 can be a user equipment (UE), a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, an e-book, or a portable computer system, without limitation. The wireless communication node 40 can include a processor 400 such as a microprocessor or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a storage unit 410, and a communication unit 420. The storage unit 410 can be any data storage device that stores program codes 412 accessed and executed by the processor 400. Embodiments of the storage unit 410 include, but are not limited to, a subscriber identity module (SIM), a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk, and an optical data storage device. The communication unit 420 can be a transceiver and is configured to transmit and receive signals (e.g., messages or packets) according to the processing result of the processor 400. In one embodiment, the communication unit 420 transmits and receives signals through at least one antenna 422 as shown. Figure 4 The communication unit 420 can be a transceiver. Alternatively or additionally, the communication unit 420 can combine a transmission unit and a reception unit configured to transmit and receive signals to and from a network device, respectively.

[0328] In one embodiment, the storage unit 410 and the program codes 412 can be omitted, and the processor 400 can include a storage unit in which the program codes are stored.

[0329] The processor 400 can implement any one of the steps in the exemplary embodiments by executing the program codes 412, etc. on the wireless communication node 40.

[0330] The communication unit 420 can be a transceiver. Alternatively or additionally, the communication unit 420 can combine a transmission unit and a reception unit configured to transmit and receive signals to and from a network device, respectively.

[0331] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node 40 can be configured to perform the operations described above (e.g., operations in method 100 and other related operations). In some embodiments, the processor 400 and the communication unit 420 cooperate to perform the operations described above. For example, the processor 400 performs operations and sends or receives information through the communication unit 420.

[0332] In one embodiment, the processor 400 is configured to switch from the first LBT scheme to the second uplink LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and a network device, or in response to a first downlink signal or a second downlink signal including LBT scheme switching information sent from the network device.

[0333] Details of the operations of the wireless communication node 40 can be determined with reference to the above-described embodiments, which will not be described herein.

[0334] Figure 5 A diagram related to a network device according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The network device 50 can be a satellite, a base station (BS), a network entity, a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), a radio access network (RAN), a next generation RAN (NG-RAN), a data network, a core network, or a radio network controller (RNC), which are not limited herein. In addition, the network device 50 can include (execute) at least one network function, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a user location function (UPF), a policy control function (PCF), an application function (AF), and the like. The network device 50 can include a processor 500, such as a microprocessor or an ASIC, a storage unit 510, and a communication unit 520. The storage unit 510 can be any data storage device that stores program codes 512 accessed and executed by the processor 500. Examples of the storage unit 510 include, but are not limited to, a SIM, a ROM, a flash memory, a RAM, a hard disk, and an optical data storage device. The communication unit 520 can be a transceiver and is configured to transmit and receive signals (e.g., messages or packets) according to the processing results of the processor 500. In one example, the communication unit 520 transmits and receives signals through at least one antenna 522 as shown. In one embodiment, the communication unit 520 can also transmit and receive signals through physical wires / cables. Figure 5 The communication unit 520 can be a transceiver and is configured to transmit and receive signals (e.g., messages or packets) according to the processing results of the processor 500. In one example, the communication unit 520 transmits and receives signals through at least one antenna 522 as shown. In one embodiment, the communication unit 520 can also transmit and receive signals through physical wires / cables.

[0335] In one embodiment, the storage unit 510 and the program codes 512 can be omitted. The processor 500 can include a storage unit in which the program codes are stored.

[0336] The processor 500 can perform any steps described in the exemplary embodiments on the network device 50 by executing the program codes 512, and the like.

[0337] The communication unit 520 can be a transceiver. Alternatively or additionally, the communication unit 520 can combine a transmission unit and a reception unit configured to respectively transmit and receive signals to and from a communication device (e.g., a user equipment).

[0338] In some embodiments, the communication device 50 can be used to perform the operations described above (e.g., operations in the method 100 and other related operations). In some embodiments, the processor 500 and the communication unit 520 cooperate to perform the operations described above. For example, the processor 500 performs operations and transmits or receives signals through the communication unit 520.

[0339] In one embodiment, the processor 500 is configured to transmit, through the communication unit 520, a first downlink signal or a second downlink signal including listen-before-talk LBT scheme switching information to cause a wireless communication node to switch from a first uplink LBT scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme.

[0340] In one embodiment, the processor 500 is configured to switch from a first downlink listen-before-talk LBT scheme to a second downlink LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of a downlink channel between the network device and the wireless communication node, or in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level within a service range corresponding to the network device.

[0341] The operation details of the network device 50 can be determined with reference to the above-described embodiments, which will not be described herein.

[0342] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer program product comprising a computer readable program medium code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement a wireless communication method in any of the above-described methods.

[0343] While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not in limitation. As such, the various figures can depict example architectures or configurations, and provide a general understanding of the example features and functionality of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure contemplates that the example architectures and configurations can be implemented in various alternative architectures and configurations. Additionally, the example features and functionality described herein can be combined in any combination, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described example embodiments.

[0344] It should also be understood that, whenever terms like “first,” “second,” and the like are used herein, these terms are typically used to refer to a certain number of elements or to certain elements in no particular order. Rather, these names are used herein to simply allow for convenient identification of two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, reference to a first element and a second element does not imply that only two elements can be used, or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner.

[0345] Additionally, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols that can be referenced throughout the above description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0346] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, units, processors, devices, circuits, methods and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., a number of logic implementations, an analog implementation, or a combination of the two), firmware, various forms of program or design code incorporating instructions (which can be referred to herein, for convenience, as “software” or a “software unit”), or any combination of these technologies.

[0347] To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, units, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware or software, or any combination thereof, depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans can implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure. In accordance with various embodiments, a processor, device, component, circuit, structure, machine, unit, etc. can be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein. The term “configured to” or “configured for” as used herein with respect to a processor, device, component, circuit, structure, machine, unit, etc. means that the processor, device, component, circuit, structure, machine, unit, etc. is physically constructed and / or programmed and / or arranged to perform the particular operation or function.

[0348] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and circuits described herein can be implemented or performed with integrated circuits (ICs): which can include a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logical blocks, units, and circuits can also include antennas and / or transceivers to communicate with various components within the network or device. The general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration to perform the functions described herein. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored in a computer-readable medium.

[0349] Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program or code from one place to another. A storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0350] In this document, the term "unit" as used herein, refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements that is used to perform the associated functions described herein. Additionally, for purposes of discussion, the various units are described as discrete units; however, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, two or more units can be combined to form a single unit that performs the associated functions according to the present disclosure.

[0351] Additionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, memory or other storage devices and communication components can be employed. It will be appreciated that, for clarity, the above description has described the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it is to be understood that, in practice, the different functional units, processing logic elements or domains can share the same processing logic element or controller, and any suitable distribution of functions between different functional units, processing logic elements or domains can be used without departing from the present disclosure. For example, functions illustrated as being performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers can be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Accordingly, references to particular functional units are only to be construed as references to suitable means for providing the described functionality, and not indicative of a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0352] Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein can be applied to other implementations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein and made apparent to others skilled in the art by the teachings herein.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising: switching, by a wireless communication node, from a first uplink (UL) listen-before-talk (LBT) scheme to a second UL LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of an UL channel between the wireless communication node and a network device, or in response to a first downlink (DL) signal or a second DL signal including LBT scheme switching information transmitted from the network device, wherein the wireless communication node switches from a no-LBT scheme to an omni-LBT scheme or a directional-LBT scheme, or from the directional-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme in response to a signal-to-noise ratio or a reference signal received power being greater than or equal to a first threshold, and at least one of: a number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node being greater than or equal to a second threshold, a NACK probability corresponding to the UL channel being greater than or equal to a third threshold, a no-feedback time corresponding to the UL channel being greater than or equal to a fourth threshold, a number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node being greater than or equal to a fifth threshold, a retransmission probability corresponding to the UL channel being greater than or equal to a sixth threshold, a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node being less than a seventh threshold, or an ACK probability corresponding to the UL channel being less than an eighth threshold.

2. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein, determining the congestion level of the UL channel in accordance with whether one or more UL transmissions are successfully detected by the network device.

3. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein, the congestion level of the UL channel corresponds to at least one of: a number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node, a NACK probability corresponding to the UL channel, a no-feedback time corresponding to the UL channel, a number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node, a retransmission probability corresponding to the UL channel, a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node, or an ACK probability corresponding to the UL channel.

4. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein determining the congestion level in correspondence with radio quality.

5. The wireless communication method according to claim 4, wherein, the radio quality corresponds to a signal strength.

6. The wireless communication method according to claim 4, wherein the radio quality corresponds to a signal-to-noise ratio or a reference signal received power.

7. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein the first UL LBT scheme and the second UL LBT scheme are two of: a no-LBT scheme, an omni-LBT scheme, or a directional-LBT scheme.

8. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication node switches from an omni-LBT scheme to a no-LBT scheme or a directional-LBT scheme, or from the directional-LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme in response to at least one of: a number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node being less than a ninth threshold, a NACK probability corresponding to the UL channel being less than a tenth threshold, a number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node being less than an eleventh threshold, a retransmission probability corresponding to the UL channel being less than a twelfth threshold, a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node being greater than or equal to a thirteenth threshold, or an ACK probability corresponding to the UL channel being greater than or equal to a fourteenth threshold.

9. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein, the first DL signal is a user equipment-specific downlink control information signal, or a medium access control control element (MAC CE).

10. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein The second downlink signal is a common downlink control information signal, a broadcast system information message, or a radio resource control message.

11. The wireless communication method of claim 1, further comprising: sending, by the wireless communication node to the network device, feedback information corresponding to a congestion level of a downlink channel to cause the network device to switch from a first downlink LBT scheme to a second downlink LBT in accordance with the feedback information.

12. A wireless communication method, comprising: sending, by a network device to a wireless communication node, a first downlink signal or a second downlink signal including listen-before-talk (LBT) scheme switching information to cause the wireless communication node to switch from a first uplink LBT scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme; wherein the first downlink signal is sent in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and the network device, and the second downlink signal is sent in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level within a service range corresponding to the network device, wherein the wireless communication node switches from a no-LBT scheme to an omni-LBT scheme or a directional-LBT scheme, or from the directional-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme, in response to a signal-to-noise ratio or a reference signal received power being greater than or equal to a first threshold, and at least one of: a number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node being greater than or equal to a second threshold, a NACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel being greater than or equal to a third threshold, a no-feedback time corresponding to the uplink channel being greater than or equal to a fourth threshold, a number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node being greater than or equal to a fifth threshold, a retransmission probability corresponding to the uplink channel being greater than or equal to a sixth threshold, a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node being less than a seventh threshold, or an ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel being less than an eighth threshold.

13. The wireless communication method of claim 12, further comprising: sending, by the network device to the wireless communication node, feedback information corresponding to the congestion level of the uplink channel to cause the wireless communication node to operatively switch from the first uplink LBT scheme to the second uplink LBT scheme in accordance with the feedback information.

14. The wireless communication method of claim 12, wherein, determining the congestion level of the uplink channel in accordance with whether one or more uplink transmissions are successfully detected by the network device.

15. The wireless communication method of claim 12, wherein, the congestion level of the uplink channel corresponds to at least one of: a number of uplink transmission detection failures, a uplink transmission detection failure probability, a number of uplink transmission detection successes, or a uplink transmission detection success probability.

16. The wireless communication method of claim 12, wherein, determining the congestion level corresponding to a radio quality.

17. The wireless communication method of claim 16, wherein, the radio quality corresponds to a signal strength.

18. The wireless communication method of claim 16, wherein, the radio quality corresponds to a signal-to-noise ratio or a reference signal received power.

19. The wireless communication method of claim 12, wherein, the first uplink LBT scheme and the second uplink LBT scheme are two of: a no-LBT scheme, an omni-LBT scheme, or a directional-LBT scheme.

20. The wireless communication method of claim 12, wherein, in response to a signal-to-noise ratio or a reference signal received power being greater than or equal to a first threshold value, and at least one of the following conditions: a number of uplink transmission detection failures being greater than or equal to a second threshold value, an uplink transmission detection failure probability being greater than or equal to a third threshold value, a number of uplink transmission detection successes being less than a fourth threshold value, or an uplink transmission detection success probability being less than a fifth threshold value.

21. The wireless communication method of claim 20, wherein, in response to the first uplink LBT scheme of the wireless communication node being a no-LBT scheme or a directional LBT scheme, the network device transmits the first downlink signal including the one piece of the first type of LBT scheme switching information.

22. The wireless communication method of claim 12, wherein, in response to at least one of the following conditions: a number of uplink transmission detection failures being less than a sixth threshold value, an uplink transmission detection failure probability being less than a seventh threshold value, a number of uplink transmission detection successes being greater than or equal to an eighth threshold value, or an uplink transmission detection success probability being greater than or equal to a ninth threshold value.

23. The wireless communication method of claim 22, wherein, in response to the first uplink LBT scheme of the wireless communication node being a directional LBT scheme or an omni-directional LBT scheme, the network device transmits the first downlink signal including the one piece of the second type of LBT scheme switching information.

24. The wireless communication method of claim 12, wherein, the first downlink signal is a user equipment-specific downlink control information signal, or a medium access control control element (MAC CE).

25. The wireless communication method of claim 12, wherein, the one or more triggering events include at least one of: whether there is another wireless system within the service range, a number of nodes accessing the network device, or a total probability of decoding errors by the network device.

26. The wireless communication method of claim 12, wherein, in response to at least one of the following conditions: there is another wireless system within the service range, the number of nodes accessing the network device is greater than or equal to a tenth threshold value, or the total probability of decoding errors by the network device is greater than or equal to an eleventh threshold value.

27. The wireless communication method of claim 26, wherein, in response to the first uplink LBT scheme of the wireless communication node being a no-LBT scheme or a directional LBT scheme, the network device transmits the second downlink signal including the one piece of the first type of LBT scheme switching information.

28. The wireless communication method of claim 12, wherein, in response to at least one of the following conditions: the network device transmits the second downlink signal including a piece of second type of LBT scheme switching information to cause the wireless communication node to switch from the first uplink LBT scheme to the second uplink LBT scheme: a number of uplink transmission detection failures being less than a sixth threshold value, an uplink transmission detection failure probability being less than a seventh threshold value, a number of uplink transmission detection successes being greater than or equal to an eighth threshold value, or an uplink transmission detection success probability being greater than or equal to a ninth threshold value. there is no other wireless system within the service range of the network device, a number of nodes accessing the network device is less than a twelfth threshold, or a total probability of decoding errors by the network device is less than a thirteenth threshold.

29. The wireless communication method of claim 28, wherein, in response to the first uplink LBT scheme of the wireless communication node being a directional LBT scheme or an omni-directional LBT scheme, the network device transmits the second downlink signal including the one piece of the second type of LBT scheme switching information.

30. The wireless communication method of claim 12, wherein, the second downlink signal is a common downlink control information signal, a broadcast system information message, or a radio resource control message.

31. A method of wireless communication, comprising: in response to a congestion level of a downlink channel between a network device and a wireless communication node, or in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level within a service range corresponding to the network device, the network device switching from a first downlink listen-before-talk (LBT) scheme to a second downlink LBT scheme, wherein, in response to a signal-to-noise ratio or a reference signal received power being greater than or equal to a first threshold, and at least one of the following conditions: a number of negative acknowledgement (NACK) signals corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a second threshold, a NACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a third threshold, a feedback-less time corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold, a number of retransmissions corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold, a retransmission probability corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a sixth threshold, a number of acknowledgement (ACK) signals received by the wireless communication node is less than a seventh threshold, or an ACK probability corresponding to an uplink channel is less than an eighth threshold.

32. The wireless communication method of claim 31, wherein, the congestion level of the downlink channel is determined in accordance with whether one or more downlink transmissions are successfully detected by the wireless communication node.

33. The wireless communication method of claim 31 or 32, wherein, the congestion level of the downlink channel corresponds to at least one of: a number of NACK signals corresponding to the downlink channel, a NACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel, a feedback-less time corresponding to the downlink channel, a number of retransmissions corresponding to the downlink channel, a retransmission probability corresponding to the downlink channel, a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node, or an ACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel.

34. The wireless communication method of claim 31, wherein, the congestion level is determined in accordance with a radio quality.

35. The wireless communication method of claim 34, wherein, the radio quality corresponds to a signal strength.

36. The wireless communication method of claim 34, wherein, the radio quality corresponds to a signal-to-noise ratio or a reference signal received power.

37. The method of wireless communication of claim 31, the first downlink LBT scheme and the second downlink LBT scheme being two of: a no-LBT scheme, an omni-directional LBT scheme, or a directional LBT scheme.

38. The wireless communication method of claim 31, wherein, in response to at least one of the following conditions: the wireless communication node switching from an omni-directional LBT scheme to a no-LBT scheme or a directional LBT scheme, or from the directional LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme: a number of NACK signals corresponding to the downlink channel is less than a ninth threshold value, a NACK probability corresponding to the downlink channel is less than a tenth threshold value, a number of retransmissions corresponding to the downlink channel is less than an eleventh threshold value, a retransmission probability corresponding to the downlink channel is less than a twelfth threshold value, or a number of ACK signals received by the network device is greater than or equal to a thirteenth threshold value.

39. The wireless communication method of claim 31, wherein, the one or more triggering events comprise at least one of: whether there is another wireless system within the service range, a number of nodes accessing the network device, or a total probability of decoding errors by the network device.

40. The wireless communication method of claim 31, wherein, in response to at least one of the following conditions, the network device switches from a no-LBT scheme to an omni-LBT scheme or a directional-LBT scheme, or from the directional-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme: there is another wireless system within the service range, a number of nodes accessing the network device is greater than or equal to a fifteenth threshold value, or a total probability of decoding errors by the network device is greater than or equal to a sixteenth threshold value.

41. The wireless communication method of claim 31, wherein, in response to at least one of the following conditions, the network device switches from an omni-LBT scheme to a no-LBT scheme or a directional-LBT scheme, or from the directional-LBT scheme to the no-LBT scheme: there is no other wireless system within the service range, a number of nodes accessing the network device is less than a seventeenth threshold value, or a total probability of decoding errors by the network device is less than an eighteenth threshold value.

42. The wireless communication method of claim 31, further comprising: the network device sending feedback information corresponding to a congestion level of an uplink channel to the wireless communication node to cause the wireless communication node to operatively switch from a first uplink LBT scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme according to the feedback information.

43. A wireless communication node, comprising: a communication unit configured to communicate with a network device; and a processor configured to switch from a first uplink listen-before-talk LBT scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme in response to a congestion level of an uplink channel between the wireless communication node and the network device, or in response to a first downlink signal or a second downlink signal including LBT scheme switching information sent from the network device, wherein, in response to a signal-to-noise ratio or a reference signal received power being greater than or equal to a first threshold value, and at least one of the following conditions, the wireless communication node switches from a no-LBT scheme to an omni-LBT scheme or a directional-LBT scheme, or from the directional-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme: a number of NACK signals received by the wireless communication node is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, a NACK probability corresponding to the uplink channel is greater than or equal to a third threshold value, a feedback-less time corresponding to the uplink channel is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold value, a number of retransmissions performed by the wireless communication node is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value, a retransmission probability corresponding to the uplink channel is greater than or equal to a sixth threshold value, a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node is less than a seventh threshold value, or a number of nodes accessing the network device is less than an eighteenth threshold value, or a total probability of decoding errors by the network device is less than a nineteenth threshold value. a probability of ACK corresponding to the uplink channel is less than an eighth threshold value.

44. The wireless communication node of claim 43, wherein, The processor is further configured to perform the wireless communication method according to any one of claims 2-11.

45. A network device comprising: a communication unit; and a processor configured to transmit, via the communication unit, a first downlink signal or a second downlink signal including listen-before-talk, LBT, scheme switching information to cause a wireless communication node to switch from a first uplink LBT scheme to a second uplink LBT scheme, wherein, in response to a signal-to-noise ratio or a reference signal received power being greater than or equal to a first threshold value and at least one of the following conditions, the network device switches from a no-LBT scheme to an omni-LBT scheme or a directional-LBT scheme, or from the directional-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme: a number of NACK signals corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, a probability of NACK corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a third threshold value, a feedback-less time corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold value, a number of retransmissions corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value, a probability of retransmission corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a sixth threshold value, a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node is less than a seventh threshold value, or a probability of ACK corresponding to the uplink channel is less than an eighth threshold value.

46. The network device of claim 45, wherein, The processor is further configured to perform the wireless communication method according to any one of claims 13-30.

47. A network device comprising: a communication unit configured to communicate with a wireless communication node; and a processor configured to switch, in response to a congestion level of a downlink channel between the network device and the wireless communication node, or in response to one or more trigger events corresponding to a congestion level within a service range corresponding to the network device, from a first downlink listen-before-talk, LBT, scheme to a second downlink LBT scheme, wherein, in response to a signal-to-noise ratio or a reference signal received power being greater than or equal to a first threshold value and at least one of the following conditions, the network device switches from a no-LBT scheme to an omni-LBT scheme or a directional-LBT scheme, or from the directional-LBT scheme to the omni-LBT scheme: a number of NACK signals corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, a probability of NACK corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a third threshold value, a feedback-less time corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold value, a number of retransmissions corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold value, a probability of retransmission corresponding to the downlink channel is greater than or equal to a sixth threshold value, a number of ACK signals received by the wireless communication node is less than a seventh threshold value, or a probability of ACK corresponding to the uplink channel is less than an eighth threshold value.

48. The network device of claim 47, wherein, The processor is further configured to perform the wireless communication method according to any one of claims 31-42.

49. A computer program product comprising a computer readable program medium code stored thereupon, the computer readable program medium code, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the method of wireless communication according to any one of claims 1-42.

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