New radio (NR) procedures for shared spectrum

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for protecting overhead and common channel transmissions in a NR shared spectrum system. A BS of a first operator can receive information about at least one overhead transmission associated with a wireless device of a second operator, and can protect one or more overhead signal transmissions of the wireless device based at least in part on the received information. A UE can detect information associated with at least one overhead transmission from a wireless device associated with a first operator, and can transmit information about the detected overhead transmission to a BS associated with a second operator. A UE served by a BS associated with a first operator can detect a wireless device (e.g., another UE or BS) associated with a second operator. The UE can report an identification of the wireless device to the BS.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of patent application No. 201780052717.2, entitled "New Radio (NR) Process for Shared Spectrum", filed on August 31, 2017.

[0002] Cross-reference to related applications

[0003] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 62 / 383,064, filed September 2, 2016, and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 623,102, filed June 14, 2017. The contents of each application are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0004] Various aspects of this disclosure relate to wireless communication systems, and more specifically, various aspects of this disclosure relate to processes for protecting transmissions in shared spectrum. Background Technology

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunications services such as telephone, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems employ multiple access technologies that enable communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple access technologies include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0006] In some examples, a radio multiple access communication system may include multiple base stations, each supporting communication to multiple communication devices (also referred to as user equipment (UE)) simultaneously. In LTE or LTE-A networks, a set of one or more base stations may define an evolved Node B (eNB). In other examples (e.g., in next-generation or 5G networks), a radio multiple access communication system may include multiple distributed units (DUs) (e.g., edge units (EUs), edge nodes (ENs), radio heads (RHs), smart radio heads (SRHs), transmit-receive points (TRPs), etc.) communicating with multiple central units (CUs) (e.g., central nodes (CNs), access node controllers (ANCs), etc.), wherein a set of one or more distributed units communicating with a central unit may define access nodes (e.g., new radio base stations (NR BSs), new radio node Bs (NR NBs), network nodes, 5G NBs, gNBs, gNodeBs, etc.). A base station or DU may communicate with a set of UEs on downlink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a base station to a UE) and uplink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a UE to a base station or distributed unit).

[0007] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at the city, country, region, and even global levels. An example of an emerging telecommunications standard is New Radio (NR), such as 5G Radio Access. NR is an enhancement set of the LTE mobile standard released by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). It is designed to better integrate with other open standards by improving spectrum efficiency, reducing costs, improving service, utilizing new spectrum, and using OFDMA with a cyclic prefix (CP) on the downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), thereby better supporting mobile broadband internet access, as well as beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technologies, and carrier aggregation.

[0008] However, with the continued growth in demand for mobile broadband access, there is a need for further improvements to NR technology. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multiple access technologies and telecommunications standards that employ these technologies.

[0009] With the continued growth in demand for mobile broadband access, the use of shared radio spectrum (SRFS) (which may include unlicensed radio spectrum (UFRS)) has been considered to help address spectrum congestion issues for future wireless needs, aiming not only to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access but also to improve and enhance the user experience of mobile communications. However, SRFS may carry other transmissions, and therefore, techniques such as Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) and Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) can be used to try to prevent excessive interference. In some scenarios, wireless devices operating in the shared spectrum may be asynchronous. It may be desirable to mitigate interference caused by wireless devices operating in the shared spectrum. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The systems, methods, and apparatuses of this disclosure have several aspects, none of which individually assumes responsibility for their desired properties. Without limiting the scope of this disclosure as set forth in the following claims, some features will now be briefly discussed. Upon consideration of this discussion, and especially after reading the section entitled "Detailed Description," it will be understood how these features of the disclosure provide advantages, including improved communication between access points and stations in a wireless network.

[0011] This document describes a technique for protecting certain transmissions in shared spectrum. According to various aspects of this disclosure, when one transmitter is transmitting using overhead and / or a common channel, another transmitter can avoid transmitting or transmit at a lower transmission power. A transmitter associated with a first operator can receive information related to overhead transmissions from a UE, network server, or BS associated with a second operator.

[0012] In one aspect, a method for wireless communication is provided. The method can be performed by, for example, a BS of a first operator. In general, the method includes: receiving information regarding at least one overhead transmission associated with a wireless device of a second operator; and protecting one or more overhead signal transmissions of the wireless device, at least in part based on the received information.

[0013] In one aspect, an apparatus is provided for wireless communication performed by a first operator's base station (BS). The apparatus includes: a unit for receiving information regarding at least one overhead transmission associated with a wireless device of a second operator; and a unit for protecting one or more overhead signal transmissions of the wireless device, at least in part based on the received information.

[0014] In one aspect, an apparatus is provided for wireless communication performed by a first operator's base station (BS). The apparatus includes: at least one processor; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to: receive information regarding at least one overhead transmission associated with a wireless device of a second operator; and, based at least in part on the received information, protect one or more overhead signal transmissions of the wireless device.

[0015] In one aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided for wireless communication by a first operator's BS, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for performing: receiving information regarding at least one overhead transmission associated with a wireless device of a second operator; and protecting one or more overhead signal transmissions of the wireless device, at least in part based on the received information.

[0016] In one aspect, a method for wireless communication performed by a UE is provided. The method includes: detecting information associated with at least one overhead transmission from a wireless device associated with a first operator; and sending the information about the detected overhead transmission to a BS associated with a second operator.

[0017] In one aspect, an apparatus is provided for wireless communication performed by a UE. The method includes: a unit for detecting information associated with at least one overhead transmission from a wireless device associated with a first operator; and a unit for transmitting the information about the detected overhead transmission to a BS associated with a second operator.

[0018] In one aspect, an apparatus is provided for wireless communication performed by a UE. In general, the apparatus includes: at least one processor; and a memory coupled to said at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to: detect information associated with at least one overhead transmission from a wireless device associated with a first operator; and transmit said information regarding the detected overhead transmission to a BS associated with a second operator.

[0019] In one aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided for wireless communication performed by a UE, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for performing: detecting information associated with at least one overhead transmission from a wireless device associated with a first operator; and sending said information about the detected overhead transmission to a BS associated with a second operator.

[0020] In one aspect, a method is provided for wireless communication performed by a first UE served by a BS of a first operator. The method includes: detecting a wireless device of a second operator; and reporting an identifier associated with the wireless device to the BS.

[0021] In one aspect, an apparatus is provided for wireless communication performed by a first UE served by a first operator's BS. The apparatus includes: a unit for detecting a wireless device of a second operator; and a unit for reporting an identifier associated with the wireless device to the BS.

[0022] In one aspect, an apparatus is provided for wireless communication performed by a first UE served by a first operator's BS. The apparatus includes: at least one processor; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to: detect wireless devices of a second operator; and report an identifier associated with the wireless device to the BS.

[0023] In one aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided for wireless communication performed by a first UE, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for performing the following operations: detecting a wireless device of a second operator; and reporting an identifier associated with the wireless device to the BS.

[0024] Various aspects of this disclosure provide means, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for protecting transmitters, such as certain transmissions in a shared spectrum.

[0025] To achieve the foregoing and related objectives, one or more aspects include the features fully described below and specifically pointed out in the claims. The following description and drawings set forth certain illustrative features of one or more aspects in detail. However, these features indicate only a few of the various ways in which the principles of each aspect can be employed, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To gain a more detailed understanding of the features described above, reference can be made to various aspects (briefly outlined above), some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure and are therefore not intended to limit its scope, as the description may allow for other equally valid aspects.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a conceptual block diagram illustrating an example telecommunications system based on certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 2This is a block diagram illustrating an example logical architecture of a distributed RAN based on certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0029] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example physical architecture of a distributed RAN according to certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a block diagram conceptually illustrating the design of an example BS and user equipment (UE) based on certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0031] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of implementing a communication protocol stack according to certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 6a An example of a DL-centered subframe is shown, which is in accordance with certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0033] Figure 6b An example of a UL-centered subframe is shown, which is in accordance with certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0034] Figure 7 An example timeline of overhead and common channels in the shared spectrum is shown.

[0035] Figure 8 Example operations that can be performed by the transmitter according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown.

[0036] Figure 9 Example operations that can be performed by the UE according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown.

[0037] Figure 10 Example operations that can be performed by the UE according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown.

[0038] Figure 11 Examples of protection of transmissions in shared spectrum according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0039] Various aspects of this disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for spectrum sharing processes. As described herein, transmitters may not be discoverable or detectable by each other according to various aspects of this disclosure. For example, a first BS may not detect a second BS; however, a UE can detect signals transmitted by both BSs. According to one example, BSs may be associated with different operators.

[0040] To mitigate interference in flexible NR systems (where wireless devices can be asynchronous and operate in a shared spectrum), a receiving device can detect information associated with overhead transmissions from a second transmitter associated with a second operator. The receiving device can send this information associated with the overhead transmission to a first transmitter, which may be associated with a first operator. The transmitter receiving the information associated with the overhead transmission (e.g., the first transmitter associated with the first operator) can protect one or more future overhead transmissions from the transmitter associated with the first operator.

[0041] As described herein, the first transmitter can receive information about overhead transmissions associated with a second operator's equipment from the UE or a network server via periodic network listening. The UE can advantageously (1) detect the information associated with the overhead transmissions and / or (2) detect the second operator's radio equipment. As described herein, this information assists the BS in protecting transmissions from radio equipment associated with the second operator.

[0042] As described herein, overhead transmissions can refer to synchronization information, (e.g., network-associated) system information, control information, reference signals, and / or any other overhead signals. Overhead transmissions can refer to downlink or uplink transmissions. As an example, overhead transmissions can be sent on an overhead channel or a common channel. As an example, a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) exempt transmission (CET) is an example of an overhead transmission.

[0043] For illustrative purposes, aspects are described with reference to a BS acting as a transmitter and a UE acting as a receiver; however, aspects of this disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, a UE acting as a BS associated with a first operator may receive information regarding at least one overhead transmission associated with a radio device of a second operator. The UE acting as a BS may protect one or more overhead signals of the radio device, at least in part, based on the received information.

[0044] Depending on the circumstances, on the downlink, discovery or paging signals can be transmitted during CCA-exempt transmissions (CET transmissions) without performing Clear Channel Assessment (CCA). Discovery and paging signals are examples of transmissions on common or overhead channels. As described herein, a transmitter can protect transmissions on common or overhead channels used by other transmitters. As described herein, overhead transmissions can be protected, which refers to any non-data information. Examples of overhead transmissions include synchronization information, system information, control information, reference signals, and / or any other overhead signals.

[0045] The detailed description below, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and not as representing only the configurations in which the concepts described herein can be implemented. To provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the detailed description includes specific details. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be implemented without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0046] Several aspects of a telecommunications system will now be described with reference to various apparatuses and methods. These apparatuses and methods will be described in detail below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements can be implemented using hardware, software / firmware, or a combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0047] For example, an element, or any part of an element, or any combination of elements, can be implemented using a "processing system" comprising one or more processors. Examples of processors include: microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in the processing system can execute software. Whether referred to as software / firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other names, software should be interpreted broadly as meaning instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc.

[0048] Accordingly, in one or more exemplary embodiments, the described functionality may be implemented using hardware, software / firmware, or a combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality may be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes a computer storage medium. The storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code having the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer. As used herein, disks and optical discs include compact optical discs (CDs), laser optical discs, optical discs, digital versatile optical discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks typically magnetically copy data, while optical discs typically optically copy data using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0049] Various aspects of this disclosure can be used in New Radio (NR) (New Radio Access Technology or 5G technology). NR can support a variety of wireless communication services, such as Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) targeting wide bandwidth (e.g., over 80 MHz), Millimeter Wave (mmW) targeting high carrier frequencies (e.g., 60 GHz), Massive MTC (mMTC) targeting non-backward-compatible MTC technologies, and / or mission-critical Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC). These services may include latency and reliability requirements. These services may also have different Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs) to meet corresponding Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Furthermore, these services can coexist in the same subframe.

[0050] The technologies described in this article can be used in various wireless communication networks, such as LTE, CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and others. The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably. CDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. cdma2000 encompasses the IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. TDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). OFDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as NR (e.g., 5G RA), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDMA, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). NR is an emerging wireless communication technology under development, integrated with the 5G Technology Forum (5GTF). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Improved LTE (LTE-A) are versions of UMTS using E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization called the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). cdma2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization called the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2). The technologies described herein can be used with the aforementioned wireless networks and radio technologies, as well as other wireless networks and radio technologies. For clarity, although this document may use terms commonly associated with 3G and / or 4G wireless technologies to describe aspects, aspects of this disclosure can be applied to communication systems based on other generations (e.g., 5G and later technologies, including NR technology).

[0051] Figure 1 An example wireless network 100 in which various aspects of this disclosure can be implemented is shown. For example, the wireless network could be a New Radio (NR) network or a 5G network. A BS (e.g., BS 110a) can be associated with a first operator. BS 110a can be configured to perform... Figure 8 The operation 800 described herein and the method for protecting one or more overhead signal transmissions of a wireless device associated with a wireless device of a second operator. The wireless device may be a BS or a UE.

[0052] BS 110 may include a transport gNB, a receive point (TRP), a node B (NB), a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a new radio (NR) BS, a main BS, a primary BS, etc. NR network 100 may include a central unit.

[0053] UE 120 can execute Figure 9 Operation 900 shown in the figure Figure 10 The operation 1000 shown herein and the method for shared spectrum communication described herein are illustrated. UE 120 can communicate with a first BS associated with a first operator and a second BS associated with a second operator.

[0054] like Figure 1 As shown, the wireless network 100 may include multiple BS 110s and other network entities (or network elements). According to one example, the network entities including BSs and UEs may communicate using beamforming at high frequencies (e.g., >6 GHz). One or more BSs may also communicate at lower frequencies (e.g., <6 GHz). One or more BSs configured to operate in the high spectrum and one or more BSs configured to operate in the lower spectrum may be co-located.

[0055] A BS can be a station that communicates with a UE. Each BS 110 can provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to the coverage area of ​​a Node B and / or the Node B subsystem serving that coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. In NR systems, the term "cell" is interchangeable with gNB, Node B, 5G NB, AP, NR BS, NRBS, or TRP. In some examples, a cell may not be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​a cell can move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In some examples, base stations can interconnect with each other and / or with one or more other base stations or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 via various types of backhaul interfaces (e.g., direct physical connection, virtual network, or interface using any suitable transport network).

[0056] Typically, any number of wireless networks can be deployed in a given geographical area. Each wireless network can support a specific Radio Access Technology (RAT) and can operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT can also be referred to as a radio technology, air interface, etc. A frequency can also be referred to as a carrier, frequency channel, etc. Each frequency can support a single RAT in a given geographical area to avoid interference between wireless networks with different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks can be deployed.

[0057] A BS can provide communication coverage for macrocells, picocells, femtocells, and / or other types of cells. A macrocell can cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions. A picocell can cover a relatively small geographic area and allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions. A femtocell can cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a residential area) and allow restricted access by UEs associated with that femtocell (e.g., UEs in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), UEs for users in a residential area, etc.). A BS used for macrocells can be called a macro BS. A BS used for picocells can be called a pico BS. A BS used for femtocells can be called a femto BS or a home BS. Figure 1 In the examples shown, BS 110a, 110b, and 110c can be macro BSs for macro cells 102a, 102b, and 102c, respectively. BS 110x can be a pico BS for pico cell 102x. BS 110y and 110z can be femto BSs for femto cells 102y and 102z, respectively. A BS can support one or more (e.g., three) cells.

[0058] The wireless network 100 may also include relay stations. A relay station is a station that receives data transmissions and / or other information from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or a UE) and transmits the data transmissions and / or other information to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be a UE that relays transmissions for other UEs. Figure 1 In the example shown, relay station 110r can communicate with BS 110a and UE 120r to facilitate communication between BS 110a and UE 120r. A relay station can also be referred to as a relay BS, repeater, etc.

[0059] Wireless network 100 can be a heterogeneous network comprising different types of BSs (e.g., macro BS, pico BS, femto BS, repeaters, etc.). These different types of BSs can have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different effects on interference in wireless network 100. For example, macro BSs can have high transmit power levels (e.g., 20 watts), while pico BSs, femto BSs, and repeaters can have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 1 watt).

[0060] Wireless network 100 can support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, BSs can have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs can be approximately time-aligned. For asynchronous operation, BSs can have different frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs can be time-disaligned. The techniques described herein can be used for both synchronous and asynchronous operations.

[0061] Network controller 130 can be coupled to a group of BSs and provide coordination and control for these BSs. Network controller 130 can communicate with BS 110 via backhaul. BS 110 can also communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example, via wireless or wired backhaul.

[0062] UE 120 (e.g., 120x, 120y, etc.) may be distributed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. UE may also be referred to as a mobile station, terminal, access terminal, user unit, station, customer premises equipment (CPE), cellular phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, laptop computer, cordless phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, tablet device, camera, gaming device, netbook, smartbook, ultrabook, medical device or medical apparatus, biometric sensor / device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet, etc.)), entertainment device (e.g., music device, video device, satellite radio unit, etc.), vehicle component or sensor, smart meter / sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, GPS device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via wireless or wired media. Some UEs can be considered evolved machine-type communication (MTC) devices or evolved MTC (eMTC) devices. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc., which can communicate with a BS, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. Wireless nodes can provide connectivity to or from a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or cellular networks) via wired or wireless communication links. Some UEs can be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

[0063] exist Figure 1 In the diagram, a solid line with a double arrow indicates the desired transmission between the UE and the serving BS, which is the BS designated to serve the UE on the downlink and / or uplink. A dashed line with a double arrow indicates interference transmission between the UE and the BS.

[0064] Some wireless networks (e.g., LTE) utilize Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are often also referred to as tones, frequency bands, etc. Data can be used to modulate each subcarrier. Typically, modulation symbols are transmitted using OFDM in the frequency domain and SC-FDM in the time domain. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (called a "resource block") can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.08MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20MHz, there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands respectively.

[0065] While the aspects of the examples described herein may be associated with LTE technology, aspects of this disclosure may be applied in conjunction with other wireless communication systems (e.g., NR).

[0066] NR can utilize OFDM with CP on both uplink and downlink, and can include support for half-duplex operation using TDD. A single-component carrier bandwidth of 100MHz can be supported. NR resource blocks can span 12 subcarriers with a subcarrier bandwidth of 75kHz over a duration of 0.1ms. In one aspect, each radio frame can consist of 50 subframes with a length of 10ms. Therefore, each subframe can have a length of 0.2ms. In another aspect, each radio frame can consist of 10 subframes with a length of 10ms, where each subframe can have a length of 1ms. Each subframe can indicate the link direction (i.e., DL or UL) for data transmission, and the link direction for each subframe can be dynamically switched. Each subframe can include DL / UL data and DL / UL control data. UL and DL subframes for NR can be as follows... Figure 6a and 6bA more detailed description is provided. Beamforming can be supported and beam direction can be dynamically configured. MIMO transmission with precoding can also be supported. MIMO configuration in the DL can support up to 8 transmit antennas, with up to 8 streams in the multi-layer DL transmission and up to 2 streams per UE. Multi-layer transmission with up to 2 streams per UE can be supported. Aggregation of multiple cells with up to 8 serving cells can be supported. Alternatively, NR can support different air interfaces in addition to the OFDM-based air interface. The NR network can include entities such as CU and / or DU.

[0067] In some examples, access to the air interface can be scheduled, where a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) allocates resources for communication among some or all devices and apparatuses within its service area or cell. Within this disclosure, as further discussed below, the scheduling entity can be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more subordinate entities. That is, for scheduled communication, the subordinate entity utilizes the resources allocated by the scheduling entity. A base station is not the only entity that can be used as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE can act as a scheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more subordinate entities (e.g., one or more other UEs). In this example, the UE is acting as a scheduling entity, while other UEs utilize the resources scheduled by that UE for wireless communication. A UE can act as a scheduling entity in peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and / or mesh networks. In the mesh network example, in addition to communicating with a scheduling entity, UEs can optionally communicate directly with each other.

[0068] Therefore, in a wireless communication network with scheduled access to time and frequency resources and with cellular, P2P, and mesh configurations, the scheduling entity and one or more subordinate entities can use the scheduled resources to communicate.

[0069] As mentioned above, the RAN can include CUs and DUs. An NR BS (e.g., gNB, 5G Node B, Node B, Transmit / Receive Point (TPR), Access Point (AP)) can correspond to one or more BSs. An NR cell can be configured as an Access Cell (ACell) or a Data-Only Cell (DCell). For example, the RAN (e.g., Central Unit or Distributed Unit) can configure the cell. A DCell can be a cell used for carrier aggregation or dual connectivity, but not for initial access, cell selection / reselection, or handover. In some cases, a DCell may not transmit synchronization signals—in other cases, a DCell may transmit SS. An NR BS can transmit downlink signals to the UE to indicate the cell type. Based on the cell type indication, the UE can communicate with the NR BS. For example, the UE can determine which NR BS to consider for cell selection, access, handover, and / or measurement based on the indicated cell type.

[0070] Figure 2 It shows that it can be used Figure 1 The diagram illustrates an example logical architecture of a distributed radio access network (RAN) 200 implemented in a wireless communication system. A 5G access node 206 may include an access node controller (ANC) 202. The ANC may be the central unit (CU) of the distributed RAN 200. Backhaul interfaces to the next-generation core network (NG-CN) 204 may terminate at the ANC. Backhaul interfaces to adjacent next-generation access nodes (NG-AN) may also terminate at the ANC. The ANC may include one or more TRPs 208 (which may also be referred to as a BS, NR BS, Node B, 5G NB, AP, or some other term). As mentioned above, TRPs can be used interchangeably with "cells".

[0071] TRP 208 may be a DU. A TRP may connect to one ANC (ANC 202) or more ANCs (not shown). For example, for RAN sharing, Radio as a Service (RaaS), and service-specific AND deployments, a TRP may connect to more than one ANC. A TRP may include one or more antenna ports. A TRP may be configured to provide services to the UE individually (e.g., dynamically selected) or jointly (e.g., jointly transmitted).

[0072] Local architecture 200 can be used to illustrate the fronthaul definition. This architecture can be defined to support fronthaul schemes across different deployment types. For example, the architecture can be based on sending network capabilities (e.g., bandwidth, latency, and / or jitter).

[0073] This architecture can share features and / or components with LTE. Depending on various aspects, the next-generation AN (NG-AN)210 can support dual connectivity with NR. NG-AN can share common fronthaul for both LTE and NR.

[0074] This architecture enables collaboration between and between TRPs 208. For example, collaboration can be pre-configured within and / or across TRPs via ANC 202. Depending on the circumstances, no inter-TRP interface may be required or even exist.

[0075] Depending on various factors, dynamic configuration of splitting logic functions is possible within Architecture 200. (Refer to...) Figure 5 In more detail, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and Physical (PHY) layer can be adaptively placed at the DU or CU (e.g., TRP or ANC, respectively). Depending on some aspects, the BS may include a Central Unit (CU) (e.g., ANC 202) and / or one or more Distributed Units (e.g., one or more TRPs 208).

[0076] Figure 3 An example physical architecture of a distributed RAN 300 according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. A centralized core network unit (C-CU) 302 can manage core network functions. The C-CU can be deployed centrally. C-CU functions can be offloaded (e.g., to Advanced Wireless Services (AWS)) to handle peak capacity.

[0077] The centralized RAN unit (C-RU) 304 can manage one or more ANC functions. Optionally, the C-RU can manage core network functions locally. The C-RU can be deployed in a distributed manner. The C-RU can be located closer to the network edge.

[0078] The DU 306 can manage one or more TRPs (Edge Nodes (EN), Edge Units (EU), Radio Headers (RH), Smart Radio Headers (SRH), etc.). The DU can be located at the edge of a network with radio frequency (RF) capabilities.

[0079] Figure 4 It shows in Figure 1 The example components of BS 110 and UE 120 shown herein can be used to implement various aspects of this disclosure. The BS may include a TRP or gNB.

[0080] One or more components of BS 110 and UE 120 may be used to implement aspects of this disclosure. For example, antenna 452, DEMOD / MOD 454, processors 466, 458, 464 and / or controller / processor 480 of UE 120, and / or antenna 434, MOD / DEMOD 432, processors 420, 430, 438, scheduler 444 and / or controller / processor 440 of BS 110 may perform the functions described herein and referenced in the disclosure. Figure 7-11 The operation shown.

[0081] Figure 4 BS 110 and UE 120 are shown (they can be...) Figure 1 A block diagram of the design of a BS (BS in the BS) and a UE (UE in the UE). For restricted association scenarios, base station 110 can be Figure 1 In this context, BS 110c and UE 120 can be UE 120y. Base station 110 can also be some other type of base station. Base station 110 can be equipped with antennas 434a to 434t, and UE 120 can be equipped with antennas 452a to 452r.

[0082] At base station 110, transmit processor 420 can receive data from data source 412 and control information from controller / processor 440. The control information can be used for the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH), Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), etc. Data can be used for the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), etc. Processor 420 can process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information separately to obtain data symbols and control symbols. Processor 420 can also generate reference symbols, for example, for PSS, SSS, and Cell-Specific Reference Signals (CRS). Transmit (TX) Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) processor 430 can perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding, if applicable) on the data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, and can provide output symbol streams to modulators (MODs) 432a to 432t. Each modulator 432 can (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) process the corresponding output symbol stream to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 432 can further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signal from modulators 432a to 432t can be transmitted via antennas 434a to 434t respectively.

[0083] At UE 120, antennas 452a to 452r can receive downlink signals from base station 110 and can provide the received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 454a to 454r respectively. Each demodulator 454 can adjust (e.g., filter, amplify, down-convert, and digitize) the corresponding received signal to obtain an input sample. Each demodulator 454 can further process the input sample (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. MIMO detector 456 can obtain received symbols from all demodulators 454a to 454r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols (if applicable), and provide the detected symbols. Receiver processor 458 can process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 120 to data sink 460, and provide decoded control information to controller / processor 480.

[0084] On the uplink, at UE 120, the transmitting processor 464 can receive and process data from data source 462 (e.g., for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)) and control information from controller / processor 480 (e.g., for the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)). The transmitting processor 464 can also generate reference symbols for reference signals. Symbols from the transmitting processor 464 can be pre-encoded (if applicable) by TX MIMO processor 466, further processed by demodulators 454a to 454r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to base station 110. At BS 110, the uplink signal from UE 120 can be received by antenna 434, processed by modulator 432, detected by MIMO detector 436 (if applicable), and further processed by receiving processor 438 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by UE 120. The receiver processor 438 can provide decoded data to the data sink 439 and decoded control information to the controller / processor 440.

[0085] Controllers / processors 440 and 480 can respectively direct operations at base station 110 and UE 120. Processor 440 and / or other processors and modules at base station 110 can perform or direct, for example, operations at... Figure 8 The functional blocks shown herein and / or other processes used in the techniques described herein, as well as the execution of those processes shown in the accompanying drawings, are described. Scheduler 444 can schedule data transmission by the UE on the downlink and / or uplink. Processor 480 and / or other processors and modules at the UE 120 can perform or direct, for example, the following: Figure 9 and 10The function blocks shown in the figures and / or other processes used in the techniques described herein, as well as the execution of those processes shown in the accompanying drawings, are included. Memory 442 and 482 may store data and program code for BS 110 and UE 120, respectively.

[0086] Figure 5 Figure 500 illustrates examples of implementing a communication protocol stack according to various aspects of this disclosure. The illustrated communication protocol stack can be implemented by devices operating in a 5G system. Figure 500 shows a communication protocol stack including a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer 510, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer 515, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer 520, a Media Access Control (MAC) layer 525, and a Physical (PHY) layer 530. In various examples, these layers of the protocol stack can be implemented as separate software modules, parts of a processor or ASIC, parts of non-co-located devices connected via communication links, or various combinations thereof. Co-located and non-co-located implementations can be used, for example, in a protocol stack for a network access device (e.g., AN, CU, and / or DU) or a UE.

[0087] Option 505-a illustrates a split implementation of the protocol stack, where, in a centralized network access device (e.g., Figure 2 ANC 202) and distributed network access devices (e.g., Figure 2 The implementation of the protocol stack is split between DU 208. In option 505-a, the RRC layer 510 and PDCP layer 515 can be implemented by the central unit, while the RLC layer 520, MAC layer 525, and physical layer 530 can be implemented by the DU. In each example, the CU and DU can be co-located or non-co-located. Option 505-a can be useful in macrocell, microcell, or picocell deployments.

[0088] Option 505-b illustrates a unified implementation of the protocol stack, where the stack is implemented in a single network access device (e.g., Access Node (AN), New Radio Base Station (NR BS), New Radio Node B (NR NB), Network Node (NN), etc.). In this option, the RRC layer 510, PDCP layer 515, RLC layer 520, MAC layer 525, and physical layer 530 can all be implemented by the AN. Option 505-b can be useful in femtocell deployments.

[0089] Regardless of whether the network access device implements part or all of the protocol stack, the UE can implement the entire protocol stack (e.g., RRC layer 510, PDCP layer 515, RLC layer 520, MAC layer 525 and physical layer 530).

[0090] Figure 6aThis shows an example of a subframe centered on the DL (deep-layer) Figure 6a A subframe centered on the DL may include a control portion 602. The control portion 602 may exist in the initial or beginning portion of the DL-centered subframe. The control portion 602 may include various scheduling and / or control information corresponding to different portions of the DL-centered subframe. In some configurations, the control portion 602 may be a physical DL control channel (PDCCH), such as... Figure 6a As indicated in [the document], the DL-centric subframe may also include a DL data portion 604. The DL data portion 604 may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the DL-centric subframe. The DL data portion 604 may include communication resources for transmitting DL data from a scheduling entity (e.g., a UE or BS) to a subordinate entity (e.g., a UE). In some configurations, the DL data portion 604 may be a Physical DL Shared Channel (PDSCH).

[0091] The DL-centered subframe may also include a common UL portion 606. The common UL portion 606 may sometimes be referred to as a UL burst, common UL burst, and / or various other suitable terms. The common UL portion 606 may include feedback information corresponding to other portions of the DL-centered subframe. For example, the common UL portion 606 may include feedback information corresponding to the control portion 602. Non-limiting examples of feedback information may include ACK signals, NACK signals, HARQ indicators, and / or various other suitable types of information. The common UL portion 606 may include additional or alternative information, such as information related to the Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure, scheduling requests (SR), and various other suitable types of information. Figure 6a As shown, the end of the DL data portion 604 may be temporally separated from the start of the common UL portion 606. This temporal separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, guard period, guard interval, and / or various other suitable terms. This separation provides the time for switching from DL communication (e.g., a receive operation performed by a subordinate entity (e.g., a UE)) to UL communication (e.g., a transmit operation performed by a subordinate entity (e.g., a UE)). Those skilled in the art will understand that the foregoing is merely an example of a DL-centric subframe, and alternative structures with similar features may exist without necessarily departing from the aspects described herein.

[0092] Figure 6b This shows an example of a subframe centered on the UL. Figure 6b A subframe centered at UL may include a control section 612. The control section 612 may be present in the initial or beginning portion of the UL-centered subframe. Figure 6b The control section 612 can be similar to the one described above. Figure 6aThe control portion is described. The UL-centric subframe may also include a UL data portion 614. The UL data portion 614 may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the UL-centric subframe. The UL portion may refer to the communication resources used to transmit UL data from a subordinate entity (e.g., the UE) to a scheduling entity (e.g., the UE or the BS). In some configurations, the control portion 612 may be the Physical DL Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0093] like Figure 6b As shown, the end of control section 612 may be temporally separated from the start of UL data section 614. This temporal separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, protection period, protection interval, and / or various other suitable terms. This separation provides the time for switching from DL communication (e.g., a receive operation performed by a scheduling entity) to UL communication (e.g., a transmit operation performed by a scheduling entity). UL-centered subframes may also include a common UL section 616. Figure 6b The public UL section 616 in the document can be similar to the above reference. Figure 6a The common UL portion 606 is described. The common UL portion 616 may additionally or alternatively include information relating to the Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), the Sound Reference Signal (SRS), and various other suitable types of information. Those skilled in the art will understand that the foregoing is merely an example of a UL-centric subframe, and that alternative structures with similar features may exist without necessarily departing from the aspects described herein.

[0094] In some cases, two or more dependent entities (e.g., UEs) can communicate with each other using sidelink signaling. Real-world applications of such sidelink communication can include public safety, proximity services, UE-to-network relay, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, Internet of Things (IoE) communication, IoT communication, mission-critical mesh networks, and / or various other suitable applications. Typically, sidelink signaling can refer to a signal transmitted from one dependent entity (e.g., UE1) to another dependent entity (e.g., UE2) without requiring relaying by a scheduling entity (e.g., UE or BS), even if the scheduling entity may be used for scheduling and / or control purposes. In some examples, licensed spectrum can be used to transmit sidelink signals (unlike wireless LANs that typically use unlicensed spectrum).

[0095] The UE can operate in various radio resource configurations, including configurations associated with using a dedicated resource set to transmit pilot signals (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) dedicated state) or configurations associated with using a common resource set to transmit pilot signals (e.g., RRC common state). When operating in RRC dedicated state, the UE can select a dedicated resource set to transmit pilot signals to the network. When operating in RRC common state, the UE can select a common resource set to transmit pilot signals to the network. In either case, the pilot signals transmitted by the UE can be received by one or more network access devices (e.g., AN or DU or portions thereof). Each receiving network access device can be configured to receive and measure pilot signals transmitted on the common resource set, and also to receive and measure pilot signals transmitted on the dedicated resource set allocated to the UE (for these UEs, the network access device is a member of a set of network access devices monitoring the UE). The CU receiving the measurement results of pilot signals transmitted by one or more of the network access devices, or receiving the measurement results of pilot signals transmitted to it by the network access devices, can use the measurement results to identify the serving cell for the UE, or initiate a change of the serving cell for one or more of these UEs.

[0096] Example NR process for shared spectrum

[0097] Shared spectrum can include the use of unlicensed radio frequency spectrum. Example deployment scenarios for shared spectrum can include carrier-based deployments, stand-alone operating modes, and / or dual-connectivity operating modes. In carrier-based deployments, multiple operators can share the same frequency band. Stand-alone operating modes can include handover between Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) on licensed carriers. Dual-connectivity operating modes can include connectivity with shared spectrum component carriers and with anchor carriers on licensed spectrum.

[0098] Access in unlicensed spectrum

[0099] Media access in unlicensed spectrum can involve a dynamic listen-before-tell (LBT) process. A dynamic LBT process can allow for the sharing of network resources (e.g., frequency resources) on a millisecond timescale. However, in asynchronous systems, for example, media access may not be guaranteed. For asynchronous operation, BSs (e.g., transmitters) may have different frame timings, and transmissions from different BSs may be time-misaligned (e.g., one or more subframes and / or frame boundaries from different transmitters may not be simultaneously aligned).

[0100] The design of asynchronous Wi-Fi systems can be optimized for dynamic LBT processes. In Wi-Fi systems, beacon transmissions (overhead signals, reference signals) may undergo LBT. Periodic beacon signals can be inherently "asynchronous." Beacon transmissions can be sent infrequently, and receiving stations (STAs) can trigger asynchronous transmissions of beacons within the Wi-Fi system.

[0101] It may be necessary to leverage the mobility of the STA to compensate for poor radio resource management (RRM) caused by, for example, the asynchronous nature of beacon transmissions. All data transmissions may include a preamble, which can be used for synchronization and detection of data bursts.

[0102] Access in licensed spectrum

[0103] In 4G / LTE, medium access can be optimized for licensed spectrum. Accordingly, it may not be necessary for network nodes to "listen" (e.g., monitor or listen) before communicating ("speaking") on the radio frequency (RF) band to determine if another network node is occupying the same RF band, thus attempting to avoid interference. 4G / LTE systems instead use periodic transmissions of overhead signals. The RRM process utilizes these periodic transmissions of overhead signals. Measurement reports can be used for network-controlled mobility, which can take radio conditions and system load into account.

[0104] Discontinuous reception (DRX) procedures, in which the UE receives information discontinuously, can be used to extend the UE's battery life. During the DRX period, the UE can power down most of its circuitry, thereby saving power.

[0105] NR can be optimized for licensed spectrum. 4G / LTE may not support fast on / off processes, where the transmitter (BS) can communicate with the radio device to quickly stop using a portion of the spectrum and quickly re-establish communication; however, NR system designs can support this feature.

[0106] Shared spectrum media access

[0107] Shared spectrum can attempt to minimize changes to operations from NR via licensed spectrum in an effort to accelerate shared spectrum deployment. Shared spectrum can accommodate overhead and / or periodic transmissions of common channels used for the transmission of synchronization information, system information, control information, reference signals and / or any other overhead signals.

[0108] While protecting the resources used for transmitting data / services is important, in many cases, additional actions to protect data / services may not be necessary because there may not be any data / services for the wireless device. However, non-data or non-service transmissions (e.g., overhead transmissions) may still be transmitted periodically, even when no users are being served. For example, a network may still periodically transmit overhead signaling so that users can associate with available cells. Therefore, protecting overhead resources can be beneficial. It should be noted that overhead transmissions can be downlink or uplink transmissions (e.g., random access for periodic transmissions used to probe reference signals).

[0109] Shared spectrum may not require many changes to the RRM and can utilize a fast on / off process. As an example, a BS can use a portion of the shared spectrum to communicate with wireless devices and can stop using the shared spectrum, for example, to comply with a licensed transmitter. When the licensed transmitter stops using the spectrum resource, the BS can resume using the spectrum.

[0110] Operations within the shared spectrum may include network surveillance at the BS. Some deployments may protect the overhead and / or common channels of other deployments. In other words, a node associated with the first spectrum and the first operator may protect the overhead and / or common channels transmitted by nodes associated with the second spectrum and the second operator. Depending on the circumstances, a node associated with the first spectrum and the first operator may protect priority data transmitted by nodes associated with the second spectrum and the second operator. High-priority data may include high Quality of Service (QoS) data.

[0111] In shared spectrum, the configuration used by other radio devices can be learned by detecting and measuring the Discovery Reference Signal (DRS) and / or Broadcast Channel (BCH) of neighboring nodes B. DRS may include, for example, PSS, SSS, CRS, and / or CSI-RS. LBT procedures may not be used for overhead signals, common channels, and / or high-priority data in shared spectrum. UEs operating in shared spectrum may perform LBT procedures in an attempt to access unprotected resources.

[0112] The Spectrum Access System (SAS) can allocate channels within or across tiers. These tiers can include (in order of priority): (1) current licensees; (2) Priority Access Licensees (PALs); and (3) General Licensed Access (GAA) operators. Shared spectrum can be supplemented by over-the-air mechanisms for channel selection to complement the SAS server functionality.

[0113] In shared spectrum, UE-assisted reporting can allow the network to improve (e.g., optimize) channel selection and minimize interference caused by “hidden nodes,” where radio devices outside the BS’s range and / or not detected by the BS (e.g., due to asynchronous timing) may interfere with certain transmissions.

[0114] In a shared spectrum with multiple operators, certain transmissions from each node can benefit from being protected from interference from other nodes. For example, discovery signals, reference signals, paging timings (which may be transmitted using common or overhead channels), and / or high-priority data transmitted by a transmitter associated with a first operator can be protected from interference from transmissions originating from another transmitter (which may be associated with a second operator).

[0115] Figure 7 Example timeline 700 shows the overhead and common channel in the shared spectrum. 702 shows an example DRS period defined by the first DRS 704 and the second DRS 706. DL broadcast transmission period 708 may follow the first DRS transmission 704. During DL broadcast transmission 708, the BS may transmit one or more of the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) or Paging Control Channel (PCCH). Control interval 710 may follow the DL broadcast control channel 708. Control interval 710 may include transmissions on the DL shared channel and / or the UL shared channel.

[0116] According to one example, the timeline may include a second DL broadcast transmission 712. A UL control transmission 714 may follow the DL broadcast transmission 712. The UL control transmission 714 may include RACH transmissions, common control channel (CCCH) transmissions, periodic SRS, discovery signals, and / or other periodic signaling.

[0117] In an asynchronous system, a first transmitter associated with a first operator may not detect a second transmitter associated with a second operator. A wireless device (e.g., a UE) served by the first transmitter can detect signals transmitted by the second transmitter. As will be described in more detail herein, a UE can detect transmissions from another (e.g., a non-serving) transmitter and report the detected BS configuration to its serving BS. The BS serving the UE can protect the transmissions of other transmitters.

[0118] Depending on the circumstances, a UE served by a first BS associated with a first operator can detect a UE served by a second BS associated with a second operator. The UE can report to its serving first BS that it has detected a UE served by the second BS. In response, the first BS can obtain information associated with the second BS from a network server (associated with both the first and second transmitters). Depending on the circumstances, the second BS can obtain information associated with the first BS from the network server.

[0119] As described above, a BS can receive information about neighboring BSs from a UE served by that BS or from a UE served by another BS. Alternatively, a BS can use information received from a UE or other radio equipment to communicate directly with other BSs. As will be described in more detail herein, BSs can exchange information related to system information or configuration information to facilitate protection of transmissions over overhead or common channels.

[0120] Figure 8 Example operations 800 that can be performed by a transmitter according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown. The transmitter can, for example... Figure 1 The wireless system shown operates and may include one or more components of the BS 110. The BS may be associated with a first operator.

[0121] At point 802, the BS may receive information regarding at least one overhead transmission associated with a wireless device of a second operator. This information may provide system information associated with the second operator, configuration information of the wireless device, or the identity of the wireless device. At point 804, the BS may protect one or more overhead signal transmissions of the wireless device, at least in part, based on the received information.

[0122] The BS and the radio device (e.g., a second BS or a UE acting as a BS) can be asynchronous. Accordingly, the radio device may be "hidden" and / or undiscoverable by the BS. The BS can receive information about at least one overhead transmission associated with the radio device from a UE served by the BS, a UE not served by the BS, or the radio device itself. Receiving information about overhead transmissions may include the BS receiving information from the UE, another BS, or a network server about at least one of system information or configuration information associated with the radio device.

[0123] The BS can determine, at least in part, system information and / or configuration information associated with the radio equipment of the second operator based on the received information. Depending on the aspects, the BS can receive information associated with the identity of the radio equipment. This identity can be a global identity. The BS can use this identity to communicate directly with the radio equipment itself in an attempt to learn about the system information and / or configuration information being used by the radio equipment. Depending on the aspects, the UE receiving signals from the radio equipment can transmit the identity of the radio equipment. This identity can be used by the BS to facilitate backhaul communication between the BS and the radio equipment.

[0124] In certain scenarios, information about at least one overhead transmission can be received from a network server. For example, a first UE served by a first operator's BS can detect the presence of a second UE not served by the first operator's BS. The second UE may be served by a radio device associated with a second operator. The first UE can send an indication of the detected second UE to the first operator's BS. The first operator's BS and the second operator's BS can report this information to the network server associated with the first operator's BS and the second operator's BS. In response, the network server can communicate with the first operator's BS regarding the overhead signaling information of the BS associated with the second operator. Similarly, the second operator's BS can obtain overhead signaling information associated with the first operator's BS from the network server. In response, each BS in the network server can protect one or more overhead signaling transmissions associated with other BSs.

[0125] Protecting one or more overhead transmissions of a wireless device by a BS may include: avoiding transmissions during future transmissions of the wireless device, or transmitting with reduced transmit power during future overhead transmissions of the wireless device. Protecting overhead transmissions may include: protecting the overhead signal transmissions of another wireless device for a certain percentage of time. As an example, a transmitter may protect at least one overhead signal transmission of another transmitter for 20% of the time. As another example, a transmitter may protect an integer number of transmitters for a certain percentage of time. The transmitter may identify the strongest "N" transmitters and protect the overhead transmissions associated with those N transmitters for a percentage of time less than or equal to 100%.

[0126] CET transmissions can be examples of overhead transmissions that can be protected by the transmitter, as described herein. Depending on various aspects, the BS can schedule CET transmissions for the BS to occur closely together (e.g., within a time window smaller than a threshold). By scheduling CET transmissions to occur within small time frames, other transmitting radio devices can less frequently shut down or reduce their transmission power.

[0127] Figure 9Example operations 900 that can be performed by the UE according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown. The UE can perform operations such as... Figure 1 The wireless system shown operates and may include one or more components of UE 120.

[0128] At 902, the UE can detect information associated with at least one overhead transmission from a radio device associated with a first operator. At 904, the UE can send information about the detected overhead transmission to a base station (BS) associated with a second operator. As an example, the overhead transmission could be a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) Exemption Transmission (CET). More generally, the overhead transmission could be any control or reference signaling associated with synchronization and / or system information.

[0129] Depending on various factors, the UE may not be served by the primary BS. In this way, the UE can report information about detected overhead transmissions to non-serving BSs (e.g., neighboring BSs). Depending on various factors, the UE may be served by a BS and can report information about detected overhead transmissions (associated with neighboring radio devices) to the serving BS.

[0130] The UE can decode this information from at least one of the following associated with the radio device: downlink discovery signal, downlink paging opportunity, uplink random access opportunity, or uplink discovery signal. The UE can determine system information and / or configuration information associated with the radio device based at least in part on the detected information. The UE can send information associated with the system information and / or configuration information of the radio device to the BS.

[0131] Depending on the circumstances, the UE may send information associated with the identity of the radio device to the BS. This may allow the BS and the radio device to communicate (e.g., via backhaul) to exchange information related to system information and / or configuration information used by each of the BS and / or the radio device.

[0132] Depending on various factors, the UE can detect the presence of a wireless device (e.g., a second BS) served by a different operator than its serving BS. As described above, the UE can detect the presence of another UE that can be served by the second BS. The UE can report the identity of the second BS and / or the second UE to its serving BS. The serving BS can determine the overhead transmission information based on a network server or through direct communication with the second BS.

[0133] Figure 10 Example operations 1000 that can be performed by a UE according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown. The UE can perform operations such as... Figure 1 The wireless system shown operates and may include one or more components of UE 120.

[0134] At point 1002, the UE can detect the wireless equipment of the second operator. At point 1004, the UE can report the identifier associated with the wireless equipment to its serving BS.

[0135] A UE can play a supporting role in a shared spectrum by reporting transmissions received from other UEs. A first UE associated with a first operator can detect uplink transmissions of a second UE associated with a second operator. The detected uplink transmissions may include uplink control information. The first UE can report information associated with the uplink transmissions of the second UE to its serving BS. In this way, the BS serving the first UE can learn about the timing information associated with the BS serving the second UE (through the serving BS of the second UE, the second UE, or a network server associated with the BS serving the second UE). Accordingly, the BS serving the first UE can attempt to avoid or minimize scheduling the first UE for uplink transmissions that may interfere with the overhead signaling received by the second UE from its serving BS. In this way, the BS serving the first UE can reduce the interference of the first UE's uplink transmissions on overhead transmissions sent to the second UE.

[0136] Depending on various factors, the BS and the radio device may be asynchronous. The BS may be unaware of the radio device. However, the UE can receive signals (and / or interference) from both the BS and the radio device. Accordingly, the BS can detect neighboring BSs via network sniffing. Network sniffing can occur periodically in an attempt to identify new BSs and the transmissions associated with them. Additionally, the UE can send information associated with detected BSs.

[0137] A BS can protect the overhead and common channels of other deployed neighboring BSs by muting or reducing transmit power for a certain percentage of time. As an example, an overhead channel can refer to the channel on which DRS is transmitted. An overhead channel can also refer to a UL control channel used for RACH, CCCH, periodic SRS, discovery signals, and / or other periodic signals. A common channel can refer to a DL common channel such as BCCH or PCCH.

[0138] like Figure 11As shown, the BS associated with the first operator 1102 can avoid transmitting during the overhead and common channel transmissions of the second BS associated with the second operator (as shown at 1106a-1106e). Similarly, the second BS can avoid transmitting during the overhead and common channel transmissions of the first BS (as shown at 1108a-1108e). NR designs can advantageously allow for the configuration of overhead and common channels in a "cascaded" manner to more efficiently allow equipment to be muted to protect transmissions from other BSs. Although Figure 11 It is shown that the BS does not perform any transmissions at 1106a-1106e and 1108a-1108e, but the BS may transmit at a lower power or reduce the transmission power for a certain percentage of the time, as described above.

[0139] Although not in Figure 11 As shown, however, depending on various factors, one or more of BS 1102 and 1104 may avoid transmitting or transmit at a reduced power level when another transmitter is transmitting high QoS (e.g., priority data). In this way, the priority data of the other transmitter is protected.

[0140] As described above, based on the aspects described in this paper, NR system design can minimize overhead and common channel transmission time. DRS can be used in RRM and PHY layer procedures. In NR, for a 250μs subframe, the DRS / BCH overhead per DRS / BCH period can be 72μs. Figure 11 As shown, depending on various factors, overhead and common channels can be adjacent to each other to minimize the amount by which adjacent transmitters mute and / or reduce transmit power. For a 250μs subframe, the RACH overhead per RACH period can be 172μs. Paging SIB timings may be relatively infrequent. Therefore, the overhead used for paging may be insignificant.

[0141] Referring to the LBT procedure, a preamble may precede each Maximum Channel Occupancy Time (MCOT). Neighboring BSs can decode the MCOT to protect UL reception at the serving BS. The UE may optionally append an indication of transmission time to attempt to provide protection against hidden node interference from the BS. In the case of contention-based access on the UL, preamble transmission can reduce the probability of collisions between the BS and the UE.

[0142] According to various aspects of this disclosure, shared spectrum designs can utilize NR-licensed spectrum designs to attempt timely deployment of overhead and / or common channel occupancy (CET). Shared spectrum designs can define the percentage of time during which CET is permitted. As described herein, aspects protect the overhead and common channel of other deployed neighboring BSs by silencing and / or reducing transmit power. BSs can detect neighboring BSs through system listening modes and UE reports.

[0143] Depending on various aspects, resources used for data communication (e.g., minimum resources) can also be protected. For example, data communication prior to RRM can be protected. As mentioned above, NR design can allow for cascading configuration of overhead and common channels to attempt protection by adjacent transmitters. Enhanced Interference Mitigation and Service Adaptation (eIMTA) can be utilized to attempt to address hidden node interference. LBT can be used to enable spectrum sharing for user data.

[0144] The methods disclosed herein include one or more steps or actions for implementing the described methods. These method steps and / or actions may be interchanged with each other without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is specified, the order and / or use of a particular step and / or action may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0145] As used in this article, the phrase “at least one of” in a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including a single member. For example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination of multiples of the same element (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0146] As used herein, the term "determine" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determine" can include calculation, operation, processing, derivation, investigation, lookup (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertainment, and so on. Furthermore, "determine" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and so on. Additionally, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, choosing, establishing, and so on.

[0147] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to implement the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are given the full scope consistent with the written claims, wherein, unless specifically stated otherwise, references to elements in the singular form are not intended to mean “one and only one,” but rather “one or more.” Unless otherwise expressly stated, the term “some” refers to one or more. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements throughout the various aspects described in this disclosure are expressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to be included by the claims, such structural and functional equivalents being known or to be known by those skilled in the art. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be offered to the public, whether or not such disclosure is expressly stated in the claims. No claim element is to be interpreted pursuant to 35 U.S.SC § 112, paragraph 6, unless the element is expressly stated using the phrase “unit for…” or, in the case of a method claim, using the phrase “step for…”.

[0148] The various operations of the methods described above can be performed by any suitable unit capable of performing the corresponding function. These units may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to: circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or processors. Typically, in the presence of operations as shown in the figures, those operations may have corresponding paired units plus functional components with similar numbering.

[0149] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with this disclosure can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0150] If implemented in hardware, an example hardware configuration could include a processing system in a wireless node. The processing system could utilize a bus architecture. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system, the bus could include any number of interconnect buses and bridges. The bus could connect various circuits, including a processor, machine-readable media, and a bus interface. In addition, the bus interface could be used to connect a network adapter to the processing system via the bus. The network adapter could be used to implement signal processing functions at the PHY layer. In user terminal 120 (see...) Figure 1 In this case, a user interface (e.g., keypad, display, mouse, joystick, etc.) can also be connected to the bus. The bus can also connect various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, etc., which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further. The processor can be implemented using one or more general-purpose and / or special-purpose processors. Examples include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSP processors, and other circuits capable of executing software. Those skilled in the art will recognize how the functions described for the processing system can be optimally implemented based on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system as a whole.

[0151] If implemented in software, the functionality can be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on or through a computer-readable medium. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other terms, software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, data, or any combination thereof. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, with communication media encompassing any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. The processor may be responsible for managing the bus and general-purpose processing, including executing software modules stored on the machine-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be an integral part of the processor. For example, the machine-readable medium may include a transmission line, a carrier wave modulated by data, and / or a separate computer-readable storage medium containing instructions stored thereon, all accessible to the processor via a bus interface. Alternatively or additionally, the machine-readable medium or any portion thereof may be integrated into the processor; for example, this could be a cache and / or a general-purpose register file. For example, examples of machine-readable storage media may include RAM (random access memory), flash memory, ROM (read-only memory), PROM (programmable read-only memory), EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), registers, disks, optical disks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage media, or any combination thereof. Machine-readable media may be embodied in computer program products.

[0152] Software modules may include a single instruction or many instructions, and may be distributed across several different code segments, within different programs, and across multiple storage media. Computer-readable media may include multiple software modules. A software module includes instructions that, when executed by a device such as a processor, cause a processing system to perform various functions. A software module may include sending modules and receiving modules. Each software module may reside in a single storage device or be distributed across multiple storage devices. For example, when a triggering event occurs, a software module may be loaded from a hard drive into RAM. During the execution of a software module, the processor may load some of the instructions into a cache to increase access speed. One or more cache lines may then be loaded into a general-purpose register file for execution by the processor. It will be understood that when the functionality of a software module is referred to below, this functionality is implemented by the processor when executing the instructions from that software module.

[0153] Furthermore, any connection is appropriately referred to as computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology (e.g., infrared (IR), radio, and microwave), then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technology (e.g., infrared, radio, and microwave) is included in the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compressed optical disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile optical disc (DVD), floppy disk, and... Optical discs, where magnetic disks typically copy data magnetically, use lasers to optically copy data. Therefore, in some aspects, computer-readable media can include non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., tangible media). In other aspects, computer-readable media can include non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., signals). Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0154] Therefore, certain aspects may include a computer program product / computer-readable medium for performing the operations given herein. For example, such a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium having instructions stored (and / or encoded thereon) thereon, which can be executed by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein.

[0155] Furthermore, it should be understood that modules and / or other suitable units for performing the methods and techniques described herein can be downloaded and / or otherwise obtained by the user terminal and / or base station, where applicable. For example, such a device can be coupled to a server to facilitate the transmission of units for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, the various methods described herein can be provided via storage units (e.g., RAM, ROM, physical storage media such as compressed optical discs (CDs) or floppy disks, etc.) so that the user terminal and / or base station can access the various methods when the storage units are coupled to or provided to the device. Furthermore, any other suitable techniques for providing the methods and techniques described herein to the device can be used.

[0156] It should be understood that the claims are not limited to the precise configurations and components shown above. Various modifications, alterations, and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation, and details of the methods and apparatus described above without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE) served by a first network node associated with a first operator, comprising: Detect the transmission of the second network node of the second operator that has asynchronous timing with the first network node; as well as Report the identifier associated with the second network node to the first network node.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The detection further includes: Detect the second UE served by the second network node.

3. A method for wireless communication by a first network node associated with a first operator, comprising: Receive an identifier associated with a second network node of a second operator, wherein the second network node has asynchronous timing with the first network node and is detected by a first user equipment (UE) served by the first network node from a transmission of the second network node.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The second network node further detects by detecting the second UE served by the second network node.

5. An apparatus for wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE) served by a first network node associated with a first operator, comprising: Memory; as well as At least one processor is coupled to the memory and configured to cause the device to: Detect the transmission of the second network node of the second operator that has asynchronous timing with the first network node; as well as Report the identifier associated with the second network node to the first network node.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to cause the device to further detect the second network node by: Detect the second UE served by the second network node.

7. An apparatus for wireless communication by a first network node associated with a first operator, comprising: Memory; as well as At least one processor is coupled to the memory and configured to cause the device to: Receive an identifier associated with a second network node of a second operator, wherein the second network node has asynchronous timing with the first network node and is detected by a first user equipment (UE) served by the first network node from a transmission of the second network node.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, The second network node further detects by detecting the second UE served by the second network node.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE) served by a first network node associated with a first operator, the instructions being configured to cause at least one processor to perform the following operations: Detecting the transmission of a second network node from a second operator that has asynchronous timing with the first network node; and Report the identifier associated with the second network node to the first network node.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein, The instructions are configured to cause the at least one processor to further detect the second network node by: Detect the second UE served by the second network node.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for wireless communication by a first network node associated with a first operator, the instructions being configured to cause at least one processor to perform the following operations: Receive the identifier associated with the second network node of the second operator, wherein, The second network node has asynchronous timing with the first network node and is detected by the first user equipment (UE) served by the first network node from the transmission of the second network node.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein, The second network node further detects by detecting the second UE served by the second network node.

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